Hey, I've got video editing software now, so visit my channel to check out my videos.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7R9ekLWcGp8B2CRvVWJscQ
Enjoy. Post a comment if you like what you see (or helpful criticism if you don't).
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Thursday, June 26, 2014
"Doctor Who" Fourth Series Drink Ideas
This isn't a drinking game (though if you want one of those, take a shot every time you see an actor who was in a Harry Potter movie). Rather, I've matched a drink to every episode of the fourth series of Doctor Who. Why? I was bored.
"Voyage of the Damned": Champagne or red wine, as it's Christmas on a luxurious ship
"Partners in Crime": Martini or Manhattan.
"The Fires of Pompeii": A Flaming Volcano, of course. Or, if you want something hot, a Bloody Maria.
"Planet of the Ood": To complement the snowy setting, a Mint Julep. Or, cocoa mixed with Peppermint Schnapps (and if you've got a mint melt-away to cut up and toss in, even better).
"The Sontaran Stratagem": Curacao Cooler, to match the green slime the clones crawl out of.
"The Poison Sky": Toxic Waste.
"The Doctor's Daughter": Hard one. Either a Green Iguana or Crocodile, because of the Hath.
"The Unicorn and the Wasp": Harvey Wallbanger. Obviously. Or, for something appropriate to the 1920s, whiskey on the rocks or a gin and tonic. Or, to match the Doctor and Donna, lime soda and a Sidecar.
"Silence in the Library": Zombie
"Forest of the Dead": Screwdriver. I have seen recipes online for a Sonic Screwdriver using Blue Curacao, lime soda/orange juice, and vodka, so that is also an option.
"Midnight": Strawberry Margarita, as Donna's seen with one at the beginning. You might want to drink it afterwards when you need a pick-me-up.
"Turn Left": Donna and the Doctor seem to be drinking root beer floats, so match it with a Root Beer Fizz. Also a dark episode that might need a pick-me-up at the end.
"The Stolen Earth": Hasta La Vista Baby.
"Journey's End": Since so many companions join up for the ending, go for a drink with lots of ingredients, like a Bahama Breeze or a Creole Champagne.
"Voyage of the Damned": Champagne or red wine, as it's Christmas on a luxurious ship
"Partners in Crime": Martini or Manhattan.
"The Fires of Pompeii": A Flaming Volcano, of course. Or, if you want something hot, a Bloody Maria.
"Planet of the Ood": To complement the snowy setting, a Mint Julep. Or, cocoa mixed with Peppermint Schnapps (and if you've got a mint melt-away to cut up and toss in, even better).
"The Sontaran Stratagem": Curacao Cooler, to match the green slime the clones crawl out of.
"The Poison Sky": Toxic Waste.
"The Doctor's Daughter": Hard one. Either a Green Iguana or Crocodile, because of the Hath.
"The Unicorn and the Wasp": Harvey Wallbanger. Obviously. Or, for something appropriate to the 1920s, whiskey on the rocks or a gin and tonic. Or, to match the Doctor and Donna, lime soda and a Sidecar.
"Silence in the Library": Zombie
"Forest of the Dead": Screwdriver. I have seen recipes online for a Sonic Screwdriver using Blue Curacao, lime soda/orange juice, and vodka, so that is also an option.
"Midnight": Strawberry Margarita, as Donna's seen with one at the beginning. You might want to drink it afterwards when you need a pick-me-up.
"Turn Left": Donna and the Doctor seem to be drinking root beer floats, so match it with a Root Beer Fizz. Also a dark episode that might need a pick-me-up at the end.
"The Stolen Earth": Hasta La Vista Baby.
"Journey's End": Since so many companions join up for the ending, go for a drink with lots of ingredients, like a Bahama Breeze or a Creole Champagne.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Ashen Winter review
Golly, what happened?
Okay, this is a continuation of Ashfall, the book where a super-volcano has erupted and sent the world into nuclear winter. That alone gives more than enough conflict for a novel. It was a pretty gripping book. In the sequel Ashen Winter, the main plotline is that Alex wants to find his parents, who set out in search of him in the first book. Darla is coming with him. (And apparently they don't have to worry about filtering the air they breathe anymore.) This plot just retreads the first book, only searching for parents instead of the whole family this time. I understand wanting to be reunited with some family in the first book, but in this book, Alex's decision is sheer stupidity. He has a really good setup with his relatives--shelter, food, protection, medical access, etc. Why would he drop all that to go try to find his parents, who could easily be dead, and who anyway would most likely NOT want their son risking his life in the post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland to go find them? Most, if not all, parents would say, "I don't care about my life, but I want my children to live. Don't go risking your life looking for us, son." That is a pretty stupid move. His uncle should have told him that rather than encouraging his journey. I had the thought that, if he did get back to his hometown, he would find that his parents didn't find him, so went back to Warren, and he has to go back again, and the series turns to self-parody. That would be entertaining than what we got.
