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| Cool clones | |
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10.17.2008
8:17 AM | Link0 comments |
 I'm really impressed with The Clone Wars series so far. Although the Clone Wars movie was just OK, somehow the TV shows have been spectacular! I was expecting the first few episodes to be taked directly from the film, but I was surprised to see entirely new stories (at least for the first three episodes), with really interesting plots, too! Each episode has featured some great dialogue (by Star Wars standards) on the theme of "clones are people, too" - Yoda gave a great speech about the Force to his soldiers, and Plo Koon talked about the value of each clone. The clones are actually treated as true characters, rather than expendable warriors (and the guy who does their voice sure gets to talk a lot, since they are all the same). Pretty interesting stuff, making it especially sad that Order 66 is coming to turn them all into bad guys! Of course, you have to get past the weird opening announcer voice and the silly battle droid lines (although I'm starting to like them!), but in general these are fantastic stories that really feel like authentic Star Wars. It's amazing to see bits of various alien races and cultures from the movies, such as Toydaria (Watto's planet) or the Kaminoan head of the clone medical station. The battle scenes are totally fantastic, and the ship designs are phenomenal, too - incredibly cool fighters and battle cruisers that make me want to buy LEGO sets of all of them! I'm definitely hooked, and I'm sure I'll want to buy this series on DVD. It's just great to have a regular Star Wars injection to look forward to each week!Labels: star wars |
| Dino/LEGO weekend | |
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10.08.2008
12:37 PM | Link0 comments |
 Last week was pretty tough at work, so I decided to spend the weekend free of all responsibility and just have fun! First I went back to Zilker Botanical Garden to see the DinoLand exhibit, which I had tried to see with my parents, but it was removed due to the hurricane scare. It's all setup again now, and there were lots of people out in the nice weather enjoying it. It was really cool to see life-size dinosaurs (all really detailed with beautiful colors) set against the natural trees and plants - it made them look so real (and instantly reminded me of Disney's Dinosaur, which used the same technique with CG against photographic backgrounds)! Walking along the path and seeing a giant dinosaur up ahead was really fun, and I had a great time taking pictures. After that I went to Toys R Us to buy a LEGO set to build, and I decided on another Star Wars set - the AT-AP Walker. I picked it because it was mid-price range with lots of pieces, and also because all my other Star Wars LEGO sets are ships, so this was my first land-based vehicle. I really enjoyed building it, especially the skinny legs (which are actually quite sturdy) and the cockpit interior. LEGO always brings a smile to my face! View photos: DinoLand
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| The Last of the Jedi Vol 4 / Jude Watson : 4 of 5 | |
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9.03.2008
12:39 PM | Link0 comments |
 My favorite volumes of any Scholastic Star Wars series are always the ones with strong ties back to the movies, featuring characters, planets, or mentioning events that are already familiar. With that consideration, this is the best book of the Last of the Jedi series yet! After Ferus escapes from prison, the plot returns to Inquisitor Malorum and his ongoing investigation of Padme's death, which actually brings him to Naboo and the capital city of Theed. All of the scenes here are fantastic, giving some insight into Naboo culture, and we even get to meet Padme's grandmother (although her moments with Malorum come to a chilling end). When Ferus, Solace, and the rest of our heroes arrive on Naboo, the Gungans become involved (it's always fun to have Boss Nass in the mix!) and suddenly a huge battle is planned, which unfortunately goes by too quickly at the end of the book (I was sure they were going to save it for the next volume, but the author squeezed it in). However, part of the action is a cool fight that takes place in the same location where Qui-Gon fought Darth Maul, and it's interesting to read Ferus' thoughts and emotions during this intense scene. I love how this storyline follows Episode 3 so nicely, while using so many cool elements from Episode 1 - I hope they can keep up the good work in the next book!
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| Star Wars: The Clone Wars : 3 of 5 | |
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8.19.2008
7:42 AM | Link0 comments |
 I really enjoyed the first two seasons of the 2D animated series on Cartoon Network several years ago, so when I first heard that The Clone Wars was going to be continued as a CGI series, I was definitely excited. I was even more thrilled to hear that the first few episodes of the series were being combined into a theatrical release, since there's nothing better than seeing Star Wars in an actual theater! But after reading a few bad reviews of this movie, my expectations were really low, and maybe that made it possible for me to enjoy the movie more, since my pal Matt and I had a great time seeing it. The CGI animation looks fantastic for space ships, equipment, droids, and so on, but the character design inherited from the 2D series doesn't translate well in my opinion (their movements really felt like marionettes to me!). The plot is pretty cool with an interesting twist involving Jabba's fruity uncle, but essentially the movie is a long string of battle scenes, which is OK when they look this cool! I really enjoyed seeing the clones with their helmets off (all the same with different hairstyles, and the Jango Fett voice was well-done), and it was great to see Asajj Ventress again. Anakin's new padawan Ahsoka is pretty interesting, through her cutesy voice doesn't really go with her exotic looks, and I'm glad Padme was included (and I enjoyed her brief eye contact with Anakin). Even though I generally groan at battle droid dialogue, I actually thought their goofy lines were funny this time! Of course, there are lots of things wrong with this movie (don't get me started about the opening narration), but for me there were enough good things going on to get me excited about the upcoming TV series. The Clone Wars certainly doesn't compare to any of the six movies, but during a Star Wars drought, I'll take what I can get!
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| The Star Wars Vault / Stephen Sansweet : 4 of 5 | |
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7.14.2008
7:16 AM | Link0 comments |
 It takes me forever to get around to reading coffee table books (mainly because they just aren't portable), but I've finally started on a few giant books that I got for Christmas! The first was The Star Wars Vault, which is filled with reproductions of paper memorabilia from all six Star Wars movies (much like the Disney Treasures books that I enjoy so much). The items are concealed in pockets in the book's pages so you can take them out to examine them, and it was so nostalgic to hold things that I remember looking at over and over again as a child! My favorite was the original Kenner toy catalog (which only had things like the board game and puzzles), and I also loved the old Star Wars Fan Club newsletter called Bantha Tracks - I remember the exact issue they reproduced! I had even saved some of the Star Wars newspaper comic strips that were included, which was such a coincidence. The book itself has some fantastic photos and interesting text, which is much more fascinating when discussing merchandising and promotion rather than the making of the movies, which is covered much better in other books. I enjoyed seeing the incredible swag items that the crew members received, and it was so cool to look at photos of T-shirts that I used to wear - they even included a reproduction iron-on (although I don't know if it can actually be used)! As a nice bonus, the book also comes with two CDs of interviews and rare material (including Leia's song from the Holiday Special!), and listening to this stuff was pretty exciting (especially the making of the NPR radio drama). I'm not sure if younger fans would enjoy this book, but if you're my age, then The Star Wars Vault is definitely a nostalgic trip!
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| The Last of the Jedi Vol 3 / Jude Watson : 3 of 5 | |
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6.16.2008
9:45 PM | Link0 comments |
 I haven't given up on this great Scholastic series - it's just taking me forever to start reading the next volume after finishing the previous one! At first I was a little disappointed that this story has almost no Obi-Wan in it, but the plot turned out to be so interesting that I didn't mind the focus on Ferus and Trever. This volume takes place entirely on Coruscant, as the former Padawan and his streetwise friend sneak into the old Jedi temple in hope of rescuing other Jedi. These scenes are fascinating, since they describe not only images from the movies, but also rooms and events from other Jude Watson books. There are several flashback sequences since Ferus grew up in the temple, now defiled and taken over by the Empire, and certain moments, such as finding a room full of discarded lightsabers, are just incredible. There's also a brief encounter with Darth Vader, which has even more impact since Ferus knew Anakin when they were both Padawans, but of course, Ferus doesn't know he's hiding from his old friend. The story moves to the deepest levels of the huge cityscape of Coruscant, providing some cool background information about how levels of the city were built, and Dexter Jettster (another character from the movies) makes an appearance. Eventually they do find another living Jedi, and they all return to the Jedi temple for another skirmish with the Empire, but then the book ends with a huge cliffhanger as Ferus is captured! Hopefully I won't wait too long before moving on to the next volume this time!
