By
Steve Herte
Solo:
A Star Wars Story (Disney, 2018) – Director:
Ron Howard. Writers: Jonathan Kasdan, Laurence Kasdan (s/p), George
Lucas (characters). Stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Joonas Suotamo, Woody
Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe
Waller-Bridge, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Linda Hunt, Ian Kenny, John
Tui, Anna Francolini, Andrew Woodall & Warwick Davis. Color,
Rated PG-13, 135 minutes.
It’s easy to get
confused with the timeline of the Star Wars movies, ten of which have
been released and two of which are coming soon in 2019 and 2020.
Here we have a young
Han Solo (Ehrenreich) who desperately wants to be the best starship
pilot ever and will do anything to achieve that. He didn’t even
have a last name at the outset of the film. It was given to him by a
recruitment officer. In the opening credits we learn:
“It
is a lawless time. Crime Syndicates compete for resources - food,
medicine, and hyperfuel. On the shipbuilding planet of Corellia, the
foul Lady Proxima (Hunt) forces
runaways into a life of crime in exchange for shelter and protection.
On these mean streets, a young man fights for survival, but yearns to
fly among the stars…”
Forced to steal for
a living Han and his girlfriend Qi’ra (Clarke) manage to break away
from a notorious gang and think that a vial of coaxium (hyperspace
fuel) will get them passage on a transport. It works for Han but not
for Qi’ra. Han becomes a flight cadet with the Imperial Navy but,
we all know Han Solo and rules, gets expelled. In a battle scene, Han
tries extortion on gang leader Tobias Beckett (Harrelson) and is
arrested for desertion and “thrown to The Beast for its dinner.”
The beast in this
case is Chewbacca (Suotamo), a 190-year-old Wookiee who is just as
eager to escape as Han is. Fortunately, Han speaks Wookiee (yes, he
does utter those strange, gurgling roars and is understood). Their
escape impresses the hot-and-cold-running Beckett, who recruits them
on an exciting coaxium train robbery on planet Vandor. But the plan
goes awry when the Cloud Riders not only cost them two of their crew
members but the entire shipment of coaxial as well.
As with any gang
story, Beckett is not the capo dei capi. He’s working
for Dryden Vos (Bettany), who works for the Crimson Dawn Syndicate.
And who winds up being Dryden Vos’ right hand person? Qi’ra, of
course. To pay off Beckett’s debt to Dryden Vos, she accompanies
them to steal highly unstable, raw coaxium from the planet Kessel and
take it from there to the refinery on planet Savareen a feat never
accomplished in time without hyperdrive. Qi’ra introduces the men
to smuggler Lando Calrissian (Glover) a cheater at card games who
eventually agrees to pilot them aboard his Millenium Falcon. Lando’s
copilot is a smart-mouthed, attitude-ridden droid named L3-37
(Waller-Bridge) but without whom, even when mortally damaged, the
“Kessel Run” would not have been accomplished in record time.
(Han Solo’s boasting point in later episodes.)
From there it’s
another double-cross from Beckett, a clarification of who exactly the
good guys are, the famous Sabacc card game that wins the Millennium
Falcon for Han and a brief encounter with Vos’ superior and the
link-up to Episode IV is complete as Han and Chewy head for Tatooine.
Though under the
able direction of Ron Howard this is a particularly noisy film.
Emilia Clarke’s half mumbled lines are lost most of the time. You
have to depend on the visuals to get what’s happening whenever she
speaks. Alden Ehrenreich is perfectly cast as the over-confident
swash-buckling Han Solo. I could see him becoming Harrison Ford. It
was good to see Warwick Davis as Weazel, a member of the Cloud Riders
and hear the voice of Anthony Daniels in another droid named Tak.
The two hours and
fifteen minutes, though a bit long, passed without discomfort. The
young boys I heard reviewing the movie after leaving the theater were
kind of lukewarm about it. They enjoyed it but had serious doubts
about (spoiler alert) Ray Park appearing near the end as Maul (not
yet Darth Maul). So did I. Nevertheless, any Star Wars fans will love
it and will be anticipating Episode IX, the last of the series and an
anthology film about Boba Fett. Who knows? In 2021 you may be able to
see all twelve films in order, if you’ve a severe case of insomnia.
Rating: 3 1/2 out
of 5 martini glasses.
44 & X
622 Tenth Avenue
(at 44th Street), New York
Nothing in New York
is as sure as change. The name of this restaurant intrigued me. It’s
the location: the corner of 44th Street and Tenth
Avenue. I was a little dismayed when I saw the side panel of the
brown and white awning dangling out of place. However, the name
etched onto the windows said “elegance” and the simple blond
wood, bare-topped tables with white chairs and banquettes spoke
volumes in their basic beauty. The single yellow rose on each table
was the only color in the room. I told the hostess that I enjoyed
people-watching and she chose a corner banquette by the window.
The cocktails are
all “Tony Award Themed” and I chose “Frozen” (“Gin never
bothered me anyway.”) made with Death’s Door gin, St. Germain,
Cointreau, Blue Curacao, fresh lime juice, and a snowy sugar rim
“nose.” It was potent and citrus and a beautiful sky blue.
My server, Kevin,
informed me that 44 and X has been in business for 16 years. (This
always amazes me. I should get to this neighborhood more often.) He
explained the sizes of various dishes and gave me enough time to
choose. It wasn’t easy. The selection included many foods I love.
The 2015 “Sinister
Hand” red wine from Columbia Valley, Washington was my choice for
dinner and it worked well with all my dishes. It’s a complex medium
body red wine with lots of fruity flavor and a satisfying tang on the
aftertaste.
The Goat Cheese and
Pistachio soufflé with julienned Asia pears and pomegranate jus was
the center of a star made of endive leaves. The juicy pear strips
were hidden by the light, fluffy, nutty goat cheese.
The first time I
ever had oysters they were fried and tasted metallic, but I
loved the Polenta-crusted oysters, baby California frisée salad with
crispy pancetta, and buttermilk ranch dressing. The oysters were good
sized, tender and light flavored, nothing metallic and the coating
was crispy and tasty. Normally you could drive me from the room with
frisée but this was different. The ranch dressing gave a nearly
flavorless, boring green a reason to be enjoyed.
44 and X is not a
steakhouse, but after consulting Kevin I ordered the pan-seared filet
mignon, with potatoes au gratin, tart tomato jam topping, and port
wine jus. The filet was cooked perfectly to my specifications, tender
on the inside, crispy blackened on the outside. The tomato topping
did not overwhelm, just accented the meat. The potatoes were thin
sliced and stacked on one side of the dish. They had a light,
cauliflower-like taste that fooled me into forgetting they were
potatoes. And the bright orange carrots siding the dish were crunchy
and fresh. I greatly enjoyed it.
Any dessert that
mentions peanut butter will be my choice. The peanut butter mousse
tart with caramel sauce, topped by vanilla, chocolate, and malted
milk ball ice creams, was light yet rich, sweet and nutty. The
caramel sauce formed a stretched-out spring design on the plate.
Peanuts scattered around the mousse were a light-hearted garnish.
My usual double
espresso this time was accompanied by a glass of Andrew Quady
Essencia Orange Muscat – orangey, citrus and heady. My meal was
wonderful from start to finish. As I said before, I really have to
get to Hell’s Kitchen more often. The care with which the food is
served permeates the staff. When I discovered that the first roll I
was served was a little stale, another was rushed to my table without
a word from me. That was very impressive. 44 and X is a class act.
For the Dinner and a Movie archive, click here.
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