Tag: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

INSANE

By mumofthreedevils on January 12, 2018 • ( Leave a comment )

So, just 27 days after it’s release, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is sitting at number 12 in the ‘all time’ ranks after raking in 1.3 BILLION Dollars.

It’s creeping up a place every day or two and is still going strong.
It will be interesting to see where it finishes.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens ended up at number 3 after raking in 2.06 Billion and it currently only sits behind Titanic from 1997 at number 2 with 2.18 billion and Avatar from 2009 at number 1 with 2.78 billion and both of those films have had multiple re-releases over the years.
I think it stands a good chance of going up at least another notch over the next few years.

So the two films combined have so far raked in 3.36 billion Dollars between them which is currently about 2.47 billion British Pounds.

That is an absolutely insane amount of money for two films to make.

So admit it…. how many times have you seen these Star Wars movies????

I’ll start the ball rolling.
I have officially seen The Force Awakens 11 times in the cinema. 10 on its initial release and 1 just before seeing The Last Jedi.
I have….so far….. seen The Last Jedi 5 times.

Will I see it again?
I want to but I have heavy work load at the moment so we’ll just have to wait and see.

2016 ROUNDUP

By mumofthreedevils on December 17, 2016 • ( Leave a comment )

So 2016 has been a globally bad year.

Let’s face it. It’s been a SHIT year.

The loss of too much talent to comprehend.
Most notably for me, and I know I’ve missed a lot of names off this list….
David Bowie
Alan Rickman
Prince
Victoria Wood
Muhammad Ali
Anton Yelchin
Kenny Baker
Gene Wilder
Ron Glass
Andrew Sachs
Glen Frey
Frank Finlay
George Kennedy
Guy Hamilton
John Glen

The world in general just seems to be going to pot.
Brexit, Trump, Aleppo, Bombings galore, earthquakes, plane disasters, we are closer to a third world war than we have been in 20 years, Zika virus…… the list goes on.

It’s depressing.
It’s enough to make you want to completely avoid watching or reading the news and keep yourself in a protective bubble away from it all, but that would be impossible.

Personally things have been tough too.
Finances were and still are a struggle after Ian had to take a pay cut to take a position off of shifts. After over 30 years, shifts and night work were taking a toll and he needed to get off of them. The good news is that the position he’s taken is more challenging for him and he has more scope to progress and hopefully earn ‘more’ money than he did on shift.
In the meantime we are still having to deal with being £300 – £400 down on our usual take home pay.

Health in general has been poor all round.
Ian’s Psoriatic Arthritis is really giving him problems at the moment.
He’s finally been diagnosed with a sever vitamin D deficiency which could be causing a lot of his symptoms at the moment, so there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

My knee has never really recovered after a Baker Cyst I didn’t even know I had, ruptured.
I am currently under physios who are giving me a few more weeks of excersises before deciding wheather or not to send me back to Orthos for an arthroscopy.

Dharma had a small surgery on her wrist to release some tendons because she was constantly in pain when holding things like pens and cutlery. She’s still under physios until all the underlying healing is done and hopefully the pain subsides.

Marjorie’s foot is starting to hurt her again! But she just keeps getting on with things. She knows it’s a problem she has for life and has resigned herself to it.

Murron hasn’t done too bad this year. She still struggles with her anxiety at times BUT she deals with it and ploughs on when she can.

Now I’m really feeling depressed.
It’s now a week before Xmas and I just don’t feel Xmassy at all!!
Anyone who knows me will knows that I am usually ‘full on’ at Xmas. Starting with 2 weeks of annual leave at the end of November, beginning of December, so that I can prepare and not have to worry about work. Gift buying, decorations, cards, baking, the works. I did it this year but it felt like I was doing it under duress. I just am NOT FEELING XMASSY.
I haven’t even got a Xmas CD in the car.

The bad year in general, coupled with the fact my kids are all growing up too fast and the knowledge that I am working an early shift on Xmas day, may all be contributing factors to my general mood. I give it another couple of days before I start to feel the tingle!
I did catch myself humming to a Xmas song Dharma was playing yesterday, so there’s hope!

