Baronlando

It would change everything. Even for the GL criticism that would still exist, the tenor would shift to more good-natured ballbreaking and arguing, like goofing on Return of the Jedi in the early 90s. Even the prequels could be looked at with clearer eyes. (you would resent the shit out of CASINO ROYALE if they pasted Judi Dench into GOLDFINGER, as it is you can just look at it as it's own thing).

This idea that we can never be satisfied is ridiculous, it's like the GL zealots have no sense of scale. Simple things become unreasonable expectations to them. (In reality, even if there had only been the 1981 version on an otherwise good dvd/blu-ray all this time, the whole nature of SW and its fans would be utterly different).

Remember when the much cheaper, non-3D ticket reissue of E.T. was considered a dud?

In the 80s, (and now pretty much), people love a revenge story. It's the laziest, easiest motivation to write but we still like it and I was always impressed that JEDI didn't go that route. Even so, Star Wars 2 and 3 would have needed a real subtle hand for us to be invested in Luke  forgiving a guy who was not his father but just a killer. They sort of attempted that in the last Spider-Man, but it just felt like a gyp to me.

But it probably could have been cool if handled well (and Han Solo kicked enough ass to balance it out.) 

I have to admit I have no idea what "turning to the dark side" even means now. I guess it doesn't happen until you change your name or something.

As for the article fawning over the supposed political/moral intricacy introduced by the prequels, that's too funny. Aren't there about 37 James Bond movies where the bad guy manipulates the naive superpowers for ULTIMATE POWER! Big deal. You could write that article about HUDSON HAWK.

That's without the inflated 3D ticket price. But whatever, the only thing that matters is how this affects GL's perception of the health of SW. There must have been a few people like me who were curious about Phantom 3D but too put off by the OT situation to spend 20 bucks on it. Is it really such a problem to send some film to some guy in Burbank to end this. 

With any other series in any other situation, nobody would care either way about this article, but there is something inherently asshole about these kind of prequel guys. After all, they are the winners here. It's stupid but that's what it amounts to. They got everything they ever wanted out of this whatever it is, somehow that isn't enough? The whole world has to agree with you too? Fuck off.

4th place is nothing to sneeze at, but hopefully GL recognizes that this weekend has not been like 1997, financially and especially the overall vibe. Maybe there are other options besides alienating everyone but the most devout and the very young. 

eiyosus said:

Marvel Comic adaptation, Greedo does get a shot off in the panel where he gets blasted.  

No he doesn't actually. The comic is even more un-special editiony.  He doesn't even get to finish his sentence when Han kills him.

The article comes off kind of feeble and desperate but I agree with the basic sentiment, that Phantom isn't nearly shitty enough to warrant the amount of bad press it has gotten (just purely as a movie, not as a symptom of the larger Lucasfilm truth/history-revising).

Come on, it's impossible that college kids are heckling the movie. We all know they are the generation who grew up with prequels, and now they finally have come of age and shown the world that everyone loves it as much as blah blah blah the one saga blah blah kids in the early 80s blah blah impossible expectations blah blah fuck you 

I hate that all this has become so personal, but what other response is there to a guy saying "you are dumb and wrong to support my early work, but luckily I don't need you now that I have a subsection of boys age 5-11". Classy!

Tobar said:

My experience tonight wasn't much better. 

/

The loudest jerk in the theater decided to sit right behind me and he was drunk as a skunk. He shouted at least ten times throughout the night that, "THE POD RACE IS THE ONLY REASON THIS FILM EXISTS!" Amongst other annoying drivel. 

/

 The 3D was terrible! 

That really sucks, what a bunch of disrespectful assholes.

I can't believe how radically different the vibe has been for this whole thing compared to January 1997. 

Also, the super bowl ad cost more than a nice scan/cleanup of an IP Star Wars '77 would have.

Happy Phantom Menace 3D day!

A little surprised how condescending he is about BLADE RUNNER, he's getting more and more prickly about this subject and Blade Runner is probably the movie that gets thrown in his face the most. And he has cooked up a very odd counter-view shared by nobody, (one version perpetually updated forever is preferable to multiple being available. He thinks THAT is weird. okay...)

