• Inside Entertainment,  Media Rants

    James … who?

    As I grew up with James Bond in the 1970s, there were two entrenched Bonds: Sean Connery and Roger Moore. The question that hovered over them was, Who is your favourite Bond? I couldn’t pick. I’d flip to whoever’s movie I was watching. I like Sean Connery’s calm, ruthlessness, and accent, while I enjoy Roger Moore’s affability, suave, and polish. My brother told me about another Bond, George Lazenby, who made only one picture, and was a closer fit to author and creator Ian Fleming’s template. I was still just a kid when I finally saw On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), but I liked it. I think Lazenby is…

  • Inside Entertainment,  Media Rants

    Where does The Rise of Skywalker Go?

    Where does The Rise of Skywalker go? Given the New Trilogy’s slipshod construction, what can they offer us? A good friend, Tom, suggested the use of ‘Skywalker’ in the title will reference what the protagonists (I refuse to label them ‘our heroes’) call their new resistance. Because, yay, that’s so cool. Tom’s probably right. (If only you could use your power for good!) Possibly, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) wasn’t intended to be in this film, but given Carrie Fisher’s untimely passing, the filmmakers need some anchor to the Original Trilogy. We hear Luke’s narration in the teaser. We see Leia (Carrie Fisher) hug Rey (Daisy Ridley), which could be the…