Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of The Jedi (1983) - #120

Empire top 301: #120

IMDb top 250: #78

Rating 9/10

Director: Richard Marquand

Writers: George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz & David Prowse

"It's a trap!"

The Galactic Empire, under the direction of Emperor Palpatine, is constructing a second Death Star in order to crush the Rebel Alliance. Since Palpatine plans to personally oversee the final stages of its construction, the Rebel Fleet launches a full-scale attack on the Death Star in order to prevent its completion and kill Palpatine, effectively bringing an end to the Empire once and for all. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker, the Rebel leader and Jedi Apprentice, struggles to bring Darth Vader back from the Dark Side of the Force.

When I was a kid Return of The Jedi was always my favourite of the original trilogy, it was just fun and exciting. Now, I'm older it's clear that this is the weakest of the three but that's not to say this is a bad movie! Return of The Jedi is still a great movie but through many viewings with my older mind I find too many faults with it and the Ewoks bringing down the Empire is a bit silly.

The Return of The Jedi starts off with the rescue of Han Solo at Jabba's Palace and these scenes are really the best part of Episode VI for me. Jabba the Hutt is a brilliant character, and prior to the re-releases where Jabba is now introduced in A New Hope the foreshadowing of the character was brilliantly done; and when we are finally introduced to him in Jedi, he blows everything you could have imagined out of the water. Jabba's Palace is also filled with other brilliantly designed creatures like the Gamorrean Guards and Bib Fortuna. In addition, to this Boba Fett can be seen lurking around in the background. Unfortunately, in the re-releases Lucas has added more, unnecessary footage of Boba Fett, including him flirting with back up singers. Just No!

In addition, to that unnecessary footage Lucas has now added a pointless and silly musical number into the Jabba's Palace scenes! I usually fast forward this scene as I actually can't stomach it! It's in Jabba's Palace that Carrie Fisher gets to don her two best looks throughout the saga, the first is her Boushh outfit where she brings Chewbacca to Jabba in order to free Solo. Her second look is probably one of the most iconic costumes in movie history!! The Metal Bikini! Carrie Fisher looks beyond HOT in this outfit and it's no surprise that countless geeks around the world were turned on by it! The best thing is, even in such a provocative get-up Leia still manages to kick ass and see off Jabba the Hutt with the chain that binds her! AWESOME

Return of The Jedi gets a bit silly in the middle with the Rebel Alliance traveling to the Moon of Endor to shut down the Death Stars shield generators. When they arrive they meet the Ewoks, which are effectively just teddy bears! Teddy bears who believe C3-P0 to be a deity. There is some great interaction with Han Solo and Threepio during this part of the story.

Jedi picks up again during the climax of the film, where three different stories take place. Luke on the Death Star attempting to lure his father Darth Vader back to the good side, where an superbly filmed lightsaber fight take place between the father and son. Then there is the battle on Endor between the Ewoks and the Empire and finally Lando Calrissian takes the Millennium Falcon through the Death Stars core to destroy the main reactor. The three stranded finally is brilliantly executed and is at times all out action with so much going on! 

There is a genuine disgusting moment at the end of the newest version of Return of The Jedi and that is the inclusion of Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker popping up at the end replacing the original Anakin (Sebastian Shaw). This should never have happened. And neither should the inclusion of Darth Vader saying "NOOOOO" when he picks up Emperor Palpatine! 

However, all that aside Return of The Jedi is a great film, but it lacks the depth and magic of the first two. However, it is still an exciting watch and worthy of it's place on the Empire top 500 list. I now can't wait for Episode VII. 

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - #1

Empire top 301: #1

IMDb top 250: #12

Rating 10/10

Director: Irvin Kershner

Writers: George Lucas, Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz & David Prowse

"Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder."

