#1: Transformers: Dark of the Moon – I’ll start with the movie that I am most excited to see. I will make no apologies for being a fan of Transformers. I will probably always be excited for another Transformers movie. This commercial didn’t have any dialogue, but showed a lot of action and an entire city under siege. I saw someone comment that it looked like “more of the same story” from the first two movies. Technically not true. A battle in the city was done in the first film, but that was to get the cube. The second one had a villain trying to destroy the sun. This one seems to feature a Decepticon invasion. Of course all of them have the same purpose, because the Decepticons have only one goal: victory.

#2: Super 8 – J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg have created what I hope is the start of a return to the Amblin style of film-making. I love this kind of movie, and can’t wait to see it.

#3: Cowboys & Aliens – Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in a film directed by Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man 1 and 2. I was skeptical myself until I watched the full trailer. This commercial just solidifies it in my mind. It looks like it’ll be one of the most fun movies this summer.

#4 and 5: Thor and Captain America – I have to write about these together, because I’m looking forward to both equally as much, so this is pretty much a tie. I loved the epic feel of the Thor commercial, but the Captain America trailer seemed lacking next to it. However, the Captain America trailer did manage to tell the entire origin of Cap within 30 seconds, and that’s definitely something. Plus, it serves as a great introduction to the character.

#6: Terra Nova – This is the next tv series that I am looking forward to. This could be my next Lost or Heroes. It’s definitely got the pull, for me: I love dinosaurs. The commercial aired just after the Super Bowl ended, if I am not mistaken. Either way, I’m really excited for this series to start, and hope it isn’t a let down.

#7 – Volkswagon Commercial: The Force – This isn’t a movie, but it is based on one of my favorite properties: Star Wars.

#8 – Coca-Cola: Siege – This commercial was awesome, and great to watch without knowing what product it was for until about half way though. Unfortunately that isn’t possible with the title right in the video box. It’s an epic commercial that tells a story pretty quickly.

#9 – Doritos: House Sitting – This commercial started with a very simple concept, and just kept escalating the story. It was very unexpected and goes where you don’t expect.

#10 – CareerBuilder: Parking Lot – This one was funny. It’s not terribly memorable, nor does it say anything about the company that it is advertising, but many commercials on the Super Bowl are more about getting good laughs and viral marketing after the game, than they are about explaining the company.

Missing the top-ten list: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Why? Because when the commercial was on, I felt it was the exact same thing as I’d seen before with the full theatrical trailer. If they include Jack Sparrow’s scream in every trailer, it’s going to kill it in the movie, if it hasn’t already.

And there you have it, my favorite ten Super Bowl commercials. I hope that you enjoyed them as much as I did. I’ll be back to writing new original stories soon.

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Never had I seen the darker side of the fandom to the extent that I saw it when The Phantom Menace was released.  I really enjoyed the movie.  I saw it for what it was, and not what those who had spent 20-odd years with the franchise had dreamed up.  And it was the really harsh tones that people spoke about the film with that really shocked me.  However, I just kept reminding myself of one thing, that put the whole thing into the proper framework, and kept things in the right perspective: this is a movie made so that kids as young as seven or eight could be entertained by it.  And the truth of the matter is that they were.  Here are two prime examples:

My first experience with Star Wars was my dad taking me to go see The Phantom Menace on opening day. I sat in that theater at the age of seven and was completely blown away. I cringed at the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, was on the edge of my seat as the Jedi evaded giant deep sea creatures on Naboo, and smiled between closed fingers as Darth Maul was expertly cut down at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi. That weekend I forced my parents to take me to the video store to rent the original trilogy and fell in love even more. The prequel trilogy may not be so great to those who grew up with the original, but be sure that those of us who grew up on the prequels will defend them with as much vigor as those saying otherwise. The prequel trilogy did for me what the original trilogy did for kids of the late 70s and early 80s. They brought to a world far far away and I’ve never left. I don’t think of Star Wars as having two parts. To me its one big story and its a good one. (MetalMonkey250)

And that was followed by this anonymously written comment:

I showed my now former step-son the prequels first because I wanted to see how he felt about them. Similarly, he loved them culminating to the moment at the end of Episode III as we were sitting in the theater and the credits are rolling and I look over at him and he is crying because for him Anakin was the hero and the character he identified with the most. I showed him the original trilogy the next day, all in one go and he loved those just as much but Anakin’s redemption in Jedi seemed to resonate with him that much more. The prequels have problems, sure, but taken all together they do something really cool and I wish I had been able to experience it all that way.

I think at the end of the day the prequels weren’t really made for the adult uber-fan but rather for kids, just like the originals. My dad took me to see all of the original trilogy in the theater and while he likes them, he and I do not share the same deep and abiding love for them. While he can enjoy them, they weren’t really made for him just like the prequels weren’t really made for me. (via HitFix)

It’s nice to know that there are level-headed members of the fandom that understand just what was done with the saga, and have unique perspectives  on just what the prequels had done.

