see you auntie

timdiggerm said:

Anchorhead said:

I'm no longer interested in this film. After seeing these extended trailers, for me it's too slick and too 2012 with regard to cinematography and pacing.

Trailers are edited separately and differently than films. Also, comparing Ridley Scott to Roland Emmerich is ridiculous.

That's some great unintentional comedy right there.

Regarding this:

it's too slick and too 2012 with regard to cinematography...

That will happen when you shoot in digital, it was never going to look like Alien.

I haven't seen a trailer for this since I last posted as I'm now actively avoiding them, apparently too much plot is being revealed, but I'm enjoying the discussion here.

Anchorhead's concerns are valid and any rationalizing of why tech 30 years before the Nostromo looks more advanced is useless for me.

It's inconsistent.

But as long as the movie is good I couldn't care less if they have flatscreens and holographic displays.

If Scott went 'retro' with this is it would be cool but it alone wouldn't make a bad movie good and vice versa.

Hopefully, for some sort of anniversary edition, Scott will go back to the Alien negative and cut out all the shots of computer screens on the flight deck, Mother etc, and replace them with shots featuring floating flatscreens and then throw the excised negative in the rubbish.

I will feel pretty disappointed if Michael Fassbender is not filled with spaghetti.

It could just be that the ships name is Prometheus ;)

But I doubt it's that simple.

DuracellEnergizer said:

If this turns out to be a stealth reboot of Stargate, I will be perplexed yet intrigued.

I haven't seen Stargate in a long time, but maybe more akin to the monolith in 2001.

Anchorhead said:

I'm much more of a cerebral story guy, as opposed to an action story guy. 

Which is why I liked the U.K trailer more. A lot less action orientated and a lot more intrigue.

Here's the 24 minute Q & A. Not very spoilery other than a little bit about Guy Pearce's Weyland character. But the trailers are way more spoilery in comparison.

Bingowings said:

I don't think it's the same ship.

 

I agree with this/ think this is the case. I've only seen the trailers and read the recent Scott/Lindelof Q & A.

It's my belief that there are multiple 'derelict' ships, as seen in Alien, around the universe and this movie focuses one one (or more) of the other ones. Maybe they go around the universe 'giving fire' to humans and/or other species. So the space jockey we see in the trailers isn't the space jockey, just the pilot of another ship, so to speak.

I also think that Scott was intending on making an alien Prequel but when Lindelof came on board and the script changed this tangent was created.

Either way I'm pretty excited. I love the cast.

Thanks for response Anchorhead.

You obviously have not made the upgrade to blu-ray in regards to your home movie library.If you ever do you'll have to own the directors's cut of Alien (featured seamlessly branched alongside the theatrical cut) and in order to get the 90's director's (approximated) cut of Blade Runner you'll have to buy the uber-set.

That's not a bad thing though. Alien looks great and I love the little introduction Scott gives the film. Like I mentioned earlier the director's cut is harmless, for me it's more a curiosity to see one significant deleted scene reinserted and some other minor scenes/shots.

Also since you watched Blade Runner so many times in the theatre back in the day having the theatrical cut to revisit every now and then could be pretty cool. The movie also looks amazing. I'm 90's director's cut fan myself, but I'll also watch the final cut, I don't notice the minor differences.

Anchorhead said: 

..I'm truly fascinated by the number of people who make themselves like a sequel based solely on how they feel about the original in a series or previous work by a director they admire.  It's a behavior that I don't think even a psychologist could help me make sense of.  Yet I see it regularly on TFN and Blu-ray. 

I mentioned before that Back To The Future is one of my most beloved and watched films, coming it at well over 100 times and counting.  Yet - I think the second one is shit (I've seen several scenes from it), and I didn't bother with the third (or the second proper for that matter). 

My love of the first film is completely separate from the sequels.  Sequels, by the way, made by a director who has given me a lifetime of very cherished and favorite films. He doesn't get a pass just because I feel some sense of duty or allegiance.  Make a good film, I'll see it and support it.  Make a shit film, and I'll pass. No exceptions.

I'm always fascinated by your thoughts on sequels.

While I'm a fan of the sequels almost as much as the original, I can understand your position.

While I do agree the first movie is complete story and didn't need a sequel or sequels I do think that, Universal having the rights to do whatever they wanted with the follow up to a hugely successful movie, it's kind of admirable that Gale and Zemeckis, after making a stand alone film, took the reins on the sequels.

Kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't. Although I'm sure they were paid handsomely ;)

Tangentially, I posted this in the Prometheus thread.

