Are you in line or could you not care any less?

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

Answers

I could care less. The critics are saying that is a dull film, since Lucas hasn't made a film in 22 years. I am also not crazy about the muppets as aliens. Puleez.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I think the first trilogy of movies was such a phenomenon because it was a modern presentation of classical mythological themes. A lot of people have almost adopted the whole Star Wars mythos as a religon, which is creepy but not too far off. I mean, the attaininment of peace, enlightenment, and/or salvation through the embracing of a higher power could describe either the theme of the Star Wars movies or the goal of most religons.

I'm looking forward to seeing the movie and might take a long lunch one day during the work week to see the movie, but it's not important enough of an event to warrant camping out. I have a feeling that this movie is going to have even more kid-oriented slapstick humor than ROTJ, so I will keep my expectations from getting too high. After George Lucas adopted kids (in between Empire and Jedi) the silliness factor of the trilogy jumped up quite a bit. I wouldn't be too surprised is George started busting out with the fart jokes and pratfalls in this one.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

Ah, let's not talk about the Phnatom Menace. Menace Shmenace. But the trilogy...As usual, for the Brat, the hormone laden little cultural analysis, it's all only about SEX. And sex's name, this time, is HAN. Han, Han, Han, Han....I mean, it's the young Harrison Ford, for god's sake! It's the dimple-producing, dangerous, haughty smirk while he outspeeds Imperial ships in space with his little junkbucket. It's dialougue like this: Suddenly, the ship lurches again, throwing Leia across the cabin into Han's arms. Then, abruptly, the motion stops as suddenly as it started. With some surprise, Han and Leia realize they are in each other's arms. LEIA: Let go. HAN: Sshh! LEIA: Let go, please. Leia flushes, averting her eyes. She's not exactly fighting to get free. But, of course, Han blows it... HAN: Don't get excited. The anger rises in Leia. LEIA: Captain, being held by you isn't quite enough to get me excited. HAN: Sorry, sweetheart. We haven't got time for anything else. Oh, c'mon, haven't you ever wanted to say that to anybody-- *pause*smirk*'Sorry, sweetheart, we don't have TIME for anything _else.' God...See, pure genius right there. Just in one characer. You have to thank Lucas for that, at least... OK, this is the end of your regularly shceduled swooning. You may now go back to rational, jaded discussion. :)

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

It's just a movie. These hard core fans need to get lives!

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I couldn't possibly care less if I tried.

When I was a kid, I remember my father taking me to see Star Wars. It was okay, I loved the music more than anything else. When Return of the Jedi and all the others came out, I saw not a one! My brother, however, lost his mind over it and I never understood. I thought it was just a "male" thing.

And as for all this hype - all I can say is "Wow"!! It's a movie, folks! It's not real life. I know that I probably "just don't understand," but I can never imagine there every being any movie that I want to see bad enough that I'm going to wait in line at a movie theatre for hours to see the first showings. I'm sure the movie would be just as good if I saw it 3 weeks later - or even when it comes out on video.

I can hear some of you gasping in annoyance. But what can I say? Pamie mentioned the movie Grease. Well, that was one movie that I loved as a kid. So, that tells you about myself. :)

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I wrote this in response to an article in http://www.teethmag.com/showart.pl?pid=49 .

------------- Uh, I would also add that the public also garners some type of expectations based on previous work.. This goes for most entertainment mediums. Stellar authors that publish to rave reviews (Tom Wolfe) find that their next endevour (A Man in Full) is not up the the same expectations as their first work, and the reviews come in less than stellar, lukewarm, and such.

Because so much has been made of the past work, it has been elevated past what it originally was, and now a carbon copy is expected. But we all know that is impossible. ---------------

See, my point is that you should look at the movie on it's own merits, as part of a epic story with nuances and metaphors and morals and so forth. But just like Tom Wolfe will never write another 'Bonfire', it doesn't disqualify 'Man' in the least as an excellent book. I wrote about this 'expectation' deal in one of my 'Inferiority' entries on www.inferiority.com, if you're interested. I just don't feel like rehashing it all again.

Suffice to say, I'm excited about the movie. I think the people camping out for tickets have serious issues (just like people who dress up like Worf or Spock for Star Trek conventions). I will go the first chance I get, maybe I'll request it for my Father's Day gift.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Pamie, for saying what the rest of us do not have the guts to say.

I may be the only person in the universe, come this time next year, who has seen neither _The Phantom Menace_ nor _Titanic_. I am going to print this on my business cards (along with "Poet For Hire").

On the other hand, I'll probably see TPM because I have recently begun to hang out with Boys, and they will want to go, and I like Sno-Caps. Sigh.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

Well, I am not waiting in line overnight to see this movie. I will most definatley go in a week or two, though. I grew up first watching the Ewok movies (does ANYONE remember those???- and speaking of remembering, do any of y'all remember the Monchichis? the show? I mean, I think I am the only person under the age of 25 who remembers this show--ANYWAYS...) as a kid and loving them. Then I graduated to watching the Star Wars trilogy. I think the appeal, for me, as a 19 year old girl, is that those movies deal with the age old issues, and you KNOW that Luke and Han and Leia and everyone will triumph, but damn, they make you sweat every time. I can understand why people don't get the Star Wars thing, as I for one can NOT understand why people enjoy Star Trek. Unless it's to look at Jean Luc Picard. But anyway, enough about that. Enough about ANYTHING, I have written a small novel.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I don't know why people get angry or annoyed at the people who waited in line for months to get tickets to the Phantom Menace. Who cares? They're not hurting anybody. They just have an unhealthy appreciation for Star Wars. What's it doing to you?

