FINAL SKYWALKER SAGA 'STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismp375nOwTKGdaL84rVBK-RA_ZGLzSgPnNFh7TatvVOhkzws89_YiQyD-GK-tEyBzLmCqENk4Q5gLJPZ9nl7zs7xQlg_K1towNyywfofLY7v29NEMUWUVYCdTjwQyhMobhJ4gYVG1BdN1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-19+at+10.35.57+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1180" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismp375nOwTKGdaL84rVBK-RA_ZGLzSgPnNFh7TatvVOhkzws89_YiQyD-GK-tEyBzLmCqENk4Q5gLJPZ9nl7zs7xQlg_K1towNyywfofLY7v29NEMUWUVYCdTjwQyhMobhJ4gYVG1BdN1/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-12-19+at+10.35.57+PM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Retro artwork for Star Wars THE RISE OF SKYWALKER Year: 2019</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> There's a popular term in internet circles for THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, calling it "fan service" i.e. providing fans what they'd want or expect from a STAR WARS movie. Imagine if The World Series was lambasted for the players using wooden bats to hit a white ball around a grassy field... <br> <br> So compared to Rian Johnson's understandably maligned THE LAST JEDI, director J.J. Abrams hits it out of his own safe ballpark in a hybrid/rehash of RETURN OF THE JEDI with similarities to another Lucasfilm classic, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: in particular, a Staff of Ra type device that, maneuvered strategically against an adjoined-perspective-backdrop, can pinpoint another, more important device (i.e. McGuffin) that will locate a lost Sith planet, where a resurrected Emperor Palpatine has poised more Star Destroyers than we've seen in all three trilogies combined...<br>

action, adam driver, adventure, billy dee williams, carrie fisher, daisy ridley, fantasy, harrison ford, mark hamill, oscar issac, science-fiction, star wars

FINAL SKYWALKER SAGA 'STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER'

Retro artwork for Star Wars THE RISE OF SKYWALKER Year: 2019 There's a popular term in internet circles for THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, c...

FLY CASUAL W/ 'STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI' AKA 'STAR WARS VII'

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3f22A3HU061rMd0WlgEB9sO_BsYakg4Mmtb_Gcuyt80kMjXShqjLxhpGWoW0Q2_36-nwzivzfzJlh0wF8BnFzGjRMQrDidY42593X25cVdaBwK_PjEcBrlhItO5-TlB5xB4Tr7pHGYU7/s1600/25299972_408534939575688_8594711449107748584_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3f22A3HU061rMd0WlgEB9sO_BsYakg4Mmtb_Gcuyt80kMjXShqjLxhpGWoW0Q2_36-nwzivzfzJlh0wF8BnFzGjRMQrDidY42593X25cVdaBwK_PjEcBrlhItO5-TlB5xB4Tr7pHGYU7/s1600/25299972_408534939575688_8594711449107748584_o.jpg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Why not make use of the little big cards given out for fanatics who bought the earliest tickets available YEAR: 2017</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Since J.J. Abrams' THE FORCE AWAKENS (albeit criticized for being too unoriginal) introduced a band of endearing, worthwhile characters, writer/director Rian Johnson obviously knew he had to make the second new STAR WARS get right down to business and, although the first fifteen minutes halts more than flows, there's a point where things open up nicely...<br>

2017, adam driver, carrie fisher, daisy ridley, fantasy, franchise, jj abrams, mark hamill, new, oscar issac, rian johnson, science-fiction, sequel, star wars

FLY CASUAL W/ 'STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI' AKA 'STAR WARS VII'

Why not make use of the little big cards given out for fanatics who bought the earliest tickets available YEAR: 2017 Since J.J. Abrams...

