I like it a lot The film looks very much like a rebirth of the franchise, something that has been in an extended sleep. The title fits what the franchise is going through. Also nice get away from the prequel style naming convention.
Her importance to the film can't be overstated. Same with American Graffiti. Excellent biographical chapter from Kaminski's Secret History Of Star Wars;
generalfrevious said:
I seriously believe that there was only one movie at the beginning: Star Wars ..... There were no sequels in mind when it was made in 1976, hence why the first film feels self-contained compared with the others. It was never meant to be a trilogy until the money started rolling in.
Bingo. (edit, mine)
----------------
Regarding his worrying about the story or the next film only after it starts; The whole issue of "There is another" is a perfect example.
There are interviews with him stating that he had no idea who "...another" might be - while they were actually filming the scene - or - that he added the line to increase tension, never giving any thought to it at all. Lucas has told so many versions of the truth through the decades, he can't keep them all straight.
Either way, it's the very antithesis of his Original Vision BS he regularly trots out. Once writer's block reared it's ugly head - again, "another" became the princess. A lazy, hackneyed way out.
If he had anything even resembling an Original Vision, he wouldn't have hired Alan Dean Foster to write a sequel.
What's always struck me as extremely weird are the legions of people (not here really) who want to gift Lucas with some sort of title; Awesome Writer, Master Film Maker, etc. He had two major hits (American Graffiti, Star Wars) and switched to formula and marketing.
I'm not a fan of Empire, but I'll concede that it's on par with the first (just not for me). He has a hand in a hand in a few other blockbusters e.g. Indiana Jones series, but like Star Wars and American Graffiti before them, there were other people involved in the writing and film making. The rest of his films are mediocre on their best day.
Doc,
There are a few out there if search Star Wars Countdown. Various levels of quality. Also an iPad app if that works for you.
I've done without mainstream Star Wars for about 30 years, so I really don't have a horse in this race. That said; I'm expecting it to be considerably different and much better than anything Lucas could have done. For that reason alone, I'm looking forward to it. I'll go out of curiosity and out of respect for what Abrams has given me as a movie-goer; Super 8 and Star Trek 09.
Abrams brought me back to mainstream\current Star Trek. That's another franchise where I'd long since thought my interest and personal canon had been a completed chapter.
I suppose if I had to come up with a word or thought to describe my views of the next Star Wars film, it would be something along the lines of apathy.
Lucas ruined the franchise for me back in 1983, so my interest has been 1970s Star Wars or EU that respected the 1970s timeline and characters. Anything even close to that from Abrams will be a gift. The original cast is back, as are full-size sets, models, techniques, locations, etc.
All from a director who appears to be a fan or the original feel and story. He's very obviously aligning himself and the film with the 1970s and distancing it all from the prequels. That's a good sign.
I understand people not being excited though. This is a franchise that is extremely contaminated with Lucas' arrogance and near resentment of the fan base. Changes no one asked for, lying about the history and motivation, deliberately squelching the originals, and the total disrespect of the fans by altering the story and then making\selling T-shirts mocking the fans who were upset by it. (Han shot first T-shirts).
Those types of slights by the owner\director are hard to get over. Particularly when they've been going on for over twenty years. The franchise is a colossal mess because of Lucas' megalomania. If anyone can bring respect back to it, it's Abrams.
Well crap.
Thanks guys for the info though. The game looked interesting alright. I could see getting into playing it. It was dark and solitary. That has me written all over it. I'm a fan of night time like that, plus it's not sensory overload on stuff coming at you or distracting you. It looked like the scenes (or whatever the game term is) had time to breathe.
I was watching a YouTube video by a fellow giving a little info on the history of the 1966 Batman TV show. As an original watcher, the show started me on my way as a lifelong Batman fan.
Anyway, at the start of his video he mentions that because he's discussing the importance of the 1960s show, he's using "The 1960s skin". I don't remember him mentioning the game. He states it as though it's another installment for regular followers of his and they would know already.
Clearly Batman is the Adam West portrayal in the game. I lost the link, can't find it again, but did get a screen grab from it. Does anyone recognize this game and is it available for a PC?
Indeed it was a big deal when a movie had its TV premier. It was also usually years after the theatrical run. Alien was the first VHS release I ever bought, but I don't remember the cost. That was around 1982. Just the blank VHS tapes were about $25.00 back then. That's if I could find them at the high end audio\video equipment stores.
It wasn't long after that and I made the switch to my Pioneer laserdisc player. First movies were Alien, Star Wars, Blade Runner, and Apocalypse Now. That started me on my road to full-film audio rips (onto cassettes back then), which eventually led me to this board, years after VHS and Laserdisc were no longer part of my world.
I was going to dispute the halcyon descriptor, but if I had to be honest about it, it was a very big deal back then. Alien, Star Wars, Blade Runner, and Apocalypse Now - all on my crazy-huge 26" screen and sound out of my 5-foot-tall Magneplanar speakers. No telling how terrible those things really sounded, but I thought they were really something in 1980. ;-)
Welcome aboard Anti.
