Continuing where New hope has left, George Lucas pens the story of Luke, Leia and Solo’s adventure’s through galaxies, planets and space battles.
Despite the destruction of the Death Star, the rebel forces have suffered massive causalities and are forced in to hiding in an icy planet Hoth. Darth Vader, obsessed with the capture of Luke has sent in probes across the galaxy to find information. One of the probes reach Hoth and crashes as a meteor. Luke goes to find it and is captured by an evil predatory creature called a Wampa. Luke with the help of the force retrieves the light saber to slice the Wampa and escape. But he soon collapse out of cold and exhaustion. Hans Solo who rescues him and brings him to the base. Luke has visions of Obi-Van-Kenobi exhorting him to go to Dagohaath and train under the legendary Jedi master, Yoda.
The imperial probe sends in the position of Hoth as a rebel base and is destroyed by Darth Vader. But Rebel troops evacuate and Solo and Leia leave aboard Millennium Falcon. Darth Vader tries to capture them but they manage to slip away. Mean while Luke reaches Dagohaath and s under intensive training with Yoda. Darth Vader under takes Boba Fett a bounty hunter to capture Hans Solo. Hans and Leia reach Solo’s friend Lando Clarissian’s Cloud city for asylum. But Clarissium, threatened by Vader turns them in. Hans is frozen and is given to Boba Fett as a bounty to be presented to Jabba the Hutt. Leia and Hans fall in love with each other but are separated.

Luke under training gets premonitions of Hans and Leia and leaves to rescue them promising Yoda to return and complete his training. Meanwhile Lando Clarissium chastened by Vader’s betrayal returns to rescue Leia and Hans. But Boba Fett flies away with Hans to Jabba the Hutt. Luke who goes to fight Vader is attacked and cornered wherein Vader offers him great riches to join him. But Luke rebuffs Vader’s offer which angers him to slice away his hand. As an ultimate inducement he reveals to Luke that he is his father. A stunned Luke lets himself to be sucked in to the training chute and sends a telepathic message to Leia. Leia along with Lando rescue him and carry him aboard the rebel ship where he is fitted with a new hand. The film ends with Luke’s new hand and the staggering revelation about his father.
The second episode was one of the most eagerly awaited movies and not surprisingly the box office scorcher of that year. George Lucas and his team had delivered an iconic classic and again was followed by audience adulation and critical acclaim. It won Oscars for the best special effects and best back ground score. In addition it also won the Golden Globes, Grammy and BAFTA awards. The Saga continues with new viewers and even in the face of more technologically advanced films of the century Star Wars holds its on through sheer brilliance. The Force is still with the movie.

New Hope is one of the first films to be released among the six movies depicting the star war saga. Directed and conceived by the legend George Lucas, the Star Wars movies are iconic and have influenced generations, becoming a cult classic. This sci-fi space fantasy film debuted in 1977 is one of the top grosser at the box office also pioneering the production of endless movie merchandises and successful sequels.
As the opening line goes “in a galaxy far far away” a young farm boy Luke Skywalker comes across two droids R2D2 and C3PO. While cleaning the druids Luke accidentally triggers the holographic message in R2D2 in which Princess Leia has hidden the plans for the death star. The Death Star is a battle station designed and constructed by the evil Sith Emperor Palpatine and manned by his trusted lieutenant Darth Vader. Leia asks the listener to find Obi-Van-Kenobi a Jedi Knight to help her.
R2D2 followed by Luke finds the old hermit Ben, who reveals himself as Obi-Van-Kenobi and asks Luke to utilize the force to train himself as a Jedi Knight. Jedi are skilled practitioners of the “Force” who fight the unjust to maintain the balance in the universe. Their order are highly trained knights who use the light sabers to protect the weak. Luke returns to find his uncle and aunt murdered and his planet Tatooine under siege by the imperial forces. He returns to Ben and they plan to escape with the droids to join the rebel forces headed by Princess Leia.

They hire the good hearted smuggler Hans Solo and his co-pilot Chewbecca to ferry them across Tatooine in the space Vehicle Millennium Falcon. Meanwhile Princess Leia is imprisoned in the death star and is tortured by commander Tarkin to reveal the rebel army base. He threatens to annihilate the planet Alderaan. Leia pretends to cooperate but Tarkin destroys the planet anyway. Meanwhile the Millennium Falcon is trapped by the tractor beam of the Death Star and is forcefully captured. Hans solo, Luke and Obi-Van-Kenobi are captured. They rescue Princess Leia and flee the death star to the rebel base while Ben Kenobi is killed by Darth Vader.
Luke and Leia organize a daring guerrilla attack to destroy the death star. As their fighters attack the star, Darth Vader himself comes in to defend it. Soon thrilling fighting is engaged and ultimately with the help of Hans Solo the death star is destroyed by Luke Sky-Walker. Both Solo and Skywalker are honored by Leia and an uneasy truce prevails in the universe.
What can you say about Star Wars? The box office success is unparalleled in history spawning video games, books, sequels and toys. Both adults and kids are ensnared by this complex saga of love, hate and deception. Awards it has many, notable being the 7 Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammy and the BAFTA nominations. Nothing compares to the iconic value of the film which can be best described as an experience on its own with special effects and great dialogue.
Star Wars is a must watch for any citizen of the earth and denizens of other planets. As you may watch this thrilling adventure “May the Force be with you”.

