DarthAstuart

User Group: Members
Join date: 16-Jun-2005
Last activity: 10-Oct-2005
Posts: 122

Post History

Post: #117504
Topic: I haven't watched a SW movie since midnight ROTS
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/117504/action/topic#117504
Time: 22-Jun-2005 10:23 AM

i think TPM is an abomination, and AOTC is a huge disappointment. the prequels overall broke my heart...i'm assuming that's not "taking it too seriously" in a place like this.

however, right now, i do like ROTS a lot. i think THIS movie comes closest to replicating a little of the crazy swashbuckle and fun that the original trilogy had, even if it also offers the most intense and powerful sequences in any SW film. it worked for me--it was by no means perfect, but to me, other than ESB, none of them are.

but the OT is universally so fun and great and exciting and mind-blowing that I forgive its faults to savor the many great things. i can't do that with TPM or AOTC, but I think I will be able to do that with ROTS.

then again, I liked both previous prequels before their video releases, so who knows.

Post: #117501
Topic: 12+ hour Star Wars Saga Marathon?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/117501/action/topic#117501
Time: 22-Jun-2005 10:12 AM

i'm not 100% sure but i'm pretty sure it's documented somewhere that Lucas made up the Luke/Leia thing specifcially for Jedi. so when yoda says "no, there is another," i always got the sense that Lucas was just riffing there, leaving a big question/doorway open for possible use in Jedi.

and as I'm fascinated by this opinion that empire is just "okay" and the only good movie was ANH, i'll bite: exactly what about Empire made the story require less imagination? if anything, i've always felt empire is the ideal example of a sequel that expands a film universe instead of reducing it through cliche and repetition.

Post: #117229
Topic: ***The ADigitalMan non-Star Wars DVD Info and Feedback Thread***
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/117229/action/topic#117229
Time: 21-Jun-2005 6:35 PM

i would love to see the TV edit of the first two Godfather films somehow make it onto DVD...with that VHS copy or even the laserdisc, it'd be a simple matter of ripping it onto a computer and making it available. no edits necessary.

i have no equipment or knowledge to do any of this, like many others here I'm sure, so I'll just voice my support for such a project, and continue waiting patiently for the unrivaled greatness to come from the many fantastic fans and editors here!

Post: #117222
Topic: Box Set Sleeve
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/117222/action/topic#117222
Time: 21-Jun-2005 5:47 PM

also, any rave reviews from those who've purchased cases from paul champagne? they look rad, but I can't find any pictures of the actual cases, just the pics that seem like design mock-ups on his website...

Post: #117296
Topic: 12+ hour Star Wars Saga Marathon?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/117296/action/topic#117296
Time: 21-Jun-2005 3:46 PM

at this point, i'd probably watch Balance of the Force, then eps II thru VI.

unless i'm someplace where others have put on the PT, i hope never to watch the actual EpI again. (I have to watch EpII as-is cause I need Dooku to be a sith to enjoy ROTS...until MagFan's next edit of course.)

Post: #117227
Topic: Earliest TV or Movie Memories
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/117227/action/topic#117227
Time: 21-Jun-2005 12:28 PM

my first moviegoing memory is Return of the Jedi, memorial day weekend, 1983. we waited in line forever to get in, and the theater was PACKED.

anyway, when R2 gets zapped on Endor, i remember the entire audience gasping. like they were terrified. i'll never forget that moment--it taught me instantly about the power of film, and more importantly, the power of STAR WARS.

Post: #117189
Topic: Most Powerful Quote in all the Star Wars films.
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/117189/action/topic#117189
Time: 21-Jun-2005 10:03 AM

"luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."

gets me every time. although it's been shit upon a bit by the midichlorians. lucas will probably SE it to "luminous beings are we, with tiny microscopic googaws coursing through our crude matter."

