Day: December 22, 2004

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire

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Heir to the Empire This is the first book in what I’m told is one of the better Star Wars series. It takes place after the classic SW movies (Episodes 4-6). The Empire is shattered but still survives, and a new leader is rising to power there. In the meanwhile, the Rebellion, now known as the New Republic, is suffering growing pains of its own. The cast of characters includes those we came to know in the movies, which makes it all feel very solidly Star Warian. 🙂

I’m not really a Star Wars fan, so I’m going to call it a decent sci-fantasy read. Real fans of the genre (Can I get away with calling Star Wars its own genre?) would probably like it a lot.

Searching For Bobby Fisher

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Searching For Bobby Fisher

What a great film. Max Pomeranc will charm you to death with his portrayel of 7 year old Josh Waitzkin, who reveals an incredible talent for playing chess after watching some speed chess being played in Washington Square park. Laurence Fishburne plays homeless player Vinnie, who takes Josh under his wing, while Ben Kingsley plays Josh’s ‘proper’ instructor, Bruce Pandolfini. Joe Mantegna play’s Josh’s father, who like so many parents, gets too caught up in the competition and starts taking all the fun out of playing.

It’s a chess movie, sure, but it could just as well be a Little League (or insert any sport/activity with parents that get overly involved to the detriment of the children playing) movie in a lot of ways. In any case, it was very, very good. See it.