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Oh yeah!!! Lucas...clueless as ever.

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Found this on foxnews.com...Lucas is in Cannes and had some stuff to say about Indy and Star Wars. Prepare yourselves. Here's the highlights...and some commentary by yours truly.

George Lucas tells me it’s more than a strong possibility there will be a fifth "Indiana Jones." He says that he and director Steven Spielberg have left the door open for a sequel to "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

"I haven’t even told Steven or Harrison this," he said. "But I have an idea to make Shia [LeBeouf] the lead character next time and have Harrison [Ford] come back like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out.

Gee, that's a great idea, George!!! Take the one guy out of it who's name is in the TITLE and is part of popular culture. George...you are such an idiot. STOP MAKING MOVIES.....JUST SIT ON YOUR PILE OF MONEY AND DON'T DO ANYTHING. YOU'RE TOO DESTRUCTIVE WHEN YOU DO!!!

Lucas says he’s not concerned about early mixed buzz on "Crystal Skull."

Why should he? He's made more money for Hollywood than anyone. That must mean he's a master filmmaker unlike any before who can do no wrong. He thinks everything he makes is great. Why listen to people who can objectively call your movies dog shit? Go figure.

"This movie is the exact same experience as the other three were. The difference is, the novelty of discovery is gone. I get worried when I hear fans say they’re expecting something different that will change their lives. This is 'Indiana Jones' just as you remember him."

Yeah it would be pretty hard to mess up Indiana Jones, right? But if there's a way that George can fuck up a perfectly good thing, he'll find it and excel at it. Don't believe me? See the prequels. Such a missed opportunity for greatness.

But that’s exactly the gamble Spielberg and Lucas took with reviving their icon. Expectation grows into a frenzy and then no one in that frame of mind can be satisfied.

Okay...wait here....WHAT EXPECTATIONS?!?!?! In a Star Wars movie, we expect force, Jedi, ships, fighting, cool people doing cool things....not midiclorians, Jar Jar, Grevious and Vader screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOO" like a bitch. I think the the FILMMAKER is trapped by expectations...not the audience. In an Indy movie, I expect a cool treasure hunt, some stunts that are pretty wild, a whip, a fedora, a leather jacket and the Raiders March. Can YOU deliver that George without screwing something up or making look so 5 year old that I want to throw up? Hopefully, Steven and Harrison slapped you in the head when you spewed your stupid childish horseshit!!!

Lucas has been here before, when he revived and extended the "Star Wars" series. The build-up to the release of the fourth installment (aka now Chapter 1), "Phantom Menace," was huge until it reached a fever pitch. Then, almost before it could be absorbed, "Phantom Menace" became the target of scorn from fanatics. Computer-generated character Jar Jar Binks was public enemy No. 1.

What was there to absorb? Shit is shit and you throw shit in the toilet...that's what you do with shit and that's what happened...as it should have. That was a lame movie made by a once great filmmaker who is now lame. And Jar Jar deserved to be public enemy #1. He was a retard...and insulted the audience's intelligence and brought the movie down to kindergarden levels. Why wouldn't that get some scorn???

But "Star Wars" continues to thrive.

Oh how I wish it would die a quick painful death!!! Just to put us out of this misery!!!

In August, Lucas says, he’s releasing an animated 90-minute "Star Wars" movie to theaters via Warner Bros. called "Clone Wars." It will be followed in September by an animated series on the Cartoon Network and TNT.

George, you've gone from THX-1138...to making bad children's cartoons. Congratulations....you're an idiot.

"No one wanted it," he told me. "Every studio rejected it, including Fox, and I’m very loyal to them. They have right of first refusal. Eventually I brought it to Warners. It’s the first time that three components of the studio have acted together. It’s very exciting.

It's very exciting to have the latest milking of the greatest cashcow ever rejected by EVERY FUCKING STUDIO!?!?!?!?!? Gee...I wonder why they rejected it....cuz it sucked or cuz you wanted them to shake your hand and let you put their studio name on your garbage!!! Your problem, George...is you give people shit and you expect thanks. They all said NO THANKS.

"But the story is that everyone said, 'No one gets this. It’s just … 'Star Wars.'' I said, 'That’s right, It’s just 'Star Wars.' Just like this is … 'Indiana Jones.''"

