SOCIALLY NETWORKED BY SENSELESS VIOLENCE

  It was 2012 that I moved back to Ohio. It was 2012 that I set foot in the Oregon District. I would spend nearly five years there almost everyday. When I had decided to let my career bring me back to Ohio, my first thought was to move back to Cincinnati. Relive the college years and do better than I did when I left with little more than 27.00 to my name.  I was looking forward to the possibilities, but someone told me to consider that the Cincinnati I left would be different than the one I was coming back to. It was different.

 I decided to stay in Dayton. Try my best to be in the market and weave myself into the fabric of the community that my station was supposed to serve. I learned the Dayton I moved to was a far cry from the one I had been around before. I got to see and be part of a movement that was giving the city an identity. It wasn't the crime filled city I avoided in the late 90s. It was more than a spot between Cincinnati and Columbus. It had a people who cared. Business owners. Students. Parents. Life livers.
I was lucky enough to meet all walks of them. Women who were standing up to cancer. Kids and adults with disabilities. Families who battling problems that were too much for anyone to deal with.

 In my mind, a place is defined by its people. People who you call co workers, family, and friends. They will always be those even on days where they don't like you very much or vice versa. People is the reason that I wanted to stay. When my radio voice in the city was ( in an opinion I will take to my grave) unfairly silenced, I didn't want to leave. This isn't my story though. This is a story about people. Innocent people in Dayton and El Paso. People across the nation. Heartbroken and looking for answers.

 It has taken me some time to try and organize my thoughts. I listened to the news. I heard what people were saying. For the first time, I questioned the media. They will stay on these stories for days because tragedy is ratings gold. Unfortunately. I am not faulting anyone, but I question what the media is supposed to do. I am not sure there is a right answer to that question.

We are a people divided. The last 12 years of the presidency have shown that. Make no mistake, there are extremists on both sides. This is not meant to be political, but unfortunately it will come across that way. This country has seen far too many senseless acts of violence. Sandy Hook, Pulse, Walmart, the Oregon District and I haven't even scratched the surface.

 We offer thoughts and prayers, but I think you think about it more when it happens closer to home. On less than 3 hours of sleep, I took a drive to the Oregon District. Seeing the area closed off by police lines was quite a reality check. People waking up thankful that they survived a night out. Thankful that they survived a night out. Let that sink in. "Thankful they survived a night out," would be something you might've joked about waking up after drinking too much. For some on Sunday, it took on a much more serious meaning.

 People that were standing in line were gunned down. It could have been people I know, but it wasn't. Thankfully. It was strangers from various walks of life. All just trying to enjoy their night, in their own way, with their own friends. The Dayton Police should be applauded. The shooter (who I refuse name recognition) never made it inside. 9 people is more than enough. In the confined space of Ned Peppers, it would have so much worse. I have friends who are DJs. We do are best to provide the soundtrack to someone's evening. All I have been able to think of what would happen if they were in the line of fire when the next crazy comes in shooting.

The problem is, we won't know until it happens. Let me say that again. WE WON'T KNOW UNTIL IT HAPPENS. See you can put any plan in place you want, but crazy is crazy. When it decides to become violently crazy, there isn't much you can do. There will be plenty of people who tell you what they think needs to be done.

STRONGER GUN CONTROL LAWS.

Not gonna work. Will not change a thing.  Guns DO NOT shoot themselves at people.

The legal age to drink is 21. The majority of people we know have broken that law at one point in time or another.  You wanted alcohol and found away to get it. You can do the same with guns. People who want them will get them the same way an under aged kid wants beer for the bonfire they are attending.

I don't think one needs an assault rifle to defend their home, but those seem people might not believe I need a ridiculously large television set. Bottom line, it is their choice. Tolerate. It is not the responsible gun owners that are shooting people in mass quantities.

MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.

Crazy is the bigger issue.  The shooter was suspended from school for having a hit list and a rape list.
I am not sure why nothing was done sooner, but it is tough. I can't put it on his family. You can't start profiling every kid that wears all black and hates their parents. Still, someone should have paid closer attention in some of these situations. We live in a world where we tend to be more wrapped up in our own lives, but I am getting ahead of myself.

