Star Wars

CHICAGO – There was a time when the idea of actual sequels to George Lucas’ original “Star Wars” trilogy seemed like the most fantastic (and unlikely) of all the fanboy fantasy fodder in the multiverse. How could chapters VII through IX work? How do you follow the “teddy bear picnic” ending of “Return of the Jedi”?

CHICAGO – Usually it’s critics critically flogging a film when we say it weakly lacks originality and borrows too heavily from others. Disney’s “John Carter” attacks that classic grumble by promotionally comparing itself to “Star Wars” and “Avatar” before critics even had a chance to deduct points for it.

CHICAGO – “The People vs. George Lucas” is a misleading title and several outlets have misleading representations of what you should expect from the film. This is not an antagonistic piece even if it does contain some amazing evidence in the anti-Lucas movement. The “vs.” makes it sound like a hatchet job. It’s not. It’s more of a love letter to the fans who have built their lives around “Star Wars” and THEN it goes on to point how that love has made the fan base even more sensitive to perceived slights to the holy trilogy. It’s a clever, fun documentary that runs just a bit long but truly captures something about geek-movie culture that hasn’t been so well-documented before.

CHICAGO – Is it wrong to say that I prefer the three “Robot Chicken” specials that spoof the “Star Wars” franchise more than the prequel trilogy? Heck, I enjoy the “Family Guy” trilogy of “Star Wars” take-offs more, so I suppose that’s not surprising. In all seriousness, these are very funny specials and the latest was recently released on Blu-ray with an abundance of special features. Don’t miss it.

CHICAGO – We just got the news from Fox that arguably the most-anticipated Blu-ray release in the history of HD is coming this fall when all six films in the “Star Wars” saga will be released on the format. Start saving now and put in your pre-orders through the links below.

CHICAGO – The opening crawl of “Family Guy: It’s a Trap!” jokingly suggests that the viewer should lower his expectations since the writers had totally run out of steam by this point and were pressured by Fox into doing a spoof of “Return of the Jedi” to close out their “Star Wars” trilogy, now released in one Blu-ray set known as “Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy.”

CHICAGO – “Gone With the Wind” and “Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope” have reportedly sold more actual tickets than any other films in history. What’s in third place? The answer may surprise you: Arguably the most popular musical of all time, “The Sound of Music.” Fox has meticulously restored and remastered the bronze medal-winner of all time in a way that makes it look new even to those of you that know all of the words to the beloved soundtrack by heart.

CHICAGO – Hollywood legend Harrison Ford of “Indiana Jones” fame posed for his hometown HollywoodChicago.com red-carpet portrait at the premiere of “Extraordinary Measures” on Jan. 12, 2009 at the AMC River East movie theater in Chicago.

CHICAGO – It probably found its way under a few trees this Christmas, but if you have a gift card burning a hole in your wallet and are a fan of “Family Guy” without the latest straight-to-DVD release from Seth MacFarlane and his talented team then you should definitely use your holiday credit on the “Star Wars” (or, more specifically, “The Empire Strikes Back”) spoof “Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Darkside”.

CHICAGO – Now that he is widely recognized as one of the best filmmakers of all time, it’s almost hard to believe that there was a period in the career of Akira Kurosawa when he couldn’t get financing to make a film. Kurosawa went through a very dark time in the ’70s, punctuated by his disastrous experience with “Tora! Tora! Tora!,” and needed the weight of Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas to help with his comeback, “Kagemusha,” now available in a beautiful Criterion Collection Blu-Ray release.