In a galaxy far, far away there is someone who has not seen Star Wars, but it's not me

12/26/15 Star Wars, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, 1978 #13 AFI, National Film Registry, #36 BBC

1/9/16 Empire Strikes Back, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, 1980 National Film Registry, BBC

1/11/16 Return of the Jedi, Special Achievement in Visual Effects, 1983

What can I say that thousands of nerds and geeks haven't said already? I have been thinking about how I would write this entry since I finished re-watching the original trilogy, which is one of the lame reasons it has taken so long to write. That, and the fact, I wanted to see the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens which I just did this past weekend. All of my contemplation brought me to a few conclusions: The Star Wars story is practically mythological, even if you can't recite all of the characters and their family trees, you know about Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, et al, just like you know about Zeus, Hercules, Apollo, and their stories. It's crazy. Another observation: the films get better with age; I know I saw the movies during their original release dates, but my memories are dim at best, which is why I wanted to watch them with fresh eyes. I enjoyed them so much more this time around; I found a new appreciation for the humor between C3P0 and R2D2, Chewbacca and Han Solo. And the effects - all three movies were recognized in some fashion for their visual and special effects. They may be 30 - 40 years old, but I thought they held up better than special effects you might see in a movie from the 1950s. I wasn't distracted by them, but enjoyed them, and realize now how truly groundbreaking they were at the time. The movies have a good versus evil theme, brothers in arms, a young man's quest for his place in the universe, etc., but without putting too much thought into it - they are just great movies. I found it odd that I enjoyed the movies more, years later, rather than at the time, but there you go. Proof I was just a contrary child.


2/6/16 Star Wars: The Force Awakens, nominated for Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, 2015

I'm a little late to the party since Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released in mid-December and here we are in almost mid-February and I have just seen it for the first time. I really was waiting for the crowds to go away, and see the other movies on my list. The Force Awakens introduces us to some new characters like Kylo Ren, Finn, Rey, BB-8, but also brings back familiar faces like Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and Luke Skywalker. The story seemed to be a modified telling of the original trilogy and didn't really give us any surprises (except one, but I'm not telling), and I say that having not read any spoilers or plot lines. There was still the familiar banter/growling between Chewbacca and Han Solo, it's like they've been traveling the galaxy for decades. Newcomer John Boyega as Finn had some very serious scenes, but that was balanced with humorous lines. Daisy Ridley joins as Rey, a scrapper, who is also a pilot and mechanic, who seems to have a bit of the Force in her. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is reminiscent of Darth Vader (with good reason as it turns out). You have already probably seen the movie, so I'm not going into any more plot points. I saw this with a friend of mine, who doesn't normally strike me as a sci-fi person, but she went with me and liked it. As did I. It carries on the tradition of good fun, with great effects, characters that you want to see again and again and a rousing score by the legendary John Williams. Nothing deep or complicated, or if there was, I chose to not find it. It entertained. It is nominated for a few Oscars, but I would be surprised if it won because the competition is so much more fierce than thirty years ago, like from Mad Max, Ex Machina and The Martian. I'm looking forward to the next installment as is everyone else on the planet.


I want to dedicate this particular review to a friend who recently passed on to the next galaxy. She loved Star Wars and especially Darth Vader; we went to the Star Wars exhibit years ago at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; she even got her hands on a lifesized cutout of Darth Vader for her cube at work. As fate would have it, she saw the most recent movie before she got sick. Somehow that makes me feel better. I'll miss you Brenda Kay of the Milky Way. May the Force be with you my friend.