My “Star Wars” marathon

Past

I went to Kennebunkport in Maine over Thanksgiving break, and I wish I was still there. My brother came home from college, so the whole family was together again. I planned on finishing my book, “The Story of Art” by E. H. Gombrich, on the car ride but only read only a couple of pages, mostly because of the Christmas music on the radio. And yes, I have been listening to Christmas music since mid-October.

I spent my first day in Maine studying math for my test (I took that test today, and I feel a bit shaky about it) and watching “Solo” (which was okay) and “Rogue One” (better than “Solo”). I’m going on a “Star Wars” marathon – though I watched the movies when I was little, I can’t remember them and wanted to see them again with new, older eyes. Also the ninth episode recently came out, and I thought it would be interesting to watch all 11 films back-to-back.

For Thanksgiving dinner we ate the typical turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and string beans. My sister baked chocolate pecan pie that we finished quicker than anything else.

Over the next couple of days, I studied for my math test while taking breaks to watch the next five “Star Wars” movies – and not finishing my book, which I have been reading for a VERY long time. I also took walks to the beach (the house was right next to it), and there was one beautiful day when I went there and watched the sunset with a full, yellow moon in the sky.

Then it was the day before school began again, and I was ready to finish my “Star Wars” marathon with the newest movie. Then I realized that I couldn’t watch it because the disc that I borrowed from the library was Blu-Ray and the house in which we stayed was not able to play it. (That was a dumb moment for me.)

On the car ride back, I read my book by my phone flashlight and basically finished it. All I have left to read is a postscript and a supplement. Then I want to review all of the artists again, and I’m done.

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Present

I’m kind of stressed for these next couple of weeks because I’m afraid that my teachers will start cramming tests before winter break. I also have a lot of things to do this weekend – I’m even using my agenda book to keep track of things, which is something I don’t often do.

However, I did watch “It Happened One Night” yesterday, which is like “Roman Holiday” but … more fun? I feel like I am betraying Audrey Hepburn and William Wyler when I think that, although I did like “The Best Years of Our Lives” more than “It Happened One Night.” This is confusing me because I liked “Roman Holiday” more than “The Best Years of Our Lives.” I guess I like “The Best Years of Our Lives” more than “Roman Holiday” now…? This will sound stupid, but I was looking closely into Clark Gable’s eyes for some inner sadness because I thought that the movie was after Carole Lombard died. I was also dully wondering why he looked so young. Then I realized that no… this is 1934… 

Anyway, I am currently hungry, jittery but tired, and waiting for my dad to get home so I can finish my “Star Wars” marathon. I guess it’s not a marathon anymore, as it has been days since I watched “The Last Jedi” (which was so, so, so terrible I cannot believe it has a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, eww), and I have watched non-”Star Wars” movies in between the “Star Wars” movies.

Update: my sister said that she can’t watch the last “Star Wars” movie because she is doing something important tonight, so there’s a change of plans (“Star Wars,” like “The Godfather,” “The Lord of the Rings,” and “The Matrix,” is a classic in our family, so we like watching them together). Instead of watching “Gandhi” tomorrow as I planned (I have already seen it, but it’s to help my sister study for her British Empire class), we’ll watch “Star Wars.” “Gandhi” gets moved to next week because it has a Saturday running time. Now I have the choice to watch “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Nashville,” or “The Maltese Falcon” tonight. 

Update: I chose “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” because I like the running time, James Stewart, and Frank Capra. This is not to say that I dislike Humphrey Bogart, John Huston, Robert Altman, or whoever stars in “Nashville” (I don’t know much about that movie). However, I recently watched “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” and I like to do things in moderation. Plus, “Nashville” is too long for me right now.

I realize that I’m rambling horribly and using too many parentheses and long-winded sentences (unfortunately, my every thought branches out into five different thoughts). I think it is better if I just close off here and get some rest before I watch “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” 

Update: I finished “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” and I bawled my eyes out straight through the entire second half.

