Families Are Forever ... Even on Tatooine

The second episode of the incredible Book of Boba Fett is called "The Tribes of Tatooine", and indeed, it very much explores the themes of tribes and family. When I first watched the episode, I found it difficult to connect because halfway through, the story switched from "present" day, to a flashback. It felt like two mini episodes that were disjointed and had nothing to do with each other.

But after watching a second time, I realized that both halves of the show were about the same theme: Family. Tribes. Belonging. 

In the present time, we are made to believe that Boba Fett has no idea what it's like to be part of a family. Fett is trying to fight against the Hutt family. The mayor tells him, "Running a family is more complicated than bounty hunting." True! Fett is viewed by others as a bounty hunter without any loyalty or affiliation to a family. A notion that is accentuated by the fact that he is a clone who lost his father at a young age. Boba never really had a family. He doesn't belong anywhere.

But in the second half of the episode, we learn that nothing could be further from the truth. We see, in detail, how Boba Fett gained trust among his captors. Maybe there was a bit of Stockholm Syndrome, but Boba Fett knew that the Tuskens were not "bad" people. They saved him and cared for him. They taught him. They trained him. And when he showed kindness and generosity to the Tuskens, they returned those gestures in kind. The Tuskens even permitted Boba to go on a spirit quest, take part in their rituals, and rise to a prominent position in the tribe. Indeed, if there's anybody who knows what it means to belong to a family, it's Boba Fett. 

The two halves of "The Tribes of Tatooine" pose a question about Fett's character, and then answer that question.

This got me thinking about what it means to be part of a family. I have the most wonderful, most nurturing family in the world. All of my seven siblings are individual weirdos, but we love each other so much and get along famously. We have always been close, but our bonds were forged stronger when my brother died a few years ago. 

On the other hand, I recently got a divorce. I worried about what that meant for my eternal family. Was a breaking up my family, which is a common argument against divorce? Would my kids be lost? Would I still belong to a family? As I have pressed forward on this new path in my life, I have learned what it means to be part of a family even moreso. I'm closer to my kids than I have ever been before. I am a happier and more authentic person, so I am more emotionally available to "be there" for my kids. My family never broke up, we just shifted our responsibilities. I still preside, provide, and protect. My ex-wife still nurtures with love and righteousness. We are still equal partners, we just don't live together. Our "other circumstances necessitate individual adaptation". 

Families come in many shapes and sizes and arrangements. Be it a traditional family with two parents, a blended family, a single-parent family ... or a Tusken tribe. 

Clint Barton and Kate Bishop

There were some beautiful and epic things about the recent Hawkeye series on Disney+:

• The inept Tracksuit Mafia
• The inclusion of a character who is both deaf and used a prosthetic
• The return of Yelena
• The use of sporadic subtitles when Maya was reading lips
• All the trick arrows
• LARP-ing!
• The reveal of Kingpin
• The entire ending sequence at Rockefeller Center
• Rogers: The Musical

But the most wholesome and most relatable element included in Hawkeye was the unlikely relationship between Kate and Clint. Clint is a seasoned Avenger who fought aliens, saved the world, lost his entire family, gained them back, dealt with the death of his best friend, and went through a dark period of being a ruthless assassin. Kate, on the other hand, is a spoiled rich girl who idolizes the Avengers and recently pulled a prank that resulted in a bell tower being severely damaged. 

Yet, over six incredible Die Hard-inspired episodes, Clint and Kate forge a really incredible relationship. It starts off light and simple, two unlikely people whose paths cross unexpectedly. But as things get deeper and more real, they really form a deep and abiding love for each other. It was fun to watch them throw coins, fight the baddies, get tied up, and banter. How could you not enjoy their conversations when Clint lost his hearing aid, and they were talking in circles? But the best moment for their friendship was when Clint was talking to his family, and Kate was tenderly writing down what they were saying so Clint could understand. It was a moment of vulnerability that really helped bond these two damaged individuals.

