The Empire Strikes Bush

[sabra]

<<SNIP>>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2005/05/16/BL2005051600615.html

The Empire Strikes Bush

By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Monday, May 16, 2005; 12:48 PM

"This is how liberty dies -- to thunderous applause."

So observes Queen Amidala of Naboo as the galactic senate grants dictator-to-be Palpatine sweeping new powers in his crusade against the Jedi in the final "Star Wars" movie opening this week.

...

"Revenge of the Sith," it turns out, can also be seen as a cautionary tale for our time -- a blistering critique of the war in Iraq, a reminder of how democracies can give up their freedoms too easily, and an admonition about the seduction of good people by absolute power.

Some film critics suggest it could be the biggest anti-Bush blockbuster since "Fahrenheit 9/11."

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[FreedomAngel82]

1. Interesting

Will this be out in theatre's or on Sundance?

[sabra]

3. I believe 5/19 is the release date

http://movies.channel.aol.com/movie/main.adp?mid=17722

[Skip Intro]

4. seriously?

Its the last Star Wars movie - it'll probably open on 4,000+ screens - this Thursday.

[cascadiance]

2. I'm still waiting for someone in our Senate to say...

"This is how liberty dies" when the Rethuglicans (aka Sith) go nuclear on the fillibuster rules. Not sure whether that will generate thunderous applause, or at least silence on the rethugs side, but it would sure be worth taping off of C-SPAN!

[mmonk]

14. I think

someone, somewhere, connected to the Senate just may.

[sam sarrha]

5. it took a woman to put McCarthy down..

[paineinthearse]

6. false info-"in the final "Star Wars" movie opening this week....."???

This does not agree with my understanding for the sequencing.

The first three movies, released mid-late 70's, are not #1,2,3, they are supposed to be episodes 4, 5 & 6. The newer ones made during the last few years, are supposed to be #1,2 & 3.

So the new one (the 6th) is actually #3, and thus is NOT the FINAL episode, and the good overcomes the empire in 4-6.

Am I correct?

[mcscajun]

7. You are correct...and you are not correct.

It's not the end of the story, but it IS the final movie.

[cascadiance]

18. Originally Lucas stated he wanted to do another trilogy

that would take place *after* the second trilogy. From his recent statements, it sounds like he has no plans to do this himself, but I wonder if he might sell the license to some other filmmaker he respects a lot to do a third trilogy later.

I've not seen the film yet, and therefore have not been privy to the plot line, but I had a theory that since Amidala is only *mentioned* in the second trilogy without stating what her fate was, I was thinking that a plot device might be having her going into some sort of frozen sleep state like Han Solo did in the second series, only from this third movie onward until sometime in the more more distant future after the second trilogy when the Jedi need to be "reawakened" or the like. Someone revives her to restart the Jedi Knight bloodline again, and thus we can have Portman still play that character in the third trilogy for some character continuity. Don't know if she's killed off in this movie or not or if her end is "decisive" or not if she does die that this plot line would be precluded. I guess I'll find out in the coming week or two.

[mcscajun]

19. The original plan (which goes back to a Playboy interview in 1972)

was to make the middle three episodes first, the first three eps next, and wrap up the series with the last three.

He abandoned that idea and wrapped up the entire story with the end of "Return of the Jedi" and has stated repeatedly that he will not make any more Star Wars movies. He's moving on, with the money we all gave him, to make, as he puts it, "failures" like "THX 1138"; in short, movies that amuse his artistic sensibility but may or may not have any commercial potential. He can do that now, 'cause he can afford it.

Don't hold out that he'll let anyone else pick up his baby. He won't even listen to the fan base that wants the ORIGINAL Star Wars movies on DVD, not the ones with his later changes and 'improvements'.

All that said, I'll be going to see "Revenge of the Sith" as soon as the first weekend release furor dies down. :)

[rogerashton]

12. nine movies.

The shtick was that the three released back in the 70's were parts 4,5,6 of a 9-part series -- as if it were a serial from pre-TV movie theaters -- but I don't think there was originally any commitment to do more than the three in fact. The more recent three are the "prequel;" thus the climax of this one produces the major villain and hero's-mentor for the movie that came out first in the 1970's.

So now I keep hearing that six will be all. But when we see the marketing tie-in money from these three rolling in, it won't be too long before Luke Skywalker has to mentor Han and Leila's kids in dealing with an attempted comeback by some unreconstructed imperialists -- IM(NS)HO.

[tridim]

8. Off topic: Did anyone else see Natalie Portman at Cannes?

She shaved her head! Maybe I'm just behind on the celebrity gossip, but that was a shocker to me. She still looks good BTW. :)

[Touchdown]

10. Maybe she's playing in a Sinead O'Connor biopic next.

Kinda looks like her.:shrug:

[cascadiance]

16. She's actually in the middle of filming "V is for Vendetta"

a new Wachowski brothers' flick about an alternate reality where the Nazis won World War II and Great Britain is currently a fascist state. Could be another film with some "interesting" parallels that the freepers will be torn about boycotting or not! Can't wait to see it!

[noonwitch]

9. The freepers seem split about this

The sci/fi geeks are still going to see it.

Some are seriously offended and some think that those are reading too much into a movie.

[FreedomAngel82]

11. Too funny

I'm probably going to wait until it's on HBO.

[Melodybe]

13. I'm seeing it, I can't wait!

[question everything]

17. Movies like that, with special effects are better seen in the theatres

[SkipNewarkDE]

15. Tuesday night, get up at 11 PM, drive out to a theater...

It starts at 12:01 AM Wednesday morning.

[cascadiance]

20. The attack of the Clones and the Sith!