Raphael Tehan sends this:

Since I haven't noticed it listed at your site, I thought I'd give heads-up that the June issue of Premiere USA is out now, at least on newsstands here in Los Angeles. Natalie Portman is featured on the cover, with a wide-ranging article about her within, but more specifically, there is a detailed 9-page article about Episode II within, written by Cheo Hodari Coker, the writer of Premiere's Phantom Menace article in 1999.

But perhaps most interestingly of all, the editorial page ("Backstory") features a kind of full-page interview with Coker himself, which basically mimes the other reviews we've seen -- Phantom Menace a "disappointment", "Attack of the Clones" the Redemption of George. Coker saw the first twenty minutes on his visit to the Ranch.

Here's a quote from the editorial:

"Lucas insisted to me that he listened only to his vision, that he wasn't affected by people's negative reaction to "EPISODE I", and that "II" was a kids movie. But the footage I saw addresses virtually every complaint fans had and gives them what they want -- more Jedi, more action, and a climactic moment with Hayden Christensen's character (which I won't reveal) that will make more than one fan go, 'Damn!' "

And a fantastic quote from Sam Jackson:

"The clones are the bomb. George is having fun -- he heard the criticism, but he understands where he's going and where he needs to go. It's like he said, 'I know how to make a hard "Star Wars".' And I think that's what we've got here."

Basically that means TWO cover articles this time round for Episode II from USA Premiere. Interesting.

It should also be noted, that in Premiere's "Summer Movie Preview" article also in the new June issue, "Attack of the Clones" tops their list of biggest summer movies, with a North American gross estimate of $350 million (with "Spider-Man" at #2 with a guess at $250 million).

Fanning the flames further for all this Spidey vs. Padme business.

UPDATE! Raphael returns with scans. They were taken by a digital camera, but you get the point.

Cover
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