 The mental health situation is real and is getting worse. It is a country that would have doctors script drugs without really dealing with the problem. A country where some people would rather be sick than have to take a cocktail of drugs to feel a certain way. It is a problem. It must be dealt with.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT CONNECTING US IT IS DESTROYING US.

  I get paid to drive traffic to social media. It is an important aspect of what I do. Socials are a problem. Everything is public. Being first not right is the new norm.  It has become a sounding block for people to complain about everything. Think I am wrong, scroll through your feed. We are far more focused on everyone else's lives than our own. I am just as guilty, so save the hypocrisy comments.

  Social media feeds the negative beast. You might go out and have the greatest dinner you have ever had in your life, but rarely would that get posted. If you went out and had a terrible dinner and horrible service, that would get posted along with a negative review. The latter would generate similar hate comments. No one is allowed a bad day. Social media allows us the ability to body shame, bully, and allow adults to be worse than children.  Don't get me started on the political savants that comment daily. I will get there though.

 The scary part of the Internet driven world we live in is becoming more real. High school is the worst time of your lives for some kids. College isn't much better. If you can't find acceptance, the Internet will provide. Start a You Tube channel. Get a twitter and hide behind your avatar.

 What is really scary is what it provides to some. If you are lonely and believe no one knows who you are, it is dangerous. You can open a Facebook live and shoot people. You don't need to do it yourself. Someone else will capture it and post it online. Within minutes, people know your socials and you're famous for all the wrong reasons. Most likely the few minutes of fame comes at the expense of the innocent.

 We are not connected by social media. Take a closer look. We are divided by it.

MOVIES, TELEVISION, MUSIC, AND VIDEO GAMES ARE NOT THE PROBLEM.

 The majority of us grew up watching violent movies and playing video games. At no point have the majority of us inflicted violence on the innocent. The sane can easily separate the two. It is a game. It is not real. A friend of mine is a graphic artist. He works while listening to hardcore metal music. He isn't a violent and angry person. Growing up in the 80's and 90's we beat each other with sticks as a form of playing. We didn't become bullies or overly violent. We played and were able to distinguish fantasy from reality.  Stop making games, music,movies, and television your scapegoat. Focus on the real problem. The small majority who have something broken inside of them.

 Now we probably get political and lose some friends.

  CANDACE KELLER YOU ARE A BACKWARDS THINKING IDIOT THAT SHOULD NOT HOLD A PUBLIC OFFICE.

  Homosexual marriage is no more responsible for breeding killers than traditional ones. I'll admit, it feels like pride is being more force fed in some cases, but those individuals deserve their moment. They should be proud that they don't have to live a lie.  I am over the kneeling for the flag, but those athletes didn't cause the mass shootings either. That cause they are fighting for is acceptance and equality. And for the record, I hate the means that they chose for protest, but their actions are not directly responsible for any of the tragedies like this past weekend's.

 Recreational marijuana users.  Are you kidding me?!! Please show me the FIRST pot smoker who got high and went on a refer induced shooting spree?  The drug is relaxing and a lot of the those "recreational," users do so for pain management and taking the edge off.  Obama is not to blame for law enforcement being disrespected any more than W. is to blame for parts of the world hating America. It's basic you backwards thinking simpleton. Not all cops are good. Not all black people are criminals.

 Hatred for our veterans. Not even going to dignify that ridiculous statement.

 While you are entitled to your beliefs and opinions, they don't belong in public office in 2019. You are an elected official. Learn and practice tolerance. Be part of the solution not part of the problem.

Now on to 45.  I will start by saying that he has done some good things since taking office. The problem is his mouth over shadows much of it.  There are some that love it. He is divisive whether he intends to be or not.

I am not sure he realizes the full extent of his power or worse, he does.  The extreme right buy into his every word. I agree there is a problem of illegal immigration, but you can't make jokes about shooting migrants. No he didn't say it, but ....