A ROYAL TRIBUTE TO STAR WARS PRINCESS CARRIE FISHER

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD_ZogJY79pXTv8GV73Rsx97YOahtcBEGu6ehdngLsWkWhmV9ZAZPt-9C87tE6mPs8Oioe0mpfmUsqnVZQwlnj6G1ATb_Tm2Sv6PQdr4TXZXL02rPkek2MBIoVr8v6z_rkGNe942Qm5Zh/s1600/c0efd7c97c26e7c9381aeaceabd05452f5a05dc745b070248b1f120b61c9a597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD_ZogJY79pXTv8GV73Rsx97YOahtcBEGu6ehdngLsWkWhmV9ZAZPt-9C87tE6mPs8Oioe0mpfmUsqnVZQwlnj6G1ATb_Tm2Sv6PQdr4TXZXL02rPkek2MBIoVr8v6z_rkGNe942Qm5Zh/s400/c0efd7c97c26e7c9381aeaceabd05452f5a05dc745b070248b1f120b61c9a597.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Yes we <i>did have to</i> show this picture of Carrie Fisher at Jabba's Place</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> What helped make STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK so incredible was the back-to-basics pulp styling: morphing that "Used Future" from a noun to a verb...<br /> <br /> George Lucas hired one of his former USC directing instructors to take controls behind the camera, and Irvin Kershner had done a few crime melodramas and, originally, dime novel sci-fi author Leigh Brackett penned the first sequel's first draft, and Lawrence Kasdan took over after she passed away. Also on the nostalgic front, it was Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher who went from a GONE WITH THE WIND style Rhett and Scarlett bickering duo into an opposites-attract couple extremely deserving of a long anticipated kiss (interrupted by that perfectly annoying droid). And like Ford improved shooting the showboat swordsman with a lazy pistol a year later in Lucas and Steven Spielberg's pulp collaboration, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, neither Brackett or Kasdan came up with a response fitting the maverick, and it was Ford who, on the cuff, responded to Leia's admission of love with, "I know."<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgMJVMvzq7OZTfNvLnAxxAHKR6GdgoSmdPeD3YrWwa3QO-jcx8CPjT6be72W3TPNXuTLOEBPmAlhojWn75MeqskEs995feuBZLrBN-n93lS6opdp4G6ZpPSRGfMN_iUvZD1GhodEh_R5f/s1600/carrieshampoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgMJVMvzq7OZTfNvLnAxxAHKR6GdgoSmdPeD3YrWwa3QO-jcx8CPjT6be72W3TPNXuTLOEBPmAlhojWn75MeqskEs995feuBZLrBN-n93lS6opdp4G6ZpPSRGfMN_iUvZD1GhodEh_R5f/s400/carrieshampoo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Carrie Fisher looking right through her prey in SHAMPOO circa 1975</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> For an American kid who grew up not only <i>on</i> STAR WARS but <i>along with</i> STAR WARS, Carrie Fisher was then and remains still the only "royalty" we ever knew. The daughter of singer/actress Debbie Reynolds and comedian Eddie Fisher, she was a darker, more willowy and mysterious, subtle beauty than her mother's baby-faced, fireworks explosion of candy apple delight. Without trying too hard, or pushing that just-sealed envelope too far, Carrie played Princess Leia as strong as any man, and this was during the 1970's when assertive women had to stand out and, more often than naught, overdo to be noticed. Nothing doing with Fisher's take on the Rebellion's one and only Princess. What she had was very natural, even going back two years previously in SHAMPOO as the spoiled, melancholy daughter of a rich dame having an affair with hairdresser Warren Beatty: it's Fisher's character who really puts the breezy womanizer in his place...