Happy “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opening week, everyone!  

The release of the long-anticipated J.J. Abrams Star Wars film is finally here. I’ll admit that I did not grow up with Star Wars as a kid (Dad…what happened?). Yet, I’ve grown to recognize and appreciate its cinematic importance, and of course its overall awesomeness, over the last few years. In preparation for the new release, my goal is to re-watch all the Star Wars films.

If I still have your interest, I would like to point out that there are actually eight films to watch. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Episodes I-VI,” and Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 film, “The Hidden Fortress.” “The Hidden Fortress” and Kurosawa’s body of work played a major role in the creation of Star Wars. I found a video from CineFix that explains how “The Hidden Fortress” is responsible for Star Wars.  The video uses hand-drawn visuals and presents the history in a quick-paced, nerdy, funny and factual fashion. So, watch the video and impress your friends with how smart you are.

The Hidden Fortress is available on Hulu! Check it out. Also, I decided to include my ideal Christmas card this year.

Happy Holidays! Love, Akira and George