  This was surely a memorable week in movies for me. I might start off by stating that I saw both On the Waterfront and Network for the first time only last night (well, two nights ago, considering it's 3:10 in the morning as I write this). I could quickly understand why both were classics, but I couldn't understand why I had never seen them before. Some would consider this on par with losing virginity. A next article of interest is George Lucas' announcing of the title for the third Star Wars episode. I'm sure you've heard.
It's Revenge of the Sith . That's right: Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I agree with the majority of my fellow Star Wars nerds in thinking this is a great title. I was also one of the few who thought Attack of the Clones was a masterstroke of a title (couldn't say the same for the film itself, of course), as well as The Phantom Menace (ditto). These movies were meant to be science-fiction fantasies in the same ballpark as Flash Gordon . They're not meant to be masterpieces, but escapist adventure films.
Giving them cheesy, dynamic titles fits the purpose perfectly. Not to mention, the title goes with the trend made by the last two films: A New Hope / The Phantom Menace - Both of the "firsts" in the series are antonymical nouns following some kind of an adjective. The Empire Strikes Back / Attack of the Clones - Some kind of adverb describing an attack (including "attack" itself) along with&nbsp;a noun pertaining to a group of people. Return of the Jedi / Revenge of the Sith - Doesn't take a Jedi Knight to figure this one out. There's also a rumor going around that Lucas has hired some kind of dialogue director to supervise that respective aspect of the film. If this is true, not only is it the first good decision Lucas has made since 1980, but it's also a potential saving grace in instilling a final breath of fresh air for the franchise.
But I do have one wish, that will most likely go unfulfilled (and I'm about to get geeky on y'all): That Lucas not show Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader. Now, think back to the first time you ever saw The Empire Strikes Back , and the amount of shock that you felt upon hearing the words, " I am your father. " come from Vader's concealed little mouth. Now imagine showing these movies to your kid or kids, in numerical order so as not to confuse the living Hell out of them. That surprise is gone . I mean, come on.
You're putting a little more Hayden Christenson in the DVD release of Jedi , why not trade it off with a little less Hayden in Sith ? Eh, George? George? And, for my last hurrah for the night (or morning, depending if you're anal about that sort of thing&nbsp;or not): Over the past week, Waterfront and Network were not the only classics I had the pleasure of viewing for the first time. For some reason or another, since the beginning of last year I've had a sudden and mysterious obssession with the films of Blake Edwards. The only ones I could get my hands on, via my father's VHS collection, were 10 and A Shot in the Dark , which, of course, left me wanting more.
That's when I discovered that my father had recently acquired the Pink Panther collection, released by MGM for the franchise's 40th anniversary, as well as (most likely) a precursor to Steve Martin's prequel (aptly titled The Pink Panther , due out next year). The collection includes five out of the nine films (not including next year's prequel) - The Pink Panther (1963), A Shot in the Dark (1964), The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), and Trail of the Pink Panther (1982). Now, fans of the series may notice (and most likely all ready have), the absense of two in-between films: Inspector Clouseau (1968) and Return of the Pink Panther (1975) (the other missing installments are Curse of the Pink Panther and Son of the Pink Panther , for obvious reasons). It's undestandable why Clouseau is left out. Because of debates between Edwards and Peter Sellers on the first two films (thank you, bonus DVD), it would be released almost unofficially with Divorce, American Style 's Bud Yorkin directing and Alan Arkin as the famous detective (as of date, it has an average 4.8 grading on IMDb). However, it's a crime that Return was not included.
Not only was it Edwards' and Sellers' return to the franchise, but it's also (from what I've heard) a very funny film, and essential to the series. The reason? Copyrights. Of course, copyrights. The same copyrights that kept MGM from aquiring both Never Say Never Again and 1967's Casino Royale from Warner Bros. and Columbia, respectively. The same copyrights that magically got them The Terminator from Artisan, previously Live Entertainment.
Yes, those copyrights. Well, Jewel Entertainment, the same company that released Revenge of , released Return of in 1975. It's also ironic that the company that currently holds the&nbsp;home video&nbsp;rights to the film just happens to be...Artisan Entertainment. Okay, enough ranting. I'm reviewing the films and then going to bed. Blow by blow: The Pink Panther - I was fortunate enough to have seen Shot before this.
Whereas Shot is a genuine and unrelenting comedy, Panther only has certain funny moments. I hate to say it, but those funny moments are the ones with Sellers, who doesn't really come into the film as a main character until the second half. The first half is funny more in a "This is such an easy target for an Austin Powers film" kind of way than something you would laugh with .&nbsp;Again, the saving grace here is Sellers. In fact, he's the only actor that doesn't have an annoying role in hindsight: David Niven, Capucine, and Robert Wagner are all stereotypes of the sixties class of snob. Overall, a mediocre film, despite the loyalty that's almost mandatory upon a viewing. A Shot in the Dark - Now the real fun begins.
Whereas Panther was almost an overwhelming disappointment, its sequel is the complete opposite. It's ironic that it's one of the only films in the series to not carry the "Pink Panther" monicker, as it truly is the first installment of the series. Not to mention a great film. Everything seems to work: The acting (again, Sellers' especially), Edwards' directing which I've obssessed over all these months, the script (co-written by Exorcist author William Peter Blatty), and the comedy. Surely the best film of the series. The Pink Panther Strikes Again - Although I would like to have reviewed Return of the Pink Panther here, I'll definitely settle with this one.
Whereas A Shot in the Dark is the best film of the Panther series, Strikes Again is by far the funniest. Coincidentally not having a thing to do with the Pink Panther diamond itself, the plot has former Chief Inspector Dreyfus escaping from a mental hospital to exact his revenge on Clouseau. Hilarity ensues so much that I literally could not let up my laughter. Noteable scenes have Clouseau unknowingly escaping the&nbsp;best assassins in the world as they kill each other and attempting to break into an old castle.&nbsp;It's a shame that it's followed by... Revenge of the Pink Panther - The opening has a group of Mafia big shots meeting in Paris, deciding to kill Clouseau to get respect from the Godfather. When watching, I thought the scene was made serious for a reason - Mafiosos deciding to kill a man is rarely humorous.
Not the case. If Edwards and co. were attempting to make this scene funny, I would now understand, having seen the film. Maybe it was the high expectations after Strikes Again , but I'm going to be frank: This film was not funny. At all. I laughed once or twice, and even then, it was a chuckle as opposed to the uproarious laughter from its predecessor. Another interesting note is the apparent failure of Pink Panther's disco era... And finally, Trail of the Pink Panther - This is an outrage.
Plain and simple. For those of you unfamiliar, Sellers passed away from a heart attack in 1980. This film was released in 1982. You do the math. The pacing of the film is interesting to say the least. Clouseau actually disappears 40 minutes into the film, never to be seen again.
Anyone who's ever seen a movie will surely ask, "What the fuck? " The film is the ultimate rip-off. Literally. It was compiled of stock footage and deleted scenes from prior Pink Panther movies. Not to mention there's a scene involving a blind and deaf old maid and a dog, a strange combination previously paired in 10 . But the main question is, why even bother making the film?
Seriously! I can understand trying to honor Sellers' memory, but by this? Anyway, that was my week in movies. Hopefully for all you ADD-stricken people out there, this&nbsp;took longer to type than it does to read.&nbsp;Goodnight. 