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGQO5CHyYUcH1p_DmLrxvtmT_hrLI14ag0RIRrG1aVrqroGRjxh4yZvCT-KtWuAqUQBrAjqoABpVWfBUFpGSPYqSKV29asIrciT3s-70xZEhng-VMYCm-FAYC9dFew2yEQmk7zkQsF4cZ/s1600/Hannah-and-Her-Sisters-April-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGQO5CHyYUcH1p_DmLrxvtmT_hrLI14ag0RIRrG1aVrqroGRjxh4yZvCT-KtWuAqUQBrAjqoABpVWfBUFpGSPYqSKV29asIrciT3s-70xZEhng-VMYCm-FAYC9dFew2yEQmk7zkQsF4cZ/s320/Hannah-and-Her-Sisters-April-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>In Woody Allen's HANNAH AND HER SISTERS</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> And a few years after wearing her now famous Jabba's Palace bikini in the, at that point, final STAR WARS installment, RETURN OF THE JEDI, Carrie Fisher, no longer a Princess but a bonafide actress (and singer), provided what was to be her last standout role — in <i>this</i> galaxy...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmm5al0dlRHd4CbIvR5YZWuxDXlChzHLG3tkovgUA8uNNVJQJufLwh9dJxGw_-9BGf2qazqIkkVQy5mwF6lWM5zzYKxjhJmxvxgnbywt0mN9MeXSTfbhyCimBE5kOrW6eNRsJ0wTlvuNe/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-12-27+at+12.39.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmm5al0dlRHd4CbIvR5YZWuxDXlChzHLG3tkovgUA8uNNVJQJufLwh9dJxGw_-9BGf2qazqIkkVQy5mwF6lWM5zzYKxjhJmxvxgnbywt0mN9MeXSTfbhyCimBE5kOrW6eNRsJ0wTlvuNe/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-12-27+at+12.39.01+PM.png" width="162" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>In THE BLUES BROTHERS</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> For without her important role of a stable, well-balanced, beautiful and downright lucky New York auditioning actress, the most grounded and sympathetic of Woody Allen's HANNAH AND HER SISTERS sister, Dianne Wiest, would mean nothing if not by comparison (a review of the cult misfire UNDER THE RAINBOW is under way): Then there's one of her most action packed roles, and she really just sits around, letting a flame thrower do all the work, trying to kill John Belushi's Jake Blues of THE BLUES BROTHERS and sending he and brother Elwood... Dan Aykroyd... rocketing towards the sky in an ignited telephone booth...<br /> <br /> And now we shall end this tribute for the late Carrie Fisher with this: While there have been several worthy ingenues to carry on the franchise lately, from Daisy THE FORCE AWAKENS Ridley to Felicity ROGUE ONE Jones, let's put a twist on Yoda's famous cliffhanger-quote, standing on his murky planet with a ghostly Obi Wan Kenobi: "There will NEVER be another..." quite like Carrie Fisher.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>

