General Discussion [ Page 16 ]

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 25: "Solo: A Star Wars Story" Review, Part 1

EXPECT SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS OF THIS POST

Solo: A Star Wars Story is the new Lucasfilm prequel featuring everyone’s favorite Corellian smuggler Han Solo. Solo had a somewhat troubled production when Lucasfilm replaced the original directors Lord and Miller with veteran director Ron Howard. We’re now living in a world where we get a new Star Wars movie per year, is this a good thing or has Lucasfilm succumbed to the darkside?

We'll be back next month with Part 2 of our review after things have had some time to settle in our minds. In part 2, we'll tell you where Solo fits into our Star Wars rankings and give our Ghost Scale rating.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/29/2018 at 10:44pm

As with much, i'm going to say that if you want to partake in the comments here to expect spoilers.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/29/2018 at 10:59pm

Yep, thanks Jon. I updated the post with that warning as well.

And as an aside, sorry for my sick-sounding self. I must have gotten whatever Tim had. From across the country.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/30/2018 at 07:52pm

So Solo met my expectations, which is: it is fun, but nothing mind blowing. To me, Han and Chewie are the least interesting characters in the movie. All the other characters were great and saved the movie for me.

I really hope Lucasfilm rethinks their strategy of basing these "Star Wars Story" movies on existing characters. I think it makes it harder to care for the characters when you know where they end up. If they use existing characters and make the movies prequels, they better have a very strong character arc (which Solo did not have for Han). Otherwise I would like to see the characters in a non-prequel setting. For example: for the Boba Fett movie, set it after Return of the Jedi. Maybe have it set up like an Unforgiven movie. I think that would be cool.

As far as more Star Wars releases per year, it doesn't sound like they are going to do that after Solo under-performed.

As for the two Star Wars Story movies, Rogue One was the better film IMHO.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/30/2018 at 07:58pm

They’d have to retcon Boba dying in RotJ for that to work. But I could get behind someone finding his armor near the sarlaac pit and taking over his name and contributing his legacy. That would be awesome.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/30/2018 at 07:58pm

*continuing

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/30/2018 at 08:06pm

We don't know that Boba died in RotJ. He went into the Sarlacc for sure, but it takes "over a thousand years" for a Sarlacc to digest someone.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/30/2018 at 09:00pm

Unless he managed to take off his armor while inside the sarlaac and escape, he’s dead. Jaws eventually dug into the pit and killed the sarlaac and took a lot of stuff from its stomach, including that armor.

That’s according to Aftermath, and LucasFilm’s new canon policy is there’s only one canon, no levels of canon, and every story decision is approved based on whether it violates anything previously done.

So they have some wiggle room for Boba surviving (like a suuuuuper low chance) but he wouldn’t have the armor. Or there would need to be some crazy exposition for it to work.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/30/2018 at 10:04pm

Ah, so it was covered in a novel? I am failing at being a star wars nerd. :)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/30/2018 at 10:49pm

Hahaha nah, it’s hard to keep up with all of it. My wife has done a better job of it than I have.

But yeah it’s been covered just by the armor moving around a bit. But I mean technically there’s still no body. Probably LucasFilm being coy with us.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/30/2018 at 10:56pm

Travis, will you write up a Travis' Notes version of Star Wars so we have all the info? :)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/30/2018 at 11:50pm

I already did: https://starwars.wikia.com

;)

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/31/2018 at 02:03am

> I really hope Lucasfilm rethinks their strategy of basing these "Star Wars Story" movies on existing characters. I think it makes it harder to care for the characters when you know where they end up. If they use existing characters and make the movies prequels, they better have a very strong character arc (which Solo did not have for Han).

I'm not sure I disagree with anything you said. With that, my guess is that they are doing these (and i've talked about this before in comments) prequel films while they rev up the new films POST Episode 9. They have Rian Johnson and the Thrones brothers (whatever their names are) for those movies but while they are getting those going and the TV shows and other new movies they want to mine stuff and the past seems like a temporarally safe choice.

> As far as more Star Wars releases per year, it doesn't sound like they are going to do that after Solo under-performed.

Marvel did it. I bet Lucasfilm can get the formula right too.

> As for the two Star Wars Story movies, Rogue One was the better film IMHO.

The more I think about where Solo lands the more i'm not sure. I know it's better than most of the prequels but i'm not sure about where it sits with Rogue One? I hope to see it again before part 2.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/31/2018 at 02:31am

Also wanted to link to a YouTube video I watched recently called "What We Want From a Star Wars Movie?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeUGLUYYYNQ It's a great breakdown and covers why some people might not have appreciated aspects of The Last Jedi.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/31/2018 at 02:35am

I'm really not sure where I'd put Solo in terms of better or worse than Rogue One. Rogue One was SO good in my opinion but I do get the issues people had with it.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/31/2018 at 03:45am

We all know we really want a Jar Jar Binks movie.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/31/2018 at 04:01am

I'd honestly go opening night if there was one.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/31/2018 at 05:03am

“Mesa want your money: A Jar Jar Binks Story”

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/31/2018 at 02:41pm

I would totally go to that and try to avoid all spoilers. I would want to experience the train wreck

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/31/2018 at 05:42pm

I've heard some fun speculation that the Solo/Boba Fett/Obi Wan movies could be a quasi-Darth Maul/Crimson Dawn trilogy. From what I've read and seen, Darth Maul and Obi Wan have a pretty extensive history in the animated shows, so an Obi Wan movie with Darth Maul in it might have to be a retelling of the animated story (so it's probably not likely). It would also be fun for Han and Chewie to be minor characters in the Boba Fett movie.

