it was boring too - nothing epic happened. and the acting was sub par and the feeling I had afterward was not a feeling you want people to feel once they have completed a viewing of a movie

So uh....what was the movie about? And just out and tell us without beating around the bush. Did you like the movie or not?

Liberty, there are movies you actually don't enjoy? How can it be?! Cheeky! I appreciate your review as I won't bother watching it now.

I recently re-watched Star Wars: A New Hope for the gazzilionth time. I was a bit discouraged. While I enjoyed the movie, it doesn't seem to ignite my imagination like it used too. Maybe I need more than just an interesting world, unique creatures and visual/special effects to keep me interested.

You can tell a lot of hard work went into the movie and yet that it was given a rather modest budget, when you factor in the scope of it all. It's like the most expensive independent movie ever, in that everything was very hands-on, there was huge amount of experimentation, it went over-budget, it was very different to other movies at the time (a huge risk), it was charming but slightly cheesy. It's possible that it's that Special Edition doesn't mesh well with the original version. I don't mind some changes but there are some that are pointless, silly and just lame. You can tell that it's a very experimental film and I'm thankful for how it changed cinema forever.

I've been reading a book all about the joys and trials of George Lucas and his team in crafting the first movie. The movie is filled with passion but it seems that almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and Lucas wasn't entirely happy with all of the end results. Also, I don't know if you knew this already, but the Tatooine scenes in Star Wars were filmed at the same time and in the same areas as Jesus of Nazareth! The cast and crew actually had to share lodgings with each other for close to a month. How's that for a bit of trivia?

I was also disappointed in Seven Days in Utopia, as it wasn't as good as the trailer looked - but it was still good. Not everything in the world is "epic", Libby - and that's as it should be.

One thing Lucas did very right in the original New Hope was the cinematography of the opening scene and the final battle at Yavin. Imagine back in the 70's when your 'epic' films were Ben-Hur, Ten Commandments, and bits of Star Trek. Then you have the opening credits followed by the first sight of a Star Destroyer. The music with it would have left the audience completely awestruck and feeling like they weren't watching a movie, but living it. The story, script, and acting (save for Han Solo) were not stand-out by any means, and the lightsaber duel between Obi Wan and Vader is IMO one of the worst sword duels that was meant to be serious I've seen. But the battle of Yavin in particular (back then) with the tension, the piloting showdown between Luke and Vader, and then the arrival of the Millennium Falcon at the last second would be enough to get any audience member completely on-the-edge-of-their seats. The music is still excellent for that climax.

It's that epicness that make Star Wars such a success. It was those epic moments and the impact it had on the movie industry that made Star Wars so iconic. No one ever talks about the acting or the script or the story per-say when they talk about the greatness of Star Wars. They talk about the innovations, the graphics, and the epic battle scenes.

And the Special Editions, some moments I like. Addition graphics here and there. The inclusion of the Jabba/Han Solo scene was good to tie back to Return of the Jedi, but it was duplicated lines (from Han and Greedo). The worst addition to A New Hope was how Greedo fired first and MISSED from point blank range. It really messed up Han's character as a mystery mercenary. He was supposed to be someone you didn't know if you could trust or not and that shot messed up that point. And don't get me started on the placing Hayden Christiansen into Return of the Jedi as Anakin passed away. Bad move.

Do I want to see the Star Wars films in 3D when the come out to the theater? Not really planning on it. Phantom Menace had two good scenes and only two good scenes. Both were Darth Maul in lightsaber mode.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the movie, it just didn't have the same impact on me that it has for the other times I've seen it. The opening scene still inspires me and excites me, the TIE-fighters still freak me out, they're almost like a Star Wars version of the Ring-wraiths. As for the light-sabre duels, yes, even I can tell that they were very sub-par. That's one thing the prequels did better (in my opinion).

after rewatching all the Star Wars movies I can kind of understand why some people dislike the prequel, the script of the first 2 is about as bad as VDT's was, and some of the acting was pretty lame.

But in I think that TROTS is the best Star Wars of all. and I really enjoy the special effects and action of all the prequels, a LOT of the action in the originals especially the first lightsabe battle and the Ewok fight are pretty bad.

And the Phantom menace has the best lightsaber battle in the entire series, followed closely by the Mustafar one. And Darth Maul almost rivals Darth Vader as one of the coolest villains of all time.

I just watched "Stormbreaker" again - wow, I LOVE that movie! I love that the author of the book, Anthony Horowitz, wrote the script it came out SO good Alex Pettyfer is an amazing actor and he totally plays Alex Rider exactly how I imagined Alex when I read the book and Andy Serkis as the mute guy was casting genius
I wish they'd been able to make all the other books into movies
here's the trailer:

Aragorn2,
I think the lightsaber battle on Mustafar is completely ridiculous! It's like a video-game. Get rid of the little platforms and just have the two fight on the volcano, above the rising lava. Much more interesting and more character-driven than what we got. Otherwise, I think RotS was very good, if a bit visually busy at times.
I don't agree that the action in the original series is bad, just understated compared to the prequels.