No George....YOU don't get it....cuz YOU don't understand Star Wars or Indiana Jones. Hang it up, George....let go, it's over. You lost the magic. Forget it. Turn it over to someone who has a clue. You certainly don't.
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It's just funny here how so much could be solved by so little. If George is going to keep doing all this stuff with Star Wars without giving us the oh so simple thing we're asking for, then indeed it would be better for Star Wars to die as quick a death as possible.
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Lucas should have been a businessman for enron or some other company like that; the PT proved that he was always a hack and KOTCS will further prove this. Maybe it would have been better if SW never existed at this point.
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The amount of venom in that first post is completely unnecessary. In the interest of fairness, however, you can't "objectively" call a movie dog shit. Unless, of course, dog shit was mixed with the celluloid prior to the making of the film. Judgments concerning the merit of a piece of art are inherently subjective. Someone who says TPM is the best movie of all time may stand in a very small crowd, but there's nothing you could do to prove him "wrong".

Fang Zei said:

It's just funny here how so much could be solved by so little. If George is going to keep doing all this stuff with Star Wars without giving us the oh so simple thing we're asking for, then indeed it would be better for Star Wars to die as quick a death as possible.


So, because he won't give a comparatively small amount of consumers exactly what they want, it's better that he deny any further products to the rest of us? Self-centered, much?
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I haven’t even told Steven or Harrison this," he said. "But I have an idea to make Shia [LeBeouf] the lead character next time and have Harrison [Ford] come back like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out.

That's actually been my worst nightmare for the Indie franchise. Continue it with Harrison or else drop it but don't let some other character take over.
My preference is simple. I want remastered versions of precisely what we saw and heard for each Star Wars film on opening day.
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See, what Lucas doesn't understand about Indy & SW, is Indy(Harrison Ford) is what sells Indy, and the story of SW is what sells SW. By having Shia as a continuation of the Indy adventures will kill the series, because people are plopping down their 10 bucks to see Harrison Ford, plain & simple.

With the PT, Lucas was able to get away with a new cast, because the story tied to the OT, and how Darth Vader came to be was the hook that kept us waiting for 3 movies.

It would be like having Back to the Future IV, and not having Michael J Fox in it, and some new guy flying the Delorean all around with new adventures, nobody would care!
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Cable-X1 said:


Lucas says he’s not concerned about early mixed buzz on "Crystal Skull."

"This movie is the exact same experience as the other three were. The difference is, the novelty of discovery is gone. I get worried when I hear fans say they’re expecting something different that will change their lives. This is 'Indiana Jones' just as you remember him."

But that’s exactly the gamble Spielberg and Lucas took with reviving their icon. Expectation grows into a frenzy and then no one in that frame of mind can be satisfied.

Lucas has been here before, when he revived and extended the "Star Wars" series. The build-up to the release of the fourth installment (aka now Chapter 1), "Phantom Menace," was huge until it reached a fever pitch. Then, almost before it could be absorbed, "Phantom Menace" became the target of scorn from fanatics. Computer-generated character Jar Jar Binks was public enemy No. 1.


This part annoys me the most. Anyone who didn't like the prequels is just a "fanatic" who wanted George to "change their lives"? Seriously?

People like great art, something that betters our lives. It's why we pay money and the prequels are barely entertaining. If they had at least lived up to the level of quality in Return of the Jedi and not stepped on everything good in the series, there would not be a problem here.

"Now all Lucas has to do is make a cgi version of himself.  It will be better than the original and fit his original vision." - skyjedi2005

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George Lucas' definition of entertainment: "Paying nine bucks and over 2 hours of your life to watch meaningless, incoherent plot elements involving characters and themes that you have no desire to care about."

The quality in a given work of art is not "inherently subjective." I cannot stand it when people mindlessly repeat that bullshit line. Aesthetics, as a science, has existed for over 2,000 years (it was formulated by Aristotle)! You can't go around fucking with the most basic understanding of how things fit together and what people like and then expect people to somehow enjoy themselves with what you've made. Pragmatically, it just doesn't work, plain and simple.

Now, the prequels faults aren't terrible along the lines of anything major, but the sheer number of smaller faults is overwhelming (particularly with regard to the "saga" elements that George thinks he's a genius with). Also, George Lucas seems incapable of capturing accurate portrayals of emotion and that is PARAMOUNT in a story where character drama is a major focus (he had help on this end in the first three films). The prequels are filled to the brim with objective, aesthetic faults and most people expect better results for their hard-earned money.

"Now all Lucas has to do is make a cgi version of himself.  It will be better than the original and fit his original vision." - skyjedi2005

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Johnboy3434 said:

The amount of venom in that first post is completely unnecessary.


You can't "objectively" make that assessment...or can you?

In the interest of fairness, however, you can't "objectively" call a movie dog shit. Unless, of course, dog shit was mixed with the celluloid prior to the making of the film.


