STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: THE NIGHT SISTERS OF DATHOMIR

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Thursday, 21 March 2013

THE CLONE WARS: A QUICK CAPTURE...

Obi-Wan and Anakin are apprehended by warriors of the Dathomir Sisterhood, in a scene from the classic Season Three episode of THE CLONE WARS: Witches of the Mist.

Monday, 22 October 2012

THE CLONE WARS SEASON FOUR - AFICIONADO's TOP FIVE EPISODES. NUMBER FIVE: 'MASSACRE'

Asajj Ventress leads her sisters into battle in THE CLONE WARS Season Four episode Massacre.

The Fourth Season of THE CLONE WARS makes its Force-ful impact on Blu-ray and DVD from this week and, as is customary this time of year to tie-in with the most-welcome release, STAR WARS AFICIONADO presents its top five pick of favourite episodes from 2011/2012. Starting from the bottom up (and that's not in the derogatory sense!), there were so many episodes worthy of position five: the fun of wayward buddies Artoo and Threepio in Nomad Droids, the exciting climactic episode of the Mon Calamari saga, Prisoners, and the return of the Death Watch in A Friend in Need, but the zombie-fied action fest of Katie Lucas's episode 19, Massacre, won the day, and here's five accompanying reasons why...

1. General Grievous stamps back. Having been quite soundly and controversially defeated earlier in the season by the brave Captain Tarpals and the Gungans in the Naboo set Shadow Warrior, cyborg wheezer General Grievous, as always well vocaled by Matthew Wood, gets to reclaims his mettle, evil mojo and deadly skills in this episode as an effective and bloodthirsty leader of the Separatist Droid Armies, under orders from Count Dooku and going into tyrannical battle against the supernatural talents of the Nightsisters of Dathomir. Lightsaber waving and back stabbingly back to his best, Grievous is right at the centre of the STAR WARS Prequel evil-dom in some terrific killing machine action sequences within the visual storytelling, of which, by its big body count end, you kind of feel sorry for the many defeated young Nightsister warriors, alive and dead, that have fallen under his bladework.

2. Sorcery, witchcraft, voodoo and sympathetic magic. An arena that the STAR WARS live action films stayed away from, but which has gone on to enjoy great success within the animated storytelling of THE CLONE WARS in recent seasons, most notably developed by series staff writer Katie Lucas. It's also proved a fine and handy plot device capable of bringing popular saga characters back from the dead, too, like maniac torso Darth Maul, and awakening the skills and physical powers of new ones, like Savage Opress, used as a most lethal and brutal weapon against Count Dooku by his sworn revenge-fuelled enemies Mother Talzin and Asajj Ventress. This time around, Talzin uses her incredible gifts, and some of Dooku's previously kept genetic material, to unleash a deadly spell on him via a voodoo doll, attacking the Sith Master from within his luxurious home world property on Serenno. Dooku almost succumbs to their deadly powers of mental attack and sympathetic magic, his streamlined evil face suffering the worst case of bubonic plague spots I've ever seen, but he eventually manages to fight back against such considerable powers in a very well handled sequence from director Steward Lee, which proves a testament to the Count's faith in the Force and as a dark servant of the Sith.

3. The destiny of Asajj Ventress. Ahoskas' favourite "hairless harpie" had a pretty rough time of it last season three (all together now: ahhhh...). She was once Count Dooku's golden girl: his most experienced and vital killing machine and Sith wannabe during the beginning of The Clone Wars, then he was forced to abandon her on the orders of the shadowy presence of Darth Sidious, presuming her dead in battle against determined Jedi foes Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi. Returned to her adopted home world on Dathomir and back into the bosom of the witch sisterhood that natured her, Ventress would regain her independent lady fire and chose a new pawn which she herself could train and control in revenge against Dooku. But her plans went awry when the unleashed Frankenstein of hers and Mother Talzin's creation- Savage Opress- proved to have reins too difficult to master, and once more tasting defeat returning home to lick her wounds and rejoin the sisterhood. Now, cataclysmic events destroy everything she once held dear, and Ventress is forced out in to the stars in exile, when General Grievous and an overwhelming droid force delivers the ultimate payback on her world and people on Dooku's behalf. In many ways, series writer Katie Lucas has become the creative alter ego for Ventress, putting her into many intriguing dramatic new scenarios which have enriched and deepened the red lightsaber wielding character beyond her original days as a fierce but slightly underdeveloped action figure for our heroes to fight in the shows early season. From the end of Massacre onwards, Ventress becomes a bounty hunter for hire at the edge of the galaxy, seemingly becoming more at one with herself and her past, as a series of events leading to the return of the savage and unpredictable Darth Maul see her form some intriguing new partnerships from Season Five onwards...

4. The Army of the Dead. Michael Jackson's Thriller gets a whole new interpretation in the STAR WARS universe as the ground of Dathomir shakes and the rotting corpses come out to play against the heavily armed forces of the Separatists in a classic sequence. Some of the impressive sequences here reminded me of the Pygmy mummies, whose appearance in the jungle sequences of THE MUMMY RETURNS certainly enlivened that film greatly in my opinion, as they wreaked havoc on our heroes and villains. And I loved the similar looking creatures appearing in this episode, as the little female devils, with their eerie and childlike disintegrated forces ran enthusiastically into battle destroying droids left, right and centre. If only these gals had been in RETURN OF THE JEDI instead of the Ewoks! Ultimately, the only creature that proves unstoppable to them is General Grievous, whose lightsaber skills and combat dexterity prove too great to circumvent.