Don't forget: We don't let them, and we can't let them, use weapons. We can't," Trump said. "Other countries do. We can't. I would never do that. But how do you stop these people? You can't."

"Shoot them!" yelled a supporter in the crowd

Trump responded with a joke, "That's only in the Panhandle you can get away with this stuff," Trump said referring to Florida's Panhandle. "Only in the Panhandle."

    That is not the type of joke the leader of the free world should make. The crazy take that stuff seriously. The El Paso shooter drove 600 miles to, "exterminate Mexicans."

 What really pisses me off is the speech today. I agree that mental health is an issue. I agree that white supremacy is a problem. The man can take the time to tweet about TV ratings, call out athletes, and bash his political competition. The man couldn't take the time to get the city correct when speaking about a tragedy. I understand, Biden made the mistake too. He is the not the POTUS. Donald Trump, you are. You need to lead and be better. There is no excuse for this.....

“May God bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo. May God protect them,” Trump said from the White House. “May God protect all of those from Texas to Ohio. May God bless the victims and their families.”

Toledo. Are you kidding me?!!! 9 people are dead and you can't respect them enough to get the fracking city right!


Mr. President, your words and your actions do not show tolerance. They do not unite, they divide. You make comments about the people of this nation. Some cities are not pretty. Some have high crime. Some need a lot of help, but Americans are made up of all walks of life.

You are the leader of the free world and while you condemn acts of hate in one speech, you unwittingly encourage it in another. The good you have done gets overshadowed by the tweets that sound like they came from a 13 year old boy. You were elected by the people, but some of your actions are anything but for the people.

The liberal side is just as bad. Political agenda isn't fixing the problem. I don't have the solutions. I am an aging white male trying to hang on to his career and fix my own life. I am disgusted and heart broken over the events here and in El Paso. I cannot speak for the people there, but I can only imagine the sadness. People don't deserve to die because they are different.

I wish for healing and finding real and preventative solutions. I wish for this melting pot to remember how to be tolerant of each others differences. I hope those who need the help, find it before things like what happened this weekend occur again. Mostly, I wish for a better tomorrow for all colors and creeds.

#DaytonStrong

AVENGER'S:ENDGAME - STICKS THE LANDING AND THEN SOME

  It all started in 2008. A gamble was taken on an actor, who had fallen towards irrelevancy, to play a not exactly household name superhero. That would be Robert Downey Jr. and of course he started it all with Iron Man. It started in 2008 and we are in the end game now.

  Infinity War was a punch to the gut. Half of the universe was dead and the heroes that we loved for 10 years, lost in epic fashion. Here we are in April 2019. We are at the point where 22 movies finally come to an end. It is a lot of characters, a lot of pressure, and a lot of emotion. Congrats to the Russo Brothers and Kevin Feige. They all delivered a masterpiece.

22 days after the last movie, our heroes are trying to come to terms with what happened. They are trying to put the world back together and deal with the losses that they suffered. They are in a really low spot. The world is and it is not getting any better. The remaining members of the team are on a mission to find Thanos and unsnap the snap. Much like Infinity War, the first 10 minutes of the movie is a punch to the gut. Nearly everything that you have seen in the previews, is all in the first 20 minutes of the film. Nearly every plot leak and theory is mostly wrong. I was correct on two of my predictions and kind of correct on 2 more. I promised no spoilers so that is all the plot that you get this go around.

 The Infinity Stones are an important part of this film, but it is a movie about it's characters. For a super hero movie, it is very human. It is an emotional ride. It has it's touching moments. I held back a tear more than once. It is intense and hilarious. The great thing about all the Marvel films, is there ability to inject humor that works into the most dire of circumstance. It is a movie that relies on story. It relies on characters. It does an incredible job of giving them all screen time. The Russos are tasked with wrapping up several character arcs. They do that and set the stage for what comes next?