You're kidding me, right?

Judgments concerning the merit of a piece of art are inherently subjective. Someone who says TPM is the best movie of all time may stand in a very small crowd, but there's nothing you could do to prove him "wrong".


I agree that judging art is purely subjective, but as said above...that's getting to be an old argument for defending the PT. Have you ever taken an English literature class before? If you have, you've read the classics and if you had a teacher worth a damn, he or she would have imparted you with the wonderful ability to read between the lines and analyze such things as theme, metaphor and so on. The original SW is a archetype-laden story with some pretty deep thematic stuff at work. Where is that in the PT? Is it presented well? Is the storytelling style detrimental to the work as a whole? See when you look at it that way, the PT falls apart completely. Wanna debate further?

Fang Zei said:

It's just funny here how so much could be solved by so little. If George is going to keep doing all this stuff with Star Wars without giving us the oh so simple thing we're asking for, then indeed it would be better for Star Wars to die as quick a death as possible.


So, because he won't give a comparatively small amount of consumers exactly what they want, it's better that he deny any further products to the rest of us? Self-centered, much?


It's more the notion that he DENIES that it ever existed. He's said as much, dude. I'm sure most directors and writers are somewhat unhappy with their final product...but Lucas has gone WAY too far by changing it and denying the original to those who wish it. It's revisionist bullshit. The fact that he fucked up so royally with the PT only adds insult to injury, hence some of the hostility.

I would rather see it dead and buried than dead and dragged through the streets with vultures picking it bare. Why? Cuz I remember a time when SW was a benchmark in fiction and filmmaking. If it can't be the best it can be, then I'd rather see it gone. And yeah, it's absolutely self centered....cuz I have standards for my entertainment. When I pay 10 fucking dollars for a movie, I don't want to be jerked around by some hack who can't write or direct. That's why most of what comes out of Hollywood sucks ass today...cuz people accept the garbage that comes out. Not me...and certainly not most of the people who post on this site.
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I hate to say it, but when I was watching a trailer or clip of the new Indy the other nite (I think it was on E.T.), I got kind of a bad feeling. I hope it doesn't suck. :-/

As far as GL goes- he just doesn't get it anymore. What a shame.

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thecolorsblend2 said:

I haven’t even told Steven or Harrison this," he said. "But I have an idea to make Shia [LeBeouf] the lead character next time and have Harrison [Ford] come back like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out.

That's actually been my worst nightmare for the Indie franchise. Continue it with Harrison or else drop it but don't let some other character take over.


Indeed. But then--it wouldn't really be Indiana Jones, would it? I mean without Indy...uh, its not Indy. I would't worry all that much, I'm not sure if Lucas would have the energy to put together another film anyway, I mean it took him a decade just to make Indy IV.
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I can see it happening. Like Jurassic Park III, Spielberg hands the directing over to somebody else, they crank it out for 2010. Harrison does his bit in 5 weeks. Lucas could even resurrect the "RAIDERS OF THE..." title
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Cable-X1 said:

I agree that judging art is purely subjective, but as said above...that's getting to be an old argument for defending the PT. Have you ever taken an English literature class before? If you have, you've read the classics and if you had a teacher worth a damn, he or she would have imparted you with the wonderful ability to read between the lines and analyze such things as theme, metaphor and so on. The original SW is a archetype-laden story with some pretty deep thematic stuff at work. Where is that in the PT? Is it presented well? Is the storytelling style detrimental to the work as a whole? See when you look at it that way, the PT falls apart completely. Wanna debate further?


I wasn't necessarily defending the PT. I just used TPM as an example because I'm pretty sure most people here would be familiar with it. I was actually defending all forms of art that have been ignored by the so-called "intelligentsia". You know, the people who think they measure the worth of a piece of art by what can be read into it (in other words, how may blind guesses they have to make before they can justify its existence)? I've had plenty of Literature classes, and they all sucked (that's my subjective judgment). Since when have metaphors and themes made a quality work of art? I'll tell you what makes quality art: the enjoyment we, the audience, get out of it. If it doesn't entertain us, it's not worth shit. I don't care if your entire theory of existence, of all the world's problems, of life, the universe, and everything, is distilled into dramatic form. If we can't laugh, if we can't cry, if we can't cheer, then it was all a colossal waste of time. That's why one Ed Wood is worth a dozen Ernest Hemingway's. Ed made us laugh (however unintentionally), with his contrived plots, his unbelievable dialog, and his cheesy special effects. How many films have you seen that make you say, "I could do better than that!"? He made us feel good about ourselves. What did Hemingway do? He made us want to reenact his final moments.