(although greencapt has a pretty good one in "Directed by Irvin Kershner"...i'd add "Written by Lawrence Kasdan" to that list too)

Post: #117188
Topic: how long does it take to train a jedi?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/117188/action/topic#117188
Time: 21-Jun-2005 9:52 AM

yeah, the time issue in ESB is tricky--for me, fudging it to a few weeks works. luckily, i love that movie so i'm willing to cut it plenty of breaks.

i personally think yoda and obi-wan intentionally compacted and reduced the level of training for Luke in reponse to what they probably saw as the decay of the jedi order thanks to hubris and arrogance. i like to think they thought that training Luke in a more vague and general way would contribute to his appreciation and awe toward the Force and his powers, as opposed to the Jedi of the past, who knew the Force so well and studied so much that they almost took it for granted.

Post: #116894
Topic: The Official babyhum Release Thread
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/116894/action/topic#116894
Time: 20-Jun-2005 7:24 PM

hey gang--wanted to get some quick feedback here...

for the NTSC peops in da house...how do you deal with these? do you own a cheapie player that will handle PAL? is it easy to convert them?

i did a bit of research into converting PAL to NTSC and it seemed very complicated.

i should probably collect these just for the day when I have a cheapie that can play PAL, as they seem like AWESOME releases.

i'd be interested to hear feedback from others who are collecting them on how they deal with the PAL vs. NTSC issue. thanks, and HUGE thanks to babyhum for all this great work!

Post: #117021
Topic: One question to ask George?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/117021/action/topic#117021
Time: 20-Jun-2005 7:22 PM

i'd ask him for a couple million bucks.

Post: #116805
Topic: Why Direct?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/116805/action/topic#116805
Time: 20-Jun-2005 7:43 AM

i have no evidence to back this up, but my feeling is that lucas probably meant to only direct the first one, and when he realized how the new technology made it much smoother for him to direct than the older FX tech used on the first three films, he was able to actually relax and have fun with it, and so pushed on to direct all three.

too bad he's only directed one halfway decent one, though...

Post: #116266
Topic: ***The "Darth Editous" Episode IV DVD Info and Feedback Thread*** - a partially "de-specialed" DVD
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/116266/action/topic#116266
Time: 17-Jun-2005 9:24 PM

i realize many have asked and many surely want this, but I would love an NTSC copy and will gladly burn five copies to "pay forward" to other folks if someone will send me one copy. (i'm assuming it's single-layer.)

PM me if there's a kind soul willing to help out. thanks!

Post: #116263
Topic: Ideas for the Revenge of the Sith Fan Edit
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/116263/action/topic#116263
Time: 17-Jun-2005 8:47 PM

thanks, darth simon--i started swimming through the thread you linked and got dragged away at work.

i'm gonna catch up this weekend. that's some meaty reading!

also glad to hear the midis will lift easy from ROTS. i finished watching balance of the force (brilliant, magfan, brilliant!) the other night and i do not miss them one damn bit.

Post: #116228
Topic: Ideas for the Revenge of the Sith Fan Edit
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/116228/action/topic#116228
Time: 17-Jun-2005 6:12 PM

and i regret posting here.

i'll go down a mug of battery acid to make up for my critical miscalculation.

Post: #116211
Topic: Ideas for the Revenge of the Sith Fan Edit
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/116211/action/topic#116211
Time: 17-Jun-2005 5:33 PM

one thing off the top of my head would be the "you're shmoopy!" "no, YOU'RE shmoopy" exchange between padme and anakin. if I recall correctly, that little bit of scene could be lifted wholesale out without losing anything, although it may interfere with the continuity of the wipe/pan down to the balcony.

i can't wait to see how MagnoliaFan deals with the midichlorians mention! i personally think that's a kind of cool story, except of course for the midichlorians bit. perhaps the whole bit will have to be lifted wholesale from the film?

Post: #116167
Topic: Who thinks that George Lucas will release the OOT?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/116167/action/topic#116167
Time: 17-Jun-2005 9:06 AM

my sense of lucas is that sadly he'll never put out the OOT. he's a stubborn bastard who has said time and again that the SEs (or the SSEs on DVD, or whatever you call them) are his definitive versions of the films. He has little to no respect for the OOT's place in both film history and the hearts and minds of millions of fans.

however, he has always talked about the mega boxed set of all six films. In fact, I recall an interview long ago with Rick McCallum where he described such a release as a "film school in a box"--if that were to come to be, something really huge and comprehensive, probably with the advent of the next DVD format, then perhaps they'd be included in that set.

since finding myspleen and OT.com, though, who needs a lucas release--we've got all the OOT we could ask for right here!

