Friday, May 25, 2007

It Was 30 Years Ago Today...

So, Star Wars is 30 years old. Was I really only 8 when I first saw it? Did I really see it 4 times in the theaters? Did my mom really stand up in the middle of the movie when Darth Vader and Ben Kenobi were duelling and shout "Go get him Ben!" (or something to that effect)? Did she later have a fight in a toy store over a Princess Leia action figure?

You bet your asses.

Its kind of scary that this "little" film not only changed how people saw movies, but also how Hollywood made movies.

This amazing juggernaut of a film pretty much birthed the modern summer blockbuster as we know it (and one could argue that the first of the "Prequel" Trilogy killed it in certain respects, but that's another argument for another time).

For me, it was a way of life for a long time. I LOVED Star Wars. I was able to procure (with the help of a crazy mom) every action figure made. It was the starting point of my crazy obsessions that I still try to rid myself of to this day (lets just say that as soon as I get over the daunting task of cleaning off all those old toys, they're gonna go on eBay...my love for them has been replaced by other things -- a wife, a son, a sixth scale Jabba the Hutt).

But I couldn't just let today pass without making mention (not that I'm unique on this respect, there's a whole weekend long convention to mark the damn celebration)...

Partially because I was admonished by a friend for not screening the original trilogy this weekend...but the projector's broken (the latest in a long line of electronic problems we've had at the house since February) and there are other things going on.

I was going to make more than a mention and really wax philosophic about the film (and its sequels)...but I'm honestly all tapped out on this subject right now. I don't have the desire or energy beyond saying what I've barely said.

Be seeing you.

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