The Force is With Sarah Palin

Not to go an analogy too far, but Sarah Palin seems to be taking a page from the Hollywood playbook of George Lucas.  She has just completed her own introductory trilogy, and it was an astonishing success.  

First, she was a fantastically successful conservative governor lurking beneath the mainstream media’s radar.  Next, she was a vice-presidential candidate who, even though she lost, still did more to electrify the base than the headliner.  Third, she has now drawn the curtain on her post-election career as a sitting governor, a period that saw her deftly turn the tables on mainstream haters like David Letterman.   Like “Star Wars,” she’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but her fans are rabid and chomping at the bit for the next installments.  And as to these future installments, the question is whether the next step is going to be “The Phantom Menace” or something that doesn’t suck. (more…)

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Tags: Alaska, George Lucas, Katie Couric, sarah palin, Star Wars
Posted Jul 4th 2009 at 7:44 am in Politics | 176502434 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kschlichter/2009/07/04/the-force-is-with-sarah-palin/The+Force+is+With+Sarah+Palin2009-07-04+14%3A44%3A28Kurt+Schlichter

Part 4: Interview with ‘Brothers at War’ Director, Jake Rademacher

Note:  Part 1 of this 4 part interview can be found here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here.

J.R. Head:  I felt that one of the most important things about the film was that it allows the folks that are left behind, the friends and loved ones, to get a glimpse of a soldier’s everyday life.  I served during relative peacetime but, even for me, it was difficult to explain what my day was like to my girlfriend, to my family… They were always imagining something bad happening.  And, let’s face it, peacetime or wartime, sometimes bad stuff happens.  We train hard, there are accidents and sometimes people die but for the most part you’re just doing your job.  I felt like “Brothers at War” gives folks a good look at what really goes on and allows them to relax a little bit.  Y’know, there’s not, say, a mortar attack every five minutes. 

“Brothers at War” Director, Jake Rademacher:  It’s a great tool for a soldier to allow loved ones a window, a good look at what life is like for them during a deployment. (more…)

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Tags: Brandon Tuley, Brothers At War, George Lucas, Iraq War, Isaac Rademacher
Posted May 22nd 2009 at 6:34 am in Entertainment, Military | 140794No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jrhead/2009/05/22/part-4-interview-with-brothers-at-war-director-jake-rademacher/Part+4%3A+Interview+with+%27Brothers+at+War%27+Director%2C+Jake+Rademacher2009-05-22+13%3A34%3A49J.R.+Head

‘Terminator Salvation’: Will There Be Ewoks?

Should the fourth installment live up to its promise, that promise being the casting of Christian Bale as John Connor, the Terminator franchise will be on the way to being the one of the best and most consistent action/adventure franchises since Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan lived in sin as Tarzan and Jane way back when such things were frowned on. And if director McG and his screenwriters are able to tell their story honoring the mythology of what came before without tripping over the inherent logic issues involved with time travel, well then, they’ve already bested “Melorose Kirk-Can-Drive? Trek.”

Of course, should Ewoks arrive to aid John Connor, all bets are off.

My love for “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” (2003) puts me in the minority, I know, but you have to embrace how different the three installments are from each other to truly appreciate it. “Terminator” (1984) is a brilliant piece of storytelling, but also a gloriously 80’s action film from soundtrack to clothes to hairstyles to mandatory gratuitous sex scene. “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” on the other hand, is arty and existential, with mind-blowing, big budget action scenes. But let’s just admit out loud that a certain viewing mood is required in order to avoid using the word “overlong.” Finally, the third chapter shakes off everything that made two so special, but not necessarily in a bad way. The action scenes are still outstanding, but the plot is simpler and had the casting of John Connor been stronger, people might have warmed up more towards the Governor of California’s final starring role. (more…)

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Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christian Bale, Ewoks, George Lucas, Planet of the Apes
Posted Apr 7th 2009 at 9:41 am in Entertainment | 9901840 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/04/07/99018/%27Terminator+Salvation%27%3A+Will+There+Be+Ewoks%3F2009-04-07+16%3A41%3A09John+Nolte

What Sequels Teach Us About Developing Character

I hated the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark. No, not the Citizen Kane homage rosebud scene at the end – I loved that – but the ending of the movie. I didn’t want it to end. I hadn’t enjoyed a film that much since, well, Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, or Jaws. I wanted it to continue. I wanted more. 

I got more and I didn’t want it. 

Why don’t sequels do well? Obviously, I’m not alone in feeling the way I do about Raiders or Star Wars or Jaws or any other great character-rich, dynamically set film that pulls you in and doesn’t fully let go even after the end titles trail up and we see that film certification symbol fade out. So, why is it that more of what we love, we hate? Well, maybe not hate, but not love quite so much. What’s going on here?  (more…)

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Tags: Alien, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, Aliens, bob hope
Posted Apr 5th 2009 at 2:07 pm in Entertainment, Reviews | 9724281 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smann/2009/04/05/developing-character/What+Sequels+Teach+Us+About+Developing+Character2009-04-05+21%3A07%3A59Schizoid+Mann