(I've still not seen Solo, but I've seen a lot of reactions and breakdowns. And I heard a podcast on it too Here's a really in-depth, fun breakdown of all the references and details in Solo: https://youtu.be/fKLHggsywpo )

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/31/2018 at 06:05pm

Interesting chat with Ron Howard about Maul here: http://www.slashfilm.com/solo-reveal-explained/

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/31/2018 at 10:54pm

I meant to post that here last night Will. I love how he just didn't know who was going to fill that role, but Jonathan Kasdan wrote it so that it would lean toward Maul.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/31/2018 at 11:04pm

There's something that Jon and I talked about in the episode that I've been thinking about. Jon thought it was out of character for Han to give Enfys the loot instead of taking it himself. I mostly agreed but upon further thought, I think it makes sense. And my wife thought this was too obvious to even talk about it so... maybe we're slow :D

So in A New Hope, Han is only in it for the money, until he shows up to help in the crucial moment of the Death Star battle to help.

In Empire, we aren't entirely sure what's happened in the intervening years but Han is about to leave to save his own ass until he finds out Luke is in trouble and he risks his life to save Luke.

Han isn't a rogue scoundrel who only looks out for himself, even in the beginning of when we knew him. He's a good person who had terrible experiences and has made himself INTO a rogue scoundrel to get by. But when it comes down to it he does what's right.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/01/2018 at 01:07am

Yeah as I was thinking about the movie more the night I came back from the theater the more it made sense that they might make this The Maul Trilogy. Should be fun!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/01/2018 at 02:41am

I just saw the movie so now I can partake in spoiler comments! Wow there's a lot to read about here. It took me a while, but I finally recognized Emilia Clarke, "Daenerys!" Wow that was difficult to place, since she's a brunette in this movie. I also thought that L3 was played by Gwendoline Christie, Captain Phasma, but I was wrong.

I thought it was a cool movie, some of it was beautiful (like when they escaped the maelstrom. I noticed the lack of a Star Wars theme music in the beginning, which didn't occur until Hans and Chewie were in the Falcon.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/01/2018 at 02:47am

Hans, the German smuggler.

;)

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/01/2018 at 03:06am

I also recognized Ron Howard's brother, so wasn't surprised to see Ron's name in the credits. I also saw the guy from the movie Willow, I believe. Oh and the main villain, he was Vision in the Marvel movies!

I also thought it was cool that Han knew Chewie's language. That was interesting. I mean he never talked to Chewie in his native language before, so that was really cool! Seeing Darth Maul surprised me, the ending twist was a surprise for me, but I guess I'm just gullible and twists in movies actually surprise me.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/01/2018 at 03:07am

Crap, I said "Hans" my bad! I made that mistake before.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/01/2018 at 10:00pm

Seeing Han speak Wookie was horrible! I have to disagree with you on that one Greg!

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/02/2018 at 04:13am

I would be somewhere in the middle of cool and horrible on this one. I kinda always thought of Shyriiwook as something that non-Wookiees couldn't speak, just like how humans can't purr. We can kinda approximate it but we don't have the right throat structure for it. Apparently, though, according to a canon reference book it's possible, just really hard on the throat if you aren't a Wookiee.

It was still cheesy to see it though.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/02/2018 at 04:46am

So, I'm getting the impression that I liked it more than you guys. That doesn't quite surprise me as I clearly like the prequels more than you guys. Is this correct? Did you guys not like it very much?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/02/2018 at 06:04am

If you've heard the episode, Jon and I really liked it, and my opinion has stayed pretty consistent since things have gelled in my mind over the last week. My wife and I were planning on a second watch this past Monday but we both got some kind of virus that's worse than a cold. Bubonic chest cold? Yeah Bubonic chest cold.

I've never seen a movie where every single thing worked for me though, and maybe only one or two where nothing worked for me. And I have a spectrum of gripes. Nothing in Solo was really problematic for me, just minor nits. Hearing Shyriiwook spoken by a human was one of those nits but it did get a chuckle out of me if I'm honest. It just seemed out of place.

But yeah I plan on seeing it again at least once before it gets out of theaters and I can't wait for the home release.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/02/2018 at 02:14pm

I’m sick right now too and my voice is pretty trashed.

I liked Solo quite a bit. The Han speaking Wookie was a fun cheese moment and I’m glad it’s there. It reminded me of Luke drinking milk straight from the sea cow. That said, I think I liked the sea cow scene more it was just so much fun.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/02/2018 at 02:14pm

#notmyluke

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/02/2018 at 08:32pm

Solo was fun and I enjoyed it despite my problems with it. It was probably up there with the prequels for me, which I like.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/02/2018 at 10:27pm

Will, what does your ranking list look like? We talked about that a bit in the last episode comments

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/03/2018 at 12:37am

I haven’t thought of rank in a long time. This will take some thought.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/03/2018 at 12:52am

It seems I got the wrong impression, you guys do like it, even if you have some issues w/ it. @Will_Ball, that's cool that you like the prequels, too. I think maybe I'm not too picky, but I liked seeing how Darth Vader came to be.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/03/2018 at 01:43am

I like many things about the prequels. The only one that I would say I struggle to like is AotC. But there’s a lot of crap in there.

Greg I realized that you weren’t in the discussion on the last episode either, care to share your list?

I posted my (updated) list, along with Katie’s and my friend Hari’s (because he has a different take on it than I might, having grown up with the prequels), here:

https://cheerfulghost.com/Travis/posts/3712/cheerful-ghost-radio-episode-24-the-killing-snoke

And of course listen for Jon’s and Tim’s.

