A bit of a switch as I was planning on taking this week fully off then come back next Monday to discuss Thor, but it’s May 4th and we all know what that means: STAR WARS DAY. I’m keeping it simple today as I take a look at the closing of the (infamous) prequel trilogy.
To me, it’s absolutely perfect and is quite simply the high water mark of all three movies. More specifically, the very end with Obi Wan giving the baby Luke to his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. They look out to watch their dual suns set as they wonder about the future…much like Luke would do many years later.
Interestingly enough, it was originally planned to include Yoda arriving at Dagobah as part of the sequence, but Lucas preferred to keep it limited to the fate of the Skywalker family. It was the right decision. You can find the uncut version on youtube and while it’s pretty cool, it’s better off the way shown on the big screen.
Perhaps not the most conventional movie to start this decade off with for this ongoing feature, Kick-Ass was on my list of top ten movies of 2010. I’m weird like that, I know. The story of a basic high school nerd who somehow becomes a superhero known ass Kick-Ass (no powers, just more guts than brains). Along the way, he’s befriended by true vigilantes (unlike whatever Kick-Ass was posing as at the time): the father and daughter duo of Big Daddy and Hit Girl.
To set-up this particular scene: mob boss Frank D’Amico wants to send a message to the entire city what would happen to costumed vigilantes in his town and is set to show the execution of Big Daddy and Kick-Ass all over the internet. Of course, his plan doesn’t work out as little Hit Girl comes to the rescue. There is a lot of strobing light effects in this scene, so do be wary of that.
Closer is an interesting case for me. On one hand, it falls under the break up movie in which you wonder why anyone would be with any of these people. It’s very hard to stay engaged when you dislike everyone on the screen. However, it’s a fantastically acted film that’s hard to turn away from. What’s one to do?
These are a spectacular few scenes (edited so that they’re put together without interruption). Off the top of my head, this is my second favorite break-up in film…well, from a non-comedy, of course. It contains MANY words that probably shouldn’t be heard in a public setting, so I’d say it’s NSFW for language purposes.
Another Monday and another couple of movies to look at briefly. Today, I take a look at Morning Glory (starring Rachel McAdams) and Salt (starring Angelina Jolie).
Trying out a new feature that will pop up from time to time where I pick my favorite four of something in film history. For the inaugural article: directors.