Anchorhead said:

If I may;  When Alien was released, I became an instant fan.  A huge nerd, in fact.  I went to see it weekly, as I had Star Wars a couple of years earlier.  I bought a book that told the story in screencaps, wore out the soundtrack (one of only two pieces of vinyl I still have). I still listen regularly to the CD conversion of that very album, pops and all. I also keep a full audio rip of the film in my car and on my iPod for long trips and commutes.  I would estimate that I listen to that audio rip 5 or 6 times a year. Like I said, lifetime Alien nerd.

When the sequel was announced several years later, I was uninterested.  Alien was a complete story and I had no desire to see it being expanded into a franchise.  To this day, I've not seen any of the sequels, nor will I ever.

Fast forward to now.  I've been keeping up with Prometheus peripherally. The more I see, the more I know I'll be there opening week.  I love the idea of having completely unrelated stories taking place in the same location, separated by many years.  I may not dig it, but at this point I'm looking forward to it.  Scott has made two of my all-time favorites (Alien and Blade Runner), and a couple of others that I enjoy.  I feel like the story is in good hands.

 

I'm constantly intrigued by your film watching habits when it comes to sequels and your comments in recent days about BTTF and it's sequels made me think of Ridley Scott and Prometheus, which led me to here to see if you had posted on the matter

I assumed you'd be a fan of Alien (I didn't know you were the Alien uber nerd) and wanted to know if you'd watch Prometheus, that question is answered.

While I'm not a fan of directors revisiting worlds they've created on film 30 years later, I'm cautiously optimistic, and will go into Prometheus treating  it as a stand alone movie.

Since you're such a fan, I'm curious to know if you've seen the pretty harmless and not Scott's preferred version, Fox marketed "Director's Cut" and what you think of it?

And since you brought up Blade Runner being one of your favorites I'm also curious to know which version that is and if you've seen the other cuts?

Zombie I agree with the price (hopefully) of the boxset being more attractively priced than buying three separate blu-rays (it usually is in these cases), but you're making logical arguements. I am not logical when it comes to such things.

I bought Alien and Aliens 1 discs on blu-ray for $15 a piece when for only a couple bucks more I could get the whole anthology with two extra movies and all those extras. I don't even loathe part 3 and 4 I just think they're soulless sequels and I'd never watch them nor the mammoth amount of special features, so I had no need for them.

So I'd be happy if in this case they released the single movies alongside the Indiana Jones boxset but price the movies at $25-$30 so the boxset looks like a bargain in comparison and I'd gladly shell out $75-$90 for just the trilogy. I'm sure the purists out there would happily pay $30 just for Raiders.

As for selling off Skulls* I'm sure with this announcement they'll be a whole bunch of used Skulls* blu-rays going up on ebay in anticipation of this boxset, flooding the market.

*Does not refer to the Paul Walker film from the late 90's *shudders*  

I was never looking forward to this announcement because I knew I'd still have to wait a couple of years for the movies to be released separately as opposed to a box set.

Not long ago I was thinking maybe, just maybe, it will be just a trilogy box or at least a couple of different options because it's a kick to the balls to people who already bought Skulls having no option but to buy a four movie box set. Not only have they bought a shitty movie, but they'll have bought it twice.

Well predictable ol' Lucasfilm, this doesn't surprise me...

I definitely wouldn't rush out and buy this 'Complete Collection' as soon as it is released but I may get it eventually if the wait for the single blu-rays is too much to bear. If only there were a way to get amazon.com to remove that piece of shit fourth movie from the package before they send it to me.

Lucas saying it's just movie is him just being flippant and reductive. Don't take it too seriously, I doubt George really thinks it's just a movie.

Regarding the Greedo thing, I've been thinking about that scene and I think he really doesn't like the way that it was edited. The first edit of SW was by all accounts terrible but then the oscar winning team came in and saved it. There's no accounting for taste. He loves being an editor but I think at times he can be as terrible of an editor as sometimes he is a writer.

It's kind of like the Wampa scene, the cantina show down always had me on the edge of my seat as a kid.

Greedo's got is gun on Solo. His intention is to claim the bounty.

Close up of Han's gun being slowly drawn under the table.

Close up of Solo "Over my dead body"

*Blam!* Screen flashes for asecond.

Me: OMFG! WTF just happened!

Greedo slumps forward dead.

Me: Yes!

That's not how Lucas likes to operate, everything has to be spelled out to the audience like the plebians we are. What are midiclorians indeed.