I still don’t know where I’d put Solo.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/03/2018 at 05:30am

I don't really care to make a list. LOL

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/03/2018 at 01:41pm

Aw. Everyone needs a Star Wars List.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/03/2018 at 04:47pm

My Star Wars list:

Star Wars
Everything else

😄

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/03/2018 at 06:28pm

Wills list:

1. Ewoks an Endor Adventure
2. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
3. The Holiday Special
4. Solo: A Star Wars Story

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/04/2018 at 05:04am

Ok, I still think my first list is the most accurate one, but here is where I stand as of right now:

6
5
4
7
8
Rogue One
Solo
3
1
2

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/04/2018 at 05:45am

Just heard a discussion about a different movie (Infinity War) and one of the guys made the point that *all* movies have plot holes/nits. It's bad if it takes you out of the movie, but if it's something you realize days later, then it's not that big of a deal.

That could probably be applied to a lot of the Solo discussion. Sounds like people mostly enjoyed the movie, but there were minor issues (but like Travis says, you can say that about every movie), but nothing bad enough to take you out of the movie :)

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/04/2018 at 05:47am

(Also, I listened to the podcast halfway through, and listened to others, then originally commented here, then eventually listened to the rest of the podcast and realized the Maul Trilogy was discussed by Jon and Travis lol. I don't think this is the only place I've heard about it, but now at least realize I wasn't contributing anything new to the discussion about that lol)

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/05/2018 at 03:48am

> Just heard a discussion about a different movie (Infinity War) and one of the guys made the point that *all* movies have plot holes/nits. It's bad if it takes you out of the movie, but if it's something you realize days later, then it's not that big of a deal.

That's true. I think though, movie pendantry is becoming a hot take arms race. Like I love talking about it to have a fun nerd moment with friends but I think it's a becoming new wave cynicism that's taking over fandom and becoming really toxic. What amount of nits makes a movie bad? I don't really know, but I know when people can't seem to let things go. Like I've seen lots of movies I didn't like and I can't remember them at the moment because I stopped caring a long time ago. Ok I thought of a bad movie I didn't enjoy, Spiceworld! Can't remember anything about it, but I remember not watching all of it and not much else.

> (Also, I listened to the podcast halfway through, and listened to others, then originally commented here, then eventually listened to the rest of the podcast and realized the Maul Trilogy was discussed by Jon and Travis lol. I don't think this is the only place I've heard about it, but now at least realize I wasn't contributing anything new to the discussion about that lol)

Yeah, i'm sure lots of people had that idea too. Thing is when it turns out to not be true, i'm not going to create a Twitter account attacking whatever director that didn't reward my fandom in the way I wanted them to. PLACATE ME STAR WARS OR I'LL NEVER STOP HATE TWEETEREREASDFASDFASDFASDFASDF

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 24: The Killing Snoke

When will Cheerful Ghost Radio finally jump the shark by talking about Star War way too many times? In this episode we’re going to circle back and talk a bit more about Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. The Last Jedi was recently released on digital and Blu-ray and we wanted to revisit the discussion and talk the special features. The Last Jedi has received some mixed reviews by fans and this extra review isn’t really an attempt to change anyone’s thoughts on the movie, we are just big Star Wars fans and wanted to talk a bit more about the film.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/22/2018 at 12:58am

My list has changed since we did this. A New Hope has jumped up a spot, and I’d now put Return of the Jedi as tied with the one I originally had above it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/22/2018 at 01:02am

Mine is the same. So drop your full list here then I’m having a hard time remembering it all. I know Empire was first and Clones was last

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/22/2018 at 03:33am

What I have determined is that I can't come up with a list. I was about to post it as you asked, but then I started thinking about it again. I then complicated matters by asking my wife her list and we made hers, while talking about the merits of them all, and I may have changed my list again. I have at least moved RotJ back to its original place.

There's legitimately no Star Wars movie I don't like. Attack of the Clones definitely tests that. There are so many great things in each of the prequels, they just get bogged down by the bad stuff. Obi-Wan and Palpatine are always a delight, especially Palps. His machinations to take power are the most interesting bits of at least the first two.

And I also have problems with literally all of them. There are some groan-worthy moments in all of them. Tosche station, ewoks, gungans, "I'm holding for general Hugs." But people take them too seriously. I'm guilty of that too.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/22/2018 at 03:34am

Anyway, my list. I had to break this into three comments because I got long in the tooth here.

Empire Strikes Back: Sooo good. It's just nearly the perfect Star Wars film for me. The groan-worthy moments are few and far between, the weight of every decision is palpable, and we first meed Yoda and learn about the mystical parts of the force.

A New Hope + The Last Jedi: I initially had The Last Jedi above A New Hope, but I tie them now. I wouldn't have A New Hope nearly this high if it weren't for the emotional attachment and its impact and importance, if I'm being honest, because it's a bit rough in places, but so perfectly edited and the last half is just pure joy. The Last Jedi is up here because, while there are issues, some big ones even, the major choices made worked so well for me. I understand why those choices didn't work for some people but they really do for me.

Rogue One: A major part of why I like this one so much is its effect on the original trilogy. Vader never seemed as threatening as he does in this, and it gives the rebellion more personality. We see some darkness in the rebels that we've never seen otherwise. Jyn's journey is so compelling. I may actually put this higher in the list but I CAN'T KEEP CHANGING IT. Come on Travis, keep it together.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/22/2018 at 03:35am

This should start with 4, but since I had to break it into another comment I can't do that.

The Force Awakens: JJ brought the franchise back in a major way. It was a delight to be back in the universe again, and the plot was compelling, the new characters had depth, and it ended with me wanting more. It's been knocked down a peg or two over the last couple of years but I still really like it.