Only here's what else happens: they have to elude roaming bandits, cannibals, lots of injuries and setbacks, and repressive governments who want to imprison everyone not in a city in a harsh work camp. All that creates too much conflict, as in so much stuff happens that, every time something else comes up, I sigh in frustration that the main plot is delayed AGAIN to deal with some setback, only for the plot to get back on the rails in 10 pages. There's a difference between giving your characters obstacles to overcome, and throwing every roadblock plus your mother chucking a kitchen sink at them. At a certain point, too many obstacles start to feel contrived, as this one did (and this was only 150 pages in!), because when you chuck too many things at the characters, each individual thing loses significance. So much crap has happened to them already that you know they'll overcome it and get on to the next roadblock in a few pages, so when the big conflict comes up, you don't recognize it's significance. Imagine if the Imperials kept capturing the Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back every time they pursued them, and the gang kept escaping. The capture and escape at Cloud City, the climax of the film, wouldn't have the same significance--we'd just think, "Again?!" This book should have been half or a third the length it was--it needed serious tightening. The last thing you want to feel is frustration when you should be feeling suspense.
For example, at one point Alex wants to leave a city, and the benevolent mayor says no, because, "He's a child and children are our future." I thought, "That's a stupid, ten-cent plot device." It was only put in so that he could escape the city 20 pages later. Might as well have cut it out. About half the chapters end this way, with some roadblock--someone discovering him, pointing a gun at him, etc. It's all too much. Actually, to the mayor's response, I thought, "Let him go. This kid does so many stupid things in this book that you should let him leave, because maybe he'll get killed off and his genes will not be able to contaminate the rest of the world."
About 200 pages into a 600-page book, something infuriating happens: (SPOILER ALERT, I guess) Alex very stupidly tries to save some people he's never met by, get this brilliant plan, spontaneously waving his arms around. Seriously, he has no plan for saving people other than by blatantly getting their attention. He didn't even know they existed ten seconds ago. Unsurprisingly, someone notices him, and Darla is shot and falls off an overpass, presumably dying. Actually, I would have loved if that had happened: putting in a plot twist like that would have been a gutsy move. But no, Alex is sure she's alive, and derails his save-the-parents plotline to go on a rescue-Darla plot. 200 pages later, this side plot is still not resolved, and actually becomes the main plot. In fact, during this side plot, the main plot is unceremoniously resolved. At that point, I made a Godzilla-roar of frustration. So you're telling me they sidelined the main plotline, then just ended it like that? Oh, and when they get to where Darla was sent, they find out she just was taken somewhere else. (screams unintelligibly) (END SPOILERS, I suppose)
The book also keeps going on once both "main" plots are resolved, and then ends with yet another roadblock that isn't even resolved in the book! Alex even says that what's going to happen is stupid, but he's going to help anyway! What was Mullin's support team doing? You don't build to a climax, resolve it, and then introduce something completely new at the end of the book. You've had an emotional break--don't muddle it up with something else. Again, this would be like if in The Empire Strikes Back, the gang finds some kind of Imperial blockade on the way to the Rebel Fleet, then never makes it to the Rebellion, instead planning to do something idiotic to get back to the Fleet. At this point, I was ready for someone to just nuke the town and have the rest of the story be descriptions of all animal and plant life on earth slowly dying.
There was also a bit of a problem when action scenes came around. I found it hard to visualize them and felt that they would have worked much better if I could have seen them, like a Raiders of the Lost Ark ripoff when someone is hanging underneath a truck for over 10 pages. I actually liked the situation, but kept thinking, "I would enjoy this if only I could see the mechanics of how he's moving around underneath."
The second act in a trilogy should be the darkest one, but I think Mullin took that trope too far here. A few bits of well-placed conflict work wonders over lots and lots of little things.
Please, third book, improve. If I even want to read it after this mess.
