Isolating the people

The elite has always sought to divide the people. Even before the Civil War, the very concept of  black and white was devised to keep us from uniting against the powerful — and often tyrannical. These tactics continue to evolve today: Right versus Left, rich versus poor — hell, the government can’t even stay out

ROGUE ONE: The heart of the Star Wars saga

Yes, it’s June, but I’m ending my Star Wars month with what I feel may be the most important Star Wars film ever made. With Rogue One, Disney accomplished two things: It honored Star Wars past, and pushed it into the modern era of storytelling. The result was a film that is in many ways

The Empire Strikes Back: Still fresh and fearless at 40

For 40 years, The Empire Strikes Back has topped lists of not only the greatest sequels, but also greatest overall films of all time. So, it’s hard to say anything about this epic that hasn’t been said. Therefore, we are left with personal feelings and reactions about this landmark film that may be the most

The Star Wars sequel trilogy: a thoughtful, reflective tale

Sequel trilogy The more I reflect on the Sequel Trilogy, the more I realize one thing … It’s kind of profound — seriously. When news that Disney bought the rights to Star Wars broke around the world, all I could think was “dear gawd, make these movies mean something.” My fear that Disney was going

Star Wars: a Mother’s Day tribute

One of the points that’s been made for more than 40 years is that Star Wars is about family. Of course, that’s always presented in the context of the Skywalkers — the main films are their story, after all. But what about the impact these films have on families in the audience? This is a

The original Star Wars Trilogy: an unthinkable cultural force

Original trilogy The extent to which Star Wars has changed our culture can never be overstated, and that’s because of one reason: It resonated. How did it resonate? It spoke to ALL of us, both individually and as part of a society. When we sat down to watch A New Hope, we knew we were

The Prequel Trilogy: A literary descent from republic to empire

In an effort to provide something fresh, The Culture Crusade will review each of the three Star Wars trilogies. Each present distinct themes that aren’t just very literary, but also serve Star Wars’ main mission — to serve as cultural mythology. Today, we look at the Prequel Trilogy. A strong theme, and the usage of

Clone Wars: A spectacular, artistic achievement

While the tragic opera that is Revenge of the Sith still burned in many fans’ minds, news of a new Star Wars project appeared — an animated television adventure set during the Clone Wars. Over the next three years, feelings ranged from skepticism to pure doubt. How could this work? Would this be some glorified

Star Wars is our story

The whole “May the Fourth Be With You” is ridiculous. Maybe it’s just me as an original fan born in a small theater in 1977, but it’s artificial and vapid. That being said … it still draws attention to the fact that May is the month of Star Wars — and it always will be.

Knives Out: A landmark film, personally and culturally

Every time I hear some half-baked, anti-intellectual political take escape the mouth of anyone in mainstream filmmaking, I can’t help but think that they just don’t understand their main goal as artists: Maintain the illusion … at all costs. It means everything. Whether they know it or not, every time they utter some useless invective,