I have to admit that Lucas was a genius in releasing Star Wars as Episode IV. He had the audacity to suggest that this movie already had an eight hour backstory. That's what made Star Wars so rich and interesting. And also part of the reason why everyone wants to see Episode I; to see what all those off handed references in Star Wars were all about.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

The main thing I don't understand is, why do so many people get such a kick out of going against the flow and deciding not to see a movie based on public response?

I used to think that the kind of people who look at a "Big" blockbuster that breaks records and declares that *they* are never going to see it because they thought that made them unique. But I've heard so many people say it about Titanic, and now about Episode I, that I don't know what it is. There's an idea that the masses are ruled by the encouragement of others. Sort of the Lemming effect, perhaps. The thing that really confuses me about people who like to diss on movies like Titanic and other blockbuster hits, (such as Phantom) is that by refusing to see the movie, they forfeit their right to criticize it. I mean, what's the difference between attacking Titanic (and then saying, "But *I* am never going to see it) and telling people that Stephen King's books should be banned from school because of its pornographic nature (and saying of course *I* would never read such trash).

If you folks want to be a rebel fine. But don't go and publicize it. That just ruins the whole effect. Rebellion should be seen by action, not by announcing it to the world. That just leaves the rest of us thinking that you're lonely or something.

Enough of that ranting. Back to Star Wars, The Phantom Menace. Well, I think the title pretty much says it all. From the moment I heard what they were calling it, I knew it was going to be a kid's flick. Which is okay, I guess. I expect there are going to be a lot of disappointed people, but what difference does that make? Lucas is going to be making billions anyway. They've got a brilliant marketing strategy. Publish the book first; people will read it, and those that don't like it will blame it on Terry Brooks (I mean, come on!). They'll still see the movie, because of that. If they published the book AFTER the movie had come out, there'd be a real large surplus floating around.

Don't get me wrong. I loved Star Wars and Empire, and even enjoyed the first act of Jedi. If it hadn't been for the damned Ewoks, it wouldn't have been all that bad a movie. I'm aways a little horrified when I met someone who hasn't seen the movies, but I don't mind it if they didn't like it. The movies weren't perfect, no matter what anyone says. I think the main thing about them is that the story appealed. Think about it: It's about a boy who wanted more than anything to fight in glorious battles against the bad guys, and be a hero. Just about every boy (and quite a few girls) in the world has waned that at some point in their childhood. In the Star Wars trilogy, Luke actually got to make his dream a reality.

But these new series are going to be rough, because George Lucas gave his heart to children a long time ago (damn it) and besides...we know how they're going to end. Of course, we knew how Titanic was going to end too, but that was different. One thing Cameron accomplished that Lucas might not is that he made his audience care about those too characters. He made the audience feel the pain and anguish that the whole world knew 70 some years ago. That's why Titanic succeeded, you know. If Phantom succeeds, it will be because of the same thing (though I doubt it will).

At any rate, I'll see Phantom. Not until the theater clears out enough to ensure I get decent seats, but I'll see it. If nothing else, I expect I'll be entertained. That's what movies are for, isn't it?

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

Ok, please pay attention all, because I spent a while putting what I want to say together. And what I want to say is this:

"You're all losers!!!"

No, kidding, but you people that don't get the old blood pumping at the thought of this new series of Star Wars films just simply don't like to be taken on epic adventures, I guess.

No, I'm kidding again. But let me lay it out for you. Thanks to a very cool honors English teacher in High School (a female too, let me add) we were able to dissect the Star Wars trilogy and compare, almost point for point, how it related to the formula of Greek mythology of old. Now, if the Greeks got jacked up over all these tales and ran around building temples and shines to things that they barely even believed were true, why is it lame for some people to get all excited over finally being told the missing pieces of the Star Wars myth?

It's not about "The Phantom Menace" itself as a movie that people are getting excited over, it's the idea that we will now be told (by a MASTER storyteller) the full story. And it's going to be a beautiful and powerful tale. Let me lay it all out and tell me if it's not something that even the non-fans on here get interested in. And if it can pique the interest of a non-fan, imagine what it does to a FANATIC!

OK

Episode I - The Phantom Menace - A young boy is found by a Jedi master and his apprentice. The master is convinced that The Force is so strong within the boy that he is a prophecy come true -- he is a messiah of sorts. A council of Jedi elders urges the master not to take on tutelidge of the boy, saying that they sense there he is fertile ground to be the most evil villian should he learn the skills. Master disobeys. They all meet up with a Queen that the boy says he will marry -- he sees the future. The master dies, and his young apprentice is forced to assume the role of master and take on training of the boy -- against the wishes of the elders.

Episode II -- A love story. It will be parallel to the story of Camelot. The boy is now a young man being trained by that apprentice -- Obi-Wan Kenobi. The boy, Anakin, falls madly in love with the Queen. Obi-Wan is a young punk thinking he can train Anakin, but he can't and fails to teach Anakin many things about self control and balancing emotions. Obi Wan also begins to feel for the Queen -- setting up a King Arthur/ Sir Lancelot tension between Anakin and his master, Obi Wan. Jealousy boils up inside Anakin. By this time he is seen as the savior for all things good, and it goes to his head as well.

