Star Wars

Title: Star Wars (a.k.a. Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope, 1977)
Director: George Lucas
Starring: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
Rank: 13

To all of you out there who are over twenty-five and still get a rush of glee at the thought of adding another piece to your action figure collection, to anyone who makes electronic sounds as they mime swordplay, to anyone who has ever been called a scruffy-looking nerf herder- you owe a debt of thanks to George Lucas.

I know there are several people out there who would throw out AFI's list without hesitation had Star Wars not been included. Of course, it's on there, and in the top 15 nonetheless! And with good cause, too. Any self-proclaimed film buff, sci-fi fanatic, or cultural history major would be mocked if they had never seen at least one (often times, if they had not seen ALL) of the films from the Star Wars franchise.

But what makes Star Wars such a cherished piece of cinematic history? Several things, actually. It could be the epic battle scenes in space, the hot princess, the clever dialogue, or the memorable characters and special effects. Really, though, Star Wars is great because it's a story about the underdog defeating a monster much bigger than himself by just having faith.

Underdog stories are always a hit, especially when the underdog comes out on top, because we all feel like we are the underdog at times. The world is big, and we are just one person, and sometimes it may feel like we make no difference. Get up, go to work, come home, go to bed, get up, go to work, come home, pay taxes, go to bed. Lather, rinse, repeat. We are just one little, replaceable cog in the wheels of the world. But when we see someone who is, as we often feel ourselves to be, an unlikely hero stand up for what is truly right and come out ahead, we feel hope, and a deep satisfaction that someone was able to "stick it to the man." I know I don't need to tell any of you what happens in Star Wars (and if I do, then it's time to take a day off work and watch the films, but don't worry I won't tell anyone), I'm sure many of you are more familiar with the details that I am.

Not only is it an underdog story, but Star Wars also has a political consciousness. The Rebels fighting against the Empire is essentially the "everyman" fighting against the corrupted government. Especially with the current state of things, the government has always taken criticism from the citizens. The government is big and powerful, and often it feels as though we just have to sit back and take whatever they decide to dish out. But, like Luke, Leia, Han Solo, and the rest of the Rebel Alliance, we do have power. Binding together and standing up for what is right is one of the most amazing things a group of people can do. Even the little things can make a difference in morality, and encourage us to never give up.

Star Wars also deals a lot with faith in oneself, in the form of the Force. Luke cannot defeat the Death Star with the computer, but when he closes his eyes and takes that leap of faith, he is triumphant! It isn't until we believe in ourselves that we can accomplish anything. If you believe you can do it, then you can, regardless if anyone else believes you can. As Yoda said "Do or do not; there is no try."

Star Wars is a legacy to film and fandom. No other series has been admired, parodied, or referenced in other films as much as Star Wars films have. I could list pages of projects that have taken inspiration from the Star Wars franchise (Spaceballs, anyone? Or how about FanBoys?), endless arguments of Star Wars vs. Star Trek, and hundreds of thousands of people out there who share the hero's name that have constantly heard the line "Luke, I am your father" throughout their lives.

Thank you, George Lucas, for making it cool to be a nerd. And to all my readers out there, may the Force be with you!




Movies to Go: 79

Raging Bull

Title: Raging Bull (1980)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty
Rank: 4

I watched Raging Bull last night, and it marks the tenth film in this project. That means I'm 10% done already! January is already over, and I have a feeling that this year (and this project) is going to go by fast.

Although Raging Bull centers around the life of a boxer, it really isn't just about the sport of boxing. (In fact, there is only a few minutes of the film that actually shows boxing.) Throughout the whole film, there is anger, rage, and fighting. Not only is it about the fights between the characters, but the general battle of life that we all go through.

