I wrote this for my own site and my personal blog for today, but thought I would share it here too, since it’s obviously fitting.

     Star Wars: some of the greatest movies of all time that spawned some of the greatest video games of all time. Of course, there have been dozens upon dozens of games based on these movies and as expected, plenty of them range from mediocre to just plain terrible. One of those terrible ones that come to mind was the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies. The extremity of the excitement I had for this game was only overshadowed by my severe disappointment after finally playing it. I tried to convince myself that it was enjoyable and wasn’t a waste of the $50 plus the $15 per month I paid, but I was only kidding myself. It was horrible - and soon even the most hardcore of Star Wars fans realized this as well and Galaxies merely faded in oblivion; now, only a few extremely dedicated (or just really delusional) people are still playing the game, but there are faint rumors that a Knights of the Old Republic MMORPG may be in the works and maybe, just maybe, it will help freshen the bad taste that Galaxies left in my mouth (honestly, I haven’t touched an MMORPG since). Read on though, and find out some of the Star Wars games that weren’t massive disappointments and kept me playing for hours upon hours not so long ago, in a basement not too far away… from my parents’ room.

8. Star Wars: Empire at War (2006; PC)
Combine elements of Age of Empires and Starcraft with the Star Wars universe and you have yourself an insanely addictive game. Play as the Rebels or the Empire and skirmish in space or on land. It’s a little repetitive at times maybe, as most RTS games are, but that doesn’t take away from the great Star Wars experience that this is.

7. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (1996; N64)
Coming out shortly after the launch of the Nintendo 64, this game focused on the time period between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. You played as mercenary Dash Rendar and the main jist of the story was trying to help Luke Skywalker rescue Princess Leia from the evil Prince Xizor. It has a lot of familiar faces, and while the story isn’t anything special now that I take a step back and think about it, to the child that I still was, it was an amazingly cinematic experience and was just as good as any of the movies (and still, it’s better than the first two prequels anyway).

6. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (2003; PC, Xbox)
The story was pretty lame and it hurt that you no longer played as the franchise character Kyle Katarn but a new student into the Academy. Still, the game - most notably the insanely fun multiplayer - was a blast and the lightsaber dueling and force battling was incomparable. Getting a dozen friends together to multiplayer this game up was as fun as any Halo or Age of Empires shindig, and this made the game worthwhile and easily worth the money.

5. Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1994; SNES)
I couldn’t decide which of the three Super Star Wars games to put on here, but in the end, I feel this was the most fun (and probably the hardest) of the three. While the game really isn’t much like the movie (see the NES games for ones that are even less like the movies), it was a lot of fun to play as Luke, Chewie, or an Ewok and jumping around killing various beasts that were never in the movies and dying most of the time. It’s still stands up as a fun game and every few months I get out my SNES, dust it off, and play it a little bit - just for old times sake… and a serious challenge.

4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (2004; Xbox, PC)
The story wasn’t as good as the first game, but the gameplay was just as good. In fact, it was almost identical to the first. It was more like a 50-hour, huge expansion pack to the first game than anything else - which wasn’t really a problem, since the awesomeness of the first game still hasn’t been surpassed. This game was loads of fun, was packed with content and entertainment, and was more addictive than crack. If you’d like to become a Star Wars junky along with the rest of us, you can purchase this game for $10 used on Amazon!

3. Star Wars: Dark Forces (1995; PC)
I was about nine or ten years old when this came out and I remember I had never experienced anything quite like it. It felt so real. The graphics felt so life-like. After this, I no longer felt the need to play Doom or Wolfenstein 3D, because in my ten year old mind, this surpassed them both. It introduced us to Kyle Katarn, a former Imperial agent and now a mercenary (and eventual Jedi in later games), around the times of A New Hope. While it wasn’t nearly as revolutionary as Doom or Wolfenstein 3D, the fun factor was equal, and for a huge Star Wars fan like myself, it may have been even a little more fun.

2. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (2002; PC, Xbox, GameCube)
To me, this is unarguably the best of the Kyle Katarn saga. It starts with Kyle who has given up on the force and his Jedi ways. Thus, the game begins as an exciting first-person shooter (much like the first game was entirely), for all Kyle uses is guns. A handful of levels into the game though, Kyle realizes if he doesn’t rekindle his ways with the Force and the Jedi, all hope may be lost, and this is when the amazement and the story of the game really kick in. This is the most fun you’ll ever have with a lightsaber (there’s a multiplayer aspect too, which is just as fun) - and the force powers are just as great to boot. You’ll never get tired of force pushing Storm Troopers off of cliffs. I promise.

1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003; Xbox, PC)
Not only is this the best Star Wars game, it has a cinematic element and story that matches the greatness of the original trilogy. Some even argue that it’s more exciting and that some of the revelations match that of the “No, I am your father” moment from The Empire Strikes Back. I wouldn’t argue. The blend of RPG with action-game elements, the ability to make an insane amount of choices that changed the story, choosing the light or dark side, along with the amazingly well-written story and developed characters makes for one of the most rewarding gaming experiences ever. It really is that good. If you haven’t played it, you can buy it used on Amazon for the PC for under $10, so there is no excuse! A third game in the franchise is (sadly) yet to be announced, but let’s hope within the next few weeks and once Bioware has finished its current game, we might get some sort of news.

     That’s my list and I’m sticking to it. There are dozens more games out there, many that I haven’t even played, so there is no question I probably didn’t include a favorite of yours. So, which Star Wars game is your favorite and why?

-Jonathan

Source: Wikipedia.com

     According to Lucas, the film was inspired by numerous sources, such as Beowulf and King Arthur for the origins of myth and world religions.^[1] Lucas originally wanted to rely heavily on 1930s Flash Gordon film serials; however, Lucas resorted to Akira Kurosawa’s film The Hidden Fortress and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces because of copyright issues with Flash Gordon. The scene in which Princess Leia awards Han and Luke is similar to a scene in Leni Riefenstahl’s 1934 film Triumph of the Will; both scenes have large, enthusiastic crowds seated in a shallow amphitheater bounded by columns, with a low dais where the leader stands.

The throne room of the Massassi Temple in Star Wars

     A similar shot from Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the WillStar Wars features several parallels to Flash Gordon, such as the conflict between Rebels and Imperial Forces, the “soft wipes” between scenes, and the famous “opening crawl” that begins each film. A concept borrowed from Flash Gordon — a fusion of futuristic technology and traditional magic — was originally developed by one of the founders of science fiction, H.G. Wells. Wells believed the Industrial Revolution had quietly destroyed the idea that fairy-tale magic might be real. Thus, he found that plausibility was required to allow myth to work properly, and substituted elements of the Industrial Era: time machines instead of magic carpets, Martians instead of dragons, and scientists instead of wizards. Wells called his new genre “scientific fantasia“.Star Wars was influenced by the 1958 Kurosawa film The Hidden Fortress; for instance, the two bickering peasants evolved into C-3PO and R2-D2, and a Japanese family crest seen in the film is similar to the Imperial Crest. Star Wars borrows heavily from another Kurosawa film, Yojimbo. In both films, several men threaten the hero, bragging how wanted they are by authorities. The situation ends with an arm being cut off by a blade. Mifune is offered “twenty-five ryo now, twenty-five when you complete the mission.” whereas Han Solo is offered “Two thousand now, plus fifteen when we reach Alderaan.” Lucas’ affection for Kurosawa may have influenced his decision to visit Japan in the early 1970s, where he borrowed the name “Jedi” from jidaigeki (which in English means “period dramas”, and refers to films typically featuring samurai). Lucas drew inspiration from J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy book The Lord of the Rings, in that Obi-Wan Kenobi is the Wizard Gandalf reincarnate, albeit in differing fashions, and Darth Vader and the Witch-king of Angmar are the chief servants of a higher evil power and dress in black. Luke watches the duel of Obi-Wan and Vader from across a chasm as Frodo witnessed the duel between Gandalf and the Balrog; both feature their respective blue and red melee weapons. Tatooine is similar to Arrakis from Frank Herbert’s book Dune. Arrakis is the only known source of a longevity drug called the Spice Melange; Han Solo is a spice smuggler who has been through the spice mines of Kessel. Lucas’ original concept of the film dealt heavily with the transport of spice, although the nature of the material remained unexplored. In the conversation at Obi-Wan Kenobi’s home between Obi-Wan and Luke, Luke expresses a belief that his father was a navigator on a spice freighter. Other similarities include those between Princess Leia and Princess Alia (pronounced [ə.ˈliː.ə]), and between Jedi mind tricks and “The Voice”, a controlling ability used by Bene Gesserit. In passing, Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are “Moisture Farmers”; in Dune, Dew Collectors are used by Fremen to “provide a small but reliable source of water”.There are subtle parallels to the Japanese serial Space Cruiser Yamato (Star Blazers); both Wildstar and Skywalker are young and hot-headed but grow into mature leaders; Captain Avatar and Obi-Wan each portray the wizened old warrior; the similarities between R2-D2 and IQ-9 are unmistakable. Additionally, in both stories the heroes fly fighter plane-type spacecraft; the Death Star and the Comet Empire perform similar functions and the chief villains (Darth Vader and Desslok) meet similar fates.The Death Star assault scene was modeled after the 1950s movie The Dam Busters, in which Royal Air Force Lancaster bombers fly along heavily defended reservoirs and aim “bouncing bombs” at their man-made dams to cripple the heavy industry of the Ruhr. Some of the dialogue in The Dam Busters is repeated in the A New Hope climax; Gilbert Taylor also filmed the special effects sequences in The Dam Busters. In addition, the sequence was partially inspired by the climax of the film 633 Squadron directed by Walter Grauman.