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| Birthday bliss | |
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1.30.2008
3:39 PM | Link0 comments |
 Happy birthday to me! What do you know, I turned eight years old again! Actually, if I had to pick an age, I'd go with 27 - you're old enough to do anything you want, but young enough that everyone says "Man, you're so young!" For the past few years, I've been spending my birthday in total zero responsibility mode, so I took the day off work, and I've been relaxing at home watching Animaniacs cartoons and Jpop videos, reading manga and drinking coffee. I also recently discovered that I had an old Droid Developer Kit LEGO set from 1999 that I had never even opened, so I just finished building R2-D2! It even has a motor so it can roll around - as usual, I'm completely in awe of LEGO engineering. It definitely makes me want to build more and more Star Wars LEGO sets! Tonight I'm having a birthday dinner with my pal Melinda, and I've been getting some nice birthday emails today, too. As you know, Mom & Dad bought my iPhone super-early for my birthday gift, but they still sent me some surprise cash anyway (because they are such amazing parents)! As I get older, each year seems a little shorter, but I also feel a little more peaceful and content with my life each day, which makes every birthday a happy one!
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| The Last of the Jedi Vol 2 / Jude Watson : 3 of 5 | |
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1.29.2008
7:00 AM | Link0 comments |
 It's been a long time since I've read one these Scholastic Star Wars books, but since I enjoyed both Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest so much (both by the same author), I decided I had to get into this latest series. I read the first volume ages ago, and now that I'm working on all of my unread books, this second volume finally made it into my hands. The Last of the Jedi series focuses on Obi-Wan's life on Tatooine after Episode III, silently watching over baby Luke from afar and communicating with Qui-Gon via the Force. This story quickly ends up off planet, however, thanks to the re-introduction of Anakin's old friend Ferus (a character from the Jedi Quest series), and soon there's tons of action as they outwit Boba Fett! The plot then splits as Ferus travels to Ilum (the place where lightsaber crystals come from) to find another still-living Jedi, and Obi-Wan visits Polis Massa, where Padme gave birth to the twins. Obi-Wan's side of the story is really fascinating, as the Empire starts reviewing medical records and discover certain materials missing from inventory that could be evidence about the secret births (a pretty complex plot for a young readers story!). Overall, this volume had a little too much action (which ultimately is a little boring when you're just reading descriptions of battles), but thankfully also included some nice character insight for Obi-Wan and his grief about Anakin's fall. I'm happy to be reading these books again, and I'm excited about the next volume!
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| MAD About Star Wars / Thirty Years of Classic Parodies : 4 of 5 | |
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1.02.2008
6:19 PM | Link0 comments |
 My second Christmas book was this amazing collection of Star Wars parodies from MAD Magazine, which has been on my Wish List from the moment I heard it was being published! I used to love reading MAD (and Cracked, too), so it was a blast to re-read lots of great stuff that I remember from the 70s. The original Episode IV parody is a riot, and I love the old references to things like the Hollywood Squares, as well as the tunes used in the funny Star Wars musical! All of the great covers are reproduced as well, along with the cool Fold-Ins from the back cover (each one is conveniently revealed in its folded state on the next page so you don't have to mess up the book). All of MAD's parodies of the prequels were new to me, since I haven't read any recent issues in several years, so it was great to see what they did with Jar Jar and Jake Lloyd's terrible acting (it received exactly the treatment it deserved!). This book even includes current parodies like new versions of the recent Star Wars postage stamps (I loved the stamp of Luke's severed hand!). Along with all the hilarity, the margins of every page feature some great trivia about Star Wars and MAD Magazine in general, and there are also a few pages of letters that George Lucas wrote to the magazine. I'm so glad Lucas was a huge MAD fan and even called-off his lawyers when they tried to attack without his knowledge! I would definitely recommend this great collection to Star Wars and MAD fans alike!
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| Star PEZ | |
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12.06.2007
6:41 PM | Link0 comments |
 One of the segments in my Christmas video project this year was a little spoof of classic Star Wars scenes acted out by PEZ dispensers! I love Star Wars (of course), and I have so many PEZ actors waiting to perform, so it was really easy to make. Since not all of the characters I needed are available as PEZ, I had to use a few stand-ins. Where else can you see Fred Flintstone as Han Solo or Santa Claus as Obi-Wan Kenobi? My favorite sequence to shoot was the cantina scene, since I could have gone all day picking out weird looking PEZ creatures from my collection! I also had fun printing out various backgrounds to shoot against. Watch for the thrilling lightsaber duel (and please ignore when my hand creeps into the frame)! Enjoy! Watch video: Star PEZ
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| Duel of the Tributes | |
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9.26.2007
8:08 AM | Link0 comments |
 Last night I watched Family Guy's incredible hour-long retelling of Star Wars, which was a total blast! I think it's so cool that they took the time to actually re-create the entire plot of A New Hope, even duplicating several shots exactly with identical soundtrack cues! There were some hilarious moments - Stewie as Vader was brilliant, and I totally cracked up to see Meg's only role as the dianoga in the trash compactor. The John Williams/Danny Elfman gag was awesome, and I enjoyed hearing them play on classic lines that all fans know (Peter's "Don't get penis-y" as Han Solo was one of the best). But overall, I wish I had laughed more. I think the animators were so psyched to have a big budget to spend on 3D modeling for ships, and so excited about duplicating original shots from the film, that often long segments just play out exactly like the film (such as the Death Star battle, which has tons of special effects, but very few jokes!). Actually, one of my favorite scenes isn't even part of the Star Wars retelling - it's at the end when Seth MacFarlane (as Peter) and Seth Green (as Chris) start arguing about Robot Chicken's recent Star Wars special! MacFarlane is the creator of Family Guy, but also does voice work for Robot Chicken, while Seth Green is one of the creators of Robot Chicken, but does voice work for Family Guy! It was a totally cool inside joke - I love that stuff! Now that I've mentioned Robot Chicken, I have to say that their Star Wars tribute was actually much, much funnier (though less ambitious than a total retelling). I will never stop laughing about Admiral Ackbar's breakfast cereal, the Force-ghost of Jar Jar, or Luke hanging out at Toshi Station to pick up those hot "power converters"! I wish every year were the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, because all of the TV specials, books and articles, and limited merchandise this year is truly a geek's dream.Labels: star wars |
| Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination | |
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8.22.2007
6:59 AM | Link0 comments |
 This weekend my pal Chris and I drove to Fort Worth to see Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. This is a traveling exhibit of original Star Wars models, props and costumes, presented along with kid-friendly activities to learn about the possible science behind all the Star Wars technology. I knew the exhibit would be cool, since I heard they had the original full-size landspeeder and a Yoda puppet on display, but I was completely amazed by how incredible the exhibit was! There were several rooms, each packed with fantastic treasures of Star Wars history, and I simply went crazy to see it all right in front of me. I was especially excited about the rebel blockade runner (the Tantive IV) from A New Hope, since that's the first ship ever seen in a Star Wars film. The model was huge and detailed - it's incredible that it's been preserved so well for 30 years! I also really got excited about various hand-held props, such as Han's portable scanner on Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back, because they are burned so well into my memory that it was awesome to study them up close. The three piece Darth Vader helmet from the end of Return of the Sith was beautiful in person, and I was even impressed by Leia's costume from A New Hope, just because it still exists (all of the items from A New Hope were my favorites, since I instantly felt 10 years old again). Of course, there was so much more, including a massive Millennium Falcon, plenty of lightsabers and blasters, and even Luke's training remote. It was definitely worth the drive to Fort Worth (and thanks to Chris for driving!), so if you get a chance to see this exhibit, don't miss it! View photos: Star Wars Exhibit
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| Ralph McQuarrie concept figures | |
