11/3/09 Three vintage Star Wars Stormtooper action figures, sold on eBay for $12.50Goodbye to these fierce soldiers, cogs in the machine of the Empire! Actually, I was pleasantly surprised by the price the Stormtroopers fetched, although they were in good shape considering that they were made in 1977. Too bad they couldn't stick around long enough to watch...
..tonight's film:
Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Order in which it should be watched: Second
Why: After watching ANH (A New Hope, aka Star Wars), you've got to jump right into ESB (Empire Strikes Back). It picks up on the straightforward, brilliant storytelling of the first movie and develops the main characters better than any of the other flicks. Director Irvin Kershner really knocked it out of the park. Most importantly, ESB contains the most shocking "reveal" in the history of cinema: Darth Vader is Luke's father. Or is he? If you've already watched Episode I, II, & III, the whole power of Luke's discovery (and later, his relationship to Leia) is lost. I spent three breathless years waiting to find out the truth. Watching the movie this way recaptures the spirit of that excitement.
Most memorable line: "Do, or do not. There is no try."
Coolest moment: Han flies INTO the asteroid field. Never tell him the odds.
Funniest moment: The jump to lightspeed... that doesn't happen.
Best character: Yoda (Although it must be mentioned that Darth Vader is such a bad ass in this one, he nearly steals the show.)
Thing that bothers me: How long does Luke train with Yoda? A day? A week? It doesn't seem to line up with all that's going on with the rest of the guys on the Millennium Falcon
Who loses their arm/hand: Wampa ice creature, C-3PO (again!), and the granddaddy of them all: LUKE!!!
Who says, "I've got a bad feeling about this": Princess Leia, inside the space slug. That would give me a bad feeling, too.
What the film teaches us: Sometimes, things don't end well.
Final thought: Star Wars is the greatest movie of all time, and yet Empire is even better. The idea kinda blows your mind, huh?
Pure hyperbole, I hope. Check out some movies that are more than entertaining: Malle's Au Revoir Les Enfant, Renoir's Grande Illusion, Jules and Jim, Shane, Raging Bull....
ReplyDeleteNow hold your horses. The Star Wars flicks are basically just Westerns in space. In fact, I think Han Solo might BE Shane.
ReplyDelete