The problem with the fandom is a simple one that can be summed up as follows:  People have an experience with something that is so different, so captivating and so fun that they love talking about it with their friends.  They love the stories, and it is something cool to talk about.  Then another piece comes along, and they’re no longer the target audience, but they go see it expecting it to be up to their level.  However, they’ve been watching tons of things that have come since Star Wars and they have a different view than they would have had, if Star Wars hadn’t altered the face of film-making the way it had.  So they revolted.  It was something they had built up in their heads as this epic thing that would cure cancer, world hunger and AIDS just by watching it, but reality set in that it was merely another movie and people were outraged to the point of ridiculousness.  They felt betrayed, and they found they were not alone.  Many like-minded individuals found a common bond in spewing hatred toward a movie that really didn’t do them any wrong, and they now had a means of doing so on a very public forum: The Internet.  And anyone that did not agree, didn’t belong.  Star Wars is Dead, Long Live Star Wars seemed to be the unspoken rallying cry from the droves of people that didn’t much like what they saw.

But what about those of us that did enjoy it, that found some hidden things worth discussing.  Those of us that reveled in the discovery that the Emperor’s theme from Return of the Jedi was used as the celebration theme from the end of The Phantom Menace.  Those of us that dissected the movie only to find that the political intrigue and games were set in motion from the opening crawl, letting us know just how grave the situation would be were the Supreme Chancellor to become an evil dictator.

Sure, the movie has weak points, but that doesn’t mean it is without strength, or merit.  This is, after all, a saga that is not our own, but we claim ownership merely because we’ve purchased tickets, DVDs and more just to share our love of the property.

But the fandom, again, has shown a very real immature behavior that they will mostly only show behind a computer screen.  Saying that the creator of the series has done an egregious act on their childhoods.  Using a word that I find extreme and insulting to describe it, so much so that it became a part of popular slang for some time, much to my dismay.  When people realized just what was happening, and how many they were offending, they stopped, but Star Wars “fans” did not, and still use it.

It’s this ridiculous level of vicious tongue lashing that slowly eats away at you.  And it’s not just a reactionary thing at all.  A lot of talkbacks will say things like “this is going to suck” or “that is going to suck.”  Seriously?  Does anyone continuously work on something that they truly believe will “suck?”  You’re not going to keep fooling people.  It’s obvious that a lot of people loved the prequels or they wouldn’t have each made  what they did at the box office.  This is one of my biggest pet peeves about movie fandom in general.  Saying a property is going to suck based on past experience with a director, a writer or a production company, or none at all, is the most ignoble and ignorant thing you can do.  Why not hope that the project’s creators have grown since the last effort?  Why not give people chance after chance after chance to prove themselves?  That’s a very fickle audience, and I stay away from them as much as I do reviews of movies that I want to see.

Many Star Wars fans are prone to think that anything that comes out with the Star Wars name on it is going to be terrible, and they wind up leaving feeling that they were correct.  This is a self defeating mentality, and they are setting themselves up for defeat.  It’s like playing a team sport and telling your team that the other side is bigger and better, so you don’t stand a chance.  That glass-half-full attitude only keeps you from seeing the good that is there.  It keeps you from enjoying the fun parts of things, and it has a negative effect on the fan community on the whole.

Seeing as this is a series about a prequel reboot, you might think that I have some negative feelings about the prequels, and you’d be wrong.  I hold no ill-will against them.  In fact, I find there are things in them that remind me of the original trilogy.  I think that the storyline of the prequels is well conceived, and with a few changes, some minor and some major, along with a bit of a better execution of the storyline and you’d have a pretty incredible set of films that adequately satisfies the legions of fans that have forgotten that the movies are made for children.

So, for the People vs. George Lucas, I withdraw myself from the People.  You do not represent me.  I’m mostly on Lucas’ side in the great prequel war, and proud of it.

Now, for the next topic, I’m thinking of jumping into one type of character that was in the original trilogy, but was missing from the prequels.  This type of character, if removed from the original trilogy, would likely have left it feeling much the same as the prequels.  The scoundrel.  Han Solo.  Lando Calrissian.  The people that are on the edge of the law, and having fun doing it.  I’m not sure where it’ll go, as I write mostly in stream of consciousness fashion, but let’s see where it takes us.

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Over the course of the press release, it was revealed that Warner Brothers had purchased Traveller’s Tales back in 2005.  A fact that I had forgotten, if I ever knew it, because they keep releasing Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones games, with the second Indy recently released, and Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars coming out later this year.  Back in 2009, they purchased Snowblind Studios to develop their Lord of the Rings game franchise.  But is there room for a Lego Lord of the Rings?