Article and set pic. . Very happy about both.
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/565980/20140911/star-wars-7-adam-driver-practicla-effects.htm
https://twitter.com/501stLegion/status/510056133101641729/photo/1
My thoughts on the show after another watch of Deep Breath and after Into The Dalek. Below is my post on the Who board.
I had my doubts after last week, but decided to give it a chance. After all, new Doctor adjustment aside, Clara is my favorite companion of all time, by far. After tonight's episode, in fact about 15 minutes in, I realized that what moved me last season (and all the seasons prior) was gone. I miss the emotional connection between The Impossible Girl and 11, Martha and 10, Rose and 9 & 10, and a host of other emotional stories.
Truth be told, I struggled to stay tuned in tonight. What I was watching felt completely foreign. I didn't recognize Clara (she seems uneventful now) and I thought the story was weak. I have no doubt Capaldi will be great, but the dynamic doesn't speak to me anymore.
I don't have any ill feelings - at all. On the contrary I have nine years and well over one hundred hours of my favorite show, as well as several prequels and shorts. Far more than fans of film franchises or many other TV shows. My world is replete with my favorite characters and stories. I'll continue to watch an episode every night of the year (literally) and never grow tired of any of it.
The show in its new incarnation isn't for me.
They lost me with the Fantastic Voyage angle, as well as the sudden distance between Clara and the Doctor. It would feel fine to me if it weren't Clara and 12. However, this is The Impossible Girl and The Doctor. All that keeps coming to mind is how completely foreign they seem to each other compared to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtaIpkjF6Ss
That prequel is one of my very favorite Clara\11 moments. It's who they are together (to me). Going from She Said, He Said to how do I look for my date, Grandad? is too big a jump for me to make. So, I'm going to have to drop out of following this season. I'll check in occasionally, but my above post stands.
Bingowings said:
Oh disagree.
Rose was awful to the poor guy. Everytime he tried to move on she would turn up again with her wonder friends to rub his nose in it.
I absolutely agree with you on that part of the character. He finally called her out on it in a later episode and it was one of the few times where he came across as a deeper character.
I was a bit miffed by the signals sent out by having Martha and Mickey both split up from their mixed ethnicity relationships and end up together. Sure it happens but we don't get enough positive examples of this sort of thing working so having them both fail and end up together left a sour taste.
Point two I agree with. On top of Martha and Mickey not being a good match (she always seemed deeper emotionally), the race alignment seemed like lazy writing. A quick way to sew up what had become two loose ends.
I know I'm in the minority on this one (particularly on the Who board), but I always liked Martha and felt she didn't get a fair shake following Rose. I loved the character of Rose and and what she developed into, but Martha was a great companion also. I thought 10 keeping her at arms length was a very realistic dynamic.
Martha suffered by following Rose. Just as 10 couldn't get past Rose (completely understandable), neither could a large portion of the fan base.
Bingowings said:
...it's still much better than the burping bins and plastic Mickey show.
Every episode without the tin dog Mickey is better than one with him. My thoughts on Mickey mirror Rose's in her first episode;
ROSE: Thanks.
MICKEY: Thanks for what?
ROSE: Exactly.
Plus one to that. Great to see the work recognized On such a large scale.
This is exactly why I tend to err on the side of using a short leash on trolling and the arguing that belongs in Off Topic. We aren't the nerds in the basement anymore (not that this board ever really was).
Our voices are being heard, the truth is finally being told, and our members are talented film restorationists (sp) and published authors. The landscape has changed significantly the past few years. We have the floor now. Time to use it wisely, as Harmy and Kaminski have.
And again, today.
Well, check us out; ;-)
There are huge lists of these inconsistencies online at places like SaveStarWars.com and OriginalTrilogy.com, where fans dissect the films and point out discrepancies.
The Disney-era Star Wars really seems to be much more open. From the director to the cast and crew, the culture of the reborn Star Wars is to be very engaged with the public. As fans, we're part of Star Wars again. It's not someone ruling from on high, telling us what we'll accept. This time around we're being included in their world.
Case in point; The cast taking the Ice Bucket Challenge;
Ryan McAvoy said:
New Porkins Bust...
They had top men working on it. Top...men.
Warb; there was an admission of this? I think I know the scene you are talking about, but I diddn't interpret it that way.
It was mentioned twice in such a way that we are led to believe that Clara saw them as a couple. Vastra also intimates that she assumes Clara thought the same thing.
Turns out that it was both of them who saw themselves as more than casual friends. In She Said, He Said, Clara all but confirms it by saying she has to fight to keep from falling in love with him "sometimes twice a day".
I would love to know just what these mistakes are.
Season 8.
must have missed that part.
Outside the TARDIS in Scotland.
He is angry and broken?? I didn't get that from the episode. What is he angry about? how is he broken? what caused? Why is is angry about himself?
