Written by Staff Writer
The holidays can be a marathon not a sprint — and Yoda, from Star Wars, knew the drill.
As everyone celebrates the victory of good over evil, one of the most powerful Jedi master saw that the Force had gone awry. He was too fast for his own good and long gone before Han Solo could save him.
Before we get into this week’s slate of new release (starring Benedict Cumberbatch) and documentaries (with Stanley Kubrick ) let’s look back on Yoda as a memorable bit of Star Wars iconography.
Let’s go to the tapes
“Yoda: A Fan’s Quest for the Last Jedi” — 6 p.m. EST, Sunday, May 6, ET/PT
This is the Disney film that chronicles a quest to find out if Yoda was actually born 200 years earlier than canon allows.
The journey was funded and conceived by a 33-year-old former radio journalist who came up with the idea in 2012 as a means to satisfy his own fascination with the powerful character.
His biggest obstacle? Finding enough images and other evidence to show Yoda’s cycle of birth.
Speaking of which, didn’t we hear about that?
“Yoda: A Fan’s Quest for the Last Jedi” — 6 p.m. EST, Monday, May 7, ET/PT
Since its debut, the movie has been a viral sensation. Despite never having had a theatrical release, the film is garnering mass attention through video clips, memes and other reactions posted by visitors to YouTube.
“Yoda: A Fan’s Quest for the Last Jedi” airs on ESPN+.
The King of 10-Minute Movies
“Stanley Kubrick: Interviews and Supervisions” — 10 p.m. EST, Sunday, May 13, ET/PT
As a talented and prolific filmmaker, Kubrick pushed our notions of filmmaking.
By so many accounts, he wanted to push the limits and create the filmic equivalent of art for art’s sake.
With his highly praised 1971 film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” he dared a small slice of moviegoers to see past the narrative tricks. For many it transformed them to believe in the impossible.
The one thing he didn’t dare to do was to release a documentary-type movie for the masses. Instead, he chose to make two different films that focused on a limited number of subjects and subjects, respectively, and spread the rewards around.
“Stanley Kubrick: Interviews and Supervisions” — 9 p.m. EST, Tuesday, May 15, ET/PT
“Stanley Kubrick: Interviews and Supervisions” — 9 p.m. EST, Wednesday, May 16, ET/PT