Field of Dreams :: James Earl Jones :: Return of the Jedi

Using James Earl Jones again to go from Terrence Mann in Field of Dreams, back into the Star Wars trilogy as the voice of Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi.

Jedi gets a bad rap sometimes and I can understand why: the Ewoks. Sure, they're too cutesy sometimes. Yes, George Lucas had originally intended to have them be Wookies, but scrapped that when he put Chewbacca into the first movie (when he wasn't sure if he'd be able to do all three). Of course their little song at the end of the movie is annoying.

But seriously... you loved Ewoks as a kid. Don't even fucking lie about it.

But don't let your nit picking about Ewoks undermine what might otherwise be the best movie of the trilogy. Here are some reasons why:

• We meet Jabba the Hut, and he's awesomely evil. His entire setup made for one of the best sequences of the films - and a kick ass Kenner playset.
  
• The whole crew shows up to help rescue Han, and we get to see Boba Fett bite it.
  
• Luke is now a badass Jedi, dressed all in black.
• Yoda dies. Sad, but that's what makes it great.
• Admiral Ackbar, the talking squid.
  
• We find out that Leia is Luke's sister.
• Death Star, part deux. "Now witness the firepower of this fully ARMED and OPERATIONAL battle station!"
• Meeting Emperor Palpatine. Evil, decrepit, and he can shoot lightning beams from his fingertips.
  
• Best light saber battle of the trilogy between Luke and Vader.
• Luke saves Vader from the Dark Side.
• And the #1 best reason to love Return of the Jedi: PRINCESS LEIA IN HER GOLD BIKINI.

C'mon, if that's not a reason to stop your whining about the Ewoks, I don't know what is.

The Empire Strikes Back :: James Earl Jones :: Field of Dreams

OK, so James Earl Jones doesn't actually appear in The Empire Strikes Back, but there's no mistaking him as the voice of Darth Vader. Or of course as Terrence Mann in Field of Dreams.

Field of Dreams is one of the best baseball movies ever (download episode #11 of the At Home Film Festival Podcast to hear my discussion with John Jordan about our favorite baseball movies). It's a great, nostalgic look at what baseball has meant to generations of fans through the past century in America. As we go further down the road of overpaid players, corporate greed, advertising plastered across every surface of every stadium, and more news about steroid use coming out every couple weeks, it's nice to have a reminder of what the game of baseball should really be about.

Plus, as a guy, this is one of the few movies where it's acceptable to shed a tear or two. The film culminates with a simple line when Kevin Costner says, "Hey Dad? Wanna have a catch?" That moment somehow encapsulates the entire father-son dynamic. The things left unsaid between father and child can lead to resentment later in life... but those innocent moments of our childhood - sharing time at a baseball game, or simply playing catch - somehow encapsulate all the love and caring and mutual respect that we forgot was always there.

See, I'm getting choked up just thinking of the scene. Time to move on to the next DVD.