Revenge of the Sith: I know what you're thinking. I haven't gotten Return of the Jedi in yet and I'm talking about the prequels? Yeah I am. I really like this movie. The opening scene showed that the tone of the OT had returned. The humor worked very well. Anakin's internal conflict was painful to watch (for the right reasons) and his emotional performance from when he decides to join Sheev to the end of the movie is some of my favorite Star Wars content ever. Obi-Wan's "You were my brother" speech at the end still gives me a lump in my throat. Honestly if not for the cheesy UNLIMITED POOOWWWAAAAAHHH scene I might bump this one up a notch.

Return of the Jedi: I feel like I have to say this since I put a prequel above it: I don't dislike this movie, not at all. It's very good. But it felt like a bit of a letdown after Empire and the scenes on the moon of Endor haven't aged well with me. There was a time when I would have put this in the number two spot but I dunno. I still watch it regularly and will continue to do so. The scenes with Luke's family reunion in the Death Star still give me chills.

The Phantom Menace: I.... kinda.... like this. Kinda. There's a lot of good stuff in there but so much Jar Jar and "Yipeee!" and "That's a good trick!" If you watch the De-Cheesed version of this on Youtube it's so much better and ... well, less cheesy.

Attack of the Clones: I love Obi-Wan's search for the missing planet, the fight with Jango, the battle of Genonosis... there's stuff to love here. But the borderline-or-maybe-not-even-borderline abusive relationship and the suuuuuper cringy dialogue in some places weigh it all the way down.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/22/2018 at 03:55am

Katie didn't grow up with these movies so she didn't have any emotional attachment to them. She'd seen them all but The Force Awakens made her go back and reevaluate them so she has a more recent view of them all.

Empire Strikes Back + The Last Jedi: Apparently Katie likes the middle of trilogies. Except Clones. She prefers these because they have the weightiest choices that put characters into tough spots with real consequences. Plus they both go into the mystical nature of the force and explain a lot about that.

Rogue One: This one is just a badass movie but it also has a lot of those tough choices mentioned above. And in this one you really see the consequences of those choices. They all freakin' die! And the Vader scene, right?

Revenge of the Sith: Basically read my rundown above but she likes it more than me!

The Force Awakens: From here down it's basically "which one do I have the most fun watching?" And this one got her way into Star Wars (maybe more than me... yeah definitely more than me) so this one has the nostalgic connection for her.

A New Hope: Would be higher if not for the whiny protagonist. It makes sense and it was an intentional choice but before getting off Tattooine she struggles a bit with this one.

Return of the Jedi: It's good but it's a little too "Yay, happy ending!" and feels too simplistic after Empire, and she says she may strain her disbelief watching teddy bears defeat the Empire.

The Phantom Menace: The thirty minutes that aren't painful are really, really good. The Darth Maul fight is amazing, with great music, and tells you a lot about the characters.

Attack of the Clones: This one feels like it's more about the relationship between Padme and Anakin than anything else, and it has the most abusive relationship in any movie that isn't explicitly about abusive relationships. It also makes her very sad for Natalie Portman.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/22/2018 at 03:01pm

I asked a friend about this who grew up during the prequel era. He was in third grade when Revenge of the Sith came out and he makes me feel like an old man. Here's his list.

Empire Strikes Back
Rogue One
A New Hope
Return of the Jedi
Force Awakens
Revenge of the Sith
The Last Jedi
Attack of the Clones
The Phantom Menace

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/23/2018 at 05:10pm

This is great, thanks for sharing.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/25/2018 at 12:27am

I've been trying to figure out my list, but it's really difficult! I didn't watch the originals as a child, so I don't have the same nostalgia for them, but they're still the originals...

I think my list is this:

Force Awakens
Empire Strikes Back
A New Hope
The Last Jedi
Return of the Jedi
Rogue One
Revenge of the Sith
Attack of the Clones
The Phantom Menace

(I'm really not sure on my ordering of the last 4 though. Rogue One is just as bad as the prequels to me, but at least in a different way)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/25/2018 at 01:16am

Adam, same here, I didn't watch them as a kid either really. I saw them on USA or TBS or whatever but got bored, mostly because I'd never start at the beginning.

I got way into them during the re-release in the 90s. I was 15 I guess when A New Hope released. It was fine. When Empire re-released I was in. Went and bought a Yoda poster, couldn't wait for Jedi. I watched all the prequels on opening night and thought they were all fine on first watch but they kinda fell apart.

The Force Awakens made me remember being 15 and how I fell in love with them and got me back into it, and more than ever.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/25/2018 at 06:03am

The Force Awakens is a great movie and was a fun theater experience. So much love for that movie and watching it in the theater opening night was magic. To compare, watching Solo on opening night wasn't as electric and there weren't as many people. It was fun though, but I wonder if the "Star Wars juice" or whatever is fading somewhat?

More on out Solo thoughts in the upcoming Radio episode should be out next Monday!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/25/2018 at 02:02pm

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Solo!

But I don't think the Star Wars juice is fading. I am already hyped to see Episode 9, and I'm sure that will be a big event. Sure, there'll be the people who loudly complain about it online, but I'm guessing the majority of people will have mostly good feelings about this current trilogy (even with its flaws).

The juice that does seem to be waning, in me at least, is the reference/rehash juice. We ultimately knew the end of Rogue One. We know that Han, Cherie and Lando all survive Solo (and that Lando's droid and Daenerys probably die, since they're not part of the original trilogy, or ever mentioned by Han or Lando. But I've not seen any spoilers, so I'm not spoilering anything here lol) we even knew ultimately how the prequels were going to end (we just hoped for a better ride). The new trilogy is something new. I've been surprised at where it's gone so far and I look forward to being surprised in future movies in the Star Wars Universe :)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/25/2018 at 03:37pm

We definitely know where their stories eventually go but there’s always more context to provide. We basically knew how Rogue One would end but that film informed a few details about A New Hope that really elevated it for me. I’m hoping for the same thing with Solo, or if not that, then a fun romp with some of our favorite characters.

