Steven Shinder

The new video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a fantastic addition to the Star Wars mythology. Set five years after Revenge of the Sith, it does a good job of connecting to the films, TV shows, and print media in an organic way. Since it is set within the dark times era, I cannot help but compare it to the show Star Wars Rebels, the events of which begin nine years after this game. Both stories feature Jedi in hiding trying to restore hope and meeting characters who are familiar to us along the way.

Within the last few months, I did a series of Yes studio album reviews as a way to commemorate their discography turning 50 years old. The last studio album review was Heaven & Earth, but then a week later, on October 25th, there was a surprise announcement. Now available via Burning Shed was From a Page, a collection of studio tracks worked on by Yes in 2010. At the time, the lineup consisted of Benoît David (vocals), Steve Howe (guitar), Chris Squire (bass), Oliver Wakeman (keys), and Alan White (drums).

On October 25, Yes announced and released a box set containing previously unreleased studio material under the title From a Page, along with a re-release of In the Present - Live from Lyon. This has brought the attention of Yes fans back to the days of the following lineup: Benoît David (vocals), Steve Howe (guitar), Chris Squire (bass), Oliver Wakeman (keys), and Alan White (drums).

A week and a half ago, I got around to watching the film Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix (whose birthday happens to be today). It's a film that I was hesitant about seeing, and it definitely challenged my pre-conceived notions of Batman characters, particularly Thomas Wayne, who does not have many visibly virtuous characteristics here. (Though it may be a matter of perspective.) All that being said, I am glad that I watched it. I appreciated it more than I thought I would. It is a well-crafted, thought-provoking standalone. I am left with questions, which may be SPOILER-filled. So if you have seen the film, feel free to read on.

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie premiered on Netflix earlier this month, and I have had some time to digest it. Since it has been out long enough, I may bring up SPOILERS not just for the movie, but also for the Breaking Bad TV show.

In early 2014, the Yes lineup of vocalist Jon Davison, keyboardist Geoff Downes, guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire, and drummer Alan White recorded a new album. They reunited with Roy Thomas Baker, who had produced the failed 1979 Paris sessions. This seemed to be part of a pattern in which Yes revisited certain things from their distant past. After all, they had revisited material from the Drama era for their 2011 album Fly from Here, and they had done a 2013 Three Album Tour in which they performed Close to the Edge, Going for the One, and The Yes Album.