Some thoughts on Phantom Menace

So I just came out of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in 3D. Now I’d like to share a few thoughts.

This is actually an enjoyable movie. There are some flaws, chief amongst then the need to explore a more scientific connection to the force (midichlorians), the creepy flirtation between a 10 year old boy and a mid teens girl (age difference is fine, but the stage of life difference is weird), and the fact that Maul barely talks. A Sith lord should talk! He feeds on emotion, and while the silence may be intimidating to some, when Qui-Gon gets calm, Maul should be taunting him, trying to elicit an emotional response.

Despite my grievances, the podrace scene is fun and exciting, especially in 3D. The big lightsaber battle is just as fantastic as I recall. The bits of foreshadowing to the larger tale of Anakin Skywalker are so cool for fans. This is a decent movie, especially when taken as a chapter of a larger tale.

The other wonderful piece of the puzzle is the kids. The fact that these are being rereleased means a whole new generation of kids gets to see these movies for the first time on the big screen! The force, Jedi, Sith coming at you in huge 3D is exciting for all these new girls and boys learning what makes Star Wars cool, and I was thrilled so many were in our theater.

Long live Star Wars, and may the Force be with you.

My Unedited Plea for Wally & Stephanie in the DCnU

You may have seen our second round of unsolicited advice to DC Comics over at Newsarama. For length and provocative nature, my entry was heavily edited down. Here, then, is the uncut version in its entirety.

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Look, DC, we understand, you like to tease. You take us out, wine and dine us, and when the time comes, it’s a brisk handshake at the door as you go up to your apartment alone. But DC, baby, we have needs, and we’ve been literally shouting those needs at you at conventions, on facebook, on Twitter, on message boards; we’ve done everything short of renting a plane and skywriting it: we, your readers, your fans, there’s a huge group of us that like Wally West and a huge group of us that like Stephanie Brown, and we want to read new stories featuring those characters.

Wally West might not be your favorite Flash. Wally, you say, might confuse new readers. If you have to give him a different codename? Fine. All we want is Wally. We want the wisecracks. We want the passionate feelings, the struggle to keep his humanity while being the fastest man alive (and yes, he’s the fastest, sorry Barry). We want Linda, we want his anchor, we want the mythology of the speed force, we want a sidekick that has grown up and surpassed his mentor’s legacy. You still have Dick Grayson, you still have Roy Harper, so there’s really no genuine reason, no story reason to not have Wally West. And that’s the thing here, DC. If you want to be focused on story for story’s sake, and you can’t give us a story reason for a character’s absence, we have to call you on it.

And that brings us to Stephanie Brown. Yeah, she’s a troublesome character, and yes, in the scheme of a “5 years old” DC Superhero landscape, that means she was Robin for about 12 minutes. Fine, she never really established herself as Robin and Batman was always hesitant to acknowledge her as such… but dammit, Stephanie sure as hell is Batgirl. Stephanie Brown brought back some of the wonder and awe to being a superhero without superpowers. She wasn’t invulnerable, and you actually knew it (which is lost in Batman stories sometimes). She wasn’t perfect at her job, but she was trying her hardest and getting better all the time. Barbara’s back as Batgirl? Awesome! Give Steph a new identity, or just let her continue her training under Babs. Heck, you even had the option from Grant Morrison of simply sending Steph to another city, setting her up somewhere in England. She can do it. She’s strong, she’s resilient, and she’s one of the most “real” characters in the DC Universe. One of the pluses of the relaunch is the wider variety of stories that can be told in some of the new books, but don’t take away variety just because you’re adding it in another direction.

Please DC, enough already. Ask us (and Wally, and Stephanie) up for coffee this time.

My 2011 Emmy Picks

So, the full Emmy nominations are out. I’m excited for some genre love, and that Friday Night Lights got so many nominations for its excellent final season. I’m not going to go into tons of detail on my picks right now, but maybe I’ll have time to add that in later. for now, here is who I’d like to win in each category!

OUTSTANDING DRAMA
Game of Thrones

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA
don’t watch any of the nominated shows!

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Alfre Woodard, True Blood

OUTSTANDING COMEDY
Parks and Recreation

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Louis C.K., Louie

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Julie Bowen, Modern Family

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Matt Damon, 30 Rock

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live

OUTSTANDING REALITY SHOW HOST
Don’t care!

OUTSTANDING REALITY SHOW COMPETITION
Top Chef, Bravo (that one’s for you, Courtney. :-))

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central

OUTSTANDING TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Downton Abbey, PBS