Omaha, NE IF YOU LOVE STAR WARS GET YOUR *** TO THE MALL SUNDAY AT 1PM

No disrespect to BanthaGirl's post, but I just had to give this one another title.

INDIAN HILLS *IS* STAR WARS!!!!! There is not another theatre ANYWHERE that I think holds as much Star Wars history as Indian Hills does. (Mann's Chinese not withstanding.)

Along with BanthaGirl, I too saw Jedi opening weekend at that theatre. I remember being eight years old and waiting in line for HOURS until finally getting in to the last show of the evening. Sitting by myself (I was an old soul at that age) I remember the POWER of the moment when my favorite character redeemed himself by returning to the Light Side and killing his Dark Master. I remember the TEARS RUNNING DOWN MY FACE when Luke stared off into the distance and saw his Father re-united with his Jedi brothers.

Now, Jedi is NOT my favorite film in the Saga. It is next to last in front of Phantom Menace. But that movie, TOO, holds a significant memory for me at Indian Hills.

I was working as a projectionist at the time that TPM was released and even though I had seen the movie four times by the time that it would play the midnight show at Indian Hills, I stood outside along with everyone else and WAITED TO GET INTO THAT MIDNIGHT SHOW to be with my Star Wars Brothers and Sisters. I remember seeing my little brother hopping up and over those same concrete slabs that I had hopped up and over those sixteen years earlier for ROTJ, brandishing his Jedi weapon and projecting himself into that Galaxy Far, Far Away. The feeling of pride at being able to share with him the JOY of such a moment. Seeing the TEARS in my sister's eyes as the entire audience roared with applause at those two bright yellow words projected against the starlit background; that familiar blast of welcome John Williams brilliance tearing out of the killer sound system. And this is a sister who up until that moment HATED Star Wars and all of the "geeks" who adored it so. She was so caught up in OUR moment. Our moment of Star Wars Geek Passion, that for one fleeting moment of being ripped out of her N'Sync infested world, she UNDERSTOOD.

And let us not forget the Special Edition New Hope release. Planning to get my brother out of school at around one in the afternoon in order to line up. Thinking for some strange reason that that would be plenty early to get tickets, even though the little voice in the back of my head that *knew* was telling me to get my butt there early. Driving by the Indian Hills at around 8:30am after just dropping him off at school, only to see that PEOPLE WERE ALREADY THERE LINING UP!!! Turning right around to back and pick him up and get OUR butts in line.

Just these AMAZING, AMAZING memories that are to be WIPED away and turned into a PARKING LOT???????

Pardon my language, but this has just been KILLING ME!!!

SO HERE IS MY PLEA.....

IF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A TRUE STAR WARS FAN AND SAW *ANY* OF THE FILMS AT INDIAN HILLS, I URGE YOU TO GET DOWN TO GENE LAHEY (sp?) MALL AND SUPPORT THIS DEMONSTRATION!!!! JUST DO IT!!! IF YOU ARE FREE AND AT HOME SITTING ON YOUR BUTT WHEN THIS IS GOING ON, THEN YOU HAVE "NO" BUSINESS CALLING YOURSELF A STAR WARS FAN.

Point Blank.

Please excuse me this lengthy post and understand that it comes from a love of film, a love of Star Wars and a love of childhood. This is the LAST theatre, other than Dundee, that I have left from my childhood building blocks to my current love of the world of film. It may seem very small and petty to some, and to those of you that take any offense to anything that I have said.....I don't apologize. Because this is true, and from the heart.

Without a love and respect for the past--for history--there is no future. And Indian Hills is a part of my past, a part of Star Wars past, and a part of Omaha's past. And I do NOT want to see it be a part of Omaha's history.

Think about that first time you saw Star Wars...and then think about what you were doing on Sunday, June 24th at 1pm.

Peace and love.

-- Rusty aka TheStarKiller

EDIT: Profanity Removed
EDIT2: Mo