Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia

Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia is written byTricia Barr, Adam Bray, and Cole Horton. It was published by DK Publishing. There is a forward by Dennis Muren, the Senior Creator and Director at Industrial Light and Magic.

This Visual Encyclopedia is loaded with amazing images and information. On the opening pages you’ll find the contents, which will show you how the book is organized. There are five sections: Geography, Nature, History, Culture, and finally Science and Technology. The history section would be my favorite. There’s a breakdown of the timeline, deep explanations of the galactic politics, and a who’s who in the Jedi Order and the Sith. It’s insane how much this book covers! helmets, clothing, accessories, pod-racers, furniture,and even food!

If you like Star Wars, you’re going to love this book. It’s a great reference while reading the novels, some characters and planets appear in this book. I think this is a must have for any Star Wars fan.

Star Wars: Smuggler’s Run Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

SPOILER FREE

Star Wars: Smuggler’s Run – A Han Solo and Chewbacca Adventure is written by Greg Rucka. This junior novel was published by Disney-Lucasfilm Press as part of the Journey to The Force Awakens.

SUMMARY: The Shrikes, a special Rebel Alliance team that’s tasked with scouting new locations for the rebels to set up bases. The Shrikes have a run in with the Empire! One member is on the run while the rest of the team is gunned down. The Imperial Security Bureau learns of the escapee, and is now searching for the rebel.

Leia asks Han Solo and Chewbacca to retrieve the only surviving member of the team. He holds all the secrets about where the Rebel Alliance’s next destination will be. Han is reluctant to take on the mission, the system he’d be going to is in Hutt territory… and that’s not where Han really wants to be at the moment. He puts aside his personal issues for the greater good of the galaxy and will do what he can.

CHARACTERS: Alecia Beck: She’s one of the few women that holds a high rank within the Empire. She’s a senior commander in the ISB, which is the Imperial Security Bureau. She’s the antagonist, definitely deserving of that title. She is one mean lady with a bad attitude. Beck is cruel and will stop at nothing to bring her subject into custody on the charge of treason. She has a distinctive look, she’s got short blond hair and a cybernetic eye. She lost her real eye in a fight against her former superior… who was trading secrets for credits. Maybe her attitude comes from that confrontation.

Han Solo: Such popular characters like Han, Leia, and Luke are always difficult to write, those are the characters everyone is going to pick apart because we know them too well. Han was written pretty well. He really comes off as a scoundrel, thinking only for himself. His copilot and friend Chewbacca, kind of acts as his conscious.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This book was actually pretty decent. The dialogue wasn’t too childish. The plot was simple and didn’t stray into weird places. Han was written great, the character was written very well. The book was a quick and easy read. The antagonist was an interesting character, very harsh. I wouldn’t mind reading more stories with her character. The Shrikes are an interesting concept, It’s something that seems legit.

If you’re wanting a short decent canon book. I’d suggest you pick this one up. It takes place between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.

RATING: I give this book a 3 out of 5.

Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

SPOILER FREE

Guardians of the Whills is a junior novel, Written by New York Times Best Selling Author, Greg Rucka. He’s a comic book writer and has written other books for Star Wars such as Before the Awakening.

Summary: Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus where Guardians of the Whills at the Kyber Temple in the holy city of Jedah, then the Empire came. Some had abandoned their faith, fled the city, or even became a thorn in the empires side. The more the citizens stood up against the Empire, the tighter their imperial grip became.

In this tale, Chirrut and Baze take it upon themselves to take care of a local orphanage. They steal from the empire and give to the children; food and medicine. They are approached by some individuals and are asked to join a local resistance group against the empire. Turns out, this group is lead by Saw Gerrera.

Chirrut and Baze do what they believe is the right thing to do, take care of the orphanage… and fight the Empire.

Characters: Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus were Guardians of the Whills at the Kyber Temple. They are both honorable and humble.

Chirrut’s faith remains strong. His senses are in overdrive, making up for his blindness. He’s focused and calm.

Baze’s faith is lost. He’s angry at what has come of his home. He puts up a good fight and prefers a big gun.

Overall Thoughts: The story was well told. Rucka certainly captured the voice of each character we saw in Rogue One. However, toward the end of the book, their voices shifted a bit, not really coming across as they do in the film. Jedda felt like a war zone, it was set up nicely. I was very disappointed that we didn’t get to really see what the Guardians of the Whills actually means… what they were like in their prime. It’s the books title, but it’s all during the imperial rule.

