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Just got back from seeing Star Wars The Phantom Menace 3D… this is the first time I’ve been to the movies since Avatar (2009? I need to get out more) making my last 2 trips to the theater for 3D films. Not sure what that means, but I gotta say, I love me some 3D.

Even a stalwart Star Wars fan like me will admit that Episode 1 wasn’t a standout in the series. And after seeing this again I think it’s a bit better that what I thought of it a few years back. I had this flick firmly entrenched as the worst of the series but after this viewing it’s vaulted itself ahead of Episode 2: Attack of the Clones… what bogs down Episode 1 isn’t Jar Jar or even the little kid that played Anakin but the middle of the flick really slowed down when Lucas had to explain what the hell was going on Tatooine. He had to explain that Anakin was a slave, that he had Jedi ability, that Qui-Gon and the others had no money to buy the ship parts they needed, what the hell was Pod Racing and that Anakin could race them, that Darth Maul was tracking them, then he had to explain the betting and how Qui-Gon worked out all those bets with Watto. Mix in that the mother had to stay behind and midi-chlorians and before you know it you’re sucked down a nerd wormhole and you can’t get out.

But after that the movie got swinging pretty fast and furious. The Pod Race was cool in 3D and the last half hour of that flick had 4 different action scenes, the hi-light being the light saber battle, which remains arguably the best light saber fight in Star Wars history.

If you’re a Star Wars fan you’ll dig seeing it again if only for the 3D. I can’t wait for the Original Trilogy… seriously, Empire Strikes Back in 3D? You have to be a cold-hearted bastard not to be curious about that one.

So anyway for this Trailer Tuesday I’m bringing back the original Episode 1 trailer from 1998. I bought a ticked to Meet Joe Black just to see this trailer. I walked out right after the trailer though… still haven’t seen Meet Joe Black to this day.

Thx for reading. Twitter here.

–r

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Most artists love to see another artist’s progression from when they first started working to the work they’re doing now. It’s fascinating in any medium from comix to film. What’s interesting about Quentin Tarantino’s first film: My Best Friend’s Birthday, is that you can really see that his style is already coming through quite clearly in this early work. He shot this back in 1984 while he was still a video clerk for like $5,000 bucks. This isn’t a great flick but you can see the dialog you’ve come to expect from him, as well as other QT trademarks like needle drops and references to Brian DePalma flicks. The film is a bit disjointed probably due to a combination of his youth and inexperience and that a large chuck of the film was destroyed in a fire. Nevertheless, it’s fun to watch.

My Best Friend’s Birthday – Quentin Tarantino… by FilmGeek-TV
Twitter here…

–r

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Staying on the Ghost Rider/Gary Friedrich theme, I’m showing a cover reinterpretation that I did as a commission a while back. This is probably my favorite cover reinterpretation that I’ve done. And don’t forget to check out WTF Wednesdays (post below this one) for the link to donate to Gary Friedrich.

thx for reading and hit me on the twitter.

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Gary Friedrich is the creator of Ghost Rider, a flaming skulled motorcyclist that made his first Marvel Comics appearance in 1972. Like many comic creators of the past they’re sitting around struggling to make ends meet while Giant Corporations like Disney/Marvel rake in millions with other people’s ideas via film and television.

The first Ghost Rider film, an unwatchable mess starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Mark Steven Johnson (who also directed the equally unwatchable Daredevil) managed to make enough money (over $200 million) to warrant what is sure to be another disaster: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, due to bore viewers on February 17^th.

Mr. Friedrich sued Marvel for the rights to the Ghost Rider character and after a lengthy dispute, ultimately lost his case. You can read more details of the court case here.

Creators lose cases like this what seems like all the time. The most famous being the Jack Kirby Estate’s attempt to regain rights to basically every vital Marvel Character (more here).

What really struck a chord with comic fans was the result of the Friedrich case. After “winning” the case Marvel asked Friedrich for $17,000 in damages. Yes, you read that right. Disney/Marvel asked Friedrich for $17K.

So there’s my “WTF Wednesday”… writer and indie comix champion Steve Niles, working with Mr. Friedrich has set up a donation to help Mr. Friedrich during this very tough time. You can go here to donate a few bucks and you can go here  to give Mr. Friedrich some words of encouragement.