The Galactic Empire, under the leadership of the evil Lord Darth Vader, is in pursuit of Luke Skywalker and the rest of the Rebel Alliance. While Vader chases Han Solo & Princess Leia Organa aboard the Millennium Falcon across the galaxy, Luke travels to the Dagobah system to learn the ways of the Force under Jedi Master Yoda. But when Vader captures Luke's friends, Luke must decide whether to complete his training and become a full Jedi Knight or to confront Vader and save his comrades.

How do you top a film as good as A New Hope...that's easy, you make The Empire Strikes Back. The best instalment of the Star Wars saga and in my opinion the greatest movie ever made. Set three years after the destruction of the Death Star, The Empire Strikes Back is straight into the action with an amazing battle sequence on the planet Hoth. This is beautifully done with some amazing special effects. The AT-AT walkers are genius and one of my favourite vehicles from the Star Wars universe. 

The writing in The Empire Strikes Back is fantastic, especially for the Han and Leia scenes. The on screen chemistry between Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher is great, both during the arguing and romantic scenes. The story also gives the characters and cast more to do, and separating Luke from the group to begin his training on Dagobah is perfect as it allows for more character development for everyone. 

In addition, to the already great list of Star Wars characters another three where added in The Empire Strikes Back. Lando Calrissian an untrustworthy, ruthless charmer who makes a deal with the Empire to ensure his dodgy dealings will fly under the radar. Billy Dee Williams is perfectly cast as Lando, all smooth yet conniving. Yoda, the Jedi Master who taught Obi-Wan. You're expect some sort of large warrior but instead, you get a tiny green being who lives on a swamp land. But it really works! This is puppetry at it's best and Frank Oz is amazing, when you watch The Empire Strikes Back Yoda isn't a puppet, he's real! You feel everything he says, this puppet has emotion and he is better here and in Jedi than his CGI form in the prequels. 

Finally, there is the coolest  guy in the galaxy, Bounty Hunter Boba Fett. Boba Fett has the best Star Wars costume, hands down, he has a jet-pack and the design of the helmet is just AWESOME! In addition, he has the second best ship, after the Millennium Falcon. Slave I is a beautiful design! Boba Fett isn't afraid to stand up to Darth Vader and is just a general bad ass! Unfortunately, in the re-releases Lucas decided to change Boba's original voice - provided by Jason Wingreen - to that of Temuera Morrison who portrayed Jango Fett in Attack of The Clones and this was a silly idea. It just doesn't sound right! 

The beauty of The Empire Strikes Back is it's gut punching finale. First Han is frozen in carbonite and given to Boba Fett leaving his fate unknown. That's not before delivering one of the greatest movie moments ever with just two words "I know". Brilliant! Then we get one of the greatest movie twists ever with the reveal that Darth Vader is Luke's father. There's no happy ending here!

Mark Hamill really delivers in The Empire Strikes Back, he is much improved from A New Hope and his performance is nothing short of amazing, considering for most of it he was acting to a puppet or a tin can (R2-D2). Harrison and Carrie are both equally fantastic in Episode V from their opening scenes on Hoth right through to their final moments together at Cloud City. They're arguing scenes are so well written and funny and played brilliantly, you can feel the sexual tension. I often wonder if it boiled over away from the camera's! I think it probably did. 

It's here in The Empire Strikes Back that I also really fell in love with C3-P0. When I was a kid I always found him to be rather annoying, but now I absolutely love him and genuinely believe the films wouldn't be what they are without that character. He's the comic relief that's needed when the rest of the story is so dark. 

The Empire Strikes Back is my number one favourite movie of all time! Love, Love, Love It!!

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) - #6

Empire top 301: #6
IMDb top 250: #18

Rating 10/10

Director: George Lucas
Writers: George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, Peter Cushing & David Prowse

"May the force be with you!"

A a group of freedom fighters known as the Rebel Alliance plot to destroy the powerful Death Star space station, a devastating weapon created by the evil Galactic Empire. This conflict disrupts the isolated life of farmboy Luke Skywalker (Hamill) when he inadvertently acquires the droids carrying the stolen plans to the Death Star. After the Empire begins a cruel and destructive search for the droids, Skywalker decides to accompany Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Guinness) on a daring mission to rescue the owner of the droids, rebel leader Princess Leia (Fisher), and save the galaxy.

