One of the best and most devastating moments in "Star Wars" is Order 66 in "Revenge of the Sith." To close out the Clone Wars, the clone troopers that have fought beside the Jedi turn and shoot their commanders in the back, on orders from Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious.
The most memorable death is Jedi Aayla Secura on the jungle planet Felucia, shot in the back by Clone Commander Bly and his brothers-in-arms. In one draft of the script (but not the finished film), Aayla is scouting for enemy droids and asking Bly for his input before he shoots, emphasizing her being taken by surprise. The Felucia scene would also feature Bly and the clones fragging Jedi Barriss Offee, but this was deleted, so the "Clone Wars" and "Tales of the Jedi" cartoons took that character in another direction.
That wasn't the only change to the scene. You see, in "Revenge of the Sith,...
The most memorable death is Jedi Aayla Secura on the jungle planet Felucia, shot in the back by Clone Commander Bly and his brothers-in-arms. In one draft of the script (but not the finished film), Aayla is scouting for enemy droids and asking Bly for his input before he shoots, emphasizing her being taken by surprise. The Felucia scene would also feature Bly and the clones fragging Jedi Barriss Offee, but this was deleted, so the "Clone Wars" and "Tales of the Jedi" cartoons took that character in another direction.
That wasn't the only change to the scene. You see, in "Revenge of the Sith,...
- 4/27/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
This Star Wars article contains spoilers.
The return of Asajj Ventress in Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an intriguing new mystery for fans, especially those who read of her death in the 2015 novel Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, which is set during the Clone Wars, right before the events of Revenge of the Sith. In that book, she sacrificed herself to save her lover, Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, from Count Dooku’s Force lightning, but just an in-universe year after her death, she’s somehow back and meeting up with Clone Force 99 on The Bad Batch.
So, what’s behind her resurrection? It’s a mystery with no answer from Star Wars. But plenty of theories…
How Is Asajj Ventress Back?
Unsurprisingly, the prevailing theory regarding her return from the grave goes back to a specific moment in Dark Disciple. In the book, she and Vos team up to try and kill Dooku.
The return of Asajj Ventress in Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an intriguing new mystery for fans, especially those who read of her death in the 2015 novel Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, which is set during the Clone Wars, right before the events of Revenge of the Sith. In that book, she sacrificed herself to save her lover, Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, from Count Dooku’s Force lightning, but just an in-universe year after her death, she’s somehow back and meeting up with Clone Force 99 on The Bad Batch.
So, what’s behind her resurrection? It’s a mystery with no answer from Star Wars. But plenty of theories…
How Is Asajj Ventress Back?
Unsurprisingly, the prevailing theory regarding her return from the grave goes back to a specific moment in Dark Disciple. In the book, she and Vos team up to try and kill Dooku.
- 3/29/2024
- by Brynnaarens
- Den of Geek
This article contains spoilers for "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" season 3, episode 8, "Bad Territory."
This week's episode of "The Bad Batch" sees Hunter and Wrecker doing a job for no pay for Fennec Shand -- the bounty hunter played by Ming-Na Wen who was first introduced in season 1 of "The Mandalorian." She's holding information they need to understand why the Empire is after Omega hostage in order to compel them to help her with collecting a dangerous bounty. They're reluctant to do it, but they see little other choice. They need to know about M-Counts and why the Empire is so intent on finding Omega.
Fennec Shand is a bit dishonest about it, too. She implies she has the information they need, but when they finish the job, she reveals that she only knows the person who might have the information they need and she'll get them in contact. The...
This week's episode of "The Bad Batch" sees Hunter and Wrecker doing a job for no pay for Fennec Shand -- the bounty hunter played by Ming-Na Wen who was first introduced in season 1 of "The Mandalorian." She's holding information they need to understand why the Empire is after Omega hostage in order to compel them to help her with collecting a dangerous bounty. They're reluctant to do it, but they see little other choice. They need to know about M-Counts and why the Empire is so intent on finding Omega.
Fennec Shand is a bit dishonest about it, too. She implies she has the information they need, but when they finish the job, she reveals that she only knows the person who might have the information they need and she'll get them in contact. The...
- 3/20/2024
- by Bryan Young
- Slash Film
Stars: Christopher Abbott, Andrea Riseborough, Rossif Sutherland, Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean, Jennifer Jason Leigh | Written and Directed by Brandon Cronenberg
Writer-director Brandon Cronenberg proves a proper chip off the old block with his second feature, Possessor, a brilliantly directed and startlingly original sci-fi horror that’s worthy of instant classic status. In fact, it’s fully deserving of a place alongside his father’s very best films, it’s that good.