CO said:

This interview furthers my opinion that we will NEVER see the OOT fully restored on any format.   I'm sorry, but the guy has comtempt for this part of the fanbase, and seeing his daughters tweets about the OOT fans too, she won't be releasing the OOT either when she inherits Lucasfilm.

 

I do agree with this but....

I'm starting to think that while Harmy's restorations are still pretty underground (Adywan's projects have way more saturation) given enough time/years they'll have eventually spread throughout the fanbase.

Just like the Laserdisc to DVD transfers of the OT. And when the fanbase is talking about how great it is to see the OOT in such great quality and clarity Lucasfilm will see there's more than a buck the be made and have to meet that demand. Lucas speaks in dollars and cents and all that potential revenue will speak volumes.

...Or he'll just have Harmy killed ;)

Tobar said:

Hah, we both posted about this at the exact same time. =P

Ha, yeah I checked the "Lucas hates his fans" and "3D" topics first and I would of had it up sooner but i had problems with the block quote.

This needs it's own thread. The Hollywood Reporter:

With yet another re-invigoration of the massive Star Wars franchise —hello, 3-Delirum! — the Star Wars creator confronts the controversy of content changes (again), shares his views on SOPA and gives an update on Indiana Jones 5.

The Hollywood Reporter: In this 3D conversion of what is Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace, were there any changes made to any characters or the plot, or was it just a conversion?

George Lucas: Changes are not unusual — I mean, most movies when they release them they make changes. But somehow, when I make the slightest change, everybody thinks it’s the end of the world. That whole issue between filmmakers and the studios with the studios being able to change things without even letting the director of the movie know … I’m very much involved in that [so that’s not happening here]. … My job is to try to make the best possible movie it can be — and the current version is the Blu-ray version. That’s the one that’s been made into 3D. But it’s just a conversion. We haven’t made any changes other than the 3D. 

 

THR: People can get fanatical about the movies — how does that make you feel? The puppet vs. CGI Yoda ruckus, and the who-shot-first, Han Solo or Greedo furor come to mind. 

 

Lucas: Well, it’s not a religious event. I hate to tell people that. It’s a movie, just a movie. The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, in Episode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo [who seemed to be the one who shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually isn’t. It had been done in all close-ups and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first, but everyone wanted to think that Han shot first, because they wanted to think that he actually just gunned him down.

It’s the same thing with Yoda. We tried to do Yoda in CGI in Episode I, but we just couldn’t get it done in time. We couldn’t get the technology to work, so we had to use the puppet, but the puppet really wasn’t as good as the CGI. So when we did the reissue, we had to put the CGI back in, which was what it was meant to be.

If you look at Blade Runner, it’s been cut sixteen ways from Sunday and there are all kinds of different versions of it. Star Wars, there’s basically one version — it just keeps getting improved a little bit as we move forward. … All art is technology and it improves every year. Whether it’s on the stage or in music or in painting, there are technological answers that happen, and because movies are so technological, the advances become more obvious.

 

THR: Did you see Hugo? 

Lucas: Yeah, I loved Hugo. I thought it was great. It’s an interesting thing because I kind of resurrected the visual effects business, or the special effects business, but you know, [film subject Georges Melies] started it all. Visual effects aren’t where it’s at with dramas, but all the same problems that people think about exist, and he started the magic of movies. 

 

THR: A political question: SOPA, PIPA and piracy — what are your thoughts on that? 

Lucas: If we had an intelligent system for writing law, everybody would get together and write the best possible answer to that. I mean, putting the digital world up against the traditional world and saying it’s one or the other is not a wise decision. Because what you’re saying is, do you want movies to exist, or do you want everything to just be on the Internet and see cats watching television or something? Everybody wants movies, everybody wants television shows, and everybody wants digital media. It’s just up to the government to sit down with both sides and write a reasonable bill. I think what they’ve got now is a flawed bill, which is not unusual, but that’s all it is: sloppy legislation. Which has to be fixed. If we go much longer without [good] laws, most people won’t pay attention [until] they arrest somebody who’s making $50 million a year — and then you realize that there’s hundreds of millions of dollars being siphoned off, and it does affect the music business, the film business, and eventually, the software business. Everybody’s in this together. 

 

THR: What’s the status of Indiana Jones 5? Steven Spielberg says he’s waiting to hear from you. 

Lucas: I know, and I’m supposed to be working on it right now, but I’m talking to you instead (Laughs).

Props to THR for asking these questions and not just blowing smoke up his ass. But Lucas just needs to shut up he really sounds like a lunatic.

