m_s0

Handman said:

Is Discovery even worth watching?

Not for any reason you’d like or hope.

It is worth an autopsy, though, so if cutting corpses up is your thing, DSC comes highly recommended.

The show is still salvageable, but not easily so. Actually, the main reason why I think that’s the case is that DSC is bad to the point where you can’t even consider it an honest attempt at a… thing. Whatever they wanted it to be. You can’t even tell easily what that was - beyond a launch pad for a streaming service, that is.

It’s badly written, the characters almost never do, tell instead, proclaim all their motivations aloud, and when the scripts actually do try and rely on action to tell the story you really wish they didn’t - with very few exceptions that feel almost accidental.

On the whole it’s extremely unfocused - kinda episodic, kinda serialized, in fact it throws the worst elements of the two into a blender. On the few occasions it tries to be a Star Trek show it almost gives you the impression it’s resentful in doing so. It also takes until after the mid-season break to even start feeling remotely cohesive, and for its finale it elects to do a pratfall.

In other words: it is interesting. Fascinating, even.

SilverWook said:

m_s0 said:

Is that a tumbleweed or a dead Tribble? 😉

Whatever it is, it’s definitely a huge success, and not at all a puzzling mess 😃

I’m still not holding my breath, but I am curious:

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/12/quentin-tarantino-star-trek-screenwriter

This is a weird year.

Wexter said:

m_s0 said:

Yoda Is Your Father said:

m_s0 said:

joefavs said:

Here’s a pretty good article about the film: https://www.avclub.com/part-kurosawa-part-wile-e-coyote-the-last-jedi-boldl-1821291545

RE: Ackbar vs. Holdo, the author of this piece has a good point in a response to a comment:

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky said:

Lotta folks seem to think that her role should have gone to good ol’ Admiral Ackbar, but I get Johnson’s intention: Everybody likes Ackbar, and the audience needs to be fooled into Poe’s point-of-view.

Probably why she didn’t get a proper ‘hero’ introduction as well. It’s a trade-off, but one I liked given where and how it’s taken: this is all Poe’s point of view - to the very end, and that’s why his turn into a proper leader works in the finale.

The more I think about it, the more I appreciate how well-written this film is.

Poe got a bunch of people killed because he was reckless and disobeyed orders. But it’s cool because ‘Ah, that’s just how Poe is, the little scamp’.

It’s war, and that’s not his first, nor his only deed.

If he kept pulling stuff like that in an actual war, his superiors would have him shot in the head.

Thankfully, this is drama (with a slant towards action adventure). This is a character flaw, not a movie flaw - I really don’t get the complaints here. At worst, I’d put this in the same ballpark as Chewie being best friends with Lando at the end of ESB, even though he probably should’ve murdered that traitor the first chance he outgrew his usefulness (which would have been almost immediately).

Yoda Is Your Father said:

m_s0 said:

joefavs said:

Here’s a pretty good article about the film: https://www.avclub.com/part-kurosawa-part-wile-e-coyote-the-last-jedi-boldl-1821291545

RE: Ackbar vs. Holdo, the author of this piece has a good point in a response to a comment:

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky said:

Lotta folks seem to think that her role should have gone to good ol’ Admiral Ackbar, but I get Johnson’s intention: Everybody likes Ackbar, and the audience needs to be fooled into Poe’s point-of-view.

Probably why she didn’t get a proper ‘hero’ introduction as well. It’s a trade-off, but one I liked given where and how it’s taken: this is all Poe’s point of view - to the very end, and that’s why his turn into a proper leader works in the finale.

The more I think about it, the more I appreciate how well-written this film is.

Poe got a bunch of people killed because he was reckless and disobeyed orders. But it’s cool because ‘Ah, that’s just how Poe is, the little scamp’.

