I don't believe this crap about "Star Wars killed the movies." Star Wars just happened to be the film that kick-started this thread--and certainly accelerated it--but it would have happened anyway. Jaws and Rocky had been thrilling audiences with uplifting summertime films the consequtive years before Star Wars, and Heaven's Gate, Days of Heaven, The Sorceror, New York New York and Raging Bull killed the American New Wave before the "blockbuster" explosion of the 80's ever happened. Star Wars made it happen faster but it was already in place. I think MTV is much more responsible than Star Wars. The "blockbuster" explosion didn't really occur until around 1984 or so with Terminator and Rambo, and the "80's action film" combined with the shortening attention span due to MTV and television are the primary factors IMO. Most people forget that the whole 80's thing didn't really hit until the later half of the decade (1984-1989) with the endless slasher sequels, Arnold and Stallone pictures, and the stupidity and deviousness of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer (Flashdance, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, Days of Thunder) who were the ones responsible for converting the industry from director-oriented dramas to producer-oriented action films. Lucas and Speilberg paved the way but they did so accidentally--Jaws and Star Wars are terrific, character-oriented films, and Rocky is a fairly gritty drama by todays standards. Lets not forget--it was us, the audiences, who ultimately took power away from the so-called New Hollywood and into the hands of people like Joel Silver.