Culture: May 2002 Archives
May 28, 2002
This review by Brunching is pretty good too.
Also, why is it that it stayed nice right up until 20 minutes before I'm leaving work, then started raining cats and dogs?
I went to see Attack of the Clones on Sunday. Aside from the idiot sitting immediately to my right, David Chess pretty much sums up my feelings.
Stop George Lucas before he writes again. Seriously, the man shouldn't be writing anything more complicated than a grocery list. He can write and direct action -- the various saber fights were very well choreographed (one thing I have always liked about star wars is the way that saber fights flow) -- but anything else is beyond the man's capability.
Things I did like:
- Jango Fett's death and Boba's reaction to it.
- Faceoff with Count Dooku at the end. Yoda is in fact a badass. I rather liked the calm, quiet dignity he maintained throughout. And after bouncing around like a mad fiend while fighting Dooku, pulling his stick to him and limping off again was just the right Yoda touch.
- The space battle in the asteroid field. Classic star wars, the seismic charges were neat, and Fett's ship is cool.
- The major assault. Actual tactics very nearly made an appearance here, with the use of gunships, missiles, etc. The gunships themselves: very cool. Oh, and those big guns that brought down the Trade Federation ship, did those distinctly remind anyone else of the Ion Cannons from Homeworld?
- Yoda as a teacher. Shades of Empire, there.
Most of the rest of the movie I rather disliked.
In other news, Jenny has returned from Philly. All is right with the world again. :) We both could have used another day or two of weekend, though.
May 21, 2002
Hmmm… Interesting explanation of why the last thing I linked to about Star Wars was wrong. Also an interesting explanation of just why Ep 1 sucked so badly. Worth a read in any case.
This blogspace thing is rather large and convoluted, isn't it? There's always something interesting going on.
May 20, 2002
Ah ha! I found it! Now if only I had the cash to purchase it…
I hate it when that happens. I read on some other blog the other day about a book comparing the results of the American and French Revolutions -- two similar revolts that inspired each other, grew out of similar circumstances, etc, but have had wildly differing results. Now, of course, I can't find the blog. I thought it was Instapundit, but it's not. I want to read this book. Following one's own trail in blogspace is frustrating.
May 17, 2002
Much as I love Star Wars, it does have some pretty big problems, philosophically speaking. For instance, is the Empire really evil? And that's not even mentioning midichlorians (gag) or the Virgin Birth (sputter). Of course, the link above doesn't really address the harsh disciplinary measures routinely used by the upper echelons of the Imperial Command (screwed up a mission? Hope you have life insurance…), or the purge of the Jedi (initiated by Palpatine, and not defensible IMO), etc. But it's still interesting to consider.
May 6, 2002
Two Matrix movies, three to four months apart, next summer? I think I'm dreaming. :)
May 5, 2002
We went to see Spider-man last night with Mark, Sandy, and Christina. Talk about a movie designed to be campy. It was actually surprisingly good, in a lighthearted, self-aware cliched, fun sort of way. There were some lines that were real groaners, but there were some classic lines as well. Our favorite line came when the Green Goblin is standing on top of a bridge, holding a cable in one hand and Mary Jane in the other. The cable leads to a cable car packed with people, dangling precipitously over the river. (Jenny's comment: "There are just some things you don't do in a town with super-villains.") The setup is, of course, that the GG is going to drop both the cable and MJ, and Spider-man can only save one. GG's line (from memory, so probably not precise): "This is why being a hero is for suckers. There's always some lunatic who will come along and give you a horrible choice just like this." Self-referential, funny, and perfectly delivered. It made the movie.
All in all I give it a thumbs up, as long as you're not either going with an anal comic book fan or expecting some dark, serious movie.
In other news, I managed to shut my car door on my right index finger Friday night. Most of the nail has turned black, the fingertip is swollen like crazy, and any kind of pressure is painful. Word to the wise: Be sure all digits are clear of the vehicle before closing doors.
