The return of Star Wars: an evil empire in Jedi clothing? | Film | The Guardian

[kelber at mindspring.com]

I agree with everything you say, Mark. I watched the first, which made me uninterested in seeing the second and third (I was dragged into one or two of the highly-panned later three), but I've watched sections of them on TV - enough to be familiar with the basic iconic moments, from Luke losing his arm, "Luke, I am your father," Princess Leia's slave costume, the Death Star, Yoda, Jabba the Hut, etc. 

Lucas falls into the dreadful Steven Spielberg school of filmmaking - he never met a scene he wanted to cut. Those action scenes drag on and on and on and on. No, Star Wars is not sci-fi - it's sort of fantasy/family/western. But, like The Wizard of Oz, and, I guess, the Bible (book, not movie), it's become part of the cultural canon. I'll be seeing the new one, if only because my husband, who shares my opinion of the previous 6, inexplicably bought us tickets.

The one time I met Dave Monroe in person, for a walk in Central Park, he asked me what my favorite sci-fi movie was, which unleashed a blathering on my part about how 2001: A Space Odyssey was the greatest, any, the ONLY sci-fi movie ever made, and, further, the greatest movie ever made, et cetera, after which he somewhat apologetically confessed his love for Star Wars. He was 11 when he first saw it; I was 11 when I first saw 2001: A Space Odyssey. Clearly, it helped to be the right age to "get" Star Wars, when it first came out. Not sure how it holds up for kids seeing it for the first time now. 

Dave was really looking forward to the newest Star Wars movie, and I wish it could be he, not I, who was seeing it. I'll certainly be thinking of him. For those who haven't seen it on Facebook, a friend of his contacted Lucas directly and got Dave put on the list of people who were entitled to special pre-screenings of the movie. Dave died before his turn came, and the day before J.J. Abrams was going to make a personal call to him. He did get an advance poster and letter from the company, which I'm sure lifted his spirits tremendously.

Laura

The post is on the Dave Monroe Fan Club page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/547590491933033/

Here's the post, from Matt Torres:

Told a few people this, but was asked to post it here.
To be as brief as I can be. We all know Dave loved sci-fi, and really loved Star Wars. I was talking at St. Lukes one day, he had just heard things had gotten worse. Dave was talking but would not look up from his laptop. I mentioned something about Star Wars, he looked up and was all talkative, said he hoped he could make it to the movie. That afternoon I made some calls to bad robot and Lucasfilm, and ended up talking to a very helpful person. She sent Dave a letter and poster many of you saw, but made no promises of seeing the film early.
Turns out he would have been next to see a preview screening, I told him about it. Lucasfilm also arranged to have JJ Abrams call Dave last Thursday evening.
Dave went to a pain free peace Thursday afternoon of course. I called to let them know, even the people at Lucasfilm were crying.
Well, JJ did not call Dave that night, but he did call me.
He wanted to express how sorry he was for the loss of a friend to me, all of dave's friends, really everyone in this fan club.
He wanted to get dave a screening, and they did try.
He then asked about Dave.
I told his of his love of movies, music, and books.
Of Dave's love of science fiction, and he laughed at years ago Dave being worried "JJ is gonna f at ck up Star Trek!"
I told his of Dave and his generosity. How if he ever found a movie, book, or 45 he though a friend would enjoy, how that friend would get a surprise in the mail.
I wish Dave could have spoken to JJ himself, but I promise you all I did my best to do justice to him.
Anyways, the people in charge of one his his favorite film series know all about Dave Monroe, and I don't think they're will forget that name.

-----Original Message-----
>From: Mark Kohut 
>Sent: Nov 22, 2015 6:26 AM
>To: pynchon -l 
>Subject: The return of Star Wars: an evil empire in Jedi clothing? | Film | The Guardian
>
>Some of The plist are into SF. Does that include Star Wars? ( not much mention) 
>
>I have basically seen them in Kael's words here, as kids movies. Shook my head at the first. Don't even remember how many I've seen except I remember that the dialogue in a late one was laughable, ridiculous. I wondered if Lucas had heard a real world conversation in the last couple decades. And shallow as any kind of allegory. (except I think the presented Otherness of the non-human creatures is....exceptional. ) 
>
>I have rubbed up against the Campbell mythologizing believers and have tried to understand differently. Problem here for me is Lucas ain't too bright about it.  Lucas is dull .. And pompous  as he speaks about it, imho.( his wife left him  because boring, boring, I read, which is Ouch, Ouch if she is not an unreliable narrator) 
>
>Anyway, discuss among yourselves. Show your work. 
>
>Ciao, 
>
>
>
>http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/22/star-wars-the-force-awakens-the-appeal-of-star-wars?CMP=twt_gu
>
>
>Sent from my iPad-
>Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l
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Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l