Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman: “Sequels exist, as art and as business, to remind you of something that existed before. They are parasitical by design. That’s why, well into the ’90s (the era of Another 48 HRS, RoboCop 2 and Speed 2: Cruise Control), they were a form greeted with a mixture of (momentary) enthusiasm and (mostly) mockery.”

HE: There are still only two Star Wars movies of serious consequence — The Empire Strikes Back (which is approaching its 40th anniversary) and to a slightly lesser extent the original Star Wars: A New Hope. Some of the Star Wars films made over the last four decades have been marginally exciting or diverting or harmless as far as they went, but none even came close to packing the mythical cliffhanger punch of The Empire Strikes Back.

Since 1983 and the arrival of the mostly underwhelming Return of the Jedi, they’ve all been about one thing and one thing only — i.e., cashing in on the lore. And that, from my perspective, has never been a compelling thing to wade into.

Q: What’s in it for me?
A: Well, if you like it you’ll feel good and fulfilled. And if you don’t…well, not a whole lot. Ether way they basically just want your money.

Gleiberman: “Star Wars has come to represent a kind of capitalist religion: the notion that Hollywood can create a universe that’s so powerful, such a golden goose, that it never has to end.

“The birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in 2008, was a direct iteration of this philosophy, one that emerged in spirit out of what George Lucas had accomplished with his prequels. And in an odd way, it was the very mediocrity of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith that became central to their meaning in the global entertainment marketplace. The mediocrity suggested that when the brand is mythological enough, ‘if you build it, they will come…even if the films don’t measure up.’

HE: The general presumption is that Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were “summarily dismissed” from the Star Wars universe (i.e., an attempt to create a whole new world of Star Wars-like characters and narratives) because they weren’t able to shake off their drive and personality and become docile stooges for the Disney Empire — cogs in the corporate mechanism. They presumably wanted to do that to some extent, at least in the beginning stages, but it wasn’t in them. Their visions were too far afield of the generic Star Wars template.

Roughly a month ago I read a flattering Medium piece about Pete Buttigieg — “flattering”, that is, as in factual. I’m asking all the HE hang-backers (the ones who constantly say “Pete is too young, too inexperienced, the culture isn’t ready for a gay President, he’ll have another shot”) to just read it. It’ll take you all of nine minutes.

And then you can go back to your embrace of Typewriter Joe or Elizabeth Warren — either of whom I would be okay with (i..e, disappointed but accepting) if they won the nomination. They’re just not as vital, exciting and ideally suited to the 20s as Pete. Being older in years means nothing — it’s about brains, judgment, humanity and character.

Who is the wiser, smarter and more mature person, Greta Thunberg or Donald Trump?

Anthony Freda‘s illustration says it all — cancel culture fanatics are the ogres of our time. I can’t wait until the culture swings back and around and everyone starts coming for them.

No, not punitively — I don’t want to see anyone’s career threatened or damaged — but wokesters deserve to be exposed for who and what they are, as no different in temperament or attitude than the rightwing legislators of the early to mid ’50s who destroyed the careers of several reputable screenwriters for being ex-Communists.

The 11.2 N.Y. Times article, written by John McDermott, is called “Those People We Tried to Cancel? They’re All Hanging Out Together.”

The best portion of the article focuses on the remarks of Jonathan Kay, an editor of Quillette, “an online publication that touts itself as a defender of free speech and has emerged as a home for the canceled to plead their cases.”

Excerpt: “Mr. Kay clarified that Quillette will not publish just anyone, however. ‘Being canceled is like autism — it’s a spectrum,’ he said. Harvey Weinstein would be a ‘no’ for him.

“’We’re much more interested in the opposite end of the spectrum, where you have people who have been accused of things that are much less serious, and don’t nearly approach a criminal level,’ Mr. Kay said.

“Readers want to hear from the canceled, but the larger motivation is philosophical. Quillette’s editorial point of view is that so-called cancel culture is overly punitive and lacks nuance.

“’When I went to law school, in the ’90s, the presumption of innocence was seen as a progressive value,’ Mr. Kay said. ‘Because who is mostly wrongly accused of crime? Racialized minorities. Blacks, Hispanics, the poor. More often than not, it protects marginalized communities. And now the presumption of innocence is seen as a conservative value. And that troubles me.’”

Various Gold Derby “experts” are predicting (i.e., lobbying for) Lupita Nyong’o to land a Best Actress nomination for her double performance in Jordan Peele‘s Us.

Sorry, but it can’t and won’t happen. Lupita basically gave (a) a Jamie Lee Curtis scream-queen performance and (b) a stunt performance by way of playing predator and victim at the same time. Second, Us was an “interesting”, mildly effective horror film that was elevated, yes, but also had a bizarre fixation on Hands Across America, the 1986 nationwide charity organized by the evil Ken Kragen. Third, Us opened so far out of the award-season sweet spot (i.e., last March) it’s not even funny. And fourth, why don’t these Gold Derby boosters join me and Sasha Stone is pushing an actual hottie with a serious chance of being nominated — Da’Vine Joy Randolph of Dolemite Is My Name?

