In all fairness, Threepio and Artoo pimped for Burger King and Kenner back in the day.
I did groan at the Vader vs. Energizer bunny ad though.
Not as bad as the that one with Yoda and Darth Maul. They are sure getting their money's worth out of the new Episode One CGI model. ;)
I could have sworn Yoda was a strict vegetarian or something?
georgec said:
It's been dead for awhile.
The funny thing is that Chuck Norris refused to do the movie if it were R. So, the guy who became an internet legend with jokes about his toughness is actually a big pussy.
Makes no sense, as most of his filmography is R rated.
I don’t know whether to laugh or sob uncontrollably. 😉
Those "first drafts" won a bunch of Oscars, revolutionized the film industry, and made their creator rich beyond the dreams of most men.
If he's that embarrassed by them, he should give the Oscars back to the academy, and refund my ticket money. ;)
With the rumors of prints being destroyed, no sane collector is going to tell Lucasfilm what they have.
Mike O said:
I just think the GOUT was half-assed. If Lucas did believe that he would never release the OOT again, then he should've stuck to his guns. If he did, then it should've been done properly or not at all. I just think the OOT is too big a stumbling block for most people to get over, good bad or indifferent. On the other hand, I also think its entirely true that many fans have been whiney and immature. I don't personally feel like I should be grateful for anything that I don't like, but the sheer amount of crap Lucas has faced from his fans is pretty staggering and many have been immature, disrespectful, downright rude, and even threatening. I can hardly blame Lucas for not liking this kind of childish bashing. I thinks here's a place for real constructive criticism here, but unfortunately George's attitude towards the OOT and the fans attitude in turn has created a whirlpool that caused problem on both ends. It's now an impossible impasse. I don't see the GOUT as something sort being grateful for and I do see Lucas as the big figurehead of why the OOT isn't out. I also see lots of fans behaving like assholes and I understand why Lucas doesn't take to it. He has quite the right to be upset.
nightstalkerpoet said:
I'd really encourage faneditors not to remove George's name from edits... despite being able to read his comments that way, it is better to assume that is not what he meant. Lucasfilm has (in their own way) been very supportive of the fanediting community, and I think any direct attempts to slight them or George is unnecessary and liable to cause issues.
... As fans of the OUT, there needs to be a change. Even if we feel that George shouldn't take offense to internet complaints, he obviously does. For once, why not acknowledge what George is looking for from the fanbase, and make an effort on our end, to give him what he wants, and to get what we want. Stop all of the George bashing, and switch to a constructively critical tone.
- We asked for a release of the OUT, and got one. It was non-anamorphic, but it was an attempt to do something for the fans that George didn't want to do anyways - a small sacrifice, but one none the less. (also, keep in mind that in 2006, your average person had not converted to HDTV or widescreen, and didn't suffer the same issues with that format that videophiles did)
How many people thanked him for doing that? vs How many people complained about it? Had people even attempted to be content with it, I think we might have seen a Bluray release of the OUT... but obviously that's not how things went. George proved he doesn't react well to negative fan pressure. He expected it on the PT, but not on this.
Years later, after people continued to push and say "The non-anamorphic version isn't good enough", it's time for the Bluray release.... but rather than say "Cool, Star Wars on Bluray" or "I'd prefer not to get this, because I prefer the original releases I got in 2006"... there is an organized boycott generating bad publicity... Not an organized, polite request that the films be included, but a hatred filled boycott.
This left us (not surprisingly) without the OUT on Bluray...
Has anyone realized it's time for a new approach. Maybe an apology for the boycott and negative press? Maybe some attempt to stop the constant attacks on George? He is the mastermind behind Star Wars and Indiana Jones people... You may disagree with his decisions now, but at the very least the respect we owe him for giving us the OT and Indy 1-3 should keep us civil towards him.
With as many times as George has stated that he doesn't want to release the OUT, to do so would make him look bad, going back on his word, unsure of what he wants... the press jumps all over you for that. Why would he do that for "fans" that are ungrateful for what they're given, and attack him any chance they get.
I read that interview and see one thing - that he is perfectly happy to allow his films to be fanedited, and for those edits to be shared. It's a pretty rare person in any corporation that will allow those kind of freedoms to be taken without persuing legal action. But rather than revel in that... everyone would rather tear him limb from limb.
Just my two cents...
A non anamorphic title in 2006 was unacceptable. Using a 1993 video master was just cheap. Had any other studio pulled that with a "crown jewel" title at the time, they would have gotten an earful, and deservedly so.
No other director pulls this crap! Notice nobody bitches about the walkie talkies in E.T. these days?
Widscreen tv sets have been around since the mid 90's. Many early DVD titles were anamorphic.
