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themovieguys · 2 years

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Haven't done one of these in a while...here's a new (old) Karen's Birthdays! Karen gets to fawn over one of her favorites ever - Dan Aykroyd. Plus, representing young people - Margot Robbie. Now at: TheMovieGuys.net #TheMovieGuys #comedy #movietalk #opinions #movies #movieguys #hollywood #entertainment #commentary #cinema #filmmaking #PaulPreston #podcasts #flicks #filmbuff #films #cinephile #moviepodcast #movienews #celebrityinterviews #moviereviews #MargotRobbie #DanAykroyd #KarenVolpe #KarensBirthdays #RobertMeyerBurnett #AdamWitt https://www.themovieguys.net/2022/06/24/karens-birthdays-7-2-16-margot-robbie-dan-aykroyd/ (at Admirals Club) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfNfRucFH8s/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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adamwatchesmovies · 2 years

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Starwoids (2001)

I’m going to be generous with Starwoids. It’s an independently made documentary about the most hardcore of Star Wars fans during a particularly important time in the series: the months preceding the 1999 release of Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Is it a great film? No. Is it interesting? Yes. It’s a nice little DVD you can place next to the saga to generate some conversation.

The first thing you need to know is that the DVD cover doesn’t lie… but it exaggerates hardcore "Star Wars" fan Kevin Smith’s involvement in this project. He never appears on-camera and narrates… the first 30-seconds of the film. That’s it. This doc is about the people who decided that they wanted to be first in line at the Mann’s Village and Chinese theaters. You won’t see any clips of the movie or celebrities, and even for a documentary, it's a low-budget production.

The most interesting aspect of Starwoids is the way it will make you feel. I found myself going back-and-forth on the people it documents. Waiting in line for 42 days to see anything is insane. Even with the numerous lackluster chapters in the franchise, I still like “Star Wars” a lot. I think just about everyone who likes movies should see the original trio at the very least. I get that being there in 1999 was an experience, that people had been waiting 16 years for the next chapter… but it’s not like the film was only playing the one time and would never get released on home video afterward. On the other hand, the film makes some good points about this level of fandom. So what if you spend 6 weeks waiting in line? Who's it hurting? In fact, a group of people waiting in line raised thousands of dollars for a charity. They had a blast. It’s an experience they’ll never forget and forever treasure. Who is anyone to judge their behavior when they’re freely admitting no one else should go to the lengths they did?

It's a disappointment that Starwoids doesn’t really convey how big the film was during its initial release. I know people were excited. You don’t pay the admission price to see a movie just because a trailer to "The Phantom Menace" is playing before it, and then leave before the main event even starts... but what about the rest of the world? I could have done without the fruitless voyage to Skywalker Ranch and would've appreciated some box office receipts, shots of the merchandise associated with the picture, or images of the characters dominating everything from fast-food restaurants to children’s clothing stores. You get somewhat of an idea of who the people involved are, what they had to deal with when it came to their collections of action figures, but you'll want more.

I'll give Starwoids a mild recommendation. It’s a curiosity and I’m certain that it won’t be director Dennis Przywara’s best work, but I’m glad I saw it. If you were alive when The Phantom Menace was released, you'll be able to fill in some of this doc’s gaps, allowing you to have a nice internal conversation about whether this level of excitement is futile or a once-in-a-lifetime treasure. (On DVD, April 4, 2016)

#Starwoids #movies #films #MovieReviews #FilmReviews #documentaries #starWars #ThePhantomMenace #KevinSmith #DennisPrzywara #DanielAlter #PhilBrown #RobertMeyerBurnett #CecilCastellucci #2001movies #2001films

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