A lot to make up for

In my humble opinion, George Lucas has been a little disappointing in his efforts to create the prequels to some of the world's greatest cinematic treasures. "The Phantom Menace" was grating because of annoying little Ani ("Are you an angel?") and perhaps the most vehemently despised character of all time, Jar Jar Binks ("Meesa no likey"). "Attack of the Clones" was a little bit better...maybe. It had a little more to offer in terms of non-annoyingness, but when it came down Anakin's reactions to pretty much everything, it can probably be agreed upon that he was more than a little whiney. Actually, he was basically a little bitch throughout the whole movie. Coming up on May 19 George Lucas has his final test before his loyal followers. The trailer for "Revenge of the Sith" looks great, and I have high hopes for the film...but this is what I've said about each of the new episodes in the "Star Wars" saga. There is, however, a glimmer of hope...a new hope, you might call it.

Even casual fans of the series may know that although he is a master story developer, George Lucas's directing isn't all that spectacular. "Empire Strikes Back" is often considered the best of them all, and believe it or not, this may be because Irvin Kershner was at the helm instead of good old Georgey. "Return of the Jedi" was also directed by someone else named Richard Marquand, but do you ever hear anyone say "A New Hope" (directed by Lucas) is their favorite? Anyway, the point is that none other than master filmmaker Steven Spielberg has taken on some role in the production of "ROTS." You can read about it here. In conclusion, I hope this has a positive effect on the overall film, because we all know Lucas really has to impress us this time.

-J

PS - It has been a concern of X-Men fans as to whether or not Halle Berry will be returning to the franchise the next time around. While it would be strange to have a new Storm, or even a Storm-less "X-3," it's not like Berry has been doing a wonderful job. Or maybe it's that she wasn't given the chance to explore the character the way it was meant to be. Well, that's what she thinks. Check out these little articles, (1 an 2) that explain, despite rumors of her selfishly wanting more onscreen time, why she is wary of participating the next time around. After all, Storm is supposed to be a much stronger character.