Treading Water

After the opening weekend of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest pulled in roughly enough money to finance an NBA team for a year, there was almost no point in arguing that it was vastly inferior to the first installment. After the enticing ending to the three-hour Dead Man’s Chest, though, there was almost no question that any fan of the first movie would invest another three to learn what happens to our heroes in At World’s End. And while a return to the jargoned fun of the first film makes the third entertaining, it’s still too punctured by its own plot contrivances to stay afloat very long.

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A Long Time Ago…

Thrity years ago today, a strange film about aliens, evil empires, and a mystical force debuted on a few dozen screens and changed the world as we know it. Sure, Jaws officially started the “blockbuster” trend in Hollywood two years earlier, but Star Wars perfected the idea. Films have come since that have outsold Star Wars, but it still stands in history as one of the biggest and most influential films of all time. I won’t try to philosophize about what the movie did to me when I saw it for the first time, because I don’t really remember. And I won’t reminisce on how much the film mean to me, because it doesn’t mean that much. I really really like Star Wars, and I appreciate its part in cinematic history, but I don’t worship at its altar. At the same time, if it weren’t for Star Wars, most of the movies I love today wouldn’t have been made. And for that I thank George Lucas and his space story. So happy thirtieth birthday, Star Wars. I’m sure the people in the comments will have a lot to say about you.

Remember Us?

Early this television season, I quickly embraced Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and praised it as one of the best shows around. Aaron Sorkin responded by getting preachier than an Oblate at a Desperate Housewives convention, and NBC responded by yanking the show from the air, refusing to renew it, and telling fans they could see their precious final six episodes when they were done with the 145th season of ER. That night is tonight, and I have to tell you…I’m not really all that excited. Perhaps it’s because Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds’ End comes out tonight, and perhaps it’s because I’m still getting over last night’s episode of LOST, but I’m not ready to get sucked back into this show, knowing that it won’t be back next year. Of course, I’ll watch the last six installments if I’m home or on tape if I’m out, but I’m not pacing my living room waiting to see what happened to Danny and Matt.

Sonic Youth

When he first burst onto the music scene as the teenaged frontman of the grunge band Radish, Ben Kweller was all sizzle and no steak. Adored by creative teams at record labels, Radish never caught on commercially, and Kweller broke away from the band at the age of 19 to start a solo career. In his most recent album, a self-titled effort, Kweller finally seems to have settled as a songwriter, reflecting on his erstwhile music ventures and the rediscovery of young love.

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No Life on ‘Mars’

After months of speculation about the future of TV’s favorite snarky college-age sleuth, the CW network finally dropped the axe on Veronica Mars today when it announced its fall schedule. My love for Veronica is well documented, here and elsewhere, and so its cancellation delivers a palpable blow to my Tuesday-night television habits. Series creator Rob Thomas is contracted through the end of June, and rumors abound that he and series star Kristen Bell (pictured, so cute) could start a new show together, possibly within the Mars continuity. At this point, though, I would rather the series just die than continue to tease me with unfulfilled promises of renewal. After the jump, more news on my favorite TV shows.

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