Thursday, May 19, 2005

Forward to the Past

Sorry I haven't been posting more regularly. If one has a blog and expects others to read it, seems only fair for said one to keep it up. Please don't think I leave posts up for days because I think they're worth multiple readings and comment watches. Please don't think I'm lazy. Please just think I must be busy.


For those of you who are into Star Wars! - here's something fun: reviews of the original Star Wars movies (plus the newer ones). New York Times has had this section up all week... but in case you haven't read them yet, here are some teasers...

Star Wars [A New Hope]

"I have a particular fondness for the look of the interior of a gigantic satellite called the Death Star, a place full of the kind of waste space one finds today only in old Fifth Avenue mansions and public libraries." -- Vincent Canby, 5/26/77

The Empire Strikes Back

"The first film's off-handed gags have virtually been cast in bronze; the comic shabbiness of all the space gadgetry, for example, has been expanded from a casual giggle to a full-scale running gag." -- Janet Maslin, 5/21/80

Return of the Jedi

"Does Princess Leia do her own hair or does she pay someone to make it look that way?... Will Darth Vader sacrifice his only begotten son so that evil might triumph? And, speaking of Vader, when he takes off his mask, what is underneath? James Earl Jones? David Prowse? A cantaloupe?" -- Vincent Canby, 5/25/83

Definitely funny to see Canby's first hopeful review slide into cynicism six years later!

While I'm at it, may as well throw these in for free...

The Phantom Menace

"... Anakin seems to be here mostly to try out the film's many toys. Only in the bland conception of Anakin is "The Phantom Menace" really undermined by its own innate boyishness. There's no hint of the future in him, though the audience knows this is one high-pitched voice that's really going to change." -- Janet Maslin, 5/19/99

Attack of the Clones

"But where are the clones? Send in the clones! Patience, young Jedi. They're already here, on a distant, storm-tossed planet, waiting for their big climactic battle scene. First, however, you must attend to the political turmoil that threatens the stability of the republic." -- A. O. Scott, 5/10/02


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