How I first saw “The Empire Strikes Back.” For this “May the 4th” day, I’d like to share a personal Star Wars story. When I was all of 13 in the summer of 1980, my family and I went to see “The Empire Strikes Back”, with my dad driving the hour and a half freeway…
Tag: #TheEmpireStrikesBack
Remembering Dave Prowse, the ‘force’ behind Darth Vader (1935-2020)…
The summer of 1977 was my first introduction to actor Dave Prowse. Not in person, of course, but when he (in character) boarded a captured Rebel starship in the opening scenes of “Star Wars” (pre-New Hope). I can never forget Prowse’s embodiment of that awesome black-clad villain. What an entrance! In fact, I still remember…
Age matters not: “The Empire Strikes Back” turns 40…
40 Years Ago, In A Theatre Not Too Far Away… This May (no, not May the 4th…the 21st) marks the 40th anniversary release of one of my all-time favorite movies, “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” (1980). The film was primarily written by George Lucas and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan (who would write many other…
So be it, Jedi: “Return of the Jedi”, 35 years later…
Time flies like the Millennium Falcon through hyperspace. Looking back 35 years (gasp!), I still tend to regard “Return of the Jedi” as the first genuine misstep of cinematic Star Wars (the runt of the original trilogy litter). I realize it is a favorite for some, and I’m not trying to challenge or argue anyone else’s opinion…