I’m going to say an emphatic yes!  Afterall, with what they’re doing with Batman, there is clearly room in the marketplace: Lego Batman and Batman: Arkham Asylum are currently available, with both Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 and Batman: The Brave and the Bold in the works for later this year.  There are also many Harry Potter games based on each of the movies, and Lego Harry Potter is coming out very soon.

There is certainly room for Lego Lord of the Rings among all of the other Lord of the Rings video games that are in the works.  Heck, if they do that one now, they can also begin work on a sequel to coincide with the Hobbit films in 2011/12 (or 2012/13 if they are delayed).  I don’t see them making Lego Silmarillion any time soon, however.  Either way, this is something that I would love to play, as the Lego games tend to be a comedic look at the films, while also keeping with the spirit of the story.  And The Lord of the Rings fits the mold of all of the other Lego games: it has a LOT of great characters that people could use.

With that, I say: Lego Lord of the Rings – make it happen, WB!

-via Deadline Hollywood

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I should start by saying that I really like the prequels.  In fact, I love those movies.  I grew up watching the original trilogy and was absolutely beside myself when the prequels were announced and watched each film as they came out, ignoring as much as I could, the general public’s reaction to the films.  I should also say that I have a very high tolerance for movies of varying degrees of quality.  If you continue reading my blog, you’ll see that in what I write about.  Especially if you look at the contents of my DVD collection, or my flixster movies list.

But enough about me, let’s talk about reboots.

A lot of reboots are happening, and since 2005 it’s become a buzzword in the film world, replacing the word “remake,” though often meaning the same thing.  I think that the distinction comes when there is more than one film involved… sometimes.  Batman Begins seemed to kick-start the big push to go back over a film or film series from the past and ground it more in reality, or to simply do it with modern technology.  At the time of this writing, Spider-Man is the latest to get the reboot treatment, and likely the fastest turnaround that I have seen.

Star Trek went alternate universe, bringing things back to ground zero, and there are many more remakes in the pipeline at different stages of development.  From The NeverEnding Story and The Karate Kid, to Flight of the Navigator and Superman.

The one series that I think many of us would like to have rebooted, but no one is saying it (as far as I know) because it is not likely that it would happen any time soon, is Star Wars.  In particular: the Prequels.  The original trilogy is fine, leave it as is.  But there is a good reason why a reboot to the prequels makes sense: it was filmed so long before the prequels that a different cast worked the first time out, and it could work again.

What would a rebooted prequel trilogy look like?  Well, it might be stepping on the toes of the Clone Wars animated series a lot, but here is what I would do.

Take the political arc of Palpatine’s rise to power and condense it into one half of the storyline of Episode I.  This arc seemed to happen over the course of Episodes I-III, and would be better served, I think, by being a more hard-hitting political race for power.  Spend the other half of the film building up the character of Anakin.  His love for his mother, his training and comradery with Obi-Wan, and the planting of ideas with Palpatine.  Show the Jedi being put into positions of leadership among the clone ranks, and all of that.  Basically, take what happened in Episode I, Episode II and the first half of Episode III and condense it into the vital parts, with some changes to make it more plausible.

The next part would include the second half of Episode III, to either start with, or to spread out over the film.  Starting with the activation of Order 66, the film is brilliant, and everything that the prequels should have been from the start.  But I also recognize that it wouldn’t have been as powerful an ending without the journey to get there, so it does have to build up to that.

The third film would include a more substantial beginning to the Rebellion.  I would include how the rebel spies learned of the Death Star.  Not only that, but detail how they pulled the off the Death Star Plan heist that set A New Hope into motion.  It would be fascinating to look at the beginnings of the rebel alliance while trying to establish a base of operation.  It would also feature Darth Vader’s Jedi hunt, and Yoda’s landing on Dagobah.

These are just some initial thoughts that I’m writing while falling asleep, so they might be pretty disjointed.  But what do you think?  What would you like to see in a prequel trilogy reboot?

In entries to come, we’ll talk about potential directors, casting, and more.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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Granted, yes, there were cheesy parts.. but overall, this had such dark parts in it, it was incredible. There were also some really tragic elements that were very artfully done, and some slower moments that helped you to take a breather. Lots of information, really fast, made it hard to keep up sometimes, and the slower moments helped. I think with a few more viewings, it’ll all become much more clear. Heck, we were all able to laugh about the cheese afterward. There’s a lot to love in this film, and the music is just one element that was great.. let me just say, right now, that the acting in this Star Wars was MUCH closer to the original trilogy. At the end of this one, I felt a lack of closure, because I wanted more of this story.. and the funny thing is that I can see more of it. I can watch the original trilogy and get the rest of the story any time. I think that’s exactly as it should be, at the end of this one. I’m really curious to see how this will effect how I view Darth Vader though. I really feel that while dramatically he was instructed to be a whiny teenager in Episode II, that really did hurt the character arc a bit, as in this one he’s getting confused, and we’re just watching everyone give up on him, except for one character, and it’s the one character that we know is the one we least want him following, and we even want him to turn back, we want someone to reach out to this boy, but his fate is inevitable.