Episode III -- Due to the failings of Obi Wan, Anakin's ego is huge thinking that he is the savior. He begins to think he needs no more training, ignoring Obi Wan. An evil master trying to take over the government, Palpatine, senses that Anakin's jealousy and anger are at a peak and attempts to steal the other side's savior so that he can finish his conquest. Convincing Anakin that Obi Wan as won the Queen and is trying to "cut him down to size", Palpatine uses *LOVE* as the emotion which turns Anakin to the infamous Dark side.

The third movie is going to be terribly dark, Lucas says, as we see this cute little boy from Episode I grow up to be Darth Vader.

So that sets up the next three, where the son of Anakin -- Luke -- by chance meets Obi Wan, who is now an old, lonely man, and along with Obi Wan, is drafted into the fight against Darth Vader and Palpatine. Luke is a young boy strong with the force, and this presents Obi Wan the opportunity to right his wrongs --as he feels that he is personally responsible for the fall of the Republic. Luke, of course, in the 5th installment, finds out that Darth Vader is his father, and chooses to fight him anyway. And at the end, having fought the temptation to join with the father he never knew, he takes on Palpatine, and loses, but is saved by his father who kills Palpatine. LOVE, the emotion that turned Anakin to the Dark Side, turns him back to the good side again.

It's a beautiful arc!! OK, none of you care Sorry about that. I am, however, really psyched to see this movie and get to know the whole myth in detail.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

To Lucas's credit, he borrows from the best. Examples:

• Han Solo as Rick Blain - The Cantina (?sp) is like Casablanca: it exists in a limbo that is jumping off point to a conflict of Universal conquest. And like Rick, Han Solo isn't interested in sticking his neck out for anybody.
• Han Solo as Lawrence of Arabia - At the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, where Han Solo rides into the snow storm to save Luke? That is an inversion of the scene in Lawrence of Arabia where Lawrence rides into the desert to save the man all of the nomads had written off as dead. A very emotional scene.
• George Lucas delagates to the Best - Ron Howard commented that when directing American Graffiti, he kept the cameras on, even during rehearsals, just to catch anything he might be able to use.

  For The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas had Lawrence Kasdan construct the scene pacing of the movie like black and white movie serials, to reinforce the episodic nature of the movies ...

Oops! Sorry to ramble on like that. All of this geek information stays in my head until I pollute the internet with it. Now it's yours to do with as you will.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

Like Pamie, I never saw the Star Wars movies as a kid. In fact I never saw any movies until I was about 12 (Freewill Baptist upbringing). I also had friends who dragged me to trilogy festivals or insisted on renting the videos and watching them all in one day. I've never managed to stay awake through even one of the films. I don't really know the storyline. I expect to go see Phantom in a few weeks, after the hype dies down. I guess cause I think it's good to be tuned in to pop culture.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I saw Star Wars as a wee lad, but I can remember the raw optimism, the emotion in the crowd -- here, finally, was a story where the good guys are good (come on, you didn't really expect Han to abandon the rebels) and the bad guys are bad. We'd just years earlier come out of the Vietnam war; suddenly, our world was gray -- but this one, the one Lucas created, was stark black and white. We knew who to root for.

In real life, today more than ever, we don't know who to trust.

So the reason I can't wait to see the next film is that for two hours, I will be a little boy again, staring with wide eyes, drinking in the excitement and optimism from the crowd around me. And leaving that theater, I'll stare at the colors of the world and think, "Maybe there's hope after all."

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I'd be hyped up anyway because I'm a scifi freak, but the main reason I'm anticipating Phantom Menace can be summed up in two words: Sexy Jedi. Gorgeous boys Ewan MacGregor and Liam Neeson playing heroic swashbucklers with built-in spiritual codes and mystic powers? Gee, how many of my buttons does _that_ push?

Also, all of my friends are debating the efficacy of a double-bladed lightsaber, and we want to see it in action. (My personal opinion, if anyone cares: the point of a staff is to trade the killing power of a sword for added distance and versatility. Assuming that's a given, what's the point of a staff where you can only hold a fraction of the middle if you don't want your fingers cauterized? I'm sure they'll have some lovely choreographed fight scenes with it, but it'd be completely impractical in real life. IMHO.)

Helene

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

Ok. here I am . one of the silly people who WAS gaing to wait in line for 2 days for tickets for me, my husband, and best friend. UNTIL I found out you can by them on the fone at our really cool super plex like theatre. hehe and you know what. I laugh at everyone! after hitting redial for 50 minutes I got through AND got tickets for the very first show on the very first day. The lady told me people were waiting outside since 5am that morning for tickets and then on the news i heard that up the road in orlando, they were waiting since the entire morning before at 4 am. SUCKERS!! :) heheh

anyhow my point being. I am a mega star wars fan. i admit it, and proud of it :) I have been since i saw the first one.. I was 5 or 4 i think.. had the sheet set, the ewok, the posters, the action figures.. blah blah blah blah. and it stuck with me through the rest of the films up until now.

I love how unreal everything was. It is what made me look into why and how they do all the effects. (was a career choice at one time).