NOW!….THE GOOD STUFF!!

It hasn’t all been doom and gloom.
One family wedding, two new babies and 2 more proposals.

Ian is loving his new job.

Murron got herself an apprenticeship and started earning a full wage for the first time ever.
Unfortunately this has enabled her to go tattoo crazy, get a motor bike and generally partay! Can’t blame her.

Marjorie started her film/media course at college and is LOVING it!! She’s already talking about Universtity and she has expressed an interest in Directing. She also got herself a part time job at MacDonalds which she doesn’t care for too much but she loves the money. So until she finds something else she’s sticking with it.
College and a job has changed Marjorie so much. She has bloomed since the summer and is so much more confident in herself. I’ve been really surprised.

Dharma is doing OK at school. She’s into her GCSE’s now. She’s identified her weaknesses and is working on them. She’s doing her best and that’s all I can ask.
I do feel a little sorry for her at the moment because she’s finding it really hard seeing her sisters earning and spending money. She’s feeling a bit left out.

I am going through a mid-life crisis.

I know this doesn’t sound like ‘good stuff’ but I’m enjoying it so as far as I’m concerned, it’s all ‘good stuff’.

The catalyst was ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ in December last year.
By the end of January this year I had seen it 10 times in the cinema and had become completely obsessed with Adam Driver and all his work.
He was joined by an obsession with Domhnall Gleeson that kind of crept up on me unexpectedly.

From these two actors alone my film collection has grown by 26 films.
Frances Ha
Gayby
Hungry Hearts

Inside Llewynn Davis
Lincoln
Not Waving But Drowning

Star Wars: The Force awakens

This Where I Leave You

Tracks

What If
While We’re Young
About Time

Rachel-McAdams-and-Domhnall-Gleeson-in-About-Time

Anna Karenina
Black Mirror – Series 2
Brooklyn
Dredd
Ex-Machina
Frank
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows parts 1 and 2
Never Let Me Go
Sensation
Shadow Dancer

Studs
True Grit (2010)
Unbroken
When Harvey Met Bob

Overall I think the collection has gone up by around 150 films and now stands at a a total of 1382!

I recently had the oportunity to see Adam in a Q and A after a preview screening for Paterson in London and that just topped off my year!! He’s amazing.

Curiosity got the better of me around April/May when I started reading fan-fiction and fell completely and hopelessly in love with the Kylux fandom. Stories around the the relationship between Kylo Ren and General Hux from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Both characters played by Adam Driver and Domhnall Gleeson.

OMG! Hot stuff, fluffy stuff, angsty stuff. It’s got the lot and I can’t get enough.
I even started to write my own fiction which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

Of course, we’ve had the countdown to Star Wars Rogue One. Released on Thursday this week and we’ve already seen it twice!!!
Brilliant, Amazing, Funny, Gritty, So so good. Will definately be going to see it again.
That’s as much as I will say so I don’t spoil it for anyone.

My living room and dining room is a homage to movies and is currently looking a little on the Star Wars heavy side!! My Mum hates it but I don’t care. Me and Ian are Geeks. We’re not ashamed to flaunt our geekyness and embarassing the kids into our retirement is one of our joys in life. We don’t plan to stop anytime soon.

To say that my eyes have been opened to a few things this year is an understatement.
Mid-life crisis sexual awakening is an interesting thing!!

Seeing my eldest on a night out is something I’m debating maybe I shouldn’t have seen.
Having said that, I have loved the times I have spent out with her in recent months and If I hadn’t started going to Esquires I would never have discovered CC Smugglers!!

I am debating going out on New Years eve with her. Seeing the New Year in at the Barley Mow is quite appealing but I have to be at work at 10am the next day so I would have to be careful.
We’ll see. Watch this space.

Oh yes, how could I forget. I took Murron and Marjorie to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show on stage. AMAZING day.

and also, my discovery of a wonderful young man by the name of Riyadh Kalaf!!