Rating: I give this book a 2.5 out of 5

DragonSlayer

by Matthew Wilson

Dragonslayer

Review – Love Letter – Recommendation

Dragonslayer is a film I’ve been wanting to share with people for a very long time. Usually, when movies are brought up with friends, family, even acquaintances… I always ask, “have you seen Dragonslayer?”

Back in 1981, Disney and Paramount released an epic fantasy film that, well, didn’t do so well at the box office. However, it was nominated for two Academy Awards for Visual Effects and Original Score. The film was written and directed by Matthew Robins, co-written by Hal Barwood and stars Peter MacNicol (Galen Bradwarden), Caitlin Clarke (Valerian), and Ralph Richardson (Ulrich). Ian McDiarmid, the Emperor from Star Wars, also makes an appearance! The music was composed by Alex North and will surely send you off to the fantasy realm, where dragons are real!

Check out this awesome trailer! Oh, and you can also rent it.

A Brief Review

Summary: The kingdom of Urland is kept safe, so long as a virgin girl is sacrificed to a mighty dragon. The people have had enough! A few villagers seek out a sorcerer brave enough to slay the dragon. The road is long and the clock is ticking for the next sacrifice to be chosen.

Characters: I’ll only mention two characters for this review, Galen and Casiodorus.

Galen– the sorcerer’s apprentice. He longs to be powerful in the art of magic. When the path before him turns to darkness, he is the light that conquers the darkness.

Casiodorus Rex– The king of Urland. He’s made a deal with the devil, responsible for creating a lottery to select the sacrifice to feed the dragon and keep his kingdom safe.

Overall Thoughts: This is one of my favorite films of all time… I believe I made that clear earlier. It’s for sure a classic fantasy film loaded with magic, adventure, and hope. While some of the effects don’t hold up, the puppetry sure does. The coolest looking dragon to ever be seen on screen. Dragonslayer is certainly film you’ll want to watch over and over!

The music is fantastic! If you’re lucky, you may be able to find a copy of the soundtrack on amazon or eBay. The gritty look of the film is texture I miss in films today. Everything is so clean and polished looking. A huge thing that makes this film work, and why I think it’s classic that will never get old, is the simplicity of the story. Film doesn’t always have to be puzzle.

Rating: I give this film an A+

I love this film

DragonSlayer is one of my favorite films ever made. I dare say it’s my second favorite of all time, behind Ghostbusters. A shock to fans who probably assumed it was Star Wars! The film was released in 1981, so the effects by Industrial Light and Magic don’t all hold up today, though some of the visuals most definitely do. There have been more than a handful of dragons appering in film over the last few decades, but none are as impressive as Vermithrax Pejorative!

Click HERE to check out my Top 10 MUST WATCH Horror Films.

GEEKblog: Rey Is A Skywalker

by Matthew Wilson

I have a new theory about The Last Jedi… that would be Rey Skywalker. Read it, think about it, share it if you’d like.

The big question in this new trilogy that everyone wants answered, is who the heck is Rey? A lot folks are guessing she’s a Skywalker, but folks are also saying Luke wouldn’t abandon his child. I think Luke did have a wife at some point, she has either died or they had simply parted ways. Here’s why I believe Luke actually did do such a horrible thing and abandon his own flesh and blood!

Luke Skywalker is hit pretty hard with the realization of how dangerous his family really is. His father, a dark Lord of the Sith. His nephew, Ben Solo, turns to the dark side, becoming Kylo Ren, and takes part in destroying the new Jedi order. Luke himself was tempted to dable in the dark side at one point.

So Luke has to make a decision, the one way he thinks he can put an end to the darkness and possibly bring balance to the force. He knows only one truth, according to the quote from The Last Jedi trailer, and that is that “it’s time for the Jedi to end.” He adopts his daughter out, far in the outer rim, to get her away from knowledge of the Force‬. To alter her destiny. He’s saddened by what his bloodline has done, and terrified at what his own flesh and blood might become. He wants her to have no knowledge of the force, of the Jedi. He drops her off on Jakku because the planet is forgotten, it’s role in the galaxy fulfilled. Until the force awakens in the dessert hills.

The reason Luke has gone into seclusion? He’s abandoned everything and everyone he loves. He believes he has failed his family, himself, and the galaxy. It’s time for the Jedi to end. If the Sith are truly extinct, and the Jedi are no more, then maybe there will finally be balance in the force.

The truth will be revealed December 2017! My prediction for the title of Episode IX: Balance Of the Force

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