"Empire Strikes Back" lives on in the National Film Registry

A towering figure with an electronic voice like a storm soldiers into the room with all the authority of a galaxy. The force is so powerful within him that he is able to choke some to death with a mere hand gesture. His eyes are empty. His armored body like a black knight is without a soul.

These are the first scenes with Darth Vader as he attempts to carve a path in his search for Luke Skywalker while setting a destructive streak through the rebellion base on the snow-smashed planet Hoth.

If any of this sounds familiar, it should. These are scenes of the film “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” which has been a staple of film history for the last twenty-eight years. Now it’s making history once again.

The film is being chosen as one of twenty-five to be added to the National Film Registry, as announced by the Library of Congress on Tuesday. The purpose of this is to safeguard films of cultural interest and preserve them for future generations to be able to view them.

The films in question must contain a heartbeat of artistry. The film must have a sense of worth. It must have some uniqueness about it.

“Empire Strikes Back” has all these elements and more. It is the film that has the very least to do with George Lucas as a contributor. The directorial duties were transferred to the much more skillful and better Irvin Kirschner who chose to give character embellishment to the league of rebels such as the rouge pilot Han Solo and young Jedi Skywalker. Their faces and voices have become iconic in film history.

But none would be able to forget the shadowy presence of Darth Vader who continues to hover as one of film history’s greatest villains.

Even if one didn’t much care for science fiction or Star Wars in particular, “The Empire Strikes Back” still holds a very impressive artistic vision that deserves a place in the National Film Registry.

One of the key points of the film is the introduction of a mysterious mentor named Yoda who now lives in hiding on a swamp planet in the outer reaches. It is there that Skywalker resumes his training as a Jedi. The excellent puppeteering skills, coupled with Yoda’s familiar voice, creates another alien culture we could not even begin to imagine. His wide-eyed glare and on-cue gestures makes him every bit as human as the other characters.

I could care less if Yoda can’t get his grammar correct. He’s one awesome little Jedi Master. And he’s powerful enough to influence Luke Skywalker in the right direction.

There is so much to say about the film: some very beautiful scenes such as the wondrous Cloud City which hovers in peace in the skies to the very darkest corners of Dagobah. The film brings to us reflections of otherworldly ideas that continues to haunt us to this very day.

But it is the relationship of Han Solo and Princes Leia which becomes the epicenter of the film as we are drawn to a fairy story of a princess falling in love with a pauper. There is a magnetism between the two which gives the story romantic reflection that seems so very real. When Leia admits that she likes only nice guys, Han steps in with a remarkable delivery by Harrison Ford when he said with plenty of rougish quality on it, “I’m a nice guy.”

The film also introduces the first black man seen in the entire Star Wars universe: Lando Carrisian who adds to Han’s back-story as they are old friends. I really like how the film seem to play with many ideas and suggestions of what happened in the past including a card game where Han won “fair and square” the Millennium Falcon.

The entire Star Wars films does have an impressive stock of six installments which creates a theatrical vision from start to finish. And the prequels do have their faults only because Lucas was far too involved in them. But it is his creative vision. And the films are his own for better or worse. But “Empire Strikes Back” remains the top of its game for the longest time and reminds us that Star Wars has great artistic value as well.

How does Lucas rate as an artist? He sucks. He isn’t interested in the acting or the writing. Just the special effects. That can have serious fallbacks. But his vision is really a remarkable one when he first conceived it by using all the well known icons such as cowboys, ninjas, samurai and bounty hunters. It is a powerful throwback to the old serials of the 1930s as well.

The original copies of the film are prepared for long storage at the Packard Campus of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center near Culpeper, Va. By doing this would beat out the eventual deterioration of films such as losing color or simply breaking apart. One would hate to see the same thing happen to “The Empire Strikes Back.”

Other films will be seeing the light such as “The Exorcist” from 1973 and “The Pink Panther” from 1964 which is a very nice knowing nod to Blake Edwards who recently died this year.

This is a thankful gesture made for this particular film which has been in the popular culture for years—you see Star Wars on glasses, silverware, toys, games, posters and nearly everything else you can think of. Most fans would have all the films, and this one in particular, lovingly locked away for future viewing in their own homes.

But the National Film Registry is doing us all a favor by doing this. They are also saying that they know the value of the Star Wars film and wish to retain its star-studded qualities. The force is strong in this one.