Found him on Youtube and he’s given me some of the best laughs this year.
Look out for him in a new series for BBC three. He is currently filming a series about LGBTQ issues across the UK. No official title as yet so it is currently being called project rainbow.

The film that broke my heart this year has to go to ‘Holding the Man’
I have now watched it several times and I’ve read the book twice!! Something I have NEVER done in my life.

I blogged a review earlier in the year and that can be read HERE.

My favourite series of the year, next to Girls with Adam Driver, has been Queer as Folk.
It’s an old series that I got hooked on and it’s brilliant. I couldn’t get enough of it.
I just fell completely head over heels for Brain and Justin.

When I look back, my year has been quite gay!
And I mean that in the gay sense and not the happy sense. Gay seems to have been my kink this year and I absolutely love it.

So… what about next year…. OOH so much to look forward to.
But that is for another blog…… and it will most definately be including Star Wars!!
I really must get some work done today.

“The force is with me, I am one with the force!”

DISHETTE OF THE WEEK #5 – Lupita Nyong’o

By mumofthreedevils on July 30, 2016 • ( Leave a comment )

I am shamefully bad at updating my Dishette of the Weeks and it has been far too long seeing this young lady get added to the list.

Lupita Nyong’o

She came to my attention…. well everyone’s attention really, with her amazing oscar winning performance in 12 Years a Slave.

When she hits the red carpet events it becomes clear that this young lady is quite the stunner!!

So it amazes me that she keeps getting voice or CGI work.
If you went to see Jungle Book, she was the voice of Raksha, the Mother wolf.

If you went to see Star Wars The Force Awakens, she was the completely CGI character Maz Kanata. A role she has reprised for Episode VIII.

Thankfully she is now getting film roles outside of voice work and CGI.
Watch out for her in 2018 as she takes on the Marvel Universe in the Black Panther movie.

This extremely beautiful and elegant woman is going to have an amazing career!

I DON’T DO PINK AND FLUFFY!!

By mumofthreedevils on July 1, 2016 • ( Leave a comment )

Fandoms.
I love being a part of fandoms.
I always have done.

Star Trek, Stargate, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, LOTR, Charmed, Highlander, the list goes on and as soon as I started earning my own money I started doing conventions.
Back in the early 90’s I actually joined a Star Trek club.
I married the Captain of the club in 1994!

My current absolute top of the fandom list is Star Wars… no surprise there!!
I suppose it’s actually a resurfacing of one of my earliest Fandoms although back in the late 70’s and early 80’s there was no internet.
I had to scrape what I could from magazines or catch snippets on TV from only 3 channels that I couldn’t even record.

It’s a different story today.
With the release of Star Wars the force awakens last Xmas and the promise of at least 1 Star Wars film a year for the foreseable future, Fandom has gone a little nuts!
So have I.

It’s so easy to become obsessed these days.
Information is so readily available that it’s impossible not to stay up to date with news about eagerly awaited films and favourite actors.

Take this photo for example.

That’s Adam. My favourite obsession, arriving back at JFK yesterday!!
That means his filming for Star Wars EpVIII is finished and he will now undoubtedly be joining Lena Dunham and Co to do some filming for Girls season 6 and preparing to film ‘The Man Who Killed Don Quixote’ with Terry Gilliam.

That kind of information was something I could only dream about as a kid and yet here it is, less than 24 hours after being taken, for the whole world to see and speculate about, not a single magazine involved, just a few clicks of a computer keyboard.

Now, what’s all this about not doing pink and fluffy I hear you cry?

Anyone who reads my blog regularly will know that…..
1 – I obsess frequently.
2 – I love Tumblr – The greatest place for an obsessive to frequent.
3 – I have started reading (and attempting to write) fanfiction. Specifically Kylo Ren and General Hux related fanfiction.
4 – I love all the artwork and cartoons relating to said fanfiction.

BUT….. over the last few days….. thanks to the new Lego Star Wars game, something unforgivable has happened to General Hux.