Post: #116164
Topic: Anakin & Obi-Wan: The Friendship We Never Really Saw
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/116164/action/topic#116164
Time: 17-Jun-2005 8:59 AM

i think making anakin older from the start, ditching qui-gon in favor of obi-wan (maybe he's between padawans, or maybe he's seeking his first padawan, or maybe his padawan does get killed in epI) would have GREATLY improved the prequels.

it also would have de-creepifyed the anakin/padme relationship in epI.

(i overall didn't care for the epI novel, but I did like that they made it much more clear/obvious that anakin really can sense the future, and that when he says he's gonna marry padme, he means in a more matter-of-fact way, since he has this great force power. it's not just some creepy thing a kid says.)

Post: #115788
Topic: Help Wanted: Project To Collect All Star Wars Documentaries
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/115788/action/topic#115788
Time: 16-Jun-2005 10:15 PM

none--awesome work! me likey.

Originally posted by: none

As for the basic listing page, i'm slowly getting away from the color key (maybe ver3 will remove it) but i would like to maintain someway to differentiate between cannon, official, semi-official and fan activities. Is it enough that fan preservation versions would only be mentioned in the individual Entry pages? (i think this is what you we're alluding too) So most likely the Type category will disappear. Spacewise there's room on this main page for other info, which would be important enough to show up here?

i would actually list fan preservation versions (which I"d call "fan editions" for the sake of shortness/clarity) and fan edits on this list as their own items. i'm not sure how I feel about listing the movies themselves, actually; i'm worried that once we get into tracking the various official releases of the films, we'll get very bogged down! but i guess that's a hurdle to overcome.

my thought is that we could combine the medium and type listing into one listing, Category, where we'll list the various categories. Here's a start at a list of categories; let me know anything I've missed. i'm trying to be as generic as I can so that we don't have fifty million of them.

Theatrical
VHS
DVD
LD
Bootleg
TV Special
TV Guest Star
Fan Edition
Fan Edit
Fan Doc

those could have their own color codes if you wanted in addition to the names; that would look cool and help with visual organization.

Originally posted by: none

One way to have it so that the complete listing can be viewed on the same page with the individual entries would be to use frames:
http://noneinc.com/Archive/StarWarsMedia/SWMediaMain.html

That will give you some sense of how that might work. thus each entry would have a link which would end up in the Entry Section below.

i like the frames version a lot, actually. that could be something the page evolves into once the major main list is complete, so that we can start just by compiling the dirty facts into a big list, and then adding individual item pages to that.

Originally posted by: none

As for help, at the moment just provide feedback on the set up. Feel free to do a save as and muck around with what's been done. Once everyone's satisfied with the bones, then we can all type type type all the information in.

well, i'm not much with HTML, as I've said, so for now I think I'll concentrate on compiling info so that once we have the format, we can have some kind of massive initial dump that will get everything up there to start.

Originally posted by: none

Having filtering capabilities, means having a database system. (PHP? is that the correct terminology?) I personally don't know it, but would be happy to learn it, need some guidance, i don't know where to start. It would be great if a database could be set up, and anyone could add information, like how wikipedia works...