And just think, Star Wars almost came to theaters with a disco music soundtrack. Wouldn’t that have been awful? Imagine John Travolta in space. It was thankful they turned to John Williams who gave us one of the most familiar cues of all time with his musical gift. It feels complete now. The music, the scenery and the cutting special effects.

By making “Empire Strikes Back” a part of the National Film Registry makes it complete indeed. I’m sure Chewbacca would have chimed in a growl of approval here.

The Doctor's Christmas Carol

I think perhaps it was because of the brilliant ending of the fifth season of Doctor Who regarding the Big Bang episode written by Stephen Moffat that I expected so much more in the Doctor Who Christmas.

I suppose one was a little spoiled by the dazzling cosmic plot about universes ending and beginning again that it left your senses numbed. So I was expecting more of the same. But it is a little different this time.

The Doctor Who Christmas special for this year didn’t do that for me. It wasn’t a grand scale episode that dealt with the mysteries of the universe. Instead, it went for the small hook of a story: regarding an old man who lost his spirit for Christmas.

In this respect, it is a well done reworking of the now familiar Christmas Carol that so many people have come to love and cherish. It is like getting a heartwarming present all over again. But I can’t help wondering how many more times can they pull off a Christmas special before the novelty of it wears off. How many times before we get bored of the idea of Christmas for Doctor Who?

I don’t like to think about that.

So I’ll try to deal with the ghost of Christmas present for now.

Stephen Moffat writes this time around by working a few clever time travelling gimmicks. This is what Moffat is best at. He knows how to deliver a good plot… and wrapping it around with plenty enough plot twists to keep the story going. My favorite bits are how the Doctor manages to bring the future and the past together through some interesting visuals.

The story revolves a honeymoon trip with Amy and Rory coming to a crash on the planet that is covered with an icy atmosphere in the skies. It’s more dangerous for the ship to come down without any proper guidance. It’s not a fun distress call for the Doctor to receive. But he needs to convince a scrooge-like Kazran Sardick to help the people on the doomed ship.

However, the entire cloudscape is mapped to Sardick’s biological system. And he doesn’t give a rip about the rest of the population on the planet who he considers a low form of life. He lives in a towering castle-like presence that overlooks the rest of the city as if he is a god. And the others are mere people for him to crush.

What a happy guy.

But it doesn’t stop the Doctor. He thinks of some clever ways of using time travel in hopes of convincing the old man that it is worthwhile to save these people on the ship. It’s these little gimmicks of time travel that made this particular special so much fun. Because the Doctor needed a combination to a lock to open up a cryonic chamber, encasing a woman, the Doctor tricks Sardick into giving the combination number by using time travel. You’ll need to see the show to enjoy the scene.

The cryogenic chambers which keeps the people in limbo belong to families who “owe” money to Sardick… and therefore he keeps the people as lending material before he could be paid up in full. But the Doctor releases the young woman in the chamber. Her name was Abigail Pettigrew and she begins to form a romance with a younger version of Sarcick.

They make a promise: that they’ll share every single Christmas with Abigail as much as possible. There are some fun moments. The fez returns for an appearance: the eleventh Doctor’s favorite type of hat. And you get to see him wearing the long, trailing scarf from the Tom Baker days in one scene as well. It’s a lot of fun to watch.

Despite everything, the old man is a stubborn mule. Burt the Doctor manages to figure a way to rectify the situation by bringing the old man to meet his younger self. Flashes of his father abusing him as a child on a cold Christmas day reduces him to a chattering, crying man. And he agrees to help the crashing ship to land properly.

The story isn’t particularly complex. But it’s a fun and enjoyable romp that is still fairly fresh. The acting performance by Matt Smith alone is worth the ticket right here. He is ever as enthusiastic about the role of Doctor Who as he was in the first moments… he is like the brightest light guiding us through all of time and space. He seems overjoyed, slightly pompous and always creative. His traits are easily seen here… he seems to be more of a human Doctor than ever before.

There is also the acting presence of Michael Gambon, also known for his role as Dumbledore in the Harry Potter fims, who lends a great performance as well. Smith seems to be at his best when acting opposite of an older actor. And here, neither disappoints when they carry on the Christmas cheer between them. And there is nothing wrong with this.

It is becoming quite a staple for Doctor Who to be part of the Christmas celebration. Let’s hope for many more years of it.

Superhero Frenzy

The one problem about a cartoon like the Justice League is that there’s a lot of members. So many that you really don’t know who they are. It’s like the G.I. Joe series from the eighties. Apart from four or five major characters, you couldn’t tell from one person to another in the series.