Anyhow. My husband went through the same thing, though he was too young to remember the first movie in the theater. (3 years younger than i :) heheh) SO we have avoided all and every commercial and story line about this movie (though he read the books when he was younger, and i have not, he is hoping that his male memory won't remind him about things. haha). We don't want to ruin it at all. Surprise is good. Though it is getting harder now that they are showing comercials for it on TV during my favorite shows dammit... have to keep the remote handy now :)

Please don't stone me.... if it helps.. I really really loathe Star Trek :) (well until we started to watch the rereleases of the original 3 seasons of the first series... those are just great to laugh at.. the effects KILL me!! :) hehheh)

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I'm in the "don't really care" camp. Like Daria, I have not stayed awake through even one of the movies, I don't think.

However, I will be seeing the movie because my office is going together to a matinee. I'd see it anyway, though... because I really like some of the actors in it (Natalie Portman, Samuel Jackson, Ewan McGregor). Plus, I'd feel like I was missing out on some cultural context if I didn't see it. Like Titanic, I'm sure it will spawn many jokes, quotes, and references that I'd prefer to get. And whether or not the plot is very good, the special effects look great.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

YYAAYYY Pammie!!!!!

Thankgod I am not alone - I was never into the whole Star Wars thing either. You should have seen the looks I got when I said "so why's everyone pissed at that Darth Vader guy anyway?" - actually they were very similar to the looks when I talk about mosh pits. All I remember about the previous movies was how cool that R2D2 looked . . . and that the gold robot was possibly gay. I have no problem that everyone is hyped up about it, in fact if my company wants to give us a day off in honour of it I'm sure I will have no problem at all. As I look around me now everyone is searching for more Star Wars movies to download. I think I'll go check out the Spumco site.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I can't *believe* your parents didn't let you watch The Breakfast Club. Watching that movie with the guy I was "going around with" and getting popcorn stuck in my braces was a defining moment in my life. Your parents tortured you, you poor girl. The first movies I ever saw was "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Mary Mary Bloody Mary" at the drive-in with my parents when I was five. You should have been so lucky.

I love the Star War movies, but not so much I'll miss sleep if I miss it in the theatres. I'm really a stay-at-home-and-rent-it girl. I think you'd have loved them if you'd have watched them before hearing about them too much (as you said).

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I am so with you, Pamie; screw Star Wars. Saw 'em all (the original was the first movie I ever saw in a theater)and was unmoved. Okay, the ewoks were cute. And I work for an IT firm. Most of the company gets the day off to go see it; I have to work and am actually grateful, because I would 10 times rather spend the day screwing around on the net at work than seeing yet another Lucas creation. But whatever. Why not Grease III? I want to see Dolores as head of the Pink Ladies! In fact, the first serious writing I ever attempted (at the age of 10) was to write the screenplay for Grease III. I still have the manuscript if anyone's interested...

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I forget who mentioned this, but I agree that people are expecting too much of the movie. Fanzoids and critics are expecting it to be this amazing orgasmic presentation, and when it fails to live up to impossible standards, they're slamming it.

I'm going to see it, when the theatre crowds die down a bit. I can imagine the people who saw it in theatre when they were children going to see it with their children and I don't want to see a movie in a crowded theatre full of kids. Not to be rude, but it's almost as bad as seeing a movie in an almost empty theatre with a group of 10 middle schoolers (or highschoolers, once I graduate) in front of me.

*grin*

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I'm in the group of never having seen the full trilogy. Yes, it probably it a travesty, although I went to see Star Wars at the drive in when I was little with my Dad, and cried until he left in the middle of it because C3-PO scared the life out of me. Pathetic, I know, but I had nightmares about him for months! I guess I've been scarred for life now. Although my boyfriend is desperate to see Episode 1, so I guess I'll be dragged along. I just hope I don't have any more nightmares.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I'd much rather wait in line to see Spaceballs II. Whatever happened to Jm.J.Bullock?

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I don't care to comment on Star Wars, but I just wanted to say that I remember the Monchichis:) I loved those little things! I too have not been able to find anyone else who remembers them. I am 21, by the way.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

Thank God -- another sane human being on the planet! Luckily we're not surrounded by anywhere near the same hype you get in the States on this film, but just reading a few journals makes me feel like an alien. Yeah, I saw the original Star Wars when it came out. Our Junior High yearbook cover was done in the tapered letters that were all the rage at the time. It was cool, but hardly what I'd call a major turning point in my life. I "saw" the Empire Strikes Back at a drive-in with my boyfriend. Never have seen the movie. By the time Jedi came out, I couldn't care less. And until now, I'd almost begun to believe that made me less than a human being. Thanks, Pamie!

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

Not sure when I'll see it - Hubby will see it in the next few weeks, but we can't go together as we're too cheap to get a sitter. Not too excited about any of them, but it would be interesting to see it.

--annie

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

First about Star Wars: they bought tickets for everyone here where I work so people don't all skip work next week. Unfortunately I have a show the same time of the showing. So I can't even go see it for free. Secondly about the Monchichi's: Oh, yes I remember them. This much: "Monchichi, Monchichi
Oh, so soft and cuddly.
With a thumb in their mouth they're really neat
something something something little feet.

Impressed? I thought you would be.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

I'm in Andy's camp. I was five when the first Star Wars came out, and my brother and I grew up playing at Star Wars. I was Leia, my brother was Han (until we found out that the romantic interest was going that way - YUCK!) and my best friend (yeah, my best friends have usually been boys) was Luke. My dad played Darth Vader for us and we loved it when he would capture someone (my dad's Darth Vader tortured prisoners by tickling them) and we'd have to stage a daring rescue. We didn't stick to the movie's story - I remember once when the stormtroopers (totally imaginary) managed to kill all of us, and we were lying dead on the floor of my room and what next? My friend eventually got up and gave me a hand up, saying (pure genius!) "Great job, Carrie!" I caught on fast. "You too, Mark!" So then we had to do another "take". Our bicycles were our X-wing fighters, the back of my dad's pickup truck was the Millenium Falcon, the kid across the street that nobody liked was either R2D2 or Chewbacca because they were non-speaking roles. The angriest I'd ever been in my life when I was eleven was my best friend seeing Jedi before me and telling me that Luke was Leia's brother. I didn't talk to him for a week. (Until I had seen Jedi myself.)

