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Post
#297158
Topic
Potter eclipses Star Wars and Bond
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/297158/action/topic#297158
Time
I think comparing a novel to film is impossible, and 99% of the time, the novel is better. The novel can explain things in so much more detail, and if you try that in a movie, it comes off as talking down to the viewer. A book can be 200 or 400 or 800 pages and be a great read, cause you can put it down and start up again tomorrow. A movie is usually around 2+ hours, and some great epics are 3+ hours, but they are few and far between, and it is very hard to pull that off to keep the viewer interested. I try to keep the two seperate, as I either read the book or see the movie, but never both cause you will be letdown in the movie, it is just inevitable. Heck, even the PT novels were actually pretty good!
Post
#297101
Topic
Indiana Jones IV
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/297101/action/topic#297101
Time
Originally posted by: lordjedi


Well, aside from Star Wars and Indiana Jones, I can't think of any lasting franchises. I suppose you could include Back to the Future and Ghostbusters in there, but that's still only one extra franchise.

So what was the point?


I think the Terminator movies, 1 & 2 have stood the test of time, as they have real characters you can identify with. I think Superman I & II with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder really made those movies better then they should be, considering they were a comic book movie. Of course as you stated BTTF, as Marty McFly & Doc Brown were classic characters with chemistry.

There just wasn't as many summer blockbusters back in 1981 as there are now, as usually there were 1 or 2, and they kinda ruled the summer mostly cause nobody could get them on DVD 5 months later. Movies like SW, Raiders, ET, Back to the Future stayed in theaters after Labor Day, as now a movie has one huge opening weekend, a second pretty good weekend, and by week #3 people are on to the next summer special effects flavor of the month.

My whole point is that will anyone be talking about these summer movies 20 years from now like we are talking about Raiders, SW, and Back to the Future? Now a classic is a classic, so I can't name 20 films from the 80's growing up that were great, but movies like Transformers, POTC 3, Spiderman 3 will not even be talked about years from now, the same way nobody cares about Independence Day 10 years after that was the must see movie of 1996. The Reason: The characters are one dimensional and lame, and when you watch them years later, the movies are utterly laughable cause the special effects are not mindblowing anymore.

Post
#297076
Topic
Potter eclipses Star Wars and Bond
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/297076/action/topic#297076
Time
You have to really adjust for inflation, and that is why it is so hard to compare the OT to Harry Potter. You can compare the PT movies to Harry Potter cause they came out in the same years, but the OT movies adjusted for inflation are in the top 12 of all-time.

All-Time Domestic Gross (Adjusted Inflation) source: boxofficemojo.com

#2 - Star Wars 1.17 Billion

#12 - Empire Strikes Back 646 million

#14 - Return of the Jedi 618

Those numbers are mind boggling compared to todays numbers. Even if you take away the SE & Rerelease numbers from the movies, they still gross well over any movie today.
Post
#297065
Topic
Indiana Jones IV
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/297065/action/topic#297065
Time
Originally posted by: generalfrevious
kingdom of the crystal skull? I now know it's going to be monumentally horrible.
Shia LeBouf- the next Jar Jar, Jake Lloyd, or even Hayden Christensen.
There's no need to debate wheter the movie's going to be good or not, it will absolutely be in the same vein as the PT.


See, I don't think Spielberg will let it get to PT-depths, but I think by using LeBouf is Spielberg/Lucas's way of appealing to the younger demographic, and that could be a huge problem.

The characters in most action movies today are very one dimensional and very forgettable. When was the last character that came out of a summer blockbuster like Indiana Jones that you just thought was cool as shit? I believe the young actors today are not as talented and are picked solely on looks and less on ability (aka Hayden Christenson.)

If you watch movies like Armageddon, Independence Day, Transformers, etc, they all have one dimensional lame characters that crack goofy jokes throughout the movie, and when you watch that movie years later, it comes off as laughable. Now watch a movie like Star Wars, Terminator, Raiders, Back to the Future, the characters stand the test of time, Marty McFly is still cool today, Han Solo is still cool today. Those movies hold up so much more better then the summer blockbuster of the present day.

Post
#296853
Topic
George Lucas jealous of Irvin Kershner's Star Wars?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/296853/action/topic#296853
Time
Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
Can'tcha just see George Lucas storming around Skywalker Ranch at the time of the SEs yelling "It's all Irvin Kershner's Fault. He's jealous. He's holding me back!!!" and then throwing a prop?