     The opening shot of Star Wars, in which a detailed spaceship fills the screen overhead, is a nod to the scene introducing the interplanetary spacecraft Discovery One in Stanley Kubrick’s seminal 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The earlier big-budget science fiction film influenced the look of A New Hope in many other ways, including the use of EVA pods, hexagonal corridors, and primitive computer graphics. The orbiting space station in 2001 has a docking bay reminiscent of the one on the Death Star. The film also draws on The Wizard of Oz: similarities exist between Jawas and Munchkins, the main characters disguise themselves as enemy soldiers, and Obi-Wan dies, leaving only his empty robe in the same fashion as the Wicked Witch of the West. Although golden and male, C-3PO is inspired by the robot Maria from Fritz Lang’s 1927 film Metropolis. His whirring sounds were speculated to be inspired by the clanking noises of the Tin Woodsman in The Wizard of Oz.

     Since Andrew and Kurt did THEIR list on the Movie Patron Cinecast Episode #48 I thought I would do the same. So this is Star Wars according to MY standards!:

Rated, ranked and ordered:

 6. Revenge of the Sith (No rating) - As much as I HATED the number five film  on my list I HAVE to put this dead last because I simply haven’t seen it yet. So until I get around to it it stays firmly at the bottom.

5. Attack of the Clones (1/5) - I don’t remember all that much about this but I just remember HATING everything about it.

4. The Phantom Menace (2/5)- I put this first with regards to the new trilogy for one reason and one reason ONLY. Two words; Darth Maul. My favourite character out of ALL the Star Wars films (except for Han Solo, of course).

3. Return of the Jedi (3/5)- By FAR my least favourite of the original trilogy. I don’t what it is by I just have a big problem with this film. It’s pretty good, but not THAT good. Sorry folks…

2. Empire Strikes Back (4/5) - It probably has a lot to do with the shocking revelation at the end. Although, and this may shock you, I didn’t see the original trilogy until recently, EVERYONE knows the twist ending it still shocks you. “It can’t be true!”

1. A New Hope (4/5) - By FAR my favourite of the six. Possibly because I like the more story element that is very predominant in this one more than the others.

     In a Galaxy not so far away, a man named George Lucas released his little known art film called Star Wars to the world and changed the way movies are made forever. It was the first film I ever saw in a theater and it has been my favorite film of all time ever since. I still watch the original (episode IV) about once a month or so and it is absolutely brilliant on every level, every time I watch it.