The relationship between Clint and Kate reminds me that we can’t always dictate who will enter our lives, and who will cross our paths in this life. If Glinda from Wicked is to be believed, then people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us most to grow, if we let them, and we help them in return. I’ve had so many people come and go in my life. Sometimes I would get frustrated that people would only show up for a few moments of my life. But I’ve learned to view relationships with other people as wonderful moments that may or may not last. I’ve learned to enjoy what they’ve brought to my life, how they’ve helped inspire me or support me or the humor they’ve helped me see. And I’ve learned to enjoy helping them in return, giving to them of myself, being vulnerable with them, sharing my experiences with them. 

But I’m rambling on about relationships in a review of Hawkeye. So back to the Marvel series. It was good. Lots of fun. Great action sequences. Terrific cast. Sharp writing. Clever direction. And I would totes watch it again next Christmas.

Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas

Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas has all the trappings and trimmings and tropes of a good, cheesy Hallmark Christmas special: There's frantic holiday baking! Everybody home for the holidays! A loved one has passed and now the holidays will never be the same!

It's that last one that really forms the heart of ZEC. Zoey wants desperately to relive her childhood memories of Christmas, mostly as a natural and deep-seated psychological response to her father's death. Her childhood memories are symbolized by a snow globe, an interesting choice for her memories. Snow globes are always changing. They get shaken up and never look exactly the same twice. They are fragile, made of glass, easily broken. And how interesting that that's exactly what happens in Zoey's life – when the snow globe is broken, so are her hopes for recreating the Christmas memories of her father. And that's the way it should be: we can honor the past and carry on traditions, but trying to recreate the past is an exercise in futility. Instead, Zoey learns (in a dream where the entire room turns into a snow globe!) that she can – and should – create new memories, building on the traditions her father helped create. 

This was so poignant to me. I'm recently divorced and navigating the world of being a single father to four children. I've learned the hard way that I can't carry on all the traditions that we had when I was married. Loss stings. But like a controlled forest fire, loss sometimes can make way for new life. I decided that I was going to start some new Christmas traditions in the wake of my divorce. Our family looks different, so our family traditions should too!

Zoey and Max also go through some great relationship building stuff, built on the backbone of Max gaining Zoey's power to read minds through Broadway-quality song and dance routines. They decide that the universe has granted Max this power, as a way to help him feel empathy for Zoey's heavy burden, and not as a way to save the show and boost ratings. This type of healthy relationship building compassion is much needed. Max and Zoey even joke about having to communicate like regular adults, but not before performing some really clever numbers together with both their powers on display. Like a Broadway diva and divo battling it out for the title of Best Duo – but instead of crowing a single victor, everybody wins. Including the audience.

Enjoy this Christmas special (released on the Roku Channel, and vying for the regular show to be picked back up!) It's got all the fluff and tinsel and cheese of any holiday special you've seen before. But like Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist itself, it has a bit more substance and depth than your average show. 

Just bring tissues for when Peter Gallagher shows up. 

Jonathan Larson's Struggle Against Time

In 1996, I was 19 and I had just put my papers in to serve a mission. On my way home from a meeting with my bishop, I heard an interview on the radio with some of the cast members of a new Broadway musical called RENT. They played “One Song Glory”, and I was so overcome with emotion that I had to pull over on the side of the road to listen to this beautiful song. I bought the soundtrack the next day and listened to it over and over again in my bright blue 1993 Mazda 323. I heard that they were selling tickets to RENT for $20, fitting for a show about artists struggling to pay their bills. The catch was that you had to wait in line all day to get the $20 tickets. No problem for me, I had all the time in the world! So I got to New York City at 3 am, and I waited on the trash-strewn street next to other young people waiting to get the cheap tickets. That night I sat in the second row of the Nederlander Theatre and basked in the one song glory of the original cast. I knew what I was seeing was special, but I didn’t really appreciate how incredible it was to witness live performances from Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Taye Diggs, and yes even Daphne Rubin-Vega.