Okay, this is a continuation of Ashfall, the book where a super-volcano has erupted and sent the world into nuclear winter. That alone gives more than enough conflict for a novel. It was a pretty gripping book. In the sequel Ashen Winter, the main plotline is that Alex wants to find his parents, who set out in search of him in the first book. Darla is coming with him. (And apparently they don't have to worry about filtering the air they breathe anymore.) This plot just retreads the first book, only searching for parents instead of the whole family this time. I understand wanting to be reunited with some family in the first book, but in this book, Alex's decision is sheer stupidity. He has a really good setup with his relatives--shelter, food, protection, medical access, etc. Why would he drop all that to go try to find his parents, who could easily be dead, and who anyway would most likely NOT want their son risking his life in the post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland to go find them? Most, if not all, parents would say, "I don't care about my life, but I want my children to live. Don't go risking your life looking for us, son." That is a pretty stupid move. His uncle should have told him that rather than encouraging his journey. I had the thought that, if he did get back to his hometown, he would find that his parents didn't find him, so went back to Warren, and he has to go back again, and the series turns to self-parody. That would be entertaining than what we got.
Only here's what else happens: they have to elude roaming bandits, cannibals, lots of injuries and setbacks, and repressive governments who want to imprison everyone not in a city in a harsh work camp. All that creates too much conflict, as in so much stuff happens that, every time something else comes up, I sigh in frustration that the main plot is delayed AGAIN to deal with some setback, only for the plot to get back on the rails in 10 pages. There's a difference between giving your characters obstacles to overcome, and throwing every roadblock plus your mother chucking a kitchen sink at them. At a certain point, too many obstacles start to feel contrived, as this one did (and this was only 150 pages in!), because when you chuck too many things at the characters, each individual thing loses significance. So much crap has happened to them already that you know they'll overcome it and get on to the next roadblock in a few pages, so when the big conflict comes up, you don't recognize it's significance. Imagine if the Imperials kept capturing the Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back every time they pursued them, and the gang kept escaping. The capture and escape at Cloud City, the climax of the film, wouldn't have the same significance--we'd just think, "Again?!" This book should have been half or a third the length it was--it needed serious tightening. The last thing you want to feel is frustration when you should be feeling suspense.
For example, at one point Alex wants to leave a city, and the benevolent mayor says no, because, "He's a child and children are our future." I thought, "That's a stupid, ten-cent plot device." It was only put in so that he could escape the city 20 pages later. Might as well have cut it out. About half the chapters end this way, with some roadblock--someone discovering him, pointing a gun at him, etc. It's all too much. Actually, to the mayor's response, I thought, "Let him go. This kid does so many stupid things in this book that you should let him leave, because maybe he'll get killed off and his genes will not be able to contaminate the rest of the world."
About 200 pages into a 600-page book, something infuriating happens: (SPOILER ALERT, I guess) Alex very stupidly tries to save some people he's never met by, get this brilliant plan, spontaneously waving his arms around. Seriously, he has no plan for saving people other than by blatantly getting their attention. He didn't even know they existed ten seconds ago. Unsurprisingly, someone notices him, and Darla is shot and falls off an overpass, presumably dying. Actually, I would have loved if that had happened: putting in a plot twist like that would have been a gutsy move. But no, Alex is sure she's alive, and derails his save-the-parents plotline to go on a rescue-Darla plot. 200 pages later, this side plot is still not resolved, and actually becomes the main plot. In fact, during this side plot, the main plot is unceremoniously resolved. At that point, I made a Godzilla-roar of frustration. So you're telling me they sidelined the main plotline, then just ended it like that? Oh, and when they get to where Darla was sent, they find out she just was taken somewhere else. (screams unintelligibly) (END SPOILERS, I suppose)
The book also keeps going on once both "main" plots are resolved, and then ends with yet another roadblock that isn't even resolved in the book! Alex even says that what's going to happen is stupid, but he's going to help anyway! What was Mullin's support team doing? You don't build to a climax, resolve it, and then introduce something completely new at the end of the book. You've had an emotional break--don't muddle it up with something else. Again, this would be like if in The Empire Strikes Back, the gang finds some kind of Imperial blockade on the way to the Rebel Fleet, then never makes it to the Rebellion, instead planning to do something idiotic to get back to the Fleet. At this point, I was ready for someone to just nuke the town and have the rest of the story be descriptions of all animal and plant life on earth slowly dying.
There was also a bit of a problem when action scenes came around. I found it hard to visualize them and felt that they would have worked much better if I could have seen them, like a Raiders of the Lost Ark ripoff when someone is hanging underneath a truck for over 10 pages. I actually liked the situation, but kept thinking, "I would enjoy this if only I could see the mechanics of how he's moving around underneath."