After the disappointment of watching Episodes 1 - 3 it's easy to forget that George Lucas created this amazing movie. Here he has created one of the greatest movies ever, filled with some of the silver screens greatest characters. Having been born in the 80's I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for kids in 1977 to see this movie on the big screen, when there was nothing else out quite like it. The enormity of it and the sound must have been something else! I have seen this film at the cinema but it was the re-release where Mr Lucas decided to include some really unnecessary extras.......That scene with Jabba!! Just no! 

However, I don't want to focus on those silly re-releases. A New Hope, to me, still looks as amazing today and still holds my attention as it did when I was a kid. I must have seen this movie thousands of times but I'm still completely transfixed when I watch it. From the opening moments of that Starship flying over the top of the camera pursuing Princess Leia's ship Tantive IV to the closing battle in the trenches of the Death Star, A New Hope is a superb piece of filmmaking. The fact a lot of the techniques and effects where created whilst filming just makes it even more spectacular.

Adding to the beautiful things you are seeing on screen is John Williams unforgettable, iconic score. You hear the sound of the 20th Century Fox music then up comes the opening title card "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." and then it strikes in...BOOM!! George Lucas said in his AFI acceptance speech that Star Wars wouldn't be Star Wars had it not been for John Williams beautiful score, and I think he's right.

It's a well known story that Harrison Ford famously said to George Lucas of his script "you can type this shit, but you can't say it" but he's so wrong. The cast are all amazing and deliver the silly lines so well you don't even care they're using words that don't exist. The cast are so believable in their roles. It's Harrison Ford who runs away with this movie and it's no surprise that when kids came out from seeing the film they wanted to be Solo and not Skywalker. He's just so effortlessly cool, charming, funny and he has the greatest sidekick ever in Chewbacca! Not to mention his costume is AWESOME!

Now Chewbacca is a great character, he's loyal and brave and instantly loveable. Something I think Lucas tried to recreate with Jar Jar Binks but failed miserably. Hamill is great as Skywalker and I love his scenes with Guinness, throughout the original trilogy. It's known that Guinness hated working on Star Wars and found the dialogue ridiculous and he only really did it for the money, even if that's the case he still shows why he was such a good actor as he plays Obi-Wan seriously and brilliantly. He made a lot of money from the film and received an Academy Award nomination for his performance so not all bad. 

For me though, there is one character that blows them all out of the water. A character I have loved since the first time I saw them, and one I can't wait to see reprised in Episode VII. A vision in white with a now iconic hairstyle....Princess Leia. It would have been very easy to have Princess Leia as just a damsel in distress but Lucas wrote Leia as much more than that, and Carrie Fisher played her better than what was written on the pages. Leia goes head to head with the baddest guy in the galaxy without any fear and refusing to give up the location of the Rebel Alliance, she's capable of looking after herself and more than adept at using a blaster! To me Leia is one of cinema's greatest female creations! 

Prior to it's release Star Wars was seen as a 'little' movie and a bit of a joke, by the movie industry and even the cast and crew. How wrong where they! It's now rightfully become one of the most beloved movies in history and with more new Star Wars movies on the way it will pass on to future generations who will fall in love with the Star Wars universe!  

In my personal Top Ten this is my third favourite movie of all time! And the Stormtrooper costume is still one of my favourites ever!

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of The Sith (2005) - #224

Empire top 301: #224
IMDb top 250: -

Rating 6/10

Director: George Lucas

Writers: George Lucas

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones & Frank Oz

"Once more, the Sith will rule the galaxy! And... we shall have peace."