     All you have to do is imagine yourself as a 10 year old kid in a theater in 1977 (I actually saw it when I was 4 when it was rereleased in late 1979); not having any idea of what you’re about to see. All of a sudden, an explosion of music hits the screen with a smattering of stars as the backdrop for those famous yellow words that slowly drift into the infinite distance. Then, out of nowhere, a small space ship flies overhead being fired upon by… another ship a much larger ship. Already your jaw is wide open. Then, this larger ship flies over your head and the sheer size of the thing keeps going on and on and on and on and on. By now, your jaw is on the floor and your eyes are practically popping out of your head. “Holy Crap!!” You vaguely hear your friend next to you say over the laser blasts and heaving, blue flame engines and explosions. From then on, you’re hooked.

     After this was the marketing. Toys galore. I remember opening Christmas presents one year and in every single package (even if it was stupid old socks), there was a different Star Wars figure at the bottom of the box. It was awesome and I remember it being one of the best Christmases ever. I remember my sister spraying me with the garden hose while I was wearing my brand new Return of the Jedi shirt. I raced into the house in traumatic tears thinking she’d ruined it forever… haha. My mom once punished me for something (who cares what) by not letting me watch Star Wars for the umpteenth time one night when it was on cable. I cried myself to sleep.

     Then, of course, were the sequels and the prequels. I took a week off from school and waited in line for tickets to see Episode I; a month in advance. I then waited in line for another week for our seats (which I believe happened to be over spring break, so I didn’t miss more school). It was so much fun. I remember being so excited to get there, I was driving a bit fast. A cop pulled me over in a small town and asked where I was going in such a hurry. I explained about Star Wars and getting in line, etc. He said, “well, you don’t want to be late for that. I’m taking my son to see that when it opens. If I need tickets, can I call you?” I laughed and said sure and he let me on my way with only a warning. Then it was rows of tents, lots of new friends and it rained to beat the band for pretty much the entire week. Our “leader” built a make-shift movie screen out of 2×4s and a bed sheet, then used his F-150 truck to power a projector to show Star Wars (and other films) every night. We became the subject of much interest from other Movie Patrons as they strolled in to see Entrapment or The Matrix. we also took abuse from some passers-by, but also made the local news just about everyday. Football and beer in the parking lot, NTN Star Wars trivia at the bar on the corner (we came in 3rd in the nation all week). A blast.

     As I’ve gotten older, my love for the films has not waned. But my love for the extraneous stuff has a bit. I’m not as fond of my boxes of memorabilia that take up space in my apartment as I once was. The books are seeming to really reach for ideas and the prequels were… well, less than amazing. The new TV shows (one CG-animated and one live action) have piqued my interest. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit excited, but I also feel GL should leave the franchise alone. It’s become his life (and others of us as well) and it really shouldn’t. He should move on.

      Still, we’ll remember what George has created and given the world: the finest reel of celluloid the world has ever known called The Star Wars Trilogy. I remember being genuinely choked up a bit when I first saw the trailers that told us the originals were to be re-released in theaters back in the late 90s. I waited in line all day for those as well. I also remember seeing the Episode 1 trailer online for the first time. Even though the film itself isn’t the greatest, I still think it is easily my favorite trailer of all time and watch it agin from time to time. The excitement it brought (and stills does to an extent) is indescribable. Thanks George - you’re probably the biggest reason why I even have a movie web site and watch as much film as I do. Happy Anniversary Star Wars and may the force be with you… always.

     What comes to my mind when someone mentions “Star Wars”?

     The first thing that would pop up is the theme song trumpeting triumphantly in my brain.

     The next thing would be how “Star Wars” reigned supreme in my family for years.  In some ways it still does, thus I’m posting here.