The Frisco Kid is a 1979 movie directed by Robert Aldrich. The movie is a Western comedy featuring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford in pivotal roles. Gene Wilder is Avram Belinski, a polish Rabbi who is traveling to San Fransisco to head a congregation there. He has graduated last in his synagogue and is sent to San Fransisco with the promise of a bride. He has a Torah scroll as a part of his meager possessions and is a trusting man of faith. A simpleton and an innocent traveler, Avram is duped by three con men who induce him to pay for the wagon and supplies and leave him behind.
Soon the adventures follow Avram as he determinedly follows the path to San Fransisco. There follows hilarious moments when he mistakenly resides with the Amish believing them to be Jews and fainting later as he discovers a Bible in their pockets. So one fine day while trying to catch fish for dinner he meets Tommy Lillard a kind hearted person on a horse back who in good humor takes him on. They journey through the American rough lands.

They are captured by the Indians and are almost burnt at stake and also meet the villains again who had robbed the Rabbi. The series of misadventures continue as Lillard is proved to be robber who robs banks. So Avram inadvertently plays a part in robing a bank with Lillard. But to Lillard’s dismay the rabbi refuses to ride away the horse laden with goodies as its a sabbath day even with the sheriff’s men hot on his tails. Their journey ends with lot of comical situations working to change their mindset. Both Lillard and Avram walk away enriched by their experiences and looking at life in a different sense.
I would not say that this is a typical slap stick comedy, but a comedy which makes you think. Many a time Avram has to propound his beliefs and faith in god and to explain to the agnostic the power and presence of God. He explains the Talmud and the point of view of his religion and still there is no preaching in it. It just says the love of God, so profound, humanistic and encompassing.
All the Actors have managed to capture our hearts with their endearing performances, but the cream of the acting is by Gene Wilder as the simpleton rabbi. The gems of a dialogue so rib-tickling and soul searching makes this film a classic. Harrison ford also in the role of the outlaw with a good heart is in great form. It is rumored that John Wayne was to play this role but had turned it down due to price constraints. But Johns loss is Harrison gains as he brings alive a outlaw turning over a new life on a journey with Avram.
This is may not be the top film of the decade or an academy award winner, but it has all ingredients to be your favorite film. So watch it to see God come alive through laughter.

This movie is directed by Francis Coppola, staring the legendary, Gene Hackman, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams and Robert Duvall. This deals with the pitfalls of phone tapping and communication surveillance. This movie was released right after the Watergate scandal and has used the same equipment used by the Nixon Administration to spy on his opponents.
Harry Caul is a talented Surveillance expert who undertakes communication surveillance for a fee. He taps and listens to others conversation and is a much sought after person in this field. Caul a devout catholic has no emotional quotient within him. He avoids real contact with people and keeps away from crowds. He is paranoid about security that his apartment has a triple lock door and he himself works behind a wire mesh. Very shabbily dressed and distant, Caul has alienated his colleague and girl friend completely. But among all this paranoia we see Caul as an vulnerable person who is tormented by guilt of his profession.
He gets an assignment of listening and recording the conversation of two people who are having an affair. Ann and Marc are being listened to on the instructions of Ann’s husband who is identified as the director. While listening to the conversation, Caul hears them saying “he would have killed us if he had a chance” . He thinks that the director would have the couple killed.

His earlier assignment in the East coast had ended up in deaths and Caul tormented by that incident, fears for the couple’s life. He refuses to hand over the tape to the directors aide. While attending a convention he finds that the tapes are stolen and rushes to confront the director. He is paid his due and is curtly dismissed. A scared Caul reaches the hotel where Ann and Marc had agreed to meet and takes up the adjoining room eagerly listening through the wall with his equipment. Suddenly he hears screams and on rushing to the room he finds blood prints on the glass panes. A distraught Caul faints and is revived by the police.
Caul reaches the directors office to confront him and to his surprise finds Ann and Marc alive and well. He hears from the secretary that the director was killed in an accident. The truth finally dawns on him that Ann’s sentence was a result of her rationalizing the directors murder.
Caul watches Ann and Marc along with the aide rushing from the press conference asking for an inquiry in to the directors death. Caul’s presence unnerves the murderers.
Caul is called by the aide who now works for Ann. He warns him that his apartment is bugged and warns him not to tell the truth. Caul ransacks his apartment for the bug and cannot find any. In the last enduring scene Caul slumps defeated and lost while the Saxophone plays on. This movie is considered a classic and was nominated for 3 Academy Awards. The highpoint was when it was awarded the Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1974. The Conversation was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”