Joey and a few other bloggers say The Worst Line in “Revenge of the Sith”… is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I’m with the WBEZ announcer who broadcast to all and sundry on Saturday that the worse line is actually “Hold me… like you did by the lake on Naboo.”
We might get to see the movie again this weekend in the company of friends. Heh.
My husband David let me know that he’s had another interview request from an industry magazine (he’s got fairly high visibility in his admittedly specialized field) and so he’ll be seeing his name in print again sometime in the next few months. They’re interested in talking to him about his blog, which occasionally touches on his professional interests and on the computing community discussion lists and archives he hosts, moderates, and generally rides herd on.
My hubby, the go-to guy: I’m so proud, even though the interviews end up in obscure technical magazines you’ve never heard of. His parents love this stuff – I wonder if they tape the articles to their fridge? đ
What can one say about a movie franchise that’s been a part of one’s life for, oh, nearly thirty years or so?
Well, not much. My husband David and I went to see Revenge of the Sith yesterday, as stated. Before the movie, we had a really nice, leisurely meal at Brass. After the movie, we came home. In between, we waited to see how Anakin would end up in the Darth Vader armor with the menacing breathing and codpiece and buttons on his chest and all.
Once upon a time, in a locality far, far away, each installment of Star Wars totally captured my imagination. I spent weeks or months spinning my own imaginary adventures set in the Star Wars universe – yes, wretched Mary Sue stuff. I do recall actually attempting to write something and to explain to my mom why it was important to me. I devoured the various novels (some were better than others, some were far worse) that came out between the movies. The third movie contained one of my favorite scenes ever in an SF picture – the one where a slightly wounded Leia gets ready to shoot a stormtrooper just behind Han, and he looks at her and says “Oh, I love you.” And she replies coolly, “I know.” Lucas used to be able to write dialogue, and the love scenes between Han and Leia worked for me. But then the cuteness factor with the Ewoks kind of got in the way, although I actually kind of liked the Ewoks in spite of that.
When, after far too long (and a badly realized re-working of the original movie that spawned the “Han Shot First” fan reaction), the next new movie finally came out, I was ready to love it. And I did love a lot of it, though I was horrified at the whole “Anakin as a little boy” scope of the picture. I felt like it would make a lot more sense to have the boy grow up a lot faster in the first movie, so that Hayden Christensen stepped in as the surly teenager by the last reel. But it was not the way Lucas wanted to tell the story. And of course… Jar Jar, and far too many location, costume, and hairstyle changes muddied the story and pulled focus from the saga.
Same again last night.
So while there was a fair bit to like in this, the final movie in the series according to George Lucas, there was a lot to dislike.
Too many locations.
Too many costume and hair changes for Padme again.
Too many bad guys. Why bother with Grievous? Why kill Dooku so early?
Too many “beauty shots” of sunset over the capital city.
Too many shots of all the different kinds of buildings and aircraft.
Too many vanity touches that didn’t really add to the main story.
Too much screwing with canon. Leia remembered her mother, you know.
Not enough of the details that actually DO add to the main story.
Not enough screen time with Anakin and Obi-wan together.
There were some good things – Senator Organa had a lot more to do, the fight between Yoda and Palpatine (especially the bit in the Senate chamber) was exciting and actually symbolic, Anakin’s horrific fate was a satisfactory explanation, and the shot of the Death Star starting to take shape in space was cool. And of course, the transformation of screaming, maimed Anakin into mighty Darth Vader was a long time in coming. And at the very end, Luke gets handed off to his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen, who stands with one foot up on the evaporator, looking at the double sunset. Luke’s theme plays in the soundtrack. The end of this story and the beginning of the next is reached (at long last).
When the first movie came out, I probably saw it in a theater at least a dozen or more times, because a campus-area movie house basically ran it every weekend for a few dollars a head, and most weekends if I didn’t have anything else to do, I’d think about heading over and seeing it with friends.
I won’t be seeing “Revenge of the Sith” again until it comes out on cable (if then) and I don’t know if we’ll bother to get the DVDs for any of the 3 most recent movies (we have the original 3 on videotape, and we might think about getting those as DVDS).
Oh, and I’m definitely in the “Han Shot First” camp, too. That ought to be obvious.
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Original upload: GinnyRED57.
Okay, there was actually something wrong with my main index template, which I tracked down to a bad “div clearer” format that stupid IE handled incorrectly and smart Firefox handled correctly, meaning that the page looked fine in IE and like warmed over dogs-dinner in Firefox. This was forcing the top blog entry to streeeeeetch to the bottom of both columns before the next post could display.
Dumb. Me.
Okay, now try again with Flickr…oh, and this photo was taken at the Botanic Garden this year.
