themolk and Michelle's blog
I haven't been this excited about something on YouTube since I don't know when.
Just awesome. The artist scoured YouTube, so that all the music parts are originals from people who have submitted videos to YouTube. What a mash-up! So much work, but what an amazing result...
Like the rest of the free world, I'm excited about Barack Obama's inaugration as the 44th president of the United States of America today. True change has come to America now that an African-American is their elected leader.
The show of both force in protecting him and in the media's attention on him has been incredible.
Not least of which is this very cool, very geeky idea from CNN: Submit your photos from the inauguration and they'll compile them into a Photosynth picture for all to see from as many angles and zoom levels as possible. Check it out here. Way cool. There's only a few photos there now, but it's sure to grow. Microsoft have also set up their own Photosynth too - see it here.
Congrats to the Obama family, and to America. The world is watching to see a leader of presence, substance and authority stamp his mark and offer real change.
This is brilliant - found it today in my travels (thanks @JenDudley for the pickup!)... the Star Wars trilogy recounted by someone who has never seen it.
Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.
What a cack!
This article is just plain wrong on so many levels I can barely conceive of it - like it's an online myth waiting to be busted. Except that it's not.
How poor has the generic online community become that someone 'threatens' suicide and the other people in the forum chastise/egg the person on. Where were the moderators? Where was this guys family and friends? It's haunting if for no other reason that the police after being called had to cover up the webcam once they discovered the body. Ew.
RIP Abraham Biggs. I pray you found your peace.
Would you believe... it's a great film?!
As an intro to this post, I must admit I am a massive Steve Carrell fan. Between he and Frank Woodley, they are funny just walking down the street. So be ready for some gushing.
From the minute I heard Steve Carrell was going to play Maxwell "Agent 86" Smart I knew I had to see this film incarnation of Get Smart. I remember watching re-runs of Get Smart on TV as a kid and loving it - Max, 99, Himi, Fang, The Chief, Larabee, Agent 13 always hiding in the weirdest of places - how could you not. There was always a fear that Buck Henry and Mel Brooks's creations wouldn't translate into a modern day setting and that this was just gonna be 'another remake to make the studios some cash', but I'm pleased to report it's a lot better than that and I'm sure Henry and Brooks will be proud of their characters and this evolution of them.
The story focuses on Max, working as an analyst for Control in the modern day - he hasn't yet passed his agent's exam, even after seven previous attempts, but, you know, eigth time's a charm. Along the way we meet all the characters from the TV show I mentioned before, and a couple of new ones in Bruce (Heroes' Masi Oka) and Lloyd (Nate Torrence). These guys are the R2D2 and C-3PO to Max's Luke Skywalker; the comic foils that conveniently progress the plot and they are pretty funny to boot (although beware, a spin off movie featuring them has already entered production and it sounds hideous). Bill Murray makes a marvellous cameo as 13, bringing to him all the neediness and emotional devastation of an Agent left to hide in post boxes, etc.
Control has been compromised, the Vice President (who the Chief now reports to) thinks Control is a waste of time and Kaos defunct, and nuclear material is being shipped about in Russia and Max believes that Siegfried - the leader of Kaos - is organising the whole deal. Max is teamed with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) to save the world, while loving it. James Caan puts in a fine George W Bush-esque performance as The President, and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson turns on the charm and shows he has some range as a comic actor as Max's supporter and friend, Agent 23.
There are lots of gags in the film in the same vein as the show. Carrell puts in a great performance as 86, without trying to copy Don Adams's 86 (which, let's face it, we all know and love). Carrell is as inept as he is loveable as Smart, bringing a humanity and brilliant wit to the sharp character. Anne Hathaway as Agent 99 is an interesting one - she pays homage to Barbara Feldon's 99 with some great eybrow lifts and at least 3 different "Oh Max"'s, but she's way more butt kicking and on more than one occasion looks spectacularly hot. Her progression from being 'anti-Max' to 'pro-Max' is believable in the context of the film and a lot of fun. The Chief is brought to life by Alan Arkin spectacularly well - he's not office bound like on TV, he's got a great history, and he's bring some small amount of order to the Year 3 playground that is Control. A cameo from the original Siegfried, and some white hot one liners that you may be laughing too hard at the line before to hear. There's some great running gags (watch for the stapler) and HIMI makes a showing too. The soundtrack is solid with a great re-working of the TV theme (with a much funkier beat and good brass stabs) and excellent use of (among other things) Christina Aguilera, ABBA and Madonna and Justin Timberlake's single "4 minute" - the use of which had me humming, over-singing and scatting it with my friend Craig as we walked out from the cinema.
