DarkJade’s – The Inner Circle

The Inner Circle

Far Away on a Dark Mountain… Atop a High Cliff

Is a Tower…

At the Top of the Tower a room lit by torches, with a Large Black Circular Table in the Middle of it.

At this Table are 8 Individuals…

The First, a Well Known Mouse… By the name of Mickey.

As he Awaits the “Dark Haired Man”, he scribbles away on a piece of paper… Most contently, Hope Gleaming from his Eyes.

The Second, Thomas Jefferson… Trying to avoid getting a draft, as there is no heat in the room, and outside, a Cold Weather Front is Brewing…

Both Alec (Old Ben), and Young George have come… I do believe they came together…

Animated Bruce Lee has come, leaving his Real Body Behind, as he was not impressed with its Final Showing upon the Plane of Earth…

Darth Vader, of course…

Have to keep things Fair after all…

And “What is Light… Without… Darkness”.

Lastly, Captain America…

And who else, but Ferris Bueller… After all…

“Life Moves Pretty Fast… If you Don’t Stop and Look Around once in a while… You could miss it”.

When the “Dark Haired” man… In the “Long Black Trench Coat” finally entered the room… There Grew a hush.

First he looked at Mickey…

“Mickey… I don’t know what’s going on with your Movie Division… But you need to shape it up… Stop relying on Pixar to Save Your A$$!”…

“Uh… But Sir–” Mickey tried to speak in his all too familiar Squeaky Tone.

“I don’t wanta hear about it Mickey… If this “John Carter” thing has any actual Merit to it, My People will shoot off an Apologetic E-mail in your General Direction… Until then” the Dark Haired one finished.

And then he looked to Ferris “Ferris… Glad to see you’re back… Enjoyed the Honda Commercial… Keep it up” Ferris smiled slightly, hitting himself on his own shoulder to indicate how proud he is of himself.

He then starts to stand “May I leave then? I–” Ferris starts to say, but is interrupted.

“No Ferris…” The Dark Haired Man interrupts.

“But I–” he tries again.

“No…”

Ferris settles back into his seat, and whips out his Black Berry.

The Dark Haired Man then looks at President Jefferson “Always nice to see you Sir… Thank you for coming… Just knowing you’re out there still… Within our People… The Very Fabric of Our Nation… Well… What else can I say but… Thank you Sir” The Dark Haired man conveys.

“No problem Son… Do you think perhaps you could light a fire or something” with this Old Ben waves his hand, and a Fire Lights within the Fireplace.

“George… Alec… Thank you so much for coming… George… 3D Star Wars? Really??” he speaks to George.

George just kinda shrugs.

“And Alec… What can I say… The more years that go by, the more I realize that you were indeed the other backbone of the Original Star Wars… Which in turn Created, and Instilled a whole New Sense of Myth and Wonderment into our Society… Well done sir” The Dark Haired man expressed.

He then looks to Bruce Lee.

“Bruce… First of all, let me tell you how sad I was when Brandon was taken from our world… He was a simply Amazing young man, and he is missed” with this Bruce simply nods back.

“You have Lit the Fire within me, and thousands more like me… You are the Epitome of Strength, and Perseverance… And I thank you” Bruce nods again.

The Dark Haired man then pulls out his Old Antique Stop watch, which is on a Silver Chain.

I’m afraid I don’t have much time… “Darth… Just keep on being yourself… People seem to like it…”.

“And Captain A, good to see you in what appears to be a couple Decent Film Productions… I suspect it would take an 8 year old kid to truly understand why you are one of my Heroes… But that’s alright… There’s always New 8 Year Old Kids about”.

“I really must go… But let me finish with this… You have all influenced who I am Greatly… Maybe partly due to not growing up with my Dad… Which is a good thing, as Mom and He weren’t all that well matched… But I appreciate the essenence of all of yah… Keep up the Good Work, and I will see you all again, if not aspects of all of you, Deeply intermingled Within the Mixings of my Future Creative Endeavors…” with this the man was gone…

And the Tower Simply Turned into a Blue Glowing Light within the Darkness… And then Faded… Leaving only the Beginnings of a Cold Winter Storm.

DarkJade-

Other Fiction by DarkJade

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Filmcraft (Volume 2) – The Empire Strikes Back

FILMCRAFT (VOLUME 2) – THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Let me start by saying this, it is a General Rule that Sequels aren’t as good as the First Film of a Series… That said, The Empire Strikes gave the Original Star Wars a run for its money.