...could we use wikipedia? Anyone have any experience with their system?
Here's their 'Star Wars' entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_wars
none

i have no experience with wikipedia, but i just gave some of their FAQs a quick read. i'm not sure if using it would give us the flexibility we want with the info and how it's presented. as I see it, it'd basically mean creating one big long entry, or many many small entries, which would be able to be edited by anyone, but wouldn't be very efficiently organized.

along those lines, we could easily do something like this on a livejournal or something. but again, same problem: we'd basically create lots of little entries, maybe one for each item. and it'd be hard to order them at all, let alone chronologically, so if something new came up for 1983 for some reason, I'm not sure how you'd put it in the right order. that'd not be such a problem with a wikipedia entry.

the great thing about the list version you have now is that it's a condensed and easily-consumed version of the info, organized in a logical way. it also allows for a poor man's "search" using the find function of the browser, and it allows for later entries to be easily dropped in anywhere on the timeline. so if we learn that mark hamill was on leno in 1997 or something six months from now, we can drop it into the list.

unless someone has the skills and time to build a user interface--or unless there's an interface out there on the web that will let us do this--i don't see how we can set something up that has filters, or that everyone can physically edit. the closest thing would be for this thread or another new thread to exist solely for info for this page, and then the page would have to be updated...

which shouldn't be too work-intensive, especially if we work hard on that initial dump.

if we set, say, 1997 as our cut-off year (basically from the beginning to the SE era) and just work hard on that for a few weeks, I bet we can get a rockin' initial list. the info I put together for those early years was actually pretty easy--granted, it's not comprehensive, but maybe we spend a week with everyone who can posting all the info they can find, then edit that into a text list, and then that gets sent to you for the initial list?

if there's a way for me to help with that data entry for the page itself, i would gladly do it, in excel or whatever.

Post: #115759
Topic: Help Wanted: Project To Collect All Star Wars Documentaries
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/115759/action/topic#115759
Time: 16-Jun-2005 7:57 PM

okay, here's an example of what I mean...this is just a rough list that encompasses (very much incompletely!) 1975-1980. i'd envision it divided into pages maybe by Pre-1977, 1977, 1978-1979, 1980, and so on.

the only part I haven't added yet is the list of releases each special is included on, or basically, places you can find it. i'm thinking that might be the last step...once a master list is created, I can go back (hopefully with the help of others) and list exactly which available releases each item is on, if any.

i hope to get the pre-prequel era version of this done pretty fast so that it's done, and then it'd be great to find someplace to host it, or someone to design a website around it...as I said, that is NOT my strong suit! once it's up, it'll also be easier to revise and add to since everyone will be able to see it and can e-mail in changes that can be incorporated.

anyway, lemme know what you think, and if anyone already has stuff to add to this early list from 1975-1980, let me know. thanks!

Star Wars : The 1975 Casting Auditions
XXXXX, 1975
Never aired – bootleg release
XX minutes
Original audition tapes in black and white from Star Wars. Features the leading cast of the original film along with actors who were not cast in the film's leads, including Kurt Russell, Amy Irving, and more.

Making of Star Wars as told by C-3PO & R2-D2
September 16, 1977
ABC-TV (USA)
60 minutes
C-3PO and R2-D2 "host" a documentary chronicling the production of the first Star Wars film.

The Donny & Marie Show
Guest stars: C-3PO, R2-D2, Chewbacca, Darth Vader (also Kris Kristofferson, Paul Lynde, and Redd Foxx)
September 23, 1977
ABC-TV (USA)
15 min (approx)
A sketch on the Donny & Marie musical variety show that lampoons Star Wars in the most kitschy and seventies way imaginable.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Guest star: Mark Hamill
November 29, 1977
NBC-TV (USA)
60 minutes
Mark Hamill was a guest on this talk show.

The Bob Hope All-Star Christmas Comedy Special
Guest stars: Mark Hamill
December 19, 1977
NBC-TV (USA)
60 minutes
Features a parody sketch of Star Wars.

Star Wars Holiday Special
November 17, 1978
CBS-TV (USA)
2 hours
An original television movie featuring the entire cast of the original Star Wars, as well as guest stars Art Carney, Bea Arthur, and Harvey Korman. Must be seen to be believed. The Nelvana cartoon in the special is the first appearance of Boba Fett.

The Muppet Show
Guest stars: Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and R2-D2
January 16, 1980, Syndicated
30 minutes
A guest appearance by the "stars of Star Wars" on The Muppet Show.

Sesame Street
February 14, 15 & 18, 1980
PBS-TV (USA)
60 minutes
C-3PO and R2-D2 featured in segments on three episodes of Sesame Street from 1980.