I'm sorry if that was a little more aggressive than you expected, but you struck a nerve, there.
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spielberg already mention a sequel indiana jones trilogy starring shia lebouf on entertainment tonight around the start of principal photography on crystal skull.


He said he enjoyed working on transformers so much and the new indy with lebouf he would love to do it.

that does not mean it is set in stone but it is a direct possibility.

I think the new Indy is going to have to be as least as good as last crusade to get my thumbs up approval. lets face it nothing can ever touch raiders. it is the perfect action movie for that time, and every director who tried to copy its success failed even spielberg.

The Tv and Theatrical trailers look very good and harrison looks in top form, so this movie by all accounts should rock the socks off of indiana jones fans.

still the trailers for phantom menace were good as well and the final movie was a letdown.

I am going to an advance screening of indy 4 in boston on the 19th, i hope it is good. i'll give it a very harsh review online if it sucks.

the prequels did not have to be so lukewarm, no pun intended.

If the scripts and dialogue had been given additional work by an actual talented screenwriter, and the movies cut back on the cgi and had tighter editing.

i mean the themes are not to be completely disparaged only the means in which they were conveyed.

the new star wars trilogy more fits a greek tradgedy than it does a campbellian heroes journey. It is a lot like Oedipus Rex and Milton's Paradise Lost and Faust, except delivered with comic book visuals, eye candy and inane dialogue. It is almost like a childish version of the myths he was trying to follow.

In fact revenge of the sith is exactly like oedipus trying to avert his fate and causes it to happen, as anakin kills padme by trying to deny fate.

Star wars from the begining was dumbed down sugar coated and made more childish for the masses to get a bigger audience.

The original 300 page script had sex, violence and political activism as well as the flash gordon and burroughs and kurosawa elements.


As for Indiana Jones IV i thought speilberg and lucas initially said it was going to be low budget and shot like the old ones on location.

a 170 million dollar movie, is that the price of 19 years of inflation or is that the cost of the cgi. Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford don't even make a dime until it grosses over 400 million dollars so paramount can recover its costs.

Lucas original quote on special effects is genius " a special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. people tend to confuse them as an end to themselves. a special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing" - from star wars to jedi the making of a saga

are the prequels a special effect without a story? or our we oot fans so jaded we would not even notice one if it was there.

i think the fans would give the prequels and the special editions their own place in the star wars family if only george did not treat the originals like crap.

Back in 1997 i went to see the special editions trilogy and embraced them as an extension of the originals not a replacement. i hated the greedo shooting first thing but could live with it since the special edition was an alternate take on the films.

Little did i know as most fans that embracing the special editions was to giving lucas the opportunity to bury the originals.

had i known that then i would have boycotted the movies and the following prequel films until a restoration got underway to be able to show the originals in cinema again or on a future dvd release.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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Mielr said:

I hate to say it, but when I was watching a trailer or clip of the new Indy the other nite (I think it was on E.T.), I got kind of a bad feeling. I hope it doesn't suck. :-/

As far as GL goes- he just doesn't get it anymore. What a shame.


I didn't want to say it, but I have to agree - the trailer I saw did reek of CGI wanktackery.

“I love Darth Editous and I’m not ashamed to admit it.” ~ADigitalMan

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Well that cluless filmmaker just so happend to make some of the most popular movies ever. Some of you guys need to get a grip. Stop taking all this crap you read and hear about so seriously.
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I don't see this happening.

Other than Spielberg's giant crush on Le Beouf he's too smart to do this. He's also a busy guy, he's doing the Chicago (7?) movie + Tin Tin + his Lincoln biopic. In addition to it only taking 19 years to get the latest Indy movie made and George saying this was his last 'Macguffin', if they didn't use this idea he had no more left.

Also would Ford be willing to take a back seat? Would his ego prevent it or would he be just happy for the work?

Besides I'm more concerned with the quality of the 4th installment right now than a theoretical part 5. Maybe cautious is the right word.

Has this already been posted? I think its very appropriate to this topic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPzDjaA03ts

edit: We all know how George often talks out of his ass. This will happen around the time Star Wars Episode 12 is released.

"Well here's a big bag of rock salt" - Patton Oswalt

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Still, whether we like it or not, Lucas will be the silent culprit of the greatest crime in film history. And BTW, the SW trilogy is popular because Lucas had little to actually do with the films.
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sunday256 said:

Well that cluless filmmaker just so happend to make some of the most popular movies ever. Some of you guys need to get a grip. Stop taking all this crap you read and hear about so seriously.