In fact, whenever I am asked what my Favorite Film is, I generally reply “Star Wars, and The Empire Strikes Back…”… As I find it hard to choose one or the other… The Original Star Wars was Epic, and Industry, and Life Changing to/for me…

However, The Empire Strikes back was simply awesome.

The Empire Strikes Back;

Stage 1 - Epic Snow Based Battle Anyone? Lucas was smart by taking one step back and letting Irvin Kershner Direct this Film…

Not only Because he more than Nailed it, but because I do Believe George Lucas actually had a Heart Attack during the Filming of the First One, and frankly, nothing is worth dying for… Certainly not a Life/Industry Changing Space Epic… Okay, almost worth it.

None the less, I suspect it reduced the amount of self imposed stress that he puts on himself, as well as gave him an even further opportunity to oversee the overall scope of the thing. Well Played George, and Well Done Kershner (who passed away in 2010, may you find peace Kershner, and us Earthlings Thank you)…

Hoth; Back to Hoth… Starting the Film with a little Pod that locates the Rebel Base, just Kicks A$$!! And beyond Luke getten thrashed about by a Snow Monster, lead to one of the Coolest Sci-Fi Battles in Film… Hands down.

Stage 2 – Han and Leia separate from Luke… More Opportunities for Leia and Han to Fall in Love… As he Struts His stuff via Direct Decent into an Asteroid Field…

Never Tell Me The Odds (Which has been my Motto pretty much my whole life)

Well Played Han, way to impress the girl… And if that’s not enough, latch yourself to pieces of Galactic Garbage in order to give the Empire and Darth the Slip… Never hurts, and sometimes it even gets you a Kiss from the Princess…

Once again… Well Played.

Which leads us to…

Stage 3 – Enter The Bounty Hunter. Boba Fett

Pretty much considered to be one of the Coolest Characters in all of the Six Star Wars Films… And with good reason… He Kicks A$$!! lol

Stage 4 -

Yoda

Enter Yoda… The Teacher of the Force… The Master Jedi, who will show Luke the rest of the way to being a Jedi Knight

Unless of course, Luke’s Friends get in Trouble, in which case, Luke will skip Class, and Be the Hero… Again

Stage 5 – The Trap

What better way to Lure a Partially Trained Jedi into a Face to Face Light Saber Battle with Darth Vader Himself, than to threaten the one’s he loves… Well Played Darth

Stage 6 - Carbon Freeze Han (Oh and be sure to set the timer to Defrost in time for the Third Film) – Brilliant

Oh and, toss in an opportunity for Princess Leia to tell Han she loves him… It certainly didn’t hurt the scene… In fact… It made the scene

“I Love You…” “I know…”

Stage 7 – Good Vs. Evil… The Confrontation

But You Are Not A Jedi… Yet

Impressive… Most Impressive… Which Leads to…

Stage 8 - “I am Your Father!!”

Brilliant… Lucas was so smart on this, he didn’t even tell the Actors that Darth was Luke’s Father until right before they started to Film the Scene… The Epitome of Epic

“Your Training is Complete Lucas… Now you, are the Master”.

Stage 9 – The Great Escape, andddddddddd… TO BE CONTINUED IN THREE YEARSSSSS!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I saw this Film in 1980 as a kid, you could not have had a happier Crowd in a Movie… Ever… Until the End… 3 Years!!! Until it Continues… Oh well… It Paid off for Lucas

And though I didn’t care for “Return of the Jedi” all that much, I did very much like all the Luke/Emperor/Darth Vader Scenes at the end.

Thanks for Listening/Reading

DarkJade-

Star Wars (DarkJade’s First Look)

Star Wars – In Review

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Star Wars – In Review

Star Wars

A Long Time Ago, In a galaxy far, far away…

Star Wars in Review;

In 1977 George Lucas’s Dream Child Star Wars, came to Fruition. Chapter IV A New Hope, which by the way all I knew it as was “Star Wars”. “A New Hope” I don’t recall until Lucas brought the films back out in 1997. Let me begin by saying this Film not only changed my life, but the life of the Movie Industry as well. It was the Return of the Epic, a Space Opera if you will, the likes none had ever seen. But let’s break it down.