RENT would go on to be the 11th longest running musical in history, win the Tony for Best Musical, and would be one of only ten musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize (a feat shared with Sondheim’s A Sunday in the Park with George and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton). It had a profound impact on my life, and shaped the way that I view people, art, humanity, love, and life. It’s a sad irony that Jonathan Larson, the creator of RENT died the night before his masterpiece debuted Off-Broadway. Like many of his songs, his life ended too abruptly. Truly, Jonathan Larson was a man who was haunted by time.

Larson’s obsession with time is evident in all his shows. RENT takes place over exactly one year. Tick, Tick… Boom! takes place in the week leading up to Larson’s 30th birthday. Superbia (which was never formally produced) is based on George Orwell’s 1984. Miranda, in his directorial debut, recognizes this central theme of time, and adds numerous symbols and references to time in Tick, Tick… Boom! (new to Netflix this week), including a constant tick tick ticking sound in the background whenever Jonathan feels stress and anxiety about his creative process.

There are some real treats in Tick, Tick… Boom!, chief of which include the song “Sunday”, a perfect homage and parody of “Sunday” from Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. The song, besides being sharp and witty, features Broadway Royalty like Bernadette Peters, Bebe Neuwirth, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Chita Rivera, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, and Phylicia Rashad. Tick, Tick… Boom! also includes the song “Swimming” which cleverly shows how an artist’s inspiration might come in the most unusual of ways. And in particular, only happened for Jonathan Larson when he was relaxed and performing self care. 

Overall, Tick, Tick… Boom! is an incredible film that at its base tells a compelling story of a creative artist. But it also is a lament on man’s struggle with time, which stops for no person. Tick, Tick… Boom! also beautifully and painstakingly chronicles the creative process, especially in the modern world where money, politics, and networking play such an important role in the creative process. This is a film written by a pained musical theater genius, directed by a modern musical theater virtuoso, and will be enjoyed by anybody who has any love for Broadway musicals. 

Olaf Presents...

Frozen II was a really great film. But can we all agree that the best part of that movie is Olaf? ("I don't even know a Samantha!") And Olaf's best segment was when he retells the events of Frozen to the Northuldra people. Josh Gad, as Olaf, was so popular that he was asked to recap so many things, including Star Wars, Endgame, and even 2020! Disney got the bright idea to have Olaf retell five other movies in pure Olafian style! Here are the best parts of each short.

"The Little Mermaid" Parental summary: "You'll be half a fish and you'll like it, young lady!" Best character synopsis: "Hey, I'm Octalady. Gimme your voice for some legs!" Grossest funny gag: Ariel sings, and spits out her larynx, hairball style. And then Octalady eats it.  Dramatic Olaf: "Papa's an emaciated shrimp." Summed up: "Now I'm married an have feet."

"Moana" Exposition: "I stole a rock, which unbeknownst to me was actually the heart organ of a giant, raging lava lady who knocked my hook into the ocean, which takes place before the events of this story." Potty humor: "Peeing in the ocean. Hehe!" Breaking the 4th wall: "I know everyone here probably knows this already, but in case you don't, 🎶I am Moana!🎶"

"The Lion King" Relatable caption: [OLAF SINGING IN FAKE ZULU] Dose of reality: "I, Mufasa, rule in equity and justice over all my subjects. And also eat some of them!" Questionable summary: "I must run away now. And eat bugs!" Details, please!: Mufasa: "Simba!" Simba: "That explains everything!"

"Aladdin" So THAT'S why it's special!: "This is no ordinary lamp because it's filled with a magical, blue, smoky man!" HISHE line: "If only your dad had full authority to literally change any of the rules he came up with in the first place." Winking nod to Robin Williams: "Now you have to live in a pot forever and learn a few modern impressions."

