M R Elmquist

YouTube video by ParticleMen When Will You Die? - They Might Be Giants (Official Video)

For no particular reason this has been stuck in my head lately

youtu.be/kSQ8tZ35t4U?...

A meme In the top panel, an exhausted Frodo asks “What are we holding onto, Sam?” In the bottom panel, Sam, looking angry and determined, replies “Sheer fucking spite, Mr. Frodo.”

Sheer. fucking. spite.

And yeah, there’s still going to be some sloppy cash grabs under the new corporate overlords. But there’s a lot of people out there who love the world as much as I do. I’m excited that there is this new chance for them to get to tell stories too, and I wanna check it out.

I’m a little excited to go back and watch some of the other stories in the world that I’ve overlooked or skipped or bounced off of. But I don’t feel an obligation to love it all. There’s just so much Star Wars now!

There’s so much to love in the earnest storytelling in the series and the world, even when it falls flat. I even have a new/rediscovered appreciation for the prequels (maybe not Ep II which still kinda sucks a lot)

Okay, I want to add a more satisfying conclusion: I think I got what I wanted out of this weekend. I still love Star Wars! And though I’m still disappointed by what happened with Ep IX, I don’t resent it as much as I did before. It couldn’t ruin it all for me, and I’m glad of that.

To wrap up, I think if I had to rank them based on enjoyment I’d go: V, IV, VIII, VI, VII, I, III, II, IX.

Now off to work I go!

The ending is still so satisfying in a way unlike anything else in the series, though. (Looking at you Rise of Skywalker.) All in all, though it’s not as exceptional as the first two films, that’s a really high bar, and I don’t resent it anything.

I don’t hate the Ewoks at all—they’re fine. But wow do they feel more like a toy ad than possibly any other part of the mainline film series. With the irony being I don’t think they ever factored into Star Wars play for me as a kid.

And that’s a wrap! Jedi is definitely my least favorite of the three originals, but that’s like picking my least favorite…I don’t know, I’m not getting a good metaphor here. But the point is I still like it!

Oh one more thing. It doesn’t really diminish my love for the character, but Han is such a condescending ass to Leia through the beginning and middle of the film. If anyone called me ‘sweetheart’ as much as he does Leia I’d be out in an escape pod, middle of space be damned

Obviously, the scene is super well-integrated and it doesn’t feel like it’s only there to explain the change to his face. Just something interesting I noticed in this watch.

While they’re in the snow speeders, it’s so clear in the writing and acting that Luke has really grown with the rebellion He’s a leader now and has been at war for years at this point! In fact, his really boyish looks from before might have felt out of place with the time that has passed.

I don’t think I can be honestly critical of it in any way, but one interesting thing that I noted: I kind of don’t think they needed the wampa scene to explain Hamill’s car accident. Maybe it’s a weird take, but it’s so clear that significant time has passed (I looked it up—about 3 years in canon)

Like, as I’ve mentioned a million times in this thread, I typically enjoy a SWars that isn’t too self-serious, but honestly, I think this is the exception. It takes the world and story of IV seriously and really builds on it in such an intriguing way.

Jeez Empire really is a near perfect movie, isn’t it. I really struggle to say anything interesting about this one—certainly not anything that’s already been said a million times. The really striking thing is how well the shift in tone works from IV.

Im pretty sure this was my first time watching the macklunkey edit, and I’ll admit I laughed out loud. What was it supposed to accomplish?? A lot of the little additions really aren’t that bad, though, even if a lot of the CGI has aged significantly.

It’s funny, right off the back of the prequels, I could more closely spot some of the same silly dialogue writing in this one, but the acting and overall tone mean it never really feels out of place.

What a great little movie!!! I’ll always be biased, and I’ll never be able to watch it without a stupid little grin through most of the runtime. But it really deserves all its reputation. It’s so simple, but so engaging all the way through.

Alright, May 4th let’s goooo

Getting a bit earlier of a start today because I have to work tonight. I don’t expect, or even want maybe, to watch the originals with the same objective-ish lens I’ve used with the rest of the films, but I will still be wrapping each up as I go

Tomorrow is originals day! One note: I will be watching the streaming versions, not my (mostly) theatrical cut DVD editions. Partly convenience, and partly because I actually don’t know that I’ve seen these most updated editions. Gotta check in on what Lucas hath wrought this time around

Overall, I actually think it’s really not as bad as it’s been made out to be over time! It’s mostly competent, and although it’s way darker than any other Star Wars film, that feels appropriate to where the story was inevitably going. Just the meme-able lines and shots are very…memorable.

Interestingly, I think because it gets back to the core political critique [of fascism] that Star Wars does most and best, the political stuff is less muddled here. There’s a reason why the “applause” line is still remembered relatively positively, I think. It feels depressingly relevant.

Anakin’s characterization is still a bit unnatural, I think, but it may be due to the poor setup in the previous film. Padme gets done the dirtiest here—she’s just a lot of nothing compared to the last two films, and her death really does feel like an afterthought.

Well, there’s actually not much to add, really. Revenge is a lot like the two films preceding it, though I’d say it’s closer in quality to Phantom than Attack. The story is mostly okay, but stymied by some truly godawful dialogue writing and the requirements of prequel-dom.

I’ve gotta run some errands, but I’ll be back for Revenge later tonight. :)

The lightsaber fight with Yoda is still cool, even if it doesn’t hit quite the same as the first time I saw it. It’s genuinely difficult to convey just how electric that moment was in theatres if you weren’t there. Shame it comes in what is probably the most boring SWars movie of the mainline films

Even if the larger politics don’t make a ton of sense, his individual actions and storyline are actually pretty well crafted across the prequels, and McDiarmid does an excellent job of characterizing him in a way that feels sinister and real at the same time.

It’s interesting that for all my criticisms of the non-politics of these movies, Palpatine’s motivation and actions all feel pretty clear. You can see all the ways he’s been positioning pieces on the board over time and the subtle ways in which he manipulates everyone around him.

It’s implied in one early scene (and maybe sideways in one other) that Palpatine has been gassing Anakin up this whole time, but it’s pretty weak and leaves this feeling like Obi-Wan and the Jedi more broadly have really failed him in some big nameless way that’s also poorly explored.