This sounds snarky, but I'm genuinely curious: this really is for a new generation of very young Disney-age kids just getting into SW so the marketing etc. is perfectly appropriate. But how does everybody (LFL, and all these parents) reconcile that with all the, you know...CHILDREN STABBED TO DEATH AND SPOUSAL ABUSE? just wondering.

SilverWook said:

I've seen "The Hobbit Defense" trotted out a couple times elsewhere to justify the SE changes George has made.

Along with every other instance of any person anywhere changing anything. Such weirdo logic, a completely separate person does something so after that anything sort of like it becomes okay. Magic!

Alexrd said:

Harmy said:

Why? Because, and I'll be repeating myself here, if so, then there is no logical connection to making more SW films.

Why make films to people who say that I'm a terrible person? It seems to be a logical way of thinking to me. 

Ok, he's not going to move away from a huge franchise because people are mean on the internet. Seriously, what the fuck, let's be realistic.

walking_carpet said:

 For someone who claims to not care or pay attention to what critics say, lucas seems quite knowledgeable of what they (people who criticize the movies) are saying.  im not sure if even nixon was as thinned-skinned.

As GL is threatening to take his ball and go home, he seems to forget one thing. Star Wars was probably the most broadly well-liked movie in the history of....ever. Obviously nothing makes 100% of everybody happy but no movie may ever get that close again. And Raiders was probably very high on that list too. Add to that a good 17 years of unmatched loyalty  and positivity, through Howard the duck, Ewok Adventures, Radioland, unheard of for a director. Not good enough! Not for the creepy new fans or their leader, L. Ron Flannel.

THX1138 is actually the worst, most blatant example of revisionist history for any movie I've ever seen, it's comical how actively misleading the presentation is. (and I like the new version better and I would gladly erase it to get the original back. Because who gives a shit which version I like better? This is what a lot of selfish dipshit SW fans can't fathom, as long as their personal fetish is catered to, who cares about history and honesty and all that lame shit right? Matte lines!)

So, when this comes out and has a surprisingly big, Tyler-Perry-number 1-despite-general-shittiness- opening weekend will that be enough to keep doing the other movies, or does it have to do 1997-type business to keep going? (In today's money it would have to do about 200 million wouldn't it?)

I don't know if Variety and the actual trade papers are what they once were. Wish we could get a banner ad on Nikki Finke/Deadline Hollywood, they all read that thing. 

(Not sure what a banner ad for this would say exactly. Purely informative maybe, we could compare the time and dollar amount spent on ONE episode of the new Star Trek Next Gen vs. giving the Blade Runner '82 treatment to Star Wars.  And then point out they are doing that for 105 more friggin' episodes. The labs don't release those numbers but we can guess pretty close. Or just push the historical, preservation angle)

7FN said:

We could mention the many reasons that have - over the past decade - given rise to the current bad feeling between George and many of his fans.

I think there should be only ever be ONE thing to publicly hold against GL at this point, the OT. The other stuff is just matters of taste and we should 't be mixing that in with a concrete, legit issue.

Alexrd said:

greenpenguino said:

Alexrd said:

eiyosus said:

Oh man, when they started ranting from 1:50 onwards I just about puked.  They called the restoration of the original versions a "waste of time."

Jesus.

In GL's point of view.

His point of view is wrong then.

Wrong opinions?

Yes, outside of a cult of sworn loyalty, an opinion can be considered wrong among actual human fucking beings.

elvin peterson said:Several days before we were to do the insert Gary brought the sleeve with him but not the correct hand . I dressed it with raspberry yogurt and red food coloring put it on a white plastic light diffuser and poured on sand.

I love the scotchtape-y, handmade nature of that early work. Viva Van Nuys! (I drive by that old building often and it makes me happy even though the area is  pretty drab and a little skanky)

Late to the party, but just saw this, it's really great thanks for doing it. (I got the '89 laser for about 2 bucks several years ago, never realized this one was different. Love the look of that source, whatever it is.) anyway, much appreciated.

generalfrevious said:Do you think the godfather or taxi driver would have the stays they have as masterpieces if ther was a marlon Brando mr potato head or Travis Bickel doing pizza hut commercials?

They've been selling Travis Bickle t-shirts and posters to douchey college freshmen for 30 years.