Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic Reboot?

So according to “sources“, BioWare Austin was going to remake the RPG classic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, but they have now moved on to creating a prototype for a full series reboot.  While I would hate to see all of the old stories go, this would fit in to Disney’s “lets change all the canon to fit together better” model.  BioWare Austin has been busy keeping the Star Wars: Old Republic MMO going for over five years, so continued development of that title is probably winding down.  Which means it is probably time to return to the series’ single player roots.  Since I have been enjoying Mass Effect: Andromeda so much, I am pretty pumped for another Knights of the Old Republic game.  We will see if anything comes of this, or if it is yet another internet rumor set to dash my hopes with it lies.

My Top Five Movies For 2017!

2017 looks to be a great year for movies, and I hope that everything pans out.  It was hard to narrow it down to five, though if you know me this list will not be too surprising, so here we go!

5: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

This first one was so amazing how could I not be excited for number 2!  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be a must see event.  The only reason it ranks fifth is the strength of the rest of the list, not any doubts I have in this film.

4: Logan

Ugg this trailer makes me cry every time.  It looks like Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart are going out on a high note!  Also it will be fun to see how they fit Deadpool in to this film.  Logan is the Wolverine movie we have been waiting for.

3: Wonder Woman

We have been waiting for years for Wonder Woman to get her first solo film, and in 2017 it finally happens!  The time is right for a female led superhero film, and Warner Brothers needs this movie to be a critical and financial success, so they pulled out all the stops.  I can’t wait to see how it turned out.

2: Star Wars Episode 8

After two massive successes in a row, how could I not be excited for the next main line Star Wars film?  I will be in a seat day one for this film, and judging by the box office returns of the last two Star Wars movies, so will you.

1: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

The Fifth Element is one of my favorite films of all time, so I will not miss Luc Besson’s return to over the top Sci-Fi.  I know that it may be a surprising pick for number 1, but I am supper jazzed for this movie.  I want to watch it right now!

Honorable Mention: Lego Batman is the best Batman!

That is my list for next year, what are you guys looking forward to seeing?

Shmee’s Top Five Movies Of 2016!

It is that time of year when things are slow, so people just start reposting stuff, but in list form, and who am I to break with tradition?  Here are the top five films I watched in theaters this year in reverse order!

5: Captain America: Civil War

The main line Marvel movies are starting to get a little crowded, but there were some unforgettable moments in Captain America: Civil War.  Spider-Man, the airport brawl, and the final Cap v Iron Man fight.  Well actual those are the only three things that I can remember, but they were pretty rad.

4: Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange borrowed pretty heavily from Iron Man, but luckily for us Iron Man is pretty great movie, so Iron Man starring Benedict Cumberbatch is still more than worth watching.  Plus it has one of the best endings ever for a superhero movie, and the world of magic opens all sorts of exciting possibilities for future Marvel films.

3: Star Trek Beyond

I am not sure anyone knew what to think when the Fast and Furious guy, Justin Lin, took over Star Trek from J.J. Abrams, but it turns out that he is a life long Trekkie who knew just what the series needed: Make a movie about the unknown, and then let the talented cast play off of one another.  It was great.  It is a shame that audiences didn’t show up to support this film, so the fourth NuTrek movie is in doubt.  I would love to see what Pegg and Lin have in store for us for their next outing.

2: Deadpool

So Fox went and finally did it, they brought the Merc with the Mouth to the big screen, and he did not disappoint.  He was crude, loud and funny, and he showed that Disney isn’t the only company that can make a proper superhero flick.  Ryan Reynolds I am sorry I doubted you.  Mostly.

1: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Another year, another great Star Wars movie.  I could get used to this.  Rogue One wasn’t as slick or as well plotted as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but it pulled the Star Wars Universe together in ways that other films never had.  It gave Star Wars its grit back, and it did it all without one Jedi.  If I were Disney I would skip the Han Solo movie and do more movies with new characters like Rogue One.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them deserves an honorable mention for showing us that there is more to the Wizarding World than The Boy Who Lived, but the next movie will need to focus more on the story at hand.

2016’s movies did not end up as good as 2015’s, but they were still consistently enjoyable.  I wish one of DC’s movies could have ended up on this list, but they still have a ways to go in the quality department.  Maybe with Wonder Woman coming out next year that will change.  I hope so.  What were you top movies from 2016?

Rogue One Brings War To The Stars!

I saw Rogue One: A Star Wars Story twice over the weekend and loved it both times.  This the type of prequel fans were hoping for when the prequel trilogy was announced.  It explains things fans have wondered about for years while still showing us something new.  Which is hard since there have now been three movies to focus on a Death Star.  Four if you include Attack of the Clones, and Five if you consider The Force Awakens’ Starkiller Base to be just a bigger Death Star.

Rogue One follows Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as she tries to find her father Galen (Mads Mikkelsen) who was in charge of designing the Death Star.  This quest will take her all over the galaxy with a rag tag crew of misfits.  It is the Star Wars equivalent to The Dirty Dozen, except there are only a half a dozen of them.

I enjoyed how they made a story about a giant flying death ball personal.  While soldiers trying to find a way to take out the Death Star is an interesting premise.  A woman doing it to fulfil her father’s legacy is even better.  Plus Rogue One was fine living in the gray areas of the Star Wars Universe.  There are no white knight heroes here.  Just people doing what they have to in order to defeat The Empire.

The cast was fantastic.  Of course I am biased towards anything featuring Alan Tudyk as a back-talking reprogrammed murder bot.  Felicity Jones leads this film perfectly as a conflicted soldier who is unsure about fighting for a cause that has only brought her loss, and Diego Luna as a fighter who is wondering if he has crossed too many lines in his fight for the Rebellion.  They all just work really well together.

The film is not perfect though.  It bounces around too much in the beginning, so it is hard to focus on what is going on.  I understand that Gareth Edwards wanted to show that this was a galaxy wide war, but there are just a few too many planets.  Also Rogue One pandered to our nostalgia just a little too much.

All in all Disney’s second Star Wars film is a rousing success.  It is like they made an adult version of the Star Wars: Rebels cartoon.  Which is something I can fully get behind.  Rogue One is the best prequel film that has been made, and while that may have been an easy bar to clear, it is still a great film that was fun to watch.  I can only hope the Han Solo film is as successful as Rogue One.