It’s war, and that’s not his first, nor his only deed.

joefavs said:

Here’s a pretty good article about the film: https://www.avclub.com/part-kurosawa-part-wile-e-coyote-the-last-jedi-boldl-1821291545

RE: Ackbar vs. Holdo, the author of this piece has a good point in a response to a comment:

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky said:

Lotta folks seem to think that her role should have gone to good ol’ Admiral Ackbar, but I get Johnson’s intention: Everybody likes Ackbar, and the audience needs to be fooled into Poe’s point-of-view.

Probably why she didn’t get a proper ‘hero’ introduction as well. It’s a trade-off, but one I liked given where and how it’s taken: this is all Poe’s point of view - to the very end, and that’s why his turn into a proper leader works in the finale.

The more I think about it, the more I appreciate how well-written this film is.

Mike O said:

Lust-In-Phaze said:

Mike O said:

Valheru_84 said:

Seeing that news about the Disney-Fox deal is supposed to be revealed today when TLJ also releases, I’m thinking (and fervently hoping) this bodes well for 4K OUT prospects. It’s to much of a coincidence for it to not mean something significant for SW.

.Val

Not according to Pablo Hidalgo on Twitter 😦.

He makes it seem like it really is George holding it back, which I never thought was the case. I wonder if it’s an actual legal stipulation or if it’s just LFL trying to honor his wishes.

You’d think after spending $60 billion, they really wouldn’t give a damn what Lucas thought.

That’s an investment towards their streaming empire, though - in the grand scheme of things not a lot to do with Star Wars. And they already have a ‘Star Wars’ (or ANH) to put on that platform.

But yeah, whenever a colossal, multinational corporation says they’re doing something because they respect someone’s wishes - they’re not telling you the truth. It’s either they won’t do it, because - for whatever reason - they don’t see the benefit, or because they are prohibited do it, and can’t circumvent this in any way. Yet.

andyw715 said:

I’m still trying to figure out why I’d want to watch episode IX.

I’m on the same boat, but I’m guessing that it’s for very different reasons. This is a tough act to follow, and I doubt a gun for hire could do it justice.

DominicCobb said:

Jeebus said:

DominicCobb said:

People are going to warm up to this one. It’ll take some time, because it’s so different. But it will happen.

I think you’re right. I can already feel myself warming up to it a bit, definitely gonna have to watch it again.

I’m excited to watch again too. The funny thing is I guess I’m the opposite of everyone - the first time I saw TFA I just thought it was pretty good, with some issues, but I eventually warmed up to it and really loved it on my subsequent viewings. With TLJ it was an intense love affair from start to finish.

I’m the same, but overall less impressed with VII, and still not crazy about it. It makes sense from a business standpoint, but is stagnant to the point of being skippable.

TLJ I absolutely loved, and I’m weirded out by the fairly negative fan reactions thus far. Then again, I approached this expecting a Rian Johnson movie - which is what we got. I feel this is the first Star Wars movie post-OT which drops needless lore reverence and for the first time manages to use the rules of the well-established universe in a creative way that feeds meaningful character development which in turn supports a strong thematic undercurrent. Sounds kinda pretentious once you say/write it, but if you’re going to start nitpicking ‘power levels’ as if you’re watching Dragon Ball you are missing the point completely, and the point is great, nuanced drama. Just look at Snoke and Kylo Ren: it’s an incredible, tangled, crunchy mess of a relationship that completely explains why that character acts the way he does. It’s not easy to make someone sympathetic without having him be sympathetic (he’s absolutely pathetic by any measure), but it is achieved here seemingly effortlessly, and through interpersonal dynamics outside of the one between Snoke and Kylo Ren as much as through it.

These might be ramblings of a madman, but I’m really impressed by how this movie is written.

Mavimao said:

A great film but definitely one that makes you go…huh. Ok. Wow. Gee. What??

…‘but’?

Just came back from a screening. I wish I could see it again for the first time. You lucky bastards.

Thanks, I’ll give it a read.

moviefreakedmind said:

George supposedly crunched the numbers on what it would cost to restore both versions when he was preparing for the DVDs, but Fox pushed him hard enough that he decided to rush out a cheap transfer of only the SEs (hence the Lowry project). That’s coming from the Steve Hoffman Forums guy that worked on it. That may just be his way of explaining why the work was so subpar, but sounds legitimate since George was so adamant about waiting until 2006 to release Star Wars on DVD at all.

