SOLO

SOLO is the tenth of the full-length Star Wars movies, set in the timeline between Revenge of The Sith, and Rogue 1.  If you were worried that after The Last Jedi, the Star Wars films were heading downhill, destroying traditional characters, and introducing poorly written new characters who lack pizzazz, fear not.  SOLO is a comeback movie for Lucasfilm and Disney.  Screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan and his son, Jonathan know how to write a Star Wars movie.  I am happy to say that in SOLO, they have delivered something that traditional Star Wars fans can appreciate, without feeling like their childhood movie heroes are being destroyed.  The younger Han, Chewie, and Lando are all believable.  With the exception of a female droid, the new characters have pizzazz, too. 

 

Warning: Spoilers ahead.  Going into the movie, we know about certain spoilers, like how Lando Calrissian will lose the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo, “fair and square,” that the Millenium Falcon will make the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs, and that Han Solo survives, as do Lando and Chewie.  Beyond that, though, we don’t really know what to expect.

Breaking with tradition, we will not see R2D2 or C-3PO, although there is an R2 unit shown who could possibly be R2D2, but was never identified.  Anthony Daniels makes a very brief cameo as a different character.  There are references to a gangster on Tattooine, but we will not see Jabba the Hutt or Greedo.  There are no appearances from young Luke or young Leia.  No one from Rogue 1 appears either.  We won’t see Yoda or Obi-Wan, nor will we see the Emperor or Darth Vader.  There is no Bail Organa.  There is no young Biggs or young Wedge. 

 

Woody Harrelson gives an excellent performance as Tobias Beckett, a major character who has charisma, providing intrigue, even though we don’t always necessarily trust him.  It was a wise move to cast an established actor in this role.  The character is shady, but well written. 

 

Donald Glover does an amazing job as young Lando Calrissian.  He nails the Billy Dee Williams voice and mannerisms with precision.  He is very believable as a young Lando, an underhanded, untrustworthy person who nevertheless has no love for the Empire.  He also has some leadership skills that could later be used to run a coal mining industry.  He is furthermore a talented pilot. 

 

Alden Ehrenreich is also a convincing young Han Solo.  In some scenes, he even gets the Harrison Ford vocal tones and mannerisms down to a point where it genuinely feels as if a young Harrison Ford is performing the role.  Young Han Solo is more of an optimist, and a clever schemer.  He knows various languages which enables him to communicate with Chewbacca, who he makes peace with and rescues along with himself, after they were both pitted against each other in prison.

 

Young Han Solo has a love interest, Qi’ra, who is well performed by Emilia Clarke.  Qi’ra seems like the perfect match for Han Solo in the beginning of the movie.  She initially seems to be much kinder and more loving than Princess Leia ever was.  They get separated, against their will, and Han Solo vows to make it his mission to find her and rescue her from their home planet of Corellia.  When Han Solo in A New Hope uses the phrase, “big Corellian ships,” I always interpreted the term “Corellian” as referring to a type of metal used to construct the ships.  I now realize that it was in fact a reference to the planet upon which the ships were constructed.  Regardless, as the movie progresses, Han Solo meets back up with Qi’ra, in an unexpected place.  His feelings for her remain strong, but she has changed in a mysterious and shady way, a way that compromises her feelings for him, if they still even exist on any level.  This is an intriguing subplot that is well written and plays out well.

 

Some other cameos worthy of mention include the legendary Warwick Davis reprising his The Phantom Menace role as Weazel, and talented young actress Erin Kellyman as Enfys Nest, the leader of a gang of likeable pirates called Cloud Riders, a gang in which Weazel is a member.

 

The movie ends with the viewers wanting a sequel.  The Cloud Riders were an intriguing group who I would personally like to see more of.  The Han Solo and Qi’ra relationship needs official closure.  I furthermore get the impression from The Empire Strikes Back that the “friendship” between Han and Lando is more significant than what was merely shown in this movie.  Also, I would like to see the Han Solo negotiations with Jabba the Hutt and how he drops the shipment.  Even more significantly, (Warning: Read no further unless you want to see the spoiler of spoilers), the presumed deceased Darth Maul makes a very brief cameo appearance towards the end of SOLO.   This throws the force completely off balance as there are only supposed to be two active Sith at any given point in time.  I would definitely like to see the actual demise of Darth Maul, if that demise has even happened yet.  What if he had gone into hiding and could possibly reappear in Episode IX?  That would throw everything out of whack, but in a fascinating way.

 

In conclusion, SOLO is a movie definitely worth your time.  I would rank it as the seventh best of the ten official Star Wars movies.

AMERICAN IDOL (2018 Season)

Despite being an unscripted musical performance talent contest, this 2018 season of AMERICAN IDOL flowed in a manner as if a brilliant writer orchestrated the entire season.  For those of us who believe that God is ultimately in control, we saw Him work all things together in a way that reflects His glory.

 

 

Ryan Seacrest remains the host, but this season has three all new judges.  R&B legend Lionel Richie (formerly of the Commodores) is joined by country star Luke Bryan and pop star Katy Perry.  They did very well in discovering new talent and keeping most of it around deep into the season.

 

The first contestant who impressed me was a 16 year old Kentucky girl named Layla Spring who auditioned along with her even younger sister.  Layla has genuine wholesome sweetness, a precious love for her younger sister, and a great country voice.  The judges were initially hesitant on putting her through, due to the pressure they felt the industry would place upon her.  They chose, however, to give her a chance.

