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Force Fed

The final Star Wars Movie has its bright spots, but feels rushed and unemotional. (Picture Courtesy: Lucasfilm)

Movie Review: Episode III **1/2

Star Wars Fans should have had an idea what we were getting ourselves into years ago. Back in 1996 when George Lucas released the Special Edition Versions of Episodes 4-6. While many of the visual elements were improved.. some of the story additions were terrible, out of place, and just bad. (ie. Greedo shoots first, jaba meets han)

Now that the Prequels are complete you can see how it all comes together.. or in most cases.. doesn't. I've read a lot of on-line reviews from your average joe.. and there are a lot of opinions about where the movies go wrong, and some I'd like to add.

Breaking the mold: Probably the biggest probelm right off the bat is that you're going up against a set of movies that fans have watched literally dozens of times. We grew up with these movies.. and had many preconceived notions about story, characters, how the film should look, and, since we know the back story, how the prequels should develop.

Back in time: Personally, its hard to accept the look of movies that are suppoed to preceede the first three movies.. but look vastly superior with much better technology. I guess you could chalk it up to a line in Star Wars about "A more civilized age" but it all feels very wierd.

Damn Digital: With so much of the movie being digital, it feels totally removed from the sets of the first star wars movies. While some of the scenes are amazing, none of it feels real.. most sets look too perfect.

Digiatal Charactesrs: Same as above. We know digital characters can add to a film, but there are so many in the prequels. From jar jar to the new R2 and the robot droids it all feels very fake. How can you have a movie with characters you don't feel real.

Story and Character development: This is one of the biggest complaints in on-line reviews. All of the movies seem so hell bent on pacing that there is no meaningful character development. Lucas throws all these locations and characters at you almost as if to say.. "look what I can do". We're on planets we know nothing about.. seeing battle scenes we're not even sure why we care about them (see wookie battle, E3). Such a mess.

Acting: Looking back at the first Star Wars.. yes.. most of the acting is bad.. but the green screen makes it all that much worse because there's nothing to interact with.. its all forced.. the dialouge is hidious. I don't think 90 % of star wars fans would argue with me on this one.

Stars: Star Wars.. oddly enough.. doesn't need star power. In an age where we're so familiar with people's faces.. seeing Sam jackson, liam neeson, Jimmy Smits.. etc.. all I think is .. hey that's Jimmy smits.. or hey that's natalie Portman.. detracts a lot.

Nothing Makes Sense: There are so many plot loop holes in the movies that I could go on for ever. Why can R2-d2 fly in these movies.. but not in the other ones? Jedis: why can they open some doors mentally.. others they have to cut open? Why do they move things with thier minds when they are fighting sometimes.. and not others? How is it Anikan can feel people.. but not that his wife is alive or has twins? Why do the jedi's not sense they're in danger when the massacre starts. Why would Obi-Wan "hide" luke by bringing him back to his family? How can they not tell the senator is a sith? Why does the death star take seemingly 18 years to build the first time.. then 2 or three years the second time? And on and on..

Deaths: people get killed off so fast.. and unceremoniously.. and no one ever seems bothered by it for more than 5 seconds. " oh the little kids died" big deal.

Humor: way to much slapstick.. repeated gags and lines from other movies. Too kiddie.

Lightsabers: another popular complaint. Way to much lightsaber action. Yes its the best part of the first three movies.. and yes we expect more.. but its like every minute a jedi whips out is saber and we get desensitized to it. Think about it.. there is only one real lightsaber battle in each of the first three movies.. and they're all pretty much the best scenes in the movie. (although I will say that the battle in episode 1 is probably the best battle in the series.)

Competition: Honestly, there's been to many other movies since star wars that have great effects and great stories that the series really feels unspecial. Namely Lord of the Rings, but even the rise of CG animated movies(nemo, increadibles) has raied the bar so much that just becuase it had more effects in it than your average film doesn't make it a masterpeice.


