Randomness

Rose Garden
Just a few shots from a mid-June trip to the rose garden up by the zoo. Site Updates item Posted: 7/7/05; 9:04:33 PM

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Watched: 6/17/05 Wow, here I was expecting to remember more, but I remembered less. Almost nothing. I think all I remembered here was the stuff with Yoda. How funny. It's certainly better in the areas of plot and acting, but as a middle movie I find it lacking in something. Mainly I'm glad that I don't now have to wait three years for the next installment. I was amused to learn that when this was being filmed they kept such a tight lid on the 'real' ending of the movie that they didn't have Darth Vader (the actor in the costume) say the correct lines on camera. Only Mark Hamill knew what he was really responding to, and they had James Earl Jones do the overdub later. Apparently they were serious about keeping it a secret until the movie actually hit the theatres. I suspect this worked quite well The other thing I find strange is that overlayed I see and hear so many parodies and jokes that have come along in the last 20 years. Muddies it up a bit. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/7/05; 9:01:07 PM

Star Wars (1977)

Watched: 6/13/05 It's been so many years since the last time I saw this that I remember very little. Not that there is a lot to remember. It's a very simple plot. I find myself thinking that it was groundbreaking when it was new, but it doesn't stand the test of time very well. Mainly I think this is because Lucas was more concerned with the technical stuff, all the things that made it groundbreaking, than with the story and the quality of the acting. It wasn't bad, it's just that it could have been so much better. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/7/05; 8:53:33 PM

Alfie (2004)

Watched: 6/12/05 I rather enjoyed watching Jude Law turn on the charm full blast. This is an interesting story. Following an arch from super-playboy to lonely-bachelor. Not much time passes, it just seems that he finally hits that point in life where maybe he wants a little more. He just doesn't get it until everything falls apart, and all the people who were spoiling him before, start to disappear one by one. The only thing that didn't hold water for me was that he wasn't apparently using condoms. I think this is because it's a remake of a play/movie from the 60's. Back then, it wasn't such a big deal. There weren't any fatal deseases, and the pill was the new big thing, but things are different now. I think they left it in there because it relates to a major plot point. Hard to rewrite that. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/7/05; 8:49:58 PM