  Dr. Strange called it. We are in the endgame now. This movie ties everything together. We get call backs to 11 years of movies. We see things that were going on during those films that we didn't even realize was happening. There is so much foreshadowing from those movies that comes into play. We lost so many in the last film. Ant Man, Nebula, and Rocket have their part to play, but it is the original six that get there time to shine.

  We didn't get much Hulk the last go around, but we get plenty this time. The Hulk has definitely evolved. We get a version straight out of the comics. He is also a great source for some of that humor that works so well. Mark Ruffalo had a great performance even though he is mostly motion captured.
I think people will appreciate seeing a side of the Hulk that hasn't been seen before on the big screen.

Captain Marvel also gets a few moments to shine. Bri Larson is just so likeable. Women find her empowering and as I guy, I want to hang out with her. She is perfectly cast as Carol Danvers. It is fun to see her finally side by side with the rest of the Avengers. We do get a little info about where she has been, and the stage is set for her to stay with whatever version of the team comes next.

  It is also great to have Clint Barton back. He was completely absent from the last film and he is back with a vengeance. Literally. He definitely gets a role to play in the endgame. His arc has been centered around family and that plays a huge role in where he has been. Hawkeye also has close ties with Natasha.

   Like Hawkeye, Natasha is one of the most vulnerable in the group. She doesn't wear armor, no powers, but can hold her own. I was shocked with the direction her story takes. It was something that I didn't see coming from a mile away.

 Thanos is still one of the best villains. He ranks right up there with the best of them. Brolin's performance is so good. The emotion conveyed in a motion capture character is incredible. He looks real and he is every bit a threat, with or without the gauntlet.  He has dealt out damage to all of the Avengers, but none more so than Thor.

  Thor might be the character who has lost the most. His parents, his brother, his home, and he has an overwhelming feeling of grief for the events of Infinity War. He is so much fun to watch in this movie. Chris Hemsworth was born to play this role. He is Thor. I am not sure anyone could do it better. He is hilarious, but end of the day one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. There are talks of a fourth Thor film and I truly hope it happens. He and Captain America have some incredible scenes.

 If there was a complaint about Infinity War, it was the lack of Captain America. That is not the case here. Cap is my favorite. He is the man out of time. He is the heart of the Avengers. He their moral compass and their is no quit in him. I had a lot of theories about where they would take him. There were so many rumors floating around. Where it goes is unexpected. I had an idea of how his story might end and it was partially correct. It is the one part of the movie that I haven't fully come to terms with yet. He has some great moments. His scenes in the climactic battle had me on the edge of the seat and cheering! He also has moments that made me a little emotional. We will get the Tony and Steve reconciliation and it plays well.

  This all started with Tony. He is Iron Man. The others have their moments, but this is his movie. iF Cap is the heart of the team, Tony might be the soul. Robert Downey Jr. is Tony. No one could do it better. In the comics, Tony is an alcoholic that loses everything. They never touched on that in the films, but they didn't need to. There is a subtle call back to Iron Man 3 and I think the kid from that movie has a future role to play, but this is not the time to discuss that. It is the time to talk about Iron Man now. Tony has deep connections with most of the team. He is burdened by guilt, a need to protect the world, and his own insecurities. His encounter with Thanos has left him scarred. He truly comes full circle and his arc will have an effect on you. He is more than the suit.

 Avengers:Endgame is a roller coaster ride. The climax will have you on the edge of your seat. The amount of heroes on the screen is breathtaking. And while some take a backseat based on story, it still plays well. There are no post credit scenes. It is a masterpiece. One of the best films and easily top 5 comic book movies of all time. It is hilarious, sad, intense, and epic. It sticks the landing. Well done cast. Well done Russo Brothers. Another win for Marvel.

Bumblebee: The Best Transformers Movie Most Will Probably Never See

  Transformers has a bit of a rocky relationship with it's audience. Myself included.  I wanted so badly to hate the first film in 2007. Michael Bay made Bumblebee a camaro and I was convinced he ruined my childhood. That was not the case. The first movie had some heart, a decent story, and big robots that leaped off of the screen. The follow up (Revenge of The Fallen) lacked in almost every way, but I loved Dark Of The Moon. I like Mark Wahlberg, but the the last two installments were awful. The Last Knight being the worst of the franchise.