I kinda like the balance of having new stuff alternating with these anthology films that fill in context. We know that Rian Johnson has a trilogy coming and D&D from Game of Thrones have a series (never confirmed as a trilogy or anything so we don’t know how long it will be), and that both of these will be unexplored parts of the universe. As long as the fan service keeps getting balanced with new stuff I’m happy with it.

Honestly I have been thinking that Solo wouldn’t do as well as the others ever since the final release date was announced. Not only is it only a few months since the last Star Wars, people have just seen Infinity War and Deadpool 2. It’s a busy time for big, nerdy action. I kinda wish they had just pushed the standard release date to December. Even spacing and no summer blockbusters to compete against.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/25/2018 at 04:45pm

Good points. We've talked about anthology vs new films and we just disagree lol. But, I hope Solo is fun :)

(And I highly recommend both Infinity War and Deadpool 2!)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/25/2018 at 05:02pm

Yes, I also highly recommend those. We’ve already talked about Infinity War on CG Radio, but keep an ear out for our Deadpool 2 episode soon!

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Site Feature Update: Tech upgrades, some new design

Hi folks,

We have upgraded some of the frameworks we use on the site -- Bootstrap has a new major version that's been stable for a few months, and that required an upgrade to jQuery as well. As we plan out future changes to the site, these new tools make things easier for us and better for you.

Some of the tools from Bootstrap 3.x we were using are gone in 4, so we had to re-work things a bit. Fortunately, the tools that replace it in Bootstrap 4 are better, and it gave us an opportunity to improve those things with some redesigns.

For now, we just tried to make things look like the site pre-upgrade for the most part, but in situations where that wasn't possible we put... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/19/2018 at 05:28pm

Travis did the majority of the work here, so toss all the good will to him.

One problem I've noticed for a while now was that when you were on the game list each entry looked pretty bland and samey. Each game is different and some games have a pretty rich legacy and I wanted to differentiate them when you are look at the games list. So an idea I had was to put an icon next to each game depending on what console it primarily came out on. And in the case where we have an icon for the game, display that as some do. I like the way it turned out and Travis and I iterated on the algorithm to select the right icon based on the game for a bit and like what we came up with.

https://cheerfulghost.com/games/most_popular

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/19/2018 at 05:37pm

Thanks Jon!

And the games list changes Jon mentions carry over to viewing other people's games and your own game list.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/19/2018 at 06:23pm

Cool! Some things do look better, nice work! I like Jon's link to most popular games. It's actually kind of surprising to find out that some games have more posts than others, like Terraria isn't higher up on the list.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/20/2018 at 02:08am

Shut up and take my money! $$$

Thanks for managing the site Travis and Jon! It is an awesome site.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/20/2018 at 02:51am

Thanks guys!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/20/2018 at 02:57am

I'm pretty impressed, really. You know how frustrated I got with advanced programming. I can do simple HTML, but I'm clueless when it comes to more advanced web design. Good job!

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/20/2018 at 03:29am

Yeah. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been way better since I somehow convinced Travis to help.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/22/2018 at 12:14am

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Law Prohibiting Sports Gambling

https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/sites/csnma/files/styles/article_hero_image/public/2018/05/14/sportsbetting.png

There's been a federal ban on sports gambling (that excluded Nevada), but it was just struck down! This opens the way to any state deciding to make sports betting legal (and therefore taxable), with some states ready to quickly making it legal. As one who follows sports, and plays daily fantasy sports (which for whatever reason isn't considered betting in most states), I'm really looking forward to being able to place legal bets on games. I've tried some questionably legal off shore betting websites, and whilst they're ran well, it's always felt shady.

It's estimated that Americans illegally wager $150 billion a year on sports.

Here's more information:
... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 05/14/2018 at 07:38pm

(I know this isn't a typical Cheerful Ghost post, but it's gaming-related, in a way lol)

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/14/2018 at 07:50pm

Is Cheerful Ghost opening up a sports betting area?

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 05/14/2018 at 08:00pm

RAKE IN TEH MONEY

Travis Admin wrote on 05/14/2018 at 08:28pm

Haha, I feel like we’d be the wrong target audience for sports betting.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/14/2018 at 08:45pm

$5 on rollerball!

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/15/2018 at 03:03am

> Is Cheerful Ghost opening up a sports betting area?

No but oddly enough I've been approached to link to sites that provide the odds for certain scenarios like the chances the average gamer could pre-order a NES Classic. That said, I didn't do that and I don't think Cheerful Ghost will open up a sport betting aspect to the site. Interesting idea though.

That said, I heard about this today and apparently this was a unanimous Supreme Court ruling which, to me, makes total sense. I don't gamble really ever but the fact that it was outlawed in ever state EXCEPT Nevada seemed honestly like someone in Nevada paid someone off to exclude the other states. Not sure Oregon will allow sports betting, I hope they do, but this seems like a pretty good idea if you are for more states rights.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/15/2018 at 03:40am

Yeah I have mixed opinions about sports betting but it seems crazy for it to be illegal at the federal level with exceptions for NV.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/15/2018 at 04:01am

Time to open up betting on eSports!

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/15/2018 at 04:27am

> Time to open up betting on eSports!