The second act in a trilogy should be the darkest one, but I think Mullin took that trope too far here. A few bits of well-placed conflict work wonders over lots and lots of little things.
Please, third book, improve. If I even want to read it after this mess.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Breakdown of "Animaniacs" Segments by Character
After wondering just how many Pinky and the Brain episodes were made for Animaniacs, I decided to look at the episode listings and do a full breakdown of how many sketches there were for each character/s. For simplicity's sake, I did not include bridging segments and vignettes (Good Idea Bad Idea, Randy Beaman, Dot's Poetry Corner, Wheel of Morality, etc.) except for very consistent ones that are mentioned on the DVD boxes, like Testimonials and Animator's Alley. They went under Warners.
Crossovers are segments where characters from different sketches interact in the same segment for a lengthy time beyond a typical cameo--i.e. the Warner Bros. and Slappy in "Baghdad Cafe," the Warners and Pinky/Brain in "Hercules Unwound," and the whole cast in "Animaniacs Suite." Things like Pinky and the Brain appearing at the end of "A Hard Day's Warner" or Slappy as the tree in "Jokahontas" don't count. The last one is "Other," which are one-shots like "A Gift of Gold," "Wings Take Heart," and "Skullhead Boneyhands." (BTW I counted "Little Old Slappy from Pasadena" as a Slappy sketch and not a song because 1) it uses the actual song and 2) nobody in the short sings it.)
Allow for a small margin of error, especially for the Warners.
Warners: 102
Pinky and the Brain: 18 (plus 65 in their own TV show, one of which was the crossover "Star Warners")
Slappy: 28
Goodfeathers: 14
Rita and Runt: 12
Buttons and Mindy: 14
Chicken Boo: 12
Minerva Mink: 2
Hip Hippos: 5
Katie Ka-boom: 6
Songs: 42
Crossovers: 15
Other: 10
Crossovers are segments where characters from different sketches interact in the same segment for a lengthy time beyond a typical cameo--i.e. the Warner Bros. and Slappy in "Baghdad Cafe," the Warners and Pinky/Brain in "Hercules Unwound," and the whole cast in "Animaniacs Suite." Things like Pinky and the Brain appearing at the end of "A Hard Day's Warner" or Slappy as the tree in "Jokahontas" don't count. The last one is "Other," which are one-shots like "A Gift of Gold," "Wings Take Heart," and "Skullhead Boneyhands." (BTW I counted "Little Old Slappy from Pasadena" as a Slappy sketch and not a song because 1) it uses the actual song and 2) nobody in the short sings it.)
Allow for a small margin of error, especially for the Warners.
Warners: 102
Pinky and the Brain: 18 (plus 65 in their own TV show, one of which was the crossover "Star Warners")
Slappy: 28
Goodfeathers: 14
Rita and Runt: 12
Buttons and Mindy: 14
Chicken Boo: 12
Minerva Mink: 2
Hip Hippos: 5
Katie Ka-boom: 6
Songs: 42
Crossovers: 15
Other: 10
Monday, January 28, 2013
Similarites between "The Terminator" and "Aliens"
These are some similarities I noticed between The Terminator and Aliens:
1) Both were directed and written by James Cameron, with Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, and Bill Paxton, produced by Gale Anne Hurd, with creatures by Stan Winston. If an actor dies in one movie, he doesn't die in the other: Paxton's death is not confirmed in The Terminator, as he's merely shoved aside, so he's counted as living.
2) Similar company names: Cyberdyne from The Terminator, Hyperdyne from Aliens.
3) There's a mention of a "phased plasma rifle."
4) Michael Biehn's right hand is bitten by a human.
5) Michael Biehn's character has a similar pump shotgun in both movies.
6) Michael Biehn is wounded near the end, and a woman helps him along.
7) The title villain is vanquished by the heroine using machinery: Sarah with the hydraulic press, Ripley with the load lifter and docking bay.
8) The climaxes have similar looks, with claustrophobic locations, blue, white and red colors, lots of metal, and smoke.
9) Lance Henriksen is a robot in Aliens; he originally was going to play the Terminator. If that had happened, then his character in both movies would have ended up as a torso.
10) A robot ends up as a torso that keeps moving.
9) Lance Henriksen is a robot in Aliens; he originally was going to play the Terminator. If that had happened, then his character in both movies would have ended up as a torso.