Link?

ilyasdesign40 said:

I have a strong feeling from watching the trailer this might be remix of The Empire Strikes Back!

if that is the case then that will be a huge let down!

Given who’s directed it I highly doubt that’s the case.

I’m oddly calm about this movie - in a good way.

paja said:

Heavy Star wars Ep I-II

Why do you wear Ross’s face?

SilverWook said:

Granted, that’s just pure, crowdfunded (collective) insanity. Fun to mention and kinda counts for that reason alone, but at the end of the day it wasn’t some kind of an actual business entity putting up the cash up-front in the hope of profit - I’d say those are the real headscratchers.

Speaking of:
Ninja III: The Domination

We’re now approaching a decade since the end of the HD wars, and I think it’s time to catalogue all the cinematic masterpieces that we have available for our HD viewing pleasure while we wait for a proper Star Wars release. You know, for posterity.

Kudos to Mocata.

Mocata said:

Yor: Hunter from the Future is coming to Blu Ray. But you can’t get Star Wars.

https://www.amazon.com/Yor-Hunter-Future-Anniversary-Blu-ray/dp/B076DQVTGK/ref=pd_sim_74_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XC0ZPF8YXKV7N98TC2VA&dpID=51jUzh0sD9L&preST=SY300_QL70&dpSrc=detail

Miami Connection:
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Miami-Connection-Blu-ray/54729/

Samurai Cop:
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Samurai-Cop-Blu-ray/111066/

Cobra Kai said:

Mocata said:

Yor: Hunter from the Future is coming to Blu Ray. But you can’t get Star Wars.

https://www.amazon.com/Yor-Hunter-Future-Anniversary-Blu-ray/dp/B076DQVTGK/ref=pd_sim_74_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XC0ZPF8YXKV7N98TC2VA&dpID=51jUzh0sD9L&preST=SY300_QL70&dpSrc=detail

Awesome. Yor is one of the best “bad” movies of all time!

Yor is, after all, The Man™.

DuracellEnergizer said:

m_s0 said:

Klingon mammaries

I take it Discovery crossed into Howard the Duck territory?

Worse. Way worse.

moviefreakedmind said:

It sounds like they want name recognition. “Mudd was a recurring villain of the week? Bring him in!” They have to make things exciting though so he’s going to be a mass murderer.

Yeah, TOS was boring, so let’s hypercharge everything for the ‘modern audiences.’

SilverWook said:

Geez, even Harry Mudd has to be dark and edgy now? Screw them. Next thing you know a Tribble is going to rip someone’s throat out like the killer rabbit in Holy Grail.

And how will they explain all of this not being on Harry’s criminal record in TOS?

He promised never to do that again. And he was very sorry.

This is an issue if you’re thinking of slotting DSC into the timeline, sure, but the ultimate problem of this series as a whole is the botched execution of every single sliver of a promising idea. I could buy Mudd going completely nuts, but you need to build to that, otherwise it’s all just a gimmick. Yeah, it’ll probably get retconned soon and it won’t matter. Arguably, that’s another issue to have with DSC - nothing can or will matter if they indeed aim to fit the series into the Prime continuity.

Basically, the batallion of producers in the credits is not there by accident…

The mid-season finale was easily one of the better episodes, but that only serves as testament to how low the first season set that bar. Yeah, TNG had a wonky start, DS9 took some time to find its legs, but at the end of the day it was never a chore to watch those shows evolve, and even the bad episodes had a sense of ambition/exploration to them. Here, everything just seems like it’s a failure followed by a desperate salvage attempt. Episode 8 feels like a complete disaster with vital footage never shot that was just barely saved in post. I tip my hat to the editor, but this show did not deserve his time or effort.

