So, there's this film you might have heard about
Two and a quarter hours to go.
I have very intentionally not been on lj today, because I didn't want to risk spoilers - yes, there's a lot that I know we're going to see in the film, but I'm sure there are spoilers out there for things I don't know about.
I've just been reading through some of my old posts, including my review of RotK back in december '03 - was it really that long ago? I commented in that review that the run up to RotK was the most excited I had ever been about a film other than Episode 1, and that, sadly, Episode one had ultimately been a rather big disappointment.
It is a tribute to the world and characters and legend, if I may use that word - I think it fits - which Lucas created that people should still be so excited about Episode 3 after the disappointments of the first two prequels. Yes, TPM was pretty darn bad, despite the wonderfullness of Ewan and Liam. AotC was a definite step in the right direction. Jar Jar barely had two lines - and with those two lines managed to destroy the Republic. The final shot of the Clone Troopers marching out of the rather Star Destroyer-shaped Republic Assault ships actually gave me chills, almost making up for the obvious failings of the rest of the film. Despite these, though, I am hugely looking forward to the film I will be seeing in...two hours and ten minutes.
The first two films dampened my spirits somewhat. While in anticipation of TPM I was ridiculously excited. I think we all were. This was Star Wars. New Star Wars. This was when I still considered the original trilogy to be the finest movie saga ever made - before a certain group of Dunedain, elves and Hobbits stole my heart. This was the biggest film ever. And because it was meant to be the biggest film ever, it actually turned out to possibly be the biggest disappointment ever - in movie terms, that is.
So now, I am older and wiser. My movie delirium has been spent on another trilogy, which I may consider to be the finest movie trilogy of all time until the day I die - unless PJ does a special edition in a few years in which he adds all the book bits and characters which were omitted, making each film about 5 hours long.
Once bitten, twice shy. Twice bitten...
Yes, I am excited. Questions that I've been asking for nearly 20 years will be answered. Just how did Anakin get to be so ugly? Well, I know, obviously, thanks to spoilers, but I'll actually get to see it. What happened to the Jedi Order, to reduce it from a mighty force for good in the galaxy to a crazy old beardy guy on a desert world and a little grammatically impaired green guy in a swamp? (Again, I already know, but it won't be true until I see it.)
So, excited, but excitement tempered with the threat of disappointed. I'm not a pessimist, I'm just a realist, and this has spread into my film-watching. Over the last few years, most films that I've let myself get worked up about have been a disappointment. Exhibit A: Spider-man. Other films which I didn't expect much from have earned places in my heart that will never be replaced. Exhibit B: PotC. Oh, and while we're on the subject of disappointing movies, let's not forget the Matrix sequels. The Matrix is a great film. A modern classic. It easily garners a spot in my top 20 favourite films of all time. The sequels would be lucky to get into my top 200.
But back to the main subject. The prologue, as it were (thank you Frankie Howerd). Of the original trilogy, Most people usually site Episodes IV and V as the true greats - although there are arguments about which one is the best - and Jedi as a slightly weaker third child. I'm really hoping that the prequel trilogy will reverse that and make Episode III so good that we forget all about the other two and remember the whole trilogy fondly, rather than as a stain on the good name of Star Wars.
I am excited, but also wary.
On a completely unrelated note, I had a rather odd dream last night. Most of the details were hazy when I woke up, but some of it is still there. I was at a celeb party, with lots of actors. I was no one special, just me. Except that I knew people. And they knew me. A certain Mr Bloom was a good friend, and I think had invited me. As with most of my celebrity-based dreams, there was no funny-business - the exception was that unfortunate one wherein Eric Bana stripped and turned into a naked Stephen Fry.
So, I'm at this party, and everything is white - it's like a huge room all hung with white sheets and white furniture. I think the cast of Troy were there and some other casts. Bana may have been lurking. But anyway, I was sitting on a big sofa type thing, and I think Orli was sitting in my lap - but we were just friends, it was a platonic lap-sitting - talking to some people, and I looked to my left and Gary Oldman was sitting there, looking really young and rather attractive, I have to say. We started to talk and I commented that he looked younger than I expected, and he told me he was 34. He is actually 47, but for some reason in my dream he was young and cute. He looked slightly punky - slightly Sid Vicious, actually, only...cleaner. We chatted for a bit and then we were all called to dinner. There was a big table and lots of debating over where everyone would sit, and then I woke up.
I never said my dreams weren't strange.
Right, off to make some dinner. There's somewhere I'm meant to be in and hour and forty, but I can't think where. Oh yes...
