DISNEY+ UNVEILS TRAILER FOR “STAR WARS: TALES OF THE EMPIRE”

 

Disney+ released the trailer, key art and trailer stills for Lucasfilm’s upcoming, original animated series “Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.”  The new series, which is the second installment of the “Tales” series, stylistically follows 2022’s critically acclaimed “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.”   

 

“Tales of the Empire” launches exclusively on Disney+ on Star Wars Day, May 4, with all six episodes.

 

“Star Wars: Tales of the Empire” is a six-episode journey into the fearsome Galactic Empire through the eyes of two warriors on divergent paths, set during different eras. After losing everything, young Morgan Elsbeth navigates the expanding Imperial world toward a path of vengeance, while former Jedi Barriss Offee does what she must to survive a rapidly changing galaxy. The choices they make will define their destinies.

 

The talented voice cast includes Diana Lee Inosanto (Morgan Elsbeth), Meredith Salenger (Barriss Offee), Rya Kihlstedt (Lyn aka Fourth Sister), Wing T. Chao (Wing), Lars Mikkelsen (Thrawn), Jason Isaacs (Grand Inquisitor) and Matthew Wood (General Grievous).

 

Dave Filoni created the series and is the supervising director. He is also an executive producer along with Athena Yvette Portillo and Carrie Beck. Josh Rimes serves as co-executive producer and Alex Spotswood is the senior producer.      

 

“ALIEN: ROMULUS” TEASER TRAILER AND POSTER

 

The teaser trailer and poster for a truly terrifying cinematic experience from producer Ridley Scott and director/writer Fede Alvarez, 20th Century Studios’ “Alien: Romulus,” is here! “Alien: Romulus” opens exclusively in theaters nationwide August 16, 2024.  

 

The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu. Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. “Alien: Romulus” is produced by Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”), who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), and Walter Hill (“Alien”), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”) serving as executive producers. 

DISNEY+ DEBUTS FIRST TRAILER FOR “STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE”

 

Disney+ debuted the first trailer and key art for Lucasfilm’s new, original series “Star Wars: The Acolyte.”  The thrilling, live-action series launches on Tuesday, June 4, with the first two episodes, exclusively on Disney+.  

In “Star Wars: The Acolyte,” an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….

 

The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

 

Leslye Headland created the series, based on Star Wars by George Lucas, and serves as an executive producer along with Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana are the co-executive producers. Rayne Roberts, Damian Anderson, Eileen Shim and Rob Bredow are the producers.

 

Headland also directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102). Directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) round out the directing duties on the series.

 

Award-winning composer Michael Abels, known for his work on “Get Out” and “Us,” scored “Star Wars: The Acolyte.”

4K Digital Review: All of Us Strangers

 

Adam (Andrew Scott) is a TV screenwriter living in London. He is not only struggling with his writing but still dealing with the loss of his parents at a very young age. One day the fire alarm goes off in his building and he makes eye contact with a handsome young neighbor named Harry (Paul Mescal). Shortly after this, Adam "sees" his parents. They see him as an adult but they appear to be the same age as when they died.

Adam then runs into Harry again and again. The two men spend quite a lot of time together and their relationship grows. At the same time Adam sees his parents more often and they get to know Adam as an adult. They accept him as a gay man, learn about his new love and help Adam learn to deal with his grief of losing them so many years ago.

Both Adam and Harry are lost souls that have found one another. Adam must learn to let go of his parents and live with that loss. Harry has his own secret and we may discover it by the end of the movie. 

Video:

The 4K digital streaming video is excellent. The colors are absolutely gorgeous here with beautiful details and true to life skin tones. 

Audio:

The audio mix is a solid 5.1 mix with very little surround activity. Dialogue is solid and the main part of the audio mix. 

Bonus Features:

Roots of The Story - taking a look at the creation of the film from book to screen and how the changes made for this version were personal to the director

Building Adam's World - adds to the first bonus feature by taking a look at scenes that were filmed in Haigh's childhood home

Conclusion:

Loss and grief play a huge part in this movie as does love and acceptance. This is a sad film and this film proves that loss has no timeline. But also in grief, you can  find beauty and this film proves it. 

All of Us Stranger is available now on digital and on HULU.

*The film was provided for review by Walt Disney Home Entertainment and my review is strictly my own opinion*