Random Screen Guy Has Moved...

Check out my new site...http://www.randomscreenguy.com/. Feel free to comment and share!

3 More Thoughts On Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)

(SPOILERS, although c'mon you should've seen it by now)

         
           Well I finally got around to seeing The Force Awakens for a third time. Without the initial shock of the movie clouding my judgment, I was able to watch it with a bit more objectivity (although I still cried once). Here are my thoughts...

1. The Fate Of Han Solo:

I was really devastated when Han Solo, one of my childhood heroes, was killed (by his own son on a giant CGI bridge)... and I'm not necessarily against Han dying, because his death marked a significant transition into this next generation of the saga.

However, while I understand that JJ was trying to emulate the sudden death of Obi Wan, and that Kylo Ren needed a way to complete his gang initiation to the dark side, I still think it should've happened a different way. I never thought I'd say this but maybe JJ should have taken a page out of The Phantom Menace and had Han's death follow Qui-Gon's...

1) Qui-Gon went down fighting, Han should have gone down fighting
2) Qui-Gon died in Obi-Wan's arms, Han should have died in the arms of Chewbacca
3) Qui-Gon had a bomb ass VIP funeral, Han should've had it with full military/ smugglers honors

Damn it, I miss you Han, and it's really gonna suck not getting to watch you meet Luke again...

2. Kylo Ren Re-Examined:

My knee jerk reaction to Kylo Ren was pretty negative. In fact I thought he was a whiny little bastard...  I expected that we'd be dealing with someone more confident and frankly more experienced (though the wire hanging out of his lightsaber should've been a big clue). However after watching the movie a third time, I think I get him more. I appreciated his frustration with Rey, his inner torment, and his immaturity. He's actually way more interesting of a character than I expected him to be and I can't wait to watch his character grow.  

However, watching the movie again only reaffirmed my belief that Kylo Ren's only Helmet reveal should have been with Han Solo. I didn't feel that showing his face to Rey (and therefor the audience) first had the same emotional impact. The helmet serves as big a symbol of the dark side... after revealing his face to Han, Ren should've put it right back on (for the rest of the movie) to reaffirm how he's crossed the threshold into the dark side.

3. Rey's True Identity:

I'll be debating this to no end, but I'll just say it... I think (and kinda hope) that Rey is in some way related to Obi-Wan Kenobi (lets just call her his great grand niece for now). Here are my thoughts on this...

In a desperate attempt to prevent Obi-Wan's descendant from being taken by the first order (maybe around the time that Kylo Ren turned on Luke), Luke left Rey on Jakku. If we're to assume this trilogy will mirror its predecessors, then Luke's decision to do this would match Obi-Wan's attempt to hide him on Tatooine. Plus if you listen closely during Rey's vision when touching the lightsaber, you can hear Obi-Wan's voice (and admittedly Yoda's voice is there too, but I don't think she's related to him). Coincidence?

           What did you think of Star Wars: The Force Awakens? How many time have you seen it?

6 Thoughts On Star Wars: The Force Awakens

   (SPOILER WARNING)

           Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally out... and I'll be honest, as a whole, I really liked it. But as with all movies, there were positives and negatives. Here they are according to the Random Screen Guy...

1. All The Heroes Were On Their Game:

The new and returning cast members were all on point (right down to Admiral Akbar).

-Harrison Ford in particular (absolutely) delivered on his performance as Han Solo (because I was really worried that we'd get a much grumpier Ford).
-Chewie was also a total badass in this movie... In the moments following Han's confrontation with Kylo Ren, Chewie literally sniped Kylo in the gut...good stuff.
-Lets face it guys, Carrie Fisher could have done a lot worse... I was pretty happy with her return as Leia.

My Memories Of: Star Wars, The Phantom Menace

           With Star Wars in the air, I just thought I'd take the time to make my contribution... Therefore, I've decided to reflect on the ever hated, ever debated, prequel trilogy...starting with...

My Memories Of... The Phantom Menace (1999):

           Older Star Wars fans will tell you all about how Phantom Menace was the worst day of their lives... for me that wasn't totally the case. Why?... because I was 11 years old when that movie came out. That said, my younger self had a different set of reactions to everything people generally complain about today. Let me be clear, I'm not trying to convince anyone that The Phantom Menace is a great movie...because it isn't. All I offer are some of my thoughts at the time...