   The story became convoluted. Characters that we loved were ruined or done completely wrong.  I think Michael Bay did it on purpose. He love to give the finger to just about anyone who has a problem with his movies. I actually like him as a director, but he had run this franchise into the ground. The robot designs were always messy. The overall narrative, beyond the first and third, lacked heart.  After the financial and critical failure of The Last Knight, Bay said goodbye.

 Travis Knight takes over and is tasked with saving or relaunching the franchise. We get a different looking Bumblebee, new characters, and a fresh take. Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena lead the cast with a story set 30 years before the 2007 film.

 When Bumblebee opens we get to visit Cybertron. We got a version in the Bay films, but this time we literally get the 80's cartoon version brought to life. We see some faces that will be familiar to anyone who watched those original cartoons. The beginning alone did a great job to set the tone. As usual, the autobots are losing the war and Optimus Prime ( Peter Cullen) sends B-127(Bumblebee) to earth to establish a safe house for the dying autobots.

  Bee (Dylan O'brien ) arrives and accidentally causes conflict with Agent Burns (John Cena). He is tracked by another Decepticon and is damaged to the point he can no longer speak. A point from the previous films that is finally explained. Bee goes into hiding until he is found by Charlie (Hailee Seinfeld).  After being tracked by two decepticons, he finds himself captured by the government. Now Bee and his friends must escape and stop his decepticon pursuers from calling an evil army to earth.

 So much of this movie works. I could go into great detail, but I am not here to spoil. The best thing about the movie is the relationship between Bee and Charlie. Watching them bond is fun. We get the idea of who both of these people are and see them grow. They are both essentially lost for different reasons. The two of them give this franchise something it has been lacking. Heart. They are the heart of the story and there is a great chemistry between them. CGI robot or not, it works.

  The rest of the cast fits too. Charlie's family is entertaining, but not annoying. John Cena works well too. He is not asked to win an academy award. He is asked to play a soldier with an ax to grind. He is the villain, but at his core a good guy. The star of the show is Bumblebee. It is his story and he shines.

 We get glimpses of other transformers, but not overbearing. We don't get Megatron, but we shouldn't. This movie is all about letting secondary characters from the myths shine. Optimus has a presence, but he isn't really missed.

 The film is filled with little Easter eggs and throwbacks to other Transformers media. The soundtrack is the best! It is filled with great 80's songs and each one works. While the overall threat looms, the movie never takes itself too seriously. That is why it all worked so well. Transformers is supposed to be fun.

 The design is much better. The story either works as a stand alone, launching in a new direction, or setting up what we saw in 2007. Bumblebee has a lot to over come. Transformers fatigue has set in. The last few films have done more harm to the franchise than good. It's biggest problem though will come from it's competition. Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse is going strong and competes for the same audience. Mary Poppins is, well unfortunate. Aquaman is equally fantastic and also pulls the same audience.  My prediction is that Bumblebee will fall short and get lost. That is really a shame.
It is a little Iron Giant, a lot of fun, and exactly what this franchise needed.

Mission Impossible: The Franchise That Keeps Getting Better

 The fuse was lit on Mission Impossible back in 1996. We've seen Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) covertly save the world on five different occasions, but the sixth might be the best yet. A franchise that has thrived despite Tom's wavering public opinion. People might not love the Scientology cloud that surrounds him, but there is no denying the guy makes a good movie.  With an aging cast, you might ask how much further the franchise can go?  Fallout goes next level.


 After the events of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Hunt and the team face the challenge of rounding up the remains of the syndicate. Things escalate with the threat of nuclear weapons and a government that is losing faith in them to fix the problem. Can Hunt and the team defeat and old enemy, a new threat, and a looming nuclear disaster?