Opening with an immediately unsettling stabbing sequence, the film centres on Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough), a seasoned assassin who’s able to “possess” unsuspecting strangers and use their bodies to commit murder-for-hire, thanks to brain-implant technology developed by her employers. However, repeated exposure to the procedure has taken a cumulative psychological toll on Vos and she’s beginning to have trouble separating her own psyche from that of her unsuspecting hosts after a job.
Despite the concerns of her supervisor,...
Writer-director Brandon Cronenberg proves a proper chip off the old block with his second feature, Possessor, a brilliantly directed and startlingly original sci-fi horror that’s worthy of instant classic status. In fact, it’s fully deserving of a place alongside his father’s very best films, it’s that good.
Opening with an immediately unsettling stabbing sequence, the film centres on Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough), a seasoned assassin who’s able to “possess” unsuspecting strangers and use their bodies to commit murder-for-hire, thanks to brain-implant technology developed by her employers. However, repeated exposure to the procedure has taken a cumulative psychological toll on Vos and she’s beginning to have trouble separating her own psyche from that of her unsuspecting hosts after a job.
Despite the concerns of her supervisor,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
Dave Filoni does not like to throw away his toys.
Since joining "Star Wars" as a director on the 2008 "The Clone Wars" cartoon series, he's become the protégé of creator George Lucas and chief creative officer of Lucasfilm. Characters introduced (Ahsoka Tano) and reintroduced (Darth Maul) in "The Clone Wars" and follow-up shows like "Star Wars Rebels" and "The Mandalorian" continue to return time and time again, be it in animation or live-action.
The new trailer for the final season of "The Bad Batch" reveals another face is returning; Asajj Ventress. The trailer holds her appearance for an ending surprise, with Nika Futterman's raspy voice slithering in as narration before Ventress charges out with a yellow lightsaber.
There's just one problem — Ventress is supposed to be dead. In the 2015 novel "Star Wars: Dark Disciple" (authored by Christie Golden and based on scripts written for "The Clone Wars" before it...
Since joining "Star Wars" as a director on the 2008 "The Clone Wars" cartoon series, he's become the protégé of creator George Lucas and chief creative officer of Lucasfilm. Characters introduced (Ahsoka Tano) and reintroduced (Darth Maul) in "The Clone Wars" and follow-up shows like "Star Wars Rebels" and "The Mandalorian" continue to return time and time again, be it in animation or live-action.
The new trailer for the final season of "The Bad Batch" reveals another face is returning; Asajj Ventress. The trailer holds her appearance for an ending surprise, with Nika Futterman's raspy voice slithering in as narration before Ventress charges out with a yellow lightsaber.
There's just one problem — Ventress is supposed to be dead. In the 2015 novel "Star Wars: Dark Disciple" (authored by Christie Golden and based on scripts written for "The Clone Wars" before it...
- 1/24/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Parts of the "Star Wars" universe have always been steeped in darkness. Entire galaxy systems succumbed to the tyranny of a fascist superstructure, which brought unimaginable horror along with it. Although "Star Wars" has never technically fit the horror mold — it is primarily a samurai-styled sci-fi adventure that oscillates between being inspiring and darkly moody — however, some aspects of the franchise's lore are downright chilling. Examples include Imperial torture methods that are pretty inhumane, such as It-o Interrogator droids used to inflict unimaginable pain on prisoners, or New Republic-backed devices such as the Mind Flayer, repurposed by the regime from old Imperial torture models.
Perhaps the most disturbing part of these darker lore aspects is The Decraniated, who were incorporated in canon to flesh out the worldbuilding in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" and "Solo: A Star Wars Story." The Decraniated were creations of the Alsakan-based surgeon, Dr. Cornelius Evazan,...
Perhaps the most disturbing part of these darker lore aspects is The Decraniated, who were incorporated in canon to flesh out the worldbuilding in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" and "Solo: A Star Wars Story." The Decraniated were creations of the Alsakan-based surgeon, Dr. Cornelius Evazan,...
- 1/1/2024
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Ahsoka."
Every time a character in a "Star Wars" show or film reveals a heretofore unknown Force-based ability, there's always going to be a contingency of viewers who find themselves turning into Han Solo and grumpily yelling, "That's not how the Force works!" Pretty much without fail, however, there's an earlier "Star Wars" project that's already established that this is, in fact, how the Force works. If anything, the last 46 years of "Star Wars" have taught us that the Force is often pretty darn weird, with this week's episode of "Ahsoka," "Shadow Warrior," providing yet another useful reminder of just that.
Upon returning from her near-death Force experience, the episode has Ahsoka Tano emerging from the oceans of Seatos and using the Force to read the history of the destroyed star map leading to Grand Admiral Thrawn. In doing so, she...