Fans have tried to be nice in the past. Fans have tried to be patient. All the petitions and politeness went nowhere. How many times can you willingly get slapped in the face by someone who shows such contempt for their own films?
walking_carpet said:
SilverWook said:
George has had movie critic issues for a long time. There's a reason one of the villains in Willow is named "Kael", and a two headed monster is called an "Ebersisk".
siskel and ebert were 2 of his biggest advocates and loved star wars (although I think siskel thought last crusade was weak).
apologists like to point out that siskel stated in his 1977 review that the acting in star wars was forgettable, but they neglect to mention that in empire and jedi, siskel praised hamill, fisher and especially ford. he enjoyed watching the 3 of them grow and develop together.
had siskel been alive in 1999, he would have torn lucas and tpm into pieces. there was nothing he despised more than an underachieving filmmaker going after a cynical cash grab.
Pauline Kael may have been Star Wars' biggest detractor in 1977 though.
georgec said:
Guy is delusional beyond comprehension.
http://movies.msn.com/paralleluniverse/george-lucas-talks-star-wars-critics/story/feature/
Sure, George. Mean critics killed your future movies. It had nothing to do with your inflated ego, greed, and arrogance.
Poor guy's feelings have been hurt. :(
The sad thing is that this is just a ploy to convince SW fanboys to shell out more cash for TPM 3D so that the Flannel One will keep "making movies" i.e. tinkering with the same three movies over and over again and selling them to people as something new
George has had movie critic issues for a long time. There's a reason one of the villains in Willow is named "Kael", and a two headed monster is called an "Ebersisk".
Nice find. Shooting alternate scenes for tv seems to be rare prior the 80's.
The Smokey and the Bandit movies have a lot of profanity redubbed, by someone who sounds more like Fred Flintstone than Jackie Gleason.
The most extensive tv cut I recall was one of the Cheech and Chong movies. All the drug references were totally removed, and a suitcase full of hasish was turned into a suitcase full of diamonds. I kid you not.
The cut to Jedi you describe sounds like they wanted to stuff in more commercials. The "edited for television" caption often meant "sliced to ribbons" to many movie fans.
I'll have to see if those lines are still there next time GB is on tv.
I found the tv cut of Kubrick's The Shining bordering on comedy as Jack says "freak" and "freaking" a lot. Although the fog added to the Room 237 ghost actually makes the scene a little more creepy.
The tv cut of The Exorcist I've seen is unintentionally funny as characters constantly spout "Judas Priest!"
The most confusing tv cut I ever saw was "Predator". Every shot of the Preds face after he takes off the breath mask is gone.
First time I saw Raiders on network tv, they prudishly trimmed the shot of the natives chasing Indy, because you could see their butts. All the skewered corpses and melting Nazis were untouched of course. ;)
Mind you, I find some censored versions hilarious. (The tv cut of Repo Man comes to mind.) But the director or studio signs off on those.
Saw a Clearplay(?) DVD player in Target about four years ago. Haven't seen one since.
Thanks for that mental image, I need to go bleach my brain now...
darth_ender said:
It wasn't on TV. It was one of those movie editing companies that keeps getting shut down for trying to skirt the law. Shhhhhh....
It wasn't one of those DVD players that edit the movie and censor violence/profanity on the fly?
evan1975 said:
I'm not sure I'm going to read that article. I think my blood pressure will skyrocket if I do.
I'm already seeing fallout. All kinds of posts blaming the "haters" for killing Star Wars. Newsflash guys: He wasn't going to make 7-9 anyways. Now he just has a new excuse for why not.
The logic flaw in that argument is the current Clone Wars series, and that live action show waiting in the wings. Lucas won't be done with Star Wars any time soon.
Edited? I thought Spielberg had the clout to insist that SPR air uncut or not at all...
The DGA officially retired Mr. Smithee when the pseudonym became widely known. Then again, George quit the DGA, so maybe his official alias should be used? ;)
Only so much you can discuss about a movie that isn't out just yet. ;)
As this is the last chance for Peter Jackson and company to make a Middle Earth movie, no way were they not going to squeeze two films out of it.
none said:
Anyone know why they didn't create the crawl text in 3D (as the storyboard below shows) but switched to just 2D text?
Maybe it was just too complicated to do it "3D", or too cluttered for a long scroll? The 2D is more in keeping with the old matinee serials that inspired it.
Things about the print itself, or things in the movie?
Anticipation...
They outsource that now? Even broadcast gear? They were the gold standard in video monitors when I was in college.
I would imagine all the studios are weighing the costs of remastering in the new format versus how many copies they think will sell. They could at least put some of these in theaters around Halloween to create interest and awareness.
Those waiting for 3D to die are in for a long wait. I heard some glassless 3D displays were shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show recently.
If the studios would remaster and release some of the classics like House of Wax or Creature from the Black Lagoon, I'd seriously consider investing in the gear to watch those at home.
