My Review: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D

This was my favorite movie when I was nine years old. My uncle Ryan took me and my cousins to go see this at Lake 7 theater in Rice Lake, WI. I remember thinking that it was the coolest thing that I had ever seen, and soon became totally obsessed with it. I had a Star Wars backpack, a Star Wars lunchbox, a Star Wars calender (that was really cool because it had flip book animations of scenes from the movie), and I was Darth Maul for Halloween that year. It was kinda shitty because lots of other kids were too and my mom was way late in buying my costume so while the other kids had the cool normal sized double sided lightsaber, I had one half the size and it was filled with candy. So, now it is almost 13 years later and I was psyched when I saw that this movie was being released in 3D. The Phantom Menace is the least bad of all of the Star Wars prequels and is filled with great scenes like the podracing scene and an extremely epic lightsaber battle between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul. Here are the main reasons why I went to see ths movie:

• I thought that the lightsaber battle and pod race scenes would look epic in 3D
• Nostalgia
• To see if the underwater scene would scare me as much as it did when I was nine (seriously I had my hands over my eyes the whole scene)
• Ewan McGregor is crazy beautiful
• Um..its Star Wars....

Since this movie wasn't made to be in 3D, there aren't any really cool 3D moments. It was basically like watching it the first time, except now Yoda is CGI. They probably did it to make it consistent with the second two prequels, but I like puppet Yoda better. I still think that seeing this was worth the $9 and 15 minute bus ride, though. One of the greatest things about seeing Star Wars movies in theaters is hearing Ben Burtt's great sound design. The sound during the pod race is just amazing. Everytime the pods rounded a corner, I was just like "wow!"
Its also cool to watch this now that I know that Keira Knightley is Natalie Portman's decoy. I remember being shocked when I found out that Padme was Queen Amidala. That to me was my Crying Game scene. Except instead of Dil having a penis, it was Portman being the queen. I really couldn't tell the difference between Natalie as queen and Knightley as decoy queen.

Now that it is 13 years later and I have a shitload of movies featuring these two actresses, I can easily tell the two of them apart. It was interesting seeing how many times Knightley is in the background in just her handmaiden robe. Speaking of Queen Amidala, how amazing is her wardrobe? I used to have this book that came out with the book and there was a few pages dedicated to her wardrobe and I ended up ruining the book by cutting them all out. I wish I hadn't done that now because that book was really cool. It has lists of all the droids and spaceships and everything. Anyways, Queen Amidala has the most amazing clothes. Here are my favorite outfits.

Also, that lightsaber battle is just amazing!



Poor Ewan McGregor always has to have someone die in his arms. I'm surprised Qui-Gonn didn't say "tell a story Christian...or Obi-Wan." Speaking of Ewan McGregor...how gorgeous is this guy?!!?!?

Seeing this again made me realize how little he is in this movie. At least he is in the best scene in the movie. (I am referring again to the lightsaber battle).

So in conclusion, although the 3D aspect was somewhat disappointing, and I prefer puppet Yoda, this was really fun to see in theaters again.



Spotlight On: Ewan McGregor

This is a spotlight that is way overdue! I can't believe I haven't done a spotlight on Ewan McGregor already! I have had a major crush on him ever since I saw Moulin Rouge when I was around eleven years old. He is an amazing actor who can do a whole variety of roles. He has done comedy, drama, musicals, romance, war movies, and has even played a jedi. He also happens to be one of the most gorgeous human beings on the face of the Earth. He just has a smile that makes you happy and a beautiful pair of blue eyes. Here are some of my favorites of the movies he has been in.

Trainspotting

Here McGregor plays a heroin addict named Renton who spends the movie trying to get clean only to get back on the junk again. There are a lot of really disturbing scenes in this movie that really show how degrading and horrible being an addict is. We see Renton digging through a disgusting toilet filled with shit looking for his drugs, and one of the most disturbing scenes in the movie is a nightmare sequence when he is detoxing at his parents' house.


