Where were you in ’73? ‘American Graffiti’ marks 50 years
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): George Lucas’ first hit is one of the best coming-of-age movies, and remarkably influential on the art of film.
‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ reviews
John’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” Completely Random Slice of Pop Culture column, Brainerd Dispatch, May 29, 2008 John’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” flashback review, johnvhansen.com, Aug. 14, 2015
‘Revenge of the Sith’ reviews
John’s “Revenge of the Sith” review, Brainerd Dispatch, May 20, 2005 John’s “Revenge of the Sith” flashback review, johnvhansen.com, Sept. 6, 2016
‘The Phantom Menace’ reviews
John’s “Phantom Menace” 10th anniversary commentary, johnvhansen.com, May 19, 2009 John’s “Phantom Menace” 3D release review, johnvhansen.com, 2012
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
As Disney mulls Indiana Jones’ future, here’s a look back at the ‘Indy’ quadrilogy (Movie reviews)
My 11-day stretch without cable or Internet as I moved into a new apartment presented a perfect opportunity for an “Indiana Jones” quadrilogy rewatch on DVD. Although “Star Wars” is of course my No. 1 Lucasfilm franchise, I’ve always admired the fedora-wearing archaeologist and his world-hopping adventures as well.
‘The Clone Wars’ Season 7 is here! (sort of) (TV commentary)
Season 2 of “Star Wars Rebels” recently kicked off in our universe, but in an alternate dimension where George Lucas did not sell “Star Wars” to Disney, fans are currently reflecting on the conclusion of Season 7 of “The Clone Wars” and looking forward to Season 8, probably the epic final season of the show.
‘Stars Wars: Ewoks’ dumbs down Season 2 (1986)
‘Star Wars’ flashback (TV review): The second and final season of the adventures of Wicket and friends is a huge step down from Season 1.