           I'll start by saying that all the awkward racial characteristics of Nute Gunray, Watto, and Jar Jar were totally over my head. Speaking of Jar Jar... while most people are quick to crap all over him (and rightfully so), I actually don't even remember noticing him much in the movie. He was just

The Leftovers Finale and Final Thoughts...

           I was really hoping The Leftovers season finale would live up to it's previous (incredible) episodes...and it did. I generally rate the quality of a Leftovers episode by how many times it confuses/ and or makes me cry...this episode had a bit of both...Here are my thoughts...

1. When John Shot Kevin... I Was Pissed:

Kevin had just come back from the dead for God's sake...The way he fell to the ground, the placement of the shot...I was sure he was dead. When Kevin woke up in the afterlife hotel, I'd had it. Maybe I was still getting over Glenn's (from The Walking Dead) near death experience... Either way, I was so relieved when Kevin karaoke'd his way back to life that I totally forgave how improbable it was for him to

'The Leftovers' Season 2, Episode 9...Holy SH$^%

           After sitting through the awesomely bizarre Kevin afterlife episode, The Leftovers brought us back to reality where...some serious crap is very much in the works. Episode 9 finally showed us the conflict that led to Tommy's disappearance. More importantly, this episode demonstrated that season's 2's real villain is Meg...Here are my thoughts...

1. Meg Has Started Her Own GR Terror Cell: 

Secret base? Check...Armed guards? Check...Explosives? (probably) Check... This episode saw Meg transform into a GR radical, pursuing a violent policy hellbent on making the departure's anniversary more memorable. By the way, I totally thought the grenade she threw in the school bus was real. What you have here are not only the makings of a great

'Fargo' Season 2, Episode 8...Who Saw That Coming?!?...

          (MAJOR SPOILERS) I think I held my breath for the last five minute's of this crazy episode. Here are my thoughts...

1. What's The Most You've Ever Lost On A Coin Toss?: 

I've honestly made a hobby of finding the many Coen Brother nods that appear in this series. The best one this episode was Hanzee's encounter with the gas station owner. It was literally a recreation of Anton Chigurh's famous coin toss scene from No Country For Old Men. Hanzee was Anton, composed and dead eyed... and the gas station guy took his cues from his counterpart in 'No Country.' The end product was a perfect tribute...  

2. Peggy's Torture Scene Was A Torture Scene:

I literally felt a shock in my chest when Peggy 'self actualized' her knife into Dodd' chest. Her folksy demeanor, and the way she so casually stabbed him only made the scene more disturbing. Don't get

'The Walking Dead' Season 6, Episode 8...Zombies...And More Zombies...

           The Walking Dead's mid season finale saw Alexandria overrun by zombies. Our heroes spent the entire hour stuck indoors, Jessie's son listened to Tiny Tim, Glenn just sort of watched everything, and Rick's group escaped via the zombie guts method. Here are my thoughts on episode 8...

1. Were Those Supposed To Be Ants?:

This isn't a big deal, but they looked pretty fake to me, just saying. Plus, World War Z already made the zombie/ ant analogy in it's opening credits...

2. Deanna, We Will Miss You, Sorta, Maybe:

Was I happy to see Deanna go? No not at all... but she was definitely on the short list of expendable characters. Maybe it's the fact that the Glenn scare is still on my mind, but her impending death didn't

'The Leftovers' Season 2, Episode 8...Kevin What The Heck?...

           Episode 8 was the weirdest of the season by far (Jason Bourne+Lost+The Twilight Zone). We followed Kevin as he woke up in the hotel of the afterlife, took the role of an 'international assassin,' and attempted to kill Patti...thereby freeing himself of her in the real world. I still can't believe all that actually happened. Here are my thoughts on episode 8...

1. Australia Is Important And May Be The Answer To Everything:

We've heard Australia mentioned a few times this season. One of those times was when Kevin's dad mentioned that he'd be moving there...and what do you know, it's Kevin's dad who communicates with his son (in the afterlife) from Australia. While I fully accept we may never learn what caused the departure (or where the people went), I still like that the show is keeping this 'Australia' thing alive.

