::Thursday, May 16, 2002::

I HAVE A GOOD FEELING ABOUT THIS - Well I saw it. Actually I saw it twice. That should tell you enough. Lucas has done it, the force is back and it's better then ever. The feeling I have right now, the way my body tingles with excitment is exactly the way one should feel when they walk out of a movie. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. After the disappointment that was Spiderman and The Phantom Menance, Attack of the Clones is a breath of much needed fresh year. I don't know yet if it's the best movie of the Star Wars saga, but it is certainly the most complete. The story is very strong and is executed beautifully. Watching the film I realized how weak The Phantom Menance actually was. This time along Lucas takes time to develop the stories, we get to know the characters and the film is full of mystery and intrigue. It is on the whole an ensemble piece and as in all good ensemble peices the parts all come together at the end. In Attack of the Clones when that happens you will be saying "OH MY GOD!". You will be cheering at the final showdown I assure you, the audience I saw it with was clapping and gasping at the same time. The final showdown will have people talking for days and will certainly establish Yoda as one of the most beloved characters in motion picture history.

We know the story, we know the characters and yet Lucas manages to hold us in suspense. In addition the actors handle their roles with professionalism and grace. Ewan McCregor absolutley shines as Obi-Wan. He displays the dry wit and calm that Alec Guiness fused into the character 25 years ago. His performance was the highlight of the film. Hayden Christianen as Anakin is able to fully cement his character. He is a cocky, talented, conflicted youth and his relationship with Natalie Portman's Padme is well done. I strongly disagree with some critics who have found fault in the love angle of the movie. I think it works beautifully and sets up a few wonderfully true amazing moments at the films conclusion.

Natalie Portman is a godess. She will make every male forget Kursten Dunst and her wet t-shirt. Portman is not only elegantly beautiful, but she's a seriously confident butt kicking woman. When she finally tells Anakin that she loves him I wanted to cry. The moment when she does was my favorite moment of the film and I doubt another actress could have done it as effectively as she did. Christopher Lee as the villianous Count Dooku is also wonderful. He's the perfect actor for this role and brings to the character the silent power that even the flashy Darth Maul can't compete with.

The film on a whole is much more subded then The Phantom Menance. That is why it works. The focus is not on the flash and the noise but on the story and characters even. I really enjoyed the final lightsaber duel between Dooku and Anakin which is shot in darkness with the lightsabers flashing across their faces. The battle is not about the theatrics but about the conflict between the charaters, the thoughts and abilities within. If The Phantom Menace tried to hard, then Attack of the Clones hits the right notes. For the hardcore Star Wars fan they will notice the stories striking similiarity to The Empire Strikes Back. The duel stories, the love angle and most of all the fate of our heroes and villians. And like The Empire Strikes Back when finishing with Attack of the Clones everyone will be waiting to see what happens in the next chapter. The mystery and story become that rich in this film. Now I know how people felt back in 1980 when they knew they had to wait 3 years for Return of the Jedi. And to think the next chapter won't just be the end of a trilogy but the end of series! Oh man! Only 1094 days until Episode III.
:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 4:35:12 AM| Link This ::

LET FREEDOM RING - Why is the United States government trying to interfere even more in the union of a man and woman? Today, three Republicans and three Democrats, in the House proposed a Constitutional Amendment effectively banning homosexual marriage. The language of the amendment would constitutionally limit the definition of matrimony to that of husband and wife. Now this is absurd. By what right does the government of the United States have the right to decree what people can and cannot be married? Now we can debate the religious issues of this all day, but does not the bible say, "Render unto Cesear?" A government cannot and should not rule over a marriage. God granted us free will, even to do what is wrong if we wish, a government of free people should do the same.

:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 7:06:00 PM| Link This ::

24 HOURS
Are you ready? Do you have your tickets?

Tomorrow they arrive!

:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 11:38:06 PM| Link This ::

THE FACER DOES IT AGAIN - My favorite contributer over at filmjerk.com, next to the resident jerk himself, is The Facer. This week he has a very special treat for us. He has annotated the script for the upcoming Star Trek: Nemisis. The annotated screenplay , by Gladiotor scribe John Logan, is hands down one of the funniest and most entertaining things I've ever read. The Facer is very knowledgable about Star Trek and the film industry and his wit and sarcasim combined with that knowledge makes for a fascinating read. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. And if you want to find out what happens to Picard, Riker and especailly Data in the next film for Trekkies you can read the script also...but beware the annotations are funnier and much more intelligent then the script itself.
:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 11:19:14 PM| Link This ::

TOO MUCH TIME - How long?

This long
:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 3:54:16 AM| Link This ::

THE CHOOSEN ONE - As if you needed another reason to see Star Wars Episode II (see below) the long awaited first look at The Matrix: Reloaded and it's sequel The Matrix:Revolution can be seen in a teaser trailer premiering before Attack of the Clones. It seems one good trilogy deserves another. This is kind of surprising considering that three years ago The Matrix was the upstart film winning the sound, effects and visuals Oscars from the mega Phantom Menance. No matter though the teaser trailer for the next two Matrix films will be attached to Episode II and will also appear online at thematrix.com come May the 16th.
:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 3:48:42 AM| Link This ::

INTERSTELLAR REVIEWS - The reviews for the next installment in the Star Wars saga are starting to roll in. My favorite critic, Roger Ebert, gave the film only 2 stars, which is strange when compared to the 3 and a half that he gave to the The Phantom Menance. Ebert's review actually shows a resemblance to the New York Times review of The Empire Strikes Back from 1980. Niether critic found the love story interesting and both found the dialouge dull and trite. Now the NYT review is much more scathing and in hindsight is quite funny considering that The Empire Strikes Back is regarded as the best Star Wars film. Some may even say it is one of the greatest movies ever made, but certainly the best of the five. Perhaps we will be saying the same of Ebert's review of Attack of the Clones in 22 years. Ebert's main problem is with the digital format of the film. This does not surprise an avid reader of the Sun-Times critic as he has always been critical of the digital revolution replacing film. Ebert has written of a more impressive, in his eyes, MaxiVision 48 system which operates at 48 frames a second producing twice as vivid color. It is no surpise that the digital film revolution which Mr. Lucas is now propelling to climax upsets the non-digital fan, Roger Ebert.

Now getting back to Star Wars Episode II...it appears that on the whole most critics are reacting favorably to the picture. Rottentomatoes.com is an excellent website that chronicles the reviews of the nations top critics for each and every film. So far they have accumulated 21 reviews of AOTC and over 60% are favorable. This is compared to 58% for The Phantom Menance. Also theforce.net has been posting every possible review of the fim that they find either in the States or from around world. There the reviews are running about 2 to 1 in favor of the film. My own review of the film will be posted late Wednesday night. All this is likely a mute point though as this is one of those cliche but true, crtic proof movies. But if you still need a reason to see it then check out this picture of the films beautiful herione (or you can read an actual, and rather intelligent, letter she wrote in last month's Harvard school newspaper, The Crimson).
:: Posted by Citizen Ryan | 2:01:41 AM| Link This ::

To read previous entries please go to The Archive