Anchorhead

I've heard Uncle  George's - inspired by a hamburger with an olive on it - story a number of times.  My take has always been the same;

If your original concept art looks like this;

...and you like it enough to proceed to the level of building this;

...then I'm calling Bullshit on the hamburger\olive story.  George is a pathological liar where Star Wars history is concerned.  He probably thought it sounded like a funny or clever anecdote after he saw the redesign and then decided to run with it. 

LexX said:

That cover art... It's just bad. So bad. That probably is the worst I've seen on BD yet.

I don't have a horse in the race, so it's not a concern.  That said;  It may be one of the worst home video covers I've ever seen - rivaled only by some of the previous LFL shit Photoshop jobs.  It is truly terrible - in concept and execution.

The drawing looks like something a Junior High kid would draw on his math notebook while day dreaming.  It's laughably bad. Even if it were the cover for the 1977 version properly released - no two ways about it - I would throw it in the trash and replace it with the original one-sheet.

Fucking terrible.

No doubt a talent lost.  Too bad.  She was tough to watch the past few years as she battled demons most of us can't even begin to imagine.

RIP, Amy

Personally, I prefer to remember her better days.

Sorry Captain, but  you're not crazy.  Laserdisc was my entrance to true nerdiness.  It's how I started my life-long practice of full-film audio rips for listening while driving and flying.  I had a Pioneer LD player when they were cutting edge and several of my favorite films.  I watched them regularly. Never had an issue with the quality. 

Like you, I'm not driven by, or interested in, "lifeless pristine digital blu-ray".  I have a few and they're interesting, but they're not my go-to format.  DVDs are just fine.  I'm there for the story. Just like I've always been.

timdiggerm said:

I really appreciate that Anchorhead's contribution includes a refusal to listen to it. I'm not disagreeing with your choice whatsover, but I do like how it's very in keeping with your views on other topics.

Trust me, it's not nearly as hard as you might think.

danny_boy said:

 

 

"Look sir - several droids"   ;-)

As many times as I sat in the theater in 1977, no way I didn't see that bad and worse.  Cool thing is - I never actually saw it.

Good job on hanging on to the original VHS.  A much simpler time indeed.

danny_boy said:

But in doing so our ability just to enjoy a film for a film's sake has diminished.

Not all of us. 

Story is the only thing that's ever mattered to me.  That's what made the switch to the NPR version so effortless for me.  It was story only. No versions, no bullshit.

Honestly, as much as I rail on Lucas for all his lying and his OV bullshit, the film version of Star Wars is very nearly a thing of the past for me now.  I last watched it in 2006.    It holds almost no interest for me anymore. My problem with Lucas is his ego and his lying, not the poor quality of the 06 DVD.

I want the 1977 version to be properly restored because it absolutely should be, not because I'll switch back to it as my go-to.  That's just not going to happen. I will definitely buy it and watch it though.

Regarding film grain & dirt;  It doesn't bother me in the least.  In fact, I never give it any thought.

As prequelsrule mentioned above; If the 1977 film is ever properly released, I'll feel a sense of relief -  but not happiness. Lucas ruined his version of Star Wars for me a long time ago.  Star Wars, to me, is something entirely different than it was 34 years ago.

He says he's found the main control to the power beam that's holding the ship here.  He'll try to make the precise location appear on the monitor.

timdiggerm said:

Needs more carbon-scoring and a disc that's jammed in there real good.

Yeeeeeeess!!

Truthfully, when I was first reading the article I was thinking of how I would be tempted to find a way to get it a little dirty and banged up.

xhonzi said:

But sir, the odds of surviving a direct attack on a level 26 thug at level 14 are 3,720 to 1!

Never tell me the odds!

Oh bullshit! - get off me - you were all thinking it.  ;-)

I'm not a gamer, but if I were, this would be my pick for sure.  I love the attention to detail and the nod to staying true to the first film.  The accompanying video is very interesting and nice to see how much thought went into doing it right.  Having a personal machine in the likeness of two culturally iconic film droids is a perfect idea.

And this...

...fucking makes the thing.  Genius.

danny_boy said:

Lucas could have released this footage on the home video market at any point from 1982 onwards.

I am just grateful to see it.

The dirt and scratches actually give it character.

Dirt ,scratches,weave,occasional soft focus(intentional or otherwise) are synonimous with film.....

I would hazard a guess that the print you saw of SW in 77' was scratched up as well.

Correct on all points and I agree.  Not the point I was trying to make.