Angry about past mistakes. Angry that he cost the dinosaur her life. Broken in his realization he's not being taken seriously because of his looks. Broken in his realization about his relationship with Clara.
He isn't? He's saved earth more than I can count. He's saved countless innocent lives over the years.
No two ways about it, he's done incredible things. However, he's not infallible and there is a precedent. His depression and anger have been shown before. In the past he's gone into isolation over personal issues; The Bells Of Saint John.
He's also gone into isolation over depression. As Vastra said in The Snowmen; "Kind, yes. A hero even. A saver of worlds. But he suffered losses which hurt him. Now he prefers isolation to the possibility of pain's return"
This time he appears to be more angry over the past (and his personal present). Instead of withdrawing, he looks to have a chip on his shoulder.
My thoughts after two viewings;
It's always an adjustment when the Doctor is someone else. I've been through this several times before, I'll roll with it this time too. It was wonderful to see Clara again, the Paternosters again, and 11 again. Those helped with the transition. Clara is far and away the companion I connect with the most. I also think she's been the most cerebral. As an actress in the role, Jenna has upped the game.
I'm fine with giving Capaldi a chance to make the character his own, just as all the other actors have. We're a single episode in and, to me, the franchise still seems to be in good hands. No complaints here. Cautiously optimistic and hoping for the best.
I definitely connected with the episode's theme of prejudice due to the lack of physical beauty (Vastra as well as the Doctor). Very profound her saying she wears a veil not to hide from the people who don't accept her, but instead to pass judgement on them.
I will say though, the end, with 11, made me realize how much I miss him. I'll need some time to let this settle. Few more viewings. Always nice to see the Paternoster Gang. Love Vastra. At one point, there was a nice nod to her being Scottish.
I thought the moment where there is an admission that Clara and the Doctor had been boyfriend\girlfriend the past year was one of the best emotional exchanges in the episode.
When the Doctor is lamenting that he's made mistakes and needs to start doing something about them, it was suddenly moving for him to say that thinking he was her boyfriend was his mistake. Clara was quick to defend herself, but he just as quickly let her off the hook, while exposing a weakness on his part. At that moment I felt the 11th and the 12th as the same person. I thought the Doctor stating "You look at me, but you don't see me. Do you have any idea what that's like?" was very moving.
In fact, I thought that entire scene - Clara on the phone, 11 asking for help, the struggle to accept prejudice - was the finest passage in the show by far. He's not just an angry Doctor, he's a broken Doctor. He's angry with himself, plus he now has to work harder to be accepted. I think that will serve the show well. It turns out our hero isn't better than us - he's a different version of us.
I thought the other moving exchange was Clara tearfully taking Vastra to task - "How dare you?!". Clara was right to call-out Vastra. They needed to finally come to terms with one another and Vastra was off the mark in her harshness.
Digging the new steampunk credits. Nice change. I watch an episode every night of the year (literally), so I'm fine with a change and still see the others regularly.
In closing; A huge adjustment for sure, but no complaints.
I saw all in their original theatrical runs, but remember almost nothing about the specifics, particularly sound.
Star Wars; 1977, theater, 35mm.
The Empire Strikes Back; 1980, theater, 70mm.
Return Of The Jedi; 1983, theater, don't remember any specifics.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/doctor-whos-jenna-louise-coleman-quits-4061757
Don't know how reliable The Mirror is, but if this is true...
"I'm not happy"
Far and away, my favorite of all the companions. To me personally, deeper, more cerebral, much more emotionally connected. Much more than just window dressing.
SilverWook said:
Starting to wonder if a chunk of the movie is the quest to find Luke, which leads into revisiting some old familiar places.
Or maybe the tables have turned, and the Empire is the one with hidden bases?
Both of those would be fantastic platforms to build a story on.
*fingers crossed*
Truthfully, there are two things in all of this that are so fun for me. One is the fact that we're sitting around discussing a Star Wars film without Lucas' involvement (real story tellers and writers now), directed by a guy who is a fan of the original. The visual design of the film is very 1977\McQuarrie.
The second is that we're discussing\guessing what the story will be and getting glimpses of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and the Princess. I've waited an incredibly long time for this franchise to be corrected. We may very well get to see that happen.
Darth Id said:
The characters in SWverse are ignorant to the exact extent Georgie-poo is lazy and solipsized when retconning in heaps of nonsense.
Bingo.
There really isn't another answer. Only the apologists fail to see it. In fact, they enabled him and allowed him to continue by not calling him on it.
Kings of Leon - Family Tree
TV's Frink said:
Skip to 11:20
Two questions, if I may.
Is Dooku the character played by Christopher Lee?
What movie is all that Shatner stuff from?
SilverWook said:
It's called artistic license. If we're going to nitpick posters.......anymore than Leia showed that much leg...
Which, quite honestly, is a shame.
She was so beautiful. She put thoughts in the mind of this 15-year-old. ;-)
