The Dam Breaks
subtitled: I felt like writing tonight.
Iâve been to Holland, and seen the sights. I experienced Amsterdamâs âRed Light Districtâ, and the architecture of The Hague (which apparently means âthe hedgeâ in literal translation) and Iâve shopped till my companions dropped in Delft. I saw the modern dike system, and bird watched and visited the late-blooming tulips. I ate âDutch fast foodâ and am still not entirely sure what it was that I ate, except that Iâd order it without mayonnaise next time. I met a good friend for the first, though hopefully not the last, time. I survived Security (which was actually harsher in Amsterdam than it was in the US), and have no plans for any further international trips in the foreseeable future.
As an aside: Yes, I took photographs and no, they wonât end up in the diary any time soon. Iâve a new camera, and at present Iâm not in a position to download the software necessary to get pictures from camera to hard drive. My current computer is experiencing what can only be called final agonal gasps before an inevitable death. Iâve given much lip service to purchasing a new computer during the last few years, but within two months Iâm going to have to turn words into reality. I refuse, however, to purchase a new computer until the Prius is paid off though, and the Prius wonât be paid off until the end of June (glory alleluia). So July is tentatively slated to be New Computer month for the Salamander, and there will be no pictures until that time.
Clueless Wonder continues to be a worriment. His spells of not eating have become days and weeks of inappetance. I was concerned enough about it that I hired Dr. Nineteen Cats to house sit/cat sit while we were away in Holland. I knew my sisters wouldnât have the patience to sit with CW and try hand feeding him or warming his food for ten seconds in the microwave or mixing catnip into his kibble or spoon-feeding him some canned food to get him jump started. (The Sisters’ idea of taking care of the cats is dropping in once a day, dumping food in some dishes and changing the water bowls.) Dr. Nineteen Cats did all of that and more to try to get some food into CW, and he actually ate better for her than he will for me. I still donât have a definitive diagnosis as to whatâs wrong with CW. Until he gives me some signals that heâs in pain or no longer enjoying life Iâve decided not to pursue it, since pursuing it at this point will probably mean invasive surgery to obtain samples of liver and kidney to send to the lab.
Heâs gone from the cat that used to wake me up at 4:30 in the morning because he was starving and couldnât wait until 6:00 am, to the cat who will only reluctantly get off the sofa when I come downstairs first thing in the morning. He still roughhouses with The Little Grey Shit, he still chases the red dot of the laser pointer up and down the hallway, and he still likes staring at birds through the doors that lead to the deck. But he also sleeps far more soundly than he ever used to, and he no longer begs for treats when I get myself a snack. I try not to let myself get too upset over it â after all, it makes no sense to mourn that which you havenât lost. After all those years of literature classes, though, I know foreshadowing when I see it, and I sure as hell am not looking forward to where this part of the story is going.
And yeah, speaking of stories, I have seen âEpisode III, The Revenge of the Sithâ. Indeed, Iâve seen it three times now. Iâve gone from being somewhat unhappy with it to being somewhat pleased with it. I figure after another couple of viewings Iâm going to like it as much as Iâm ever going to. It isnât the best of the Star Wars movies (that honor will always remain with âThe Empire Strikes Backâ), but it is easily the best of the three prequel movies. If this update was an antique map, then you would now be at the spot that says, âHere there be Dragonsâ. If you havenât seen the movie yet and get bent out of shape over spoilers, you probably want to return to your regularly scheduled programming at this point.
(hint: to restart the scroll, hit “refresh”)
A recap of the newest Star Wars Trilogy:
Episode I: Phantom Menace â If I were to rank all the Star Wars films to date, this would be the one beneath the one on the bottom of the listing.
Episode II: Attack of the Clones â Not great (anything that gives Jar Jar lines can never be considered great). Still, it gave me hope that perhaps something could be salvaged from this prequel. For details, see My Review of Attack of the Clones.
I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed in Revenge of the Sith when I saw it for the first time. It felt too much like a frenetically paced children’s cartoon. There was little more than fight sequences punctuated by really, really, really bad romance scenes. Fortunately, I gave the movie another chance. Two other chances, actually. And each time I’ve seen it, I like it a little bit better. Still it’s easier to discuss what one doesn’t like than what one does like, so much of what follows will be complaints and nit picking. Don’t let that fool you though. I’ll likely see it at least two more times in the theater, more if I can find the time and cash.
Some parts of the movie felt like Lucas was trying to fit a size nine foot into a size six shoe. The pace was rapid fire, and I frequently felt like vital parts had been left out. The biggest example of this was the abrupt switcheroo Anakin pulled during the critical fight scene with Mace and the Chancellor. Summary: Ani walks in to find Mace getting the best of Palpatine. Palpy puts on a “poor little old me” charade, Ani buys into it, and chops Mace’s arm off. Palpy finishes Mace off with a bit of evil force lightning.