I have very intentionally not been on lj today, because I didn't want to risk spoilers - yes, there's a lot that I know we're going to see in the film, but I'm sure there are spoilers out there for things I don't know about.
I've just been reading through some of my old posts, including my review of RotK back in december '03 - was it really that long ago? I commented in that review that the run up to RotK was the most excited I had ever been about a film other than Episode 1, and that, sadly, Episode one had ultimately been a rather big disappointment.
It is a tribute to the world and characters and legend, if I may use that word - I think it fits - which Lucas created that people should still be so excited about Episode 3 after the disappointments of the first two prequels. Yes, TPM was pretty darn bad, despite the wonderfullness of Ewan and Liam. AotC was a definite step in the right direction. Jar Jar barely had two lines - and with those two lines managed to destroy the Republic. The final shot of the Clone Troopers marching out of the rather Star Destroyer-shaped Republic Assault ships actually gave me chills, almost making up for the obvious failings of the rest of the film. Despite these, though, I am hugely looking forward to the film I will be seeing in...two hours and ten minutes.
The first two films dampened my spirits somewhat. While in anticipation of TPM I was ridiculously excited. I think we all were. This was Star Wars. New Star Wars. This was when I still considered the original trilogy to be the finest movie saga ever made - before a certain group of Dunedain, elves and Hobbits stole my heart. This was the biggest film ever. And because it was meant to be the biggest film ever, it actually turned out to possibly be the biggest disappointment ever - in movie terms, that is.
So now, I am older and wiser. My movie delirium has been spent on another trilogy, which I may consider to be the finest movie trilogy of all time until the day I die - unless PJ does a special edition in a few years in which he adds all the book bits and characters which were omitted, making each film about 5 hours long.
Once bitten, twice shy. Twice bitten...
Yes, I am excited. Questions that I've been asking for nearly 20 years will be answered. Just how did Anakin get to be so ugly? Well, I know, obviously, thanks to spoilers, but I'll actually get to see it. What happened to the Jedi Order, to reduce it from a mighty force for good in the galaxy to a crazy old beardy guy on a desert world and a little grammatically impaired green guy in a swamp? (Again, I already know, but it won't be true until I see it.)
So, excited, but excitement tempered with the threat of disappointed. I'm not a pessimist, I'm just a realist, and this has spread into my film-watching. Over the last few years, most films that I've let myself get worked up about have been a disappointment. Exhibit A: Spider-man. Other films which I didn't expect much from have earned places in my heart that will never be replaced. Exhibit B: PotC. Oh, and while we're on the subject of disappointing movies, let's not forget the Matrix sequels. The Matrix is a great film. A modern classic. It easily garners a spot in my top 20 favourite films of all time. The sequels would be lucky to get into my top 200.
But back to the main subject. The prologue, as it were (thank you Frankie Howerd). Of the original trilogy, Most people usually site Episodes IV and V as the true greats - although there are arguments about which one is the best - and Jedi as a slightly weaker third child. I'm really hoping that the prequel trilogy will reverse that and make Episode III so good that we forget all about the other two and remember the whole trilogy fondly, rather than as a stain on the good name of Star Wars.
I am excited, but also wary.
On a completely unrelated note, I had a rather odd dream last night. Most of the details were hazy when I woke up, but some of it is still there. I was at a celeb party, with lots of actors. I was no one special, just me. Except that I knew people. And they knew me. A certain Mr Bloom was a good friend, and I think had invited me. As with most of my celebrity-based dreams, there was no funny-business - the exception was that unfortunate one wherein Eric Bana stripped and turned into a naked Stephen Fry.
So, I'm at this party, and everything is white - it's like a huge room all hung with white sheets and white furniture. I think the cast of Troy were there and some other casts. Bana may have been lurking. But anyway, I was sitting on a big sofa type thing, and I think Orli was sitting in my lap - but we were just friends, it was a platonic lap-sitting - talking to some people, and I looked to my left and Gary Oldman was sitting there, looking really young and rather attractive, I have to say. We started to talk and I commented that he looked younger than I expected, and he told me he was 34. He is actually 47, but for some reason in my dream he was young and cute. He looked slightly punky - slightly Sid Vicious, actually, only...cleaner. We chatted for a bit and then we were all called to dinner. There was a big table and lots of debating over where everyone would sit, and then I woke up.
I never said my dreams weren't strange.
Right, off to make some dinner. There's somewhere I'm meant to be in and hour and forty, but I can't think where. Oh yes...