 

It was during the Hollywood weeks that I first noticed a Christian contestant by the name of Cade Foehner, a rocker with a 1980s voice, talent with guitar, good song choices, and a stage presence as if he was already a star.  He became my favorite, the one who I wanted to win the entire show, and believed could.   When Cade performed, it felt like watching an established musician, not a contestant in a talent show. 

 

In the first top twenty-four week, Cade’s roommate Trevor McBain, also known as the “man in the hat,” would unfortunately get cut, despite being one of the most talented and genuine contestants of the season.  Trevor’s Christian faith shined through, however, taking a positive attitude, even after getting cut, while trusting that God will continue to bless him, and use even his getting cut in a positive way.  Trevor is truly a class act, and I wish him all the best.

 

Much to my disappointment, Layla Spring would also get cut this week, despite a first- rate performance with Sugarland, on “Stuck Like Glue.”  Layla has all the makings of a true star.  It is my belief that the judges were afraid that the industry would take Layla’s sweet innocence from her, an unfortunate risk that young ladies face in the secular music industry.  A Christian record label could be a key to Layla’s future success.  She remains classy and I wish her all the best in the future.

Maddie Poppe is an impressive folk singer who had previously nailed such songs as “The Rainbow Connection,” and “Brand New Key.”  A deep voiced male country singer named Caleb Lee Hutchinson also impressed me, reminding me of Scotty McCreery, one of the more successful past winners of American Idol.  Another young girl named Mara Justine has an amazing voice, and an incredible stage presence, with a hair whipping gimmick that I thought was great, even though the judges encouraged her to stop it.  Maddie, Caleb, and Mara all survived this top twenty-four round, to join Cade in the top fourteen.

 

 

 

The top fourteen week would be the first time for the fans to get to vote.  The top six vote getters would be safe, while the judges get four saves, leaving ten survivors.

The top six were announced.  Cade, Maddie, and Caleb would be among them.  The other three would include country singer Gabby Barrett, a devout Christian named Michael J. Woodward, and Cate Turner, a young woman with incredible talent as a singer, performer and songwriter.  Cate is also an inspiration for women and young girls who choose to be their own person, and know how to do so well. 

 

 

 

Mara fell short of getting the top six fan votes.  After Mara performed, Lionel Richie criticized her, claiming that the contestants need the whole package.  Lionel Richie, in his critique, failed to mention what part of the package Mara allegedly did not have.  To me, she seems to have the total package.  Incidentally, she didn’t get one of the four saves.  Perhaps, like possibly with Layla, they were trying to protect this 16 year old from the dangers of the secular music industry.   

Within the next two weeks, all four people who the judges saved lacked the fan votes to stay around, as did Cate Turner.  The highlight of the tribute to Prince week was Caleb Lee Hutchinson’s successful country cover of “When Doves Cry,” a task I did not think was possible until Caleb pulled it off.

 

The following week, the top five would be cut down to a top three.  Michael J. Woodward would get cut.  Cade Foehner, much to my shock, would be the other person cut.  That being said, former contestants like Mandisa, Colton Dixon, Danny Gokey, Jason Castro, and Chris Daughtry did not win, yet have more successful music careers than the majority of the American Idol winners do.

 

The next week would feature shows on Sunday and Monday, Monday being the final show, after the votes are already in, Sunday being the day that the top three would each perform three times, including live debuting their first radio single.  In my opinion, Maddie Poppe would dominate the Sunday performances.  More than halfway through Monday’s show, it was announced that Gabby got the fewest votes, and would not win.

 

It then came down to Caleb Lee Hutchinson and Maddie Poppe as the final two.  When they stood on stage together, Caleb revealed that he and Maddie were boyfriend and girlfriend.  They performed a duet of the “Over The Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” medley.  After the song, Ryan Seacrest revealed to Caleb and Maddie that, as the top two contestants, they both won vacations to Hawaii and that they get to bring a plus one.  Caleb said they would bring their parents along to supervise, even quoting the cliché “Save room for Jesus.”  In choosing to bring their parents, Caleb publicly protected Maddie’s dignity and reputation, showing the world that he wants an honorable courtship with her, one that treats her as a person to be loved and cherished.  This shows young ladies the level of respect by which they deserve to be treated and young men an example that part of being a protector involves protecting her purity, and protecting her reputation by the way we treat her and speak about her.  Had Cade Foehner been in the top two as I had wanted, this moment between Caleb and Maddie would not have happened.  God has once again shown me another example of His will being greater than what I would have wanted, prior to seeing what He actually had in store. 

 

The final winner was Maddie Poppe.  She was crying so many tears of joy that she was unable to sing her single.  The entire top ten contestants, including Caleb came out on stage with her to congratulate her and help her sing her song.  This was a very special moment, unprecedented, at least in the seasons I have seen.   The bond between these contestants was very strong, the love from the Christian contestants being the dominant culture reflected among all the contestants on the show.

 

I am wishing for successful careers and a successful relationship for Maddie and Caleb.  I believe that they can be a celebrity couple who have enough of a platform to, by God's grace, revolutionize the way youngsters view romantic relationships.  They can provide single young women with the confidence that there are still decent men out there, while showing single young men that true romance and true love protects her dignity, purity, and reputation.   In conclusion, this was a very positive season of American Idol.  I am glad I watched it.