Huh. That's not a bad idea.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 22: Avengers Infinity War

EXPECT MAJOR SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS!!

Marvel Studios Avengers Infinity War is the latest Marvel Super Hero thing to punch the box office right in the face. If as a kid you wondered if there could ever be a comic book movie with all your favorite heroes this is the answer. Infinity War is the follow up to damn near every MCU film but more sequentially Thor Ragnarok and Black Panther.

This one is coming quickly after the last episode but we wanted to get it out early while it's still fresh in everyone's minds.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/07/2018 at 07:08pm

Ok, I'm like 10 mins in, and I need to comment before you get to Infinity War and I forget lol

I'm not sure if I'm digging Westworld as much. I think it's second season is suffering the same way Legion's second season is, in that the first season of both were AMAZING and it's hard to live up to, and then exceed those expectations.

Also, John Mulaney might be my favorite comedian ever. He's probably not, as there's a ton of comedians I love, and I just recently watched his most recent Netflix special "Kid Gorgeous" (which is amazing). What I'm saying is: Jon is wrong to not like John Mulaney ;)

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/07/2018 at 07:44pm

As far as needing context from the other movies, one of my daughters completely uninterested in Marvel movies (I did talk her into Spiderman and the first Guardians of the Galaxy movies), but for some reason she wanted to see Infinity War (pretty sure she was sucked into the BIGGEST MOVIE EVENT EVER hype around lol). She had an idea who most of the characters were, but no backstory nor investment in them, and she was crying at the end of the movie. So whilst seeing the other movies defentely makes this a deeper experience, it can be enjoyable walking into blind. (My wife also couldn't really care less about the MCU, but we dragged her along and she liked the movie as well).

(My other daughter is into nerdery and all (Star Wars, MCU, etc, and she loved the movie, just fyi lol)

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/07/2018 at 08:18pm

As far as "How does Marvel top this?" I think they totally keep going with the Phase 4, 5, 6 plans. I don't think the next few years needs to have a movie this "big," but eventually that's totally possible. There are some insanely powerful characters, that done right, could be really good for a huge team up movie.

Marvel needs to work on a few X-Men movies that exist in the MCU, then bring *everybody* together (and the Fantastic Four) to fight someone like Galactus.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/07/2018 at 08:43pm

Hmmm, thinking about the Top 3 Marvel movies, I'd have to say Infinity War, Spiderman and... maybe Iron Man. It's been a while since I've seen that one.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/07/2018 at 08:44pm

I am as into season 2 of Legion as I was in the first season. Maybe not as much for Westworld but I kinda feel like it’s building to something and may just have a slower burn.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/07/2018 at 08:46pm

Recently, I *loved* the Legion episode about Sydney.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/07/2018 at 08:48pm

Great idea about Ant-Man's end credits! I wonder if he or Wasp start disappearing, and they somehow evade it by shrinking down into the quantum realm?

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/07/2018 at 08:49pm

I feel like I live tweeted about this discussion as I was listening. Sorry that that makes it hard to respond to me lol

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/07/2018 at 09:56pm

I think "Subverting Expectations" is just a RLM (specifically Mike) comment on the movie.

PS, I listened to your discussion about the movie before the RLM discussion! Feel honored!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/07/2018 at 10:32pm

I loved Infinity War. I haven't been this jazzed for a Marvel movie since Iron Man 1 and Avengers. I have really enjoyed all the MCU movies, but they have begun to fell a little bit derivative with there being no stakes in the movies for the main heroes. I felt this movie flipped that. They set the tone right from the start on what this movie would be like. I also enjoyed Thanos and thought they did a great job giving him dimension rather than being a one-note villain.

I would love to go into spoilers, but I don't want to spoil it in the comments.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/08/2018 at 12:08am

*Major Spoilers*

When Starlord shot Gamora (or at least tried), Thanos said "I like you." One of my main complaints with Infinity War was everyone's reluctance to sacrifice for the good of the universe (especially Cap and Crew with Vision), but Starlord was willing to sacrifice his love to save the universe, which, in Thanos's eyes, is the same thing he was willing to do.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/08/2018 at 01:30am

I just added a spoiler warning to the post. Feel free to spoil away!

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/08/2018 at 05:46am

> What I'm saying is: Jon is wrong to not like John Mulaney ;)

Happy to be wrong about that With that, he is quite funny just wasn't my style in that moment maybe it's more than that? I don't know.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/09/2018 at 03:40am

Anyone have any thoughts where they are headed for Infinity War 2? I've heard the directors talk about some stuff that is major spoilers for the next movie, so I won't mention that but I think they are going to wrap things up well enough. I also hope that for the Avengers that won't be coming back, at least in the near future, that they send them off well. No idea who that is but it seems people think Cap and Iron Man might be departing this life.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/09/2018 at 06:13am

Captain Marvel will join the team. I like a fan theory that Captain America will sacrifice himself to save Tony Stark. Hawkeye will be back to kick some ass. We will find out why Hulk doesn’t want to join the party. Movie ends with Tony and Pepper getting married.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/09/2018 at 12:54pm

I like the theory you mention Will. I could absolutely imagine that happening, and it would be a good out for Tony to pass the torch and still leave it open for guest appearances.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/09/2018 at 02:16pm

Not only does it leave Tony open for guest appearances (Robert Downey Jr. got $10 million for 8 minutes in spider-man, he doesn’t want to turn down that scratch) but it also wraps up the Captain America/Tony Stark story line really well.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/09/2018 at 04:35pm

I really like Will's theories. I'm thinking Adam Warlock will likely be a part of the movie. In fact, it would be cool to mirror Infinity War, which was Thanos's movie, with Avengers 4 as an Adam Warlock movie.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/09/2018 at 04:40pm

Actually, since the directors have said AW isn't going to be in this movie (I'm still holding out hope that he is), it's probably more likely he's coming in Gaurdian's Vol 3.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/11/2018 at 03:46am

I like that Will and hope something like it happens. I'd love for Tony to keep kicking around the MCU even if he only shows up a handful of times or practically never. But if Cap dies does he really die? What if in 20 years he doesn't mind coming back does someone clone him? I comic book movies for doing whatever they want.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/11/2018 at 08:58pm

In the comics Bucky took over as Cap for a while, maybe until a reboot? I’d imagine they could easily do that as long as Bucky sticks around. And if he wants to come back on 20 years, we have a few characters and devices that can literally rewrite reality so there are plenty of options.

