Star Wars: The Clone Wars
August 11th, 2008
It’s no secret that I love Star Wars — and not just “the old ones” but all six movies: their mythic scope, their conceptual and visual inventiveness, the cheesy characters and blunt dialogue, the structural complexity, the joy they take in speed and color. Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the all-new animated Star Wars adventure, is a worthy addition to the original six-film cycle, staying true to the spirit of the series while overhauling it in a number of important ways. Read the rest of my review on About.com.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Dave Filoni, 2008. ****
Also recently seen:
- Unter den Brücken. Helmut Käutner, 1945. **** (Review)
- Under the Volcano. John Huston, 1984. ****
- The Awful Truth. Leo McCarey, 1937. ****
- Trumbo. Peter Askin, 2007. ***
- La baie des anges. Jacques Demy, 1963. ***
- Greendale. Neil Young, 2003. ***
- Suspiria. Dario Argento, 1977. ****
August 12th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
i guess George Lucas finally got to make (or a least approve of) a whole Star Wars movie after his love for CGI, looks fun though
August 14th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
why am i not surprised that jurgen, not only loved all six star wars flicks, but loves the cartoon?
a. how is this an independent film?
b. “structural complexity”? really? when you watched ‘the wire’ did you keep notes with a pen and paper?
August 14th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Hi mondo. I wasn’t trying to surprise anyone, so I guess it’s ok you weren’t. As for your questions:
a. Lucas produces his films independently, then finds a distributor. He’s arguably the most successful independent filmmaker in history — but even if he wasn’t, About.com doesn’t mind if guides stray off topic every now and then.
b. No notes required for The Wire, but yes, the original six Star Wars reveal a surprising amount of structural complexity. Pretty much every element — from the political backdrop to the droids to costume design and minor characters — has a six-film story arc, and there’s fairly elaborate play of visual echoes and repeating tropes. The dialogue and characters are simple, but the world and the story structure isn’t. In fact, there isn’t a series of feature films like it — most other franchises are happy to remake the same film over and over again, and I know of none that follow an overall purpose as determinately as Star Wars.
August 23rd, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Thank you Jurgen for echoing some of the more interesting things in the Star Wars series. I am a filmmaker and i find the series a brilliant expression of myth, film + human history, sound, colour and rhythem all played as a musical riff over six films.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:10 am
Under the Volcano - haven’t seen this in a while, but in my memory it is absolutely devastating. Suspiria - lots of colors and crazy music.
But why you gotta diss on Woody? VCB was harmless fun!