"I killed them all, the OOT fans, they're savages......even the women and the children. I slaughtered those non-anamorphic versions of the DVD too, I slaughtered them like animals!"

Post
#296626
Topic
George Lucas jealous of Irvin Kershner's Star Wars?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/296626/action/topic#296626
Time
Originally posted by: Tiptup


I agree that Empire was the height of the OT Star Wars saga, but within the OT+PT saga, Empire actually kind of sucks. It's like that boring filler episode that the little kids don't really enjoy but will sit through anyways . . . .

Wow, I'm suddenly getting the feeling that George has been unconsciously trying to destroy the impact of Empire Strikes Back . . . I mean, I know that the above quote was a joke and that he doesn't really dislike Empire (nor does he really think it's the worst), but, when I think about, perhaps he subconsciously wants to tear down the movie in the eyes of popular culture. His prequels (and RotJ) make the film seem out of place and unimportant while simultaneously ruining the meaning and impact behind every revelation in the film. The two remaining strengths of Empire, its character drama and emotional impact, have been at least partially maimed in his latest edits of the film.

.


I disagree with ya there Tiptup, cause SW'77 or ANH is the one that suffers with the saga now, not ESB or ROTJ. You have to look at it this way when you watch it 1-6 in that order. The story is established and focused on the jedi vs sith, not the common man like the OT established. You follow in the PT the story of Anakin, Kenobi, and QuiGon for 3 movies along with The Emperor rising to power, and then you have characters like Mace & Yoda, who are both jedi too. The only non-jedi character is Padme, and she is a queen/senator, so she has EVERYTHING to do with the politics of the rise and fall of the Empire.

Now you get to Episode IV, and all of the sudden you have this movie that deals with a bunch of common guys like Luke, Leia, and Han battling the Evil Empire, while the movie has humor spread throughout that actually makes it a pretty funny sci-fi movie in some respects. The only main character who is a jedi is Ben Kenobi. So you have an audience who has followed around the jedi/sith battle for 3 movies, and all of the sudden they are wondering what happened to Yoda & The Emperor?

On top of that they are used to huge CGI environments in the PT movies, and now are stuck in a movie on a dessert for the first hour, which luckily resembles Tatooine in TPM, and the claustophobic deathstar for the second half, something will have to give, either you love one or the other? On top of that, they followed Anakin and his story for 3 movies, and now he is in the movie for about 15 minutes?

ESB/ROTJ were atleast made with the Anakin/Luke relationship in mind, and that fits with the PT movies, so in that respect they work a hell of alot better then Episode IV does. ESB has a glimpse of the Emperor, and it is about the same amount of time he gets in AOTC. It has Yoda for a huge part of the movie, so now it is dealing again with jedi issues as the MAIN story. And finally you get the Vader/Luke battle at the end which finally continues on the story of why Anakin turned in Episode III.

ESB doesn't suffer, ROTJ doesn't suffer, ANH does big time. The irony of the whole saga thing now is Lucas actually fucked up his best movie he ever directed, cause anyone who sees it 1-6 will not love it as much as someone who sees it as their 1st SW movie.

Post
#296570
Topic
George Lucas jealous of Irvin Kershner's Star Wars?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/296570/action/topic#296570
Time
Originally posted by: GoodMusician
well, I do have to say this:

The films were made for kids... they were made with them in mind... purposefully...

We just happen to see in the films what we wish to see in the films...

If I may be so bold, to look at the films through the lens of "Empire" is... well... nearsighted...

I can understand loving Empire... I can even understanding wanting to up the others to its level... but by looking at the other films through that sort of stigma, you will loose a great deal of wealth and depth available within the films.

.



The films were not made for kids, they were made for teenagers, and that is a huge difference. SW in 1976 was being advertised heavily at Comic-Con, which is where all the teenage and adult Sci-Fi geeks were all at, and could be targeted.

Lucas had no idea 5 year old kids like myself would love SW in 1977, or else there would have been action figures ready that Christmas. The big fallacy is that SW was made for kids, and that just isn't true. After Lucas realized there were a whole market of kids under the age of 10 who will see the movie AND buy the action figures, halloween costumes, etc, he realized that he couldn't go after the niche comic-con geeks anymore, he had to broaden the movie.