Sesame Street Workprints
Never aired – bootleg release
XX minutes
Raw footage from the C-3PO and R2-D2 appearance on Sesame Street.

Classic Kenner Commercials
Various networks & dates
Bootleg release
A compilation of commercials promoting the Kenner Star Wars toys.

Post: #115733
Topic: Help Wanted: Project To Collect All Star Wars Documentaries
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/115733/action/topic#115733
Time: 16-Jun-2005 5:38 PM

hey gang--lurker with his first post. i just want to say to start THANK YOU and something you've been hearing a lot lately, I bet: i never knew a community like this existed, and it is so cool to see people who are as obsessed with this stuff as I can be.

i've been buying tapes at cons and recording stuff off TV for years.

this thread really intrigues me, but more from the list aspect than the actual collecting of materials aspect. the list project is something I've thought would be a good idea for a very long time, and even spent a morning last september trying to play with my very shitty web skills to put something simple together on verizon's webservers. it did not go well.

anyway, i would really love to help out with any effort to compile a list of all the SW-related documentaries, specials, major TV appearances, and such...basically all non-movie SW video, although it could also encompass fan edits and fan editions (all the great LD rips for example).

none, I think your list is indeed a great start! i would agree that it should be organized by date. eventually it could be a searchable webpage so info would be easy to access, but for now I think date would be important for the sake of having some kind of hard barometer to organize the list. i think by "date" i also mean specific release date, so for example, all the LD rips would actually get indexed in 2004 or 2005 or whenever they came out, NOT with the film in 1977. I think this is also more true to the spirit of the releases...they're versions of the films for modern fans who want the originals, and not contemporary releases to the original films.

i think your categories are also quite good too...although again, organizing by date kinda helps you to avoid having to come up with such distinctions, which are admittedly difficult.

there are some lines that do need to be drawn perhaps as the project goes forward, but if we just collect all the info for now, it's easy enough to present it and fans who want to filter out fan-made docs, or animated series, or whatever can do so on their own.

the most important distinction i think we need to make is between the OT.com/myspleen releases and the actual material on them. for example, something like the original Making of Star Wars as told by C3P0 and R2D2 is by itself important, but it's on several releases. I think we need to catalog the material and NOT the releases. Info on the releases could be part of the catalog--say, a list of which releases that special appears on--but the catalog itself would index the material and not the discs themselves.

i'd actually also love to see more info somehow in the listing...for example:

Title
Original airdate & network
Length
Info/summary
Releases available on

this doesn't necessarily work for the format you have, none, but it could be adapted into a webpage where each year has just a listing you scroll down. eventually we could reach a point where every title has its own page, but for now, i think the list makes the most sense.

If this is stuff everyone thinks is cool, I say we start on the ANH-era stuff, basically 1977-1980, and get our list going. I'd be happy to act as the conduit/compiler of all the info and to write as much of it as I can, but I don't want to step on anyone's toes if this is something someone else would rather do. If so, I'll just work on getting entries together and sending them along.

i'll use the info in this thread and bum around online today to see if I can't get a few sample entries up in this thread to get us started. thanks again for, um, i guess for just existing!

Post: #115767
Topic: ROTS: The Droids...
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/115767/action/topic#115767
Time: 16-Jun-2005 2:40 PM

yeah..what's attracted me to these boards is that it seems to be a haven for haters like me.

as well as PT fans.

Post: #115743
Topic: Why Kill Padme?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/115743/action/topic#115743
Time: 16-Jun-2005 12:59 PM

i personally fall on the side of the padme death being stupid. basically, lucas wrote a weak and lame female character in the PT that isn't fit to stand in the shadow of her daughter Leia. thus, instead of a fierce and noble death for this brave woman who believes in democracy, we get death by broken heart. what is this, jane austen???

i also fall on the side of the leia remembering thing as continuity lapse, and one that, as others have said, would have been easy to fix.

and yet, on the whole, i do like ROTS. i hate the first two with an undying passion and generally dislike lucas at this point, but on the PT end, one out of three ain't bad, i guess.