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8.11.2007
7:03 AM | Link0 comments |
 Even though I'm proud that I still have all of my original Star Wars figures, I pretty much stopped collecting them soon after Return of the Jedi was released (although I bought a couple more for fun while I was excited about Revenge of the Sith). But when I heard about the special 30th anniversary Ralph McQuarrie concept designs, I was really intrigued! I used to have this incredible portfolio of Ralph McQuarrie concept paintings way back in 1977, and even though my 10-year-old brain had no idea why everything looked so different, I still spent hours admiring them, so I've had an appreciation for these concept designs for a long time! I decided to buy the concept C-3PO and R2-D2 set that was available at Celebration, but then I quickly realized there were going to be a lot more of these figures, and now I've been trapped into a new collection! Since all of these include a special collector's coin and interesting packaging, I'm actually not going to open them (I definitely want to rip them open to take better photos, but I'm holding back this time!). So far I have the concept droids, Luke (with his gas mask!), Stormtrooper (with lightsaber and shield!), Chewbacca (definitely scary), Boba Fett, plus the Obi-Wan and Yoda set. These figures are pretty limited, so some places are charging up to $35 bucks just to pre-order these guys! I just have to keep my eyes open and stay lucky to keep this collection going. I have to admit it's fun to have something new to track down! View photos: Ralph McQuarrie concept figures
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| Chewie's autograph | |
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8.05.2007
10:51 AM | Link0 comments |
 This week I was talking about Star Wars with my pal Ryan (as we often do) and marveling over the actual Chewbacca head that went up for auction this weekend starting at $80,000, and it made me remember meeting Peter Mayhew at A-Kon last year. He was a really nice guy and was willing to talk for a couple minutes even though there was a line of fans waiting. I realized that even though I got his autograph, I never scanned it to share with everyone, so I dug it out of my souvenir bin yesterday (I knew right where it was thanks to all of my organizing!). And so, here you go (click the image for the large Flickr version)! It may not be a valuable movie prop, but it's still a fun piece of my Star Wars collection.Labels: star wars |
| Rainy holiday | |
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7.04.2007
2:02 PM | Link0 comments |
 Happy 4th of July! I'm enjoying this rainy day off with lots of studying, de-cluttering my bathroom and washroom cabinets (if anyone needs some anti-itch cream that expired in 2004, let me know!), shooting a few toy photos, and taking breaks to watch anime. Tomorrow I'm off to Oklahoma City for a short vacation with Mom & Dad, but I think I'll still make a few WEBmikey posts, so stay tuned.I've finally took some shots of my finished LEGO Y-Wing fighter, which I built while watching Episode 4 (and drinking beer) as my own little Star Wars 30th anniversary celebration. The Y-Wing design is really cool, and it actually took just about the exact length of the movie to complete! View photos: LEGO Y-WingLabels: decluttering, lego, life, star wars |
| More Star Wars geeking | |
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6.03.2007
7:11 AM | Link0 comments |
 This week I decided to have a little more Star Wars fun by checking out Star Wars: Revelations, without a doubt the biggest production fan film ever made. I had seen most of the movie before in pieces, but after hearing more about in the George and Me documentary, I decided to download it and enjoy it all. The movie is completely free (they can't charge since it's based on Lucasfilm properties), and now they even have complete DVD images with amazing menus, which makes it a breeze to enjoy the film on your TV. There's a lot to like about this movie, and of course plenty to cringe at, but you can't ignore the truly amazing special effects! I love the fact that so many people put so many hours into something purely for the sake of fandom, with no compensation at all.I also was pretty psyched to see the first trailer for the upcoming Lucasfilm animated TV series, The Clone Wars! The 3D-ization of the original Cartoon Network character designs looks a little strange to me, but the space battle sequences look perfect, and I'm sure the whole production will only look more amazing when it finally airs. I'm also excited that Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination is coming to Fort Worth - this cool exhibit has been traveling for quite a while, and now I'll finally get to see it, since some of my pals and I are planning a trip in the coming months. |
| A long time ago... | |
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5.26.2007
6:42 AM | Link0 comments |
 Yesterday was the official 30th anniversary of Star Wars! It's amazing to think that the original movie classic was released on May 25th, 1977, and like countless other 10 year olds (and every other age!), it's been a huge part of my life since then. So, I thought I would take a moment to share the beginnings of my Star Wars fandom.When I was in grade school, Dad used to surprise me often by coming home from work with a few new comic books for me, which I used to take to school and read at recess and share with my friends. One day he gave me the first issue of the classic Marvel Comics adaptation of the film, which came out before I had even seen a trailer in the theater. I didn't even know it was going to be a movie, but I loved the comic! One day at school someone told me it was going to be a movie, and I couldn't believe it! Soon after that, I found the novel adaptation and bought it (probably around April 1977), and read it every day until the movie was out. I think I only got about a third of the way through the book before seeing the movie, but I remember I had a clear idea in my head of how scary Darth Vader would be! I'm not sure of the date that I saw the movie for the first time - it wasn't opening day, but I didn't have to wait too long. My parents took me to see it at this giant domed theater, which made me anxious since the last movie I had seen there was Jaws, which gave me a million sleepless nights! It was a little scary just going to that theater again, but Star Wars overcame that previous traumatic movie experience by filling me with sheer wonder and excitement! I can vividly remember the opening theme and seeing the title blast into the distant star field, but my strongest memory is my first look at the "real" Darth Vader, when he boards the Tantive IV after the Stormtrooper gunfight. I can remember hearing his breathing for the first time, and when he marches towards the camera I remember focusing on the details on his costume and actually thinking to myself, "I'm going to see this over and over again!" Of course, all of my friends became fans around the same time, and we saw it again whenever we could. My pal Mark Kempton's dad would take us to see it practically anytime we asked, so I must have seen it at least 10 more times with him, and still more times with my other pals! I started collecting things right away (I think my first items were a wall calendar and the Kenner board game!), and soon I got The Story of Star Wars, which was a book and record set containing most of the dialogue of the movie (condensed into about an hour). I listened to that so many times that I quickly memorized the entire film, which has become one of my secret talents to this day. I'm so happy to have been a Star Wars kid! I think being the right age at the right time made my childhood even more magical and exciting, and 1977 will always stand out for me as one of the coolest years ever. So, I'll chime in with the millions of other blogs and thank George Lucas for making it all happen! I could go on and on about how my fandom has continued to evolve, but instead I'm going to celebrate today by watching Episode IV: A New Hope and building a LEGO Y-Wing fighter! |
| George and Me : 3 of 5 | |
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5.04.2007
7:40 AM | Link0 comments |
 I heard about this DVD on several Star Wars fan sites, and since they recently started selling it online for a cheap price (due to the upcoming 30th anniversary of Star Wars), I decided to check it out. Sky Wilson is a kind of web celebrity in the UK who has made several internet video projects about Star Wars fan films. For this new documentary, she decided to look at fandom in general, and so she travels around in both the US and the UK interviewing lots of fans, most of whom are pretty interesting. Of course, she covers Celebration (the huge yearly convention), but I would have loved to see more footage of the show itself, rather than only interviews. Sticking to her fan film roots, there's a long segment on Revelations, one of the best and most professional fan films ever made, which was really fascinating. There's also a nice overview of the 501st Legion, the huge group of costume enthusiasts (mainly Stormtroopers) with over 3,000 members worldwide. Overall, this documentary is really well made, with slick production values, transitional music and effects, and definitely stands above most independent documentary films of this kind. It was fun to watch and enjoy fandom from different perspectives, and I loved the positive view of everyone's obsession! Now if only the title had been better - George and Me is a catchy name, but it really doesn't fit the movie at all!
