tiaras optional

"My only argument is with those who do not view the world as cynically as I do." Michael Korda

Monday, May 23, 2005

Disappointing

Today, I’m tackling a topic that you probably won’t expect to see in my blog: Star Wars. Brian and I went to see Episode III over the weekend. Since Episodes I and II were so awful, I didn’t really have very high hopes for the final installment, but deep down, there was a small part of me that hoped that I would be proven wrong. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. The movie isn’t totally awful, and it’s definitely better than the last two, but it’s still not good. I really loved the original Star Wars movies, even the slightly silly Return of the Jedi. Maybe Episode III suffers from the fact that the audience already knows what is going to happen: Anakin Shywalker is going to go over to the Dark Side and become Darth Vadar. However, even with this foreknowledge, theoretically, the transformation should be interesting to watch, right? Well, not so much. His journey from noble Jedi to evil servant to the Emperor is just way too fast and the motivation just doesn’t really seem to be there. He’s such a whiny pain in the ass that him suddenly becoming big bad ass Darth Vadar just doesn’t seem plausible. A big part of his transformation has to do with his supposed great love for his wife Senator (formerly Queen) Amidala, but these two characters have zero chemistry together. Remember Han Solo and Princess Leia? They were a hot couple. Anakin and Amidala are about as exciting to watch as Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. The movie has all sorts of cool action sequences and nifty CGI tricks, but it all left me cold, because I couldn’t help thinking that if George Lucas has spent a little less time on the gee whiz stuff and a little more time on characterization, this would have been a much better story.

Last night, we watched the first half of the original Star Wars. I felt like I had to do that, to remember what I liked about these movies in the first place. It still holds up. Yes, it looks dated in some ways, and the special effects aren’t much in terms of what we are used to today, but the story really works, and that’s the most important thing.

On other movie notes, we also watched Napoleon Dynamite over the weekend. It was cute and pretty funny, but it didn’t blow me away. People have really raved about this film, and I’m wondering if I missed something. Is it one of those movies you have to watch over and over again?

Last weekend, we saw Kingdom of Heaven, which I loved. I’m a huge history dork, so this movie was totally my kind of thing. I’ve been reading A Short History of the Crusades, so it was very timely for me. The reviews haven’t been very good, but I was pretty impressed with it overall, and I thought Orlando Bloom was really good in it, and I haven’t been bowled over by him in the past. I don’t want to be too unfair to Orlando—part of my not thinking he’s such a great actor was based on Troy, and it’s not like he was the only one in that movie who wasn’t good. Pretty much everyone sucked.

Another movie recommendations for me? We finally joined Netflix (still holding out on cable though), so I’m trying to catch up on stuff I’ve missed in the last year or two. I tend not to see a lot of movies during the summer, since it’s not the best time for thoughtful or subtle movies. Before Episode III, they did show a bunch of previews of blockbusters, all of which seemed to have lots of stuff blowing up.

9 Comments:

  • At 5/23/05, 8:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    YAY! I love this post! Mostly because of course I whole-heartedly agree with you: there is ZERO chemistry between the two lovers and it drags down the story. The german audience was giggling through all the love scenes. What's wierd is they're both decent actors, it's not their fault, it's Lucas'. You never forget for one minute they are actors wearing costumes on a set interacting with props. It's totally lacking the believability of the first few episodes with the dented robots, and did you notice how fried Alec Guiness' face was? They weren't in a studio in front of a blue screen but actually in a desert, imagine that!

    As for other recommendations, I can go on and on (and probably will.) My most recent amazing find is "On the Waterfront" with Marlon Brando and a very young Eva Marie Saint, containing the famous "I coulda been a contender..." scene. I can't believe everyone's seen Casablanca 100x and not this--just brilliant. I know it's cliche but you can see Brando's genius in action, and he's so cute too...

    Did you ever see Sky Captain? Am I the only person who liked that movie? Maybe it's because I'm a dork and know who Fritz Lang was and enjoy robots with hands on hips shooting lazer beams from their eyes. I actually thought it was cool, and Gwenyth looked so pretty but was dubbed badly by what sounded like a 50+ smoker, and Jude Law's german voice had a lisp.

