By Jonathan Decker (Clinical Director, LMFT) WHAT'S STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI ABOUT? The eighth episode of the Skywalker saga finds Rey attempting to recruit Luke Skywalker as Kylo Ren and the First Order close in on the Resistance. IS IT ANY GOOD? (GRADE: A) Writer-director Rian Johnson has crafted a phenomenal film here, honoring the Star Wars legacy while upending its tropes to breathe freshnes ...[Read More]
THE LAST JEDI Family Movie Review
Assessing Anakin: A Therapist Explores Vader’s Humanity
By Jonathan Decker (Clinical Director, LMFT) “Not the hero Star Wars deserved, but the one it needed” When the prequel trilogy hit theaters, many lifelong fans felt blindsided by the portrayal of Anakin, the Jedi who became Darth Vader. Long imagining him to be a dashing and heroic figure, instead fans got a whiny child, a petulant teen, and an entitled lover. Many found him unlikable, ...[Read More]
Why I Like the STAR WARS Prequels (and Why I’ll Never Love Them)
By Jonathan Decker (Family therapist, film critic) Happy Star Wars Day, and May the 4th be with you! With The Force Awakens a big hit and plenty of exciting developments coming out of Disney/Lucasfilm, it's a good time to be a Star Wars fan. Of course, everywhere one turns, people say things like “Hopefully this all redeems the franchise from the prequels,” or “Now we can pretend ...[Read More]
STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS Family Movie Review
By Jonathan Decker (Family therapist, film critic) Buy Star Wars: The Clone Wars here. WHAT'S STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS ABOUT? Anakin Skywalker takes on an apprentice and fights to rescue a kidnap victim in this animated film, taking place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. This film launched the far-superior animated series. Both the film and the series are available to stream ...[Read More]