I don't see what rights Fox has (had) to any of the SW characters / iconography. They have distribution rights to the original SW film. That's all. Well, not all - they also had theatrical, nontheatrical, and home video rights worldwide for the five subsequent films before Disney took over. That was due to end in 2020 and would have, regardless of the Disney/Fox merger.

ANH they would have had the distribution rights on forever, but is now moot.

Smart cookie, that Yoda.

One thing I was thinking about this morning - I don't have any major issue with the depiction of Luke's 'attempt' to kill Ben at the temple. I liked the Roshomon aspect of how it was presented, and how it re-contextualized Ben's fall. I don't like the staging though. It may be semantics, but Luke hovering over his bed as he slept doesn't feel very Luke Skywalker. I appreciate this movie challenging our views of him, but this just felt strange. Approaching Ben from behind as he was meditating, or training, perhaps would have been my personal choice. I also would have liked just a bit more of justification on Luke's part of what was so horrifying that he saw that he could not foresee any redemption for Ben. Luke had saved his father; he had accomplished this impossible thing. This emboldened him, obviously, and led to his hubris with Ben. Why not again? Just a little bit - an image, a suggestion, something.

Ok, let's do this.

Again, I loved this movie. This is without a doubt the best SW movie since ESB. Not the best movie - though moments of it are without peer. Rian Johnson deserves a bow, and all the credit in the world for taking huge risks.

A lot of folks complained about the re-hashing in TFA. I was one of them. One of the benefits of it was to set up expectations that this film absolutely knocked down. The greatest example - and perhaps in all of SW - is the death of Snoke and Kylo's leaning in to the dark side. An outstanding sequence, staged and shot perfectly, that induces absolute whiplash. But it's the only way it can be. Kylo can't be turned; Luke says it. He's evil. He wrestles with his emotions, and his impulses, but he is who he is. He wants Rey - he may have some love for her, on some level - but only as an object. Like Vader's helmet was an object. Luke's saber.

On that note, I accept the Rey's parents reveal, but hold out there could be a late inning substitution. I expected her to see Leia's reflection in the mirror, and when she saw herself, I had the same thought Scott did - she may be like Anakin. Probably not, but we'll see. I felt she got a little lost post-HOLY **** THRONE ROOM DUEL and I wonder what she learned in this movie. Her parents were nobodies and never coming back? She already knew that. She's self made and self reliant? She already knew that, and a scavenger par excellence - she made off with the Jedi texts Luke thought Yoda had burned.

YODA! One of the greatest scenes in the saga. So much truth and wisdom. Yoda is a puppet in this scene.

Leia. I loved all of it, including the Glenda the Good Witch bit. The tragedy of not having Leia for IX, of seeing her grow into the Force... her absence leaves this trilogy broken. It can't be fixed.

Mark Hamill deserves an Oscar. Performance of his life. 'That's a cheap shot.'

Adam Driver is perfect. "SHOOT THAT SHIP OUT OF THE SKY!" The petulant, childish rage... perfect.

Holdo's sacrifice and the stunning visual of the destruction of the FO fleet - gasps in the theater.

Didn't like so much -

Luke didn't NEED to die. I accept it. But if they could stop killing my heroes at the end of every movie, that'd be great. He'll be back, and probably for more than we think, but the death steps on the toes of the all time fake out of the projection from the island.

Canto Bight - liked bits and pieces. Went on way too long.

Maz.

I don't know if I was sold on Rose knocking Finn out of his death run.

That's all for now.

LOVED it.

Outside of Canto Bight aliens, the movie is nowhere near as deep as other films on potential figures. That said, I came away with some must haves. In no particular order:

Luke (High Noon)
Leia (Crait - believe this is a different outfit than we have)
Holdo
Caretaker
Farthier w / Rose or Finn, maybe Broom Kid
FO Gunner
Finn (walking and leaking)
Any and all Resistance pilots / bombers
Any and all Resistance Ground Forces
Lt. Connix
Crait Fox(es) - if they come with somebody, maybe a Resistance Trooper
Poe - X-Wing flight suit sans white vest. Or at least a removable one.

Yeah, the more that comes out, the more sense some of this makes. So I was right in the first place on Simpsons.

Hulu seems to be the big question mark. Having two separate services makes sense, but regardless if it's the dedicated platform or one of two (or three) then they're still handing over their money to minority stake owners.

Another quote from Iger, that I think speaks to the future of movie theaters:

“Should the multichannel ecosystem get to the point where it’s not as viable as we need it to be, we’d be well-positioned to, in effect, flip a switch and distribute those programs direct to the consumer through the platforms we’ve created.”

I've been saying since I don't know, college, that movie theaters were in danger of home entertainment. Given the dynamics in Silicon Valley, in Hollywood and in society in general I don't see theaters surviving. They'll always be around, just like you can find drive-ins here and there but we're probably 10 years away from one of these movies opening DTC on a streaming service.

Netflix is doing it now; so is Amazon. Maybe five years.

I doubt any theater chain is complaining about Star Wars hitting today.

http://www.businessinsider.com/disney-requirements-to-show-star-wars-the-last-jedi-in-theaters-2017-11

https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1726040/why-one-movie-theater-is-refusing-to-show-star-wars-the-last-jedi

There are small town theaters here in Iowa that are not showing it because of the commitment Disney requires (minimum four week run, 65% of proceeds throughout).

So I do see the Fox Broadcasting Network is not included in the deal, which means The Simpsons et all do not go to Disney.

I think Hulu either becomes the Disney streaming service, or is gutted to eliminate a competitor.

I got this last night and it's one of my favorite pieces in a while. Hopefully we see more of these going forward. I miss the old Cinema Scenes / Battle Packs. The Emperor is hands down the highlight and best version they've ever done of him. Luke is great, and the Guard, while inferior to the TVC version, looks good standing there.