  The cast is outstanding as usual. The chemistry between Simon Pegg, Cruise, and Ving Rhames is on point. We do miss Jeremy Renner, but do to his commitment on Avengers, he was unable to be a part of this. Instead, we get Henry Cavill as the predictable bad guy. Superman is a nice addition. Seeing this group on screen still doesn't get old. The comedy is done well and fits into the situations.
The action is what you would expect from the franchise and the story is one of the best they've told.

  We get nods to the first film in a very clever way and we revisit characters from the past. All of it comes together in a near flawless film. You have to suspend belief with some of the stunts, but they are still fun to watch. The car chase is one of the best I have ever seemed filmed. It is cut together and edited so perfectly. The whole film is very well paced. The twists, while sometimes predictable, are fun to see play out. 

   Henry Cavil is good, but I spent a lot of time staring at the mustache that caused so much problems for Justice League. He plays a good bad guy, but one thing ran through my head constantly. Superman wouldn't do that!  All kidding aside, Mission Impossible: Fallout is top notch. The fact that Tom Cruise can pull this off at age 56 is incredible. It is hands down one of the best movies of the summer!  Your mission, should you choose to accept it? See this movie while it is in theaters on the big screen. This review will not self destruct in five seconds. Hopefully.

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP : MARVEL DOESN'T MISS

   Marvel just gets it right. Avengers: Infinity War is the biggest movie of the year. We have to wait another year to see what happens to our favorite heroes. One of whom, was missing from the epic battles. The Ant-Man sequel takes place at the same time as the events of Infinity War. Do we get any answers? Does it tie? Is it good? Let's take a look.

 Scott Lang ( Paul Rudd) has followed up Captain America: Civil War with a 2 year house arrest stint. He has all but stopped being Ant-Man and has earned the ire of  Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne. After a dream about Hope's mom prompts the team to reunite to bring her out of the sub atomic world she's been trapped in for the last 30 years. A strange new villain and and evil clandestine group make the rescue even more of a challenge.

  Like every Marvel movie, the effects are top notch. The shrinking, growing, and fighting scenes are fun to watch. Ghost is no Thanos, she is a villain worthy of sympathy. The overall story is good and takes steps to expand the microscopic universe that the previous film established. There are a lot of science terms that make it hard to understand, but the fun is the fact that the lead hero doesn't understand either.  The star of this film is it's cast.

  Laurence Fishburne is a welcome edition and the returning cast is great.  Michelle Pfiefer has a small, but pivotal role. The film even digitally recreates younger versions of her and Michael Douglas. It is cool to see, but I am not crazy about the door it opens. Evangeline Lily steals the show and works nicely as The Wasp. Overall, it is lighthearted fun that fits nicely into the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The mid-credit scene links it nicely to Infinity War and drops a few hints as to what comes next.  Well played Marvel. Well played again.

Jurassic World: Ridiculous Kingdom

Big dinosaurs are back on the big screen! It sound like an exciting concept. Jurassic World make tons of money and the sequel is expected to do the same. My take on this, the magic seems to have faded from this franchise a bit. Keep in mind, there were already two sequels to the original Jurassic Park. Jurassic World, in a lot of ways, was a carbon copy of the original. It just happened to hit at the right time. This weekend we get the follow up.


 The park has been shut down. There is an ongoing movement to save the dinosaurs. A volcano has become active and will erupt destroying there island home. A team is assembled to collect the 11 species and transplant them to a new home. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is recruited and asks Owen (Chris Pratt) to join. He reluctantly agrees and the two set off to save the newly created species. Things go wrong and must find a way to save not only the dinosaurs, but themselves as well.

  The cast is ok, but it feels like it is all being done for a pay check. Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda join the team as tech support and a dino doctor, respectively. The franchise seems to be out of gas. We get a animal rights story for animals that don't exist. We get a bad plot to weaponize dinosaurs for money. We get cloning. We get jokes that don't land and two hours of time that we won't get back.
It feels like a bad Syfy Channel movie with a better budget. They probably could've hired Ian Zeiring for much less than Pratt.

