Just a pretty cool composite photo I created … maybe 10 years ago? It’s a mood. I’m pretty sure the original shots were taken in Salem, Virginia.
If you people feel compelled to give me a Sith name, Darth Loquacious will do just nicely.
20th Century Fox.
“A Bridge Too Far” (1977) was one of those war movies that my Dad enjoyed; it would have appeared on television a couple of years after its theatrical release (1979? 1980?). Back then, I thought of it as a “really old movie” — which was understandable, because my father liked some truly old movies, even by 1980’s standards. But “A Bridge Too Far” actually hit the screens at roughly the same time as the original “Star Wars,” which most kids in my neighborhood had seen in the theater.
I found it online and finally watched it in its entirety — it’s actually a really good film. (Adapted from its eponymous 1974 novel by Cornelius Ryan, it’s a three-hour, meticulous depiction of Operation Market Garden — the Allies’ 1944 invasion of German-occupied Holland.)
The cast list is astounding — it’s basically a lengthy “Who’s Who” of 1970’s cinema. (Seriously, look at it.) If you enjoy period war films, I recommend this.
Pro tip — if you missed the opportunity to celebrate “Star Wars” Day yesterday, May 5th is Cinco de Cryo.
(Follow me for more life hacks involving 80’s movie puns.)
Christmas 2023.
“Spacehunter!” Hot damn, this movie captivated me as a kid. And I didn’t even get to see the 3-D version in theaters in 1983; I caught it through the magic of VHS a couple of years later. (By the way, I am linking here to The Duke Mitchell Film Club on Youtube.)
“Spacehunter” is often derided as a ripoff of the “Star Wars” films, but I don’t think that’s fair. It really is its own thing.
It is by no means “a great movie.” As you can probably tell from the trailer, it’s a pretty cornball B-movie. But a hell of a lot of work went into the sets, makeup effects, special effects and creature effects. “Spacehunter” is fun as hell if you are a kid at heart where monsters are concerned. There is one scene that got under my skin in the 80’s, and it’s still creepy today — it involves deformed, singing mutant children throwing bombs at our heroes from the cliffs above.
This movie was also only the second feature film for a young Molly Ringwald. She’s actually really good in the role, no matter how bad her dialogue gets.
If you can stomach the 80’s cheese and you can find a copy of this, I actually recommend it as late-night viewing.
Anyone ever notice that the top of the Taubman Museum of Art looks like a lot like an imperial star cruiser?
Dammit, I want Covid to be over.
I miss sidling quietly through heavy crowds at the mall making lightsaber sounds.
Seriously, you guys should hear my lightsaber impression. I have a really deep voice and I can do this vvvvvibrating thing with it that sounds straight out of the movies. Work once stopped for a full afternoon at my first job because my co-workers wanted me to call every department on the phone and do it for them. I was legend.
If a Jedi offers you a tour of the Jedi Temple, is it a tour de force?
(*%$#, even I can agree that one’s terrible. I’m sorry.)