Nobody is ever really dead in comics and the same probably holds true for comic movies. But they may be replaced with different actors when they come back.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/11/2018 at 10:14pm

Yeah, you can always find the character from another dimension lol. Then you can have the exact same actor play a different version of himself/herself (my favorite example is all the Harrison Wells in the CW show Flash: http://arrow.wikia.com/wiki/Harrison_Wells ) or another actor playing a similar version of the character (who doesn't want to see Throg? A frog version of Thor).

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/11/2018 at 10:16pm

https://youtu.be/9cIr4Cml-kg
An example of multiple Harrison Wells' lol

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/11/2018 at 10:54pm

I have many problems with The Flash, especially this season, but Harrison Wells is always a delight.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/11/2018 at 10:56pm

The Flash is the last watchable DC show for me, but I hear ya. (Not counting Black Lightning. I think I really like it, but lost track of it and need to pick it up again on Netflix sometime)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/13/2018 at 04:32pm

We are going to watch that John Mulaney special today. I don’t know much about him honestly but he did one of my favorite stand up bits ever:

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/plvv4v/comedy-central-presents-what-s-new--pussycat-

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/13/2018 at 07:15pm

We watched John Mulaney’s new special and adored it. I am right there with you, Adam, I’d put him in my top tier of comedians. I can absolutely understand how people might not like his style though.

We also watched this year’s Hilarity for Charity and it was mostly ok the whole way through with a few highlights. It took a while though. The sketches fell very flat for me, especially the prolonged 10 minute dick joke at the start. The only sketch that worked for me was Jeff Goldblum’s but I mean... it’s Goldblum. I’d be shocked if it didn’t work. Mulaney was my favorite part by a long shot. I’m normally kinda hot and cold on Sarah Silverman but I loved her bit. And Tiffany Haddish is funny just by existing.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/14/2018 at 01:44am

> It took a while though. The sketches fell very flat for me, especially the prolonged 10 minute dick joke at the start

Yeah it took a couple of watch sessions to complete. I liked most of it but some of it dragged a bit.

> Mulaney was my favorite part by a long shot. I’m normally kinda hot and cold on Sarah Silverman but I loved her bit. And Tiffany Haddish is funny just by existing.

Mulaney had a great couple minute set there. Maybe I should watch his new special, my comments were about the old one that didn't really work for me.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/15/2018 at 05:48pm

https://twitter.com/McJesse/status/996198724723527680
A video of Dr Strange at a waterpark lol

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/16/2018 at 01:23am

#worthit

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/15/2018 at 03:21am

I'm necroing this post because Legion just finished up and we're in the home stretch of Westworld. I think the first part of Westworld was a bit of a slump to get the new plot moving but boy has it ever picked up.

Legion.... eeeehhhhhhhh I'm mixed on it. It was ok, but I felt like the first season had the perfect plot-to-weird balance and this season slipped further into weird at the expense of story. The finale left me wanting more but a little disappointed in some lazy writing choices.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/15/2018 at 02:03pm

I agree. There have been some really interesting individual episodes of Legion, but I have trouble getting reinterested enough to watch the next episode (I've still not watched this week's episode. I didn't realize it's the finale)

Westworld has been good, I agree that it's taken some time to really ramp up, but it's a great ride :)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/15/2018 at 02:57pm

I’m interested in hearing your thoughts when you get done with it.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/16/2018 at 05:34am

DUDE, I just finished it. I loved every second of the finale! The beginning fight was comic book perfection, then the end is kinda what I've been waiting for for the entire 2 seasons lol. Some of these episodes probably could have been condensed, but wow. That was a great payoff And cliffhanger lol. I take back what I've said before and TOTALLY recommend everyone watch Legion.

(I had the added benefit of watching this on my phone. I had the brightness turn up to the max and my headphones on, so all the trippy parts we amplified lol)

(I'm going to go watch that beginning fight again now!)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/16/2018 at 05:50am

There are three things I don't like about the ending and I'll be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers.

1. That one person who was present at the end who reeeeeally shouldn't be out and about.

2. It's just a bit tropey. There's a good guy who is a bad guy... or is he? Yes, he is... ooooooor is heeeee?

3. There was a bit of a lack of tact in the writing for what he did to Sid.

1 and 2 at least could be machinations of a certain character influencing people. A lot of how I feel about the finale will depend on how next season tackles it.

BUT overall I definitely agree with you about it and yeah, that initial fight scene was some of the best trippy stuff we've seen!

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Happy Tabletop Day!

Happy Tabletop Day, everyone! In honor of today, I want to hear about your favorite tabletop games!

I'll start. One of my favorite games lately has been Betrayal at the House on the Hill. You and your other players are a trapped inside a haunted house and have to find a way out by exploring the manor and finding items and weapons to help you survive. There's a twist though, at some point one of the players will betray the group! Who that is and why they turn are randomly decided based on the Omens you find during the first half of the game.