The Story; Good vs. Evil, Son vs. Father, the Empire vs. the Republic. Our story begins with the Evil Empire capturing Princess Leia as she attempts to deliver the Plans of a Deadly Space Station, The Death Star, to her Republic Leaders so they might Forge a Strategy to destroy it, and offset the Evil Empires plans of Planetary Domination. But instead she is captured, and the plans are stored in a robot known as R2-D2, and launched off to the Planet Tatooine, where it ends up in the hands of our Hero of the Film, Luke Skywalker. This however does not come without consequence as when the Empire searches for these plans, led by the Dastardly Darth Vader, Lukes Aunt and Uncle, his Guardians, end up meeting their deaths.

Meanwhile R2-D2 leads Luke to a man known as Obi-Wan Kenobi, or as the locals now call him, Old Ben. Known to be some old Wizard to the Tatooine People, the truth is, Ben Kenobi is the last of a Legion of Freedom Fighters known as Jedi Knights. Ben goes onto explain to Luke that Darth Vader had killed his Father, who wasn’t just a Pilot, but a Jedi Knight himself. Ben then gives Luke his Father’s Sword, or Light Sabre as it were, and after watching a Hologram Message from R2-D2, from Princess Leia, requesting Obi-Wan’s help, suggests that Luke partake in an expedition to the Princess’s Home Planet Alderaan as well. Luke, though he longs to be a Pilot like his Father, says that he must stay to help his Uncle, unbeknownst to him his Uncle had already been slain. Ben at this point goes on to explain the Ways of the Force, a Mastering of the manipulation of Energy that surrounds all of us, and a Fundamental Tool of the Jedi Knight.

After finding out that his Aunt and Uncle have been killed at the hands of the Evil Empire, Luke decides to join Old Ben, and the two of them, as well as R2-D2 and C-3PO, a Protocol Droid, head into Mos Eisley to hire a Pilot to take them to the Princess’s Home Planet. The two of them find a Pilot by the name of Han Solo, and his partner Chewbacca, a Wookiee, which is basically a very tall Man Beast. As the Empire moves into Mos Eisley seeking out Luke, Ben and R2-D2, it is discovered to the Audience that Han Solo is being hunted by the Ruthless Gangster Jabba the Hutt, for he owes Jabba a lot of money.

Meanwhile as a Test of the Death Star’s Power, and an attempt to ascertain the location of the Rebel Base from Princess Leia, the Empire destroys her Home Planet Alderaan with a single blast from this new Operational Death Star Space Station. The Princess is devastated by this, and is thrown into a Prison Cell where she awaits execution. At the point of Alderaan’s destruction, Ben Kenobi upon Han Solo’s ship The Millennium Falcon, suddenly feels very ill. “I feel a great disturbance in the Force…” being a Jedi himself, Ben feels the sudden loss of millions of people. When their ship arrives to where Alderaan used to be, they are shocked to see that there is nothing left but debris, and soon the Death Star, which is still in orbit near bye, uses their tractor beam to pull The Millennium Falcon to it.

Once inside the Death Star, Luke, Han and Chewbacca are able to locate and free Princess Leia. Ben on the other hand, shuts down the Tractor Beam so the Millennium Falcon can make its escape, but also comes head to head with Darth Vadar, his old pupil. As Luke, Han, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and the Droids head to the ship to escape, Luke sees Ben Light Sabre Battling with Darth Vader. Ben noting that Luke sees them, lets Darth Vadar strike him down, in order to reinforce Luke’s Conviction to kill Darth Vader himself, for Ben being older, could no longer defeat him.

Luke is distraught by this, but the Republic, now with the Death Star’s Plans in their Hands, has devised a strategy to destroy it. Luke pulls himself out of his misery, and joins the Fighters that are to approach the Great Death Star, and with an immensely difficult Laser Shot, cause it to destruct. Luke pleads for Han Solo to join the undertaking, but Han out of fear of his Life from Jabba The Hutt, is determined to take his payment from Ben, Luke and Princess Leia, and pay back Jabba as soon as possible.

