I first came upon this site a few years ago. The place seemed like a bunch of whiners on the level of the No-Organic-Webshooters crowd. Back a little over a year ago, I was doing a Laserdisc conversion to DVD of Star Wars and was researching deleted scenes. I'd happened across the Cantina scene and a few others and was looking for more. Google led me to here and Deleted Magic. Deleted Magic is hands down the best documentary on Star Wars, ever. Also, all the preservation and edit efforts. I stopped my conversion and joined into this now very interesting community. Rather than whine about Luca$, the members here took matters into their own hands and made versions they liked, of Star Wars and other films. I was quite happy with the Cowclops and other versions, including the amazing WookieGroomer sets and then I came across the Classic Editions. I know some like them and others don't, but I found them amazing. They came as close as possible to the nice 2004 set without the special edition crud. They aren't perfect, but they were cool enough that I spent great effort and money to compile nice almost professional looking versions of everything from the Classic Editions and Deleted Magic to WookieGroomer's Splitscreens, Spoofs, Extras (Cowclops or Riktor, I think-been over a year) and even the Holiday Special and gave them out as Christmas gifts to my closest friend Star Wars fanatics. I couldn't wait for the torrent of Empire so I got it directly from OCPMovie. My timing was good, because he had just completed Jedi and I was to get an early copy. I didn't mind the $10 each, plus the freebies of his short films. I did get the list of other DVDs available, including the preservation/fanedits in question. I really didn't think anything about it. I've bought from the convention circuits for years, and they usually charge $20 per disc. Not everyone really has the ability or inclination to torrent and burn.

I've also had an interest in The Thief and the Cobbler ever since I read about it in Comic Scene magazine when Roger Rabbit came out. I was very disappointed when it finally came out in its bastardized version (yes, I was aware of the story at the time). I followed with great interest OCP's project. It is quite an incredible piece of work. I am of the opinion that Garrett is one of the most valuable members of a community full of worthy, creative members. I am quite proud to be part of this community and am about to embark on my own fan edit for the first time after a year of reading about others.

As much as I respect and enjoy OCP's work, I have to admit that I was quite shocked and disappointed when he was first suspended. I followed minute-by-minute, post after post, in almost real time, when it was announced that Star Wars GOUT was finally being released. OCP's posts started out as giddy and happy and soon degenerated into ravings about how he had wasted all this time and effort on the Classic Editions. This was, of course, before we knew they would be just glorified laserdisc transfers. He then started attacking the only currently active preservation effort, the X0 project. He didn't just criticize it, he became quite the asshole spamming in multiple threads. There's a line between genuine criticism and what he was doing. He quite deserved his suspension. Once he calmed down, he became the OCP we all knew from before. He just never quite got that it wasn't that he was criticizing the Site owner and Mods' pet project, it was the very rude way he was doing it. Most of those posts are probably gone, but he was quite off the deep end, and then when his posts were edited of their more over-the-top comments, he was editing them back in (a no-no in any forum).

The newest banning was not really unexpected. When it came out that the newest Star Wars CE V2 was delayed so he could make a little money off of it first to help move, I knew something was going to happen. Then it came out about his selling of not only his own work, but others. I knew this to be true, because I have an email with the same list from over a year ago. He got a free pass because he was such a valued contributor, but it is one of the overriding rules here. The best way to fly under the radar with the fan edits is to not openly profit from them. I've read in his multiple threads in multiple forums about his unfortunate circumstances. I want to really feel bad for the guy, except I have to wonder about his priorities. He can barely keep a roof over his head and was days from being thrown out on the street, but can somehow audition 300+ people for a fan film about She-Hulk. I suppose life isn't always about food and shelter, but there are more important things than hobbies, especially expensive ones.

I'm not really sure where I was going with this rambling post. I just want to acknowledge the valuable contribution that OCP has made to this forum, and indirectly, he is the reason I found this forum in the first place. I also understand why he is gone. Contrary to his belief, it isn't because he criticized the X0 project, but his first suspension was because he was being an asshole about it. The banning is because he broke the most important rule. No one has said he can't still sell his work and others'. He just can't do it and post here. It's a shame, because so much of his work refers back to here. I earlier posted a picture of Pete Rose because this reminds me of him. I am a big Reds fan and have close ties to Cincinnati. Pete is the most deserving baseball player in history to be in the Hall of Fame. He worked his ass off to be the not the best player ever, but the hardest working player ever (the guy ended another player's career by accident trying to win an AllStar Game!). It breaks my heart that he did what he did and I want to pick him up and shake him for letting his fans, his city, and his team down. But he broke a rule that exists for a very good reason.

Thanks, OCPMovie. You will be missed. But this forum doesn't begin nor end with one member.