Emma

Emma is my absolute favorite Jane Austen novel, so it is really cool that McGregor has played one of her characters. He plays Frank Churchill, who ends up being kind of a douche. He is someone that Emma crushes on for a while, but we eventually find out that the whole time he was engaged to Jane Fairfax. He ends up making Mr. Knightley very jealous because he thinks that Emma is falling for him.


A Life Less Ordinary

I just watched this movie for the first time today, and I thought it was kind of odd. It is a romantic comedy, but there were parts that were pretty disturbing. It is about a guy who kidnaps his former bosses daughter because he lost his job. The girl doesn't really care that she has been kidnapped and even helps him out. Also, there are two angels who are trying to get the two of them to fall in love. What I mean by disturbing is that there is a part where one of the angels makes Ewan dig his own grave and tells him he is going to shoot him. It was horrifying! This was an odd movie, but it does have some cute scenes.


Velvet Goldmine

Curt Wild! I love this movie so much! Ewan plays Curt Wild, a rock star who is based on Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Ewan is just sexy as hell in this movie! This has a lot of great actors in it like Christian Bale, Toni Collette, and Jonathon Rhys Meyers, but my absolute favorite character is Ewan McGregor as Curt Wild.



Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Say what you will about the Star Wars prequels, but Ewan McGregor was a great young Obi Wan. They give him some pretty cheesy dialogue in the second two films, but I love him in this one. He is probably the best looking jedi ever and was a part of one of the best lightsaber battles in any of the Star Wars films!



Moulin Rouge

I do not think that it is possible to watch this movie and not fall madly in love with Ewan McGregor as Christian. Here he plays a young writer who falls in love with a courtesan. It starts out wonderful, but he has to deal with the fact that she has to sleep with The Duke. Basically this whole movie makes me cry, but one of the most heartbreaking scenes is when Satine is forced to tell Christian that she doesn't love him to save his life. This whole movie is just heartbreaking! It probably wouldn't be so bad if Ewan wasn't so damn perfect in this movie! He is just beautiful and his singing voice is amazing...I just love this movie and him in it so much! Just listening to him sing Come What May makes me want to cry...



Big Fish

One of the rare Tim Burton movies that doesn't feature Johnny Depp. Here McGregor plays Edward Bloom a man who may or may not have had a bunch of extraordinary things happen in his life. McGregor plays him from his teen years to around middle age. There are so many great scenes in this movie, and one of my favorites is the scene at the circus when he first sees his future wife...


The Island

This is a really cool science fiction movie where McGregor and Scarlett Johansson play people who believe they are in an underground shelter for survivors of a horrible apocalypse, but they eventually find out that they are really clones who were made so that their organs could be used to help the people they are clones of. Both this movie and the movie Never Let Me Go are examples of moral issues with cloning. Even though clones are made not born naturally, they are still people.



I Love You Phillip Morris

When I first saw the trailer for this movie I thought that it looked stupid, but I'm really glad that I ended up watching it. Ewan is just so sweet and adorable as Phillip Morris, a man who falls in love while in prison. Every time his character talks in this movie you just want to give him a big hug.



Beginners

This was a super cute movie. Ewan plays a man whose 75 year old father comes out to him as gay. This films is also about a relationship he starts with a pretty actress he meets after his dad dies. This movie was just charming! It is a movie that can put you in a good mood even while making you a little sad.



Haywire

Some good looking men in this movie! It not only has Ewan, but also Channing Tatum AND Michael Fassbender! That alone was worth the movie ticket prices!


Upcoming: He has two movies coming out in the near future that I really want to see. The first is Salmon Fishing in the Yemen with Emily Blunt. If it were anyone else I probably wouldn't want to see it because I really don't care about fishing, but since it has Ewan it'll probably be good. I also want to see Perfect Sense, which he is in with Eva Green. I think that that movie looks really interesting.