carrie fisher, star wars, tribute

A ROYAL TRIBUTE TO STAR WARS PRINCESS CARRIE FISHER

Yes we did have to show this picture of Carrie Fisher at Jabba's Place What helped make STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK so incre...

JOE DANTE DIRECTS TOM HANKS & CARRIE FISHER IN THE 'BURBS

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrAieEl_251eLZdiZEB2t6HtFk3PjukKU3HTKmq0apKRmp0W64vaeoD_wwGM81iDcxlFRcejPlgME9rlYYvchTGKcsWpcHHW1t2dXnXE4bQflBngsr4LarOrdtc9wzhmaULd_3HVxK0hS/s1600/burbs004-759x500.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="466" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrAieEl_251eLZdiZEB2t6HtFk3PjukKU3HTKmq0apKRmp0W64vaeoD_wwGM81iDcxlFRcejPlgME9rlYYvchTGKcsWpcHHW1t2dXnXE4bQflBngsr4LarOrdtc9wzhmaULd_3HVxK0hS/s320/burbs004-759x500.jpeg" width="298" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Carrie Fisher and Wendy Schaal YEAR: 1989</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Director Joe Dante, no stranger to the world of strange characters in bizarre situations, throws it all into the cinematic pot… including the kitchen sink… serving up THE ‘BURBS starring Tom Hanks during the tail-end of his comedy-only career. As family man Ray Peterson, there’s a REAR WINDOW vibe as our passive, debilitated hero faces a suburban col de sac while one house in particular becomes the prime target for morbid curiosity.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRckLmOrFu0lalkpsXAscGmtwbYIMxMvu2UA4giDCIOAVRxLxjM7EJ3D7c152r1E4sFFAmoaDkXYa8VoZU9eAFxmE11Kn2z6-fd2imIoLxpvHxd_70mI_R8Ov1ydXMVOA92fjqJDeAw8/s1600/picture-110.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRckLmOrFu0lalkpsXAscGmtwbYIMxMvu2UA4giDCIOAVRxLxjM7EJ3D7c152r1E4sFFAmoaDkXYa8VoZU9eAFxmE11Kn2z6-fd2imIoLxpvHxd_70mI_R8Ov1ydXMVOA92fjqJDeAw8/s320/picture-110.png" width="228" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The BurbSCORE: ***</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Much of the film has Hanks and chubby instigating neighbor buddy Art, played by GROUNDHOG DAY actor Rick Ducommun, along with Bruce Dern’s Vietnam vet Lt. Mark Rumsfield, his trophy wife Bonnie (Wendy Schaal, pictured above), Carrie Fisher as Ray’s assertive wife Carol, who injects her usual pizazz into what would be a filler role with another actress in an extremely limited/thankless role...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7raXhVq8AO7AJncL-gPEnoTmLL94eqmJZCpciLEzG6W8twFE4fRITSOoSo8N5Hotox84xlZrMGdwW_781nLjuEEVhn5THyQDULR43IuWQi1bRNqcQRd6_ryH61wSeBPv8k0ApBTpXtNo/s1600/large_the_burbs_03_blu-ray_1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7raXhVq8AO7AJncL-gPEnoTmLL94eqmJZCpciLEzG6W8twFE4fRITSOoSo8N5Hotox84xlZrMGdwW_781nLjuEEVhn5THyQDULR43IuWQi1bRNqcQRd6_ryH61wSeBPv8k0ApBTpXtNo/s320/large_the_burbs_03_blu-ray_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Wendy Schaal stealing the scenery YEAR: 1929</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> And last but not least is cool kid Corey Feldman as Ricky trying to figure out what exactly is going on with these mysterious new neighbors, residents of the shabby manor looking a cross between the Bate’s Hotel and Frankenestein’s mansion. <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <br /> The best scenes are in the buildup, getting to know the eclectic cast, after which Dante inserts so many “nostalgic” camera tricks, the tail begins wagging the dog. Which is sad since THE ‘BURBS was much better when we didn’t know what (or rather, who) lurked inside the house, making it difficult to tell exactly which specific genre is being parodied – as if the movie were making more fun of itself than any campy predecessor. And in one genuinely frightening image, when Ray witnesses cloaked figures frantically digging holes in the backyard during a lightning storm, there’s potential for the film to stretch beyond all the deliberate homage.

bruce dern, carrie fisher, horror, joe dante, satire, tom hanks, wendy schaal

JOE DANTE DIRECTS TOM HANKS & CARRIE FISHER IN THE 'BURBS

Carrie Fisher and Wendy Schaal YEAR: 1989 Director Joe Dante, no stranger to the world of strange characters in bizarre situations, thro...

