Adam Bertocci laid down on a couch in the basement of Shepard Residential College like he was at a therapy session. He wore a replica of the ring from "The Fellowship of the Ring" around his neck, the chain held together by a safety pin."It's a piece of crap," he admits, "but I'm fond of it."
It's easy to tell where Bertocci's dorm room is because various "Star Wars" posters and magazine articles surround the door. This "Lucasfilm Publicity Shrine" or "The Wall," as it is commonly known, extends four feet on each side.
He's more than just an obsessed movie geek. He's a minor Internet celebrity, with aspirations of becoming an even bigger one. He's been recognized often for his website, which is devoted to the Chopped Off Hands of "Star Wars." Bertocci created it after he noticed that a lot of hands were severed in the series.
"It's the kind of thing that there should be a site for, so I made one," he said.
His site has been mentioned by USA Today Tech's "New and Notable," E! Online's "Top Ten Freakiest Fan Sites", Official Stupid Websites, the Useless Site of the Week, Maxim Online's Stupid Fun section and a journal for people with amputee fetishes.
Bertocci is an RTVF freshman at Northwestern, minoring in creative writing. His love of movies, particularly "Ghostbusters" and the "Star Wars" series defines most of his life.
He first saw "Star Wars" at age eight, when his sister brought it to entertain him while babysitting him. He was confused by the movie being "Episode IV," believing his sister brought him the wrong movie in the series.
Years later he saw the special editions of the movies and actually understood them. He was hooked. He remembers seeing "The Empire Strikes Back" and being sure that Darth Vader was lying about being Luke's father. He rushed to see "Return of the Jedi" to find out and cried at the ending.
Bertocci even got emotional at the end of "Episode I: The Phantom Menace." He defends this, saying that even "bad Star Wars still kicks other movies' asses."
In 11th grade, he and some friends spent seven months making a Star Wars' fan-film about Obi-Wan Kenobi entitled, "Young Jedi: High School Student." He played Obi-Wan. Many people confuse his film with another parody called "American Jedi" that was filled with "American Pie" jokes. His film was longer, had more special effects and was sweeter.
Bertocci is counting down the days until May 16, the release of "Episode II: Attack of the Clones." He wrestles with the temptation to surf the Internet for spoilers.
In spite of Bertocci's passion for these films, "Ghostbusters" is still his all-time favorite movie. He got hooked through the ‘80s cartoon series, and then one day discovered there was a movie. As a kid, he latched onto the super- hero plot of the story. Only years later did he understand that it was a comedy.
When first asked what he will do when he graduates, Bertocci says, "starve." Beyond that he plans to primarily write, preferring the creative and design work.
"I like having the idea and letting someone else play with it," Bertocci said, "but I also like playing with other people's ideas. I'll probably end up directing to protect my own work. Writers tend to get screwed."
Tuesday was the first showing of the "My Favorite Movie," put on by Studio 22, the NU student film production company. Bertocci stood outside Annie Mae Swift Hall wearing combat boots, a tan flight suit with highly recognizable patches, a rubber glove and a proton pack replica. He was ready to watch "Ghostbusters" on the big screen for the first time.
He told the group of about 20 people how he'd loved the movie since he was a kid, how the horrible script was saved through improvisation and how the movie was so original that it was ripped off many times, even by its director.
"Comedy is best when you truly care about the characters," Bertocci concluded.
He took off his heavy proton pack, laid it on the stage and sat down in the front row, happier than anyone else in the room.
Karin Kowalski has it on faith that there is something strange in your neighborhood. E-mail her at k-kowalski@northwestern.edu