Star Wars: Uncut

Holy Shit! I just sat through two hours of amazing amazingness! I was on Stumpleupon and I came across this article on Star Wars: Uncut, which is a fan made remake of A New Hope where fans shot 15 second clips of the movie that were edited together. Being a massive Star Wars fan, I of course had to check it out. I planned on only watching a few minutes, but I ended up watching the entire thing which clocks in at about two hours. It was amazing!!! While some of the clips were a little annoying, most of it was creative and awesome and hilarious. Definitely worth the watch!

Spotlight On: Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee is both a horror icon for his appearances in Hammer Horror films in the 1950s, and also a geek icon for being the only actor to appear in both Star Wars and Lord of the Rings films. He is a great actor with a fantastic deep voice, and here are some of my favorites of his roles.

The Curse of Frankenstein

Here he played Frankenstein's monster in his first starring role for Hammer, and one of several times that he was paired with the great Peter Cushing. You can watch a scene from the film HERE



Horror of Dracula

Here he plays another horror icon, Dracula. This is probably his most famous role from the Hammer films, and he is in my opinion, one of the best people to have ever played Dracula.



The Wicker Man

While this film has become slightly overshadowed by the shitstorm that was the Nicolas Cage remake of this movie, the original The Wicker Man is a horror classic. Christopher Lee plays Lord Summerisle who was the leader of this crazy cult. You can find the best scene of the movie HERE



Sleepy Hollow

He only appears in the beginning of this film, but he definitely leaves a lasting impression with his little cameo. He plays the Burgomeister, who is the one who sends Icabod to Sleepy Hollow. You can find his scene HERE

The Lord of the Rings

I am not the biggest Lord of the Rings fan (I'm more of a Star Wars person), but I love Christopher Lee as Saruman. He just has that great voice of his where you just have to listen to everything he is saying. One of my favorite scenes in the whole trilogy is his fight with Gandalf.




Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones/ Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Christopher Lee also appeared in the Star Wars prequels as Count Dooku, a man who was trained as a Sith Lord. I love Dooku because he manages to knock down Anakin a few pegs, who was just way too cocky in Attack of the Clones. Also, you just have to love the scene where he fights Yoda.


Upcoming: He will be apparing in the movies Hugo, Dark Shadows, as well as playing Saruman again in The Hobbit movies.

My Favorite Movie Lines

My first YouTube video! A compilation of my favorite movie lines. As soon as I made it, I thought of a million more so I'll probably have to make another one...

10 Worst Star Wars Lines

Being a huge Star Wars fan, there are tons of lines from Star Wars that I absolutely love. (Most of which are said by that handsome scoundrel Han Solo...) Some classic examples would be "Laugh it up, fuzzball" or "Who's scruffy looking?" along with classics like "May the force be with you" or "Never tell me the odds!" But since I have seen all six Star Wars films like a million times, I have to admit that there are some lines that are like nails on a chalkboard to me. It should come as no surprise that most of them are from the prequel trilogy.

10.
"Luke run away...far away. If he can sense your presence here then leave this place!"
Who says it: Leia in Return of the Jedi when they are on Endor. She is trying to convince Luke not to confront Vader.
Why I hate it: It isn't a terrible line, I just hate the way she says it.

9.
"Somebody has to save our skins!"
Who says it: Leia in A New Hope, before they jump in the garbage room.
Why I hate it: I don't know why, but it has always bothered me...



8.
"It's not my fault!"
Who says it: Lando in Empire Strikes Back, when they realize that the hyperdrive isn't fixed.
Why I hate it: Lando is being a whiny bitch



7.
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
Who says it: Anakin when he becomes Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith....right after they tell him he killed Padme
Why I hate it: CORNY AS HELL! Plus, it is just a waste of James Earl Jones's voice.



6.
"You're so beautiful..."
 "It's only because I'm so in love."
"No...it's because I'm so in love with you."
"So love has blinded you?"
Who says it: Padme and Anakin in Revenge of the Sith
Why I hate it: the Star Wars movies aren't really great with romantic dialogue, but this is just terrible. I'll take "I love you" "I know" any day...

5.
"Power!!!! Unlimited POWER!!!!!"
Who says it: Darth Sidious when he is killing Mace Windu in Revenge of the Sith
Why I hate it: If there was a cartoon of me watching this scene, you would see a big question mark pop over my head when he says this. WTF? It is just plain bad.