That's my childhood. And something very like it is the childhood of all of my closest friends.

And that is why we are going to see the Phantom Menace. No, we're not standing in line for days to get first-day tickets. But three of my friends are going to get in line first thing in the morning that Friday to get tickets for the late show (fewer little kids) and we'll all get together to have a party beforehand, and then we'll go to the theater and for two hours we will be kids again.

I have a good relationship with my inner child. She wants to see this movie. She wants desperately to be caught up in the magic and remember things that she thought she had forgotten, and then share the magic over and over again with her friends.

Me, too.

Yeah, pamie. It's just a movie. For you and the other, more negative nay-sayers out there: It's just a movie. Don't bother, okay? It's going to be a flashy show for kids, with no moral middle ground. The good guys will be beautiful, and the bad guys will be ugly, and sure, it'll have fantastic special effects - but yeah. It's just a movie. For you.

But for me, and for my friends, and for those people desperate enough to camp out for days on end?

It's a chance to recapture our childhood.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

Oh, there's a good Star Wars memory story at the fray.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

I could really care less about Star Wars...

The only thing that excites me is knowing I could make money because of it all one day. See, my exboyfriend was/is one of those Star Wars fanatics and had just about every single toy they came out with back in the day. They are now collectibles and will be worth lost of loot in the future. *hehehehehe* Guess who's got most of them????? That's right...ME!!!! I just thought they were so cute and it really pissed him off that I would pick them up and touch them. So I started to sneak them out of his house one by one to see how many figures I could "capture" before he noticed. Needless to say, we broke up and as much as he begged and pleaded for them back I never returned them. *shrug* It didn't seem like a big ole deal to me....hehehehehe

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

So you stole from your boyfriend, and refused to return what was his when he asked for them back?

Was it just him, or do you typically punish people who date you?

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

I remember the Monchichis too. My best friend has a baby that looks just like one. She is very disturbed that I call the baby "Monchichi."

Liz - I loved your post. It brought back memories of my own childhood on Ashland Drive. How many Lukes and Darths did you guys see running up and down the street at Halloween? Hundreds. In the films, I loved Leia's sarcastic tone about everything - like she was so OVER the whole space-princess thing.

Watching the original trilogy recently, I was really blown away by all the "Force" stuff. It was so new age and neo-spiritual! When I first saw the movies when I was a kid, I thought it was all about robots and little creatures and sword fighting, and then when I saw Star Wars recently, I was like "What the hell are they talking about with this Force stuff?"

(Please forgive me for this last part but, when someone is trying to say that they don't care about something, the correct phrase is "I couldn't care less." To say "I could care less" (as many have written here) means that you must care to some degree, and you could care less than you do. This is a ridiculous pet peeve of mine. Sorry.)

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

Here here Andy and Liz! I think it's very easy for we as a society to judge others for liking something that we don't relate to. If there's anyone who is vocal about hating things it's me. All we can do is tolerate it and not let it affect OUR lives. I love Star Wars. When the rerelease was going on, I almost jumped ship. The hype was unbareable. (S?) I never wanted to see another Star Wars movie again. Now that the new one is going to be released something inside of me has clicked on again. I am a Star Wars fan! I don't care who knows it. You same people who are judging me for being a fan are probably the ones that I judge for listening to bullshit music. Perception is a wonderful thing...

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

pamie pamie pamie, oh THANK YOU for also not caring.

aren't boyfriends who force feed you those films the worst?! i saw on some board somewhere this guy posted 'i could NEVER date someone if she hadn't seen star wars.' i was like, dude, what. ev. er -- you are so not worth dating if you are going to IMPOSE YOUR TASTES ON OTHERS!

anyway. yeah! right on! we should rise up, or just maybe attempt some sort of media deprivation until the world goes on to the next thing, which will probably be like beanie baby kooshes or something. xx maura http://maur

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

Some of you may be too young to buy into the hype, or - not to be a sexist jerk - it may be that you need a Y Chromosome to get it. I dont know.

What I do remember is that at the age of seven (and a half!) my Dad took me and my little brother to see Star Wars the day after it was released. I think the age is important, because 7 is around the time when you can really start generating vivid emmories about things you enjoyed, because I can remember my little mind thinking as the opening sequence rolled:

"This is the greatest thing I have ever seen in my entire life."

...and then it went on to continue bring the greatest thing I had ever seen, all 2 hours of it. If I had been an adult, I probably wouldn't have been as affected by it.

I guess what it all is boiling down to is the fact that for a lot of us, it gives us the chance to be a wide-eyed seven-year-old again, even if it's only for two hours.

And THAT my friends, is what all the hype is about.