'The Walking Dead' Season 6, Episode 7...Glenn's Fate Revealed!

           Episode 7 finally delivered the goods. After sitting through some pretty slow stuff, (the past 3 episodes) this was exactly what we needed going into the mid season finale...Here are my thoughts...

1. Glenn Lives, Which Totally Made My Weekend:

Well, we can all breathe a sigh of relief because it turns out The Walking Dead's dumpsters are made with wiggle room. It's a good thing Glenn made it out alive because his death would've really killed my Thanksgiving week...and I have to give props to this episode for starting with Glenn's reveal... because frankly it's the only thing we've really cared about all season. While I can fully appreciate the anticipation from having made us believe Glenn was dead, I would be happy if the show never pulls this again...

2. Rosita Tells Eugene What We've All Been Thinking:

I'm sorry but I don't really care for Eugene. His mullet and overall cowardice find a way to irritate me without fail. Thankfully Rosita stood up this episode and put Eugene right in his place...thank you. I

'The Leftovers' Season 2, Episode 7...Kevin No!

           Well no one ever said The Leftovers was an uplifting show...This season has delivered yet another awesome next level episode, here are my thoughts...

1. The Palm Print Scan...It's Only A Matter Of Time Now:

We all know it's Kevin's palm print that John is looking for...I'm kind of surprised it took Kevin this long to get scanned. A big confrontation between John and Kevin was always in the works...but with Kevin down and out, what's John supposed to do when he finds out Kevin is the droid he's looking for?

2. Laurie Shows Up At Miracle Because The Script Says So, But It Totally Works:

Why did Laurie drive all the way to Texas looking for Tom? I mean, she had already called Norah about it... She could've just called Kevin since she was clearly willing to meet him in person. Thankfully her appearance in Texas made for some of the episodes best scenes. It was a good twist when Laurie pointed out how Patty wouldn't appear in her presence... and how weird was it to see her giving Kevin advice when last we saw them together Laurie's involvement with the guilty remnant almost got Jill

The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 6...Any Day Now

           To be honest...I have very little to say about this episode because all I care about is Glenn
 (and we didn't get any answers on that front). Here are my thoughts on episode 6...

1. This Episode Didn't Do Anything For Me:

You know how every episode starts with a 'previously on' recap? Well the fact that most of this episode's recap was from the first episode summed up just how bad the season's timing is. I'm not sure anything happened on episode 6 that could have been blended into a previous episode or could have waited till after the Glenn issue is resolved. Basically all we got was...

1. Daryl, Abraham, and Sasha got attacked by a new group of people...and...

2. Daryl met 3 new characters who really didn't seem to matter and stole his stuff

'Spectre' 007... It Entertained, But...

           Look I'll cut right to the chase...while I was entertained by the latest James Bond film, it wasn't a great movie (certainly not the best of the Craig era). Here are my thoughts on 'Spectre'... Prepare to read the word 'Bond' a lot...

1. Relax People, It's a Bond Film:

I realize this is a Bond film which means it's going to be filled with unbelievable stuff like..

-Bond surviving the falling building in Mexico
-Bond surviving the falling helicopter scene in Mexico
-Bond recreating/ surviving the car chase scene from the Bourne Identity in Italy
-Bond not unplugging the camera while talking with Mr. White
-Bond chasing SUV's down a mountain with an airplane that fly's through a barn and hits it's target
-Bond going to the most evil guy's facility with absolutely no plan
-Bond using an exploding watch to escape from a locked chair connected to a brain drill
-Bond successfully shooting his way out of a facility after being drilled in the brain
-Bond successfully finding Madeleine Swan in an empty building
-Bond successfully shooting down a helicopter with a hand gun

 ...that said, I can't be too hard on this movie. It entertained me...which, as far as I'm concerned = mission accomplished. However, there were some things I still have issue with...

2. Christoph Waltz Could Have Been The Best Bond Villain Ever, But Wasn't:

One of the reason's I was excited to see this movie was because Christoph Waltz was in it... and I gotta say, the results were disappointing. I'll start with the whole, "Bond stole my dad's affection," backstory. You mean to tell me that due to some childhood jealousy with Bond, Christoph's character...

-Killed his dad
-Faked his own death
-Changed his name to Blofeld
-Started the most diabolical organization ever
...and dedicated his life to making Bond suffer?

