I am now probably the ONLY person on the globe not to have seen this film!
However, I feel as if I have seen it from reading all the reviews. Perhaps, I can convince myself I really, really HAVE seen it and save myself getting time off from the saltmines to go? It's a thought! Shelly ----Original Message Follows---- From: Joe Bonelli <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MOPO] OK, my reaction to Star Wars Me, too! Date: Fri, 27 May 2005 11:24:56 -0400 Not to curry favor with "koose" but I think David has pretty much summed up my own feelings about SW-III here. Quite simply, I agree. Thanks, David. Best, Joe Bonelli > > From: David Kusumoto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: 2005/05/22 Sun AM 01:49:25 EDT > To: [email protected] > Subject: [MOPO] OK, my reaction to Star Wars > > Well since few have chimed in, I might as well. > > I think it's one of those things where you almost feel too guilty liking > "Sith," so disappointing the series has been since "The Empire Strikes > Back," the first sequel back in 1980 -- and SO not Oscar worthy (never has > been and never will). We saw "Sith" Thursday night. About a third of the > reviews I've read were mixed (most were qualified raves, excepting the > absolutely rotten, snarky, venomous and poisonous review by Anthony Lane in > this week's New Yorker; truly unconstructive and one of the foulest / > crudest reviews I've read in that otherwise fine rag in a long time). > > So I went in with obviously lowered expectations. > > Well I came out liking "Revenge of the Sith" a lot. I gave it an "A-" > compared to the other five Star Wars movies. (Not an "A-" compared to all > films.) And I liked it 10 times more than both Matrix sequels combined. > It's ridiculous to put this film up against "all-time classics" which brag > superb acting and storylines. But "Sith" recaptures the pop culture > mythology of "Star Wars" that disappeared after 1980 -- and hijacked forever > after the cutesy Ewoks took over as the "fearsome warriors" I laughed at in > 1983's "Return of the Jedi." > > The new film is riveting in a simplistic way and feels shot out of a cannon > from the opening credits. It has none of the slowness of the first two > "prequels." It's engaging because it leads into all that was introduced in > the first Star Wars in 1977. Excepting the brilliant opening battle > sequence (which felt like a wonderful 30 minute rush), most of the scenes > felt no longer than two minutes, using multiple pans, wipes and checkboard > dissolves. The film runs 2:26 but doesn't feel like it. And I don't care > what the critics say, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman are fine with > what little they've been given. People seem to forget the first Star Wars > film was refreshing because it was sleek and spare, absent of acting > fireworks and driven by a serial- / comic-book like structure that had been > dropped into the middle of high-traffic "R" rated anti-establishment films > of the 1970s like "Network," "Coming Home" and "Taxi Driver." > > Where the pre-quels went wrong -- amid their high-tech special effects -- is > they disconnected themselves from the fun mythology of the "Star Wars" of > 1977 and 1980. So Lucas proved himself a fluke as the fine director of the > classic "American Grafitti" and the first "Star Wars." But with "Sith" he's > back in fine form. Lucas will never win an Oscar with his name on it for > directing or writing or anything. But I put "Sith" up there with the 1977 > and 1980 Star Wars movies. > > Also, the new film boasts one acting performance that is arguably Oscar > worthy -- and it comes from Ian McDiarmid, the guy who appeared in the 1983 > film as Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious -- but whose character was > referenced throughout the entire series. He's the guy Darth Vader "bowed" > to throughout the first trilogy. You couldn't miss him -- he was the gnarly > old man in the death hood. Well, here he returns as Chancellor Palpatine -- > a middle-aged man before he was deformed -- a man filled with political > treachery and intrigue -- a fantastic villain. His dialogue and delivery > are riveting -- and the result is a picture filled with darkness. Truly, > when you see "Sith" -- I think you'll come out feeling "Sith Episode III" > (2005) -- followed by the original "Star Wars Episode IV" (1977) -- are the > best "chapters" / self-contained bookends in the series. Seeing Darth Vader > back on the big screen for the first time in 22 years is glorious -- but > he's on far too short -- and says far too little. > "Sith" actually has you wanting more. And that's always a good sign. No > big happy ending in this film, but people clapped nevertheless. > > Of course I'm not talking Scorcese, Coppola or anything close to cinema > greatness. But "Sith" re-delivers what knocked us out in 1977. What's > unbelievable to me is the durability of the Star Wars franchise, now 2 > generations old. Twenty-eight years have gone by in a flash -- and right or > wrong, its impact on the world's pop culture is impossible to dismiss. By > Christmas, when "true" Oscar worthy pictures come out "on purpose," e.g., > "Memoirs of a Geisha" directed by "Chicago" director Robb Marshall and Mel > Brooks' "The Producers," "Sith" will likely be on DVD and forgotten except > for the usual technical categories. > > OK, that's it from me. > > -koose. > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > > Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. _________________________________________________________________ Be the first to hear what's new at MSN - sign up to our free newsletters! http://www.msn.co.uk/newsletters Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
