While Courtney was trying to get me on board with the whole 101 in 1001 thing, she tried to come up with some items that might entice me. She quickly pulled out the big guns and went for my first love – Star Wars. I was helpless to resist, and we recently hosted a Star Wars movie marathon weekend. Courtney devised the schedule:
Friday
1:15-3:30 Episode I
3:45-6:05 Episode II
Dinner
7:30-9:50 Episode III
Saturday
10:00-12:05 Episode IV
1:00-3:07 Episode V
3:15-5:30 Episode VI
Makeshift window blinds.
I have to admit, I was intimidated by the schedule. I love Star Wars, but that is a lot of time staring at a movie screen. Nevertheless, I set aside my hesitations and went with it. Courtney’s office, which happens to be in the converted garage of the parsonage, has a projector, so we set up shop there. Unfortunately, while the sound and video were great, the office has a ton of windows with no blinds. We don’t stay up late anymore, so most of the showings were during the day. We used what was available and improvised. It wasn’t perfect, but the extra mission trip t-shirts were effective enough.
With a mountain of snacks and two friends present at showtime, we hit play. We made the decision to watch the prequels first in order to see the story in order. It was interesting to notice the dis/continuities and to try to imagine Hayden Christiansen beneath Vader’s mask. (Incidentally, I discovered that the Captain Antilles to whom R2-D2 and C-3PO are given at the end of Revenge of the Sith is not related to Wedge. Who knew?) I also decided that our children will watch the original trilogy first. Watching the OT is much less exciting if you already know (SPOILER ALERT!!!) Luke and Leia are siblings and Vader is their father. Why would i want to deprive them (and myself) of this?
My marathon attire.
The marathon was fun. The prequels still don’t hold a candle to the originals, but they were entertaining. Friends came and went throughout the weekend. Trooper that she is, Joanna watched all of them start to finish with us. Despite my fears, watching them back to back to back wasn’t bad at all, although I was definitely ready to be done when the credits scrolled on ROTJ. I still love the movies, I would be alright if I didn’t watch them again for a while, and I confirmed that my level of Star Wars knowledge classifies me as a nerd, although I readily admit to paling in comparison to hardcore SW nerds. Still, I own a Darth Vader mask. And that counts for something.
Still wearing the mask,
Brandon
the blacksten clan 