FIREFLY (FOX) – The Sci Fi Channel has landed the repeat rights to all 15 hours of the short-lived FOX series (and basis of the upcoming “Serenity” feature film). The network’s July schedule lists the series as joining its Friday lineup on July 22 at 7:00/6:00c where it will precede original episodes of “Stargate SG-1,” “Stargate Atlantis” and “Battlestar Galactica.
Can I get a “woot?!?” We’ve been pining for new episodes of Stargate and Atlantis and now we will be in the habit of re-watching Firefly again. Yes, yes, we already have the DVD, but sometimes we re-watch stuff that shows up on TiVo that we already have on DVD. We’re weird like that.
Anyway, hurray for the return of Firefly. September 30th is the day the Big Damn Movie comes out. And speaking of which, the Browncoats are printing off these flyers from Fireflymovie.com and handing them out to Star Wars fans. Go to their website, download the .zip or .png high-resolution image, copy it off, hand it out to that guy in the high-quality Stormtrooper armor and the blue-skinned girl with noodles on her head. They’ll thank you for it later.
Speaking of Star Wars, we’re planning on going to see it tonight or this afternoon after the exciting arrival of a plumber to give us an estimate on putting in a battery-powered sump pump backup. Ah, the days of my youth in the summer of 1977, when my only worry was whether I could stand it until I returned to college that fall so I could talk to my fellow SF-geek friends about the movie.
When, many years later, my husband David and I went to the midnight premiere of “Episode I,” we called one of my college friends (Hi, Arne!) on the cell phone at the moment the movie sound track started, so Arne could hear the cheers of the crowd when the screen flashed blindingly bright and John William’s familiar horn-forward orchestral “WHAM!” kicked in with the main theme. Arne loved the soundtrack and used to play it endlessly in his dorm room. Good times. The movie was in some ways great fun, and in other ways a disappointment (yes, yes, Jar Jar ruined nearly every scene he was in except for the battle with the exploding boingity-boingity globe things).
When “Episode II” came out, we didn’t bother with the midnight showing. In spite of much critical and fan panning of that movie, still found much to enjoy (except for the icky love story stuff. Ick.). This time around, we also didn’t bother with the midnight premiere. We’ll go today. It’s not as fun as going on opening day, when more people are in costume, but it’s still fun enough. I’ll probably have more (a lot more) to say about the movie later.
For now, let’s play a little game called “Awful Lines From Star Wars,” shall we? It’s adapted from something I picked up from reading Edmund Crispin’s The Moving Toyshop. Earlier this morning, NPR replayed a part of an interview by Terry Gross of Carrie Fisher, where the former Princess Leia was asked what was the worst line she’d had to deliver in the first movie. Her prompt reply: “I have placed information vital to the Rebellion in the memory systems of this ‘droid unit.” There was actually a lot more that she could still quote verbatim. Later, the Saturday morning guy on WBEZ commented that his favorite bad line from the new movie is “Hold me… like you did by the lake at Naboo.” Oy, that’s truly awful.
So: what’s your favorite awful line from Star Wars?
David’s is “That’s not a moon… that’s a space station!”
Mine is “It’ll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navi-computer.” Not even a young Harrison Ford as the hyper-studly Han Solo can make that line thrilling.
Interesting that neither one of us wanted to touch anything from any of the newer movies. They just don’t have the same resonance on the Cheez-o-meter for us yet.
Yours?
ST. PAUL, Minn. ââŹâ A Roman Catholic priest denied communion to more than 100 people yesterday, saying they could not receive the sacrament because they wore rainbow-colored sashes to church to show support for gay Catholics.
Before offering communion, the Rev. Michael Sklucazek told the congregation at the Cathedral of St. Paul that anyone wearing a sash could come forward for a blessing but would not receive bread and wine.
The sash wearers, who were either gay or friends and family of gays, remained standing with their empty hands cupped in the posture that indicates “I am ready to receive communion” while others around them sat or kneeled in prayer. This silent protest lasted a few minutes, until the congregation stood for the dismissal at the end.
I had forgotten about this “rainbow sash” movement that takes place on Pentecost Sunday, but I’ll make a note to remember for next year and maybe we can all wear rainbow sashes at Holy Moly Episcopal to show solidarity with Catholic gays.
Anybody reading this who’s not a spammer knows I’m not what you call a “consistent,” or “focused,” or even a particularly “interesting” blogger. I have my same few dead ponies I enthusiastically beat around and around the blogular racetrack.
Yaaaargh. My husband David is not alone in being pretty bored with endless “Amazing Race” gushfests; now that TAR7 has run its “halfway round the world and back again” course I won’t have quite so much easy found blogfodder to post.
Hmmm. Hmmmity hummity hmmm. That’s a lot of thumb-twiddling on the horizon unless I get cracking, eh?
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Because Father Ted used it as an example in a recent sermon at Holy Moly, I’ve been wanting to see Chocolat again, and that’s a bit dangerous. Even more since I’ve been reading French Women Don’t Get Fat and getting a double dose of passion for chocolate, eating well, and living life to the fullest.