In the end, the lack of a turely warm reception in mainstream america for these movies will put them back where they probably belong.. in the possession of Sci-Fi fans. Since you will probably never be able to buy the original, unedited Star Wars movies on DVD.. at least until Lucas dies.. sci-fi lovers can enjoy the star wars universe.. and the ever increasing books.. and likely TV series that will come from it. Enjoy it fellas. And when I want to.. i'll pull out my old VHS copies for ***'s and giggles.

Movie Review: In Good Company ***

In Good Company is a nice, if-uncomplicated, look at the changing face of the American workforce. If you don't know the premise, Dennis Quaid plays an aging advertising executive for a Sports Illustraited type magazine. His company is bought out by a huge conglomerate, and he is soon being led by a 26 year old up and commer (Topher Grace) . There's a love story between Grace and Quaid's daughter in the movie (Scarlet Johannsen), and a sub-plot about Quaid being a new daddy at age 51. While the film doesn't wow, it is an almost too real portrayal of business today. One by one long time employees are let go to save money on their inflated salaries.. as the young gun tries deaprately to keep it together.

It feels right as this youth movement seemingly sweeps across the country. Whether its senior workers jobs being outsourced, 50 something women coloring their hair with highlights and wearing old navy, or more T-V shows breaking away to show single young people.. we don't seem to be a culture celebrating age and experiance. (Course maybe it was always that way, i'm pretty young.)

The one note it may not hit right is this point of so-called "synnergy". A running joke in the film is about how the company wants all these rediculious tie-ins between different divisions in the company. The old exec argues that there's no reason for the magazine to change.. its fine the way it was.. but things can only survive when they evolve. The real sports illistraited probably gets 5 times as many readers on the web.. than it does in the actual magazine. The real synnergy is putting time tested ideas to work in a way that new audiences can realate to.

Interesting Film worth seeing.

KOAT Sky 7 (Photo Courtesy koat.com) 

Gone Flyin'

So I got my first Helicopter ride today. It was fantastic, a beautiful day. Mostly its like going on a slow plane ride. You have a great view of what's going on in front of you and to the side. We were out on an turned-over Airstream trailer.. blocking all two lanes of the interstate.
They aren't really as fast as you think though.. only going about 100-115 miles an hour. Also interesting, they can land without engine power; it all has to do with tilting right.. and pushing air through the blades as you go down.

Very Cool.

More Finger Food

'I'll just put it in my mouth and ... see what it is,' man said

Words to live by


http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/02/custard.finger.ap/index.html

How an average night for Eric ends in Albuquerque. (Courtesy: AP) 

Insert Travel Slogan Here

In case you missed it, this weekend's big news story was about a Georgia woman who decided to take off days before her wedding, scheduled to be before 600 people, with 14 bridesmaids and 14 groomsmen.(can't imagine why she felt pressure) Jennifer Wilbanks instead spent the morning of her wedding day with the fine men and women of the Albuquerque police department, after calling her family from a pay phone near a 7-11 and the lovely University inn on Central.

The story led the national news, and dispite any actual revelance to anyone's lives except her family and the people searching for her, did lead to heated conversations about whether her fiance will go through with the wedding to the woman that was so horrified at the thought of marrying this guy she up and went to vegas and followed some quote "hispanic guy" to new mexico. As some have suggested, perhaps she made the all-to-common mistake of thinking she was leaving the country, surprised that there's no border control in arizona.

Having the spotlight on our little corner of the country is a good chance for our state tourism department to get on it.. with a national advertising campain.. to the effect of: New Mexico, when you really need to get away.

Please feel free to make your own suggestions.


TV: and since I haven't commented in a while, I will tell you all that this season of American Idol is getting out of hand, bad. Carrie and vonzell are the only one's with any talent and they're marginal at best. Carrie will probably win. The more interesting point is why the no talent, nasty personality, big-boy Scott is still around? Is there a secret underground movement to vote for the worst person on the show? Or is America's taste that bad? Time will tell, but it would be funny to see the network spin it if Scott wins.