QUICK GLIMPSE INTO THE STAR WARS ORIGINAL TRILOGY

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPz6YY4832vsjYnKAljNMb820LoMjjCFhZGyJQFcljmee8yrwfKbfiisGXXd8rNidAR5UQ-1yMlFAlywYzp6ZUkC-kQPJTgiZsMrAmElC7c9XzvkCeXbk8c3nZXtBiCsAAeWpgTBndamQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-12-13+at+10.27.20+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPz6YY4832vsjYnKAljNMb820LoMjjCFhZGyJQFcljmee8yrwfKbfiisGXXd8rNidAR5UQ-1yMlFAlywYzp6ZUkC-kQPJTgiZsMrAmElC7c9XzvkCeXbk8c3nZXtBiCsAAeWpgTBndamQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-12-13+at+10.27.20+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Short and Concise Reviews of the original STAR WARS Trilogy</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <i>A long time ago... in this galaxy, the STAR WARS franchise was a perfect thing... So let's return to the sublime past when George Lucas ruled the universe... Although, wedged between the first two films, there was one rotten holiday egg Lucas still can't believe he green-lighted... but let's start with the great stuff...  </i><br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9OSnzok5fv0eeid-c900a9gAVeVDezB9EfZyPkzhZKB9rwBuSHCRzwXtVg6IdiUlBg_d_vlnvrJfOSv8yiswaGLldgsmxfzPpAyWmBxNb5a_2YJ1POvc0E6jaJk9ZhNhaz5GYywfoj0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-12-13+at+10.31.07+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9OSnzok5fv0eeid-c900a9gAVeVDezB9EfZyPkzhZKB9rwBuSHCRzwXtVg6IdiUlBg_d_vlnvrJfOSv8yiswaGLldgsmxfzPpAyWmBxNb5a_2YJ1POvc0E6jaJk9ZhNhaz5GYywfoj0/s200/Screen+Shot+2015-12-13+at+10.31.07+AM.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1977 rating: *****</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>STAR WARS:</b> What makes this stand out from the others, including the progressed follow-up THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, is the introduction to the thoroughly addictive universe and those wonderfully involving characters, as well as writer/director George Lucas's sublime use of building suspense in every frame.<i> Almost there</i> is not only a line muttered by a pilot in the final battle, but an underline throughout a film that continually keeps the viewer entranced in what's <span style="font-style: italic;">about </span>to happen: From the doom-awaiting soldiers in a captured spaceship; to a frightened droid rolling along a shadowy canyon; to a distress call from a trash compactor; to those delicate moments as the Death Star aligns to blow up the Rebel base...<br /> <br /> A young George Lucas who, years later, would abandon precision and timing for billion dollar green-screen<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>computers, was a master at creating his own galaxy and keeping the audience completely enthralled within.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-qIdqzreuJ6tol-_oxc9p_WRYHOPuy7Mo_ZlIdRTvvzj-tPqQB78ZAm-ffEu9DTE-fXQi2rJFirASl66ZS9B7fUt4K_1Wzlvsu7D0640nUDcnDY1WHL2JGW9Clzh4F9RVxDVvfIfFYQ/s1600/MPW-38904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-qIdqzreuJ6tol-_oxc9p_WRYHOPuy7Mo_ZlIdRTvvzj-tPqQB78ZAm-ffEu9DTE-fXQi2rJFirASl66ZS9B7fUt4K_1Wzlvsu7D0640nUDcnDY1WHL2JGW9Clzh4F9RVxDVvfIfFYQ/s200/MPW-38904.jpg" width="125" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1980 rating: *****</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK:</b> Perhaps the greatest science-fiction adventure ever made, this, the follow-up to STAR WARS, replaces introduction with non-stop action: pitting our heroes against a much stronger Empire, using, instead of the Death Star, a fleet of formidable Star Destroyers.<br /> <br /> This time the black-masked baddie has a personal agenda: to capture Luke <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Skywalker</span> who, after battling Imperial Walkers on the ice planet <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hoth</span>, trains under a <span style="font-style: italic;">brand new </span>(and thereafter iconic) character, Yoda, brilliantly voiced and maneuvered by Frank Oz. <br /> <br /> The story, written by George Lucas, was, before Lawrence <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kasdan</span> took the helm, scripted by Leigh <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Brackett</span>, author of classic Sci-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">fi</span> Pulp novels which this is a slick replica of: including masculine bravado, seemingly doomed characters fighting impossible odds, vile thugs, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">betrayal</span>, budding romance, and a cliffhanger ending while EMPIRE is not a film, it's a visual symphony... and then some.