Progress for the month of March

I'm very excited to say that I've made significant progress this month - as far as reading and movie watching is concerned. I was able to breeze through quite a bit of Star Wars literature in the past 30 or so days, so let's break it down:

The Courtship of Princess Leia - Abridged audio book
-It was ok. I have waited years to read it, but was expecting more. I should go back and read it though.-

Shatterpoint - Unabridged audio book
-Great story. Pretty dark, though I found some points repetitive. It was cool to see some of Mace Windu's story.-

Vader's Quest - 4 issue Trade Paperback collection
-Retro art, which felt like the old Star Wars Marvel comic days. I liked the idea of the story, but the execution, and ending was disappointing. I also didn't like what it seemed to do to the Star Wars continuity.-

Star Wars: Republic - 83 comic book issues
-AMAZING series. There were perhaps only 2 issues that I felt were on the dull side, but other than that it an epic piece of Star Wars literature. Spanning the pre-Clone Wars era to slightly right after, it introduced characters and events that I will forever consider part of the Star Wars story.-

Star Wars: Obsession - 5 comic book issues
-One of very few times that I was so emotionally invested in a comic book that I was getting choked up near the end. Obi-Wan seemed a little "off" at first, but the story turned around by the 3rd issue into something very interesting and compelling.-

Star Wars: Dark Times - 17 comic book issues
-This is THE BEST storyline that I've read since the days of the Thrawn Trilogy, Jedi Academy Trilogy, and Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy. This is a different kind of Star Wars though, one that is dark, gritty, and depressing. This is the aftermath of the Clone Wars, it's implications on the newly inducted Imperial leaders, Darth Vader's relationship with the Emporer, fleeing Jedi who begin to create their own "Jedi Code", and many victims who find themselves in the middle of these events. If George Lucas does attempt to do a live-action Star Wars show that takes place during this time, I can ONLY HOPE that it has a similar feel to this. It truly was a grim time for the galaxy. Also, Dark Horse comics has recently announced that they are gearing up to release the next batch of issues for this ongoing storyline.-

Purge - 3 comic book issues
-Each issue is it's own self contained story about Darth Vader hunting down the remnants of the Jedi Order. For the most part, I'm liking these, as well as any of the Dark Time Era Darth Vader stories.-

Star Wars: Empire - 40 comic book issues
-Great storyline overall, though it really got good as it neared the end. The Biggs storyline was excellent, and Tank's story is tragic though also very heartfelt. You find yourself rooting for the Imperials, before having to plant your feet back on the ground and tell yourself that they're the bad guys.-

Star Wars: Rebellion - 17 comic book issues
-This series started off on the groundwork laid out by Star Wars: Empire, with the "My Brother, My Enemy" storyline. EXCELLENT piece of Star Wars storytelling. However, I hated the "Ahakista Gambit", which dragged on and on. Couldn't wait for it to end after that.-

Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire - 4 comic book issues
-It had it's moments. I really didn't care for the artwork. I enjoyed the second half a lot more, as well as how Boba Fett gets himself out of a deadly situation.-

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As for movies, I got a little into Alfred Hitchcock this past month.

Vertigo
-Watched this and said, I'm going to keep watching Hitchcock this month. GREAT movie with a hell of a twist, followed by another, and...-

Rear Window
-Which was so great that I went out and bought the 2-Disc version.-

North by Northwest
-Again, very good. The climax atop Mount Rushmore is epic even by today's standards.-

The Birds
-My girlfriend kept saying, where are the birds? The movie is a slow burn, which focuses on developing the characters first. The payoff when the birds finally arrive and cause havoc is worth it. I enjoyed the previous three films a lot more though.-

Alfred Hitchcock Presents - about 10 episodes or so
-Favorite episodes were "Revenge", "The Creeper", "Breakdown", "The Waxwork", and "The Night The World Ended". EXCELLENT show that I will continue watching. It's very much in the same vein as The Twilight Zone and the Night Gallery, but without the supernatural/otherworldly elements.-

Rubber
-A film about a self-aware tire with psychokinesis who goes on a killing spree. While I was really looking forward to this, the execution of it left me SEVERELY disappointed. There were references back to a crowd of spectators and a meta-movie subplot that I felt really messed up the pacing of the overall movie. It's fine if this subplot was the main point of the movie, but I didn't like how much they tried to hit you over the head with it. Ten minutes into the movie I was already saying, "OK! I GET IT ALREADY!"

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For the next month I'm already starting to read "Heir to the Empire", and I'm about halfway through it. If I remember and make time, I will probably update this again in a few weeks to track my progress.