Every time a character in a "Star Wars" show or film reveals a heretofore unknown Force-based ability, there's always going to be a contingency of viewers who find themselves turning into Han Solo and grumpily yelling, "That's not how the Force works!" Pretty much without fail, however, there's an earlier "Star Wars" project that's already established that this is, in fact, how the Force works. If anything, the last 46 years of "Star Wars" have taught us that the Force is often pretty darn weird, with this week's episode of "Ahsoka," "Shadow Warrior," providing yet another useful reminder of just that.
Upon returning from her near-death Force experience, the episode has Ahsoka Tano emerging from the oceans of Seatos and using the Force to read the history of the destroyed star map leading to Grand Admiral Thrawn. In doing so, she...
- 9/13/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
It took Republicans no time at all to take the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision and use it to attack other educational initiatives intended to support people of color. On Thursday — the same day the Court declared race-conscious admissions policies unconstitutional — the state’s attorney general, Andrew Bailey, dispatched a letter to colleges and universities across the state: “Missouri institutions must identify all policies that give preference to individuals on the basis of race and immediately halt the implementation of such policies.” Hours later, the University of Missouri — which...
- 7/5/2023
- by Tessa Stuart
- Rollingstone.com
Sarah Vos’s insightful documentary White Balls on Walls opens as if it’s going to be a straightforward profile of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Exterior shots of the building reveal its striking architecture, the phrase “Meet the Icons of Modern Art” adorning its front windows. Shots of the artworks inside are intercut with photographs of white men, presumably the artists who made these “icons.” But Vos is playing coy, as the film that follows isn’t a reverent ode to these indelible works of fine art, but a merciless and hilarious interrogation of who decides which works of art end up in the museum’s gallery and why.
Vos was granted access to meetings between Rein Wolfs, director of the Stedelijk Museum, and his staff amid the institution’s efforts to become more inclusive and diverse in their collections and exhibitions. Thanks in part to her music cues and sharp editing,...
Vos was granted access to meetings between Rein Wolfs, director of the Stedelijk Museum, and his staff amid the institution’s efforts to become more inclusive and diverse in their collections and exhibitions. Thanks in part to her music cues and sharp editing,...
- 5/21/2023
- by Clayton Dillard
- Slant Magazine
The “What If” scenarios that emerged ahead of Frank Ocean’s headlining performance at Coachella were years in the making. The elusive musician hadn’t delivered a live performance in six years and was actually supposed to headline the festival in 2020, so to say the anticipation was high would be a massive understatement. But what started with the livestream of his set being canceled and ended with a bizarre performance that left fans at home and in the desert bewildered and disappointed was not what he had planned, at least...
- 4/17/2023
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
"Possessor" is a mind-bending, face-melting thriller about the very thin line between the human body and brain. The film, which centers on an assassin who enters other people's consciousnesses in order to carry out her missions, features plenty of trippy imagery as a psychological battle rages between the titular possessor and the possessed. True to the Cronenberg name, this includes bodily distortions ranging from the surreal to the gnarly and everything in between. The film's producers, however, were particularly uncomfortable with one effect that highlights the morphing of the psyches by giving lead assassin Tasya Vos a penis. The scene remained because both Brandon Cronenberg and Andrea Riseborough, who played Vos, thought of the idea without even telling each other.
The uncut version of "Possessor," which is now the release that's most commonly available for viewing, features more violence and gore than in its theatrical run. It was an issue with nudity,...
The uncut version of "Possessor," which is now the release that's most commonly available for viewing, features more violence and gore than in its theatrical run. It was an issue with nudity,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Andrew Housman
- Slash Film
Eight years after his debut feature "Antiviral," Brandon Cronenberg made the provocative sci-fi body horror, "Possessor," which pushed the envelope when it came to exploring the relationship between the mind and the body. Brilliant and subversive, "Possessor" explores an alternate timeline in which the virtual takeover of bodies is possible — a technique used by assassin Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) to carry out her hits. However, when Vos' consciousness enters Colin Tate (Christopher Abbott), the latter's psyche fights back to regain control of his body, leaving Vos reeling with the after-effects of a fragmented mind and the steady erosion of identity.
Instances of violence in "Possessor" are aplenty. For starters, there is the psychological violence of robbing another human of their autonomy, where the body is forced to revolt against itself. While target elimination is Vos' end goal, she navigates her missions with the aid of physical brute force. As a result,...
Instances of violence in "Possessor" are aplenty. For starters, there is the psychological violence of robbing another human of their autonomy, where the body is forced to revolt against itself. While target elimination is Vos' end goal, she navigates her missions with the aid of physical brute force. As a result,...