     Thirdly, because one member of my family has been totally and completely addicted to anything even remotely related to SW since the first time he saw the first SW movie, it became a part of our family life.  I think it might have been the first movie, EVER, for him.  He was four, and we sat in that theater, not watching the movie, but just watching his reactions to everything he saw and heard.  He was kind of a “hyper” kid most of the time, but I don’t think he moved once during that whole film.  He just sat on the edge of his seat, immobile and mesmerized, with his mouth and eyes locked open for the duration.  I wonder if he even blinked.  That night was monumental for him and for his whole family, for it began a two-and-a-half-decade obsession with “Star Wars” and everything that SW entails - from George Lucas, to the spectacular and breathtaking special effects, to the gloriously magnificent music with leitmotifs for various characters and objects, to the brilliantly creative characters (and the actors who portrayed them) to . . . . . . . . . . everything.

     Who ever would have thought that Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca (and Wookies), R2-D2 and C-3PO, Ewoks, lightsaber, Han Solo-Luke Skywalker-Princess Leia, Yoda, Jedi Knights (and on and on and on) would become household words, familiar to almost everyone?  Only because of events that happened “A long time ago in a galaxy, far far away. . . . .”

Happy Birthday Star Wars!

Episode #48 is here and Kurt gets the “good” microphone this week.

 Episode 48 [119:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode, Andrew and Kurt discuss:

-DVD picks of the week
-Worst and best films from 5 household name directors
-Star Wars nostalgia talk
…and the usual tangents. - see the show notes below for info on the director’s cut of this extremely long podcast.

Unwrap the complete Show Notes by clicking on this link…
UNWRAP TEXT or SHOW **SPOILER**

These are the show notes for Cinecast Episode #48.

NOTICE: Kurt and I felt that this show became FAR too bloviating and long. So we’ve trimmed down our rants to a slightly more comfortable 2 hours. For those of you (cough** Ross **cough) that would like the director’s cut of well over 2 1/2 hours, you can download that show HERE (which is also available on the iTunes subscription page

     In the show notes, topics we discussed in the director’s cut (that are edited out of the normal show) will be in a grey color.
Remember, if you’d like to hear these topics, download the director’s cut.

Bumper music from Oceansize and Squirrel Nut Zippers.

“Tracks” - -
Intro Music: 0:00 - 3:20
Opening Remarks/Announcements: 0:23 - 5:49
DVD Picks: 5:50 - 19:50
Best of/Worst of from 5 Top directors: 19:51 - 1:27:36
Star Wars nostalgia talk: 1:27:37 - 1:55:36
Closing Comments: 1:55:37 - 1:58:43
Outro Music: 1:56:33 - 1:59:11

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In-House Announcements:

     Join us on Facebook: Much cleaner and nicer than MySpace and easy to keep in touch. A lot more fun too as more people join everyday. HERE’S the link to our group - NOTE: Facebook will ask you to login or start an account to use this feature.

     You can post suggestions, comments, thoughts, even questions or topics you’d like discussed on the weekly Cinecast right here on the blog in the comments section. You can also now leave audio comments. Damn cool; leave as many as you like.

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DVD Picks of the Week:

Andrew picks Apocalypto:
Andrew’s Review
Blockbuster
Netflix

Kurt picks The Third Man:
Blockbuster
Netflix

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Other DVDs this week:
Roots (4 Disc sp. ed.)
Letters from Iwo Jima
Flags of Our Fathers
Venus
Epic Movie
Fay Grim

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Big Name Directors and their Best of/Worst of:

Andrew’s Picks…
Roman Polanski
- - Best: The Pianist
- - Worst: don’t have one (maybe The Ninth Gate)
Ridley Scott
- - Best: Blade Runner, Black Hawk Down
- - Worst: Kingdom of Heaven and oh yeah, Hannibal sucks too
- - - when I mention American Gangster, I meant Denzel is the ANtagonist. Not the PROtagonist.
Oliver Stone
- - Best: JFK
- - Worst: Alexander
Steven Spielberg
- - Best: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Saving Private Ryan
- - Worst: War of the Worlds
Stanley Kubrick
- - Best: A Clockwork Orange
- - Least favorite: Spartacus