I really liked this film. The producers have done a great job, tipping their hat to all the things that made the TV series good, and then taking the whole show up a notch. It's a vehicle built for a sequel (as is anything from Hollywood these days, I guess) and I hope the second offers up as much fun and enjoyment as this 'original' film. It's a great one to take teens to as they'll get most/all of the gags, although some of the stuff referring to the tv series may need explaining. Or just sit 'em down with a DVD of the show a few days beforehand. They'll get it. Get Smart is just a lot of fun.
My personal rating: 4.5 "would you believe"'s out of 5.
I found this on the Atom website (thanks Brett for recommending the place!), and I think it is hilarious... be careful, someone swears once (so no kiddy ears), but other than that it's a great short film.
(...here it is, Pete...)
I cannot tell you how much I have been waiting for this movie to come out. It honestly wouldn't have bothered me if they simply cut the best bits of the past 18 years (over 400 episodes) into a 90 minute montage - I still woulda seen it.
I had planned to see it with a bunch of mates, but all bar one piked out on me - thanks for coming, Craig. :)
It had everything. I do mean everything too - from the token nudity (yes, Bart's penis, and Flanders saying penis - however it is a funny end to the "hide the penis" gag preceeding the reveal); th dysfunctional town relationships; an angry Moe; cameo appearances; Inane and extremely base humour - I was in my element. There was just so much I need to go and see it again (this time, maybe, Scodge??), and it will certainly be on my Birthday/Christmas list.
To be fair, the movie will possibly disappoint all but the biggest Simpsons fans. The plot was pretty shaky - Springfield becomes contained in a dome by the maniacal leader of the EPA because of the pollution in Lake Springfield (ultimately because of Homer, of course), the Simpsons escape the dome because they are about to be lynched, the Simpsons go to Alaska, the Simpsons come back and save the day.
As should be expected there are some spectacular and equally disturbing highlights along the way:
I could go on, but I'd bore you...
There wasn't enough of some of the other great characters that Springfield has brought us. Ralph gets a couple of spots, but not enough. Groundskeeper Willie has about two lines. I don't think Duffman says anything in the whole film. Everyone is there, in their beautiful yellow celluliod.
If you're a fan (and I mean FAN) of the Simpsons - see it. If not, go with an open mind. Sure, you couls simply sit down and watch 3 episodes back to back and waste as much time, but it wouldn't be as fun. It certainly wouldn't be the movie, which I have to note was worth the wait (there has been a movie touted since Season 1).
BTW - hang in through the credits - some good gags, plus you get to see who is responsible for which voice (finally sorting out which Flanders boy Nancy Cartwright voices - because that debate has raged for far too long).
My personal rating: 5 "spider pigs" out of 5.
I know this could get nasty, but it will also be a lot of fun...
Inspired by the comments on this post by Markk on his new blog's first post, it's time for all of us to offer our favourite movie quotes. They can be as obtuse and bizarre as you want (in fact, the moreso the better), and as obvious as you like. Comment as often as you want, because if you are anything like me this will start a process where you think of a bunch AFTER you've pressed "add comment" the first time.
You can drop in the obviously famous quotes if you like, but the more from left field that makes us all think, the more debate this should spark...
I'll offer some I can think of now, and add others as they come to me - I'm looking forward to the sociological experiment this will be in revealing just what movies appeal to you! ;)
"We came, we saw, we kicked it's ass!" - Ghostbusters
"O Captain, my captain" - Dead Poet's Society
"How could you tell it was a mail plane?"
"By the little balls underneath" - The Three Amigos
"If it bleeds, we can kill it" - Predator
"What are you prepared to do? - The Untouchables
"He died screaming like a stuck Irish pig" - The Untouchables
"It's Groundhog Day... again..." - Groundhog Day
"Don't drive angry" - Groundhog Day
"Do, or do not. There is no try" - The Empire Strikes Back
"Luke, I... am your father..." - The Empire Strikes Back
"Hobbits are such strange creatures" - Lord Of the Rings:Return Of The King
"He likes to butt things with his head."
