After a couple weeks away from cMusicMail, there's a lot to say. Of course,
you need our word on one of the biggest movies of the summer, Star Wars
Episode II. If you want the info on the other big one, Spider-Man, look
below to find it on cMusicWeb.com. Then, listen to some more music!

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STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES
by Rick Foux

Yoda freaking rocks.

I'm sure half of the nation would agree with me after seeing the second
installment of the Star Wars saga, Attack of the Clones. Despite its goofy
title, there is no argument that Episode 2 is the biggest film of 2002 so
far, and ticket sales of over $100 million during its opening week prove my
point. But is there any sane reasoning as to why obese, hairy guys decked
out in Star Wars memorabilia and waving plastic lightsabers at each other
would set camp outside of movie theaters for days?

Oh yeah.

Whereas The Phantom Menace drowned audiences in confusing political jargon
and was filled with coarse dialogue, AotC cuts back on the details of the
Galactic Republic and centers more on the unfolding storyline between the
Jedi and the Sith. Ten years after the events in Episode 1, we find an older
and wiser Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and a
just-as-brainless-as-he-was-ten-years-ago Anakin Skywalker (Hayden
Christensen) assigned to protect former Queen turned Senator Padme' Amidala
(Natalie Portman), whose life is under threat by political separatists.
After narrowly foiling an assassination attempt on the Senator's life,
Obi-Wan departs to the planet Kamino to investigate the resident bounty
hunter, Jango Fett, and ends up discovering an even bigger conspiracy that
will ultimately lead to dark days for the Jedi. Anakin is left to protect
Senator Amidala on his own. Unfortunately, Obi-Wan never read the Jedi
Parenting Handbook, in which the first rule of taking on an apprentice is
never to leave a teenage adolescent emerging from puberty alone with an
incredibly hot Galactic Senator. Needless to say, the two develop a
relationship and eventually fall in love. What happens from then on I can't
say, in fear of ruining the plot, but expect it to be full of traditional
Star Wars smack-down action. This constant flow of events makes up for the
infinitely boring Pod Race on Boonta Eve from Episode 1. There's even one
scene where a certain two-foot tall Jedi Master opens up a can of
whoop...well, you know.

Attack of the Clones is different from its predecessor in the way that it
actually feels like you're watching a classic Star Wars movie - The Empire
Strikes Back to be more specific. Sure, it's the 21st century, special
effects reign supreme, and the old models have been replaced by CGI, but
they don't detract from the total Star Wars experience. In fact, most of the
beginning scenes that take place in Coruscant only benefit from and are
enriched by CGI usage.

Another thing that makes Attack of the Clones superior to Episode 1 is
improved acting on the part of most cast members. Most commendable are Ewan
McGregor and Christopher Lee. As Obi-Wan Kenobi, McGregor breathes new life
into his accomplished Jedi counterpart, helping to develop the character he
established in The Phantom Menace. New to the Star Wars saga is Christopher
Lee, who plays the rogue Jedi Count Dooku - referred to as Darth Tyranus
upon his turn to the Dark Side. Fresh from his performance in The Lord of
the Rings, Lee channels that same energy into his role as the Count (imagine
Saruman with a lightsaber), and it ultimately works out for the best. He
shapes Dooku into one of the most vile, twisted villains on the silver
screen. Samuel L. Jackson also reprises his role as Mace Windu, who plays a
much bigger part in Episode 2. Ever the adamant one, Jackson pulls off the
stoic Windu without a hitch (just for once though, I'd love to see him in a
comedy). But perhaps the best single thing about AotC is that Jar-Jar Binks,
the Gungan everyone loves to hate, is so largely absent. In fact, I doubt he
ever shows up for more than five minutes at a time, and is present for about
15 minutes of the entire two hour plus movie.

While it's an improvement, Attack of the Clones is not a perfect movie.
There are a few flaws that ever keep it from attaining the legendary status
awarded to the classic Star Wars episodes. Most notably, some of the same
flat dialogue that plagued The Phantom Menace returns, with Hayden
Christensen and Natalie Portman receiving the worst lines. Moreover, neither
excel at their roles as Anakin or Padme', and the chemistry between them
doesn't click, making their love for each other minutely unbelievable. Cheap
clichés are a dime a dozen, and Christensen's character Anakin, no matter
how powerful, is still nothing but an immature brat. You just want to whack
him several times during the course of the film.

Another problem is the non-stop action. This is a blessing and a curse,
actually. Action is what everyone looks for in a Star Wars film, but the
continuous flow makes the plot speed by too rapidly instead of slowly
unraveling. This could cause a few viewers to get lost in the confusion. By
the time you reach the Battle of Geonosis, you find yourself thinking. "Ok,
what is this all about now?" This dilemma can easily be remedied by seeing
the movie a second time, and Attack of the Clones is definitely a feature
you can watch more than once without falling asleep.

It's hard to see any of the newer Star Wars movies ever reaching the same
pinnacle as A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, but
Attack of the Clones is at least a decent shot. George Lucas obviously took
a lot of comments about Episode 1 into consideration when making this film,
and it seems to have helped immensely. Hopefully when Episode 3 hits in
2005, Lucas will have gotten his groove back. Until then, don't think you'll
regret catching Clones while it's in theaters. And may the Force be with
you.

