The NeverEnding Story (1984) ~ Barret Oliver

I remember watching this when I was, oh, 7 or 8, and having a huge crush on Atreyu. (rewatching it now, I was startled to see how familiar he is, and searched the net to find out what else I'd seen him in...go figure, he was in Battlestar Galactica, too;)

Watching the trailer in the special features section (which, BTW, is rather light, like most movies made before DVDs) sent me into delighted giggles. I still found myself crying over the loss of Artax, even though I knew it was coming, and started laughing at myself as I wiped my eyes. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion; even though the soundtrack is obviously 80s synth, I like it. Being trained in cinema, I know that there are many weaknesses in the film, but because I have happy memories of watching it as a child, I simply don't care. I did notice things I missed as a child (Bastian's father drinks raw eggs for breakfast??? ick!) but I still couldn't make out what name Bastian screams into the storm. (somebody else said it was "Moonchild," but I never could tell) I've never read the book, so I can't compare them, but I like this movie because it was child-like fun. (you're never too old to have fun!)

The DVD offers full or widescreen depending which side of the DVD you want to play, and a handful of extras about the creature models and actors and the trailer. If you liked it as a child, you'll like the nostalgia. Children may or may not like it, depending how jaded they've become from our modern, special-effects-laden extravaganzas.
George Lucas in Love (1999) ~ Martin Hynes

The first time I saw this was at college. I and the other four grad students in my department were working on special effects homework, and one of the guys downloaded this parody off the internet in three pieces. We were practically rolling on the floor (and very much relieved that there were no faculty or undergrads in the building at the time) and when I saw this on DVD, I had to have it.

I hated Shakespeare in Love, but I've liked Star Wars for a long time; this parody of the two is absolutely side-splitting. These guys packed so many Star Wars references into each scene! The plot follows the Shakespeare in Love idea, in that he's trying to write a script, meets a girl, falls in love, becomes inspired, finishes script. Success! Along the way we see recreations of all the major characters in the original trilogy. Make a game of trying to spot all the Star Wars (and Lucas' college days) references.

I don't want to spoil the ending if you haven't seen it, because that was the biggest laugh of all, but I seriously think Lucas could benefit from bringing these guys into his prequel productions.

The special features are great; be sure to watch their discussion/commentary on how they put this together...you won't believe your ears.

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Chrystalline

October 2019

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