"How proud you must be" - Parenthood
"Whoa!" - The Matrix (and, noteably, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure)
"See this badge? NYPD - means I'm gonna Knock your punkass DOWN!" - Men In Black
From all reports it stole the show when it was released at the Sundance Film Festival, and after seeing last night with my mates Crikey and Sarah it's easy to see why - it's fun, it's touching (in an appropriate, first date kinda way) and it's human.
The film follows the recently extended Hoover family as they trek in their crappy yellow combi van from Alberquerque, New Mexico to California as their daughter Olive has made it into the finals of the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Seems like a normal road trip movie, right? Well... it is, except that:
Richard (Dad - Greg Kinnear): failing in his attempts to get his 9-step "Refuse to Lose" program accepted as a book deal and actually earn them some money
Sheryl (Mum - Toni Collette): On her second marriage, trying to hold the family together
Frank (Mum's brother - Steve Carell): recently released from hospital after a failed suicide attempt, he is/was America's foremost Proust scholar
Dwayne (Son - Paul Dano): Nietzche is his friend, and he hates everyone else, but wants to be an air force pilot and has taken a vow of silence until he achieves that goal
Grandpa (Dad's father - Alan Arkin): Heroin snorting, foul mouthed and the director of Olive's talent dance for her pagent entrance package
Olive (Daughter - Abigail Breslin): Simple, innocent and determined to love everyone around her, like all 10 year olds can
There are too many funny things that happen that I do not want to spoil for you, and I do want you to go and see it. Alan Arkin (Grandpa), Steve Carell (Uncle Frank) and Paul Dano (Dwayne) all offer standout performances. In fact, their moments together on screen are some of the most warm and genuinely human moments I've seen on film in ages. Toni Collette (Sheryl) got a Golden Globe nomination for her role... although, I have to agree with Sarah when talking about the film afterwards - not sure why. It was a pretty straight forward role.
It seriously is a beautiful film, with too many just plain funny moments to list. Very well shot, with some great imagery of suburban and desert America. Warped, twisted and hilarious (everything I love in a film), the last 10 minutes is outstanding - I don't think I have laughed that hard at a film in ages... Whatever you do, just go see Little Miss Sunshine as soon as you can.
My personal rating: 5 superfreaks out of 5.
Peter Jackson's tour de force return after the Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong is the film that he admits got him hooked on film making... so a remake for him was always going to be serious.
Serious it is. Naomi Watts shines as the heroine Ann Darrow (she's come a long way from Home and Away), plucked/tricked from obscurity to appear in the new film by ostentatious director Carl Denham (Jack Black). Adrien Brody is the writer that attracts Ann's attentions (first as a writer, then on the boat to the location) and ultimately saves her... but did she want to be saved? Interesting note: Tiriel Mora of The Castle/Frontline fame appears in a blink as a fruit cart vendor early on. Jackson, of course, makes an appearance as one of the gunners in the tiger moths towards the end. As an interesting association, one of my good mates from school, Craig Wentworth, is again working on a Wingnut film, this time as one of the 3D sequence leads.
The effects are superb. Andy Serkis's characterisation of Kong was worth the effort. The 1930's New York is ecclecticly brought back to life - you can almost smell it. The island is as freaky as it should be, and the fall and rise of Denham is Black at his disturbing (and always enjoyable) best.
If you saw the original, then you know the story. But you haven't seen it like this. Jackson is true to form in honouring the script and images from the classic, and adds his spectacular own touch to it just so you know who bled to make this film work the second time.
"'Tis beauty killed the beast..."
My personal rating: 4.5 giant gorillas out of 5.
An impressive outing - having not yet read the series of books that this tale is taken from (I know, I know), then all I can base it on is this film in its own right. And what a tale it is...
Peter, Lucy, Edmond and what's-her-name end up in the English countryside as most kids did in escaping the blitz during WWII. They stay with "The Professor", and during a game of hide and seek indoors the infamous wardrobe is stumbled across - the doorway to Narnia, in the grip of a 100 year winter courtesy the White Witch.
