Posted on 12/20/2015 12:35:06 AM PST by Rummyfan
Stabilize your rear deflectors! From a galaxy far far away - the summer of 1977 - Star Wars is back, rebooted for the 21st century and in hopes that after a decade's time-out the series has shaken off its turn-of-the-century "prequels", agreed even by hardcore fans to have been disappointing.
Not that it made any difference to the grosses: One of the remarkable features of the franchise is its resistance to quality control. Sci-fi wasn't boffo before Star Wars - if anything, rather the opposite: It was regarded as the upmarket intellectual end of genre fiction. Then George Lucas came along, and hijacked the entire field, with little more than a guy with a bucket on his head, a dog with a stick-on moustache, a talking garbage can and a princess wearing two cinnamon rolls on her ears.
But what do I know? Star Wars is the most successful movie ever. It's supposed to be "epic" and "primal", but, if so, it beats me. A film such as, say, High Noon, which takes place in real time â 90 minutes â on one dusty monochrome main street lined with plywood house fronts and whose only special effect is Tex Ritter's plaintive rendition of the title song, is truly primal: it's big at its core. Star Wars, it seems to me, is epic only in the sense that the telephone book is epic.
(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...
A spot-on analysis it is.
One of Steyn’s few crullers. Lengthy, sneering critique of the previous six episodes; he hasn’t seen the new release. Psst, Mark: Shane is a much better Western than High Noon.
What is overlooked in all of the Star Wars hoopla which began in 1977 is that the entire series is basically anti-Christian at it’s very core. It pushes the idea of an all encompassing ‘Force’ with good and evil ‘sides’, and there is not even a scintilla of thought given to the idea of an actual Creator, not an Almighty God, not even multiple ‘gods’ whatsoever. It is a film that atheists should love except for the idea that once life ends, an individual becomes ‘one’ with the Force and gets to pop up in ghost form from time to time, depending on the occasion instead of blinking out into nothingness which is the final wet dream of every atheist.
It promotes the idea of individuals obtaining mystical abilities by learning how to ‘harness’ the ‘Force’, abilities which are supposed to enable one to serve good or serve evil depending on whether the warnings about the ‘Dark Side’ are heeded.
There are certainly good role models in the story line, just as there are truly evil characters, however the basic sociological idea being promoted is that humans are responsible for their own eternal fates, and that the only salvation needed is to just avoid the ‘Dark Side’, do some good deeds, blow up something valuable belonging to the Empire, and if necessary lose one’s life while fighting for truth, justice and the Old Republic.
Oh the movie(s) are fun, but the basis of them is nothing but metaphysical crap.
And for what it’s worth, George Lucas contributed to both Obama and McCain in the 2008 election. $300 bucks for McCain, $33,000 for Obama.
Do the math.
A fan, Mark is not.
Nail meet hammer. Awesome. It’s the computer graphics Mark. That is the whole ball of wax.
I’ve never seen one Star Wars movie.
No need to start now.
LOL!
You and Trump(he has been on Twitter for a few hours this morning already!) are sure early risers.
I liked the first three. The rest got boring.
LOL.
Trump is an early riser, whereas I stay up late!
I’ve always loved the nights!
Beginning in grade school, I twice wrote essays and then campaigns to “save the city money by holding double sessions (morning start’s and afternoon start’s) instead of building new schools.” LOL. Actual “letters to the Editor” of both the Morning and Evening Newspapers AND BOTH were published!!! I was in the 3rd Grade when I wrote my first letter. WOW, was my Father SHOCKED when he found out ... oh boy! Not only that, but my sweet Mother was very active in the PTA, which only made it worse!
You see, I was often very tired in the afternoon “reading circle,” so once my “letter to the editor” was published, the dots were easy to connect. LOLOLOLOL.
I still maintain my idea was a solid one, because my “baby boomer generation” were responsible for the city’s new schools that were shuttered in later years with the expansion of the suburbs.
I still only like the days during daylight savings time and/or warm weather.
:)
I saw a hilarious sign on a church billboard yesrerday: A long time ago, in a Galilee far, far away.
LOLOL.
I love it!
VERY CLEVER!
I’m not going to piss in anybodies Wheaties this morning. Everyday life in these United States has sucked for a while now and any escapism that makes you forget TPTB is good for your sanity.
bflr
All hail Darth Steyn ....the destroyer of all pretentious drivel like the Star Wars movies.
I started looking at my watch about halfway through the first one back in 1977.
If the original versions of the three films released in the 70s and 80s were available, I might watch them. I don't bother with the revised versions. Just my opinion.
start with ep 4, 5, 6, then 1, 2, 3
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