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| Old-school Star Wars | |
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12.13.2006
10:27 PM | Link0 comments |
 I finally watched the recent theatrical-cut releases of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back (and I'll check out Return of the Jedi soon). It had been a long time since I had watched Episode IV all the way through, and it really gave me a nice nostalgic feeling! It was cool to see the non-Special Editions, with everything the way I remembered it from all the times I saw it at the theater back when all I could think about was when the next Kenner figure was coming out. It definitely made me think that Lucas just went a little crazy with the prequels in the CG special effects department. As much as I like Episodes I-III, I would much rather watch "imperfect" miniatures than "perfect" CG models. The whole revolution of Star Wars was partly because everything looked homemade, and using CG in every single shot just ruins that feel. I also realized that the transition from Episode III to Episode IV is a little shaky, mainly when I think about Obi-Wan's reactions to meeting Luke and the droids on Tatooine. The audience has to believe that Obi-Wan is faking the whole thing, because he's got to know who Artoo and Threepio are. Anyway, I don't mind so much, but this was the first time I thought about it!Labels: star wars |
| LEGO bounty hunter | |
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11.02.2006
10:40 PM | Link0 comments |
 My new LEGO love is still going strong, so it's about time that I posted these long overdue photos of my third project, Boba Fett's Slave One ship. This is a fantastic set, since the design of the ship itself is so fascinating, which means there are tons of cool custom LEGO parts to put together. They really went all out with features, too, since there are great hidden missiles and a kind of rubber-tipped dart that actually fires, too! The Minifigs are cool, especially IG-88, who is made of non-Minifig parts. This is a really solid ship, too, so when you pick it up to watch the wings swing into position you don't have to worry about it falling apart (unlike the Star Destroyer, which is extremely fragile). In other LEGO news, I recently built the incredible Batmobile, which may have been my favorite set to date (so you'll have to wait for photos of that one)! I have no idea what set I should buy next, but I think I better figure out where to put these in my house first! View photos: LEGO Slave One
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| LEGO Empire | |
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9.27.2006
10:55 PM | Link0 comments |
 I finally got around to taking some macro shots of my LEGO Star Destroyer, so now you can take a look at the building experience! I just put my camera in one position and took a picture after I finished each major assembly, so the photos aren't that exciting, but you can see how it went together anyway. It was totally amazing to build something so big with that many pieces (over 1,300), and once again, I was really impressed with the engineering (although the Star Destroyer is much more fraglie than the X-Wing, mainly because it's hollow). After the building shots are some nice "studio" shots - the Minifigs are especially cool this time (but then again, Stormtrooper armor is always cool!). My next project is going to be Boba Fett's Slave One, which is only around 600 pieces, but I'm looking forward to seeing how the rotating wings work! View photos: LEGO Star Destroyer
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| Mikey's happy day | |
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9.02.2006
9:44 PM | Link0 comments |
 Friday was the first day-off I've had without a real purpose in a long time - maybe the first ever! I had such a great time just enjoying myself that I have to share what I did. It may not sound that exciting, but it was amazing to me. I got up early and went out to buy bagels (which I love, but hardly ever eat), then came home and made coffee and watched The Tigger Movie during breakfast. Then I played a little DDR and went out for a haircut, which turned out nicely. Next I dropped off two of my pipes at Pipe World for a tune-up, then went to the mall to just wander around, browsing video games and other stuff. Next I saw The Illusionist at the mall theater (seeing a movie during the day was so cool), so I had popcorn for lunch. After that I went to Toys R Us and checked out every aisle, taking my time - it was great to have no time limit for anything! For no reason at all, I thought it would be cool to build a Star Wars LEGO set, so I bought a fantastic X-Wing fighter (437 pieces!), and came home and spent a couple hours leisurely building it and drinking beer. Building LEGO was incredible - I had forgotten how much fun it is! It's cool to start out not even knowing what section you're working on, just following the well-designed instructions. I was really impressed with the end result, too - it even has landing gear and wings that go into attack position! Finally, I watched Whisper of the Heart (a completely amazing Studio Ghibli anime) and finished the bagels for dinner, and finally went to bed thinking I have three more days off to enjoy! View photos: LEGO X-Wing
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| Star Wars / Clone Wars Vol 2 : 4 of 5 | |
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4.27.2006
11:25 PM | Link0 comments |
 This DVD has all the right things going for it, since I'm a Star Wars fan, a Genndy Tartakovsky fan, and already a fan of this show, after watching it all on Cartoon Network (and gushing over the first DVD of this series). Just like before, it was cool to watch all of the episodes back to back with only one set of opening titles and one set of credits at the end, since they really do become a great movie that adds so much to the Star Wars saga! The connections with the Lucas films are pretty amazing - of course, it felt great to see Revenge of the Sith on opening day, knowing why Grievous was coughing while everyone else was wondering. The commentary really stands out, since it shows what sincere Star Wars fans the animators are - they truly revere the Star Wars universe and wanted to create something "worthy", and they definitely succeeded (in spite of incredible deadlines, which they pushed to the limit - Episode 5 was delivered the day before it aired!). The use of CG in the ship models is really well done, and I love how the animators were able to push the Lucas designs with various modifications and paint jobs, such as the totally cool Tiger Shark face on the Arc Trooper transport! They also really scored with the Stormtrooper boarding party that jets between ships in space - these guys are full of fantastic ideas. In my opinion, the Clone Wars series is definitely part of the "blessed" continuum, so if you haven't bought these DVDs, you know what to do. (And yes, I bought and watched this a long time ago - I'm just way behind on reviewing things!)
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| Happy holidays from Chewie | |
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3.23.2006
5:31 PM | Link0 comments |
 I can still remember watching the Star Wars Holiday Special when it originally aired in 1978. Now it's hard to believe it was ever made, but back then it was so exciting to see some "new" Star Wars action only a year after the craze began! Since that time I've seen several clips here and there, but never the whole show, since Lucas has vowed to pretend it never existed. Well, recently I caved in and ordered a great bootleg DVD of the show, and watching it was like a geek time-machine! The storyline is so stupid, of course - the idea of Chewbacca having a wife and son (plus his father) at home is silly, but it's fun watching all these wookiees grunting at each other for long periods with no subtitles. The guest stars are really dated (folks like Harvey Korman and Bea Arthur), and the way they use clips from the original movie with newly dubbed voices is pretty funny. The Boba Fett animation is much longer than I remember, so it was cool to see that again, and who could ever get tired of watching Princess Leia sing lyrics to the John Williams' main title score? The DVD also included over 50 Kenner toy commercials! They were so much cheesier than I remember, but my heart still jumps to see those cool Star Wars toys. This show is never going to be available as an "official" DVD, so if you haven't seen this masterpiece in a while, just go ahead and buy one of the many fine bootlegs available all over the web - Lumpy will be glad you did!
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| Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith : 5 of 5 | |
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11.08.2005
10:23 PM | Link0 comments |
 Waiting for a Star Wars DVD is almost as fun as waiting for the movie release itself, since the bonus material is always so cool! I pre-ordered this DVD from Wal-Mart, just because they included an exclusive extra DVD (which turned out to be C-3PO narrating clips from the other five films), and it showed up it in my mailbox right on time. I love to watch deleted scenes, and they are pretty good here (though Lucas cheated a little by not completely finishing the effects on the best one!) - it's cool to see the first meetings of what would become the Rebel Alliance! The documentary features are actually way better than the deleted scenes. The major feature, Within a Minute, focuses on a single scene in the film (during the Mustafar battle) and dives into every single department that made the scene possible - even the catering department! It's really a fascinating documentary - it's cool to see George approving and nixing things at all the various meetings. I had no idea that some of the lava was actually filmed when Mt. Etna was erupting in Italy! I also really liked the web documentaries (since I hadn't seen any of them), since it's fun to watch bite-size segments of info. The biggest revelation for me is that Wedge (Red Two, of course) is Ewan McGregor's uncle! Of course, the movie itself is great to see, though I miss the big screen feel (it makes my 32-inch TV seem so tiny). By the way, you've got to see the hidden dancing Yoda clip! I definitely don't need to tell you to buy this DVD, because you probably already have!