Narnia is a strange land - animals talk, and there is still the existence of all kinds of magical creatures, including phoenixes, unicorns and just about everything else you can imagine. What the children don't realise is that in stumbling into this world they begin the fulfillment of a prophesy that will bring an end to the White Witch's rule, and herald the return of Aslan, the lion/ruler of the good guys.
Awesome battle sequence (doing WETA proud again), vivid contrast between the icy Narnia and the warmer one, and some pretty good acting from the kids. C.S. Lewis's story is brought to life in a way that fans of the books will no doubt enjoy, and that the makers are pushing down all and any Christian's throat who'll listen... the story speaks of redemption, forgiveness and love at a scale that Lewis certainly meant to reflect the story of Christ, it's just sad that in marketing that tale to churches it seems that the marketplace has re-enterd the temple.
A story everyone can enjoy, but probably won't. If you are into fantasy stories in anyway, however, you'll probably love it.
My personal rating: 3 lion re-births out of 5.
Merry Christmas, IS Boss style. As a part of the "Qld Christmas" party, after dinner there was a chance to see a movie - so Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was it.
Nothing short of a marvellous spectacle. Even though the movie topped out at 2 and a half hours, it was a pretty quick film - nothing had time to drag. Book fans will notice some things are glossed over or even plain left out (no Dursley's this time!), however there just isn't the chance to spend too much time focussing on the "missing" bits.
The straight out focus is the TriWizard tournament, and each of the three tasks have been brought to life in a not too dissimilar way to how I imagined them. I did miss the Sphinx from the maze in the last task. The appearance of Voldemort is just superb, and Ralph Fiennes has opened up a truly evil character that will no doubt display some finer nastyness over the next 3 films (and miles away from parts like "Quiz Show"!). Fred & George - the Weasley twins - are great comic foils and underused, but then this isn't their time. We did miss the fact that Harry ends up giving them his TriWizard winnings to help them start their magical joke shop, and that they won a bunch of galleons betting on the Quidditch World Cup. I won't spoil it all here - just go see it.
It is interesting to note that all the kids are well growing up. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), along with the other students in their year are all much older, much more developed, and will only add interest to the franchise as they continue to grow. It is a marked difference to see the three central friends now compared to the first film! Here's hoping we can keep Michael Gambon for the next 3 films, as Richard Harris was a sad loss as Dumbledore after only two films.
J.K. Rowling must be extremely proud of her brood, as they continue to grow and develop in their various media (book, film, etc). With the last book still to come, and 3 films in the wings (Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix is due 2007), it's going to be an incredible 7 or 8 years for her!
My personal rating: 4.5 dragons out of 5.
Given the opportunity to hang out with my mate Craig, we went to see a movie. Sadly, the only thing that was on that we thought we wanted to watch was Doom - The Movie. 100 minutes of oh my god...
Let's face it - any movie made on the premise of a computer game can't be that crash hot. The game series Doom was pretty good - certainly the original game broke new ground from a FPS (first person shooter) point of view. Although, just being me, running around in dark places killing weird demon things sometimes freaked me out.
As for the movie... New Zealand's The Rock starred along with bunch of nobodys in a set that would have saved heaps of money for the production company - all blue screen or in a sound stage. All I can say is that it must have been cold, as the only female actor that had more than 2 minutes of screen time - Rosamund Pike - had, umm... a couple of obvious signs that she was at least cold (or extremely turned on by all the death and freakiness). I thought she looked familiar too - she was the femme fatale in the Bond movie "Die Another Day".
Honestly, it doesn't even rate as a chewing gum film. It was pretty funny... if you've played the game, there is a bit at the end that pays a direct homage where the viewer is lead on a FPS spree with the central character John "Reaper" Grimm - of course, this is after he's been injected with C24 (don't ask). Then there the fist fight (where is this in the game) between Reaper and The Rock's "Sarge".
The scariest thing about the film is that someone had the gall to put their name in the credits to take responsibility for writing the 'script' - surely this is drawing the longest bow in the history of long bows.
My personal rating: 0.5 "kill 'em all and let God sort em out"'s out of 5.
Tim Burton has swung his creative hand across a classic Roald Dahl book - Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - and brought with him his (and my) favourite composer in Danny Elfman, and someone who makes a great showing in any Burton film... Johnny Depp.