    More later, I'm over stimulated right now, need to calm down...
    - Lisa

     
  • At 5/23/05, 8:48 PM, Blogger Lady Tiara said…

    yeah, i think lucas just doesn't care about the acting at all; he's much more interested in the cool stuff he can do with CGI. i've seen natalie portman in other stuff and have always thought she was pretty good. i haven't seen him in anything else, but i have "shattered glass" on our netflix list, and he's supposedly really good in that. it's really too bad; anakin's journey to the dark side could have been a really good story.

    i have never seen "on the waterfront" all the way through. i'll definitely put that on my list. i saw sky captain not too long ago. i had mixed feelings about. i loved the whole design of it. all the futuristic stuff is amazing, and i liked the nod to "metropolis" (and to "lost horizon," another great movie and book--the tibetan scenes). on the other hand, i think the director thought his whole concept was so cool that he didn't really need a story to hold it all together. it seemed like it had a lot of potential, but the story was just a mess. i did think jude law looked superhot in it, so it was worth sitting through for that alone. i am busy catching up on all the jude law films i missed at the end of last year (he was in everything). i saw "i heart huckabees" a couple of weeks back, and i really liked it. it's very clever, a lot of really interesting ideas and philosphical stuff.

    i am trying to get brian to rearrange the netflix list because like the next six films are things i have no interest in seeing. yesterday, i bought "sense and sensibility" and "pretty in pink." they were both really cheap. i was shocked that brian has never seen "pretty in pink." that was such a staple of the late 80s/early 90s. i don't buy DVDs too much (brian buys tons as you may remember), but i figured these were ones i would watch more than once.

     
  • At 5/23/05, 8:59 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Two Icelandic films you must see if you haven't already (and not just because you love Iceland, they're both very worth watching): Noi Albinoi, and 101 Reykjavík.

    Another oldie but goodie Witness for the Prosecution, Marlene Dietrich's really good, even though at first I thought she was too wooden. You'll see.

    OH, and you've seen Sabrina right?

    Sense and Sensibility was brilliant, new respect for Emma Thompson for that screenplay that acually improved Austin's story. And your man Alan Rickman, almost moving his mouth when he talks, but not quite, looks almost sexy in love with Kate Winslet. Wish I could watch it with you. -Lisa

     
  • At 5/23/05, 9:24 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    And try to forget Vincent Gallo is an indie creepster and watch Buffalo 66. L

     
  • At 5/23/05, 9:56 PM, Blogger Lady Tiara said…

    i have seen "101 Reykjavík" and i'll definitely check out the other one. i heart all things icelandic. "witness for the prosecution" is fun, and i own a copy of "sabrina."

    i really like "sense and sensibility." i think it's austen's weakest book, so emma thompson really worked wonders with it. in the book, alan rickman's character is totally dull--they make him much more interesting in the movie. next, i want to get "persuasion," another favorite mine (book and film).

    (btw, how did you html to work in comments? it never works for me.)

     
  • At 5/23/05, 10:02 PM, Blogger Kathryn Is So Over said…

    Shattered Glass was good, but Peter Saarsgard was better than Anakin in that one.

    Also really liked I Heart Huckabees, and still haven't seen the latest Star Wars...

    Recommendations:

    Donnie Darko - fab, crazy, weird, wild movie. Plus, once you see it, we can say "chut up" to each other. And make sparklemotion references.

    The Bourne Supremacy - Who knew 5 years ago Damon would be an action star?

    Harold & Kumar Go to White Kastle - dumb humor has its place.

    Napoleon Dynamite (again) - the quoteworthiness is worth the price of boring patches in the film.

    I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - fab Clive Owen indie movie. He's hot, and a total badass.

    Alfie - more hot Jude, plus sad ending gives movie more depth than you might expect. If you can stomach Sienna Miller, Etta.

    Hope that helps!

     
  • At 5/23/05, 10:47 PM, Blogger Lady Tiara said…

    well, i heart peter saarsgard, so i'm looking forward to "shattered glass." i've not seen any of these except "bourne supremacy," which was great. i also loved "bourne identity." i'm going to put "alfie" on the list. i just can't get enough jude law. i think we might own "donnie darko." brian has so many DVDs that i lose track pretty easily. is it scary? i think i didn't watch it with brian because i hate scary movies and i didn't know if i could take it.

     
  • At 5/24/05, 2:32 AM, Blogger Kathryn Is So Over said…

    I'm always afraid of scary movies, but Donnie Darko is so crazy and cool with time travel etc. that it made the few scary parts worth it. Way more psychologoical than jump-out-at-you-from-the-dark scary for sure. You can handle it! :)

     
  • At 5/25/05, 8:27 PM, Blogger JB said…

    On The Waterfront was great! I stayed up til 3 on a school night watching it during Oscar season. Brando as a punchy, washed-up fighter had to be Stallone's inspiration for Rocky, wouldn't you say?

    I think the best aspect of old movies is that they might have been low-budget with the effects, but you just KNEW the stories were gonna be tight. Seems like most of today's blockbusters follow the opposite formula. Tooooo sad!!

     

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