One-Two Punch
Today's been a really good day.
First, our long national nightmare is finally over - we took possession of our house this evening! We picked up the keys and took a tour of what is now our very own, very empty, very very dirty house. :-) It was actually kinda shocking how filthy it seemed when completely barren, but that's mostly cosmetic at this point. It's been a long week with some harrowing, last-minute twists on our mortgage approval Monday and Tuesday, but it's finally done and I couldn't be more pleased. I never thought a few hundred thousand dollars worth of debt would be so satisfying. :-)
Second, today was the premiere of the final trailer (BitTorrent) for the upcoming Star Wars movie, which will end the series, at least in the cinema. Star Wars trailers are tricky business: I remember being giddy as a schoolgirl over the trailers for Episodes I and II, and this latest one seems like it'll be a strong contender for best movie in the series. Of course, in hindsight, Episode I itself was, at best, average to slightly above average, and Episode II only slightly better. I'm not one of those "Lucas raped my childhood" types, but neither am I blindly oblivious to the glaring weak spots of the past 2 films.
Still, I got chills from watching this trailer - it looks like one continuous geeky money shot, spewing all over the cinema screen. My pants definitely felt a little bit tighter and more constraining when the Emperor started hurling those senate pod platforms at Yoda. If the trailer is any indication, it certainly seems like the Chancellor/Emperor will totally steal the movie. It also looks like it'll be as dark and depressing a movie as I've seen in a long, long time. Here's to hoping that Episode III lives up to the emotion in the trailer and sends the series out on a strong note.
Comments
That link to the trailer is not working. Thanks for getting me all hot and bothered about it. I have been trying to find it all night.
Posted by: Josh | March 11, 2005 02:05 AM
I felt that way about the Episode 1 trailer. I spent the night on a sidewalk in downtown seattle with about 600 other geeks to get tickets. Then the movie sucked.
I saw Ep2 several months after release, and didn't really enjoy it at all.
I'm not even planning on seeing Ep 3 in the theater, if ever.
Posted by: Humbaba | March 11, 2005 11:17 AM
You can find it on Limewire easily enough, just look for the one with the March 10 designation to sift it out from all the others there.
I, for one, have been very happy with the past two movies. While they were not as strong as the originals, that was to be expected. That they were brilliant adventure movies that gave us more Star Wars history... oh yes.
This one is going to be the best... I hope. I have fears. I don't want to see Yoda lose, that would just destroy this mystique that's been built up in my mind. But the trailer really blew me away.
Posted by: Begemotike | March 11, 2005 10:25 PM
Well, Episode III looks promising. The trailer is better than the one for Episode I.
Anyway, the day I understand people complaining about Episode I and II when compared to IV,V and VI has yet to come. Maybe it's some kind of Alzheimer with pieces of nostalgia.
Posted by: Darth Sidious | March 12, 2005 08:02 AM
Brad. Couldn't agree more with your sentiments!
Posted by: John Hood | March 12, 2005 01:17 PM
Congrats on the house! I used to make a living cleaning used houses. As long as it wasn't a HUD house, you probably don't have too much to worry about.
Or a drug-related eviction. Those were interesting, too.
One time, I vacuumed up a live .22 bullet without knowing what it was (sounded like a penny). After rattling around a few seconds, it spit it back out, without going off. I still have it somewhere.
Oh, and the Sith trailer is okay. I can't say I was excited by it, because at this point I really don't believe that George can make me care for those characters. (For those that can't find it, StarWars.com will have it Monday for all of us penny-pinching slobs who refuse to pay for their fan club membership.)
Personally, my problem with the prequels vs. the original films, is the prequels have no heart. Star Wars and Empire had likable, interesting characters with believable relationships (although Jedi was pretty much a turd). The prequels just feel flat, with an over-emphasis on special effects and exotic locations. Bad writing and directing aside - I miss having characters that I actually care about. They all seem one-dimensional, and the relationships feel forced. So to speak.
Maybe I'm asking too much from the franchise. I'll go see it in the theater, and I think it will be an impressive film to watch. But probably only once. I doubt it will be a film that I'll feel a need to revisit.
Posted by: Nathan Strum | March 13, 2005 04:13 AM
Grats on the house!
Posted by: a2daj | March 14, 2005 10:26 AM
Congrats... you did check that the cats like it before you bought it didn't you? ;)
Posted by: ben b | March 15, 2005 12:07 AM
"Congrats... you did check that the cats like it before you bought it didn't you? ;)"
Nah, they're on their own. Could get interesting though - the previous owners had a dog. With the sorry state of the carpet, I'm sure there will be some hidden treasures for them to go nuts (or more likely, spray their nuts) over.
Posted by: Brad Oliver | March 15, 2005 09:47 AM
I guess that's one way to get rid of that empty stale house (and dog) smell! Territorial pissings...
I hope you all move in without more than the usual amount of chaos involved. May there be plenty of Star Wars marathons to come!
Posted by: ben b | March 15, 2005 02:19 PM
Hi. I just wanted to stop by and say thank you thank you thank you for bringing Enemy Territory to the Mac at long last. I don't know the full story, all I know is that forever it was one of those things not to get one's hopes up about then suddenly with no announcement it's out. And you were apparently involved, so thanks.
Back to waiting for it to trickle down my pipe.
Posted by: jspoon | March 22, 2005 08:39 AM
Trailers are a lot more valuable if you own the land they are on.
Posted by: Tzu | March 22, 2005 01:37 PM