Sunday, I think people who call Lucas a hack now are being too extreme, but in the same respect he is the not the same filmmaker that made our favorite movies from the late 70's/early 80's.

It happens to anyone, athletes, actors, musicians, they have a prime where their work is second to none, then once they reach stardom and have kids as Mickey said to Rocky in Rocky III, "You become civilized." You lose that eye of the tiger to put it metaphorically.

I look at Lucas like a great rock band like The Who or Led Zeppelin, has Pete Townshend written anything as great as Tommy or Quadrophenia in the past 20 years? Has Jimmy Page/Roger Plant recorded anything close to Stairway to Heaven in the past 20 years? The same goes for Lucas, he churned out Graffiti, Star Wars, then produced films like Empire & Raiders, and then he got divorced raised 3 daughters, and played it safe for the rest of his career.

George Lucas career is just like most directors,(with exception of a handful guys like Spielberg) who is just past his prime, and the difference is that Coppola and Depalma, other great directors from the 70's aren't making anymore movies that are extensions of their trilogies for people to compare them to, they are doing new work and most of it isn't as great as what they were doing 20-30 years ago. Oh yeah, Coppola did Godfather III! See what I mean?
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Hey, Robert Plant's done some respectable solo stuff, just not big scale like Zeppelin, and the boys still play a tight show when they got back together.

But I get your point! :p

Also, I think the big problem is that Lucas honestly doesn't have much experience. Everyone has their prime--Kershner never made a good film after ESB, and look at what happened to Coppola--and certainly Lucas is past his, but they eventually do some good stuff if they keep at it. Coppola never could live up to his own legacy after Apocalypse Now, but he went on and made about ten more movies, and even though they aren't as good as his prime stuff, some of them are good, like Rumble Fish and Tucker, even Dracula has its moments. Kurosawa made 30 films, and I'd say about 10 of them suck. In 1977 he had made about three bombs in a row, but he kept at it and eventually he made three more films that are considered among his best--and then made another three that are considered among his worst. So directors have ups and downs. But Lucas never worked enough to have anything like this. THX 1138 was cool and unique, he totally got lucky with Graffiti, and then he made Star Wars. But when you don't work for 20 years--how can you expect to keep your skill? Filmmaking is not like baseball or painting, you can't practice at home in your spare time, and even though Lucas did a bit of second unit stuff on ROTJ and Young Indy, doing two stints of shooting little dink second unit material is not the same as directing a film. Its really not that surprising that he didn't have a grasp on what he was doing when he came back, and because he's only directed 6 films half of his entire career went down the toilet. Its like a baseball player playing only six games, sure he might hit nothig but homeruns for the first three, but then he can just as easily strike out three games in a row--especially if he plays 3 games, retires for twenty years, and then plays three more. Plus, Lucas has never really liked directing anyway, in fact he hates it but its a necessary process, so theres no enthusiasm for the process of making the picture. Its kind of inevitable that he would end up with the reputation he has now.
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see you auntie said:


Has this already been posted? I think its very appropriate to this topic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPzDjaA03ts


That's pretty funny- I especially like the part at the end. ;-)

Well, I hope Indy IV is a good film. We'll just have to wait and see for ourselves. I'm very glad that Karen Allen is in it. I really liked her in the first movie (much better than Kate Capshaw's whiney character) and it's too often that we see over-50 actresses go into retirement (forced or otherwise).

Is everybody pretty much planning to go see this on opening day?

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Mielr said:

see you auntie said:


Has this already been posted? I think its very appropriate to this topic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPzDjaA03ts


That's pretty funny- I especially like the part at the end. ;-)

Well, I hope Indy IV is a good film. We'll just have to wait and see for ourselves. I'm very glad that Karen Allen is in it. I really liked her in the first movie (much better than Kate Capshaw's whiney character) and it's too often that we see over-50 actresses go into retirement (forced or otherwise).

Is everybody pretty much planning to go see this on opening day?


That was absolutely hilarious. I had seen the one he did for Episode III and didn't think much of it but that was really well done! One can only hope that Indy IV won't suck. I think this (sadly) encapsulates the undercurrent of fear thats going with the anticipation--it could be great, but who the hell knows, George Lucas is still in charge!
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A theater that's literally within walking distance is getting this and there will be a midnight showing. If my friends are up to it, we'll be there.
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Honestly, I think that Lucas does realize that special effects don't make a story; he just doesn't realize how to make stories anyomre. I'm not gonna lie, I enjoy TPM, albeit only a little bit. If he "knew" how to make stories, we could have had a similar plot - only, a helluva lot better.

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em