There are two strong female costars in Vincente Minnelli‘s The Bad and the Beautiful — Lana Turner and Gloria Grahame as Georgia Lorrison and Rosemary Bartlow, respectively. But there’s a third actress who also burned brightly or fiercely — Elaine Stewart as the cynical and bitchy Lila, whom Kirk Douglas‘s Jonathan Shields has a brief fling with in Act Two. Even if you’ve only seen The Bad and the Beautiful once, there’s no forgetting tawdry Lila — a real spitfire.

So does Stewart appear in the credit block on the poster? No, she does not. But another actress — Vanessa Brown — does, right next to Leo G. Carroll. And yet in her role as Barry Sullivan‘s fiancee/wife, Brown has maybe one or two lines of consequence, if that. She does and says almost nothing…she just smiles, sits on a beach blanket, kisses Sullivan, laughs and registers excitement in a morning-after-a-poker-game scene.

Why was Brown favored over Stewart? Because she was brilliant and accomplished outside of acting circles (a critic-journalist, IQ of 165) and, one presumes, because The Bad and the Beautiful producer John Houseman and/or MGM honcho Dore Schary admired her wit and class. Stewart was sexier and sassier, but she was mainly known for having done some Bettie Page-like modelling (she posed for Playboy and See magazine).

And that was the name of that tune.

A day or two ago Rod Lurie‘s The Outpost, a U.S. forces-vs.-the Taliban war flick based on Jake Tapper’s book, had a surprise screening at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Variety exec vp of content Steven Gaydos happened to see it and raved, which means something as Gaydos is no one’s idea of a glad-hander or pushover.

The Outpost costars Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, Milo Gibson, Jack Kesy and Will Attenborough. Definitely a 2020 film.

Know why Kate McKinnon‘s Elizabeth Warren Town Hall “cold open” on SNL wasn’t funny, apart for the fact that anything having to do with Warren can’t be funny no matter how you slice it? Because it’s not satirical as much as gently instructive.

The point of the sketch isn’t to make fun of Warren’s Medicare-For-All plan, but to sell it to the God-knows-how-many-millions who’ve never paid the slightest attention to anything Warren has ever said.

The bit more or less succeeds in that regard. People are scared of Medicare-For-All because they don’t like anything that smacks of new or exotic or complex. That’s it — that’s the whole thing.

I’ve tried re-watching Cool Hand Luke a couple of times, but when that ABC 7 Eyewitness News music plays on the soundtrack, I just can’t do it — my suspension of disbelief goes right out the window. Obviously Lalo Schifrin’s original score was Luke’s alone for a certain period of time. But once Eyewitness News adopted it and played it for New York viewers every damn weeknight for years on end (when did that start, sometime in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s?) the spell was broken forever.

The Irishman has been playing for two nights in New York, Los Angeles and a few other major cities. So what’s the HE commentariat verdict? Does Al Pacino have the Best Supporting Actor Oscar locked up, or is it Brad Pitt’s to lose? Favorite scenes? Thoughts about the last 30 or 40 minutes?

Advisory: No one is allowed to express views along the lines of that reprehensible Texas critic who said The Irishman doesn’t leave you with much to reflect upon, or words to that effect.

The Tijuana dental work turned out just fine. The line to get back into the U.S. dragged on and on — around 90 minutes. Poor people in Tijuana do not fool around — they’re thisfar from living like street rats. It’s rough to take in. Things are so much better as a rule in our fucked-up, 38% Trump-supporting country, I regret admitting.

The last time I crossed the San Ysidro-Tijuana border by car it involved maybe two or three minutes of backed-up traffic, and then the guard glanced at my passport and waved me right through. Five minutes total.

This time I’m walking across and so far I’ve been waiting in a slow-ass line (“extranjeros”) for nearly 25 minutes with at least another 10 or 15 to go . I arrived in San Diego at 9 am and I’m still stateside at 11 am. Why the harassment? Why punish the gringos?

I recently signed up for a new dental insurance plan — terrific. But it requires 12 months of loyal payments before kicking in for crowns or veneers…yeah! So with a recently chipped tooth I’ve no choice but to visit the Baja Oral Center in Tijuana, a totally first-rate operation staffed with tip-top professionals who know exactly what they’re doing.

This morning at 6:05 am I caught a San Diego-bound Amtrak Surfliner at Union Station. Easily the most pleasant journey I’ve ever taken to these parts. Arrived in SD at 9 am. I’m now on the Blue Line trolley (which is bright red in color) and heading for the border. I’ll walk across the border and grab a cab, etc.

I’ll be catching a train back to Los Angeles sometime in the late afternoon or early evening. I know, I know…as long as I’m down here why not stay for a night in Rosarito Beach? Maybe next time.