"Tangled" Easter Egg nod: "A story about a close personal friend of mine."  Running gag: Olaf's toothy smolder Setting summary: "A mysterious tower to hide from vindictive horses in." It's true, though: "Look! New parents who aren't soul-crushing monsters!"

Long live Olaf. And let's hope he comes back for a second season of Olaf Presents where he retells Beauty and the Beast, Hunchback, Zootopia, and Wreck-It Ralph. What a warm hug that would be!

The Most "Out There" Pixar Movies

I just rewatched The Good Dinosaur with the kiddos. Not the best Pixar movie ... but as we all know, even a subpar Pixar movie is better than most of the noise available to us. But rewatching The Good Dinosaur struck me how strange it is that there's a scene where Arlo and Spot get high. Let me repeat that for those of you who haven't seen the movie (because let's face it, most of you haven't). Arlo and Spot GET HIGH off of fermented fruit. And it's not just that cute drunk stupor that cartoons sometimes show. This is a full on hallucination scene. Spot's head gets huge, Arlo grows extra eyes, they switch bodies and float off into space. 

Like, what the ... ?

So I decided to look at all 24 Pixar movies and find the ones that are the most "out there". Here goes...

#10 The Good Dinosaur This is actually a pretty white bread movie, with one really trippy scene. Probably the trippiest single scene in any Pixar movie. And it's trippy enough to put the film on the list.

#9 Soul What a sweet flick. Introspective and deep and so inspiring. But it also features a man's soul trapped in a cat. And Tina Fey as a black man. And it posits that  the pre-mortal life is run by talking line drawings.

#8 Up One of my favorite movies on this list. Not the trippiest, but it does have a cadre of talking dogs, a giant momma bird named Kevin, and two geriatric men as the main characters. Oh, and the main plot point is that a house gets carried away by helium balloons. Okay, maybe it's more out there than I thought.

#7 Coco This film makes me cry. Every. Darn. Time. But in spite of some  very real emotional pull, the world of Coco is inhabited by talking  skeletons who regularly lose body parts. And giant psychedelically colored beasts.

#6 Wall-E Robots who fall in love.  Skyscrapers made of garbage.  Humans that have turned into blobs of lifeless goo. Okay that last one is pretty spot on. But the rest is kinda out there.

#5 Ratatouille Are we even going to talk about the fact that Remy controls Linguini's brain ... by pulling his hair?

#4 Monsters, Inc. Wait. So monsters are real? And they need children's screams (and laughter) to power their  world? And Jennifer Tilly plays a tolerable character?  Yeah, that's a tripped up fantasy.

#3 Toy Story Close your eyes and picture that scene where Sid's toys come alive, Woody's head spins around, and he says, "So play nice!" Now picture that happening in real life.  'Nuff said.

#2 Onward This movie is just as imaginative as it is strange. But in addition to the magic, the manticore's destruction, and a giant cheese puffs, this movie gives a major amount of screen time to a living pair of legs. Like, the legs are a main character! But the trippiest part? We connect emotionally with those legs! Thanks, Pixar.

#1 Inside Out Where do we begin? Our brains are actually a hivemind. References to the bears in San Francisco. The existence of Bing Bong, who squeals like a dolphin and cries candy. The abstract thought shortcut scene with non-objective fragmentation, etc. Pizza with pineapple! So so so out there.

Lego Star Wars Terrifying Tales

In the Star Wars universe, Life Day is a stand in for Christmas, but there is no stand in for Halloween. So the new Lego Star Wars Terrifying Tales (which can be found on Disney Plus) uses the Dark Side as the basis to tell some "scary stories". Let me clarify what I mean by "scary": these three stories claim to be terrifying, but they are really very tongue-in-cheek. As they should be. In true Lego fashion, they make fun of their own jump scares, they put lightning inside the buildings to broadcast how "scary" the scenes are, and they go over the top in breaking the fourth wall. This show is geared toward kids, with a few jokes sprinkled in for adults. Any given Treehouse of Terror is scarier, and even Sesame Street has more humor geared towards adults. 

