Revenge of the Sisyphus.
I'm excited about the new Star Wars movie. It's been awhile since I've been this excited for one. I wasn't even really all that excited about the release of The Phantom Menace. I mean, I went to see it and all that, and was mildly excited, but nothing like this. After the major letdown that was embodied by the First Episode, I pretty much forgot that Episode II was coming out. But then the week before, I made sure that I was going to completely hate the movie by reading a bunch of reviews over the course of the week.
This time, I'm not reading anything.
Except the A. O. Scott review in the NY Times, which I read today. Apparently he, and most of the other critics on Rotten Tomatoes, think this is the best one since The Empire Strikes Back. That's high praise. Scott even says it's better than the original Star Wars. Since I always thought the original Star Wars was better than Empire, that's high praise, indeed.
It's odd, though. The thing that I liked so much about the original Star Wars movies, and part of the reason that I didn't like the new ones, was that there was a playfulness about the first two, a buckling of swash. The Han Solo-essness of the first trilogy was completely lacking. No more wit, no more bravado. The new ones just seemed to take themselves so freakin' seriously. And this seems to be a trend that started with the special editions of the old movies. Recall:
OLD VERSION:
[Han Solo leaning over Sarlacc pit. Lando struggles to free himself from Sarlacc tentacle.]
LANDO
Wait, wait! I thought you were blind!
SOLO
It's alright. Trust me.
You can just see Han Solo giving you a knowing wink. Now here's the special edition.
[Han Solo leaning over Sarlacc pit. Lando struggles to free himself from Sarlacc tentacle.]
LANDO
Wait, wait! I thought you were blind!
SOLO
It's alright. I can see a lot better now.
Ugh. Totally lifeless. But it seems to me that it's impossible that the Third Episode will regain any of that bravura. In fact, it seems likely to go in the opposite direction completely. But hey, if it's good, it's good, right?
Which brings me to my next point.
I'm advancing to candidacy on Friday. Which means I'm seeing the movie Friday night. Not Wednesday. Which means if ANY OF YOU FUCKERS say ANYTHING about the movie in front of me until I've seen it, I'm going postal. Ultra-postal. Uber-postal. More postal than which cannot be conceived. You know that scene from Casino where Robert DeNiro asks the guy if it's his pen, and the guy tells him to shove it up his ass, and Joe Pesci comes over and starts stabbing the guy in the neck with the pen over and over? That's me. To you. You're "the guy". I'm "Joe Pesci". And instead of telling my friend to shove it up his ass, it's sitting on my desk and you're saying anything about Star Wars. That's right. I think.
This time, I'm not reading anything.
Except the A. O. Scott review in the NY Times, which I read today. Apparently he, and most of the other critics on Rotten Tomatoes, think this is the best one since The Empire Strikes Back. That's high praise. Scott even says it's better than the original Star Wars. Since I always thought the original Star Wars was better than Empire, that's high praise, indeed.
It's odd, though. The thing that I liked so much about the original Star Wars movies, and part of the reason that I didn't like the new ones, was that there was a playfulness about the first two, a buckling of swash. The Han Solo-essness of the first trilogy was completely lacking. No more wit, no more bravado. The new ones just seemed to take themselves so freakin' seriously. And this seems to be a trend that started with the special editions of the old movies. Recall:
OLD VERSION:
[Han Solo leaning over Sarlacc pit. Lando struggles to free himself from Sarlacc tentacle.]
LANDO
Wait, wait! I thought you were blind!
SOLO
It's alright. Trust me.
You can just see Han Solo giving you a knowing wink. Now here's the special edition.
[Han Solo leaning over Sarlacc pit. Lando struggles to free himself from Sarlacc tentacle.]
LANDO
Wait, wait! I thought you were blind!
SOLO
It's alright. I can see a lot better now.
Ugh. Totally lifeless. But it seems to me that it's impossible that the Third Episode will regain any of that bravura. In fact, it seems likely to go in the opposite direction completely. But hey, if it's good, it's good, right?
Which brings me to my next point.
I'm advancing to candidacy on Friday. Which means I'm seeing the movie Friday night. Not Wednesday. Which means if ANY OF YOU FUCKERS say ANYTHING about the movie in front of me until I've seen it, I'm going postal. Ultra-postal. Uber-postal. More postal than which cannot be conceived. You know that scene from Casino where Robert DeNiro asks the guy if it's his pen, and the guy tells him to shove it up his ass, and Joe Pesci comes over and starts stabbing the guy in the neck with the pen over and over? That's me. To you. You're "the guy". I'm "Joe Pesci". And instead of telling my friend to shove it up his ass, it's sitting on my desk and you're saying anything about Star Wars. That's right. I think.
posted by dd0031 at 3:07 PM
3 Comments:
i'm with you. not reading reviews until later. although i glanced at Eberts review today just long enough to see he gave it 3.5 stars and said it was enjoyable and better than the past two.
But man, you should be excited. like I've been saying for years - by all rights, Episode 3 SHOULD be the best movie of all time. In my mind, it became the best movie of all time the minute I learned that there was a backstory to Star Wars. No movie has ever had such time to build up. everyone knows what happens in the end, so our imaginations create the greatest movie ever. so of course, it will never live up to these expectations. but it should still come close. seeing this movie is going to be one of those life moments, like losing your virginity. one of those things that makes you feel like you've accomplished something and you can finally die happy. anyway, i'm going at midnight, mofo. sucks to be you.
If you're gonna wait until Friday, buy your tickets online now, dude. Those things are sellin' out like a motherfucker.
www.movietickets.com
I recommend AMC Mission Valley 20 for viewing the opening of any kind of blockbuster.
I like Uhura.
-Shelby
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