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Future

I spend a lot of time figuring out which days I should watch certain movies. I decided that I should plan out what I’m watching next week, and I might as well let whoever is reading this into how I figure out these things. The factor I primarily consider is running time. Short movies are for Sundays, and I save even shorter movies for school nights (usually Charlie Chaplin or animated movies) in case I finish homework early. The longest movies are for Saturdays, and Friday movies should be of average length. Next come the genre and the actors. I don’t want to watch three screwball comedies in a row or watch James Dean play the same sort of troubled character (to whom only a girl can connect) three times, the only difference being his outfit – a farm boy costume, a schoolboy costume, or a cowboy costume. Although, I admit Jett Rink was slightly different.

Well, tonight I’m watching the last “Star Wars” movie (I’m not expecting much because I heard it was terrible, and it probably is), and on Sunday I’m watching “Great Expectations.” I read the novel a while back, but I didn’t know there was a movie. I’m watching the David Lean one. I have to schedule “Nashville,” “The Maltese Falcon”, “Little Women” with Katharine Hepburn, “Little Women” with Winona Ryder, “Cool Hand Luke” and “Two for the Road.” I’m trying to get a feel for the year 1967 – of the movies from that year that I have watched, “Bonnie and Clyde” is my favorite along with “Some Like it Hot” and “Dr. Strangelove.”

With the addition of “The Jazz Singer” and “The General” for school nights, that should probably get me to winter break when I can start my Alfred Hitchcock and horror movie marathons. I dislike horror movies even though I know they’re not real. I can’t be alone at any time for days after watching them. I’m watching them over a long vacation so that I have sufficient time to recover before school starts again. Even now I’m thinking of chickening out and just watching other movies in addition to the Hitchcock movies, and I’ll still likely get creeped out by the Hitchcock movies. If I were to watch the horror movies, though, I would watch “The Shining,” (“2001: A Space Odyssey” is my second-favorite movie behind “The Godfather”), “Rosemary’s Baby” (I liked Chinatown), and “The Exorcist” (I don’t know the director because I’m too scared to search it up, but I heard that it was good). Another possibility is “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” because I know that Bette Davis is in it (Joan Crawford is also in it, but I haven’t seen any of her movies. When I hear her name, I can only think of “Mommie Dearest” and Faye Dunaway).

I’ll probably watch “The Maltese Falcon” on Friday (this would be a perfect Sunday movie based on its running time, but my brother wants to watch this, and he’s probably the freest on Friday), “Gandhi,” and then “Two for the Road” on Sunday. Next Friday, I’d watch “Little Women” with Winona Ryder. I’m watching “Little Women” movies because I recently watched the new version, and since my sister and I loved the book when we were little, we want to compare the adaptations. I considered getting the one with Elizabeth Taylor as Amy but I decided that that would be too much “Little Women” for me – also that version is not as well-known, I think. Then “Nashville,” then “Dr. Strangelove” (I just searched up the running time, and it is the perfect Sunday movie!). Then finally, I’ll watch “Cool Hand Luke,” “Some Like It Hot,” and then the other “Little Women.” I have heard that Katharine Hepburn is the best Jo March.

I’ve noticed that my writing deteriorates rapidly when I’m writing something exciting. I’ll end this diary entry here and add updates. 

Update: there’s a recut version of “The Godfather Part III”?!? Does “recut” include no more Sofia Coppola…? Just kidding, I’m being a bit harsh. If you can look past terrible acting and a lack of charisma, she did add a naive element to the movie which was somewhat refreshing.

Update: I watched “The Rise of Skywalker” – how does it have a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes? Other than some unnecessary scenes and other flaws (no spoilers here), as well as bringing Palpatine back from the dead (not a spoiler; it’s the first thing you learn), it managed to rectify some of the mistakes that the eighth episode made, and overall, tried to do the best it could to salvage the wreck the preceded it. Also, about bringing Palpatine back from the dead – what else could they have done? Snoke was supposed to be the villain, but Episode VIII killed him off when Rey could have defeated him in this movie. Anyway, I’m glad I’m done with all of the “Star Wars movies”. Here are the “Star Wars” movies from my favorite to least favorite: Episode V, Episode IV, Episode VI, Episode VII, Episode IX, Episode I, Episode III, Episode II, and then Episode VIII.

Update: I finished about half of “Great Expectations,” and it is pretty good so far, but I am very tired and am going to bed.

Elizabeth Choi