princess leia

December 31, 2016 By Jason DeBord

(A Sort of) Movie Review: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”

A year ago I received a lot of nasty hate mail over my “sort of” movie review for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In short, I completely hated it (really even more than I let on in my review). In addition to hating what they did with the classic characters, it kind of ruined the Original Trilogy, in that by Han and Leia having a child and doing such an awful job of raising him (along with Uncle Luke), they created a monster and basically undid all of what they accomplished in saving the universe in the original films. So it kind of just made the entire Star Wars odyssey all pointless. But there were plenty of other things wrong with it as well (in my subjective opinion), and you can read all about it in my full review of The Force Awakens. But this review is different. Finally, since 1983, there is a legitimate fourth Star Wars film. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. And I absolutely loved it. [Read more…]

December 17, 2015 By Jason DeBord

(A Sort of) Movie Review: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, A Problematic Film That Could Never Live Up To The Hype

I didn’t plan on seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens on opening day, let alone write a review about it afterwards, so this is a bit off topic. I couldn’t find a critical review searching Google, so I wonder if I maybe saw an alternate cut of the film (some hailing it as the best or near best Star Wars film ever)? As readers of the Original Prop Blog know, I am a huge Star Wars fan, and seeing the original in 1977 at 4 years old was a life-changing event. Collectively, the first three films (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) are my favorite films of all-time. Didn’t care for much in the Prequels (loved the Maul lightsaber scenes the best). So how does the J.J. Abrams/Disney relaunch/update/merchandising empire measure up? It’s a mixed bag, honestly, and as the hours passed from seeing it unfold on screen (about 12 hours ago), it’s the negatives that stick with me most, though I mostly enjoyed it while it was happening, if that makes sense. I can’t say it’s a complete disappointment, since I went into it with low expectations; there are some excellent elements within the work (I’m also an Abrams fan). But overall, there are some serious flaws that leave me feeling a bit down on it, because they transcend this film and the characters work against the characters I have grown up to know and love to make them worse. I kept waiting for that rush of adrenaline to run down my spine, but it never came. Out of context from the original films, it’s a well-made, entertaining film. But context is everything. Search “disappoint” and #starwarstheforceawakens on Twitter, and “does not” or “doesn’t” always precedes “disappoint”, so maybe it is just me, or maybe people just went in willing it to be what they wanted. [Read more…]

April 23, 2015 By Jason DeBord

Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2015: “Star Wars Original Props and Costumes” Discussion Panel

From Luke’s yellow ladder A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back to his hero lightsaber from Return of the Jedi, the “Star Wars Original Props and Costumes” discussion panel at Star Wars Celebration 2015 in Anaheim ran the gamut of obscure background props to the best of the best. Participants included Stephen Lane and Brandon Alinger from Prop Store, Tom Spina from Tom Spina Designs, and legendary collector Gus Lopez, creator of the Star Wars Collectors Archive. Each panelist took us through one of their own “prop story” tales, showcasing the background of one of the prized pieces in their own collection. Of note was that this was the first public announcement by Brandon Alinger that he owns what is essentially the hero Luke Skywalker lightsaber from Return of the Jedi, which was also used by Sir Alec Guiness in A New Hope as a fighting lightsaber (and not to be left out, it was also a practice dueling saber employed in The Empire Strikes Back). It was an incredible display of both knowledge and images, and overall it underscored the importance of collectors in tracking down, identifying, restoring and preserving these important pop culture artifacts. [Read more…]

January 9, 2009 By Jason DeBord

“Star Wars: A New Hope” Batpy’s Stormtrooper Blasters

I have started a series of more comprehensive profiles of the original props in my own collection, and the first piece to be showcased is one of the Imperial E-11 Stormtrooper blasters produced by Bapty in England for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Since Star Wars has such a wide appeal, I thought I would make note of it in a redirect article for those who may be interested. [Read more…]

June 22, 2008 By Jason DeBord

Star Wars “Where Science Meets Imagination” Exhibit Photos

A few prior articles have remarked on the traveling ‘Where Science Meets Imagination” exhibit (see Minnesota and Chicago). Fellow collector Brian Murphy was kind enough to forward some photos he had taken at the Chicago event, with a number of great pictures of original Star Wars props and costumes. [Read more…]

June 12, 2008 By Jason DeBord

Minnesota Star Wars Exhibit: “Where Science Meets Imagination”

The Star Wars “Where Science Meets Imagination” exhibit, last showing in Chicago (see past story), opens tomorrow and runs through August 24, 2008 at the Science Museum of Minnesota. This is the eight and final exhibit for the U.S.; it will next be moved to Australia. In all, 80 original props, costumes, and other pieces will be on display for the public. Highlights include the original 1:1 landspeeder from A New Hope, Darth Vader’s helmet, a Yoda puppet, a Chewbacca costume, Han Solo and Princess Leia costumes, scale X-Wing, Y-Wing, and Tie Fighters and one of the Millennium Falcons. [Read more…]