STAR WARS I HAVE STAR WARS STUFF
FOR SALE! EPISODE II ATTACK OF THE CLONES (From my Journal entry 5/02) ...As of May 18, I've now seen Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones twice. I have to say...a decent improvement compared to Episode I. I was pleasantly surprised, although I felt there was still something missing....(maybe it's Harrison Ford!). The movie is packed with suspenseful action sequences including very well choreographed battles and space scenes. Also, they've kept Jar Jar Binks to about 2 minutes of screen time (yay!). A lot of ties to the original trilogy are established in this film; we meet Uncle Owen and his girlfriend, later to be Aunt Beru, and find out how they are related (or not) to Luke Skywalker. We learn who Boba Fett is and why he'll grow up to be a fierce (though tasty) bounty hunter. We learn that Obi Wan Kenobi is quite an actor and was pretty darn handsome as a Jedi :). And finally, we see the anger and fears building in Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen, no relation as far as I know). I have a feeling the third film is going to be awfully depressing...Anakin becomes Darth Vader, Padme gives birth and dies shortly after, the Republic becomes the Empire, Palpatine's teeth get a little yellower, Obi Wan gets stranded on Tattooine and the droids have their memories erased. Sounds very upbeat, eh? :) Lucas will have to temper it somehow to keep some sense of hope. Maybe we'll meet a teenage Han Solo, winning the Falcon from a teen Lando Calrissian in a Sabacc game. As long as young Chewbacca doesn't look like "Lumpy" from the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), I'll be happy. It's still not the original trilogy, though. EPISODE I THE PHANTOM MENACE April, 1999 - 16 years have passed since George Lucas gave us Return of the Jedi, and there has never been a movie more anticipated than 1999's Episode I - The Phantom Menace. I first saw Star Wars in 1977, and as young as I was, I still was amazed and thrilled by the movie, the story, the effects, the space battles, everything! So I'll be happily standing in line with the rest of the die-hards, May 19, 1999 at the movie's Tucson premiere. Episode I will debut in 18 American cities on May 16 for the purpose of raising money for local charities. Lucas has two sequels planned for the next five years, and there have been suggestions of another trilogy set far in the future, and more likely, a syndicated television series deal for Star Wars... May 22, 1999 - I wound up with a killer sunburn, but I stood in line for 2 hours and got tickets for the 12:30AM showing of The Phantom Menace in Tucson, May 19. The place was packed, and as soon as "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" flashed onto the screen, the cheers erupted. The words "THE PHANTOM MENACE" also brought lots of wild applause. I really enjoyed The Phantom Menace. Still, I couldn't help feeling a little disappointment at a couple of things in the film. For one, George Lucas used entirely too many computer-generated scenes and characters. Some of the scenes look like something you'd see in a CD-ROM game; they look fake. Also, I thought Jar Jar Binks was cute at first, but I think he got too much screen time and wasn't really funny. He is obviously there for comic relief and for the kids. For some reason, everyone wants to add comic relief to drama. Jar Jar isn't funny. Luckily though, Phantom Menace wrapped up Jar Jar's role pretty well though, and I think he won't be back in Episode II. After all, if he did come back, he'd eventually have to be killed off, wouldn't he? Finally, I wasn't happy with the alien trade federation leaders, who spoke like actors in a bad Bruce Lee martial arts film, and the voice dubbing was just as bad!! The acting, I thought, was terrific (har har note the sarcasm). The lightsaber duels were exciting and breathtaking at times; the climactic battle with Darth Maul at the film's end is very watchable. And as always, the special effects were amazing. APRIL, 2002 - It is amazing that three years have passed since Episode I. Even though the movie became the fourth highest grossing film in history (behind Titanic, Star Wars and E.T.), the film has been critically panned as a bit of a disappointment. To those who would say that The Phantom Menace was awful, I suggest digging up a copy of 'The Star Wars Holiday Special' (1978). There is definitely worse stuff in the Star Wars Universe :). Unless you are a big fan of Bea Arthur or appreciate the vocal stylings of Carrie Fisher and Jefferson Starship, this film was perhaps the worst piece of TV trash released in the 70's, or in fact, ever. But I digress... Despite what's been said, I enjoyed The Phantom Menace, and I am pumped for Episode 2, "Attack of the Clones", set for release in about 3 weeks. The previews look nothing short of spectacular, and I think this film will get Lucas and his universe totally back on track. We'll see! Visit my STAR WARS TRIVIA Page! Visit my
STAR WARS
GOOFY SONGS Page! VISIT THE OFFICIAL STAR WARS PAGE! Here's a few small pictures lifted from the Internet:
May the Force Be With You! |
