Child's Play (2019)

Director: Lars Klevberg

Notable Cast: Gabriel Bateman, Aubrey Plaza, Mark Hamill, Brian Tyree Henry, Tim Matheson, David Lewis, Beatrice Kitsos, Ty Consiglio, Carlease Burke, Trent Redekop, Marlon Kazadi

Honestly, the Child’s Play series has always been a favorite of mine. The original terrified me as a kid and growing up with the series through its ups and downs has been a pleasure to follow. When it hits its lows (Child’s Play 3) it bottoms out, but the series has always somehow found a way to reinvent itself in bold and intriguing ways. Enough so that Mancini’s last two entries, Curse and Cult of Chucky respectively, have been two of the best of the franchise and downright fascinating films in their own regards. It’s the love for the franchise and fantastic last couple of entries that lead me to be completely baffled by Orion’s choice with a remake of the original film. The Chucky series isn’t done and the upcoming TV show by Mancini is easily on my top list of awesome things that I am looking forward to in the future. An unnecessary reboot/remake certainly wasn’t something that was also on that list.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Director: Rian Johnson

Notable Cast: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Kelly Marie Tran, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Frank Oz

Star Wars: The Last Jedi maybe one of the most unique entries into the series simply for one reason: it’s the first film since the original that feels like it truly has its own unique voice within the Star Wars realm. For what it’s worth since Disney purchased LucasFilms, they have righted the course for the franchise overall, but the House of Mouse machine is not necessarily a place for experimentation. The Force Awakens works because it’s a fine-tuned film powered by nostalgia (or weaponized intertextuality, if one follows the video essays by Nerdwriter on Youtube) and displays that love for it as a foundation to set up the new trilogy, but Rogue One was a film that definitely wanted to go further into darker territory that was certainly undercut by Disney’s need for a more consumable film. Which is why the more divisive approach of style used by director Rian Johnson for Episode VIII is so fascinating and respectful. Not only does he put a unique stamp on his entry into the latest Star Wars trilogy, but he’s able to balance some very diverse genre influences into the film without necessarily derailing the film as a whole that still innately feels like Star Wars. There are moments that don’t necessarily work as well as one would hope, but the final result is a Star Wars film that feels fresh. If anything, that’s massively respectable.