Find out more about Star Wars movies on cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/movies/starwars

Find out the unofficial stuff behind the scenes:
http://www.theforce.net/


REBECCA ST. JAMES CONTEST
The contest is almost over, and we have one more winner to name next week.
Also, look for a new contest starting very soon, where you can win some
great prizes from Creation Festival!

Congrats to Jessica from Iowa and Karen from Pennsylvania for winning a
T-Shirt and a worshipGOD CD. Also, a large congrats to Rob from New Mexico
for winning the Grand Prize, which includes a complete Rebecca St. James
discography!


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, MAY 21 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

AWAKENING - GERSH
One of the founding members of 80s rock band Whiteheart resurfaces with his
own album, which sports an acoustic Euro-pop vibe.

BUTTERFLY KISSES AND OTHER STORIES - BOB CARLISLE
Who would have thought that Bob Carlisle's Greatest Hits album would have
"Butterfly Kisses" in the title? Typical.

DISCOVER 02 - WORSHIP TOGETHER
Featuring worship from Britain and around the world, Discover 02 features
many worship songs you may not have heard yet this year, including some from
Tim Hughes and Steve, but there are 10 other names you probably have not yet
heard.

ENGAGE - PAX217
A vast improvement over 2000's Twoseventeen, Engage shows that PAX217 has
learned a bit in the last two years, and they're ready to bring it out.

FIREPROOF - PILLAR
Like PAX217, Pillar has been improving and are ready for the sophomore
album. Definitely better than their first, Fireproof will reach the hard
rock audience well.

HINDSIGHT - JOHN REUBEN
One of the most anticipated albums of the spring, John Reu is back, with his
usual quirky style. Hindsight lets out more of John's character while
broadening the style of music. That's right, it's the PICK OF THE WEEK.

HOLY - VINEYARD UK
From the band that brought you "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" and
"Hungry" come the next wave of new modern worship from the UK.

LEGACY: HYMNS AND FAITH - AMY GRANT
Unable to write too many new tracks, Amy Grant relies on the old hymns to
make her latest disc. Features bunches of hymns such as "It is Well with My
Soul" plus four original songs.

NEW MAP OF THE WORLD - PC3 (PAUL COLEMAN TRIO)
Rising from the land of Australia, Third Day's Monroe Jones produces this
album, which features a blend of pop and rock.

OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART 2 - VARIOUS
Two discs with 30 songs of worship from the Vertical Music label.
Unfortunately, music from the mostly stale Integrity Music sector is used a
bit, but cameos such as Jeff Deyo make it a decent buy.

RONNIE FREEMAN (self-titled)
Some are saying that he might be the next Michael W. Smith. While young
Ronnie Freeman does have talent, it seems doubtful that he will be, although
his album is worth a listen.

SPACE, LOVE AND BULLFIGHTING - HAVALINA
Definitely not the path that most bands take, Havalina prefers to keep their
eclectic fusion of styles underground, where the intelligent listeners are.

TEN YEARS AND RUNNING - MXPX
After 10 years, they definitely get their own Greatest Hits album, right?
Well, MxPx knows how to do it, putting two new songs in and re-recording
their classic "Punk Rawk Show," then throwing their 16 best songs in for
good measure.


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, JUNE 4 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

BEAUTIFUL WORLD - TAKE 6
A cappella music has moved to Squint Entertainment with the latest release
from the well-known vocal group. It's the PICK OF THE WEEK.

FOUR WALL BLACKMAIL - DEAD POETIC
Since it's on Solid State Records, it must be loud. And I mean loud. That's
all I know.

GIVE BACK - SIDE WALK SLAM
Fast-paced punk rock is the norm for Side Walk Slam on their second album on
Tooth and Nail.

INTO MOTION - SALVADOR
Latin-influenced pop/worship band Salvador now has 7 members for that
ultra-full sound. Their latest disc shows an array of styles and a
spirit-filled, energetic listen for all.

THE POWER OF LOVE - JOHN TESH
If John Tesh with an orchestra performing some of today's most popular love
songs instrumentally sounds interesting to you, go pick this 2-disc set up.

PSALMS - SHANE BARNARD
After being independent for years, Shane's music is now on InPop records,
where his music based on Scripture is proving to be somewhat popular.


OTHER NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM
Review: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
http://cMusicWeb.com/movies/crouchingtiger

Review: Spider-Man
http://cMusicWeb.com/movies/spider-man

Feature: Hangnail
http://cMusicWeb.com/features/hangnail

Review: The Way I Feel - Remy Shand
http://cMusicWeb.com/pop/remyshand/thewayifeel.shtml

Views: Why I Don't Hate Christian Music Anymore
http://cMusicWeb.com/views

Review: Saturate - Jeff Deyo
http://cMusicWeb.com/worship/jeffdeyo/saturate.shtml

Review: The Golden Hum - Remy Zero
http://cMusicWeb.com/alternative/remyzero/thegoldenhum.shtml


THE LATEST NEWS HEADLINES
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- MxPx Covers Scooby Doo Theme Song
- Ray Buchanan to Toss Hip-Hop Disc
- New Switchfoot Album On the Way
- New Left Behind Movie Starts Filming
- Woody Rock Hits Broadway
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- Scott Stapp Speaks Out About Motor Accident
- The Elms Working on New Album
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- And more!

View all the latest stories on cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/


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http://cMusicWeb.com/
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