This version of the film has returned to a darker, more dahl-esqe interpretation that I think the author would be bery pleased with. Depp's Wonka is a tragic child-trapped-in-adult's-body, very Michael Jackson no matter how much he denies it, and the remaining cast are extremely supportive however only there to provide a platform for the main show - Wonka in his element. If Dahl were alive to have seen it, he surely would have anointed Tim Burton to also make Charlie & the Great Glass Elevator (although the film does end with a nod to the end of this book too).
It is suitably drab to start with... again, very Burton. Lots of greys and blues to typify the sense of complete pain that the Bucket family exist in. The only colour comes from Wonka, his products and inside his factory - which isn't really revealed until we enter the bowels of the place after a bizarre mechanised-doll song and dance which ends in flames. Huge slabs of the text have been included in the script, leaving you trying to reconcile which version of the film you are watching sometimes... although you are rather quickly reminded again with each turn, each visual. The colours sometime almost burn your retinas out, but that's part of the joy.
Imagery is everything in this film. Augustus Gloop has a nice "sheen" to him that suggests the boy has only EVER eaten candy in his life (and then when he falls in the chocolate river, when he first surfaces he is covered so delictably and perfectly in the glossiest molten chocolate I've seen). The giant seahorse that is the transport on said river. The Oompa Loompas and their incredible all-singing, all-dancing numbers. A young Willy Wonka's trip through the "Flags of the World" display and his return to see his whole house missing. Pure genius.
It's also not without a great sense of humour. Slap will always be my favourite kind of stick - watch for not only the one incident where Wonka walks into the glass elevator (which will have been shown on all the ads), but the second and the subsequent aside. Wonka's flashbacks to childhood and his broken relationship with his father. Willy's braces as a child, and Christopher Lee as his almost demonic dentist father. Of course, while we know how all 4 kids are removed from the tour, seeing it happen this time is much more interesting.
Willy Wonka is much more human and strange in this film than before, making him more real and horrible and understandable in this strange, strange world of ours.
Special metion to Danny Elfman for the soundtrack - a must buy when I get the chance. Not only did he manage to come up with great new version of the Oompa Loompa songs, but he also offered all the varied vocals to the songs as well. Just awesome.
All of this said, I have to agree with my mate Crikey when we saw it when he said "It's not my top ten Burton film, but it's still good". See it. If you haven't seen the first or read the book - see it FIRST. If you have, check your memories at the door, because it is worth the fresh eyes.
My personal rating: 4 Wonka bars out of 5.
As I said to my mate Matt in convincing him to come and see this with me, it's a chewing gum film. You will not have to think too much, and any plot movement is almost spelled out for you, all dots joined for you and you're lead by the nose through the story. It's not rocket science...
Fantastic Four tells the story of two scientists (Reed Richards - Ioan Gruffud & Susan Storm - Jessica Alba) & two pilots (Johnny Storm - Chris Evans & Ben Grimm - Michael Chiklis) and the transformation they undergo when they experience a solar storm (thought to be the same kind of storm that "started" the growth/development of life as we know it) on Victor Von Doom's (Julian McMahon) space station, after an "arrangement" was made between Victor and Reed - old school buddies, now walking down different sides of the fiduciary street. All five (Victor was on board too) are bombarded by the radiation, and upon returning to earth start to realise they have been changed in some way.
Reed can now strecth like an elastic band - Mr Fantastic.
Susan can now turn invisible - The Invisible Girl.
Johnny can burst into flames and fly - The Human Torch.
Ben has turned into a moveable rock-man - The Thing.
Victor... well, let's just say he now has an attraction to all things metal - Dr Doom.
Usual comic book fare: heroes are changed; heroes struggle to come to grips with new powers; evil nemesis/bad guy arrives on the scene and somewhat teaches them a lesson; heroes embrace powers, band together and defeat bad guy. Just like I said - chewing gum.
The benfit of a team is the dynamic that comes with it. Reed and Susan are ex-lovers, now split. Johnny and Ben are ex-NASA/military, with Ben as Johnny's former CO. Tensions abound, with Reed & Susan's simmering sexaual past/present (and the film-makers constant attempts for Jessica to almost fall out of her top), and Ben and Johnny's constant niggling of each other. You also have the joy of the various personalities playing out, what with Reed as the geeky leader, Susan as the babe in waiting who has a past with the leader, Johnny as the publicity hungry wild-child, and Ben as the grumpy/curmudgeonly old fart.
