Dean's Thoughts on Entertainment

Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith



* In a Galaxy far, far away...Do I really need to premise this movie with a description?

I caught this opening night (sorry for the delay) and my first reaction was Wow!, and followed by a holy crap. The next day was filled with day dreams of the correlations between the 5 other films and this one. But the next day was spent wallowing in where the film fell short, and I found myself appreciating the movie less. Don't get me wrong this movie is great but I do think I should voice my contempt as well as my praise. Contempt will come first so we can end happy.

I went into the movie with two things on my mind.
1. Mace Windu better not die like a chump.
2. The wookies better rock house Ent style.

Lucas delivered on the first (excellently) but he totally dropped the ball on the wookie rampage. This doesn't really detract from the movie overall just something I really wanted to see.

Beyond those 2 points I wanted what I want from any other movie and here is my rating of the movie on those points.

Out of 5

Story - 3
Diminished by other elements mainly time restrictions and pacing. But its biggest flaw is that I don't buy Anakin' s turn to evil which is the premise of the movie.

Writing - 3.5
The dialogue did not suck nearly as much as it had in some scenes from the previous two, but several events in the movie were forced and in retrospect were not at all natural.

Acting - 3
Highlights were Palpatine, Windu, Obi-Wan, Yoda, R2-D2 (Totally the coolest driod ever), and Senator Organa. But since the weight of the movie was on Anakin and often Padme the movie gets demerits. I don't discredit the actors I believe the pacing of the scenes and how much drama had to be achieved in such a short period of time made it nearly impossible to act well and consistently.

Action - 4
The 5 would have been there if the Wookies wrecked house and if the Jedi hunt had been more epic. Everything else is golden.

Cinematography/Effects - 5
The world was well designed and quite immersive, the special effects were solid, especially from the animated folks like Yoda, General Grievous, R2-D2, and a crazy lizard car.

Comedy - 4
Not meant to be a comedy, several moments even within the darkest movie in the series were funny so credit is due.

Eh. Thats enough categories and if you average them you get my overall rating - 3.75

This coupled with a love for the series as a whole will of course amplify the movies significance and enjoyment but standing alone I give it that score.


The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

* A Wes Anderson film (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore) about a aging marine documetarian who goes on a mission to destroy the Jaquar Shark that ate his longtime friend.

I think this is my favorite Wes Anderson movie. You may know whether or not you like Wes Anderson films, if you liked either of the other two you will love this one, even if you hated The Royal Tenenbaums but liked Rushmore you will enjoy this I think. Wes Anderson movies almost have to be reviewed as a collective, as they contain the same style, humor, and quirkyness that most people will love or hate. I love it, so this movie is a must own for me. The new thrills that this movie adds is a better storyline than Tenenbaums but also action sequences which I described to CJ as taking a John Woo scene adding Wes Anderson humor and music and then replacing the able bodied Chow Yun Fat and replacing him with the speedo-wearing aging Bill Murray. The result is brilliant.........I keep trying but I can't really review his movie its really good if you like his stuff, thats all I can say. I'm buying the double disc Criterion, most likely at full price which, if you know my disdain for paying full price for anything, should say something.


P.S. - Mos Def is awesome
P.P.S - I plan to write some more blogs other than reviews soon. I will list them to build anticipation and to lock myself in to doing them.

1. Artists I Trust - The List of Bands who I will buy albums from before I listen to them
2. Musical Actors/Actresses - A comparitive look at the cultures of those who turn from music to film.
3. White People - My Thoughts on how white people are portrayed/mentioned/judged in rap music.