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| The Last of the Jedi Vol 1 / Jude Watson : 3 of 5 | |
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7.28.2005
6:04 PM | Link0 comments |
 The best news a Star Wars Scholastic book junkie like me could hear is that Jude Watson, author of the amazing Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest series, is starting a new set of stories! The Last of the Jedi series follows Obi-Wan during his early days on Tatooine, picking up just a few months after Revenge of the Sith. It's a fantastic idea for a series, and Jude Watson's definitely up to the challenge. We read about Obi-Wan making his little home, and sneaking out in the early evening to the Lars homestead to watch baby Luke crawl around with Aunt Beru in the pit. Obi-Wan is so dedicated, yet so sad, trying to be true to his mission to watch over Luke and not break down over his loss of Anakin. We also get a little Qui-Gon dialog, since Obi-Wan is supposed to receive training from his "Force spirit" as Yoda instructed. The plot of the story actually takes Obi-Wan away from Tatooine for a bit (he hires a ship at the Mos Eisley cantina, of course!), because it turns out that Anakin's rival Ferus (from the Jedi Quest books) is still alive, since he left the Jedi Order while still a Padawan. Ferus is starting his own little rebellion, and Obi-Wan helps him out of a tight spot - it's really cool to see a small master/apprentice relationship again as Ferus reconnects to the Force! This is a great start to the series, and I hope they can come up with enough ideas to keep it going a long time!
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| Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith / Original Soundtrack : 4 of 5 | |
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7.06.2005
8:59 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm a big fan of the Star Wars soundtracks, and I hear pieces of them all the time popping up on iTunes, but I haven't bought any of the prequel CDs until now (actually, I've had this CD for months, but I'm just now reviewing it!). The main reason I had to own this CD is that it comes with a bonus DVD (at no extra cost!) filled with clips from all the Star Wars movies set to various sections of all six soundtracks, kind of like music videos. The DVD is really wonderful - each segment is introduced by Ian McDiarmid, and moves through the whole saga from beginning to end. It was really cool to see several clips from Revenge of the Sith before it hit the theaters, too! The actual soundtrack CD is great - I love the opening action music after the main title. The huge set-piece, Battle of the Heroes, isn't quite as good as Duel of the Fates from The Phantom Menace, but it's still majestic, exciting, and full of that feeling of destiny. I love it when Williams brings back familiar themes from the other films, such as quoting Princess Leia's Theme during her birth, and of course the Imperial March at just the right moments. Some of the tracks are quite brooding, orchestrated by strings or deep organ and eerie choir sounds, which is quite a departure from the typical Williams sound, but it definitely works on pieces like Palpatine's Teachings and Padme's Ruminations. Overall, this is a great score to a fantastic film, and writing this makes me want to go see it again!
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| Secrets of the Jedi / Jude Watson : 4 of 5 | |
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6.17.2005
6:22 PM | Link0 comments |
 I've said it before and I'll say it again - Jude Watson really understands the Star Wars universe and its characters, and tells simply incredible stories! After finishing the Jedi Quest series (starring Obi-Wan and young Anakin), this novel came out as a special book before starting the new Last of the Jedi series (which I can't wait to get into). It's similar to Legacy of the Jedi in the way it follows several generations and weaves a single thread through a long timeframe. This time the topic is forbidden Jedi love! It begins with some of the heartache Qui-Gon feels after the death of Tahl (which was told in the Jedi Apprentice series), and then surprisingly moves to Obi-Wan's relationship with Siri, who had always been kind of a rival character in his youth. They make the right decision and push away their love for the sake of the Jedi, which stands in stark contrast to Anakin's secret wedding with Padme! The third part of the book involves Anakin and Padme, of course, and it's fun to see them in other Clone Wars action. The long action plot that pulls all of this together is pretty interesting, but truthfully it's the Jedi character interaction that makes this story so cool. Please ignore the fact that these are Scholastic kiddie books and just read them all!
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| One more time | |
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5.24.2005
8:06 PM | Link0 comments | Star Wars fever continues for WEBmikey! This weekend I went toy shopping and bought a few more action figures, plus Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter - I love the design of the ship, since it's like a combination of an A-Wing with a TIE Fighter. It was a lot of fun putting on the decals - I felt just like I did when I used to play with my figures so many years ago. Last night my pal Chris and I went to see Revenge of the Sith again (that's three times for me!). We tried to see it at Austin's only theater with digital projection, but it was sold out, so we had to go to another theater instead. I'll probably see it again next week - I've got to check it out in digital! |
| Gimme more Star Wars | |
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5.21.2005
7:16 PM | Link0 comments | I saw Episode III again today - I just couldn't wait! I think I will go to a late show sometime this week, too. My pal Ryan called a minute ago, and he saw it again today, too! It's so much fun to be excited about Star Wars again - I gotta buy more toys! |
| Star Wars at the Alamo | |
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5.19.2005
7:08 PM | Link0 comments |
 Opening night for Revenge of the Sith was such a blast! Most of my pals were able to get there early, so we got a great place in line, where we stood for a little over two hours before we were seated. I wish there had been more costumes in line, but there were some cool things going on (people watching the other Star Wars DVDs on laptops, lots of game playing, and luckily I did get to see one small light saber duel!). The Alamo was so cool, because they took beer orders for everyone in line, so we got to drink and laugh which made the time go by quickly. When we entered the theater, the local Star Wars fan club had managed to get a copy of Star Wars Galaxies (plus the expansion pack) for every single person, and they were on the tables in front of our seats! They showed two hours of cool stuff (mostly Clone Wars from Cartoon Network, but also great clips like a Japanese Panasonic commercial with a young Lucas playing in a wheat field with Ewoks!) while we ate and drank more, and suddenly it was movie time! Everyone cheered, and we all had a fantastic time. Three and a half hours of sleep later, I was at work. I've been a Star Wars fan for nearly 3/4ths of my life (ever since Dad brought me that first Star Wars comic book home from work one day), so it was completely worth it! View photos: ROTS Opening Night
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| Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith : 5 of 5 | |
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7:03 PM | Link 0 comments |
 At last the saga is complete, and even though Episode III has its faults, I totally loved it and had a great time seeing it on opening night! Let's get my disappointments out of the way first. Besides the goofy Anakin/Padme dialogue (which doesn't bother me that much), General Grievous was kind of a let-down, since dies too quickly and doesn't seem menacing enough (and he sounds like Watto!). The battle on the Wookiee planet was way too short and we didn't get to see enough Wookiee culture. OK, on to the awesomeness! The first half hour is totally exciting and wonderful, with lots of great patented Jedi banter and incredible space battles (plus Artoo gets to kick some butt!). Palpatine is played extremely well, and seeing him unleash his lighting and transform into the gruesome Emperor we all know was chilling. I think my favorite thing was seeing the inside of the Tantive IV (the Rebel blockade runner from the opening of Episode IV) - they recreated those stark white 70's looking sets down to the last detail! They really stand out against the over-CG look of the rest of the film. Of course, the big battles at the end (Anakin and Obi-Wan, plus Yoda and the Emperor) are exciting and full of emotion. Obi-Wan's last words to Anakin were delivered so well! Seeing everything wrap up (and set up Episode IV perfectly) was icing on the cake (and we get a glimpse of Alderaan). Episode III definitely blows away the past two Star Wars movies, and it's probably better than Return of the Jedi, too! I want to see it again next week!
