As we traveled north for the holidays, Misty and I encountered a number of interesting things. One of the most interesting was the number of hours it took us to get from Tualatin, OR to Vancouver, WA. That distance is normally covered in about 30 minutes, give or take.
Last Sunday night - Monday morning, it took us 5 hours. Why? Because I-5 was entirely covered in snow and ice - covered so deeply, in fact, that someone unfamiliar with the area would have looked at the line of cars traversing the white expanse and wondered why they couldn't find a road to drive on.
"What are those people doing driving across wild tundra?" some curious onlookers probably asked.
Upon our arrival at my parent's house, we found 12 inches of freshly fallen snow. The same at my mother-in-law's. The same at my grandparents'. Snow men have been built, snow balls have been thrown, and one snow angel winged her way from the ground to the heavens on a dark Christmas Eve.
Our next door neighbor is from Vancouver and will be going back there next month. He is here working on the pipeline. He was talking about how the snow there was totally crippling the area because they don't have the equipment to clear it. Drive carefully.
you're welcome for stopping by! Will and I are driving back from Seattle on Tuesday. Hope we don't encounter that ice! We both fly in tomorrow morning--speaking of which, I ought to go to bed :)
Thank goodness we stopped at the Aurora exit to head over to Canby...we didn't have to go through Portland. We drove Tuesday night to Wednesday morning and it was pretty bad, took us WAY longer than usual.
In a couple hours, my friend Ben and I will wing our way across the nation to the little commonwealth of Kentucky, where we will steal back my car. After purloining my own vehicle, we will steadily guide it (using our hands and our brains) back to California, by way of several states, the least of which is New Mexico.
We might stop in Texas, sure.
Yeah, I could see us resting in Southern California too.
No, we will certainly not ever stop in New Mexico. No, not even for gas.
So, see some of you soon. See others of you never.
I'm Nathanael May, and this has been something that I've written.
I love that you're at my house! You are easily one of the most special and wonderful people I know, and I'm thankful everyday that you're MY brother! What a wonderful day! Kaloo Kalay!
It was wonderful seeing you again, and meeting your friend Ben. Hope we didn't scare him! Sorry Imissed you guys this morning...Evie slept till eight, and so did mommy!
(the following was inspired by an Onion article about the Godfather)
In an era of me-too comedies and endless action sequels, I have to wonder where Hollywood is getting most of its ideas. Are screenwriters only allowed to read comic books and Mad Magazine? Are they only allowed to write turgid period pieces that cater to the entertainment industry's elites? What happened to the silly, epic space operas of years gone by, years that gave us gems like Buck Rogers, Star Trek, and Lost in Space?
Or what about the biggest hit of the late '70s, 1977's Star Wars? It was game-changing in its scope, and ushered in an new era of special effects wizardry that has only been rivaled by recent blockbusters like "The Day After Tomorrow" and "Gremlins." It has permeated every facet of our culture, and spawned hundreds (if not thousands) of loyal and devoted fans.
Which begs the question. Why did the film's writer/director, George Lucas, never give us a sequel? Star Wars almost demands a Star Wars 2, and yet curiously, it never came. One can only speculate about how popular this movie could have been if it had been turned into a series.
Think about it. What if we knew what happened to Darth Vader. Did he die? Did he come back and exact revenge on the Rebels for destroying his space station? And what about Luke and Leia? There seemed to be some real chemistry there! Did they end up together? For years, fans have pored over the final ceremony scene, trying to read the looks and winks that passed between the movie's principal actors. Did Leia wink at Han? At Luke? We're going crazy here!
What I propose is nothing less than a full scale sequel (or 5!) to the original Star Wars. George Lucas would have to come out of the relative obscurity he's fallen into over the last thirty plus years to write and direct (of course!). And we'd obviously have to bring in some fresh talent to play the young characters as the actors who played them originally have aged too much to be believable in action roles (could you imagine Harrison Ford reprising a role he played in the 70's today? Laughable!).
I've got some casting suggestions, and to be honest, I'm excited by the potential. As the driving force behind the story, the romantic leads of Luke and Leia are crucial to the success of a sequel. Nothing less than the greatest actors of our generation can even be considered. That's why I think that Jonathan Taylor Thomas must be Luke. He oozes the wisecracking innocence that has come to symbolize the character. Plus, at 20, he's the perfect age to play Skywalker.
Leia was a little harder to nail down, as there are so many talented young starlets who would be almost perfect for the part. Almost doesn't cut it, though. We need absolute perfection, which is why Sandra Bullock is the only choice. Her performance in "The Lake House" showed that she has the steely determination to play the young princess of the rebellion. In addition, if I'm honest, I've been hoping to see these two paired up in a film for years.
As for the street smart space cowboy Han Solo, who better than funny man Sinbad? He'd bring the acting chops and gravitas to the film that would keep it from falling into the "me-too" sequel territory of tepid releases like "Toy Story 2" and "Spider-Man 2." Plus, he's hilarious, and that never hurt a summer blockbuster like Star Wars 2 is destined to be.
Darth Vader (assuming he survived his spinning trip into outer space) would have to be imposing, fierce, and chillingly strong. No actor fits that bill better than the huge black guy from Green Mile (a quick googling reveals his name is Michael Clarke Duncan). He's both strong AND big. Perfect.
As far as the plot goes, I don't want to put ideas in Lucas's head, but there are some scenes that I've been imagining for years that I'd love to see on the big screen.
One of the hallmarks of Star Wars that so endeared it to theater-goers was the mentor-mentee relationship between Luke and Old Ben Kenobi, the wizened Jedi master. Kenobi's death at the end of Star Wars (oops! Spoiler alert! Sorry!) shouldn't preclude Lucas from including him in the sequel, maybe as a ghost, or a voice, or something. I'm picturing that incredibly moving scene in Lion King with Simba and that other lion, only in space.
But what if there was another jedi master, perhaps in exile on a far off planet? He could complete Luke's training, maybe with Leia's help. Nothing makes you work harder than a woman, am I right? It isn't necessary, but I think that introducing a new "last" jedi in every Star Wars movie would keep audiences interested, as well as provide some fun guest appearances from big name Hollywood talent, like Ed Begley, Jr. and Rhea Perlman.
Last, but not least, this sequel needs a twist (no, not a classic dance sequence)! I'm just spitballing here, but what if Darth Vader turned out to be Han's uncle, or something? Wouldn't that shock you! The ultimate evil in the galaxy was the brother of the father of one of the characters? Scandalous!
Whichever way Lucas thinks is best, though. As long as he does it. You don't want to fall into the same trap that Land Before Time did, and waste a great opportunity for sequels (what happened to Little Foot next? I'm dying, Don Bluth!). We can only hope he reads this, and makes all of our dreams come true, as Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Sandra Bullock finally share a kiss as Luke and Leia.
I'm Nathanael May, thanks for reading the whole thing.
Come on guys, this post deserves A LOT more comments than we have given it so far. It's the most brilliant thing I have read since the Onion article it was based on!!!!!!
My favorite part: "Darth Vader (assuming he survived his spinning trip into outer space) would have to be imposing, fierce, and chillingly strong. No actor fits that bill better than the huge black guy from Green Mile (a quick googling reveals his name is Michael Clarke Duncan). He's both strong AND big. Perfect."