-- Anonymous, May 15, 1999

The worst part of my work schedule is that I can't check my squishy till late at night, after everyone has already had a chance to post and either piss me off or say what I was going to say in response to someone that pissed me off. (By the way, thank you Allison for the 'I could/couldn't care less' clarification-- that pisses me off so bad it made it into a sketch we do). But everyone is right about the being a kid again. I went to see the rerelease of Episode IV (that's the first one, right?) with my cousin. We used to have immense battles with the action figures, though we could never actually enact them because the set-up took too long. There was an amazing sense of nostalgia that I guess I'm too young to feel all that often. And just talking to the other people waiting in line (for only 5 minutes, we didn't camp out) you could tell they all felt the same way. Now they were taking they're kids to see it to let them share in the magic. I think the best summary of the whole hype BS is what I heard from 2 guys waiting in line for the bathroom at the fabulous Velveeta Room.

Guy 1: So what do you think about the new Star Wars? Think it'll be as good as the first one?

Guy 2: No way. How could it be?

Guy 1: Yeah, I heard it got some really bad reviews.

Guy 2: Yeah. So are you going to go see it?

Guy 1: Fuck yeah! Opening day!

Screw the hype, just enjoy the show.

-- Anonymous, May 17, 1999

Am I the only one that's noticed that all of the "fuck it" answers are coming from women? (I'm female, BTW, before anyone gets pissy -- and I'm not one of those "yeah, but I don't really like women, they're so " women either). I haven't met the man who doesn't care about Star Wars. Also never met a man who didn't have a violent reaction to Ewoks. Suffice it to say, most people would agree that if you really dig the Ewoks -- you're not a Star Wars fan. Merchandising gimic all the way.

Me, I'm a big SW fan. It's a giant remake of the archetypical hero quest tale -- how could any fan of mythology not love it? Ask Joseph Campbell! Besides, I'm just a big nerdgirl and I want a lightsabre.

I don't care if anyone is apathetic about the new Star Wars, it's not my concern. But the comparison between a classic nerd movie like Star Wars and tripe like that "Titanic" piece of crap with a Celine Dion song -- THAT pisses me off. Just because it's also a big seller doesn't make them the same. Han Solo and Leonardo di Jailbait are not in the same league. Classic Science Fiction Epic and weepy sinking-boat-melodrama don't deserve to be put in the same category just because they both sold a lot of tickets.

End of mini-rant.

-- Anonymous, May 17, 1999

Yeah, what's with all the women and Star Wars, anyway? My wife is going to send me alone on father's day to go see it. What's with that? It's a great story.. just because it has purple blood and starships, women don't like it?

I don't get it.

-- Anonymous, May 17, 1999

Okay, I wasn't planning on getting into this, but just to answer the question above... I'm a male, and I am, at this point, hoping that the new Star Wars movie turns out to be Godzilla 1999. I liked the original trilogy (especially Empire), and started out favorably disposed towards this one, but enough is enough already. Assuming it's halfway decent, I'll probably end up seeing this film when and if it hits the second-run theatres, but almost certainly not before then. $8.50 for a glorified toy commercial is a bit much.

-- Anonymous, May 17, 1999

Just to defend the women who don't give a shit about Star Wars movies, and respond to an earlier post:

You're right, there's no comparison between Han Solo and whatsisname in Titanic. That's because the character in Titanic had better lines and more than one vocal inflection.

Sorry, I like Harrison Ford much more than I like Leonardo DiCaprio, but the acting and dialog in the Star Wars movies was just awful. I just can't sit through a movie that doesn't have engaging characters or dialog. Hell, I can't believe anyone even REMEMBERED Star Wars after Raiders of the Lost Ark came out, since it had action, a clever script, and a MUCH BETTER Harrison Ford character.

-- Anonymous, May 17, 1999

whhhhhhhhhhhooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. No, there IS a comparison to be made between Harrison Ford and Leonardo DiCaprio - and that is that Harrison Ford is a man,and Leo is a 12 year old anorexic girl.

As far as the acting in Star Wars goes - you're right I guess. Aside from all the eye rolling being done by Carrie Fisher, we didn't see much method coming from the cast. But, so? It's a movie about space villians, robots and little green Yoda. It's totally ridiculous and huge and expensive. It is the American Movie. I love it.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

Hey, I never said I loved it because of the ACTING. ;)

It's a MONUMENT, a tradition, a representation of all of our nostalgia for childhood and the big SF epic that was Star Wars. It can't be judged on quality alone, because that's not why people love it. They love it because it *represents* something to them, it holds a little piece of their hearts, just like your first love does. It's part of who we were and how we felt and how that movie made us feel so many years ago. That's why Star Wars fans are so unshakably devoted to the film.

Not because Carrie Fisher can't seem to decide between a British accent and an American one.

I mean, I love what it explores and represents in mythological terms -- but really, the basic reason I like the movie is just pure emotional attachment, pure childish love, not because of the interesting philosophical implications of the overarching development of the hero figure. No matter what little justifications I can come up with -- I just have a crush on Star Wars.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

Irony: I just won two tickets to see the Phantom Menace because of the work I had done on a special project.

Now all of my workplace can see my ignorace.

great.

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

Ha ha ha ... busted!

I'd resisted posting in this thread because I can't even remember any details of any Star Wars movies, so little have they affected my emotional development. The only thing I do remember is going to the cinema with my two sisters and my dad to see The Empire Strikes Back, which was pretty cool because my dad would buy us lots of sweets and popcorn, and an ice cream at the interval, whereas our mum would only get us one packet of sweets each and make us make them last the whole movie. And I was always the little pig who scoffed mine in ten minutes (nothing has changed there - I can still demolish family sized packets of sweets in the time it takes most people to get the bag open) and my bloody sisters would have sweets left over at the end of the film! I hate that.

