The Life and Times of a Midwestern Movie Addict

Well, its taken me weeks to get the whole Star Wars Saga reviewed here, but I'm finally done.  I apologize for being so lax about writing, but lately during my down time I want to do anything but write.  Sometimes I wonder why I keep this blog going if I'm not gonna write in it...but then I'm reminded that I do have a small following and I owe it to them (you) to keep going.  Plus, I do love to write about my life and the films I love (or don't love in some cases...but I prefer to not vent negativity) so here I am, finally making good on something I started earlier this month.  So, for those of you who stick with me and keep this blog at 12 visits a week...here's the final part of the Star Wars film saga, Return of the Jedi . Its not long since the conclusion of The Empire Strikes Back and Luke, Leia, and Lando are hot on the trail of Jabba the Hutt who has taken the captive Han Solo to his palace on Tatooine encased in carbonite. They manage to infultrate Jabb...

This weekend was fun.  I went to Pride Night at Kings Island on Friday night with some friends and had a blast.  I hadn't been to Kings Island since I was in single digits, so it was almost like going for the first time.  I loved riding the rides and not having to wait in line.  It was amazing, we pretty much just walked onto everything, and some we even rode twice (in the dark!).  Then Saturday I made Bouef Bourginion again for Bond, who came to visit.  We ate and watched The Godfather Part III and Simone .  I guess it was just an Al Pacino kind of evening.  Then on Sunday, I rested.  The only thing I regret is not sleeping more...I just couldn't stop tossing and turning.  I never was tired though, so perhaps I just didn't need all that sleep.  At any rate, I survived to see another work week.  We're in week 4 now, and that means there are just 32 to go until next summer.  Haha, I'm not really that anxious to get to the e...

So here we are, coming full circle back to the actual chronological beginning of the Star Wars legacy.  Its hard to believe that its been over 30 years since the original Star Wars opened in theaters and people are still talking about it.  In a way, its almost silly.  The film, while grand in scope in George Lucas' mind, is very much a simple cliffhanger-type film in the vein of Buck Rodgers and classic westerns.  If the film hadn't had innovative effects and a killer score by John Williams, I doubt if anyone would have taken it for more than a B-movie.  I suppose then that that is the true testament to how wonderful the quality of Star Wars actually is.  To be able to fool an audience into thinking that a film made for $11 million was actually made for $30 million is a pretty great feat.  Thanks to that legacy, people can conveniently forget that Luke was a hugely whiny character or that Leia's accent changes at least three times in the film.  I ...

So here we arrive at the end of Lucas' prequel trilogy and at a dark time in the galaxy, but lets talk about the weekend.  I had a pseudo four-day weekend.  Yes I had to be at work on Friday, but it was just sitting and listening to meetings all day without kids, so it felt like a day off.  I also went on a date with that new guy, which went extremely well.  Its almost a shame it went so well, because I haven't seen him since and he left for Kenya today for school.  He'll be gone until the 26th and I fear that any good the first date might have done will disappear completely by then.  Either way, I really like him and I'm trying to have hope and yet not set myself up for getting hurt.  Its a hard dynamic.  Saturday I went to Cedar Point by myself, and I discovered that unlike going to a restaurant or a movie by myself, going to an amusement park by myself is not something I ever want to do again.  It was cold, crowded, and expensive for somet...

I'm catching up and trying to write more in this blog, since I tend to forget all about it once I'm home for the day.  Frankly, I push everything out of my head in the evenings so that I don't have any worries or stress (with the exception of thoughts about new people I'm talking to...those I'm very guilty of).  Speaking of which, I have been talking with someone new since last weekend and I am pretty excited about it.  He is very intellegent, attractive, funny, and seem to not have any latent psychotic qualities so far.  I'm meeting him for coffee this weekend and I have butterflies in my stomach about it.  I'm sure we'll get along, but 'bad dates' seem to be my trend this year and I don't want this one to be another casualty of that bad luck.  On the other hand, if we meet and hit it off, we won't get to see each other for another three weeks or so because he will be in Kenya, Africa.  I actually think that's kinda cool.  Anyway, it...

I suppose it was inevitable.  You cannot run a film-related blog, news page, widget, or some other internet dingus without having to at some point talk about the Force, the Empire, and that dysfunctional Skywalker family. God, do I even need to do an introduction paragraph to one of the most successful, popular, and over-played sci-fi sagas in the history of American film?  Probably not, but I'm a long winded person so you'll sit there and read it and like it! Please...pretty please (I'd better make nice, I don't want to chase off my five readers).  Anyhoo, Star Wars isn't just a film or a franchise anymore.  Its become a way of life for so many people.  For some it is a cash cow and the means to keep their pockets lined (those people would be 20th Century Fox, the folks at Lucasfilm, the toy and video distribution companies, and the Dark Lord himself...George Lucas).  For others, it is a source of obsession...a compulsion to know everything, own everything...