New Blu-rays

The new Blu-rays of the entire Star Wars saga are coming out soon, with some nice changes/updates to them.

AND... there will be about 40 hours' worth of bonus material!  yipeeeeeeeeeeeee!


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Existential Star Wars

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Another Star Wars note

Have you heard the news?

Darth Vader just might be suffering from psychosis


At least, so say the French psychologists....

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Funny Video

I came across a funny Star Wars Rap on YouTube.

Enjoy!!


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a funny thing happened

My friend sent me this link to a showing of King Lear in Shanghai. I know, I know... this site is where I talk about science fiction, not Shakespeare, and this isn't exactly Hamletmachine (Heiner Müller, in case you're wondering). But still... scroll down a little. Did you see it?

"Han Lei Solo"

I have been learning Chinese for nearly 20 years, but my childhood baptized in Star Wars still has me reading that "Han & Leia Solo." I have to look twice to remember that Han Lei is a Chinese name.

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Read more about Hamlet-Machine and Other Texts for the Stage



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If Star Wars had Facebook...

I came across a really funny post here.

Hope you get a laugh out of it.



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Reliving it all again

I've recently sat down to watch all of the 6 Star Wars episodes again. I have to admit that this is, no matter how you look at it, a really amazing series. Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking that my love for it is all about the sentimental attachment of someone who grew up on the series. I am wrong to think like that. My evaluation that it is a great series is because... it is really a great series.

Lucas is an amazing artist, with an incredible vision. I love how he views his world, how he put it together, unfolding it in the perfect sequence. He was so wise, not only in the construction of the films, but in the release of them in Episodes 4, 5, 6, only to be followed by 1, 2, 3 two decades later. What genius! He won over a whole new generation because of his patience.

I'm glad to have taken the time to watch the series again. I'm wrapping up a couple of essays on Star Wars, and hope that they will be accepted for publication eventually. But the emotional enjoyment I get from these films just has to overflow after having relived them over the past 10 days or so.

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The Clone Wars

A Star Wars cartoon really doesn't sound like a very good idea, does it?

Well, having recently seen the movie, I can confirm that impression. There is something missing when Star Wars translates to anime. I think it just loses its magic. For one thing, the movements are not at all fluid, and that is kind of distracting. But more importantly, part of what has always been fun about Star Wars was the low-tech yet dazzling special effects. In anime, that is just sort of gone. Similarly, the "humanness" of the alien/robot world(s) is one of the appealing points of the previous Star Wars films. Again, that is missing.

I am a big Star Wars fan, and thought I couldn't miss any Star Wars ever made. Having seen this one, I guess I have to change my mind. I could've missed it, and been none the worse off for that.

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Modern Mythologies

A little video I made to go along with some lecture notes. (And no, I am not a video artist, so don't expect much.)





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Why Read Star Wars Books?

I just came across a nicely written article about why one might want to read Star Wars books.

In short, the answer is that it is the 20th Century myth. While I don't read the books based on the Star Wars world, I do consider myself something of a Star Wars afficiando (especially as regards the original movies). I loved how this article showed how the films are so firmly rooted in myth.



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