Disney Countdown

From one Lucasfilm franchise to another, today we look at Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark is the first movie in the Indiana Jones franchise.  The movie was directed by Steven Spielberg with a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman.  Harrison Ford starred as Indiana Jones, and other stars included Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, and John Rhys-Davies.  Raiders of the Lost Ark led to three sequels, a television show, and multiple video games featuring the character of Indiana Jones.  It was the top grossing movie of 1981, and it was nominated for nine Oscars, winning four (Art Direction, Film Editing, Sound, Visual Effects) and earning a special award for Sound Effects Editing.  Raiders of the Lost Ark still garners acclaim, consistently ranking among the best films of all time. Raiders of the Lost Ark begins in 1936 with archaeologist Indiana Jones on a quest for a rare artifact.  Avoiding many booby traps, he s

Let's take a look at the final film of the original Star Wars trilogy, Return of the Jedi. The Movie: Return of the Jedi is the third Star Wars movie, listed as Episode VI in the storyline.  It was directed by Richard Marquand with a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas.  Return of the Jedi received mostly positive reviews and was yet another box-office hit.  The movie was nominated for five Oscars and received a special award for visual effects. Return of the Jedi opens with the Empire continuing construction on a new Death Star, orbiting the forest moon of Endor.  Meanwhile, Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, and the droids devise an elaborate plan to rescue Han, still frozen in carbonite, from the gangster Jabba the Hutt.  The heroes' success on this mission is vital to their continued roll as leaders of the Rebel Alliance. When I was younger, this was my favorite of the original trilogy.  I know a lot of people don't like it because of the Ewoks, but per

Let's continue the original Star Wars trilogy with The Empire Strikes Back. The Movie: The Empire Strikes Back is the second Star Wars movie, though given the series' unconventional numbering system it is Episode V in the saga.  For this film, George Lucas handed over the director's chair to Irvin Kershner, with the screenplay written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan.  Though still a massive box-office hit, The Empire Strikes Back was initially met with mixed reviews from critics.  Over time, the movie has gained a more positive reputation.  The Empire Strikes Back won one competitive and one special Oscar and was nominated for two others. The Empire Strikes Back opens with the Rebel Alliance in hiding on the ice planet on Hoth.  Following an attack by the Empire, the Rebel fleet scatters with intents to later rendezvous.  Luke Skywalker however does not rejoin the fleet, instead taking his X-Wing and R2-D2 to the planet Dagobah to find the legendary Jedi Mast

Today we are looking at one of the most famous trilogies in all of pop culture, Star Wars. The Movie: Star Wars, which was later given the subtitle A New Hope, is the landmark epic space opera created by George Lucas.  Seen as a financial risk during production, it has become one of the most profitable movies ever made.  Star Wars launched a franchise that currently includes 10 feature films, several TV shows, multiple video games, theme park attractions, action figures, and much more.  More so, the movie and it's characters have become a mainstay of pop culture.  Star Wars was critically acclaimed, and its special effects revolutionized the film industry.  It received ten Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, winning seven. It might be one of the best known stories on the planet, but let's recap it anyway.  Princess Leia is transporting key intelligence for the Rebel Alliance when her ship is boarded by Darth Vader and the Empire.  She places the information insi

Let's look at one of Disney's early attempts to make a movie based on a theme park attraction with Tower of Terror. The Movie: Tower of Terror is a television movie produced by Walt Disney Television for the Wonderful World of Disney.  It was broadcast on October 26, 1997.  Tower of Terror was written and directed by D.J. MacHale, who is best known for creating the Nickelodeon series Are You Afraid of the Dark?  The movie starred Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst.  Though the actual ride is themed around The Twilight Zone, this movie has no connection to that show. Like in the theme park attraction, the backstory is that the Hollywood Tower on Halloween night in 1939 was struck by lightning, and an elevator with five people in it vanished.  In this movie, one of those five people was the child star Sally Shine.  In present day, former journalist Buzzy Crocker is now a tabloid writer, using his niece Anna to help him stage photos for his stories.  Buzzy is visited by a