It can be a problem.

But they found a way to resolve this matter in the DC Universe Showcase series which focuses on a minor character from the Batman/Superman stories.

Superheros are in great numbers. However, for the newest release of the animated shorts from the DC universe, we see one character at a time. That’s fine. Better for character development.

The new release has four short films on a single DVD with the first episode being clocked in at twenty-five minutes while the other three entries are somewhat shorter at twelve minutes a piece.

There is something about keeping the stories short, and to the point, which builds in greater pace while getting rid of padding. It's a good idea.

There are several literary writers such as Ernest Hemingway who liked the idea of keeping the message short and simple.

Short can be good.

You can see the same thing here with the cartoon shorts. They are almost like small movies made revolving a central character.

The first one “Rise of the Black Atom” is about Superman and Captain Marvel... a charming story about standing up for your friend. Even if it is against all odds. And this is what it is all about... showing a lot of courage.

The film really showcases on a young boy named Billy Bastian who is a small kid with a big heart. When he comes to passing the test of courage, he remains the head of the class. He learns that he has received special powers of magic which gives him all the elements of strength, power and speed. Much like Superman is. Plus Captain Marvel is a being of magic as well.

All Billy has to say is “Shazam!” And he’s Captain Marvel.

There is a nice little bit where Bastian says Shazam while he is still in mid-air. That's a little lesson he'll learn the hard way.

The animation is beautiful, stunning. In some ways, it ranks with the very best of the Japanese anime. All the details and movements are fluid in this small cartoon piece. It's a marvel to look at.

If you could guess it was James Garner playing the wizard who bestows the powers to Bastian, then give yourself a pat on the back. It's great hearing this actor's voice again.

The second episode is about the Spectre who gains his powers by being the spirit of vengeance by taking on the form of the detective Corrigan. What is most fascinating about this cartoon piece is the fact that justice and vengeance. So there is a constant moral battle between doing what is right and what is wrong.

Naturally, the Spectre throws all the rules out of the house and goes for the gusto. He isn't a very nice guy either. More than that, he plays with mortals like they are simply pieces for his amusement. This is one example of someone who has too much power in his hands.

The Spectre segment has all the right elements of horror. And the animation matches the mood of old detective stories while keeping the atmosphere of dread. It's very well done.

The voice for the Spectre/Corrigan is Gary Cole... best known for his work as the evil Sheriff from the American Gothic series. This is a very inspired choice.

Some might be put off by the character's callous attitude towards taking the lives of the guilty. But you must remember that he is a spirit of vengeance. So he takes a path of self-righteousness. He's not the same as Batman who follows a rigid code of honor. The Spectre is a different breed.

There is a great piece about the Green Arrow who is caught up with an incident at the airport. The theme here is about keeping track of time as he wants to give the engagement ring to the lucky woman. But Green Arrow falls into political swirl when there are several assassination attempts on the young princess who is yet to become queen because her father recently passed away.

Like a young Robin Hood coming into the foray to save the innocent, Green Arrow manages to go through the entire cartoon segment with his characteristic qualities: an arrogant hotshot with an excellent marksmanship.

There are a lot of nice voices for this cartoon segment including the villainous one by Malcolm McDowell. It's something to see that such well known actors could contribute their time to giving more credibility to the characters in this piece.

But it is the wonderful relationship between the Green Arrow and the little princess, both of which are going through their coming of age: the princess must take careful steps into growing up to the queen. And the Green Arrow who must prove his excellent accuracy to save the princess' life.

This one cartoon piece is NOT to be missed. It's a bullseye.

One of my favorite pieces is the last one. Jonah Hex... a lesser known characters from this comic book universe. But there are all the traits of the western setting with the blowing dust, the ragged shacks that make up a bitter, old town, and the lone stranger who rides into town like a storm. You begin to wonder if Clint Eastwood would show up anytime soon.

However, it is Thomas Jane who voices the character of Hex. And it is a brilliant casting choice. Jane is a wonderful actor and gives credibility to the role of the Hex character. Yet the actor still gives a chilling, if weary feeling to the character... as if the man is tired of violence, almost bored of it. And yet he keeps going for the sake of getting money for his bounty.

A nice piece written by Joe R. Lansdale who loves the character of Hex. The Texas writer already did a couple of comic book limited series on the renegade bounty hunter. (And also wrote a story about Jonah Hex for the Batman Animated Series back in the nineties). But now we get to see one of Lansdale's sharp witted stories once again in cartoon form. It's great stuff with a number of macabre elements regarding dead folks.

