Star Wars!

If you click on  Star Wars  you'll hear John Williams' iconic Star Wars theme music.

*SPOILER ALERT*

You can hook up to some really powerful speakers, turn the lights off, cross your hands over your heart, and feel the music reverberating against against your chest. If you're old enough you'll instantly be transported to a simpler time. A time before 3D as we know it today. To a time before IMAX. To a time before $15 movie tickets.

A time before Han Solo and I had grown children.

I particularly remember going to see Star Wars II: The Empire Strikes Back (You know, that's the one where Han got frozen in some kind of something-or-other and we had to wait three years to see him safely thawed out.)

A group of us single moms took our children to the local drive-in movie theater. My son was six years old. We took two cars. I parked my station wagon in the slot backwards, opened the back hatch door, spread blankets and pillows, and filled it with kids. One of the mothers brought a grocery bag filled with popcorn and another shared red Kool Aid all around.

Us moms got into a sedan parked in the next slot and poured wine. It was a wonderful evening. We were in no way constrained by our children's presence. We whooped and hollered, honked the horn, and flashed the headlights at all the appropriate places in the film, and our children could pretend they didn't know us.

The Empire was defeated lo these many years ago, and both it's death stars destroyed. But each generation brings new tyrannies that must be vanquished -- even in galaxies far, far away.

Fast forward to 2016. My husband and daughter and I went to see the newest iteration of Star Wars in 3D. In a fine, indoor IMAX theater with comfy seats and a well-behaved audience.

Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens opens on Jakku, a desert planet. I know, I know. A little deja vu. But it's not Tatooine, though there is an old guy Lor San Tekka played by Max Von Sydow who reminds us of Obi-Wan. Tekka gives the ace x-wing fighter pilot Poe a secret map to find Luke Skywalker. Poe gives his droid BB8 the map for safe keeping when Storm Troopers arrive and take him captive.

Oh, did I say? The whole point of the movie may be brilliant special effects -- loud explosions, fiery crashes, electrifying chases through barren desert landscapes and lush rain forests, and light saber duels amidst noise and confusion and imminent death.

But the plot is the search for Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi Knights. Actually we are being introduced to the characters who will carry the story through the next two movies. And, for the most part the new characters are worth our being introduced to.

BB8 is a charming little droid that rolls its way in, around, and through the movie. By-the-bye, it's real self was built by Sphero, a start up toy company right here in Colorado. And they are the manufacturers of the toy that is now available for purchase, if you have $150 you really need to spend.

Rey, a self-sufficient young woman abandoned on Jakku, makes her own way through wit, courage, and action. She is a loner, depending on no one, caring for no one, and trusting no one. Until --

Until she reluctantly takes on the care and protection of BB8. And meets Finn.

Finn, a Storm Trooper, finds himself unable to do the despicable things he was raised and trained to do. Without giving away all the excitement -- he ends up working with Rey and BB8 to help The Resistance find Skywalker.

Of course there's Princess Leia, now a general in The Resistance. And Han Solo. (When did Han and I get so old?) And Chewy. He's still kind of threatening looking but cuddly underneath it all. (I used to have a big old hairy dog a lot like that.)

Kylo Ren is the new bad guy and I think he'll be sufficiently scary as he matures. He is, after all Darth Vader's grandson.

General Hux doesn't cut it for me as the Commander of the First Order's Starkiller Base. (This movie's answer to the other two Death Stars.) He's just not 'hard' enough looking. He does things that are quite mean, but somehow it just doesn't ring true for me.

And Supreme Leader Snoke is too Wizard of Ozish.

I didn't fall asleep in the movie until near the end. But, my daughter was with my husband and me and her purpose in life is to punch me in the ribs when I fall asleep in movie theaters. So her raison d'etre was justified.

I did see the very end which summed up the movie perfectly -- The torch is passed.

I think Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens is worthy of whooping and hollering, honking and headlight flashing. And I'm looking forward to Star Wars VIII. Maybe some day they'll bring back drive-in movies.

The Martian -- a movie review

image from wallpapershome.com

My husband and I went to the movies this afternoon. We saw "The Martian." To see it regular would be $5.15 per ticket, 3D $8.15, and 3D XD $15.15. We opted for the plain 3D, 'cause I like 3D but not $10 worth.

There are two kinds of science fiction -- hard science fiction and soft science fiction. Hard science fiction emphasizes scientific and technical possibilities consistent with our current understanding of science and technology. Soft science fiction plays fast and loose with the science. That leaves it free to tell whatever story it wants.

I love science fiction movies where the movie makes no pretense to serious science. The Star Wars and Star Trek franchises come to mind. They're exciting, visually stunning, and explore themes of universal human interest.

I write hard science fiction -- Murder on Ceres. It's available as a paper back and on Kindle. Check it out.

I would love to see science fiction movies that explore real possibilities. Stories that stay within the realm of scientific and technological possibility. We live in an age when we should be able to see movies like that. We really will be sending astronauts to Mars. The science is available. It is not beyond the normal human being's capacity to understand. And it is more amazing and thought provoking than the misrepresentations presented in "The Martian."

I guess that gives away my rating on this movie. I give it a 57 1/2 because you can dance to it.

Let me tell you what I liked about the movie first. Then you can stop reading if you don't want to know what I didn't like about it.

What I did like:

The visuals -- especially the Mars scapes. Broad empty land with dramatic rock formations. Reds and ambers, The deep blackness of space sprinkled with stars. They did distance very well. I liked the vehicles, too. (At least before the modifications which can only be described as dumb. Think visqueen and duct tape. Seriously? Seriously!)

Sorry. I was going to do the positive stuff first.

I loved the spaceship Hermes. Matt Damon does a good job acting. And Benedict Wong represents the JPL well. I always like JPL being mentioned whether in the news or movies. And NASA is my favorite government agency.

You know what? I'm not going to rant about the lights inside their helmets -- you already know how hard it is to see out of a car at night if the dome light is on. And surgical staplers don't sound like staple guns. And jumping up and down on a roof at Earth gravity does not equate to jumping up and down on a vehicle's roof at Mars gravity. (Mars gravity is 0.38 of standard Earth gravity. So a 185 pound Matt Damon on Mars would weigh 70.3 pounds -- not quite as much weight to throw around.) And hydrogen doesn't burn yellow.

But it makes sense that you could grow potatoes the way they do in the movie. And the movie does seem as long as it would actually take to travel to and from Mars.

I restrained my urge to laugh until the last ridiculous stunt. I mean with broken ribs? Come on.

But then when the movie was finally over, my husband took me to Barnes and Noble where I had a lovely cappuccino and chocolate mousse in their Starbucks. 

And I eagerly anticipate the next Star Wars movie.