Anakin’s first reaction? “Oh no, what have I done?” Then thirty seconds later, and he’s on his knees, swearing fealty to the Dark Side. That was just a tad abrupt for my tastes. The set up leading up to that point was simply insufficient to allow Anakin to become a complete convert in that length of time. I’d have bought it more easily if Anakin were faced with making an immediate decision based on immediate critical need. If Amadala were dying and he had to decide on the spot whether to turn to the Dark Side to save her life I’d have accepted it better. But he’d just screwed up and gotten Mace killed. You’d think he’d be more prone to make up for that by NOT turning to the dark side at that particular point.
My biggest beef: what was that crap about Amadala dying in childbirth? I predicted (and was unfortunately correct) that this is exactly how Lucas would write this script. Unfortunately, he’s already established in Episode VI that Amadala survives childbirth, at least long enough for Leia to remember her. I realize the kids are strong in the Force but does that really permit Leia to remember her mother within seconds of her birth? And if so, why doesn’t Luke remember her too?
My second biggest beef: the romance scenes. Gads, gag me with a spoon, why doncha?
A: “You’re beautiful.”
P: “That’s only because I love you.”
A:”No, I love you.”
I mean, what exactly was the point of all that? Surely they’d have been able to bring their relationship to something beyond a high school crush by the point?
While I suppose it was a nice touch, I still got the feeling that the Wookies were thrown in rather gratuitously. And please don’t tell me that Chewie hasn’t changed his clothes (such as they are) in the twenty-some years from Episode three to Episode four!
OK, enough with the griping. There was a fair amount to like about the movie. The final battle between Anakin and Obi ended rather nicely. In spite of everything, Obi could not bring himself to deal the killing blow to Anakin, in memory of past friendship. That was a fatal failing flaw, and resulted in two decades of subjugation by the Sith over the former Republic. The time Obi Wan spends on Tatooine watching over Luke has got to be a terribly guilt-ridden period of his life. It makes the final duel between Obi and Darth Vader in Episode IV all the more poignant. It also puts flesh to the partial lie Obi feeds Luke in Episode four regarding the death of his father.
I also liked the way that Anakin handled the news of impending fatherhood. Here’s a guy who had no intentions of sharing his wife with anyone finding out that she’s going to have a kid (aside: Why the hell didn’t she ever know she was going to have twins? Don’t they believe in pre-natal check-ups in the Republic?). There is a rather subtle play of expressions on his face while he musters up the wits to tell her that it’s wonderful news. He’s obviously ambivalent about fatherhood. This is never more true than when confronted with Amadala’s death. He’s crushed by the news of her death, and by the information that he was responsible. But does he ever ask if the child survived? No. And wouldn’t that be the first thing that any other expectant father would ask? The fact he never even thinks to ask is a rather chilling and telling point.
The Jedi Order is shown in this episode to be fallible, and even a bit arrogant. A telling scene from Episode II came to my mind a few times while watching Episode III. Yoda and Obi are walking down the hall talking, and Obi mentions that he is concerned about Anakin because his skills are making him arrogant. Yoda replies, “Yes, a flaw more and more common among Jedi. Too sure of themselves they are. Even the older, more experienced ones.” It was a jibe pointed at Obi-Wan, but as it turns out in Episode II, Yoda might have done well to listen to himself.
In Episode III, Yoda admonishes Anakin that a Jedi does not form attachments to anything, and tells Anakin that he needs to learn to learn to release the things he fears to lose. “Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is… Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose… The fear of loss is a path to the dark side.” This sounds noble, but the Jedi have taken this to an extreme, and in some ways it is the undoing of the Council. They have become too attached to their own philosophies, too self-centered. It has made them rigid, and contributes to their inability to sense a Sith right under their noses. It is the very height of the arrogance that Yoda has warned about, and a form of attachment to something they fear to lose. It gives the story depth that Episodes I and II have lacked, and has given me a lot to think about and debate with The Socialist. I’ll need at least a few more showings to work out a lot of the subtle themes that have been brought to realization in this final installment.
Now if they’d just release a version with all the drivel edited out of the romance scenes, I’d be a happy camper.
I’m glad to hear the European excursion went well, and I’ll look forward to seeing pics. Regarding the security, I feel the need to point out that non-Americans entering the US experience security rather differently from citizens returning home. Which is unavoidable and even logical, of course.
I enjoyed your review of RotS. We saw it on the weekend, and I’ll write my own thoughts when I get a bit of energy. I certainly enjoyed it more than I did the previous two.
I’m glad the dam burst – though your title gave me an image of our Dutch friend in national costume and with his finger stuck in a hole in the dyke 🙂
A determination not to mourn what is not yet lost was a point I had to reach with Kimi-cat, and things were easier after that. I think you’ll know when it’s time – may it not be soon.
Thanks for the spoiler warning! I skipped your scrolling commentary 🙂
Have yet to see it, but I figure sometime in the coming week we will get on it.
I too am unplugged as far as digital cameras go. I need a new usb port splitter hub thingy. Am putting it off I guess. Along with several other things come to think of it…. 🙂
Maybe your kitty has a toothache?