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| T-minus six hours | |
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5.18.2005
5:51 PM | Link0 comments | Tonight's the big Star Wars night! We were planning on meeting at the theater at 9:30, but we just found out that our showing will start seating at 9:45! (This is smart for the Alamo, since that means people will have two hours to eat and drink beer!) The guy on the phone was super-nice - he even looked outside to tell me that about 100 people are already there, "with masks and light sabers", he said! So, we're trying to move up our meeting time to 7:30 - I'm calling all my pals, and I'll be leaving soon. May the Force be with me! |
| Almost there... Almost there... | |
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5.16.2005
5:58 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm so psyched for Wednesday night, when my pals and I will be seeing the midnight showing of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith! I had to have a new shirt for the big event, so I've been shopping around for something with Vader on it (since Star Wars is all about Vader when it comes down to it). There wasn't much I liked online, so I finally got one at the mall last weekend that will do the trick. I also broke down and bought the new action figures for my favorite Jedi Masters (even though they are going to die - sniff!). I got Kit Fisto (I like him because he's aquatic and he looks rasta), and Shaak Ti (I like her because she's so exotic and mysterious). I can't believe the articulation on these new figures - every joint moves! It's definitely not the 70s anymore. They look really cool next to my computer monitor. Only a few more days of waiting!
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| Star Wars / Clone Wars Vol 1 : 4 of 5 | |
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5.12.2005
7:23 PM | Link0 comments |
 I was thrilled to watch every episode of this "micro series" on Cartoon Network when it was broadcast (twice, actually), so I was glad to see it released on DVD. It was so much fun to watch it all again, since I'm really amped about seeing Revenge of the Sith soon! What really surprised me was how much this seems like a full movie, since all of the episode breaks have been removed. It was originally presented as 20 five-minute shows, but on the DVD each episode leads into the next with a simple wipe, making one incredible two hour film. (By the way, I didn't realize before that Anakin's battle with Asajj Ventress takes place on Yavin 4 - how cool!) I really admire the work of Genndy Tartakovsky, because he's staying true to the 2D animation style (although the space dogfights are animated in CG, which makes perfect sense). There are two commentaries included, but the second one (from the Star Wars website) is much better - Genndy talks at length about how nearly every "additional" character design came from Lucasfilm, and mentions how they used the Star Wars sound library for everything (including atmospheric sounds). There's a short documentary that shows the animators' workspace, and it's great to see Genndy's traditional animating table with a Mac touch-screen embedded into it! Approving this series is one of the best things Lucas has done, and I'm excited about buying the next DVD when they release it!
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| Midnight ROTS tickets | |
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4.14.2005
8:52 PM | Link0 comments |
 The Force was with me last night - I just happened to be up too late surfing, and I got an email from the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema that advance tickets for Star Wars Episode III: Return of the Sith just went on sale! I was thinking of waiting to get them on Fandango, but I decided I couldn't pass up this chance, so I bought eight tickets for me and my pals to the midnight show on May 18th (which is actually May 19th, opening day). I'm so psyched! We'll be seeing it at an entirely new Alamo, which was built from scratch to be an awesome theater with stadium seating, Dolby sound and so on (unlike the other Alamos, which are generally converted from old theaters). If you don't know about the Alamo theaters, they are movie theaters with skinny tables between the seats, so you can order complete meals (and beer!) while you watch the movie. (However, their website says that Lucas himself has declared they may not serve food during the showing, so they're going to serve during a little pre-show, which sounds cool.) When I woke up this morning, all the seats to our showing were already sold out, and just a few minutes ago, nearly all of the opening day showings are gone! I'm so glad that I scored the seats so my pals and I can see it together at the first possible showing. I'm so ready for Jedi action!
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| Boba Fett 6: Pursuit / Elizabeth Hand : 4 of 5 | |
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3.16.2005
7:25 PM | Link0 comments |
 Even though this "young Boba Fett" series isn't nearly as well written as the Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest series, it's still a fantastic set of tales that make great use of the Star Wars galaxy of characters. It's always cool to read about Boba's feelings when he guns down a Stormtrooper, since they are all really "him" and his father - such is the life of a clone! Boba's emotions aren't as well described as Anakin's were in my other Scholastic Star Wars books, but I definitely enjoy reading them anyway. This volume picks up at the cliffhanger of the last book, with Boba escaping capture and going after a bounty, when suddenly he's attacked by Anakin! Boba actually meets Anakin (who knows who he is), and Anakin even repairs the Slave I (pretty cool when you think about it)! The second half of the story involves Boba's quest for revenge against Mace Windu, who killed Jango Fett in Episode II (of course), so he ends up being escorted to Coruscant (by a young Tarkin, no less!) to meet with Palpatine (since Boba found out about the Dooku/Tyrannus duality in the earlier books). Anyway, there's a good fight scene with Windu, and the meeting with Palpatine is pretty spooky, too. After that, it feels like this series is already over, but I hope they come up with more stories.
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| Jedi Quest 10: The Final Showdown / Jude Watson : 4 of 5 | |
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3.06.2005
8:45 AM | Link0 comments |
 It looks like another amazing series of "kiddie" Star Wars books has come to an end, but this volume does a fine job of ending the set on an ominous note for Anakin. This story finally ends the battle with Granta Omega (the son of Qui-Gon's enemy from the previous Jedi Apprentice series), and takes place on Korriban - the home of the Order of the Sith! Since these stories are "blessed" by Lucasfilm, they really should be required reading for Star Wars fans! Where else are you going to get detailed descriptions of the Sith monastery and all of the creepy tombs of the dead Sith lords? The author always does a great job of letting you into the heads of Anakin and Obi-Wan, and here we get to see how they deal with waves of the Dark Side of the Force (Obi-Wan has visions of Qui-Gon telling him he has failed, and Anakin is confronted by his mother and other tempting voices of power). Unfortunately, I think the final death of Omega is a little too quick and uneventful, but the skirmishes leading to it are dramatic and emotional (and include the sad death of a padawan). I love how these stories really make it obvious how Anakin could turn to the Dark Side for what seems him to be noble reasons - such excellent characterization! I hope the author continues to write other special Scholastic novels, or maybe even another series!
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| Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Special Edition) / Original Soundtrack : 4 of 5 | |
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2.26.2005
11:19 AM | Link0 comments |
 Just before the original Star Wars trilogy was released on DVD, I started buying these CDs to get excited about seeing the movies again, but it's taken me forever to give them a serious listen! Now that I've seen the DVDs a few times, everything is so fresh in my mind that the music is much less of a tease, but really enjoyable regardless. As always, I love the full presentation of John Williams' wonderful character themes (I've always wondered if they appear in the films as presented, though). Yoda's Theme is so playful that it makes me wonder if the whole character had been fleshed out when it was written, and Han Solo and the Princess is truly a fantastic love theme. This movie also contains the introduction of the classic Imperial March, a tune that sticks in humanity's brain as much as the main title theme itself! Another standout for me is The Battle of Hoth with its use of piano pounding in the lower octaves to portray the Imperial Walkers making their way across the snow. In fact, the instrumentation in general is much expanded from the soundtrack for A New Hope. There are also many small themes that evoke Cloud City, for example, and plenty of use of the other familiar themes, such as the beautiful Jedi/Force theme. I haven't bought The Return of the Jedi soundtrack yet, but maybe I should before The Revenge of the Sith comes out!
