25th Anniversary of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

 

                                Back in April, I thought to myself that after watching The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare I figured that would most certainly be my only movie to see at the Movie Theater. Until my brother brought up the idea of going to see Star Wars: The Phantom Menace at one of our local theaters in the Tri-City area of Nebraska, I at first wasn't sure of the idea of reliving the Prequel Trilogy but it's a bro's night out so, can't complain. And to be honest it really brought back great and wonderful memories that only a true Star Wars fan could enjoy it brought back memories everyone was camping out at the local theater and everyone one dressing up in Star Wars costumes as well as having lightsaber duels, Moreover a time when Walmart or K-Mart (y’all remember K-Mart?) were selling Star Wars toys in full isles and it felt like a museum of wonder, oh if only I could go back to that time when everything was so simple.

                                Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is a young Jedi apprentice under the tutelage of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson); Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who will later Father Luke Skywalker and become known as Darth Vader, is just a 9-year-old boy. When the Trade Federation cuts off all routes to the planet of Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are assigned to settle the matter.

                                When I was a young kid one of the many films, I watched simultaneously watching the original film moreover renting the damn movie over and over from the local library. And really hearing the news back in 1997, that George Lucas was going to create another Star Wars Trilogy that is taking back to when there wasn't a Darth Vader or a Luke Skywalker or even a Han Solo, and me personally being a Darth Vader fan I was like "how can I watch a Star Wars movie without Darth Vader?" That is until I got a first look of Darth Maul, and I was intrigued furthermore hearing about the Jedi order, but most importantly hearing that there's a back story of Anakin Skywalker for which explains so much. So fast forward now to having finally re-watched Episode I, I felt personally that this was like opening my eyes as an older adult more like a wise Star Wars fan, and a lot of it goes through a ton of the language for which I never picked up as young kid. A great example of that is Senator Palpatine was really the mastermind the whole time in the prequel trilogy upon which his real name was indeed Darth Sidious and when I was a kid I never really quite understood that at the time or I was just blinded by the assumption only Sith can be Darth something, and I'm not going to lie I literally was just confused of okay, how is does Emperor Palpatine become what I remembered him furthermore re-watching Episode I was literally like a slap in the face because Palpatine was really Darth Sidious the whole time, Palpatine is really just a cover more like mask to what his real purpose is, almost like you he has that secret chamber to talk to his clients behind the Republic and sure at the time when I watched Episode III, all of it came into place and I was surprised but really it's almost like when you see the Prequels in the theater twenty five years ago I was like a young padawan and now I'm a full-fledged Jedi Master. And yet the other great thing about this film was being able to relive my memory of seeing Darth Maul on screen for the first time and I swear to you when I say this me and my brother both hold hands together when he appeared on screen for his first appearance and his iconic appearance in the Duel of Fates battle, and I can remember seeing him with the double bladed lightsaber moreover was just at awed of this character, that my mom was horrified because he reminded her so much of Satan. Dave Filoni once explained about the true nature behind the Duel of Fates, and that's Qui-Gon believes Anakin is the Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force, and although he sees it the Jedi Council doubts it because of grave danger his training will be and Qui-Gon distances himself from the Jedi because they're not seeing things clearly of what the order can be and more. For which really he would of been the perfect choice to train Anakin, but in the end Qui-Gon loses that battle and Anakin is trained into the old ways of the Jedi, and Obi-Wan through the course of the Prequel's was really never ready but promised his old master before he died so, Duel of Fates is really all about who will be the one to train Anakin Skywalker either the Jedi or Qui-Gon Jinn and that's really the nature of what the Duel of Fates battle between Darth Maul is all about. Now, having watched Episode I in the movie theater, man that was such a fun experience to relive and it brought back so many great memories that I will cherish for the rest of my days and more. Even though the release of Episode I one is probably in many selected theaters for which makes it impossible to go see at your local theater, though as a Star Wars fan I would highly recommend reliving the Star Wars Prequels Trilogy from start to finish.