4.
"Anakin...you're breaking my heart!"
Who says it: Padme when she realizes that Anakin is going all Sith Lord
Why I hate it: I love Natalie Portman, but this one line is probably the worst thing that she has ever done.



3.
Anything said by Jar Jar Binks
Who says it: Um...duh
Why I hate it: As the Comic Book Guy would say..."Worst. Character. Ever."

2.
"My powers have doubled since the last time we met, Count!"
Who says it: Anakin when he's about to fight Dooku again...
Why I hate it: Hayden Christensen is just terrible in this movie, and he's being all cocky. It's in the video at about 1:16.



1.
"I sense it too!"
Who says it: Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones. It is the part when they are there to protect Padme and the little creepy crawly bug things are put in her room to kill her. Anakin is talking and suddenly stops mid-sentence because he senses something happening in Padme's room and that is when Obi-Wan says this absolutely aweful line! I literally have to fast forward over this part because it is like nails on a chalkboard. Bad bad bad!
Why I hate it: I pretty much said why above, but I'll continue here. It is so CORNY!!! Plus I just hate the way he says it. Ugh.... Its in the video at about 13:33

Spotlight On: Keira Knightley

This week's spotlight is on the lovely Keira Knightley. I have been huge fan of hers since I was like thirteen. I remember seeing her on a movie poster for Pirates of the Caribbean way before it came out and I just thought that she was gorgeous! Well, not only is she beautiful, but she is also a very talented actress, and one of my favorites working today. Here are some of my favorite films of hers that I have seen throughout the years.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

A lot of people don't know this, but one of Keira Knightley's first film roles was in the first Star Wars prequel. She played Sabe, the decoy for Natalie Portman's Queen Amidala. Apparently she was cast due to a strong resemblance to Portman. I really don't think that they look all that alike anymore, but when I saw this in theatres when I was nine, I couldn't tell the difference between when Portman was the queen and when Knightley was.



Princess of Thieves

When I was a kid I was a sucker for warrior girl movies, so I totally had this on VHS. In this film she plays Robin Hood's daughter. Interesting fact: Stephen Moyer from True Blood plays her love interest Price Philip. I actually did not know that until a few minutes ago when I was on IMDB. I haven't watched this movie in forever!



The Hole

In this movie, Knightley plays a popular high school girl who gets trapped in a bunker with three of her classmates. What is hilarious is that I actually own this movie. I remember I waited forever for it to come out on DVD in America because I really wanted to see it, so I just bought it. Its not the best movie in the world, but it's not terrible. Both Knightley and Thora Birch give good performances.



Doctor Zhivago

I actually saw this version before the one with Omar Sharif and Julie Christie. I  recorded episode one off of the TV when it was on PBS and I would watch it all the time. I didn't see the second episode until a year or so ago when I got it from Netflix. I always loved Knightley as Lara, the pretty Russian girl who is seduced by an older man then falls for a married poet/ doctor.



Bend It Like Beckham

In this film, Knightley plays a soccer player who has dreams of moving to America to play professionally. One of the very few films where she isn't playing the pretty girl. I just think its funny that theres even a part where she is mistaken for a guy...



Pirates of the Caribbean

Now onto the movie that made her famous. I remember that I was beyond excited for this movie to come out. We got to the theatre so early that we had to wait in the hallway, because the previous showing was still going on. My favorite scene in the movie has always been the part when Barbossa shows Elizabeth Swann the curse...



Love Actually

In Love Actually, she plays a character who finds out that her new husband's best friend is in love with her. She is in one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie, which you can find HERE

King Arthur

Knightley has always been great in period films, and this one is no exception. This movie has Guinevere as a warrior woman, which you don't see very often. Not one of my favorite films of hers, but it does have its good parts.



Domino

In this films she plays Domino Harvey, who was a real model turned bounty hunter, but this film is very very loosly based on her life. What this films is probably the best remembered for is Keira's awesome short haircut.



