‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘The Clone Wars’ (2008) launches in a small way on the big screen (Movie review)
Disney’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is getting a lot of buzz, an odd contrast to the last time a “Star Wars” film outside of the numbered episodes premiered. In August 2008, I mentioned “The Clone Wars” movie to friends, and they responded with “There’s a new ‘Star Wars’ movie out?” Although it was a wide-release
First episode impressions: ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Season 3 (TV review)
Now in its third season, “Star Wars Rebels” (8:30 p.m. Saturdays on Disney XD) has almost entirely caught up to “The Clone Wars” in production value. Even though Disney is spending less money than Lucasfilm did, the animated library of elements is now vast enough to give “Rebels” a more vibrant look, while still retaining the concept
The 5 best and 5 worst Special Edition/DVD/Blu-ray changes to the ‘Star Wars’ films (Movie commentary)
As longtime fans are well aware, the “Star Wars” films as we know them from the 2011 Blu-ray release are different in several small but noticeable ways from the 1977-83 releases – sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. And even “Episode I” is different from its 1999 release. Sometimes George Lucas made changes because technology
It’s logical that Anakin appears as ghost of younger self
Movie commentary: Here’s the in-universe explanation for why Anakin appears as a ghost of his younger self in “Return of the Jedi.”
What John thought about ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ on its 30th anniversary in 2007 (Movie commentary)
To round out the “Star Wars” movie reviews on my blog, here’s a look back at my 30th anniversary essay for “Episode IV: A New Hope,” published in the Brainerd (Minn.) Dispatch on May 24, 2007, one day short of the 30th anniversary of the film’s premiere. Although my views haven’t changed much as we approach the
What John thought about ‘Revenge of the Sith’ in 2005 (Movie review)
To round out the “Star Wars” film reviews on my blog, I thought it would be fun to look back at my review of “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” from May 20, 2005, in the Brainerd (Minn.) Dispatch. This was my first “Star Wars” movie review for a professional daily paper, so it’s written for a
What John thought about ‘Attack of the Clones’ in 2002 (Movie review)
Just for fun — and to round out the “Star Wars” film reviews on my blog – I decided to look back at what I thought of “Episode II: Attack of the Clones” upon its release in the summer of 2002. I wrote the review for my college paper, the NDSU Spectrum. I went on to rank
‘Elstree 1976’ is for serious ‘Star Wars’ fans only (Movie review)
“Elstree 1976” is a perfect title for this documentary about “Star Wars” bit players, because serious fans will immediately recognize it as the studio and year in which “A New Hope” was filmed. Casuals might not get the reference, and that’s good, because “Elstree 1976” is for mega-fans, and even some of those might find this
John’s 10 favorite TV characters at the moment (Commentary)
As we wind down the traditional season and gear up for some summer shows, here’s a look at 10 TV characters who have my attention:
10 summer movies John wouldn’t mind seeing (Commentary)
Here are the 10 movies I think look the best out of the summer lineup: “Elstree 1976” (May 6) – This Kickstarter-funded documentary features interviews with “A New Hope” (and “The Empire Strikes Back,” as Jeremy Bulloch is featured) supporting actors, convention clips, re-enactments and archival footage. It looks like a treasure trove for Lucas-era “Star