The Almost Version of Dune. Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 novel “Dune” gave rise to many things that influence sci-fi fantasy cinema this day; its terminology (“spice mines”) and trappings have been seen in popular franchises like “Star Wars” and later space operas. Herbert’s book is a dense, complex allegory of western colonialism, with various powerful…
Tag: Star Wars
“You must face Darth Vader again”: Returning to “Return of the Jedi”…
“Help me take this mask off.” A few years ago, I wrote a somewhat snarky, old guy-perspective of “Return of the Jedi,” and while I still stand by most of my criticisms of the movie (unoriginal story beats, a second Death Star, etc), I think what I needed now was to see the movie again…
Disney bakes “The Bad Batch” and other Star Wars treats for May…
May the 4th was strong with the Force. While my own household celebrated “May the 4th” in our own way, Disney+ also offered a slew of new Star Wars-related content for this unofficial Star Wars holiday, which is really a thing now. First up was the launch of a new post-“Clone Wars” Star Wars cartoon…
George Lucas’ original sci-fi epic, “THX-1138” (1971)…
******SPOILERS AHEAD!****** Past Prologue. In 1967, a 23 year-old USC graduate named George Lucas wrote and directed an ambitious futuristic short film called “Electronic Labyrinth THX-1138 4EB,” which chronicled the escape of a dissident (Dan Nachtsheim) from a futuristic dystopia. The film runs just 15 minutes, but it acquired a lot of notice for its…
The Mandalorian, Chapter 15: “The Believer” gets into the politics of Star Wars…
****BANTHA-SIZED SPOILERS!!!**** The latest chapter of DisneyPlus’ The Mandalorian is now available for streaming on DisneyPlus. Written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa, “The Believer” is, superficially, an action adventure story, and it can be enjoyed on that level, but it also digs a bit deeper into the politics of the Star Wars universe, which were…
The Mandalorian, Chapter 14: “The Tragedy” really shakes things up…
****BANTHA-SIZED SPOILERS!!!**** The latest chapter of DisneyPlus’ The Mandalorian is now available for streaming on DisneyPlus, and this brief, 32 minute installment packs a lot of power into its short running time. Written by Jon Favreau and directed by Robert Rodriguez (“Spy Kids” “From Dusk Till Dawn”), “The Tragedy” is the very definition of edge-of-your-seat…
Musings of a Middle-Aged Geek 