It’s an interesting premise – eat as the French do, enjoy food, and still avoid getting fat. However, it’s pretty unworkable in practice here in the States, as much of it depends on daily walks to the nearest fresh farmer’s market, seasonal foods in great variety, and no processed “food” at all except that which you either make your self, or eat in a restaurant that also makes everything from scratch from the finest ingredients.
We’re a little lacking in the “walkable farmer’s markets” here for the most part, although in my area there’s a small weekly market set up relatively close by on Fridays in the summer. However, some concepts do make sense and actually have some scientific basis; eating more dairy actually can help you lose weight, because it’s nearly perfect as a food and you don’t have to eat much of it to feel satisfied. Eating more fruits and vegetables, and in greater variety, while reducing portions of meat and carbohydrates to more realistic (and positively un-American) levels is also pretty sensible. I’m attempting to follow some of the principles, so much as they can be adapted to life in Burbclavia.
However, I balk at the daily glass of Champagne, though I suspect this advice comes more from the author’s position with the Veuve-Clicquot champagne firm than a true health benefit. I’d rather have a nice Pinot Grigio or a Cabernet Sauvignon.
It’s the end of another weekend, and in spite of my usual practice, it was actually a productive one, and I’m pretty happy about that. I’m just not that motivated (or organized) a person as a general rule, but now and then even I can actually get something done around here.
Yesterday was one of the exceptions to the Rule of Saturday; normally, I spend the first few hours of the first morning of the weekend in bed, listening to NPR’s Saturday Edition, and then to Car Talk, and then to WWDTM. Possibly also to “Whaddya Know.” By then, it’s almost noon or after, and I might wander downstairs to grab a bowl of cereal, then wander even further downstairs to the shadowy Lair of Computers. Where, truth be told, I often end up spending all or most of the day, emerging only for food and a decent rerun of CSI or What Not To Wear or The Vicar of Dibley.
Sundays: less sleeping in. Sunday Edition for the Mensa quiz, then choir pracice at 9:30, followed by churrrch, and then either an interminable meeting OR chatting with people over coffee, followed by either more lurking in the Lair or rushing off to make it to a family gathering. More lair-lurking in the evening. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Exciting, yes? No.
Yesterday, though, I actually got a hell of a lot of stuff done. By 12:30. Together, we disposed of hazardous waste and pruned a lot of branches and suckers off of the one crab-apple tree and bagged the result (the suckers, not the hazmat waste). And then I got a hell of a lot more stuff done, with breaks for watching TV and grabbing a drink. And then David put a very small turkey in the oven using the new roasting pan and following the directions that came with our cute little Butterball (he called it “Following the FAQ,” and the results were delicious).
The end result: 11 bags of mulch put down in the front, with one more to go right alont the front edge of the yew bushes. New plants bought, placed where they’ll probably go, and watered well. Ran out of daylight, energy, and the ability to bend over before I could actually get the plants in.
If you really want to know more about mulch than anyone should bother with, you may read on.
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A followup to the story of Captain MeLinda Morton, a Lutheran chaplain at the Air Force Academy; she had complained about excessive evangelical influence and an opressive religious atmosphere there. As she predicted, she’s “toast.” And she’s being redeployed to Okinawa, surely a comedown from being chief of the chaplain unit at the Academy:
Air Force Removes Chaplain From Post>After several “reasonably tense” days among the academy chaplains, Morton said, she received an e-mail on May 4 from Whittington. It said a new executive officer would be named, effective immediately.
Fox, the academy spokesman, said this change was made because Whittington is retiring from the Air Force in June and Morton is due for a transfer in July to Okinawa. But Morton said the normal procedure would be to keep her in the number two post until she departs, so that she could help the unit’s new commanding officer settle in.
Morton said the cadet wing at the Air Force Academy is about 90 percent Christian. She said that group is roughly one-third Catholic, one-third mainstream Protestant and one-third evangelical. But the evangelicals have a much bigger voice among the chaplains, she said.
“The predominance of evangelical Christians reflects the chaplain corps of the Air Force overall,” Morton said. “The major mainstream Protestant divinity schools are no longer sending many graduates into the armed forces. And so the concentration of evangelicals among chaplains is strong through the whole service.”
Morton, 48, said that, having criticized the religious atmosphere at the academy, “I may be toast” in terms of an Air Force career. She said her next duty station is said to be a pleasant spot. “But serving in Okinawa as the most hated chaplain in the Air Force might not be so great.”
I hope she’s wrong about being “the most hated chaplain.” And I hope that it’s better when she gets away from the Academy, out in the “real world” of a post outside the continental U.S., but I’m still glad she spoke out. Hope T.R. Reid (author of the Washington Post article) gives her some friendly contacts for her time in Japan; he used to be the Japan correspondent for NPR several years ago.