But Lego Star Wars Terrifying Tales is still an enjoyable show, if you can enjoy the fact that it’s for kids. There are some good references to The Twilight Zone, Carrie, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Lost Boys, The Shining, and The Fly. The battle droids become zombies saying “Roger! Roger!” instead of “Brainz!” Fun, silly stuff.

There are some simple lessons to learn about the balance of fear and courage, about being careful what you wish for, about tenacity, and about the dangers of greed. There are good references to the existing Star Wars canon, especially in "The Wookie's Paw" which is really just a clever adaptation of A New Hope. But as with any Lego property, the best parts are the background gags and the self aware humor. Darth Vader saying "Feel the power of the dark side … at the Empire Emporium!" Stopping to do wordplay in the middle of a battle. Using the name "Mr. The Hutt". 

The humor in this special, just like the most recent Lego Star Wars Holiday Special, is a little juvenile and over-the-top when compared to the much better jokes of Lego video games. But that’s to be expected. This is a Halloween special aimed at kids. But even still, there really are a few great moments of self-awareness and humor mocking the original Star Wars franchise itself, which older fans will definitely appreciate.

What If... Two Bloggers Debated What If...?

Ryan: I just finished watching What If...? and I found that the series really does what Marvel does best: focusing on character development and letting the story flow from well developed characters. Marvel doesn't minimize their characters to, say, just a power, or just the color of their skin. For instance, there were concerns that Episode 2 (T'Challa becoming Starlord) would just be "Black Star-Lord". But I was pleasantly surprised. T'Challa brings his own set of quirks and character traits. So when he steps into the role of Star-Lord, it becomes so much less about just swapping roles, and so much more about how one character would respond in various different situations.

Joe: T'Challa did bring a different quality to his role as Star-Lord, his biggest accomplishment being that he turned Thanos. However, I feel that the series was far too constrained. I feel that they could've explored some less paid attention characters in the cannon, like Drax or Rocket. Drax as a bartender was not enough. Also why was Iron Man completely shafted? He builds Killmonger a few mechs then that's it.

Ryan: I feel like Tony Stark's death must be an "absolute point" in the timeline. I mean, except for the last episode, Tony Stark died in every timeline we saw. Interesting.

Joe: What was your favorite episode?

Ryan: The two that stick out to me the most, for completely different reasons, are:

• Episode 4, about Dr. Strange. It was much more character-centric instead of plot driven. I feel like we really explored a different side of Stephen Strange, and really got to know him as a character. We also saw some new aspects to what he is able to do, and ultimately the consequences of acquiring too much power.
• Episode 5, ZOMBIES! Just because it was fun and different and I’m a sucker for a good zombie thriller.

Joe: I have to agree completely. Dr. Strange's episode was dark and almost felt like it came out of a Dungeons and Dragons story. While the zombie episode had zombies, which were glorious, and had two of my favorite MCU characters in focus: i.e. Spider-Man and Scarlet Witch.

Ryan: And Ant-Man's head!

Joe: Quit having such great taste! I'm trying to find somewhere that we argue.

Ryan: How about the fact that Hawkeye is a better character when he's animated than as a live actor?

Joe: Exactly. Okay, what was your LEAST favorite episode?

Ryan: Probably Party Thor (Episode 7). I just found it to be kind of jokey. I’m still not quite sure why the Watcher chose him to help save the multiverse.

Joe: Okay, see no. I thought that one was hilarious. Thor's personality keeps going between the jock with a sense of humor and a classic D&D Paladin. In Episode 7 he had a distinct personality and I found it hilarious.

Ryan: True, it was fun to watch. I just didn't find his standalone episode to be very compelling. Which was YOUR least favorite episode?