So there you go - nothing to do with Star Wars whatsoever, and that's the way I like it.

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

Okay, so now I'm just a great big hypocrite ... Jeremy and I were down there this morning at 8 a.m., buying our tickets. We went on a whim: he thought that maybe the early showings wouldn't sell out even though the midnight showings did, and boy was he right. The news crews at the theater looked really silly ... we went right in and got great seats.

And I loved it. It was a blast. I liked it much better than the first three, mostly because there was no Carrie Fisher and no Mark Hamill. I mean, Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor vs. Mark Hamill and pre-acting classes Harrison Ford, there's just no contest. (Also, when I was eight, I never quite got over my disappointment when I learned that it was Star WARS and not Star HORSE, which is what I thought everyone had been talking about ... I thought it was a Misty of Chincoteague movie.)

Anyway, the word from this Star Wars skeptic is to ignore the reviews, forget about the backlash against the hype, and go see it. It's a lot of fun and I don't think I can wait until 2002 to find out what happens next.

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

Went to see it last night at 2:00 AM. On the spur of the moment. I had just gotten home from the bar, got online to check for showtimes, discovered it was playing at 1:30 and 2:00, called a friend and told her to get her ass dressed and ready to meet me in five minutes flat. The 1:30 was sold out, but there were a few seats left for the 2:00.

Now ever since Jack Petersen told me in the library when we were in fourth grade that Lucas fully intended to complete the first three films, I've wondered what would be the circumstances in which I would see them. Last nights bleary eyed trek to the theater (and even more bleary eyed trek back)was more perfect than anything else I could have imagined.

I had gone on an interview earlier in the day, so I didn't exactly blend in with the rest of the crowd. Appropriate garb for a 2:00 showing of Star Wars I appeared to consist of either some version of Star Wars character (a few Darth Malls, one Darth Vadar, and an Obi Wan Kanobi, please excuse any spelling mistakes) or 17 year old baggy shiek. I was in heels and a business dress. I was also among the oldest of the crowd. And I was pumped. I just felt so punk rock. On a Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I discussed with the 17 year old boy in line across from me the rights and privledges accorded to those alive and old enough to remember the first of the "Holy Trilogy" as seen in the theater. I bummed a few cigarettes from some other youngsters, who looked at me suspiciously.

Then we actually got into the theater, and the mood was electric. The crowd wasn't out of control, they were just high energy.

And I stayed awake through the WHOLE MOVIE. Partly because it lived up to my expectations, partly because I was Kimme, punk rock girl. I stayed awake at my advanced age (and with not a few beers in me) when I noticed that half of the 17 year old crowd was asleep before the pod races.

And as the movie ended, and we poured our way past the exhausted theater employees, we noticed a line going in for the 4:00 showing. Insane. Wonderful. Absolutely American.

So, no, it doesn't take a particular chromosone to appreciate the perfection of Star Wars. In fact, just me and my friend going made the experience so much more whole. Two girls, no longer chaste, feeling oh-so-cool on one of the first days of summer in Denver. Staying up WAY past bedtime. Kick ass. I will, however, need to see the film again, as I really was pretty tired last night...

-- Anonymous, May 20, 1999

I don't know if you've noticed, but the Statesman has run an AWFUL lot of stories about Star Wars. In particular, Hank Stuever has been writing stuff since early last year.
It culminated with a beautiful XL cover story last week about why kids who grew up with Star Wars put so much faith in that universe.
The story was less about Star Wars and more about what it was like to be 14 years old in 1983 -- divorce, suburbanism, alienation, Devo. Beautiful piece of writing. Here's a tiny bit:

Before the movie started, my father and I would stroll around the mall, almost wordlessly. There was a marble fountain at the other end. All my life I have not been able to think of enough things to say to my father, to hold up my end of any conversation we might have had, and so I think of the sound of those fountains.
Yoda, I must know: Is Darth Vader my father?
Your father he is.
But can he be turned from the dark side, was the main question.
In my algebra fog I considered this plot possibility, and figured that Vader could not.

-- Anonymous, May 20, 1999

Donna Kay and I touched base over the snide remark I made to her post. This is my take on my behavior:

When I checked the stats for the forum today, I found out that I post to those things entirely too much. I didn't mean to put you under any pressure, mostly because I really couldn't care less about property theft of people I don't know. I'm just a jerk who found it to too easy to hit the "send" button. Even today I was like, "Why don't you put the keyboard down before you hurt yourself?"

Sorry.

-- Anonymous, May 20, 1999

Yes, we sure did touch base Mike, thanks!

Ummm, thanks for the apology, it wasn't really necessary but very welcomed anyhow! Thank YOU!!!! *wink*

-- Anonymous, May 21, 1999

Star Wars.

I first saw Star Wars in the movie theater when I was 3 years old. I only vaguely remember the experience, but I am pretty sure that it made no impression on my pee brain whatsoever.

When Empire came out, I went to the movie with my mom. At that time, we had to drive 50 miles to even get to the theater. Then, I was impressed by the scary white hairy creature who almost ate Luke for dinner. And while I was fairly bored by the whole Han Solo and Leia thing, I was incredibly impressed with Luke getting his hand cut off, and Han getting turned to stone (I was only 6, Carbonite meant nothing to me then!).