Liberty,
Anthony Horowitz is writing the third Tintin movie. Just thought you might want to check it out then (we'll have to wait quite a few years).

The next Tintin movie is due for a Christmas 2014 or Christmas 2015. Steven Spielberg is currently writing the script (I don't know if he's having any assistance) and Peter Jackson's thinking of directing the second Tintin during the break in The Hobbit schedule (Steven Spielberg will be co-directing/producing the movie).

Eh, I don't think Alex Pettyfer is that great of an actor. He always seems a little wooden. I've seen him in about five different movies, so I think I have a good idea of his acting range (which isn't very broad). He's okay, and he did okay in Stormbreaker, but I liked the book a lot better. I was disappointed in the movie. Though I do think the gadgets were really cool.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

Warrior for Jesus said
I think the lightsaber battle on Mustafar is completely ridiculous! I don't agree that the action in the original series is bad

The choreography of the Mustarfar fight is absolutely incredible! I could do without the swinging from the ropes but otherwise that fight was almost perfect.

I didn't mean that all the fights in the originals are bad, the space battles are really good and some of the land fights are pretty sweet, but there are quite a few scenes that are just a bit lame.

I was wondering why so many NWers disliked the movie; it seems quite unpopular here.

Not with me! I loved it and still do, I have read all the Sherlock Holmes stories and although the movie does change a lot there are still so many thing from the books in there.
I really liked Robert Downey JR's take on the famed detective, yes it is different but it was marvalous in it's own way.
Jude Law was fantastic, the chemistry(not romantic) between them was great, and very funny.
Mark Strong was very sinister as a dark magician.
I enjoyed the plot, and the fights were awesome. I could have done without the Irene Adler subplot but I don't hate it.

I saw Mansfield Park the other day - the one with Billie Piper. I liked it. It wasn't very close to the book, Fanny was supposed to be more painfully shy, Lady Betram was far too intelligent, and a few other small things.
I really liked the actors; Billie Piper is a love of mine (because of Doctor Who), and I really like the guy who plays Edmund - I'd only seen him playing someone nasty before, so it was fun seeing him be nice.
A good movie. Not wonderful, but good.

Aragorn, I don't have any problem with the lightsaber battle on Mustafar, what I do have a problem with is them battling over the lava on those stupid little platforms. Completely ridiculous, not exciting in the least and very, very videogame-y.

I finally saw "Dolphin Tale"! it's amazing. just totally amazing!
I wasn't sure at first if it was going to be awesome or just cliche, but it exceeded my expectations in a huge way and WOW! I was blown away the way this movie played out was like no other movie I have ever seen - it felt so much like real life and the acting was amazing and the set design, directing, production - all of it was incredible
Nathan Gamble was great as the lead role, Sawyer Nelson. his character is the one guiding you through the story and you see almost everything through his eyes. it was brilliantly done and even though the trailers and the plot seemed like they were going to be typical, this movie was far from typical, IMO the way the acting was done, I felt like I knew each character personally. everyone was so natural and so, well, normal, that the whole thing felt like a refreshing slice of life it was beautiful, just beautiful
if you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it! you'll be glad you watched it

here's the trailer:

After reading all of the post about Sherlock Holmes, I asked my Dad to get it from the library, that was the week before Christmas. And yesterday the library had finally one of the two copies it has, there when my Dad went to get it. So, last night my Mom, older siblings, and I watched it. I really enjoyed most of it, however I did not like the stuff with the sorcery. We did skip a scene, and I think that was a wise decision. I thought Jude Law was great as Watson, I had never seen him in anything before, but my brother had been talking about how great he was in Enemy At The Gates. I liked Kelly Reilly as Mary. In Pride & Prejudice (2005) she is the perfect Caroline, so I liked seeing her as a nice person.

I would like to watched it again sometime, but not anytime soon. And I will definitely try to get Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows from the library when it comes out on DVD.

SnowAngel

I recently was able to see Midnight in Paris...I think it's on dvd now but the dollar cinema (theater near me that gets movies months after they've left big theaters and you only have to pay 2 bucks to see them!) got it and I went to check it out. And. I. LOVED. It. Should warn you though that almost everyone else I knew who saw it really didn't like it...so maybe it's not everyone's cup of tea.
I loved how perfectly it captured the love of a city, I loved the way the main character was so enthused about Paris and french culture, how he wanted to soak it all in, I loved the slightly underhanded magical feeling...the way he goes into the past reminded me of how I felt about LWW when I first read it (not exactly, but sorta), I love the fact that all the best parts happen at night...I love the subtle cliche-ness about it. Anyway. Yeah. I loved it.