         

Mother's Day Recommendation: The Quiet Man

 

                                      I know I'm way past the point of Mother's Day, but in my defense, I was suffering through a minor cold and chose to take a ton of drugs to make myself feel better along with drinking a lot of Sunny D and sleeping. Also, kids never listen to what the allergy med's box says in terms of directions like Mucinex, always take two tablets instead of one, you'll feel like a million bucks. Alright let’s get back to paying tribute to my mommy dearest. My parents through the years have always had us watching some of the movies that they loved and for my Dad it was a ton of John Wayne films that I grow and loved, though Mom for sure loved John Wayne as an actor and so her favorite movie of Wayne's as always been The Quiet Man, for which at the time was both John Wayne and John Ford's piece of work that was really the opposite of what they usually collaborated together.

                                      After accidentally killing an opponent in the ring, boxer Sean Thornton (John Wayne) leaves America and returns to his native Ireland, hoping to buy his family's homestead and live in peace. In doing so, he runs afoul of Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen), who long coveted the property. Spitefully, Will objects when his fiery sister Mary Kate (Maureen O'Hara), begins a romance with Sean, and refuses to hand over her dowry. Mary Kate refuses to consummate the marriage until Sean retrieves the money.

                                       Now if you haven't seen John Ford film or John Wayne film I'll explain these two American icons in a nut shell, John Ford was really the godfather of the golden age western genre in all fairness he was literally the Taylor Sheridan of that Golden Age of Hollywood, and a lot of his films really consist of going outside and shooting Cowboys and Indians furthermore really making something out of them and his go to Cowboy was John Wayne and the two of them each created one of the greatest Westerns of all time. So, around 1933 Ford read the short story that was based on The Quiet Man and soon purchased the rights to for just ten dollars. Fast forward to the release of the movie or production, Maurice Walsh was paid another $2,500 when Republic bought the idea, and he received a final payment of $3,750 when the film was made. Even, Republic Pictures agreed to finance the film with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in the starring roles as well as John Ford at the directing helm, but only if all three agreed to first film a Western with Republic, for which leads to the three's first collaboration Rio Grande, then after that film they each headed to Ireland to start shooting The Quiet Man. I am not going to say much when it comes to the directing of John Ford because the man won Best Director for the film at the Oscars, and both Wayne and O'Hara who I grew up watching McClintock (which is another great film these two did together) and really the two of them each have such great chemistry together that Wayne himself said that Maureen O'Hara was his favorite on screen woman, in fact it was O'Hara that converted Wayne to Christianity in later life so, which explains why they we're such a great couple in this film furthermore why they chose to do more films together. Sure the stars we're great as always, but the supporting cast deserves some credit in making the film amazing as it is, especially when majority of the supporting cast we're all full-fledged Irish actors, like Barry Fitzgerald does such a great job being the good friend to Wayne guiding him through the ways of Ireland I really couldn't image anyone to play that character especially when Fitzgerald share a small music singing session with Maureen O'Hara. Another one who needs to share some spotlight, is Victor Young who composed the music to the Quiet Man moreover was a friend of John Ford, for a million reasons it's the one music score where O'Hara's family stated Maureen listened to the music from The Quiet Man during her final hours, the same with the late filmmaker George Romero who re-invented the zombie genre. One of best romantic comedies of all time, and I can see why this is my mom’s all-time favorite John Wayne movie. Moreover, a perfect St. Patty's Day movie to watch but most importantly if there is any John Wayne I would recommend to anyone who hasn't seen any of the duke’s amazing films and trust me when I say this, it's a large list. 

           

Godzilla (1954)

 

                             So once again, expanding my horizons in terms of films I haven't touched, and luckily all thanks to Max I found a film that I had no clue was really able to stream on TV, but deep down all that thanks goes to Max for being able to stream these films even though they own a lot of the Turner Classic movie archives, but still thank the lord for Max because if I didn't discover this great Monster classic. I'm not going to lie when I discovered that Max brought out a tone of the old school Godzilla movies from the early fifties to seventies, I was surprised but more importantly, more excited because this was something I'd never seen but most certainly wanted to experience as a movie watcher as well as a fan of classic films.

                             Underwater hydrogen bomb testing awakens a fire-breathing monster from its centuries-long sleep, and it soon starts to terrorize Japan.

