The Movie Journal

WarGames (1983) WarGames is a strange movie. It is clearly stuck in the 1980’s, when computers were starting their rise to prevalence and the United States was still deadlocked in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Yet, in the 2019 world, this film is still strangely relevant (which happens to be a frightening thought). This film is all about using technology to start World War III. Considering the state of our world today, this is the kind of plot that can be realistically plausible. Which is one of the many reasons why this movie is effective. Despite the charms of the 1980’s, this film is a scary, but extremely effective thriller. Not only does it work as a thriller, it also works as an effective teen film thanks to the charming performances from Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy. When this original idea came to fruition in 1979, technology was not even involved. The whole concept was about “a dying scientist with no one to understand him, except for one person- a r...

3rd Rock from the Sun, Season 1, Episode 12 "Frozen Dick" March 26, 1996 “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. That’s right, folks! This is the episode where the Solomons discover snow for the first time and overreact in a hilarious fashion. In “Frozen Dick,” Harry finds a job at a video store, and that gives Tommy an idea that all college students think about at least once in their lives- watch a film instead of reading a book for the term’s paper. Sally is all alone, afraid of the snow-but one of Dick’s students, Leon (played by Lithgow’s son, actually) gives her some company when he comes to drop off a paper. Finally, Dick and Mary are heading to Chicago to accept an award, but apparently Dick is afraid to fly. This is one of the episode’s better episodes. It’s funny, heartfelt, and well-acted. The chemistry between Lithgow and Curtin gets better as each episode appears. I loved the idea of introducing snow to this family. I guess it is the end of the world...

3rd Rock from the Sun, Season 1, Episode 11, "The Art of Dick" March 19, 1996 After two solid, but not spectacular episodes, 3 rd Rock from the Sun comes roaring back to life with “The Art of Dick.” So far on Earth, Harry has spectacularly failed at everything. That is about to change! When Mary takes Dick to an art class, Harry tags along. He turns out to be a great artist-even better than Dick! Of course, Dick becomes jealous. Meanwhile, Tommy signs Sally up for a bake sale at the school. Sally takes a rather militant approach to the proceedings. I really liked this “Harry-centric” episode. It is refreshing to have an episode focused on Harry. I am not the biggest art fan, but I think the subject matter works well within the episode’s screenplay and character moments. I also like how both plotlines were as equally good. Having Sally take such a hands-on approach to the bake sale is fantastic humor. My Grade: B+

3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1, Episode 10 "Truth or Dick" March 12, 1996 Yes, Dick, sometimes people will attempt to flatter others to make them do what they want. Lying is fun, ain’t it? Well, Dick does not think so in this tenth episode of 3 rd Rock from the Sun’s first season, “Truth or Dick.” Mary is supposed to attend some committee meeting, but she is unable to attend. She uses her flattering technique to make Dick attend in her stead. Once he learns about this trick, he tries to understand why people would lie to each other. Meanwhile, Harry and Sally try to get themselves a driver’s license, and Tommy enters puberty when he grows a pimple on his face. This was a fun, if somewhat forgettable episode. The “A” plot is really good! Watching John Lithgow and Jane Curtin flatter each other is very amusing. The rest of the storylines are solid, but nothing worth writing home about. Now, Dick can understand the nuances of flattering! My Grade: B

3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1, Episode 9 "Ab-dick-ted." March 04, 1996 In this episode, “Ab-dick-ted,” Dick learns that Mary has a brother, Roy (played by Bronson Pinchot). Dick becomes fascinated by the idea of siblings, and invites both Albrights over so the entire Solomon can observe their interactions. They learn that these two humans are not particularly close to one another and they bicker with each other constantly. The major twist is that Roy claims he was abducted by aliens. The Solomons believe he knows their secret and they must do what they can at all costs to protect their secret. This was a solid episode that serves up some delicious one-liners. The banter between the two siblings fits the fine line between funny and irritating-still need to decide on that one. The cornfield climax is awesome and is the best part of the episode. The idea about siblings being obnoxious to one another is not a new idea, but I did like how the family try to preserve...

Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi (1983) After the first two Star Wars films became enormously popular with critics and audiences alike, the original trilogy closes out with 1983’s Star Wars: Episode VI- The Return of the Jedi . I remember watching the movie for the first time all excited considering I thought the first two films were perfect (and still pretty much do!). I was wondering how this film would conclude the story arcs especially after how dark The Empire Strikes Back was. With Han Solo frozen in carbonite and the reveal of Darth Vader’s lineage to Luke, I was very excited. Now I have seen this film many times since, but my thoughts remained the same. This is a very fun, satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy. While it does not reach the height of its predecessors, there are enough highlights to make this one memorable sci-fi adventure. Just like in The Empire Strikes Back , creator George Lucas decided not to direct the movie. He teamed up wit...