In the end Luke and many other Fighter ships make their way to the Death Star, all being destroyed save Luke. Luke, with R2-D2 connected to his Fighter, makes his way to take the shot, in hopes to destroy the Death Star. Darth Vader, however, who’s joined the battle himself in his Fighter, determines that Luke is Strong with the Force, and moves in to take him out. Meanwhile, Ben, through telepathic communication from the afterlife, something that trained Jedi’s are able to do, convinces Luke to use the Force rather than his Ships Laser Tracking Systems. Just as Luke is about to take the shot, Darth Vader is about to take him out when, ZAM!! Laser shots from above strike Vadar, and the other Empire Fighters, and Darth is set spinning off to Space. “You’re all Clear, take the shot!” the voice of Han Solo suddenly rings through Luke’s communicator, Luke takes the shot, and destroys the Death Star, using the Force.

That just about sums it up; I may have missed a few things.

The Character’s;

Han Solo (Harrison Ford) – A scoundrel with a Heart as it turns out. Han Solo is the epitome of the Unsung Hero by design. It’s all about him, until the chips are down, at which point his efforts and successes are robust. He was my favorite Character as a kid. Let’s face it, I wanted to be him.

Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) – The Winey hero, with boat loads of potential. Luke is the driving spirit behind the film. And though he is but a wining farm boy at the beginning, he is showing signs of being a Masterful Warrior and freedom fighter by the end.

Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) – A fiery, self-righteous, arrogant, strong, bull headed leader of her people. Princess Leia is the Heart of the Republic.

Old Ben Kenobi (Obi-Wan Kenobi/Alec Guinness) – Ben is all that is Wise, and Good in the world. Through his Vigilant Wisdom and Guidance, Luke is lifted to a new level of Consciousness, and Strength.

Darth Vader (Voice – James Earl Jones Actor – David Prowse ) – The Best Villain to ever hit the Big Screen, in my humble opinion. Darth demonstrates the Alluring Qualities of Evil, and the Vastness, and the Extent of its reach.

R2-DW (Kenny Baker) – R2-D2 shows how Excellent Directing, can make even an inanimate object completely lovable.

C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) – The ever present Nagging Mother. Who also appears to have an endless amount of usable information.

Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) – No offense, but he is the Ever Loyal Dog to Han Solo. If Dogs could Stand, and Rebuild Space Ships from scratch, Chewbacca is your man… Or, Man’s Best Friend. He also has a Huge Heart, and an Excellent Sense of Humor. He gets Han more than anyone else.

The Director; George Lucas is able to Bring Forth an Epic Tale of Good vs. Evil, by use of a wide assortment of poignant character’s, in a world that he himself created, in a place far, far away. To put Lucas into words in regards to this first installment of the Star Wars Films is no easy task. I will say, he always left you wanting more.

The Writer; See Above.

Overall Rating; AAA+. Yup, a Triple A. Epic Story, Epic Character’s, Epic Scope.

DarkJade-

Star Wars (DarkJade’s) First Look

Filmcraft (Volume 2) – The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars (DarkJade’s First Look)

It was 1977, yes I was alive then. My mom took my brother and I to go see the original Star Wars. Neither my brother’s, nor my life, would ever be the same. I partially blame this man

Good Man on a Baddd Ship... Correction, a Fast Ship

Yes, it’s true, I wanted to be Han Solo. But don’t forget this guy

Careful Kid, you Might Hurt Yourself... I Blame his Father

My brother wanted to be Luke. So that worked out well.

Because of the enormity that is Star Wars, I’ll try to stick to just  a few things this go around. But I will say my favorite villain of all time is this next gentleman

"I am your Father..."

Darth Vadar. Need I say more.

For the next 10 years my brother and I gathered quite an action figure collection, sadly G.I. Joe tended to kick these guys asses, but oh well. The truth is, Star Wars is the reason I decided to pursue Film Making in 1999-2002, which in turn lead to pursuing writing. Oh I should mention one more guy at least in this go around

Jango gives George Directions

No that’s not Boba, he’s not even born yet. Somehow I’ve gone the route of corny. It was not intended. George Lucas, in my opinion, had a brainchild that would change everything you know about film. He is the true reason I wanted to become a film maker. Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back are two of my favorite all time films.

Why did they inspire me? Character’s, and character development for one. I love so many of his character’s, and there are so many to love. Why else? Scope; Starting on chapter IV, of VI, inventive, exciting, and alluring.

For me Star Wars, and The Empire Strikes Back have forever instilled the importance of character’s and scope in a story… And the belief in a dream, and the robustness to follow through with it.

Thank You George

DarkJade-

Star Wars – In Review

Filmcraft (Volume 2) – The Empire Strikes Back