Julia Starchild: The Past and the Future and the Importance of STAR WARS
Stephen Romano
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The story of Julia Starchild is the story of us all. That’s not some funny metaphor, either—I really mean that Julia is the story of us all. What you will find when you read about these films and the people who made them is a reflection and a cautionary word. It’s a look into another universe, sure—but it’s also a universe of real, human possibilities, and family that transcends time and space. That said, I’m not gonna get anymore philosophical/analytical than that about my own work. Because, let’s face it, there’s nothing more ponderous than an artist who can’t shut up about how awesome he is. For those of you who came in late, the Julia Starchild film series doesn’t technically exist, but the story exeists, and I hope you’ll enjoy it. There’s one final epilogue chapter this week, which you can read by clicking Julia’s name BELOW:
We began this nutty journey a little over a month ago, and now that we’ve finally come to the end, I’d like to share with you one final, very interesting tale which intersects and informs Julia’s. Obviously, a great deal of what this whole thing is about turns somewhat on the whole Star Wars thing, which carries its own special brand of magic, embraced by millions the world over. It has been embraced so much, in fact, that the fans of these films are as protective of their beliefs as almost any other religion you can name. People are down with the Force. People go to the mat for the love of Darth Vader. And when things need to happen, you can be damn sure that they will make these things happen, by hook or by crook.
One such dedicated group of fans is called Team Negative One, who I am paying tribute to this week with an ALL-NEW Star Wars poster, which celebrates the original 1977 film in all its full-on UNTAMPERED WITH glory. See, I was just like these guys. I was there in the 1970s to see this magic when it first happened. We don’t need no stinkin’ Special Editions. I’ll not tell you why Team Negative One’s mission is so important,, nor will I even explain what it is, due to certain gray areas in copyright law governing such things, except to say . . . if you happen to be a big fan of Star Wars, and you happen to be interested in seeing how the films were made back before digital technology was almost non-existent . . . well, then, you need to do the Google and learn about these guys. They are doing God’s work, not only for the die hards, but for the ongoing preservation of film history.
See, kids, that’s also a big part of what Julia Starchild has been about. I am (hopefully) giving you a sort of rock and roll insider’s glimpse into how weird the process of making movies actually is—and into the weirder versions of it that existed back in the days before Digital. You couldn’t dial stuff up on a laptop back then. It all had to be handcrafted. Everything was photochemically made in big labs, then printed out on big reels and literally taped together. When Star Wars was first made, it was the most sophisticated use of special effects ever in a film. It was the first time computers were used to assist the process. Those computers were used only to map the moves of actual cameras with actual film in them—and those cameras filmed actual models and stop-motion puppets. This was the moment when everything in genre film exploded—from sci-fi to horror, from horror to fantasy, from fantasy to thrillers. And so on. It is history. It must be preserved.
And so here is my tribute to that:
Seek out Team Negative One. It’s important.
And remember that this stuff might have begun with Star Wars, but it continued throughout the years that followed, with shockwaves that penetrated every single aspect of motion picture production. It also encouraged wild new ideas and films that dared to dream bigger, badder, weirder. That is also Julia’s story and Julia’s message. Her final film was actually a spinoff, looking toward the brave new millennium with a whole new take on the character and the mythos, through a very different lens. Released direct-to-video in 1995 at the peak of the VHS age, it was buried amongt the rubble of rental throwaways that lined shelves in those days . . . but I’m here to tell you, that’s where a lot of amazing films thrived. Some say it was an elephant graveyard. I say it was lair of silver and gold. Some truly amazing genre films that truly challenged the status quo came out of that period, and you can still seek some of them out. A few of them are:
Split. Mind-bending cyberpunk/thriller/art film that borders on complete insanity, disguised as genius revolutionary rumination. Both horrifying and intellectually gripping in equal measure, produced on a shoestring in 1989, this was probably the wackiest example of “those who dared to dream” and is bolder and bigger than most movies with a few hundred times the budget. See it HERE.
A Bucket Of Blood Aka. The Death Artist. Almost a verbatim remake of Roger Corman’s classic 1959 thriller comedy, featuring early turns by Will Ferrell, David Cross and a scene stealing supporting performance by veteran exploitation trailer narrator Shadoe Stevens. (He did Switchblade Sisters AND Catholic High School Girls In Trouble!) Plus, Anthony Michael hall as a psychotic sculptor and Justine Bateman as a Spanish coffee house regular. An amazing trainwreck and a fascinating curio. Find it HERE.
Star Quest: Beyond The Rising Moon. Dedicated old school visual effects do-it-yoursefers from nowhere produced this insanely ambitious space opera for almost no money at all in 1987, proving that when man’s reach exceeds his imagination, great things can sometimes happen. They followed up in 1992 with the equally ambitious Invader. Ironically, Star Quest was later given a sort of George Lucas “Special Edition” makeover and is now called Outerworld. Seek out the original version HERE.
Nemesis. Albert Pyun’s penny-pinching cyberpunk beefcake extravaganza is still notable for its berserk John Woo-inspired action sequences and any-damn-thing-you-like plot, which attempts to work just about all the ideas from every other awesome movie into the mix, from Blade Runner to Escape from New York. They don’t make B-movies like this anymore and it’s a damn shame. See it HERE.
The Dark Backward. Cult Director Adam Rifkin’s notorious sleazebag sci-fi otherworld rumination on fame, freaks and necrophiliaic accordion players still packs a subvesvive punch since its initial release in 1991. It grins with the innocence of a new kid at school, and burns like Pee Wee Hermann’s girlfriend fucking some homeless bum. The film is almost a close cousin to Jim Muro’s immortal Street Trash, dirty and and lowdown and kind of brilliant around the edges. See it HERE.
Starchild Sarah would have joined the ranks of these somewhat lost low-budget classics, slumming in the same tranches of shopworn mediocrity and genuine genius. Many of these films weren’t great because they were original, mind you—they were great because they were just, well, great. If that meant you stood back and belly-laughed at what fools were behind the cameras, that was fine. If you really took something away from the experience, well that was fine too. Nobody can say it didn’t mean anything. Because it did. And today, it all continues into the future.
So respect the past.
Julia and Sarah will love you for it.
Peace in the galaxy.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: These posters are intended as FAN ART only and is designed to be shared, for free, for anyone who wants to own it for themselves. Download it, tell your friends, spread the galactic love! And CLICK HERE to jump to my website and read all about Julia!
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