Basically, I’m sick of Discovery any way I look at the show. And it’s not the Klingon mammaries that broke me. It’s bad sf, it’s terrible Star Trek, it’s deplorable drama. I think I’m done.

DominicCobb said:

m_s0 said:

DominicCobb said:

Either way, pretty ridiculous to call this mundane news.

The ‘he’s creating the other two as well’ part really is that. Unless they’ll really bow down to him and let him loose completely unrestricted exactly the way you wouldn’t have done with a studio tentpole, with enough time between the installments to have him personally make the whole thing… that bit is pretty meaningless, especially this far in advance.

I am still absolutely beside myself that he’s doing a new, original Star Wars story.

I thought you meant mundane in regards to the news as a whole, not just that one bit.

Yeah, I highly doubt he’s directing or even writing the other two. But I think it would be odd for them to announce a spin-off trilogy if he didn’t have a three-part story in mind. Again, they could ultimately ditch his ideas, and whether they do or not who knows, but at this point that doesn’t really matter. It’s envisioned as a Johnson overseen trilogy, whether that remains the case doesn’t change the fact that that’s the idea now.

Yeah, it didn’t come out very clear. Announcing a trilogy is technically bigger than announcing a single movie, sure, but it’s really the same thing if you’re framing it as RJ’s project when pretty much everything after the intitial movie is subject to change the instant they hire a writer to adapt Johnson’s treatment/idea into a script - and with how LucasFilm treats directors you’ve got that hurdle to get over as well.

Unless I’m overly cynical, and the next announcement will be that he’s writing and directing all three, and that it’ll run parallel to the next sequel trilogy as well as to the rest of SW strip-mining. They wanted to up the movie count for some time now - this could be a move towards that.

DominicCobb said:

Either way, pretty ridiculous to call this mundane news.

The ‘he’s creating the other two as well’ part really is that. Unless they’ll really bow down to him and let him loose completely unrestricted exactly the way you wouldn’t have done with a studio tentpole, with enough time between the installments to have him personally make the whole thing… that bit is pretty meaningless, especially this far in advance.

I am still absolutely beside myself that he’s doing a new, original Star Wars story.

flametitan said:

m_s0 said:
Also, they need to start injecting something else than nostalgia very soon into their Star Wars, or the brand will go stale. Same reason for why they tolerate MCU movies that are not massive successes on their own.

I can get behind the idea that they need some new blood in Star Wars. I’m just surprised they took him on for an entire trilogy, rather than a one off.

OK, so let’s get rational about this.

The news is framed as ‘RJ gets a new trilogy’ - that’s cool. Buried in there and not elaborated on too much is the fact that he’s set to direct only the first one, and write all of them. Actually, no, he’ll ‘create’ the other two, but he’s not set to actually write them. When they hired him for VIII he was set to write IX in some capacity, and we all know how that turned out, so the chance that his involvement will matter in any way past the initial outing is fairly inconsequential - unless he gets to direct all three. Which might be one of the reasons for why we didn’t get any dates yet…

Because I’m fairly cynical, I’m guessing that as soon as they hire directors for the other two movies any plans for an RJ’s trilogy will disintegrate, unless they gave him a Kennedy+Kasdan level of control over these three movies. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy interested in such a gig. He’s nuts about making films, not about telling other people how to make their films.

tl;dr: they’re drumming up hype for The Last Jedi with how they framed a relatively mundane piece of news that won’t matter in the end.

There, I think that kills any unreasonable degrees of excitement I might’ve had.

OK, so life can be kind of cool sometimes. I have no words for how happy this makes me. This news makes me more excited for Star Wars than I’ve ever been since I was 7.

flametitan said:

I’m just curious what landed him such a prospect as to do his own trilogy. Was The Last Jedi just that well received at Lucasfilms?

I’m thinking the answer lies somewhere between his movies and this:

https://twitter.com/rianjohnson/status/928712958519201792

Also, they need to start injecting something else than nostalgia very soon into their Star Wars, or the brand will go stale. Same reason for why they tolerate MCU movies that are not massive successes on their own.