Regarding who cares;  I do.  Character of film vs digital is wonderful - and I'm all for it.  However,  does it really have to be left in as bad a condition as possible?  For the record, I don't know what it takes to clean old film, so maybe it does have to be left that way.  My point was - I'm suspect.

doubleofive said:

Why let LFL do the effects half-assed when we can go full-assed ourselves!

Actual LOL

Call me completely untrusting of anything Officially Released By Lucas, but I wouldn't be remotely surprised if the damage & dirt were added for effect, or at least intentionally left for that same reason. It would certainly work perfectly for continuing the "I can't restore the 1977 version, it's too far gone" lies.
[/cynical]

SilverWook said:

That sort of packaging is not going to hold up very well with kids want to watch the films often!

Is that even going to be an issue this time?  ;-)

*edit*

Dammit, I just saw the post above mine....

FRIIIIIIINNK!!!!!!

Sluggo said:

TV's Fink has been a board member for a year now and is at 5000+ posts.  Just think, that is six whole months of entertaining posts. 

 

Is it wrong of me to find that humorous?  ;-)

All kidding aside, and not in the true spirit of a roast - major blow if we were Frinkless.

Hats off, sir!

TV's Frink said:

...by far the most of any author in my possession.

Are you holding people against their will?

;-)

Coov said:

That black case rocks!  I did not even know they existed.  Good to know.

I don't think they do.  I 'shopped it.  I gave up trying to find one after I nearly reached the end of the internet looking for a company that makes them.

Kurt said:

Jim Ward: it’s hardly a controversy. We sold over $100 million in one day of this DVD around the world, so I don’t think anybody’s too upset about it. And any changes that George made, they might be controversial to about 5 people.

 

FUCK YOU Jim 

 

With God as my witness - when I finished my Coov BR artwork post, that was going to be my very next post.  Verbatim.

Coov said:

Thanks!  To me simplicity is key.  I don't try to make them look retail because they're not.  Also, I am used to a lot of my work being customized for edits anyway.  Plenty of room for any editor to add what they may.

On that note;  Because I only have interest in the first film, I altered your cover slightly.  If they were to ever release the 1977 version on BR, this would be fine for me. 

One thing I really don't care for is the insistence by case manufacturers that all BR cases be translucent blue.  That seems weird to me and I expect it will be a dated practice eventually. 

Personally, my DVDs and BRs are in a book case - along with books.  I don't care to have a bunch of shorter pieces of iMac blue plastic in there.  That's one of the reasons I dig your leather design.  It also goes well with my Indiana Jones and LOTR sets. 

When I finally get some spare time, I'll be moving my small collection of BRs into black DVD cases anyway.  Because overall my movie collection is getting to be too large for me aesthetically -  I don't care to have a Wall-O-Discs -  I'll probably start marrying them into bulk holders (all 007, all Indiana Jones, all Christmas films, etc).

Question, if I may.  I know very little of this girl other than the rampant criticism (which is most certainly deserved, by the way).  The first song was disposable Auto Tune pop, and I'm assuming by the comments that this second one is as well (I have no intention of listening to it). 

Something that came to mind as I was reading this thread was the thought that maybe it isn't just another teen girl attempting to gain her 15 minutes of attention.  Is it possible the whole thing is just a goof?  A sort of Performance Art in the vein of Andy Kaufman or Joaquin Phoenix? 

It's not that big of a stretch to ponder it.  She comes up with lyrics that are so moronic that they almost beg people to call her on the gag, then it very quickly goes viral because it's so bad, she then feigns outrage over her mistreatment (more attention) - and then immediately releases a second disposable tune.  The lyrics and stupidity of that first song border on SNL skit. It can't be real.

I'm calling Performance Art on the whole act.

TV's Frink said:

I hate Gump.  Dear lord, I hate it so much...it makes me feel like skyjedi for a moment.

I agree, by the way.  Not so much hate, just a one-time viewing and moved on.  Never understood the cult following.  I found it uninteresting. 

When I was eight years old I saw Andromeda Strain and it scared the crap out of me.  And I'm not talking about the part where they discover the Death Star plans...

;-)

I mean the desolate, dried blood out of their veins, end of civilization part.  That was a little too heady for an 8-year-old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAv_-YztFxQ

darth_ender said:

The term "weight" is misused, as weight, by definition, is how hard gravity pulls on something. 

That's all me, man.  I read mass, understand mass, but then used the word weight in my post.