10) A robot ends up as a torso that keeps moving.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Samurai X
Samurai X, the OVAs to the popular series Rurouni Kenshin. The new title may throw off some viewers. Kenshin's not a samurai but an assassin, and the scar is never refered to as an X, only as "cross-shaped." Maybe a more appropriate name would be "Assassin Cross." Wow, that's cool. But a name change is appropriate. "Samurai" because Kenshin is refered to as a samurai a couple times in the manga, and "X," likely because "X" was a former movie rating designating mature adult content, lets people know that this story is for adults, not the teenagers the series targeted. As well, looking at the cover, in which the "X" nearly covers the word "samurai" is symbolic: this show coverse the end of the Edo period, in which the samurai class came to an end, or was ex-ed out.
Samurai X is violent and about violence. Plenty of films have abundant violence (I don't need to give you any examples, I'm sure), but most of them aren't mature explorations of violence and its consequences. These OVAs show us that violence is messy: you will get bloody, you will get that pretty dunk woman bloody, you will kill people who are fighting for ideals just as you are, the people you kill will leave behind family and friends who will miss them, and you will deal with the psychological pain for the rest of your life. And that's really all I have to say. That's all I can say without spoiling it.
Trust & Betrayal is one of the best things ever animated. It is the Star Wars prequels done right: a nine-year-old orphan (Kenshin) sold into slavery after his parents die is rescued by an expert swordsman (Hiko) who follows a special form of fighting and takes the boy to train him after he sees him do a physically-demanding task. Kenshin then turns his back on his master when a war comes up, trying to save people while killing as many as he can. Hiko is Obi-Wan and Yoda,and what the prequel Jedi should have been: one of a group of knights that basically keep to themselves and help people wherever they find injustice (rather than being a practically militant group who fight in wars). Hiko doeos not want Kenshin to fight a war and align himself with a side: he should deal with injustice on a case-by-case basis, wielding a sword for the world, an idea young Kenshin cannot grasp. We then see the consequences of his brash choice, one that will haunt him the rest of his life.
And the art is some of the best ever put to paper. Not only the art, but the animation. There's a part where Kenshin takes a piece out of a fish with chopsticks; usually any bites taken out will be foreground, while the fish is background, so the two pieces will look different visually. Here, the entire fish looks like the background; he pulls a piece out, and the hole in the fish looks like the background still. Hard to describe, I know, but I was dazzled by the effort put into the smallest of movements.
Now that I've finally got the hang of reading manga, I've read the final volumes to see how the story ends. I thought that the explanation of how Kenshin got his scar was better in the OVA. It didn't seem plausible in the manga, nor was the explanation worthy of one of the most iconic scars in literature/film, whereas the anime changes it to be poignant and tragic.
Reflection finally cements what the whole Rurouni Kenshin story is: a character epic. We begin at "Trust" seeing a young, inexperienced Shinta. Then we see his assassin days, then his wanderings, then his regrets at his end days. Some people, even the creator, don't like it because of the melancholy, downer ending. Well, what did anyone expect? Megumi said at the end of season two that Kenshin's body was not capable of much more abuse, and Hiko states that Kenshin's body build is not strong enough to withstand Mitsurugi style and will deteriorate from using it. Added to that the psychological pressures of his former violent lifestyle, which war veterans will tell you never fully go away, I am not surprised to see what happened to Kenshin. It is sad, but understandable, and actually not as horrible as people think. There are a lot of things to be happy about in the way Kenshin comes to the end of his life. I'll give just one: he sticks to his vow never to kill again. That in itself merits a happy ending.
Do not watch Samurai X until you've seen Rurouni Kenshin. It is easy to follow, as it takes place earlier, but you do not need the explanation of the scars' origin hanging over your head during the more comedic series of the show.
Samurai X is violent and about violence. Plenty of films have abundant violence (I don't need to give you any examples, I'm sure), but most of them aren't mature explorations of violence and its consequences. These OVAs show us that violence is messy: you will get bloody, you will get that pretty dunk woman bloody, you will kill people who are fighting for ideals just as you are, the people you kill will leave behind family and friends who will miss them, and you will deal with the psychological pain for the rest of your life. And that's really all I have to say. That's all I can say without spoiling it.
Trust & Betrayal is one of the best things ever animated. It is the Star Wars prequels done right: a nine-year-old orphan (Kenshin) sold into slavery after his parents die is rescued by an expert swordsman (Hiko) who follows a special form of fighting and takes the boy to train him after he sees him do a physically-demanding task. Kenshin then turns his back on his master when a war comes up, trying to save people while killing as many as he can. Hiko is Obi-Wan and Yoda,and what the prequel Jedi should have been: one of a group of knights that basically keep to themselves and help people wherever they find injustice (rather than being a practically militant group who fight in wars). Hiko doeos not want Kenshin to fight a war and align himself with a side: he should deal with injustice on a case-by-case basis, wielding a sword for the world, an idea young Kenshin cannot grasp. We then see the consequences of his brash choice, one that will haunt him the rest of his life.