The Jedi Knights are spread out across the galaxy leading a massive clone army in the war against the Separatists. The Jedi Council dispatches Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to eliminate the evil General Grievous, leader of the Separatist Army. Meanwhile, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, separated from Kenobi, his former master, grows close to Palpatine, the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic and, unknown to the Jedi, a Sith Lord. Their deepening friendship proves dangerous for the Jedi Order, the Republic, and Anakin himself who inevitably succumbs to the dark side of the Force and becomes Darth Vader, changing the fate of the galaxy forever.

Set three years after the dreadful Attack of The Clones, George Lucas continues to destroy the legacy of Star Wars. Before Episodes 1 - 3 where made I dreamed of Lucas making the prequels and episodes 7 - 9 and finishing his story. Now, having seen Episodes 1 - 3 I wish he hadn't of bothered. Episode 2 didn't make the top 500 and I'm not surprised because it really is the worst of the Star Wars films. Revenge of The Sith is a step up from the previous two but it's still pretty bad. 

Lucas continues to write possibly the worst dialogue ever, perhaps he should have hired Carrie Fisher as a script doctor. Chances are she'd have shredded the script completely and told him to start again! That would have been the best thing to do. Again, more focus is given to the special effects and costumes and again the film suffers for it. Did they film any of the picture on location or on an actual set? To me it just all looks CGI with only the actors and the odd chair here and there as real things! The first films still look amazing today as they where filmed on real sets, real locations and the characters where made using great puppets and make up! The space ships were filmed using miniatures, however they looked real and huge! It was clever filmmaking. The worlds and characters here just look silly and cartoonish. 

With this film Lucas had the opportunity to tell an amazing story about the birth of one of cinema's greatest villains, instead he chooses to show Vader as a sulking brat who wants to save his one true love but the Jedi won't let him...boo hoo! He writes the evil dark lord as a pre-hormonal teenager! Then he defies belief by having Padme pop her clogs immediately after giving birth to Luke and Leia - whom she manages to name - because as the ridiculous medical droid puts it "she has lost the will to live". WHAT?? The silly cow has just had two kids, but she can't be bothered to live anymore because her husband has gone over to the dark side! How on earth would sulky Anakin and weak Padme ever create two children as brave and awesome as Luke and Leia? Lucas should hang his head in shame! 

This silliness also ruins the scene in Return of The Jedi where Leia tells Luke she remembers images and feelings of her real mother and how sad she was, erm how is this possible when Padme died on the operating table immediately after giving birth to her! Did Lucas not see Return of The Jedi? Also, at what point does Anakin give Obi-Wan a lightsaber to give to his son when he is old enough to have it. Anakin didn't even tell Obi-Wan that Padme was pregnant with his child. This is just simple stuff that should have been addressed properly! 

As with the previous two movies there are some rather cool moments that save it from being a complete dud, like the final scene of Vader and the Emperor overlooking the creation of the Death Star from the battleship with a young Grand Moff Tarkin. The birth of Vader is really cool; that moment when the helmet goes on and the music fades, then that sound of Darth Vader's respirator....chills. Unfortunately, this is then ruined by that awful "NOOOOOOOOO" moment. Why Lucas, just why?

There's a really cool easter egg of the Millennium Falcon docking at a landing bay in Naboo. Yoda kicks ass and seeing him fight with a lightsaber is always great to watch. There is a great scene - which was criminally cut from the final film - of Yoda arriving on the Dagobah system. It's a great nod to the original trilogy and should have made the cut! (See below). 

Hayden Christensen continues were Jake Lloyd left off and delivers an equally annoying and awful performance, so at least there's consistency here! Natalie Portman, again is pretty shocking and at times I don't even think she is taking it seriously, it's like "she has lost the will to act". Ewan does as best he can with terrible lines like "It's over Anakin, I have the high ground"...that reminds me, didn't Darth Maul have the high ground in The Phantom Menace, but Obi-Wan managed to off him pretty easily. Samuel L. Jackson floats from bad to good to bad again throughout the movie and Ian McDiarmid manages to turn Palpatine into a pantomime villain. It's Razzie's all round as far as I'm concerned. R2-D2 provides the acting chops here. 