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I know what it is about Star Wars that made like it more, and makes me love it. My mom once told me that my Grandpa loved Star Wars, and loved talking about the spiritual elements of the films, and how much fun it would have been, talking to him about the new ones. She also said that he would have LOVED talking to me about the Lord of the Rings.

My Grandpa was a convert to the Catholic Church, a Father of nine, and the Doctor for a small town. He passed on when I was 12.

Somehow, I feel a connection to him, through Star Wars. I realize now, that is why I defend the prequels, and part of why I enjoy them. I look beyond the surface, of what people would consider a “bad” movie, to the things that I think my Grandpa and I would have talked about. We would have had some mighty good discussions about both of the new films.

Now with the third film coming out, people are scared that they’ll be let down, again. I’ve got no fears about this film. While Episode I is a flawed film, it’s not without its’ moments. The same goes for Episode II. I’ve felt they could have covered the material of Episodes I and II in film one, the clone wars in film two, and the third film to be, well, pretty much what it is: The purging of the Jedi, the rise of the Empire, and the birth of Darth Vader.

I’ve got here, two review samples. The first, is of the Novelization of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, by a man named LargeFarva, on FilmRot.com:

At least, in print, it does appear that the movie will tie together all of the plot threads successfully. The major issues most fans have speculated and dared Lucas to explain are included in the novelization, from Qui-Gon Jinn’s non-disappearance, to Kenobi’s claims that Yoda was his master. There is even strong evidence that a few characters in the original trilogy knew quite more than they let on, and with plenty good reason. Also, it is true that the first character to speak in the original trilogy has the last line of the prequels. Finally, after reading the epilogue, I’m finding it hard to continue laughing at Lucas’ claims that Sith is “a real tear-jerker”.

I’ve read the other novelizations and this is by FAR the best, the one we’ve been waiting for since the announcement of the prequels.

I’m predicting that most fans of the [Original Trilogy] will consider there to be four films-the [Original Trilogy] and Ep. 3 is the single prequel to them.

This is very promising news. Another review, is of the Screenplay, now available as an ebook, by Bill Hunt, Editor of TheDigitalBits.com:

I have to tell you that I was awfully uneasy as I began reading the script. The first third of Revenge of the Sith feels very much like parts of The Phantom Menace… and I don’t mean the good parts. There’s a lot of Anakin and Obi Wan bantering back and fourth as they fight scores of battle droids, and the dialogue is pretty bad. BUT don’t despair, because once you get past this, the film gets a lot better. About a third of the way in, the Sith lord’s nefarious plot really starts unfolding… and it’s all dark and intense action from there on out. The script finishes well, setting up A New Hope beautifully. There are a couple of great surprises, and the plot threads all tie up nicely. You’re going to be left with a strong sense of “Wow… so THAT’S how it all happened.” I’ve heard from people who have seen most of the film that the action and visuals are astonishing – the best yet from Lucas. Add to that John William’s final score, which you KNOW is going to kick ass, and I think the vast majority of Star Wars fans will enjoy this film. If Lucas pulls it off, it’ll easily be the best of the three prequels. Whatever you think of them so far, there’s nothing like a strong finish. When I get the chance to SEE this film, you can be sure that I’ll post a review.

Both of those reviews sum up pretty much all I know about the movie, save for the footage I’ve seen in the trailers, commercials, and some of the music I’ve heard on the official site, StarWars.com. And from what I know, we’re in for a real treat.

Go into this movie expecting it to be just what it was meant to be. Entertainment and the origin of Darth Vader. This is how it happened folks.

I’m not looking for comments on this post to talk about whether or not you’ve seen Star Wars, or if you think the prequels suck, or that this one will suck. Any comments like that will be deleted, no questions asked.

I want to give this last Star Wars film a shot at being a great film, and to expect anything less from it, would be contrary to what it very well could be. The third film of any trilogy should justify the first two. However, this film isn’t meant to end the story, it’s to set the stage for the beginning of the original trilogy, and to build the arc that puts Darth Vader right where he’s always been: the main character and centerpiece of all six Star Wars films. The Fall and Redemption of Anakin Skywalker. Redemption is the theme, folks, but redemption from what?

“Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate, show no mercy.”

We talk about forgiveness a lot, and it is one of the hardest things to ask for, and the hardest things to do for others. This story is about one man who fell, and for years walked a dark path, and finds forgiveness in people that weren’t even there when he fell. That is a testament of how we should live our lives for others. Forgiving everyone, everything, NOW! Not WASTING TIME holding onto hatred or anger. There’s just no point. Save the anger for true evils.

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