Pride and Prejudice

This is the film that got Keira her Oscar nomination. It was well deserved, because she was perfect as Elizabeth Bennett in this adaptation of the Jane Austen classic. My favorite scene has to be the part where she rejects Mr. Darcy's proposal.



Atonement

My goodness, the green dress that she wears in this film is absolutely gorgeous!! In this film she plays Cecilia, a woman in love with the beautiful James McAvoy. Unfortunately, her little sister accuses her love of raping a guest at their house, so they are torn apart. I think that her and McAvoy have such great chemistry in this film, and that library scene is SEXY AS HELL!!!



The Duchess

I remember seeing this movie in theatres and just bawling my eyes out during the scene where she has to give away her baby. I don't remember if I've seen it since, but now I really want to rent it. She gets to wear some amazing costumes in this film.



Never Let Me Go

I love this movie so much. Here she plays a clone named Ruth who was made so they could harvest her organs. In the book she was a rather unlikable character, and I think that Knightley does a great job in this film.



Upcoming:
I am super excited to see her in the upcoming David Cronenberg film A Dangerous Method. It also features Viggo Mortensen and the handsome Michael Fassbender.

She is also going to be in a film called Seeking a Friend For the End of the World with Steve Carell that is coming out next year.

My Favorite Sci Fi Heroines

While the science fiction genre is known for its handsome, charming heroes like Han Solo and Captain Malcolm Reynolds, for this list I am going to show some appreciation for my favorite science fiction heroines. These are the women who can kick some ass and take some names. While there are several awesome female characters in the sci fi genre, here are my top ten.

1. Ellen Ripley

Ellen Ripley kicks some xenomorph ass in not one, but four different Alien films. The one that she is probably best known for, however, is Aliens. I am a huge Sigourney Weaver fan, and that is in my opinion, the best thing that she has ever been in. No other sci fi heroine will ever come close to the awesomeness that is Ellen Ripley!





2. Mystique

Technically she is more of a villainess than a heroine, but I don't really care because I love Mystique. She is not only the coolest looking X-Men, but she has one of the coolest powers. Along with the ability that she has to turn into anyone, she also has great agility and fighting skills.



3. Sarah Connor

Although she is a bit of a damsel in distress in the first Terminator film, she shows her inner badass at the end when she kills the T-800. "You're terminated fucker!" It is in the second film where she becomes a truly badass sci fi heroine, only this time she has to work with a T-800 to fight against the T-1000.



4. LeeLoo

Growing up, The Fifth Element was one of my favorite movies. Naturally, my favorite character was always LeeLoo, the "perfect being" and the fifth element. The best part of this movie is most definitely the part where she is fighting all of those aliens during the Diva's song.



5. Princess Leia

Even though she does have her damsel in distress moments in A New Hope, Princess Leia is one tough broad. She is pretty much the only Star Wars character who actually hits the Storm Troopers when she shoots at them. Also, even though she is taken prisoner by Jabba the Hutt, she does find her own way to escape.



6. River Tam

I am a fan of all of the female characters from the show Firefly, but the one that is probably the most memorable is River Tam. Even though she is more of a quiet fighter, like Mystique or Miho from Sin City, she does have some cool fight scenes.



7. Dana Scully

While FBI Agent Dana Scully isn't badass in the way that the other women on the list are, she is still one of my favorite sci fi heroines. On The X-Files, although she is often quite skeptical about the strange things going on, she still uses her brains to solve (or attempt to solve) whatever she and Mulder are working on.



8. Barbarella

I just love this movie because of how campy it is. The best part is this movie has to be the part where she beats the Excessive Machine, which is a machine that tries to orgasm her to death. Boy, if I had to pick a way to die...



9. Zoe

Another one of my favorite characters from Firefly is Zoe. I just love her because she is both tough, but also really witty and funny. In the below video you will find some great quotes from her.



10. Jean Grey

Another one of my favorites from X-Men is Jean Grey aka The Pheonix. She has telekinetic powers, and goes from being a good guy in the first two films to evil in the third film.