Technically it started a while ago when Domhnall Gleeson told the story about the pink balloon in ‘About Time’

GIF by frendlik.tumblr.com

He has been quoted as saying “I don’t know. Pink balloons just, I don’t know. There’s something really sweet about them. They’re very innocent and beautiful”

After this revelation, pink balloons started cropping up in General Hux/Kylo artwork and the occasional Hux/Kylo related fiction and I could live with that.

BUT…..Lego have gone too far!!

As caps and GIF’s of the game started appearing, it became quite clear that Lego were having way too much fun at Hux’s expence.

I could just about handle the fact that Hux has a sweet tooth and has an officer who follows him around with an ice cream cart…. however….

Aerobics Hux is not something I want on my dash!!
Seriously?

And because of this, my Tumblr dash has become completely pink and fluffy!!

I can understand Domhnall being described as pink and fluffy.
He’s a very bubbly, pink and fluffy and completely irrisistable kind of personality.

GENERAL HUX IS NOT!!!

A Megolomaniacal, genocidal General!! DEFINATELY NOT PINK AND FLUFFY!!!

It’s killing my Hux buzz.
After all the fiction I’ve been reading recently, it’s going to be very difficult to stay composed if General Hux and Kylo Ren share any screen time in Episode VIII and now I’m going to be dealing with pink icecream, pink balloons and yellow effing spandex in the back of my head!!

Fandom can take some very random turns sometimes.
BRING IT ON!!

TORTURE!!!

By mumofthreedevils on June 7, 2016 • ( 2 Comments )

Today is going to be torture.

I went to bed early last night and fell asleep before ‘Under the Ruins of a Walled City’ was updated.

I made the mistake of taking a peek at it with my coffee before work this morning… BIG MISTAKE!!!

Resisting the urge to read it at work during breaks is going to be absolute torture.

No….. I’ve decided I am going to wait until I get home tonight to finish it in one go.
I don’t think that breaking down and crying would do me any good at work and trying to explain just WHY I’m crying could be problematic at best!!

It’s going to be a long day……

EXHAUSTED BUT RELAXED

By mumofthreedevils on June 5, 2016 • ( Leave a comment )

I’ve been doing nothing but relaxing today.
It’s been a Long week. Most of it on my feet that my knee complained about through much of yesterday as it threatened to collapse underneath me and caused my shin and foot to cramp quite regularly. It didn’t hurt though!! so that’s an improvement.

Anyway, even though I was shattered I still couldn’t sleep in much past 8am.
As I stood in the kitchen making my morning cuppa I looked at the garden which is really starting to look more like a jungle as the grass and the weeds take over, interspersed with some lovely flowers that have decided to come back this year, it occurred to me that I really should get some gardening done.
BUT…
I also need to recouperate and rest the knee.
So I pushed that idea to the back of my head and settled down to watch the new episode of Outlander which is still holding faithfully to the books and looking sumptuous and sexy.

I followed that with yet another viewing of Star Wars: TFA!!
I know, I know, I AM OBSESSED. I just can’t help myself.

This afternoon I have been messing around on the PC.
The usual stuff, Tumblr, FB, Spotify, Youtube.

All the time, at the back of my mind is the knowledge that ‘Under the Ruins of a Walled City’ will be getting an update either tonight or tomorrow afternoon.
I am champing at the bit to find out what is in store now for Hux and Kylo.

Right, time to pick another movie.
Decisions, decisions.

MAGIC MOVIE MOMENTS #3

By mumofthreedevils on May 27, 2016 • ( Leave a comment )

OK, with a recent influx of newly discovered films that have become firm favourites, there have oviously been some scenes worthy of a Magic Movie Moments blog.

I just had to post this one from ‘About Time’ which makes me giggle and shows Domhnall Gleeson at his most adorable.

I couldn’t post a new Magic Movie Moment without posting the lightsabre duel in the forest at the end of The Force Awakens.
It’s a stunning scene showing lightsabres at their best.
This clip is from Youtube and has been edited to show the whole sabre sequence without the accompanying scenes.
It’s beautifully shot and wonderfully lit. They are going to have to go some to beat it in Episode VIII….. but I have faith they will!!

