Red Letter Day

Wednesday, March 17th. St. Patrick's Day. I've got to show up for jury duty today. Jury duty and taxes, what fun things to deal with this week... Intrigued by an entry concerning Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire?

No, not tempted?

(I was alerted to this by this AICN review of the new documentary "THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS", which attempts to break down people's negative reaction to the Star Wars prequels.)

Who is Red Letter Media's "Mr. Plinkett"?

I'm sure a clearer answer is out there but the short answer is that he's a fictional comedic internet personality. An older man—probable serial killer—who does video reviews of movies. You will hear his voice on the videos and may occasionally see a POV shot but he remains securely off-camera.

His 7-Part Review of THE PHANTOM MENACE meticulously breaks down what's wrong with the movie. It's fucking hilarious and interspersed with gags but it's also a very good dismantling of the problems with the movie. I really believe you can often learn more from a failure than a success and this video review furthers this by comparing what worked so well in the original Star Wars (A New Hope) to what is lacking in the first prequel (Phantom). It isn't just a cacophony of fanboy whining but a clear analysis of the basics of structure and character development that are outrageously lacking in PHANTOM MENACE.

Worth seeing if you're a Star Wars geek, though I know that a 70-minute review of an old filmic train-wreck is a tough sell. But I'm in jury duty today so what do you want from me? Something heartfelt?