5. Back to Dathomir. Amongst the many varied worlds old and new making their appearance in THE CLONE WARS Season Four, Dathomir is one of the former that's great to see again, as the series continues to refine and further develop worlds we never got to see in the live action universe. After its moodily effective debut in Season Three's finale episodes, the mysterious and misty red skied world-the ultimate Halloween environment- gets to show more locales and civilisation history amongst this adventure's well-staged and exciting action, horror and visual comedy moments. Surely, the writer, director Steward Lee and the animation designers have never had so much funny using the various old and new locale palettes available to them to mix classic STAR WARS adrenaline action with creepy scares.

An extended directors cut of Massacre can be found on the new THE CLONE WARS: THE COMPLETE SEASON FOUR Blu-ray and DVD sets. Get yours here:

Star Wars Clone Wars - Season 4 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Film & TV

Star Wars Clone Wars - Season 4 Blu-ray Region Free: Amazon.co.uk: Film & TV

Saturday, 29 January 2011

"CLONE WARS" PREVIEW: "WITCHES OF THE MIST"

The very nice people at SKY MOVIES have sent us their latest press release for the new episode this week showing exclusively in the UK on SKY MOVIES PREMIERE and HD.

Here's the info:

The Must-See Conclusion to an Epic Three-Part Clone Wars Arc

Sent to track down the mysterious figure behind the deaths of several Jedi, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi find themselves on the trail of Count Dooku’s newest apprentice – the monstrous Savage Opress. However, Dooku and Asajj Ventress discover that their creation has a will of his own, and that he has grown more powerful than either of them had anticipated – perhaps even more powerful than the combined forces of the Jedi and the Sith. The end begins in “Witches of the Mist,” the final chapter of a thrilling, three-part Clone Wars arc – airing at 5.30pm Saturday 29th January on Sky Movies Premiere/HD.

Driven by the Machiavellian machinations of Count Dooku, the series’ various villains come face to face at last in a climactic clash of red sabers. Dooku, Opress and Ventress – all are manifestations of evil, yet each is so distinct. It’s not until these three titans are brought together in the heat of conflict, however, that their nuances and differences become truly clear.

“With Dooku, the series' direction is pushing his character more towards that of a masterful diplomat, concealing a sinister agenda beneath a veil of polite sophistication,” says Corey Burton, voice of Dooku – and countless other Clone Wars characters, both good and evil. “He's a subversive political overlord – a major marketing force and seducer for the dark side ‘brand.’ It's all about his personal enrichment, power and position within the hierarchy; there's nothing intentionally cruel or vengeful in his manner, or behind his dastardly actions – as a Sith Lord, it's just how things are done to most efficiently preside over the fate of the galaxy. Mustache-twirling displays are beneath his sense of dignity.”

While Dooku is as consumed by his quest for power as he is by his own sense of sophistication, Ventress is wholly unconcerned by the niceties of evil. Driven by a desire for revenge, her motivation is raw and real – a product and a reflection of her own difficult past.

“She’s been wronged by so many, and I believe her experiences will lead her in an even more powerful direction,” says Nika Futterman, voice of Ventress. “We are finally beginning to understand what makes Asajj tick; I think this is her quest for revenge and not power like the Sith. That’s what separates her. She does things that may seem like her quest for power, but, I think she aligned herself with the dark side as a means to an end. She doesn’t ever forget who has done right by her and, of course, who has done her wrong. All this time, I had hoped that I would be able to delve into what made her so fabulous and complex. It turns out my hopes are coming true!”

Serving as a foil for the final confrontation between the former master and his jilted apprentice is the massively powerful Opress. Ostensibly a blunt instrument of evil, the monstrous creation is nonetheless imbued with a perverse humanity of his own – brought to the surface by sharp writing and a soulful performance by screen legend Clancy Brown (Highlander, The Shawshank Redemption).

“I'd been a fan of The Clone Wars since the first season; and then caught up with the second season with my son,” says Brown. “He was excited because it was Star Wars and I was excited about the role not just because it was in the Star Wars universe but because the writing is so sophisticated. There was never any question from me about Savage's motives and what was going on because I was familiar with the characters, and you can go another layer deeper.”

Saturday, 20 November 2010

THE CLONE WARS: INTRODUCING SAVAGE OPRESS!

2011 will no doubt be the year of Savage Opress!

Note: This feature contains possible SPOILERS

Savage Opress. He's not just your "average horny little devil." He wants to spill blood. Blood, in particular, that belongs to the Jedi Knights.

Trouble with a capital T!

When Ray Park's indomitable and terrifying destructive force, Darth Maul, met his final end - sliced in half by Ewan McGregor's Force intuitive Obi-Wan Kenobi in one of THE PHANTOM MENACE's greatest scenes (which we can't wait to see in 3D. Take that, Mister Simon Pegg!) - audiences around the world were thrilled yet disappointed to see that he had been killed off so quickly and would not return for more high octane action. So, Opress, one of Maul's equally highly trained brothers, is George Lucas, his daughter Kaite, and Dave Filoni's attempts, which will be very successful, to try to atone for the fall of the earlier Zabrakian, and we're sure all kinds of hell will be following within his large shadow when he, a chaos causing gift to Count Dooku by the Night Sisters of Dathomir, eventually takes on the Republic forces for numerous acts of Sith propelled slaughter. There are also rumours floating about on cyberpace - and please take them with a pinch of salt - that Ahsoka may eventually (and we're talking at the end of the animated series entire run) fall victim to this new warrior, of which her death will propel Anakin further to his destiny with the Dark Side as he surely gets his revenge! Of these rumours, I can only quote Qui-Gon Jinn: "Be wary!"