                             Why the very first Godzilla intrigued me was that this was one of the very few films that truly started the monster movie craze, though sure America came out with the craze from King Kong and maybe Frankenstein and Dracula? Though I may have to dive deep into if those two films would count. But really what makes the earlier Godzilla movies a hidden gem because it has a lot of great passionate filmmakers and visual effects guys taking small sets and toy tanks and helicopters and really making something out of it and yes if you feel intrigued in wanting to watch the OG of Monster films, they have a ton of toy tanks and helicopter layouts as well as a ton of tubs of water with toy like boats. But really that's what you had to do back in those days when there was no such thing green screen or visual effects nor any of the technology that you can pull off now. If you were wanting to make any of these kinds of films, you had to rely a lot on things you had to work with, and the Japanese filmmakers did a fantastic job relying on things they had to work with and build something special. Hell, you can look at some of the earlier Power Rangers episodes and learn that all the Megazord battles were basically a guy in Robot costume, lizard costume or any bizarre costume and would film these big giant battles. Even with this movie there is a great human story as well as a Japanese Oppenheimer story line of creating a bomb that could help destroy the monster but would also be made by the wrong people who would most certainly destroy all of humanity and even combining with the monster and human story makes for a great entertaining movie from start to finish. This movie alone ranks up there in one of the greatest monster movies ever made, for a billion reasons its old school relying on production designs and really making them great to see on screen. Now granted this is made in Japan so, a ton of subtitles and so I can't tell you to watch the movie right away or have the patience with English subtitles all I can say is take your time moreover keep your mind in like a mellow state of mind, that's basically all I can tell you. And yet I would still highly recommend watching the original Godzilla and I promise you that you'll have a blast watching the monster sequences all the way through.

  

Logan's Run

 

                                       Again, going through a quest of finding movies I haven't touched or had the interest to watch, well this one is defiantly one of those films that has that unique like visual setting but most importantly in unappreciative classic that most certainly needs to be seen. There have been a ton of Science Fiction films from the sixties and early seventies (before Star Wars), that at times where just flat out weird beyond measure great example Barbarella, but then there movies like Westworld and Logan's Run where they share unique and thinking aspects of what the future would bring, long before we're all gone and this is defiantly a unique story but most importantly underappreciated upon which needs to be seen.  

                                       In the year 2274, young residents enjoy an idyllic, hedonistic lifestyle within the protective confines of a domed city. The general belief is that when each person turns 30, they are reincarnated for another blissful life cycle. Those who know the much darker truth become "runners" and flee to a hidden sanctuary. When law enforcement officer Logan (Michael York) goes undercover to locate the refuge, he winds up instead trying to initiate a revolution with runner Jessica (Jenny Aguitter).

                                       Logan's Run was one of those films I found out while watching an episode from Community. After watching it I browsed the episode on Wikipedia furthermore Logan's Run appeared as one of those inspirations behind that episode. So, Logan's Run was one of those films that I began watching the trailer on YouTube just intrigued by the concept but most importantly the setting as well as the tone of the film. It's really a different level when you look at the generations era, the sixties were all about the western's when it came to movies but through the course of the sixties we get these ground breaking Science Fiction books like Dune and Logan's Run that was expanding are imagination and this was long before Star Wars, but yet it was books like this that helped us expand our imagination. The adaption alone was going through development hell where it was nearly impossible to adapted, until David Zelag Goodman came up with a different script and changed the age so it would be easier to find good actors to cast for the film. The thing that struck me the most is the production and set design because when it comes to the sixties and early seventies when you look at those science fiction films were all about exotic locations and production sets that you had to build out of nothing mostly rely on a lot of production studios as well and the amusing thing while watching the movie is the escalators they have as part of the domed city which I find to be amusing because I figured they shot at a local Mall somewhere in America until I looked it up and noticed they filmed those scenes at the Dallas Market Center, so really when it comes to the science fiction films before Star Wars they really took the time and effort to find some of these locations to film as a backup plan in order to save the money. The film does seem at times a bit dull but once it gets going it really does show the nature of humanity and what the fear of what the future will bring and hopefully, I won't be able see that but hopefully it won't come to that. Michael York has the most character arc in the entire movie where he at first is a savage but then becomes more concerned of humanity even if it means exposing the lies his fellow members are following on, and the fact that Michael York is best known for this movie alone is kind of sad though he's mad some films but we've all never heard of them but deep down it is what it is. I actually recommend watching Logan's Run I truly think it's one of the most unique movies to watch in the seventies though in all honesty it’s a kind of joy to watch something that's new and different furthermore expanding though films something out of my comfort zone so this was a good once over movie that's fun to watch and also is on Tubi, so it's free aside from the commercials so really you're not wasting you money on anything.