And the art is some of the best ever put to paper. Not only the art, but the animation. There's a part where Kenshin takes a piece out of a fish with chopsticks; usually any bites taken out will be foreground, while the fish is background, so the two pieces will look different visually. Here, the entire fish looks like the background; he pulls a piece out, and the hole in the fish looks like the background still. Hard to describe, I know, but I was dazzled by the effort put into the smallest of movements.
Now that I've finally got the hang of reading manga, I've read the final volumes to see how the story ends. I thought that the explanation of how Kenshin got his scar was better in the OVA. It didn't seem plausible in the manga, nor was the explanation worthy of one of the most iconic scars in literature/film, whereas the anime changes it to be poignant and tragic.
Reflection finally cements what the whole Rurouni Kenshin story is: a character epic. We begin at "Trust" seeing a young, inexperienced Shinta. Then we see his assassin days, then his wanderings, then his regrets at his end days. Some people, even the creator, don't like it because of the melancholy, downer ending. Well, what did anyone expect? Megumi said at the end of season two that Kenshin's body was not capable of much more abuse, and Hiko states that Kenshin's body build is not strong enough to withstand Mitsurugi style and will deteriorate from using it. Added to that the psychological pressures of his former violent lifestyle, which war veterans will tell you never fully go away, I am not surprised to see what happened to Kenshin. It is sad, but understandable, and actually not as horrible as people think. There are a lot of things to be happy about in the way Kenshin comes to the end of his life. I'll give just one: he sticks to his vow never to kill again. That in itself merits a happy ending.
Do not watch Samurai X until you've seen Rurouni Kenshin. It is easy to follow, as it takes place earlier, but you do not need the explanation of the scars' origin hanging over your head during the more comedic series of the show.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
100 Things I Love about “Return of the Jedi”
The last one. Also kept to 100 items.
1) Considering that Vader isn’t very forgiving, learning that the Emperor is even less forgiving is a scary thing to hear in the first scene.
2) Threepio knocking on the door, then less than a second later concludes that no one’s there so they can leave. He REALLY wants to go home.
3) When the droids go inside and Threepio is trying to get an audience with Jabba, Artoo makes a noise that sounds like, “I don’t know.”
4) The puppetry on Jabba—over a dozen people coming together to move one character. There’s smoke coming out of his mouth from his pipe. Good attention to detail.
5) “There will be no bargain.” “We’re doomed.”
6) Leia threatening to blow up herself and Jabba to get a little more money.
7) Jabba doesn’t care about the money as much as keeping Han as a living decoration.
8) The first thing we see Luke, our hero, do is Force choke some guards. In a cool black cloak. That we never see again. Pity.
9) And then he pulls off the Jedi Mind Trick.
10) Leia’s bikini. I don't mean Carrie Fisher--I like the costume itself. Although that metal would be terribly uncomfortable.
11) But, Luke’s black Jedi outfit is cooler. I modeled my own Jedi costume after it, using a sweater and its sleeves as an impromptu vest.
12) The Rancor pit music.
13) Luke fighting off the Rancor without any Force powers. Except maybe Force-guiding the skull into the control panel.
14) The Rancor dies…and its keeper rushes in and cries.
15) “How we doing?” “Same as always.” “That bad, huh?”
16) Luke’s green lightsaber. He made it with no human guidance and it looks great. Is it just me, or does his green saber look a lot thicker than any other saber in these movies?
17) The music that plays during their escape from Jabba.
18) Luke, who had to have the people he tried to rescue in The Empire Strikes Back rescue him, is now almost a one-man army. Awesome.
19) Luke jumps onto the sail barge; a guy leans out the window and Luke just pulls him out and keeps climbing.
20) The first instance of using a lightsaber to deflect blaster bolts.
21) That shot where Chewie looks up from holding Han up and growls, almost like he’s saying, “How do I get into these messes?”
22) Leia strangling Jabba.
23) Han trying to shoot the tentacle grabbing Lando while practically blind.
24) And the next line, “It’s all right. Trust me.” It’s like he’s saying, “Like I trusted you on Bespin.”