I was old enough to want to see Return of the Jedi for myself, when it first came out. We already had the glasses from McDonald's. I was also old enough to have my own ideas about what was cool, and I really liked the first half hour or so of it. Han's rescue was pretty exciting. Luke was cool, and a force to be reckoned with. I thought his clothes were awesome. The race through the forest was pretty cool too. And unfortunately, I was young enough to think that the Ewoks were pretty funny.

Essentially the experience was a good one for me all the way through. Later, we got a VCR and one of the first few movies we rented were the Star Wars trilogy. I loved it a lot more than Star Trek. There was that cool sword, there was a lot of noise, and action...Seeing the Star Trek movies at the same time always put me to sleep.

As I grew older though, and continued to live with Star Wars as a presence in my life, I began to appreciate other things. Here was a story about a boy...not even that much older than me. He dreamed of doing exciting things, of saving the universe. So did I. He lived in the desert, as had I at one time. He seemed to be a loner, as was I. I identified with him on so many levels it wasn't even funny. And here's the thing: Everything I wanted, he got. His dreams came true. I was jealous of him, envious of him, and proud of him at the same time. He was like a friend who had made it. Despite suffering and sacrifice, Luke Skywalker became a hero.

There were other things that attracted me to it. As a child I always felt a close connection to the things happening around me. When I saw the trilogy and grew old enough to understand the whole idea of the Force, it touched something in me. The Force, Old Ben explained, was all around us, inside of us. That was something I understood. The potential for this thing that was everywhere seemed so great, and yet so true at the same time. Believe it or not, but by watching the movies, I came to understand what spirituality was all about. It was simply explained, and certainly glamourous but that was probably what attracted it to me in the first place.

I grew up with Star Wars. Everyone I knew had seen it and loved it. Until recently, I had never even met anyone who hadn't experienced it to some extent. When the movies were re-released, I was there. Because I was old enough to really understand what it was all about. Maybe the acting wasn't good, and maybe the story is even a little corny. But the idea of it came across. It lived with so many people for so long.

Two years ago, I was incredibly excited about the making of Episode I. But the hype did me in. I hate hype. I hate this childish desire to know what's going to happen before anyone else. I hate all these leaks to the press, and special information segments on ET. That did more to turn me off the movie than anything, I guess.

But I saw the movie last Sunday anyway. THere were a lot of kids, but at least I got a decent seat. And I enjoyed it. Lots of it were sadly incomplete, I thought, and poorly thought out, but that didn't matter. The essence of it was there.

It doesn't really matter how many people hate Star Wars, or diss it, or don't care about it. The fact is, it touched a lot of people. It taught a lot of people. Drove some insane. And regardless of the mechanics of it, that's what movies (and stories for that matter) are all about.

-- Anonymous, May 25, 1999

Ahhhhhhhhh! I saw it last night. Loved it! My one complaint is that there wasn't enough Darth Maul. Well actually, my major complaint was that this film, like so many others of this era, was really a series of music videos and didn't bother explaining much of a back story. But I loved it anyway. Ewan McGregor - beautiful. All of that light-saber fighting was killer. I could have used more.

I was a little irritated by the lack of Jedi mystique. That council scene let me down. Looks like a bunch of freaky guys sitting around the conference room at a Howard Johnson's.

Ok! So I had more than one complaint BUT, not one cuss word and not one sex scene and the whole audience was enthralled for two hours. I didn't want it to end.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atrium/2958

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999

I've seen it twice now. I camped out. Four hours in line. Talking with my friends and playing with my new beanie baby while waiting in line. Crying when the opening credits started. If you don't feel that way about anything, baby, I am sorry for you. Star Wars was part of my life. I have always loved it. If you don't like it, that's fine too. I didn't like Titanic. And I think "romantic comedies" suck. We all have our quirks. But think about this for one second, all you nay-sayers...

If football went away and was gone for 22 years, don't you think football fans would be MUCH MUCH worse when football came back?

Hmmmmm?

KT

-- Anonymous, June 01, 1999

i'm absolutely disguested with the blatant references and symbolisms to sex and the references to drugs. Jar Jar's mid morning Munchies? Liam's inappropriate touching of Ani at night? And what about that sexual tension between the Queen and her military commander???

And another thing? Are we to blindly ignore the homoerotic tension between the "Master" and servants for both good and bad characters? Lots of leather and what is the deal with the "swords" they're always taking out of their cloaks?

-- Anonymous, June 12, 1999

Helene's got it right this time. I mean, face it: Ewan MacGregor and Liam Neeson?? Yes, please. Not that I don't love Star Wars for what it is, but still...

-- Anonymous, June 21, 1999

I'll see it for Liam. I hadn't had a celebrity crush since River Phoenix in 1986, but once I saw Liam in Michael Collins I was yet another pathetic female who entertained thoughts of various sexual delights with some man I only know based on characters he portrays on the big screen.

Oh well, if you don't mind me saying, it was quite the orgasm, but it won't happen again--- well, it didn't until I saw Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Velvet Goldmine.

I should just stop seeing movies.

-- Anonymous, July 06, 1999

I'm just glad I got to see the 1st film before y2k blows everything to shit....

-- Anonymous, July 26, 1999

I still haven't seen this film!

Has any other determined Star Wars hater succumbed?

-- Anonymous, September 02, 1999

Jackie,

Use your hate, let it flow from you. With each passing moment you make yourself more my servant.

Darth Todd

-- Anonymous, September 02, 1999