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONq4LrPnwuCZPGWpDTtsmTQ9814ATR8SeFk4qB3rM6CAWFfN2Kd5ToCcuFMkN0Kw1INgcAUXrhe2wBWStLus1PnIaMrjIhDfCFIwpZbkc1me6PMZsE86iTntTUM5HmoOkSKCiU4hMQNs/s1600/return_of_the_jedi_ver1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONq4LrPnwuCZPGWpDTtsmTQ9814ATR8SeFk4qB3rM6CAWFfN2Kd5ToCcuFMkN0Kw1INgcAUXrhe2wBWStLus1PnIaMrjIhDfCFIwpZbkc1me6PMZsE86iTntTUM5HmoOkSKCiU4hMQNs/s200/return_of_the_jedi_ver1.jpg" width="130" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1983 rating: ****1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>RETURN OF THE JEDI: </b>Don’t let the Ewoks<i> ruin</i> what’s an almost perfect science-fiction yarn... Mark Hamill, better than ever, along with Darth Vadar and Ian McDiarmid as the Emperor, are the real focus while Harrison "Han Solo" Ford and Carrie "Princess Leia" Fisher provide the essential B-story...<br /> <br /> Having landed on the Forest planet of Endor, they must shut down the Death Star's shields so that the rebels, led by Billy Dee Williams, returning as Lando, can blow up the new, under-construction Death Star in a dogfight like no other, even surpassing the original... While the light saber battle between Luke and Vader – Luke resisting the Emperor's temptation... is what really shines, capping the timeless series in an almost Biblical fashion. And the first act in Jabba the Hutt’s palace of goons... all created by Jim Henson... look better, and seem more real, than any computer animation.<br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <br /> <div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWadczpAKIrLOqtJdMGLw4W7-2Oyos7R7TFi2Q6gBFHURCuPF68kJtRLvcP2wNJepxlQlEawmz4Uaq6ccDdQttQTsK5cr8cHYdnbyqxzrIZ95JSw0hsgy2JccaZAUapNlpviQnkTXLQYY/s1600/Boba-Fett-Cartoon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWadczpAKIrLOqtJdMGLw4W7-2Oyos7R7TFi2Q6gBFHURCuPF68kJtRLvcP2wNJepxlQlEawmz4Uaq6ccDdQttQTsK5cr8cHYdnbyqxzrIZ95JSw0hsgy2JccaZAUapNlpviQnkTXLQYY/s200/Boba-Fett-Cartoon1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1978 rating: *1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL:</b> Before the horrid prequels it seemed impossible for George Lucas to back a travesty. Yet despite the sought-after camp legacy, this TV special, aired only one time in 1978, is downright boring.<br /> <br /> Overlong "comedy" and/or musical skits featuring Harvey Korman as a robot, Bea Arthur as the Cantina bartender, Art Carney as a chummy mechanic, and Chewbacca's family: consisting of wife, son, and dad...the latter having a virtual reality "experience" with hologram Diahann Caroll... make for the longest ninety minutes ever filmed... And perhaps the worst skit has Bea Arthur as the owner of the Cantina, singing a melancholy song after closing time. Not forgetting a wimpy Jefferson Starship video and Carrie Fisher crooning to red-robbed Wookies about "Life Day": a Christmas type celebration the Empire wants to stop. Meanwhile, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and the faithful droids provide embarrassing cameos. But throughout the immense torture, a ten minute cartoon introducing Boba Fett is actually pretty cool. So <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4CtXcjib4o">click this link</a> to actually witness this infamous catastrophe that, before the Internet, was very difficult to find... Lucky us!<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34zZn2sZ1uKQW3MN8kFGhC873pydGxgtCl4fS33Kpxqd03sSdGhUeyzY-gzd7eHrStu8xo6TNlu6efFlXD54y0ITBKd2E47jrWFZ8ZBcfKlCobRl12hx3ttziAi3q7y_KwCgsBpVLIEU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-12-13+at+10.38.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34zZn2sZ1uKQW3MN8kFGhC873pydGxgtCl4fS33Kpxqd03sSdGhUeyzY-gzd7eHrStu8xo6TNlu6efFlXD54y0ITBKd2E47jrWFZ8ZBcfKlCobRl12hx3ttziAi3q7y_KwCgsBpVLIEU/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-12-13+at+10.38.29+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May The FORCE AWAKEN us, with our fingers and lightsabers crossed, on December 18th, 2015.</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> </div>

carrie fisher, david prowse, fantasy, franchise, george lucas, harrison ford, mark hamill, science-fiction, star wars

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