25) The guy shooting Luke’s hand, reminding us that it’s cybernetic and feels pain.
26) The black glove he wears for the rest of the film, giving us symbolism of his fighting the Dark Side and reminding us that he’s not wholly human anymore.
27) The Emperor’s arrival, walking with a cane and wearing a pagan-like cloak and hood.
28) Yoda’s only scene. Beautifully lit, scored, and acted. Does Yoda look so old? “Yes I do!” Hmm, I wonder, could the Force actually make Luke live to be 900?
28 1/2) After seeing Doctor Who, Yoda's line "When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not!" is suddenly hilarious.
28 1/2) After seeing Doctor Who, Yoda's line "When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not!" is suddenly hilarious.
29) Hamill’s performance in the scene in Yoda’s hut, especially his facial expressions.
30) “Unfortunate that you rushed to face him…that not ready for the burden were you.”
31) The music that plays when Yoda dies and disappears, with Luke’s expression. My goodness, John Williams scored that event and acting masterfully.
32) Luke looks back at Yoda’s hut and the firelight goes out.
33) Luke is truly on his own from now on, as the hero must be in the end.
34) That location where Luke and Obi-Wan talk.
35) Mon Mothma, the almost regal leader of the Rebellion.
36) The name “Shuttle Tyderium.”
37) And “Admiral Ackbar.” I keep thinking of him as Admiral Snackbar.
38) “Exciting is hardly the word I would choose.”
39) It’s kind of strange, but I seem to recall Han telling Lando that if he damages the Falcon, he’ll have to pay Han the repair damage. No line like this is in the film, so why do I remember it?
40) “I’m endangering the mission, I shouldn’t have come.” Luke knows that Vader knows the rebels have arrived, and instead of capturing them now has let them go. Han's relieved and thinks they've pulled a fast one, but Luke knows the truth and is more worried.
41) The shot of Luke and Leia after Han says, “Hey, it’s me.”
42) The speeder bike chase, with Leia going out to chase them without consulting anyone (maybe because she’s a committee). Although I will admit, the film does sag in pacing between the time they land on Endor and when they make allies with the Ewoks.
43) Luke taking out his saber to fight the trooper on the speeder bike.
44) Leia shooting the Stormtroopers with near-perfect accuracy.
45) “Parade of the Ewoks.” It’s perfect for ballet dancing.
46) Threepio regaling the Ewoks with their story, complete with sound effects. I knew there was a reason why the heroes dragged him around for three films!
47) The piece “Luke and Leia.” This was hardly used in the film and it’s a lovely piece.
48) The “reprisal” of the AT-AT on Endor. I’m still not quite sure what it’s doing there if they’re using AT-STs to locate rebels, but whatever—that elephant walker is still cool!
49) The conversation between Luke and Vader on Endor, with Vader seeing that Luke's built his own lightsaber, then Luke's line "Come with me." When Vader shakes the saber at Luke after Luke calls him Anakin, I always think, "What if that accidentally went off and skewered Luke?"
50) All the Rebel ships going into hyperspace.
51) The Ewok high-jacks a speeder and manages to make the whole plan work better.
52) Han tapping the Stormtrooper on the shoulder. Their whole plan hinged on that event.
53) The set of the Emperor’s throne room. Epic and Star Wars-y.
54) The shot of the Emperor’s chair turning around, framed by the backs of Vader’s and Luke’s heads. I gasped in awe when I saw it in widescreen for the first time. Amazing what a little shot composition can do.
55) Han throwing the box at the Imperial in the bunker, who then falls backwards down the chasm.
56) “You Rebel scum!” Is that the name of a rock band?
57) Lando realizing that the Empire knew they were coming.
58) “It’s a trap!”
59) The shot of the TIE fighters instantly appearing. I always liked that they seemed to keep materializing out of nothing, like they could keep coming and coming in a never-ending stream. I suppose it was an effects error, but I love it!
60) The delivery of Luke telling the Emperor, “No” after seeing the space battle.
61) “The Forest Battle.”
62) Leia shooting the guy on top of the AT-ST with one shot.
63) Wicket knocking himself out with his own slingshot.
64) Artoo comes when called, ready to save the day as usual…and is electrocuted.
65) The space battle. Still love it.
66) The Death Star starts taking out Rebellion ships. Not just for planets anymore! Gosh, I hope Mon Mothma wasn’t on one of those ships.
67) “Cut to the left, I’ll take the leader.”