I'm sorry but that was a bit of a stretch. I didn't feel that his connection with Bond helped his character in any way. To know that all his technological big brother power was literally born out of being a petty big brother.

           Despite the backstory, I wish I could've seen more of Waltz through out...because he simply came into the movie too late for me. I kinda felt like the movie was trying to shrug this off by explaining that Blofeld had been the puppet master of the previous films. I'm sorry but it's not enough to tell us that he's been there all along, we simply needed to see more of him. Had his character been more fleshed out, scenes like the one with the brain drill, might have been more engaging (because I literally watched that more confused than anything else). Considering how great an actor Waltz is... it just didn't feel like 'Spectre' made the most of him.

3. Some More Annoying Crap:

There's really no way to categorize the following issues I had with this movie, so I'll just say them out right...

A) After knowing Bond for what I can only imagine is less than a week, Madeleine tells Bond "I love you"? Sorry but no...

B) This movie's ending came across like some incarnation of Christopher Nolan's Batman. Damsel in distress is kidnapped by the bad guy. Blofeld then dabbles in the fine art of setting off bombs to explode in minutes (instead of, I don't know,  just killing both Madeleine and James right then and there) This coincidently gives our hero enough time to find the damsel and escape. Pretty text book stuff, then something unexpected...

C) James Bond shoots down Blofelds's helicopter with a handgun. Even with all the action leeway I give this movie, I saw that and laughed my ass off. I don't know what part of that was sillier... the fact that Bond attempted shooting it in the first place... or the fact that the helicopter didn't just fly away upon being shot at. I mean, just turn left...or right...or go higher. Damn, the final act of this movie was a mess.

           I'm really gonna give this movie the, "it entertained me," pass. Did 'Spectre's' plot really make a ton of sense? Not entirely. Was 'Spectre' worth the 9 bucks I spent to watch it? Yes, yes it was.

           So what did you think of this movie? Would you have killed some random dude just because you found a video of your dead boss telling you to do so?

Random Screen Guy Rating: 59.6584325325999999999999999  

The Leftovers Season 2 Episode 6...Questions And More Questions

           This show, while damn good, really is getting harder and harder to comment on...mostly because immediately after watching an episode, I realize I have almost no idea what just happened (in fact, after every episode I look like a disturbed Kevin). I find it best to just sit back, relax, and ask away...because lets face it... a lot of stuff related to birds, goats, pies, and rocks happened on episode 6. Here are my thoughts...

1. So This Episode Had A Questionnaire? Maybe It Can Answer Some of My Questions:

How? how can a show continue to pile on the mystery and still be so damn good? Here's some of the questions I had about tonights episode...

A) Why did Norah throw a rock a the Murphy's house? I mean, that was Norah right?

B) Why did Erika throw the rock back? Judging by the look on her face it looked personal as hell.  

C) What did that old man out in the sticks do to earn the Murphy's hatred? 

D) Does that "Lens" thing really happen? If so which questions from Norah's list were based off the

The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 5...Filler

           This was one of the most unfocused episode's I've seen from this show in a while... and it was also kinda boring. Aside from Maggie's pregnancy and the walkers showing up at Alexandria, this show meandered between a lot of characters and situations that led to nowhere. Here's my break down of episode 5...

1. This Episode Was Filler:

A filler is when a show delivers an episode seemingly just for the hell of it. Such an episode seems designed to get you nowhere fast. You could probably skip or fast forward through most of a filler (without worrying that you'll miss something critical, because there isn't really anything critical going on). This episode of The Walking Dead was pretty much one of those. It started off strong, as walkers found Alexandria and caused a town

The Leftovers Season 2 Episode 5...Ima Need A Hug After This One...

           This was probably the most bonafide Leftovers episode of the season so far. It was packed with all the awesomely depressing and mysterious stuff we've come to expect from this series. Here's my thoughts on episode 5...

This Show Is Now Focusing On 3 Plot Lines And Is Totally Pulling It Off:

To be honest when I saw the preview for this one, I wasn't jumping up for joy (in fact I thought we might get a dreaded filler episode)... and as expected, we didn't see anything related to those missing girls or the Guilty Remnant's craziness. Instead, episode 5 expanded Matt's subplot... which turned out to be pretty damn entertaining. Why?