One thing that's great about the game is that the play is very simple to learn. Most of the complexity comes from the cards you... Read All

Sega Megadrive (Genesis) Mini Coming in 2018

No doubt capitalizing on the massive popularity of the NES Classic and SNES Classic, Sega will be releasing their own famous home console, the Megadrive or Genesis depending on which part of the world you lived in during the 16-bit era.

Details are sparse at the moment, but the retro revival is still strong. I grew up with a Genesis because SEGA DOES WHAT NINTENDON'T amirite? So I'm super excited about this, because unlike some of my other classic systems, my Genesis is a little flaky, and maybe this new mini-Genesis will come with some of the games I drooled over as a kid but never got to play.

It's important to note, however, that this hasn't been announced outside of... Read All

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 18 : The Cloverfield Paradox

Netflix surprised everyone with the trailer for The Cloverfield Paradox during the Super Bowl, and released it that night! We were excited to see the next Cloverfield installment, and equally excited to talk about it.

Does Paradox live up to previous Cloverfield movies? Do we find out where the monster came from in the original Cloverfield? Did someone spill Slusho on the particle accelerator causing a dystopian reality where the Slusho Corporation controls the Earth? Find out in this episode of Cheerful Ghost Radio!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 03/20/2018 at 07:21pm

This movie sucked. Here is what I didn't like about it:

Bad acting

Pretty much all the characters are under developed/I didn't care for

Things that made no sense

Felt too rushed

It put me to sleep

I am pretty easy going on movies, but this one stunk.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/22/2018 at 11:47pm

For me, there's no movie I *have* to go see in the theater (other than Ready Player One. I think I do need to see that in a theater lol). Seeing Star Wars movies is about seeing the movie with friends, but we could just as easily meet up at someone's house if it first came out streaming somewhere. I love that movies are having more release options, and it doesn't feel like a "lesser" release anymore. It's not like the old days of "straight to video" releases lol.

I've not seen TCP, but I did really enjoy the original Cloverfield. Just never got around to 10 Cloverfield Lane. And after watching and really not liking Bright, when I saw TCP getting a lot of negative reviews, I've already forgotten about the movie (other than being reminded by your podcast). Some day, I might flip to it when scrolling around Netflix, but honestly, I doubt it.

And I really want to watch The Room sometime!

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 03/23/2018 at 12:19am

You’ve gotta see The Room. It’s a sight to behold.

And The Disaster Artist, the story of how The Room was made, is pretty great too.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2018 at 04:02am

I’m watching The Room right now. Lots to say. Most of it negative and I love bad movies.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/23/2018 at 02:01pm

From what I've heard, it's best watched with a group of people lol

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2018 at 07:15pm

I bet it is.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Site Feature Update: Comments, Posts & Profile Pages!

Travis and I have been busy during our spare time coding up new features on Cheerful Ghost and today are launching a new way to look at comments, posts and profile pages. Once upon a time Cheerful Ghost had a Membership system and it was a pretty good way for people that love the site to contribute to it but I always felt like it wasn't the best it could be. Because of that we're rebuilding the Membership system from scratch and it's starting today.

Comments, Posts and Profiles oh My!

If you click open a comment stream or look at a post you will see a new thing we call badges. Badges are a cosmetic thing bestowed on certain users for things like post authorship,... Read All Travis and I have been busy during our spare time coding up new features on Cheerful Ghost and today are launching a new way to look at comments, posts and profile pages. Once upon a time Cheerful Ghost had a Membership system and it was a pretty good way for people that love the site to contribute to it but I always felt like it wasn't the best it could be. Because of that we're rebuilding the Membership system from scratch and it's starting today.

Comments, Posts and Profiles oh My!

If you click open a comment stream or look at a post you will see a new thing we call badges. Badges are a cosmetic thing bestowed on certain users for things like post authorship, membership, site support and admin or mod status. These badges are shown on posts, comments and profile pages and can help give certain discussions some context. It's also a nice thank you to people that financially support the site or work closely with it.

If you have questions about what the user titles or roles mean, we have a handy page to explain it better linked below. If that doesn't work well for you drop your comments on this post.

Old Membership Is Dead, Long Live Memberships!

Since all former Cheerful Ghost site Members old memberships have lapsed they are now rolled over to supporters. We're still working on the new Membership system and process to become a Member again but the cosmetic enhancements were in place so we decided to roll those out now for comment. The new site Membership system should launch in the next bit the only real blocker here is me having enough time to come up with an interesting video about it. Right now we're thinking about using Paetron for site Memberships and we need to spend a bit more time to make that launch just right.

The Future

I don't want to talk too far in the future about what's coming but I do want to say that these changes are all in service of a larger goal that will become more clear later. When I think about what's the most fun about Cheerful Ghost for me trying to make that baked in to the DNA of this site sounds really interesting and hopefully these site updates get us there.

https://cheerfulghost.com/user/titles
https://cheerfulghost.com/Travis/posts/3655/introducing-the-ghost-scale

Introducing the Ghost Scale

Travis gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Travis gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Hey everyone, we’d like to share an awesome new feature on Cheerful Ghost. You may have heard us using the Ghost Scale in our reviews on Cheerful Ghost Radio over the past couple of months, and now you can use the Ghost Scale on your reviews here!

When you’re creating or editing a post, just check “This is a game review” to show options for the Ghost Scale. You can give your game review one of four ratings that will show on the post:

Skip it :
Whether due to bugs or other issues, people may have a hard time finding fun in this game.

Meh… :
It’s not amazing, it’s not bad. This game is ok but you may want to choose another title.

Rad :
This is a fun game, with very... Read All