STAR WARS MUSINGS #7

By mumofthreedevils on May 25, 2016 • ( Leave a comment )

I really must stop torturing myself.

I have 2 painfully slow counters on my blog that keep reminding me we still have 18 months until Ep VIII and 6 months until Rogue One.

I’m looking forward to both for different reasons.

Rogue one just looks like it’s going to be stunning.

Just look at that shot of the Star Destroyer as that shadow moves across the Death Star.

That scene with the AT-AT’s on the beach!! OMG!!

This trailer throws up so many questions that I want answered NOW!!
Is the guy in white a Grand Admiral? And is he going to be seriously badass?

Who is in that Bacta tank? He’s certainly important enough to be protected by imperial guards seen flanking the tank and who is kneeling before the Bacta tank?

Who is Jyn Erso and where does she come from?
Is Jyn Erso her real name?
Look at the insignia on her arm in that last shot…. It’s Imperial!

And who is this guy?

We know that none of these characters appear in IV, V or VI so do they all die in this film?!

Anyway, onto Episode VIII

Where do I start?
So many questions left to answer.
Who is Rey?
Who are Rey’s parents and how/why did she get left behind on Jakku?
Who is Snoke?
Kylo did not get the release he was looking for after killing Han, does he regret his actions?
Will Kylo start a long hard faught for redemption?
Will Kylo still wear a mask or will he show off his new battle scar?
Will Leia ever get to confront her son again?

Who are the Knights of Ren?

Will Hux become something more? He certainly has balls. After all, he’s certainly not afraid of Kylo Ren and with just one shot in EpVII he became the most prolific killer in Star Wars history when he took out the Hosnian System!! Could he have his eye on the Throne?…..I BLOODY HOPE SO!!!

Original image source unlikelymilliner.tumblr.com

Is Luke teaching Rey? Some recent reports from filming suggests that there may be trouble brewing on Ach-to after a visit from Kylo!
How extensive is the First Order? Starkiller Base exploded with a good chunk of personel on board. What kind of an impact does that have?
Come to think of it…did Lieutenant Mitaka make it off the planet? Little nervous cutie that he is.

In my mind I have a scenario I would love to see.
Kylo redeemed (although he has to go through hell to get it). If he ever gets to hug his Mum as she forgives him I think I will just melt into a puddle and be done with life!
Hux on the throne but peace in the Galaxy as the rise of the Grey Jedi brings balance to EVERYTHING!
Kylo and Rey are the start of the Grey Jedi. They need each other to bring that balance to everything.

It’s all pie in the sky.
It’s never going to happen that way but it’s so exciting thinking about it.

I love reading all the theories people are having.
All the reports from the sets with snatched photos giving hints but nothing rock solid.
At this rate I’m going to give myself a stroke just thinking about it all which will be no good as I actually want to make it to Ep VIII!!!

DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN

By mumofthreedevils on May 21, 2016 • ( 2 Comments )

Chillaxing and trawling the internet and I came across this little beauty.

GRAND ADMIRAL HUX HAS A NICE RING TO IT!!

I’m not sure who manipulated the images, I think it may have been unlikelymilliner on Tumblr. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Needless to say, whoever did it…. I F@@@ING LOVE YOU!!
This is exactly where I want to see the Genocidal General in Episode IX!

FRANK

By mumofthreedevils on May 21, 2016 • ( Leave a comment )

Frank is a totally BATSHIT CRAZY movie!!

That really does sum the film up.

IMDB states….

Jon, a young wanna-be musician, discovers he’s bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank.

Domhnall Gleeson plays Jon and Michael Fassbender plays Frank.

Michael Fassbender gives a stella performance, totally unihibited by the fact that he wears that head through 99% of the film.
The truth about Frank is quite heartbreaking!!

Domhnall is also good and delivers a very naive and heartfelt performance of a man with a dream but at the end of the day he has no real talent to back it up.

I’ve spent the last few weeks now working my way through a back catalogue of Domhnall’s work and I still can’t get over the fact that someone looked at his work and thought…
‘YEAH!! This guy would be an AMAZING Genocidal General’ when casting for Star Wars.