1. It explored the mystery of Mary's awakening...

2) It revealed Mary's pregnancy... 

3) It focused on Matt's struggle to get them back to Miracle... 

4) It delivered a full circle ending with that guy who stole their wristbands...

The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 4... Enter The Morgan

           I knew this season would have a Morgan flashback episode and this week, that's what we got. Looks like we'll have to wait longer to find out about Glenn. Any who... this episode was pure character development and did well to show why Morgan has adopted a policy of peace... Here are my thoughts on episode 4...

1. This Episode Was A Forgone Conclusion, But It Didn't Have To Be:

This episode didn't really throw any mind blowing revelations at us. It showed how Morgan learned his peaceful ways in a pretty straight forward fashion...
1) Crazy Morgan gets captured
2) Crazy Morgan meets his Obi-Wan Kenobi
3) Crazy Morgan learns the ways of the force
4) Morgan is no longer crazy
...To top it off, his master is killed, forcing Morgan to venture on his own to fight the/ his dark side. Speaking of which, Eastman should really have been spared. His character was easily more

The Leftovers Season 2, Episode 4...We've Been Rickrolled...

          Remember how slow the first season of The Leftovers felt? Remember how you kept having to re-watch episodes because you either fell asleep or didn't understand it? Well as of episode 4, I'm happy to report that those days are well behind us... (ok maybe we're still confused) This episode started with yet another alternate view of the earthquake. I gotta say, Norah's reaction was pretty damn priceless (and that crazy rotating camera shot was damn awesome), because you can't blame her for thinking there was...

1. A Second Departure...

Those students from MIT said it could happen again, and if we're to believe Patti, it did. The three missing girls could very well be proof of a small scale departure. This is an awesome development because it basically craps all over Miracle's street cred while potentially demonstrating that groups of people (large and small) can go missing at any time. Assuming we take Patti's word for it (because lets be honest, this could all be Kevin's imagination), this presents the following questions and conclusions...

1. Kevin's dad has probably been completely sane this whole time
2. How does Patty know the girls departed?

The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 3...It Just Can't Be True...

           SPOILERS await, but if your not caught up by now... So there I was minding my own business...having a good time watching The Walking Dead... watching Rick's group basically play zombie run. Things were going great when the seemingly impossible unfolded before my eyes...

After attempting to distract a fast approaching zombie horde, Glenn and Nicholas decide to burn down a nearby building. That plan fails immediately after the two discover the building has already burned to the ground. Which brings us to the episode's main moment...

Glenn and Nicholas end up cornering themselves down an alley. With a horde of zombies blocking their way, the two shoot several zombies and soon after...climb on top of a dumpster. Suffering from heavy guilt and PTSD, Nicholas shoots himself in the head...falling into the horde...taking Glenn down with him. The final shots we see are of Glenn screaming with what look like intestines being ripped from somewhere closely positioned to his body...The show certainly came

Star Wars: The Force Awaken's Trailer... The Plot Revealed?...Maybe

           By now you've probably seen the Star Wars trailer 50 million times and debated which parts are the best. You've probably argued left and right about the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker and decided that Kylo Ren's lightsaber is useful after all. So, instead of telling you how happy I was to see Princess Leia, I've decided to have some fun theorizing about one thing we got the least of...the plot. I give you (based on what we've seen from the teasers, trailer, toys, and poster)...part 1 of Random Screen Guy's rough plot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens...

Possible Plot 1 Part 1:

           The scroll begins with talk of the First Order retaking the galaxy, and a comment about how the rebels, now called the Resistance, are in disarray...

           The movie introduces us to Rey, a scavenger who sells stuff at garage sales on the weekends and... is related to non other than Luke Skywalker (and Leia), but doesn't take the relation seriously because Luke is just a 'crazy old wizard'... plus...she's never met him...and isn't even sure he's alive. One day while heading for her next junk run, she meets a droid dealer. Realizing she needs a new droid, she buys BB-8.

           Meanwhile, Finn, a young man raised to be a stormtrooper, sees first hand the harsh treatment implemented by the First Order. Over the course of defecting from the First Order, he shoots up his unit. After being shot down in a skirmish (over planet Jakku), he