However, despite my slagging off of the movie it's much better than Episodes 1 & 2 and does provide some entertainment. I think my anger of the prequels stems from my love of the originals and how I believe these movies could have been so much better. If J.J Abrams wants to know how to make episodes 7 - 9 great he needs to watch the prequels and do the exact opposite of what he sees on screen. They're already on the right path by not letting Lucas write it!! 

When Harry Met Sally (1989) - #151

Empire top 301: #151
IMDb top 250: -

Rating 6/10

Director: Rob Reiner
Writers: Nora Ephron
Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher & Bruno Kirby

"You see? That is just like you, Harry. You say things like that, and you make it impossible for me to hate you."

In 1977, Harry Burns (Crystal) and Sally Albright (Ryan) finish school at the University of Chicago and share the drive to New York City, along the way they discuss issue of "can men and women ever just be friends". The two disagree and don't exactly hit it off, but over the years after a few chance encounters they become friends, but is love just around the corner? 

This is the first time I've ever seen When Harry Met Sally, however I was aware of the film and it's most infamous scene, more on that later. Firstly, the screenplay by the late, great Nora Ephron is great. Really likeable characters with some funny dialogue. Whilst Nora writes Harry really well, she excels with Sally. Such an interesting, annoying, neurotic, adorable, loveable character and played so brilliantly by Meg Ryan, who wouldn't fall in love with Sally. 

After researching the movie, I noted that Director Rob Reiner directed two of my favourite movies; Misery and The Princess Bride. The direction here is pretty good and he has created some great and memorable scenes. The wardrobe is very "bad 80's", I mean Marie's wedding dress, really? Just awful...but I'm pretty sure bang on trend when the film was made/released. Loved the music, Harry Connick Jr's voice is gorgeous and it really suits the tone of the film. 

The chemistry between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal is great and I love the idea that Sally would fall for someone like Harry. An uptight, kinda OCD, girl who you would expect to be looking for a 6ft handsome prince falls for a short, can be annoying guy who she never agrees with. Is this where Sex and the City got their Charlotte and Harry storyline from? 

Meg Ryan steals the movie, even from Princess Leia herself!! But that's ok, she really is great and even though I've seen the clip on thousands of shows before I still laughed out loud at the "fake orgasm in the cafe" scene, it's played wonderfully. I can imagine it took quite a few goes to get that take. Billy, the crew and the extras must have been wetting themselves laughing. Carrie Fisher I could watch all day, I imagine I'd be transfixed watching her do the laundry I love her!! 

Now I did enjoy the film, but it just didn't blow me away, to me it was a bit run of the mill. Maybe because I've seen thousands of rom-coms; rom-coms that probably pinched ideas from this movie but nevertheless I wasn't thinking, "can't wait to watch that again". It was an enjoyable 1 hour 30 minutes spent but definitely not worthy as number 90 on the top 500 movies ever made. At least not for me! 

Grease (1978) - #192

Empire top 301: #192
IMDb top 250: -

Rating 9/10

Director: Randal Kleiser
Writers: Bronte Woodard, Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey & Allan Carr
Starring: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing & Jeff Conaway

"Why, this car could be systematic, / hydromatic, ultramatic / Why, it could be greased lightning"

Grease is the story of good girl Sandy Olsson and local bad boy Danny Zucko, who meet on the beach during the summer of 1959 and fall in love. With the summer over and Sandy going back to Australia, she fears she will never see Danny again. After her parents change their mind about going back to Australia, Sandy joins Rydell High School and is met by an all together different Danny Zucko than the one she met on the beach. Teaming up with the Pink Ladies Sandy tries to rekindle her love with the leader of the T-Birds. 

Grease is one of my favourite movies, I was brought up watching this movie; and even though I've seen it thousands of times whenever it's on the television I still stop and watch. Grease has in my opinion some of the best and memorable musical numbers, ever! From "Summer Nights" to "You're The One That I Want" the film is chock full of great songs. Everybody at one point in their life has been at a party/disco where a song from Grease has been played, even today some 35 years after the film was released. Grease is also one of those movies that people can quote word for word, if you say a line from the movie, people will know exactly what film it's from and who said it. 