Andrew’s 3 most recognizable Music Scores:
Jaws, Star Wars Main Theme, Superman

Kurt’s Picks…
Roman Polanski
- - Best: Chinatown - 2nd place: Death and the Maiden
- - Worst: The Fearless Vampire Killers or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth are in my Neck
Ridley Scott
- - Best: Blade Runner, Alien
- - Worst: Hannibal
Oliver Stone
- - Best: Talk Radio
- - Worst: Any Given Sunday
Steven Spielberg
- - Best: Jaws
- - Worst: A.I. (Artificial Intelligence)
Stanley Kubrick
- - Best: Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
- - Least favorite: Spartacus

Kurt’s 3 most recognizable Music Scores:
Jaws, The Good The Bad and The Ugly (great choice say I), The Emperor’s March (Empire Strikes Back)

Bottom 5 Directors Who have wasted Julianne Moore:
Steven Spielberg - The Lost Word
Ivan Reitman - Evolution
Ridley Scott - Hannibal
Gus Van Sant - Psycho (his shot-by-shot remake)
Richard Donner - Assassins

Top 5 Directors who let Julianne Moore shine:
Robert Altman - Short Cuts
The Coen’s - The Big Lebowski
Todd Haynes - Safe (also Far From Heaven)
P.T. Anderson - Boogie Nights (also Magnolia)
Alfonso Cuaron - Children of Men

Upcoming DVD set of Blade Runner - super special edition:

films discussed briefly in our director’s cut: Death and the Maiden, A Good Year, Natural Born Killers, Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Saving Private Ryan, Open Range, Full Metal Jacket

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Star Wars 30th Anniversary:

Stop back to the Blog Friday for the Star Wars Blog-a-thon and POST YOUR OWN ARTICLE!

Andrew Ranks:
A New Hope (5/5)
Return of the Jedi (4.5/5)
Empire Strikes Back (4.5/5)
Revenge of the Sith (4/5)
Attack of the Clones (3.5/5)
The Phantom Menace (2.5/5)

Kurt Ranks:
Empire (5/5)
Starwars (4/5)
Attack of the Clones (3/5)
Return of the Jedi (2.5/5)
The Phantom Menace (1/5)
Revenge of the Sith (0.5/5) - WRONG

Andrew’s VERY LONG and comprehensive review of Revenge of the Sith

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Todd (founder/editor of Twitchfilm.net) at Cannes

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This Week’s Homework:

Rest yourself before listening to this complete Cinecast

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Comments or questions?
feedback@moviepatron.com (general)
andrew@moviepatron.com
kurt@moviepatron.com
- - Kurt’s BLOG - This week, the fantastic “unusual, Aussie” western, The Proposition

     Speaking of Star Wars, I know this is kind of OFN, but it’s been updated and still makes me laugh.

**EXPLICIT**

C-3PO:
“Oh… my… goodness gracious me.
I’m a gay man’s golden fantasy.
Programmed for Homo-ecstacy…
10 million forms of gay positioning.
For my golden shower you must pay a fee…
but R2-D2 gives it up for free.”

Yes, I’m an immature child.

     In keeping with our Star Wars theme over the weekend (the 30th Anniversary of the greatest film of all time is on Friday - check back then for our thoughts and remembrances as part of the great Star Wars Blog-a-thon), here are some images of the toys Kenner rejected from the Lucasfilm merchandising department from MCmoran.org via Filmrot. I can’t figure out why they were rejected; I’d love to play with the force for a little while in my backyard…

click unwrap to see more toys…

UNWRAP TEXT or SHOW **SPOILER**

     Once again, Cinema Fusion hooks us up with the news of the new Star Wars “cartoon” that is in production as we speak. The news is two-fold. One, Lucasfilm has released the first one-sheet advert for the series that shows us the general look of what the show will be like. And two, according to StarWars.com, it is announced that at Celebration IV in L.A., California, there will be a panel of producers and the director to give fans a “behind the scenes” look into what the show will offer us.

     Sounds exciting. I enjoyed the animated series of a few years back that took place between episodes two and three. It was a little too kid friendly, but it pieced the films together nicely with some further insight into Grievous and other shallow characters from the film. I didn’t realize this is to be CG-animation. By the looks of the poster it sort of looks like a cross between the realism of films like Final Fantasy and the toonishness of Toy Story. Of course, that’s just the poster; so who knows what the final product will look like.