This is where it falls completely on Kathleen Kennedy. Lucas had entrusted her to act as steward to the franchise - and, well, the Sequel Trilogy was the result.

Same here, I saw Phantom in the theaters. It has its share of problems for sure, but it didn’t break the franchise for me; I was able to appreciate the good parts, and look forward to the next SW movie.

The Sequel Trilogy however...my biggest problem with it is that what it got wrong, it got wrong in such a way as to…

I agree with everything you wrote, except I would add that TFA does not hold up well over time, or even after first viewing. The set-up with Luke was one of the few things about the movie that was worth looking forward to TLJ for (JJ knows his mystery boxes). But Abrams/Kasdan flubbed Han’s character and the character…

You’re actually missing the point. I was an adult when I first saw (and enjoyed) the Prequels, and I was STILL an adult when I first saw (and disliked) the Sequel Trilogy. Both trilogies rely heavily on nostalgia/lore that is created by the OT. So, by your logic, I should like both Prequels and Sequel Trilogy roughly…

Disagree. I enjoyed the Prequels in my 30s, but was severely disappointed by the Sequel Trilogy, so nostalgia alone is not enough.

The Sequel Trilogy lacks the imagination that the Lucas films did. Basically recycles everything from the first six films, and the new characters they added are simply not very compelling,…

I agree with your original post, and also that people absolutely do care. I think this op-ed explains pretty well that aspect of why caring about these films is mportant:

You really think so? It was reported that both Lawrence Kasdan and Kathleen Kennedy were displeased with the dailies footage that Lord & Miller were sharing with them. I don’t regard Kennedy too highly, but Kasdan not liking the direction of the Lord & Miller film is telling.

Kinja fail. But if you google “Bench press form arch”, you’ll see some pretty extreme photo examples of benchers who are effectively risking their lumbar health.

We’ll have to agree to disagree on this. Lats are more engaged on an incline bench press, where the back is flat in that exercise. Benching flat more closely mimics an incline press than benching with an arch would. I am mostly basing this on how the flat benching exercise feels to me - so this may be a subjective…

We’ll have to agree to disagree on this. Lats are more engaged on an incline bench press, where the back is flat in that exercise. Benching flat more closely mimics an incline press than benching with an arch would. I am mostly basing this on how the flat benching exercise feels to me - so this may be a subjective…

Fair points, but so far as I know, I have not injured my rotator cuff as a result of benching - and I would imagine that when the rotator is injured during the bench press, it’s the result of too much of an explosive motion, or letting the weight come down too fast. I would argue that if you are slowly benching the…

I strongly disagree. Arching your back in my opinion increases risk of lumbar injury. I speak from experience: in my mid-20s, when I was bench pressing heavy weights (225+ lbs.), I threw out my lower back while arching it during the bench press.

I think such an injury can be avoided if you buy a weight belt, and are…

This was probably the most thoughtful reply to my comment, although I generally disagree with you. Acting is subjective in many instances and this is one of them. One of the best actors I know personally has an acting resume thinner than Ingruber’s, and he didn’t complete his theater degree. The point being is…

And the word “Hollywood” here can just be substituted with “Steven Spielberg.” Total cronyism at work here.  https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/spielberg-discovered-disneys-young-han-892493

It seems a number of comments here just assume Ingruber can’t act because he’s relatively unheard of. But in fact, he studied film acting at Wellington Performing Arts Centre, and has a decent resume even though he’s under 30: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3452021/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

I didn’t know he was friends with Lord/Miller - but even if this were a factor, I think the main factor here in Alden’s casting was Spielberg’s influence. If Hollywood were fair, Spielberg should have had no say in this... but we know that his opinion carries weight, because of K. Kennedy’s relationship with him.

Agreed on all points, except you left out that Steven Spielberg had personally recommended Alden E. for the role. And we all know that all but sealed the choice, given Spielberg’s relationship with Kennedy, head of Lucasfilm...

“How often are heroes in horror movies not just ready for their adversary, but on the hunt for them?”

“pretends none of the other sequels happened”

Which scene does c3po break the fourth wall? There are definitely scenes where he muses aloud while alone that helps to clarify the plot, but I can't really think of an instance where he addresses the audience *directly*.