Movie Review: ****^Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

I still love this movie.  It was such a fascinating film.  From the World of Hoth, where Luke Skywalker runs into a snow creature, and Han Solo has to save him, to Han Solo being frozen, and Luke Skywalker is unable to save him, this movie jumps.  The information that Darth Vader shares as to Luke's parentage is classic, "I am your father." is in the vernacular now.  This movie also introduces us to Yoda (Frank Oz), the wise Jedi sage who completes Skywalker's training.  Again we are introduced to interesting worlds and tremendous conflicts, which makes for a great movie.  The ice planet Hoth is an inhospitable planet, Dagobah is over populated with plants and snakes, and the Cloud City of Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) is a mining community in the sky.  The other scene that is classic, is after a chase through an asteroid field and floating away with the garbage.  If not for Bobba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch) the bounty hunter, they would have gotten away.

Movie Review: *****Star Wars: A New Hope

This movie introduced a new universe.  It is the first of the Star Wars movies made.  It was exciting and full of new creatures and worlds and lots of fun.  I know it has been redone, to add more special effects, but the original version is good enough for me.  What is better than a group of young people saving the rebellion.  Lots of fun.
We were also introduced for the most part to a series of new actors:

	Mark Hamill	...	Luke Skywalker
	Harrison Ford	...	Han Solo
	Carrie Fisher	...	Princess Leia Organa
	Peter Cushing	...	Grand Moff Tarkin
	Alec Guinness	...	Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi
	Anthony Daniels	...	C-3PO
	Kenny Baker	...	R2-D2
	Peter Mayhew	...	Chewbacca
	David Prowse	...	Darth Vader

Movie: ****The Bridge Over the River Kwai (1957)

This is one o those stories where sometimes the means don't justify the end.  In order to build morale of their men, the officers at a prisoner of war camp run by the Japanese with Allied prisoners, determine that they should participate in the forced labor required by the Japanese, but not only participate but do a good job.
At the same time, the Allies send a team to blow up the bridge being built by the prisoners.  In the end, these decisions pit Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) against Shears (William Holden) one of the Allies who has come to blow up the bridge.  When Nicholson discovers the plot, he informs the Japanese, but then realizes his mistake.  "What have I done?  What have I done? he exclaims, as he depresses the plunger to blow up the bridge.  Classic scene.

Christmas Movie Musical Review: **Scrooge 1970

  This is a musical version featuring Albert Finney and Alec Guinness.  When I realized it was a musical, I had my doubts, and those doubts were confirmed.  How could Scrooge be a singer?  Although I enjoyed hi "I hate people."  I did not like the songs at the end, "I love Christmas" which turned into a big production numbers, just to have one it seemed.  Scrooge played Santa to the Crachetts, which didn't work for me as it was too drastic a change.  The anonymous Scrooge is more to my liking.  Alec Guinness lived up to his being a master of disguise, but his character seemed like a robot rather than a ghost.

Christmas Movie Review: ****Little Lord Fauntleroy

I love this movie.  It is a made for TV film.  It ends with a Christmas feast, making it  Christmas movie.  Little Lord Fauntleroy is raised by an American mother, in humble circumstances.  It is when he is a bit older, and his brother and uncles have all passed away that he discovers he is a Lord, the son of an Earl.  His mother agrees to take him to England so he can take is rightful place, be educated.  However the earl does not want to invite the mother into his home.  She agrees only on the understanding that nobody tell her son why she lives in a separate cottage. 

The Earl has it in his heart to change the little lord, however things do not work out that way.  Little Lord Fontelroy is smarter than he looks.  He does good deeds and blames them on his grandfather.  Eventually this makes an impression on the tenants and people in the community.  It also has an effect on the Earl, and eventually his heart is melted. 

Alec Guinness stars as the earl and Ricky Schroder as Little Lord Fauntleroy.