I'm sure they'll enough comments on the changes to the OT and Greedo shooting but I find it fascinating he brought up the different cuts to Blade Runner. Yes there's five different cut but they're all available on DVD and Blu-ray! He just doesn't get it and I doubt he ever will.

Also CG Yoda in TPM:

So when we did the reissue, we had to put the CGI back in, which was what it was meant to be.

Interesting choice of words. "we had to put the CGI back in". If CG Yoda was always supposed to be in there why didn't they shoot background plates during the TPM production. From what I understand (and I haven't seen it) for the Blu-ray they just CG'ed over the old puppet/existing scene.

The title should read John Carter of Mars. I didn't see any topics or posts on this apologies if it's already been mentioned.

Here's the trailer.

I'm very underwhelmed by it but thought it was worth a mention because of the strong Attack of the Clones visuals (and yes, I do realise the novels this is based on existed a long time before AOTC)

6 Pop Culture Visionaries Who Get Too Much Credit

Of course George is going to land on that list but only at number 5. 

Cracked.com: If the hero's timing had been slightly off

#23

#22

My favourite of the SW related. I love ghost luke. Props for the use of Sebastian Shaw.

Also

#16

made me giggle.

I'd recommend checking out the rest, there's a creepy Slave Leia/Jabba one and the two Indy ones are pretty great.

Random thoughts worthy: Pictures of the 2012 Star Wars lego sets have shown up online, the box art for all the sets OT, PT and Clone Wars features Darth Maul replacing a couple of clone troopers which were featured (I think) the last couple of years.

An example:

Coupled with the new TPM 3-D poster Lucasfilm marketing is really in Maul overdrive. 

There's a paleontologist inside you?

slynger said:

I know this may come across as bold although I don't intend it to be taken that way, but I am curious if there is anyone online here who would burn Harmy's DE onto BD for me.  I live in a fairly remote part of Montana and no one here even knows what a "fan edit" is and blu ray is just now picking up.

So, if anyone can help out a fellow Star Wars fan, send me a PM and we can work out the details.  And Harmy, thanks for what you did and what you continue to do, these are awesome!!

 

I don't think you'll find many people here are burning blu-rays for these, they were designed to fit on a dual-layered dvd which almost any dvd burner can handle these days. Any one care to post a link where quality blank dl dvds can be bought online in the U.S?

imgburn is the program of choice to do the burning and it's free.

If that's not your problem and it's the actual download it couldn't be simpler. Post a request for an invite to myspleen which I guess is easier to get a grasp on than jdownloader.

As for a generous member here posting you a physical copy in the mail, I'm sure someone may come along eventually, but it won't be me as I don't reside in the same country as you.

Oh ok I guess I won't be reading it. I guess you typed out that quote yourself, thanks anyway.

Personally I think KenKraly2007 is the most entertaining spambot ever and welcome its posts on this site.

Tobar said:

I'm currently reading an interview with Kayleen Walters the Senior Director of Marketing at Lucasfilm about the blu-ray release. I just came upon this little snippet and thought I should share:

What are the challenges involved in converting a series of movies that are up to 35 years old into High Definition?

We wanted to create the best possible visual and audio experience for the home audience while maintaining the artistic integrity of the movies. We had previously done a meticulous, industry gold standard restoration when the films were first released to DVD, so we had a great base to start from. We also made some technical improvements from the previous restoration–including some color matching, most notably on the lightsabers–for this release.

Could you provide a link the the rest of the interview, I did a google search and came up with nothing.

That was a great read Harmy. You deserve the fanfare.

Sometimes I forgot the immense amount of work you've done in such a short amount of time. We're all very thankful for it.

Is none the new canofhumdingers?

Except none doesn't have the same ring to it - sorry none :)

Well I'm not saying it's true or that I believe them, but having never been exposed to any of the supplementary materials that I listed above I thought it's likely there's some thing out there to give a bunch of people this false memory.

Like the fact people swear they saw the Biggs and Luke Yavin reunion back in cinemas in '77 but that footage was featured in a television special wasn't it? I thought this could be something similar and someone could point me to a specific example.

I find it such an odd and interesting phenomenon.

miker71 said:

 

I'd ask him what the hold-ups are with the Star Wars live action series. If it's ideas, I have them. If it's writers, I know them. If it's production, I know people. If it's money - for fuck's sake George you're a billionaire, do you no longer have passion for Star Wars?

 

I don't have the quote handy or who said it but it's been made known the hold up with the live-action series is money.

The scale they're apparently going for is almost film production worthy but they want to do it on tv budget. Of course it could all be bulls**t but I'm just the messenger.