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As Luke Skywalker sits in a swamp on an alien world talking to his droid companion R2-D2 he unwittingly gives that most accurate of all descriptions for this movie. The Empire Strikes Back does indeed seem like the stuff of dreams. The images, the music, a beautiful princess, a city floating in the clouds,...the atmosphere is surreal and unearthly. One critic aptly stated that it was hard to believe this movie was even filmed on earth. This epic battle of good versus evil in a galaxy far, far away has elements of all your favorite space, fantasy, and swashbuckler stories. It strikes a responsive chord somewhere deep in your memory. Again Luke says it best with his observation that "there's something familiar about this place."

From the outset, Empire Strikes Back was in a class by itself, far outshining its two companions in the trilogy, Episodes Four and Six. Even the newest Star Wars offerings, Episodes One, Two, and Three don't quite measure up to this 1980 blockbuster. George Lucas now has access to much more wondrous technology to tell his stories but he has fallen into the trap of relying too heavily on computer-generated images. When this technique is overdone what you end up with looks kind of like a Bugs Bunny cartoon. That's okay while you're trying to find a good seat in the theater, but when the actual movie starts the audience expects to see something a little more real. By contrast, when you watch ESB you have to keep REMINDING yourself that it's not real! That's the highest compliment you can pay a sci-fi movie.

Well, Empire is back in the stores again. For a limited time of course. I look forward to the day Congress declares this movie a national treasure like The Wizard of Oz. Then maybe George Lucas won't be able to yank it off the store shelves whenever he feels like it. If you're like me, a Star Wars fan from way back, it's time to get reacquainted with an old friend. If you still haven't seen The Empire Strikes Back at all, shame on you for putting it off so long. But I envy you the adventure you are, I hope, about to discover.

This movie is something of a minor masterpiece. It should be in every home library. Sure it's a little silly but so was the decade of the 1960s that spawned it. Derek Flint (James Coburn) was America's answer to the British super spy James Bond, hence the title Our Man Flint. But all the 007 and Matt Helm movies together aren't as much fun as this spy spoof. Colorful and well-directed, it doesn't take itself too seriously and throws in some good gags to keep you chuckling. Jerry Goldsmith does another excellent musical score, as good as or better than anything from the 007 genre.

Our Man Flint is pure escapism and a good investment if you can find it. James Coburn is no longer with us, and like any great work of art Our Man Flint is even more valuable now that the artist has died.

Warning: Soap operas are habit-forming, and this is about the most addictive one ever filmed. Dark Shadows, the daytime serial which ran in the 1960s broke new ground to say the least. A vampire (Barnabas Collins) is released after a 170 year imprisonment to wreak havoc on his old stomping grounds. There's witchcraft, ghosts, romance, unrequited love, bodies buried in the cellar, duels to the death, werewolves....Any one of these elements is enough to build a story on. Put them all together and you've started a new religion. No wonder DS had such a dedicated cult following. Now it's back, released on DVD and unless I'm badly mistaken a whole new generation is out there getting hooked on this crazy show. The old B&W episodes are fun to watch and the restored color programs look better than ever.

This show is well worth restoring. One reason; never before or since have so many gorgeous actresses been gathered together in one place. For us guys that alone makes it worth a look. Lara Parker is stunningly beautiful as Angelique. Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) came to the series from Hugh Hefner's Playboy Club. Need I say more? Nancy Barrett (Carolyn) is a blonde bombshell in her own right. And we certainly can't leave out Alexandra Moltke (Victoria Winters) who on a good day tops them all. No wonder the plain-looking Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall) couldn't score with Barnabas. She had no chance against competition like that. And like any soap there are plenty of handsome hunks for the ladies to admire. David Selby, Roger Davis, Joel Crothers, and of course Jonathan Frid (Barnabas) to name a few.

Dark Shadows is remembered as being campy with lots of bloopers. You see overhead microphones, malfunctioning props, actors flubbing their lines. But this just adds to the fun. It was more like a stage play than a TV series. As a daily show with so many special effects they were in uncharted waters. They did well considering the technology available at the time. On a limited budget they even had to borrow equipment from other sets on occasion. As the star, Jonathan Frid was carrying a tremendous workload. He rarely got enough sleep so he was bound to flub now and then. Some days even without makeup he probably looked like one of the undead.

For those of us over 40 seeing these shows again is like going to a reunion. The DVD set includes interviews with the surviving and now much older actors, a sad reminder of how much time has passed. But life goes on and vampire tales are hot stuff right now. Youngsters who are seeing all this for the first time will laugh at the bloopers. But they'll keep coming back for more. Some of the bloopers are not really bloopers at all. They're just life the way it really happens. We all flub our lines and drop things in our daily lives. And when Quentin yanks that sword off the wall, unintentionally sending a few other items crashing to the floor, well that could just as easily have been part of the script. Indeed, it might have made the scene more intense. Dark Shadows is the most far-fetched soap opera ever made. But at the same time it's the most believable because the characters stammer, stumble, and bang their heads on low hanging objects just like we do. That's why we love them. And that's why we'll always love this show.