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| Zuckuss shocker! | |
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1.19.2005
10:46 PM | Link0 comments |
 Since my pal Matt is so interested in Zuckuss (and I've always thought the bounty hunters that Vader hired were a pretty cool bunch), I did a little digging and discovered a shocking fact! Since my knowledge of obscure Star Wars characters all came from Kenner (rather than the all the expanded universe books and things), I've been deceived! Kenner mixed up the names of Zuckuss and 4-LOM, two of the bounty hunters that stood together, and so the action figure called Zuckuss is actually a likeness of 4-LOM and vice-versa. Wow! Anyway, here are some great shots of the Zuckuss action figure (which is really 4-LOM), and you can read the official databank entry for 4-LOM to find out about the character that the Zuckuss figure looks like. My world is in ruins - time for bed!
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| A long time ago, in a shoebox far, far away | |
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1.17.2005
7:52 PM | Link0 comments |
 I had a really busy and full weekend, since I did tons of furniture shopping, had lunch and played games at Dave & Busters, shot a video project for my pal Lisa, and saw an opera! I also found the time to give my long-neglected Star Wars figures a safe and cozy new home. Now each figure is bagged (it turns out the bags are much more convenient than the blister packs I ordered) and tucked away in some nice plastic storage containers. For the last 15 years they have been wrapped in Kleenex and stuffed in shoeboxes! I had so much fun bagging them, admiring the detail, enjoying all the little guns and accessories, and remembering the days when I actually made up adventures with these little guys. I'm glad I still have them in good condition after all these years!
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| Starwoids : 3 of 5 | |
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1.04.2005
5:34 PM | Link0 comments |
 This documentary tells the story of Star Wars fans who waited in line 42 days to see Episode I: The Phantom Menace, both at the Chinese Theater and another smaller theater in Los Angeles. I read tons of bad reviews that said this movie was boring, but I decided to rent it anyway, since in 1999 I was obsessed with watching the live webcam of the Chinese Theater line. To me, it wasn't boring at all - I really enjoyed it! The filmmakers did a nice job of cutting between both lines, plus they put in lots of related stories about toy collectors, a priest who discusses the Force, and even someone who painted their car to look like an X-wing! This is definitely a low budget production, shot with digital video and using the same kinds of titles and transitions that anyone can do with iMovie, but I think that just added to the charm. I really liked seeing all the geeks having fun and forming a family in line - I would definitely take part in something like this if I could (the main "character" Daniel actually took a test to graduate from high school early so he could spend the month in line!). I expected to see some Jar Jar bashing, but there was none to be found. If you're a fan and can get past the terrible title, you should see this movie and support your own kind!
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| Star Wars Trilogy : 5 of 5 | |
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10.05.2004
8:02 PM | Link0 comments |
 How you could you expect any thing but a 5 rating from WEBmikey? I've actually been more excited about owning these movies on DVD than I am about seeing Episode III next year, and since the release happened while I was in Walt Disney World, I had to wait a few more days than everyone else! The movies themselves are fantastic to watch, with excellent sound (lots of use of my rear speakers) and beautiful quality, and I really enjoyed the commentary tracks on all three movies (George talks too much about mythology, of course, but Irvin Kershner, who directed The Empire Strikes Back, is a total riot!). The 4th DVD of bonus material is absolutely incredible - you would think that a 2.5 hour documentary would be enough, but it goes on to include other mini-documentaries, all of the goofy trailers from the 70s and 80s, awesome photo galleries of things we've never seen (like Luke hanging out with his pals at Tosche Station), and even a secret blooper reel! Empire of Dreams, the full documentary, contains tons of information I had never heard before (I couldn't believe Lucas was fined for holding all credits until the end of the film - what silly unions!), and lots of awesome footage of model building, Artoo falling over, and everything in-between. I'm not too wild about the additional changes Lucas made on these DVD versions, but they are minor enough for me to ignore - the main thing is that my grade school obsession is here for me to watch as many times as I want!
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| Star Wars: A New Hope (Special Edition) / Original Soundtrack | |
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10.04.2004
6:02 PM | Link0 comments |
 While I was busy getting excited for the release of the original Star Wars Trilogy on DVD (don't worry, a review is on the way!), I decided to finally buy the complete soundtrack CDs. I used to have these on vinyl many, many years ago, and I've probably listened to them hundreds of times when I was younger, so it was a joy hearing them again! Even if you're not a Star Wars fan (and if you're not, you shouldn't be reading WEBmikey), you can't deny that this is some fantastic music - John Williams simply is a brilliant composer. I've always loved Princess Leia's Theme, which is presented here as a full piece (not used in the film) that stands alone and could be heard in any symphony concert. This is a double CD set, so it includes every scrap of music, including the second Cantina Band song - I've always loved that second song (heard during the conversation with Han), but I've never got to hear it in its entirely until now! I love hearing different Star Wars tracks pop-up in my iTunes randomization, whenever the Force flows, of course.
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| Jedi Quest 9: The False Peace / Jude Watson : 3 of 5 | |
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8.05.2004
12:27 PM | Link0 comments |
 As the Jedi Quest series continues, Anakin gets closer and closer to Palpatine (and we all know he's the future Emperor!). In this story there are several scenes where they're alone together, and the author does a great job of getting Palpatine to plant the seeds of uncertainty that will later push him to the Dark Side! This particular plot is pretty good, although it has several dead-ends that are kind of frustrating. There are tons of characters to keep track of - both from the movies and previous books in the series, including the main villains (Granta Omega and Jenna Zan Arbor), who we've been chasing through almost the whole set of books. My favorite part of the story is a huge battle in the senate chamber - since we've seen that giant set in the films, it's easy to imagine it full of seeker droids and Jedi Knights hopping from pod to pod to protect the senators! There's also a scene in Dexter's Diner, which we saw in these books before it was featured in Attack of the Clones, and most of the book takes place on Coruscant. Near the end there is the first hint of a huge evil plot - I have a feeling these books are going to draw to a close soon (but not too soon, I hope)!
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| Meco / The Best of Meco : 4 of 5 | |
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8.02.2004
6:00 PM | Link0 comments |
 Back when I was raking in the Star Wars figures and wearing an R2-D2 necklace, a guy named Meco Menardo was jumping on the disco bandwagon by jazzing up movie soundtracks with plenty of horns and bass. I had at least three albums that I can remember, and I listened to them over and over (in fact, I remember practicing my drums by playing with these tunes, when I should have been working on my double-stroke roll!). I recently stumbled upon this collection at the iTunes Music Store, and I just had to get it. As soon as I heard those TIE fighters scream and Chewie growl, the memories came flooding back! There are several Star Wars tunes here, like Cantina Band, the Imperial March, and even the cool Asteroid Field music, but my favorite is the giant Star Wars medley - it's over 15 minutes long (and that's a long time to hear a disco beat!). This CD also includes the awesome themes from Star Trek and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, plus The Wizard of Oz! The middle of the album has several original compositions - some are vaguely interesting, but they don't compare to the genius (can disco be genius?) of those great soundtracks!
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| Boba Fett 5: A New Threat / Elizabeth Hand : 3 of 5 | |
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5.17.2004
6:47 PM | Link0 comments |
 The "young Boba Fett" series timeline is now around two years past the events in Attack of the Clones, so Boba is pretty well established as Jabba's favorite bounty hunter (even though he's still young). This book ties in closely with the Clone Wars, since Jabba has been secretly asked by the Republic (the "good guys", who eventually become the Empire) to take out a Separatist bad guy, and he gives Boba the job. The action takes place on a really interesting planet (kind of a mushroom world) right in the middle of a big clone/droid battle, and includes a cameo from General Grievous, who is a major character in the next Star Wars movie. The best part of the book is when Boba has to fight clones, who are all essentially his dad (he hears his dad's voice, sees his dad's mannerisms, and so on)! There are a few incidences of Boba being a "nice guy", which still seems kind of strange to me, but I guess it's necessary since he's the hero of these stories. Unfortunately, most of the narrative takes place in Boba's head, which is OK, but not as fascinating as when Boba interacts with other characters. The ending is a total cliffhanger, so the next volume better come out soon!