 

Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection

 

                            With, May 4th looming, also known as the celebration of Star Wars, and this hidden gem of classic Star Wars games released months ago, and since I'm playing a good portion of the game on my PS5. Well, either way I figured what better way than to share a short review of Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection. Now I have nothing against EA's version of Battlefront because they both great especially with the games now there are both great updated versions of a classic games from PS2 and X-Box era. But the old school of Lucas Arts, Star Wars Battlefront is one of the greatest Star Wars games ever created.

                           The original Battlefront games were without a doubt one of the most fun games I've ever, played in fact I can honestly say that out of all the PlayStation 2 games I played through the years it was always any Star Wars games and Mortal Kombat. Now playing these classics I can honestly see the similarities between Lucas Arts and EA are different, though they do have one thing in common and that's each of their sequels more amazing than their predecessor. Playing the games together I can always say that the blaster riffle was always the weapon of choice when it comes to the battlefront old school and when you trying to win a trophy of success like Battlefront II for example it's hard to replace the blaster rife and even trying the shot gun or Gatling gun that the clone commander uses, there's no stopping those two weapons of choices. No matter what it does take some time to adjust but really when you take some time to adjust and replay some of the levels there fun to play especially when you play the first Battlefront game and must make some adjustments when you're playing as the Republic army and you’re up against the Destroyer Droids, man they were tough to beat. There are some minor things I have a problem with. A lot of it goes without having to adjust the first-person settings but again if you’re not up for first person you can always adjust the options so, no shame in that. As a Star Wars fan, I would most certainly recommend playing the classic collection of Star Wars Battlefront for a billion reasons it's fun, it makes you feel smart in terms of a general and most importantly you can play these great Star Wars games to till sunup. Now, I frankly am pondering why everyone had a problem with the remake version of these two old school games? Though in all fairness I think it's more of a getting old phase that we all have that thing in common but don't need to be a troll about it, just pointing that out to the critics who review games I mean life's too short you might as well enjoy what you have unless you have your PS2 and the first two original Star Wars Battlefront games.

 

God of War: Ragnarok

 

                                 Praise be to the Good Lord himself, I finally finished playing God of War: Ragnarök though I didn't finish all of it since the latest DLC came out. But deep down I decided to call it good, mainly it was a matter of how far I can go in terms to push myself to the limit and really it was wearing me out because even I was just having my a** handed to me at times and it was like "Okay I'm officially calling it good". And although I finished the game as best I could, I still look at this as one of the greatest modern video games of all time, and more importantly one of the cinematic masterpieces in video game history.

                                 The thing about what makes these latest God of War games special is that they really focus on the human side of Kratos really shows the struggles he faces through the course of the story moreover focuses on the relationship between his son and friends and although there moments of tragedy but it's also getting to feel more for Kratos as not just a God but more importantly a human being and a father at the same time. For which is a new story line to really appreciate, even though it does become slow at first in the 2018 game but when you play Ragnarök you really become struck at the father and son dynamic but is also a great thing to witness as a gamer mainly because when you've played the original God of War games, they were simply just a demi-god who reached the point of madness and decided to become death the destroyer of words and I wasn't going to lie when after finishing God of War III and seeing the secret ending I was like well how is this going to turn out because I really thought this was just past it's prime, but years and years now and even after the fourth game the way the creators are able to transform the game alone is just amazing and even more better than the original but in all fairness they're separate games because each of them are great in their own right but each of them have the puzzle and action adventure while the other has the open world and action adventure at the same time so, deep down both Greek God of War and Viking God of War are great but very different in their own right. Another great example of how different both Greek and Viking God of War games are is that these games you have to simply upgrade your armor because if you don't then you're in danger of getting killed by much stronger adversaries, and I played the game on EASY mode and yet one side mission I'm having a hard time getting beat by one of my adversaries and it goes on and on and to tell you the truth that was at that moment when I decided to just like hurry up with the game and get it over with because yeah even trying to accomplish all of the side missions just ware me out, so if you're ever wanting to play any of the Norse God of War games probably play the side missions later or if some you can handle probably just work on those and due the rest latter. All that said this was one of the most fun and exciting games I've ever played, without a doubt one of the best God of War games yet and I can say that because I've lived through the God of War universe. So, if you're a fan of Play Station I would highly recommend playing both God of War: Ragnarök on both PS4 and PS5.