May 20, 2005

Some weeks, when you fall off the tightrope, you fall a long way...

Star Wars kinda took me off the rope on Wednesday, with two columns crashing to earth on the same very late night.

I wrote about Star Wars on the blog a couple of weeks ago... and even after seeing it a second time, I don't have much more burning in my loins to write... other than the fact that the audience I watched the film with in the wee hours of the morning was not quite as enthusiastic as expected.

There was another trend while watching the film that I found extremely disturbing. My nephew was, it seemed to me, gauging audience reaction and adjusting his attitude accordingly. He is also a kid who loved Episodes 1 and 2... until recently, when he started talking about what crap there were.

Ah... the magic of cinema...

What is wonderful is when you feel any movie in your gut these days. And Revenge of The Sith is kind of a "damning with faint praise" situation. It is better. But what does that mean? No question, it is historic. And it is the completion of an epic. And the artistry deserves an enormous amount of respect.

Still, the excitement is building for a busy summer. The hype drops a little, but the number of films in the ring jumps exponentially, creating the hope for a percentage win.

This last two quiet L.A. weeks, with many in Cannes and others at TV upfronts, comes to an end with thunder next week. Suddenly, my calendar is overloaded with goodies, some piled on top of others. (How is one supposed to choose between the hardcore rock-n-roll premiere of The Lords of Dogtown and DreamWorks' Academy event for The Island? Why are there five key screenings all on Wednesday night?) And the Seattle Film Festival follows... then CineVegas... then... who knows?

Sigh....

Sound and fury... but still, it's all about the movies, damn it!

Have a glorious weekend. If you can't get into Star Wars (literally or figuratively), do yourself a favor and go see Mad Hot Ballroom (warm heart) or Layer Cake (cold heart).

There will be an MCN column over the weekend, as well as early box office on the blog...

See you Monday.

E-ME. Are you finding summer inspiration?