- 2/1/2023
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
Trying to break out from the foundation laid by a filmmaker responsible for some of the most lasting body horror films ever made is not an easy task, but Brandon Cronenberg has shown that he has the stuff. Although I'm not huge on "Antiviral," which sees Caleb Landry Jones as a clinician who injects paying customers with sterilized diseases of their favorite celebrities, it's an admirable debut feature that shows he has a pulse on the grotesque commodification of the human body. His latest film, "Infinity Pool," which /Film's Chris Evangelista calls a "debauched nightmare vacation into hell" in his review, takes this idea even further.
Smack dab in the middle of his filmmaking career, however, is "Possessor," which not only feels like an excellent companion to his father's work, but a sci-fi horror thriller that creates its own monstrous legacy. Taking place in an alternate 2008, assassinations are carried out...
Smack dab in the middle of his filmmaking career, however, is "Possessor," which not only feels like an excellent companion to his father's work, but a sci-fi horror thriller that creates its own monstrous legacy. Taking place in an alternate 2008, assassinations are carried out...
- 1/27/2023
- by Matthew Bilodeau
- Slash Film
"Solo: A Star Wars Story" may be the least successful entry in the franchise in the Disney era, but it wasn't for lack of trying. A movie centered on a young Han Solo played by Alden Ehrenreich was always going to be an uphill battle, yet the actor was able to put his own stamp on the character. From start to finish, the universe-trotting adventure includes some genuinely thrilling sequences directed by Ron Howard, but "Solo" just couldn't hit the high notes it wanted it to. Unfortunately, a convoluted story that only got more contradicting as it developed bogged down any potential for a crowd-pleasing romp.
Featuring Han Solo and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), "Solo" found the dynamic duo at the center of the criminal underworld and a galaxy-wide struggle against the Empire. The crew was hired by a major crime boss, Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), to pull off a heist...
Featuring Han Solo and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), "Solo" found the dynamic duo at the center of the criminal underworld and a galaxy-wide struggle against the Empire. The crew was hired by a major crime boss, Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), to pull off a heist...
- 12/5/2022
- by Marcos Melendez
- Slash Film
Few activities are more contentious than talking about Star Wars on the internet. Defenders and detractors seem equally driven to relitigate the merits of every entry, from blockbusters like The Last Jedi to deep cuts like The Battle for Endor. But the most surprising Star Wars critic might be Jonathan Kasdan, co-writer of the divisive Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Teaming with his legendary screenwriter father Lawrence — writer of several Star Wars entries, including Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens — Kasdan seemed like the perfect choice to take on the origin story of Han Solo. And yet, the movie generated constant criticism, beginning with the very idea of casting anyone else as Harrison Ford’s iconic character. Between an arduous production that saw original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller replaced by Ron Howard and the movie’s underlit visuals, Solo remains one of the franchise’s least popular entries,...
Teaming with his legendary screenwriter father Lawrence — writer of several Star Wars entries, including Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens — Kasdan seemed like the perfect choice to take on the origin story of Han Solo. And yet, the movie generated constant criticism, beginning with the very idea of casting anyone else as Harrison Ford’s iconic character. Between an arduous production that saw original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller replaced by Ron Howard and the movie’s underlit visuals, Solo remains one of the franchise’s least popular entries,...
- 12/2/2022
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Eagle Eye Drama, the U.K. scripted production indie headed by Walter Iuzzolino that is known for hit TV shows such the British remake of Belgium’s “Professor T” have announced the launch of Belgium-based production company Happy Duck Films.
Eagle Eye, which was set up by Iuzzolino and other founders of his foreign-language drama streaming service Walter Presents, have now teamed up with Belgian director Dries Vos who directed the “Professor T” remake and local line producer Hiskia Van Aert to set up this new venture.
Happy Duck Films will be based in the Belgian region of Flanders and will produce a wide range of English language titles “with creative talent from Flanders and beyond,” a statement said. No projects were announced.
Dries Vos will be joining the Happy Duck Films board of directors alongside its U.K. head of production Isobel Nicholson.
Said Eagle Eye Drama’s chief...
Eagle Eye, which was set up by Iuzzolino and other founders of his foreign-language drama streaming service Walter Presents, have now teamed up with Belgian director Dries Vos who directed the “Professor T” remake and local line producer Hiskia Van Aert to set up this new venture.
Happy Duck Films will be based in the Belgian region of Flanders and will produce a wide range of English language titles “with creative talent from Flanders and beyond,” a statement said. No projects were announced.
Dries Vos will be joining the Happy Duck Films board of directors alongside its U.K. head of production Isobel Nicholson.
Said Eagle Eye Drama’s chief...
- 10/5/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
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