Stuff it explained away with ease, and at no time are you to question ANY of the science. That's just how it is. Or the plot. That's just how it is. Johnny, of course, gets all the best lines, and Ben gets all the one-liners ("He does the talkin', I do the walkin'"). Reed gets to be a thinker, and Susan is just the eye-candy. Victor is the evil "genius". Like all good comic book films, FF ends with a "next time" hint. Already the cast are signed for two more FF films, so it's just another franchise (at least, we hope, the scripts will bound along in the same vein, and we hope that next time there is more use of their powers and exploration thereof).
Stan Lee makes the obligatory cameo like in all Marvel comic films, this time as the postman that delivers Reed's mail to him.
It was not a hard watch, it will not change the world, and it will not win an oscar. If you are a fan of the comics or the animated TV show, then this is a great move to the big screen.
My personal rating: 3 "clobbering times" out of 5.
I caught In Good Company on the flight from Auckland to Brisbane just the other night. I was actually quite excited about it, as I'd seen the promos, and liked Scarlett Johansson in Lost In Translation (much to my wife's disgust - she was not impressed with it at all), and liked most of Denis Quaid and Topher Grace's work.
I have to say I was left feeling a bit empty. Maybe I've become too involved in the 'Hollywood machine' where everything wraps up in a neat little package at the end - there were, for me, too many loose ends when the credits started rolling. Topher Grace as Carter Duryea was all I expected, although his relationship with Dan Foreman (Quaid) could have been explored WAY more, as the times when they actually affected each other made the film far more interesting than it was allowed to be. To be fair, Marg Helgenberger (Ann) and Johansson (Alex) were blips on the supporting actor scene, with Johansson really only there to provide an obvious means of conflict for Duryea/Foreman.
The humour was too subtle (to non-existent) in places where it cried out for a simple gag. The film seemed to take itself too seriously, which is a shame as it could have been produced by Hubba Bubba themselves.
I dunno... I just found the final image of Duryea running on the beach off into the sunset talking on the phone to Foreman (his new mentor) almost too cliched... SIGH.
My personal rating: 1.5 synergies out of 5.
WOW!!! As an unabashed Star Wars fan, I think that this addition to the franchise, and the completion of the "first" trilogy, is awesome. It might not rival Empire Strikes Back, but it is a close second.
Right from the opening figher sequence featuring Obi-Wan and Anakin, the movie is a rollercoaster ride where you know just when the final drop is - but you aren't sure how you get to it. Effects, effects, effects. I was not sure there were too many actual location sequences using real landscape, but it doesn't matter - the film is great. Lightsaber duels (many), Jedi ass-kicking, the descent of Anakin into his own personal hell that brings about Darth Vader, the "creation" of the Empire and the Emperor, the exile of Yoda, how Padme has twins and Anakin only thinks it is one child and how they are separated, Mace Windu's death (and how that starts Anakin's end), how C-3PO doesn't remember ANYTHING about the whole deal - it all is tied together quite nicely.
On the down side, you do not go to see a Star Wars film for intelligent or sparkling dialogue. Nor do you necessarily go for the plot twists (although this entry, like Empire, has got a couple of decent ones - it's just that this time you know they are coming). The inclusion of the General Grevious character also seemed a little superfluous. But let's face it - Star Wars is Star Wars, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. Also Anakin's conversion to the Dark Side was a little clunky.
Some personal highlights:
This is a must see film if you are a Star Wars fan. To be frank, if you are a fan, you'll probably have already seen it. If not, and you are just interested - go and see it. It more than makes up for the debacle of Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and certainly builds on the foundation Episode 2:Attack of the Clones laid down for it.
Will I see it again - you bet? Will I fork out for the DVD of this - absolutely (or ask for it as a pressie). Was it worth going out for the midnight session - for sure, although I should have planned to have a day off to recover! Overall, I doubt it is the Academy Award material some pundits have claimed it to be, but it is great entertainment. I just wish Padme would stop calling him "Ani". OK, well she will now she's dead. You know what I mean...
My personal rating: 4 lightsaber battles out of 5.
(* = Valuable Geek Tools)
