Category Archives: 2002 Movie Reviews

‘Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) review

Following the release of “The Phantom Mencace”, fans and moviegoers alike hoped the second act of the prequel trilogy would would strike gold the way “The Empire Strikes Back” was able to for the original trilogy. George Lucas continued his homage to old school Saturday morning serials by calling Episode II, “Attack of the Clones”. Of course, because most everyone knew that this trilogy was supposed to focus on the mysterious Clone Wars alluded to by Obi Wan Kenobi and Princess Leia in “A New Hope”, there was a significant buzz surrounding this flick.

Jumping ahead 10 years following the events of “The Phantom Mencace”, Anakin Skywalker was recast. Hayden Christensen replaced the much maligned Jake Lloyd. Lucas promised a darker tone for this movie that would continue the fall of Anakin to the dark side before he finally became Darth Vader. This time around, we meet an older Anakin, who has become the Padawan apprentice of Obi Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Anakin is cocky and eager for power. After an bounty hunter tries to assassinate Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a senator from the planet Naboo, Anakin realizes he still digs her and his emotions begin to get the better of him. As the movie unfolds, Anakin and Obi Wan split up as Anakin is put in charge of protecting Padme by Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid); while Obi Wan is dispatched to an isolated planet to investigate some evidence that leads him to the discovery of a clone army which has allegedly been sanctioned by the Jedi Council.

“Attack of the Clones” does offer more action sequences including a bounty hunter chase through Coruscant early on, an Obi Wan Kenobi vs. Jango Fett battle around the middle of the flick and a Clones vs. Battle Droids on the planet Geonosis, which is ultimately the start of the Clone Wars. While the plot sounds interesting, we are left with little development of the relationship between Anakin and Obi Wan. The Anakin and Padme affair feels a little forced and there a lot of things that could have been connected back to “The Phantom Menace” but instead Lucas introduces more characters and plots where he could have really dug deep into a mythology.

All we are left with is the fact that Anakin doesn’t like being told what to do. We don’t ever get the sense that he is the powerful Jedi he supposedly becomes nor do we get a bond of friendship between he and Obi Wan. Their relationship plays more like a step-father/step-son situation. The bad guys are still plotting from the shadows. Introduced here is Count Dooku, played by Christopher Lee, a fallen Jedi who grew tired of his associates and now works for Darth Sidious. He tries and fails to recruit Obi Wan, kicks Anakin’s butt in a duel but that’s about all he does. Like Darth Maul, he is grossly under used.

“Attack of the Clones” is a step up from the inferior “Phantom Menace” but still fails to capture the magic and awe of the original trilogy. At this point we are 2/3 of the way through the fall of Anakin and the Rise of the Empire and we have yet to see why either is about to happen. The much hyped Clone Wars start at the very end of the movie but it never feels like it is the realization of what was promised with Leia’s fateful message to old Obi Wan in “A New Hope” when she uttered the famous line, “Obi Wan Kenobi, years ago, you served my father in the Clone Wars…”.

Bad Karma Films presents ‘RUN’ (2002)

Original poster for Run! (Copyright BKFilms)

Run! (2002)
Bad Karma Films

Release Date:

June 29, 2002

Synopsis:

After helping steal a disk that may contain information about an alien invasion, Jaxon Reeves (Timothy English) soon learns there is a price to pay for betrayal. When his wife, Julie (Sarah Walker) is abducted, Jax goes into hiding only to be tracked down by members from the same secret government agency, Victor Corso (James Kellogg) and the mysterious Blonde Woman (Meghan Dickinson); each who wants to recover the disk for their own personal agenda. As Jax struggles to figure out who he can trust, he quickly realizes the E.T.R.A. group aren’t the only ones hunting him. As the supernatural Men in Black get closer, Jax realizes he only has one choice if he is to survive….RUN!

RUN on IMDB.com

Written and Directed by Timothy English

Original Score composed by Doug Rottering

Cast:

Meghan Dickinson as The Blonde Woman

James Kellogg as Victor Corso

Timothy English in a photo from the LJWorld while filming his first movie, Run. Here, English describes a scene that he filmed in a downtown Lawrence alley. (Photo by Melissa Lacey/Journal-World Photo

Ed McLinn as Agent Nine

Rick Seifert as Agent Zero

Ryan Singer as Detective Carter

Nick Casarona as Detective Spano

Sarah Walker as Julie Reeves

Timothy English as Jaxon Reeves

The Premiere:

Run was screened before a full house at the Rio Theatre in Overland Park, KS. on June 29, 2002.  Admission was free.

Merchandising:

Want a BK Films hat or a Run! t-shirt?  Head over to the Bad Karma Store, courtesy of Cafe Press. (see premiere t-shirt at right)

Media Coverage:

Run! Trivia:

  • Run! was shot in Topeka, Ks., Lawrence, Ks. and Eudora, Ks. in 2001 with additional shooting in Chicago in spring 2002.
  • The Chicago footage was used only at the beginning of the opening titles.
  • The abduction sequence was shot over two days on two locations in Topeka and Eudora in the fall of 2001 and required 15 crew members.
  • Three different actors were cast to play Jax Reeves before Timothy English took over the role.
  • Most of the film was shot with a two man crew.
  • Ed McLinn, who plays MiB Agent 9, is also the voice of Daniel Logan heard on the answering machine.

    In this photo THE CAST AND CREW OF RUN! (clockwise from top right): Nick Casarona, Ed McLinn, Ryan Singer, Rick Seifert, Timothy English, Sarah Walker, James Kellogg, Doug Rottering and Meghan Dickinson.
  • Composer D.H. Rottering also worked with Timothy English on Stuck on Star Wars and Grassfire.
  • James Kellogg and Timothy English also appeared together in Stuck on Star Wars.
  • Run was inspired by the 1966 George Lucas short film Freiheit.
  • The name Dr. Scully is a nod to Dr. Dana Scully on The X-Files.  In Run!, Dr. Scully is a man and is never shown on screen.
  • The Blonde Woman is never referred to by name in Run!.
  • The character Victor Corso was named after Philip J. Corso a former U.S. Army Lieutenant who wrote the book, ‘The Day After Roswell’.
  • Filming was interrupted while shooting the climactic scene by the Lawrence Police Department. Neighbors in the rural neighborhood where it was filmed called the police claiming someone was being executed and dragged from a vehicle.
  • Five of the cast members attended Topeka West High School.
  • “Run!” was originally meant as a short film prequel to a proposed alien invasion trilogy.  The first film of ‘The Invasion Chronicles’ was supposed to be called Oracle.  It was put on hold because of the birth of English’s daughter in 2003.
  • Currently there are plans to reboot “Run” under the working title of “EndRun”.

Promotions:

“Run” teaser:

“Run” trailer:

Clips:

**COMING SOON**