Not a kindly town. And an even less nice hero.

Any combination with Lansdale and Jane in a story is worth the trouble seeing.

All of the cartoon segments in the collection are worth seeing as every one of them has something to offer. Whether it's high flying superhero action or a low-key western setting, there is a definite variety here. And all of them made possible by one of the best producers of animation, Bruce Timm.

Check this one out next time you're renting. While you're at it, try checking out the old Batman cartoons from the nineties starring Kevin Conroy as the dark knight. You can't go wrong here.

A Graphic Anime

If you like mystery, along with horror and weirdness, you might like the anime series "RIN: The Daughters of Mnemosyne" or just RIN for short. Go ahead and say the word Mnemosyne. I have trouble with saying it.

It IS an odd piece of animation.

The interesting thing with Japanese anime is the absolute variety of genres worked into many different series involved. It could be a romantic comedy or science fiction depending on the story. You could throw in many things and still get away with a pretty good narrative.

But RIN is a difficult one to classify.

Which makes it a very strange is the wondrous orchestra of animation and storytelling. It centers on a female private investigator who runs a number of odd jobs anywhere between finding lost pets to missing persons. So you could call it a mystery? Well, yes. But then you throw in the fact that she survives many horrible deaths because she turns out to be an immortal. So it’s a horror story? Yes, it is.

So it's a hodge-podge of different elements stirred into one whole piece which stretches for six different 45 min. segments. There is a definite story arc here included in the six part series.

Rin Asogi is an immortal who works as a detective in order to solve her own past. Because she's lived for such a long period, some memories are lost to her. But she becomes involved in a long battle of eternity... while learning of how her past was catching up with her. The story is rich with a complex plot that is layered throughout a narrative. Set in Tokyo which gives it the Asian climate needed.

However, it's not for those with weak stomachs. There are tons of graphic moments where the main character is tossed through a number of deaths. What are the deaths? She is killed in several explosions, gunshots, knifes and swords and even an inventive one by being pulled into an airplane propeller. Isn't that nice?

It's an extra for horror fans because the blood-letting is pretty spectacular stuff. So this one isn’t for the kiddies. The studios Xebec and Genco created the anime series for just one season... and it was licensed by Funimation for the United States. But you have to wonder if the people making this animation had a warped sense of humor.

Back to the gruesome deaths. Every time Rin is killed, she loses a piece of her memory and her past becomes more than garbled.

However, she does have friends who help her along the way. She has Mimi who is her partner in the investigative agency, Koki Maeno who joins their business later on. He is a mere mortal. And there is also Genta the dog. Female dogs. Only women can be immortal here. The men just go nuts and turn into super-strong angels if they are touched with the time-fruits that bring power.

The entire anime series takes place between the years 1990 up to around 2060 which is a fairly long stretch of time.

That was my only big issue with the series: there was the number of jumps the story takes from different years. There are one year jumps in the narrative to the twenty-five year gaps. It does break up the narrative story-telling which would have served better in one continued story.

On the other hand, I would guess one way of keeping the narrative flowing is the use of the character Koki Maeno who is a regular Joe here. But you can see the Maeno family as they age... first, Koki Maeno, then his wife, and finally his son... so the entire story goes through the point of the view of the Maeno family, thus keeping the narrative story very concise, condensed. You do feel that the story is a unified whole through the sixty years of the Maeno family. People come and go. But the Maeno names remains prevalent throughout the series.

If you can shell out $50 for the series, it's worth the time and effort. You'll find it's an interesting take on immortality and one that is very bold because of the adult themes running through it. I repeat: the animation isn't for children. The intended audience here is adults.

Again, the animation is very well done. The Japanese are well known for the artistic skills of creating animation in the highest order. And they don't miss the beat here. The flowing nature of the drawing continues to be very sharp and the use of colors are vibrant as ever. While the animation isn't quite as good as "Ergo Proxy" or "Ghost in the Shell," the RIN series has a place of its own in the halls of animation.

One thing they did well was keeping suggestion of the graphic violence in check. They could have gone way overboard and go into a hurricane of gore. There are times when the series can kick into “Clockwork Orange” mode. But there are many portions of the story where the violence is left to the imagination of the viewers. Which is probably why it seems more graphic than it really is. The series still is very potent.

Another high score for Japanese animation. Those who are looking for something different in animation don’t need to look any further than this one.