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  If we were living in the the movie Minority Report , Paul Thomas Anderson 's latest film Licorice Pizza would get arrested for "Precrime." At least in the court of (some) public opinion . Anderson's film -- which I think is pretty great -- has come under criticism for the age gap between its two lead characters (15-year-old Gary and mid-20-something Alana), who go back and forth between friendship and playing flirtatious footsie. At no point in Licorice Pizza do they do anything sexual. Their feelings are sincere and the physical attraction is sometimes there, but it's all never acted on. Does that make the movie immoral? I don't think so. Could Gary and Alana some day end up together? I could see that. And Gary would (presumably) be of age by that point.  This age gap controversy had me thinking about a similar scenario...in George Lucas ' Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace . In the Star Wars films, we know that Queen Padmé Amidala will eventu...

Luke Skywalker needs his alien milk just like Joe Gideon needs his Dexedrine. At least that's how I like to imagine things in the movie universe playing out in my head. It's no secret that I thought Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi  had a lot of problems , and in the months since first watching it my disappointment in writer/director Rian Johnson 's film has only grown. As a result, I began creating a mashup in my head, inspired by some of the ludicrous imagery in The Last Jedi (e.g. Rey snapping her fingers to some interpretative dance choreography in front of a mirror...in a cave) to think of how this latest installment would play out in the late Bob Fosse 's universe of divine decadence. Fosse, the celebrated theatre director and Oscar-winning filmmaker, was a consummate creator, always searching for the internal intersection of passion and pain. The (anti)hero of his best film  All That Jazz  is Joe Gideon, the drug-addled, sleepless and charisma...

During last night's Super Bowl broadcast a forty-five second TV spot for the new Star Wars film Solo: A Star Wars Story debuted. At the end of the TV spot, it said the full length teaser trailer would drop on Monday. And, here it is. Oscar winner Ron Howard  ( Apollo 13 , A Beautiful Mind ) took over directing duties after  Phil Lord and Christopher Miller ( 21 Jump Street , The Lego Movie ) were fired from the film. If you consider that dramatic change in creative vision, coupled with the recent backlash over Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi , it's safe to say that a lot will be riding on how audiences respond to this new film. I personally think the previous Star Wars Story spinoff Rogue One is the best of the last decade, so I'm optimistic about this new installment. Watch the trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story below and let us know what you think!

There was something electric in the air when that first teaser for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens  premiered back in 2014. A sinister voice on the soundtrack asked, "There has been an awakening...have you felt it?" Then there was a barrage of clips teasing something familiar for Star Wars fans. That familiarity was the style and look of the original trilogy's western frontiers, with a kick of space cowboy bravado. It was void of the prequel trilogy's green screen approach and cutting edge technological risks (though I will defend those jubilant  George Lucas entries til the end of time). Unfortunately, J.J. Abrams '  The Force Awakens ended up being a pleasantly mild carbon copy of A New Hope , recycling tropes and story situations from that film as some gesture of assurance for a new generation of fans; if anything, it was setting up a dutiful cover song trilogy. So when it was revealed that writer/director  Rian Johnson was going to helm E...

We're taking a 45-second break from film reviews and video essays to share with you a happy surprise. During tonight's Game 7 of the World Series , a brand new TV spot for the much-anticipated Star Wars: Episode 8 - The Last Jedi hit screens everywhere. Rian Johnson wrote and directed this one, and considering how dope The Brothers Bloom and Looper are, this Star Wars installment looks promising. Also, this is our new favorite GIF.