 The dinosaurs are the stars. They still look incredible and damn near real. The plot is predictable and the whole thing just felt unnecessary. It is a lot of rehashing with a few new dinosaurs thrown in. I think this franchise just needs to become extinct. There will probably be an inevitable third chapter, but there is only so far you can go. It already borders on silly. The next phase is probably Sharknado-esque.  The one good thing, at least Chris Pratt has another Gaurdian's Of The Galaxy on the horizon.

Solo: A Better Than Expected Star Wars Story

   Die hard Star Wars fans have had a tough go of it. The Disney owned Star Wars has been a financial success, but it hasn't done much to win the hearts of it's loyal fan base. In fact, it has been the opposite. Most people seem to think that they only make these for the guaranteed money. They are not wrong. They are not totally right either. The problem has been the fans need to decide what they want. The biggest criticism of The Force Awakens was the fact that it was pretty much a copy of a New Hope. Rogue One was a great movie that fans didn't even know they wanted or needed. What came next was the worst thing for the franchise. The Last Jedi.  This isn't about that. This is the story of a young Han Solo. Let's start there.

We meet a younger version of the lovable scoundrel on the streets of Corellia. He is trying to buy a way off world and out of the criminal underworld for him and his friend/girlfriend. Things go wrong, he joins the empire, flees the empire, joins up with criminals, and meets some well known friends ten years prior to the rebellion.

  The cast works for what it is. Alden Edenreich is now Han Solo. He is tasked with the nearly impossible. Don't mimic Harrison Ford, but don't be so different that we don't recognize the character. He does alright. It takes a minute to get used too, but he plays it well. Emilia Clarke is a predictable, but interesting character. Jon Favreau and Thandie Newton have minor, but impactful roles. Paul Bettany is serviceable villain for the story, but he doesn't get much screen time. Phoebe Waller-Bridge lends her voice to one of the best droids to grace the saga, L3-37. She is the first mate to Lando Calrissian.

 Donald Glover was made for this role. It is the Lando we expect and a little that we don't . He is the smoothest man in the galaxy and in just enough trouble to make it interesting. There are a few things from him that I wanted to see, but again it is 10-12 years before Empire Strikes Back.

 We do get to see the Lando's version of the Millennium Falcon. It is beyond a trip down memory lane. The big complaint has been how new it looks and the design. The latter serves as part of the story and it provides for a cool moment. The fresh new look is purely Lando. He made some modifications and has an image to uphold.

 The pacing in the beginning is a little sluggish, but it is fun when it kicks in. Ron Howard basically re-shot a big chunk of the movie. The action scenes seem to just pop up, but they are well done. The train heist is great and we get to understand the Kessel Run! Both of these are fun to see play out. It is a small and somewhat predictable story that connects to a much larger and more familiar universe.

  It is a bromance. Chewbacca finally gets his moments to shine and they are fantastic. We always new that he and Han were close, but we finally see where it begins. While fans might not have asked for this, it is fun to see how it began for one of the most well known duos in pop culture history.

 The film is good with twists. A few will be called predictable., but a few we didn't see coming. It also does a great job of connecting to the new and old cannon. A few of the Rebels and Clone Wars might go over the casual movie fan, but will be loved by the hardcore. We get character mentions and a cameo that had the audience with me gasping. We learn more about what we already knew. We get some great action and more than a few iconic moments.  The moment that Han and Chewie fly the Falcon for the first time is goose bump worthy.

  The Last Jedi had the hopes of fans at an all time high and then did a great job of taking a giant crap all over them. It was something that never felt like a Star Wars movie. It also divided a fan base that was loyal for over 30 years. That isn't easy to do. A few praised it for taking chances, but most did not. This is a franchise that you don';t take chances with. There are expectations to be met. While Solo has it's flaws, it feels more like Star Wars than that Rian Johnson abomination ever did. It is an almost by the numbers Star Wars movie. It starts slow, but finishes strong. A good cast. A decent story. A side of nostalgia. Overall worth climbing aboard for a jump to light speed.