STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH -- George Lucas, dir

©2005
studio: 20th Century Fox
production company: LucasFilm
dir: George Lucas
cast: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Silas Carson Jay Laga'aia, Bruce Spence, Wayne Pygram, Temuera Morrison
screenplay: George Lucas



The young boy, now a maturing adult Jedi turns to the Dark Side of the Force -- though with the best of intentions ... to save his wife's life. The Jedi become slaughtered by the turn-around of the Republic. Those Jedi that aren't killed scatter. The Republic becomes controlled by a senator who is actually the leading Sith lord and declares himself emporer.



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I admit to liking plots in which not all is at seems, and there are twists and turns, and as such, I enjoyed the changes in loyalty and the hard course in which we needed to pay attention to the situation with the clone army.

I also admit that I enjoyed the battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker, and the transformation of Anakin to Vader.

However...!

While I don't have a problem with the entire Dark Side relying on the committment of one man, and his committment comes because of his love for a woman, I did feel that Anakin was just too damned stupid to not see what he was doing. I never could accept his inability to see that he was stepping over the boundaries.

It is also nearly impossible for those of us who grew up with the original trilogy to put it aside and accept so much of this "first" trilogy. There were things that Lucas obviously felt he needed to include, but I also felt that he put too much of the original trilogy into the newer movies. Did he really have to tie R2-D2 and C3PO into these movies? They were a serious distraction and annoyance. And how the hell does Darth not recognize later the 'droids that he built and relied upon somuch as a youth?

Lots of food for thought here, and I believe I enjoyed this more than the second movie, and even recommend it. But it still doesn't compare to the thrill of the original series.

ERAGON -- Stefen Fangmeier, dir

©2006
studio: 20th Century Fox
production company: Fox 2000 Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Davis Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Ingenious Film Partners, Major Studio Partners
dir: Stefen Fangmeier
cast: Edward Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Garrett Hedlund, Alun Armstrong, Christopher Egan, Gary Lewis, Djimon Hounsou, Rachel Weisz, Richard Rifkin, Steve Speirs
screenplay: Peter Buchman, from the novel by Christopher Paulini


A young boy is given what appears to be a special stone but is actually the last dragon egg, owned by the ruthless king. The dragon hatches and the boy and dragon are linked and expected to become the savior of the opressed citizens.



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I had started the book and was quite enjoying it (which actually surprised me) though I never finished it (a library book, returned).

This movie was interesting, but it never quite had all the impact that a movie of this nature needs to have.

First, we never develop a clear liking of the young boy hero. Like so many hero/fantasy type books/movies, we have a young boy thrust with power or importance, but we aren't given any time to get a bond with the character, to let us identify with him. Without this important aspect, there's little to draw us into the movie.

The mystery of the rock was never mysterious. Don't waste so much time on it. It's an egg. We know that.

But what makes this movie actually fail is the ending. What I suspect is supposed to be the climax builds no tension or interest. In fact it is confusing as to what and why anyone is doing what they are doing. And then suddenly it all ends. Roll credits.

STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES -- George Lucas, dir

©2002
studio: 20th Century Fox
production company: LucasFilm
dir: George Lucas
cast: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Pernilla August, Rose Byrne, Temuera Morrison, Daniel Logan, Jimmy Smits, Jack Thompson, Leeanna Walsman, Ahmed Best, Oliver Ford Davies, Ron Falk, Jay Laga'aia, Andrew Secombe, Anthony Daniels
screenplay: George Lucas and Jonathan Hales

On the verge of a civil war, the Galactic Republic is slowly being lead by a nafarious senator, and the Jedi are not able to protect the outlying planets from attack. The young boy from Episode I is now a young man, sent to protect the beautiful queen (now a senator)[whom he loves] from assassination, and his mentor, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, discovers an army of clones ordered by a Jedi long thought dead. Jedi and Sith clash again.

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Whiny. That's the word that comes to mind when thinking about this movie.

Hayden Christensen as the future ruler of the galaxy is nothing more than a whiny little brat who lets his gonads do his thinking. Okay, so it's not so different from the majority of high school aged students ... but it's the future Darth Vader!

While I admired the queen's resolve in the first movie, I didn't buuy into her heroics in this movie. I also couldn't quite believe that she'd fallen in love with the petulant boy, six years or so her junior.

The seven minute sequence of chasing the assassin would way over done and un-necessary. I assume it was also a video game?

Some interesting parts to the plot, but over-all a lot of filler to pad a second movie in the series.

STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE -- George Lucas, dir

©1999
studio: 20th Century Fox
production company: LucasFilm
dir: George Lucas
cast: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Pernilla August, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Oliver Ford Davies, Ray Park, Hugh Quarshie, Ahmed Best, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Terence Stamp
screenplay: George Lucas

Two Jedi Knights begin by hoping to negotiate peace on behalf of a league of planets, and wind of fending off super-powerful dark Jedi's, called Sith Lords, saving a queen and her planet, and discover a young boy with the genetic make-up to become the most powerful Jedi ever (and bring "balance" to the "force").

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Is it possible to write or even think about this movie in any way other than as a prequel? Probably not for anyone over the age of eighteen. And of course that is it's first problem. Until another generation or two, it will continue to be compared to the first series of movies made, but which come later, chronologically.

My family and I have decided to spend a little family time watching movies together and our first goal has been to watch the six Star Wars movies, in chronological order.

As a movie, on its own, it's really not too bad. Interesting characters, interesting plot, excitement, etc. Of course we know that there is more to come, so we are not surprised by the ending, which is left rather open.

Two things stand out in the movie -- the podrace scene seems more geared to selling video games than to advancing story or plot; and Samuel L. Jackson as Jedi master, Mace Windu, couldn't have been more dull or boring if he'd tried. It's a good thing this wasn't the first thing he'd ever done, or he'd probably never have gotten an acting job again.

KINKY BOOTS -- Julian Jarrold, dir

©2005
production company: Harbour Pictures, Miramax Films, Touchstone Pictures
studio: Miramax
director: Julian Jarrold
cast: Joel Edgerton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah-Jane Potts, Nick Frost, Linda Bassett, Jemima Rooper, Robert Pugh, Ewan Hooper, Stephen Marcus, Mona Hammond
screenplay: Geoff Deane & Tim Firth

A man inherits his father's down-on-its-luck shoe factory and looks for a niche market to keep it afloat. With the help of a drag-queen and an outspoken employee, the man gets into the kinky boot market.

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This really was a very nice film, with nothing much too kinky about it. Lola's songs were marvelous, and I wanted more of them.

The relationships between the man and his fiancee and the man and the employee were quite predicatable and really didn't add much to the film. The premise was interesting and fun (based on a true story, which I find even more interesting) and I enjoyed the dynamics between the drag queen and the shoe factory employees.

Though billed as a comedy, it's not a laugh-out-loud type comedy. Though it's not a drama, either, and not quite a musical. Kind of a "chick flick" ... except that the chick is a drag queen.

A fun film, and worth a watch. Parts are a little boring, particularly the beginning, but once drag queen and the factory wner hook up, the movie moves nicely.