As beautiful as it is, life is rarely easy. There is no one out there who does not experience hardships, whether they are financial, social, health woes, or anything else. If we want a satisfying life, we have to fight for it. We may often feel like we are K.O.'d by life, but there will always be another round if we are strong enough to get back on our feet. Jake La Motta (played by De Niro) goes through his boxing career wanting to be the champion, and although he doesn't ever win the title he wants, he does not ever give up or let himself fall. Sometimes, that's enough- as long as we keep fighting for it and don't let ourselves stop, we're doing alright. It is more about the journey than the actual destination: we learn so much going through life, riding over the bumps in the road, and trying to figure out exactly where we fit in. Life is an adventure.

Raging Bull is also about dealing with inner demons. La Motta finds his own downfall, both in personal relationship and professional, because of his own inner demons. Often our inner demons come from our own perceptions of how the world is; sometimes we become paranoid and judgmental because of one bad past experience, and because of that past experience being sour we assume any experience that is similar will also be sour. We become jaded, and our hearts harden. Distrust comes out to play, and we see things in an altered point of view.

Fighting our own demons can be a life-long battle. As long as we don't let them own us, we're doing pretty well. "Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world right in the eye."
Helen Keller



Movies to Go: 90

Rocky

Title: Rocky (1976)
Director: John G. Avildsen
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith
Rank: 57

Tonight's film was a treat for me, because this was the first time I had ever seen Rocky. Of course, I have seen the shot where Rocky is on the top of the steps in Philadelphia, raising his arms, jumping around, with Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now" playing, along with many of the spoofs of it there are out there. (Take a peek at the film version here.)

It is not hard to guess why Rocky made it on to AFI's "100 Years 100 Movies" list. Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, this film is about inspiration. Rocky comes from nowhere- he is no one special, living nowhere special, doing nothing special. As luck would have it, he is picked to fight in the championship fight against heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. (Creed only picked Rocky to fight because he liked the name the "Italian Stallion.") This is a dream come true for Rocky, and he wants nothing more than to go all the way in the fight.

Even though he doesn't win, Rocky does succeed. He lasts through the entire fight, the winner determined by points instead of a knockout. Rocky is ecstatic about the fact that he gets this opportunity, and completely satisfied with the outcome. The story of it is what everyone hopes for- we all have that "Mount Everest" that we want to achieve, whether it is becoming a record-setting athlete, discovering the cure to a disease, raising kids, becoming a world famous actor, or getting a chance to fight the champion. Most people have a dream, something they want to accomplish in their life, the one thing they want to be remembered for above everything else. It doesn't have to be something has big as becoming the CEO to a worldwide company, but it is something that will define us for who we are. Rocky was the underdog- no one expected him to make it, but he did, defeating the odds. We all believe ourselves to be the underdog at some point or another, and when those times come we have the choice to either let it break us or put in all we've got to overpower it. The only limits we have are the ones we place on ourselves.

The amazing thing about dreams is that it is never too late to have a dream, nor is it ever too late to pursue a dream. Rocky is thirty years old when he is given the chance to fight Apollo, having spent more than half his life thinking about this dream but never doing anything about it. When the opportunity presents itself, he takes it and trains as hard as he can, letting the fight take over his life and consume his every thought. He conquers his "Mount Everest" in the fact that he was able to withstand the entire fight and go the distance. To Rocky, winning wasn't the objective, it was withstanding the battle.

Rocky, however, had luck on his side. It was by pure coincidence (and that catchy name) that he was chosen to be the contender in the big fight. Not all of us will have that luck, and we often have to make our own opportunities. In most cases, there is no luck- it is all about persistence. Like the Japanese proverb says "Fall down seven times, get up eight." Any dream takes hard work and perseverance to be welded into a reality, and there will be times when you fall. It may feel like a failure, but as long as you stand back up then it is only a bump in the road. Besides, if you learn something from it, then it really isn't a failure at all.

We all have a dream or two, and nothing is impossible. (Walt Disney once said "If you can dream it, you can do it.") Dreams take work, though, but they are worth all the blood, sweat, tears, and time that go into them. It is never too late to make YOUR dream come true. We only have one life to live, and as Mickey Goodmill said: "You ain't gonna get a second chance."

Movies to Go: 98