Joe: As much as I loved T'Challa Star-Lord, I thought Episode 2 was the weakest episode since they had to find a villain to fill in for Thanos. They chose the universe's most avid Pokemon trainer.

Ryan: I really appreciated the idea that there was a power vacuum that The Collector filled. Would you have chosen somebody else is a villain? Or do you think there would just be no villain to take the place of Thanos, and everything would be hunky dory?

Joe: I liked the power vacuum but it didn't make any sense that The Collector would fill it. Even his brother, Jeff Goldblum was more threatening than The Collector.

Ryan: So you have a problem with the show because they didn’t do it the way you wanted them to do it? I see. I got your number. 😉

Joe: I'm a backseat comic writer. Classic geek move. We could've had the Ravagers, the blue dude who wanted the Power Stone, or Star-Lord's dad fill the vacuum if we have to reshuffle the existing canon. And this is my biggest problem with the show: All they did was shuffle all the already established characters around. This could've been a great way to introduce some fresh blood, like Adam Warlock, Galactus, or some of the other lesser known characters from the comics.

Ryan: Good suggestions. But there's something about Episode 3 that I really liked. I enjoyed seeing Tame Thanos. I enjoyed seeing what would've happened to Nebula is she weren't so badly abused. I enjoyed seeing the influence T'Challa had on his sphere. And I enjoyed the concept of the power vacuum, and seeing how The Collector filled it. I really appreciate, overall, how the episode highlighted some of the differences between Star-Lord and T'Challa. Again, for me it goes back to character development, and What If...? layers three-dimensional characters with depth, personality, and clear motivations in really unique ways. 

Joe: But I don't know if I needed to see a highlighted difference between Star-Lord and T'Challa. They did it well and I'm glad we got Chadwick Boseman for an episode, but it felt like it was just there to do something with the Guardians.

Ryan: "Need"? No, we probably didn’t need anything in the series. But I really like that we got to see that T'Challa is more than just a princely hero. Even when he's a Ravager and a thief, he's still classy and principled. He still believes in building bridges instead of putting up walls. He still sees the good in people. He's still selfless. And in that episode, he uses those traits to bring about good in his world. Or galaxy. Honestly, it made me reflect on what T'Challa did in the "What If Not..." timeline. All of his accomplishments really were a result of him and his values, not just being the right guy in the right time and place. Instead T'Challa himself was kind of destined to be a force for good no matter where he was. He bloomed where he was planted.

Joe: And that was fun to see, but not really as revelatory or as interesting as the rest.

Ryan: Fair enough. So what were your overall impressions, especially with how the last two episodes tied everything together?

Joe: Overall I did like it. The animation was solid and the last two episodes tied everything together beautifully, even if Dr. Strange was overpowered and the entire exercise felt like we were only working with a limited amount of Lego figures, and the other person never read the comics.

Ryan: I'm glad the series wasn't just a bunch of one-offs, but rather deepened the understanding of the MCU, gave insight to existing characters, and told a complete story that all tied together in the end. My biggest gripe was understanding why those particular characters were chosen to fight infinity Ultron. Like, why did it have to be Party Thor? Why not get a few Captain Marvels on the team? If the multi-verse is truly infinite, then why not get a version of Ultron that is good to fight Infinity Ultron? Or recruit a few thousand versions of every single Avenger? I’m willing to accept that a corrupt Killmonger had to be on the team, but I don’t see a compelling reason why the team had to be those exact individuals, and that's it.

Joe: That's the thing though, in the comics the Watchers do crap like that and then say "Mysterious ways..." before floating away.

Ryan: There are too many variables. I mean, it makes for good entertainment, but it's hard to swallow the pill that that was the only way to stop Infinity Ultron.

Joe: Agreed. And why was every Captain Marvel the same?

Ryan: Because she's a lame, overpowered character.

Joe: Homegirl just shows up bold as brass. No new haircut, no scars...

Ryan: Now we agree on something!