68) The tide only really turns when Chewie gets a hold of an AT-ST. The Ewoks are more of a distraction, but they do as well as they do because they know the terrain and are able to use it better than the Imperials (kinda like in Vietnam). The traps they make do work well, but they take some time to set up.
69) The reversal of “I love you.” “I know.”
70) Leia taking out two guys with two near simultaneous shots.
71) The shot of the lightsabers crossing in front of the Emperor’s laughing face. My favorite shot in the movie.
72) I was doing a widescreen to pan-and-scan comparison and put in the VHS of this movie. I was watching an old VHS on a high-definition set at midnight…and loved it. There was a strange charm to it, even though half the image was gone and VHS isn’t made for hi-def. I hadn’t enjoyed the movie like this in a few years. I think I’ll hold onto those tapes.
73) The dynamics of the lightsaber duel: Luke doesn’t want to fight and tries to tease the good side out of his father; Vader wants to induce Luke to fight to prove Vader has no good side; the Emperor is having a great time watching them fight and will accept whoever survives as his successor.
74) The shot of Luke and Vader on the stairs, lightsabers crossed, with the Emperor in the background. This shot was on the “Faces” VHS cover.
75) “If you will not fight, you will meet your destiny,” followed by the saber throw.
76) Luke’s face lit half in white light, half in blue.
77) Luke going berserk at the thought of Vader converting Leia.
78) And the choral music underscoring it.
79) Luke looking at his cybernetic hand, then at Vader’s, remembering his cave vision, and refuses to strike the final blow.
80) The act that makes Luke a Jedi is throwing down his sword.
81) You can see Han’s reflection behind him when he says, “Move” before the bunker blows up.
82) Force lightning? We’ve never seen anything like that before. The Emperor doesn’t need a lightsaber when he can shoot FRIGGIN’ LIGHTNING out of his fingers.
83) Vader realizes that all the power in the galaxy is insignificant next to the power of a son who loves and forgives him.
84) And the Emperor can’t even react to save himself because he’s in such shock—he was overconfident and never imagined Vader would betray him. I also like that Luke succeeds in destroying the Emperor in a different way than anyone expected. He doesn't kill anyone--he reaches out to his father's good side and gets through to Vader that he has goodness in him. Vader may have killed the Emperor, but without Luke believing in him, it never would have happened.
85) Vader’s skeleton lights up like an X-ray. Lets you see the damage his body’s sustained over time.
86) The Rebel ships going through the tunnel in the Death Star.
87) Wedge unlocks his foils from attack position to get through the tunnel. It takes less than half a second, but it’s there. What attention to detail.
88) The Falcon loses its satellite dish on the way.
89) Once when writing a paper, I had this movie on, and when the scene when the Executor blows up, I put the scene’s dialogue in the middle of the paper:
Guy #1: “Sir, we’ve lost our bridge deflector shield!”
Guy #2: “Intensify the forward batteries, I don’t want anything to get through…Intensify forward firepower!”
Guy in ship: “AHHHHH!!!”
Guy #3: “Too late!” (jump)
Then I acted it out to relieve the tension. I still do this almost every time I watch the movie, jumping onto the floor or couch. I’m such a nerd.
90) Isn’t it interesting that none of the Imperials stop to help Luke carry DARTH VADER, their COMMANDER and GUY WHO CHOKES THEM FOR MINOR INFRACTIONS?
91) The reveal of Vader’s face. Even better is that the music playing is a tender version of the villain music that has struck fear in us throughout the last two movies, "The Imperial March."
92) Vader telling Luke that he’s already been saved and that his son was right.
93) Luke cries as his father dies. Bless him.
94) I’m still on the edge of my seat, wondering if the Falcon is going to get out before the Death Star blows up.
95) The two kisses between Leia and Han. I’m not a big fan of kissing, but these were sweet, cinema kisses. And the second one was the icing.
96) Along with the juxtaposition of "Luke and Leia" and “Han Solo and the Princess.”
97) The funeral pyre and the final intense playing of the Force theme music as we mourn the loss of a villain we once hated who has found inner peace.
98) Luke returning to his friends, safe, and the embraces Leia and Han give him.
99) The original Ewok celebration music. It has a good dancing beat to it. I love the little beats as Luke is smiling while looking at the ghosts materializing.
100) The ghosts joining in at the party, and the absolute beam of fatherly pride that Shaw’s Anakin gives Luke. Anakin has returned. Kind of negates the whole purpose of the movie by replacing the older actor with the younger one.
101) And now, something I don’t like: it ends. The trilogy is over. But it was a good ride.
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