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| Jedi Quest 8: The Changing of the Guard / Jude Watson : 3 of 5 | |
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5.03.2004
5:43 PM | Link |
 It was great to read another Jedi Quest book, since I read the previous one in December! This story wasn't the best of the series, but it definitely had some great moments, both from a character and action standpoint. The plot involves the Jedi disguising themselves as a gang of thieves so they can fit in on a criminal refugee planet and capture the dreaded Jenna Zan Arbor, one of the villains who keeps popping up in these books. There are some funny moments as Obi-Wan has be a "dandy" in flowing robes, and Siri, another Jedi Master, has to flirt and be charming. There is a fantastic conversation between Ferus, Anakin's Padawan rival, and Obi-Wan about Anakin and his troubles - usually the character development comes from Anakin's thoughts, but it was interesting to learn more from other characters' speech. The end of the book picks up the pace with a nice battle and an appearance by Mace Windu for good measure, and of course, the evil schemes all point to Granta Omega, the villain from the older Jedi Apprentice series who just won't go away!
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| Jedi Quest 7: The Moment of Truth / Jude Watson : 3 of 5 | |
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12.11.2003
10:27 PM | Link |
 Another excellent story in the Jedi Quest series, with much more focus on exactly what's going on in Anakin's head. The story is fairly interesting, but it really doesn't matter, since to me the stories are just a backdrop for the author to crank out these fantastic characterizations. Every time she stops in the middle of battle to talk about what Obi Wan or Anakin are thinking is just wonderful - these are the kind of moments that you can't get in the movies! In this story Anakin is drugged by the bad guy (whom we find out is another cross-over from Jedi Apprentice!) so he's numb to his emotions, and he realizes how tormented he usually is by guilt and other pressures. He even has a real Gethsemane moment when he cries to Obi Wan that he doesn't want to be the Chosen One! The pacing of this story was a little off - the last few chapters read like the author realized she was running out of paper or something. But overall, it's another book in the series that always keeps me wanting more!
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| Good this cartoon is! | |
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11.13.2003
7:50 PM | Link0 comments |
 The new Clone Wars series on Cartoon Network is really innovative! I don't know what the reasoning was behind producing a series of five minute episodes, but it's actually a pretty fun format, since it keeps you looking forward to the next day's chapter. The animation is really great, since it's essentially the same style as Samurai Jack, and hearing all the authentic sounds and music of Star Wars really makes the experience real. Anakin's voice totally sounds like a valley dude, but I guess I'll let that flaw pass - at least Yoda's voice is right!
Although it's seeming less like a milestone as time goes by, I just hit 3,000,000 (yes, that's three million) steps on my SportBrain. Carrying moving boxes back and forth to my car a hundred times sure does help! Speaking of moving, this should be my last WEBmikey post in the old condo. Hopefully everything will go smoothly with my Road Runner transfer and I'll be back online as soon as possible! Oh boy, I can't wait to start unpacking. (Yes, that was sarcasm!)  Yubaba / New Japan Philharmonic / Spirited Away
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| Legacy of the Jedi / Jude Watson : 4 of 5 | |
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10.29.2003
10:30 PM | Link |
 Jude Watson is just a fantastic Star Wars author - no doubt about it. She knows these characters better than the screenwriters, that's for sure! This amazing book spans four generations of Jedi Masters and their Padawans. First, we meet young Dooku and witness the seeds of his fall to the Dark Side. As expected, the book does a great job of generating sympathy for characters that will be evil in the future, since redemption is such an important part of the Star Wars mythos. Next, we meet young Qui Gon with Dooku as his master, which is such a different type of relationship than I've read about in the Jedi Apprentice series. Third, we read about young Obi-Wan and Qui Gon, which is exactly as expected, and fourth, Anakin and Obi Wan, which I've been enjoying in the Jedi Quest series. There's really no need to discuss the plot - it's enough just to experience all of these characters and discover what makes them tick. Any Star Wars fan will enjoy this book!
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| Boba Fett 4: Hunted / Elizabeth Hand : 4 of 5 | |
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10.07.2003
10:31 PM | Link |
 Another fascinating look into Star Wars history is contained is this cool book - the first meeting of Boba Fett with Jabba the Hutt! Boba heads to good ol' Tatooine to follow Jango's advice (from his "book of wisdom" that he left to his son), and we immediately have a wonderful adventure with characters we all know and love, which is why I enjoy these books so much! There's some cantina action, traveling on Jabba's sail barge, the introduction of Boba's jet pack, and even mention of the Sarlaac (which is kind of creepy since Boba will end up as lunch someday). The only downside is that Boba really becomes a hero at the end of this story, which is just a little over the top for a kid who's goal is to become a dangerous criminal, but it's still a great plot. Besides the excellent first book, this volume may be my favorite of the series!
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| Thumb Wars: The Phantom Cuticle : 2 of 5 | |
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9.02.2003
9:38 PM | Link |
 This DVD was my first experience with this series of thumb movies, featuring tiny sets and costumes on real human thumbs, with actual mouths and eyes digitally rendered on them. The effect is super weird, but kind of fun. Thumb Wars is a great spoof of Star Wars Episode IV (even though it's called The Phantom Cuticle, it has nothing to do with Episode I), with a few extras from Episode V thrown in (like Yoda, who keeps talking about being a puppet). There are some cool effects in this quick 30 minute show, but the wacky jokes are what keeps it going - the weird Jedi bit about "touch your tongue to mine" and especially Vader revealing himself to be Luke's mother, complete with pink dress! It's definitely not a comedy masterpiece, but it's a ton of fun for any Star Wars geek.
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| Boba Fett 3: Maze of Deception / Elizabeth Hand : 3 of 5 | |
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8.16.2003
10:33 PM | Link |
 Even though this book is by a new author, it's another great quick-reading story, just as good as the previous volumes. This series is doing such a great job of working in the richness of the Star Wars saga, mainly by including characters we all know. While trying to escape from Aurra Sing and collect the money Jango left him, young Boba encounters Jawas, Bib Fortuna, and even Jabba the Hutt's nephew! The story is really interesting, set on the "banking world" of the galaxy, which sounds a lot like Coruscant, but a little more organized. Boba knows the Dooku/Tyrannus secret, and uses it to his advantage - it's fascinating to read about him wondering what Dooku is doing, knowing he's on both sides of the Clone War conflict. This series has me totally hooked now!
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| Boba Fett 2: Crossfire / Terry Bisson : 4 of 5 | |
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7.24.2003
10:39 PM | Link |
 I thought that this series might start to waver a little, since this second volume takes place completely after Episode II, but it actually got better! It's really fun following young Boba, our favorite 10-year old bounty hunter. First he has to escape from Count Dooku, which is helped by an invasion by the "good guys" (Jedi and Clone Troopers), and Boba is taken aboard a transport to Bespin (here comes Cloud City!). There's some great scenes here, since is Boba is faced with thousands of Clone Troopers who are all duplicates of himself! He makes his first friend, who helps him get away once they reach the planet, and ends up back on his ship Slave I, off to collect his dad's fortune. They're doing a great job of bringing the Star Wars universe to life!
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| Jedi Quest 6: The Shadow Trap / Jude Watson : 4 of 5 | |
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7.22.2003
10:40 PM | Link |
 This series continues to be fascinating, especially with its tight integration into the Star Wars universe. I've heard that anything that has to do with the saga has to be approved in some way by LucasFilm, to be sure that it doesn't contradict with anything in the existing stories (or stories on the way). In this volume, the Jedi Master Yaddle plays a big (and shocking) role - you may remember her as the female "Yoda species" in some of the Jedi Council scenes in the movies. It's great to see her character used in such a dramatic way! My only complaint with the book is that every story keeps boiling down to the same vi |