Sometimes in musicals when the actors/characters burst into song, it can feel a little forced and cringey but in Grease it works. The transitions from spoken performance into song are flawless and every song works, there are so many musicals where songs feel like they've been shoe-horned in. And whilst the songs are narrative and explain the characters current emotions, they never feel like it's just dialogue put to a bit of music, they're fully rounded excellent songs. The musical numbers and choreography are great, never more so than in "Grease Lightning" and "We Go Together" routines. 

The cast of Grease are great. John Travolta and Olivia-Newton John are both at their sexiest in this movie and they have great vocals. Olivia doing her best work on "Hopelessly Devoted to You" whilst John Travolta shines with "Sandy". John Travolta again proving he is an excellent dancer during his dance segment at the School Dance to "Hand Jive". My favourite performance and character comes from Stockard Channing. I love Rizzo, always have, and whilst none of the other performances are very layered I feel Stockard really breathes life into the character of Rizzo. Her 2 performance numbers are my absolute favourite, especially "There Are Worse Thing I Could Do", I can hear the pain in her voice!

I've never met anyone yet who hasn't seen Grease, but if you're one of the few who haven't, what are you waiting for! It's a classic!! 

The Lives Of Others (2006) - #199

Empire top 301: #199
IMDb top 250: #54

Rating: 8/10

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Writers: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring: Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Tukur & Thomas Thieme

"We are the Shield and Sword of the Party"

Stasi Captain Gerd Wiesler (Mühe) is a master interrogator, assigned an operation to spy on playwright  Georg Dreyman (Kock) who lives with his actress partner Christa-Maria Sieland Gedeck), as they are believed to be potential enemies of the GDR regime. The film is set in 1984 focusing on the activities of the Stasi, the German Democratic Republic secret police who are blacklisting artists who go "too far" against the socialist regime in their work. Whilst Georg is visiting his blacklisted friend Jerska, a theatrical director, Wiesler and his team bug his apartment and using an abandoned space on the top floor of the apartment block Wiesler, who lives for his job and the Republic, spends several months listening to his subjects and begins to open his mind to a new way of thinking and changes his views on his known way of life. 

I really didn't know what to expect with this film. I must admit I'm not all that familiar with the GDR and the Stasi operations and I had to pause the movie half way through to go on my iPad and do some research. I thought the movie was going to be an all out thriller in the vein of Baader Meinhof Complex, which I loved, but it was a bit slower paced and more intimate focusing more on a smaller operation against the backdrop of politics and art. The movie is beautifully filmed and von Donnersmarck allows the camera to take in so much to give the viewer more insight into the characters. I particularly love the scene where the camera stops on Wielser showing his turning point in the movie, where that tear falls down his face as Dreyman plays Beethoven's "Appassionata". 

The two male leads in the movie Wiesler and Dreyman are played exceptionally by Ulrich Mühe & Sebastian Kock. The two men couldn't be anymore different, Dreyman is charming and has a bohemian, well read feel to him, whilst Wiesler is staid and grey and by the book. Their differences can be seen in their lives too, from the look of their apartments to the type of company they keep. Mühe is particularly good and goes through every type of emotion beautifully. 

Martina Gedeck's performance as Christa-Maria is equally as impressive as the lead actors, however I was so distracted every time she was topless; she was having to strategically move her arms to cover her nipples. Ulrich Tukur & Thomas Thieme make for excellent villains who are eager for power. The film has some incredibly tense moments and you will be upright during these moments, von Donnersmarck executes these scenes really well. There are plenty of twists and even a few "I never saw that coming" moments too. The movie has a lot of dialogue and therefore a lot of subtitles and the dialogue is important so if you don't speak or understand German you will need to have your brain switched on. This is a superb directorial debut from von Donnersmarck.