That is why ROTJ, and in someways the PT movies seem to hit every age group. You go from the cute, cuddly Ewoks in one scene, to the Luke/Emperor/Vader scene which is are way different in who they are maketed to. In TPM, you have Jar Jar Binks frolicking around the whole movie, yet you have a large part of the movie on Coruscant that deals with the Politics of the Galaxy which is more like watching C-Span.

Lucas just gave into what is going on in movies today: The dumbing down of these types of movies to get a wider audience, and it works. Look at all the summer blockbusters: Transformers, Pirates 3, Spiderman 3, all entertaining movies, but none will be remembered 20 years from now as compared to a SW movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or Jaws, and the reason is those movie did not try to cater to kids, kids like myself latched on because they were more adult, and even though I probably didn't understand alot of stuff in the movie, it was cool to feel older for 2 hours, now it is the opposite.
Post
#296549
Topic
George Lucas jealous of Irvin Kershner's Star Wars?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/296549/action/topic#296549
Time
Good Musician, ESB does stick out like a sore thumb among the 6 films now, and sadly I have to say that Lucas abandoned the tone of ESB for ROTJ, TPM, AOTC, and ROTS.

This isn't about the movie being dark, nor the bad guys winning as many point out who are fans of ROTS too. It is a point that ESB took ANH to another level, and made it an adult scifi movie that doesnt' talk down to the viewer. Look at the whole cave sequence, nothing is explained, that is the power of a great movie, when the scene speaks for itself, and you don't have Yoda explaining why Luke failed at the cave to the viewer, you just have Yoda saying, "Remember your failure at the cave...." When you first watch the cave sequence and Vader comes out of nowhere, yet the scene is moving in slow motion, you are like WTF? You are challenged as a movie goer, and that to me is the reason I love movies, as I don't want everything spoonfed to me.

ESB made the least amount of money of the OT movies, and I honestly think Lucas abandoned the adult tone and went back to the cheesy-serial tone to caters to kiddies because he thought he could get a wider audience, and he did as ROTJ took in 52 million more dollars then ESB back in 1983. To prove my point earlier, I hated ESB as a kid, and loved ROTJ back in the 80's, and Lucas knew that kids = action figures = ??????

I often wonder what SW would have been had Lucas kept the tone of ESB into ROTJ, and even if he ever did the PT movies, as they would have catered more towards teenagers/adults that kids could latch onto, not viceversa like ROTJ & the PT movies. ANH is a different animal because it is a standalone movie that doesn't flesh out the characters, has a beginning, middle, and ending, and it is true to its roots so being part of the saga was not what it was suppose to do, so in that respect, the movie works just as well as ESB, as those 2 are still my two favorite movies of all-time.

If you watch the movies 1-6 now, you have 2 solid adult movies in Episode IV & V, and 4 entertaining popcorn movies in I, II, III, and VI, and that is why you have so much strife among the SW community, it is so obvious they are two different tonalities of movies, and when it was just SW, ESB, and ROTJ, many 'put' up with ROTJ cause it was the ending of the OT and that is the way it was, but now the PT just continued the cheesiness of ROTJ, instead of the hard-hitting drama of ESB.
Post
#296521
Topic
OMG, please tell me this is NOT true - "I am your father" dialogue...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/296521/action/topic#296521
Time
Originally posted by: JennyS1138
I was having a debate on another message board about the "I am your father" quote. This person claimed the line was, "No, LUKE I am your father." I replied, there is NO Luke in that quote and then he said this...

"In the new Collector's Edition of the original trilogy that is being released next year on Blu-Ray, George Lucas has again made several changes to the films. In this case, he has re-recorded the iconic phrase and it now reads: "No, Luke. I am your father, Luke."

Please tell me this is made up, because that would be a crime, IMO to redub one of the most important lines of dialogue in cinematic history.


The only reason I think its false is that I don't think that Lucasfilm has chosen BlueRay yet, and the SW movies are definitely not coming out next year in HD until the format war is settled. If this was for a Standard DVD release then I believe Lucas is definitely more machine then man now, twisted and evil!

Post
#296460
Topic
Mr. McGregor hated SW?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/296460/action/topic#296460
Time
McGregor has always been critical of the PT, including working in front of bluescreen for 95% of the movie. Neeson also has talked about how he was disappointed in TPM, and even Natalie distances herself from the PT, as I am sure she regrets doing the movies now, cause it did nothing for her career as opposed to getting nominated for an Oscar for her role in Closer.

This will be what the majority think of the PT years down the road, it will always be inferior to the OT, plain & simple. Sure there is a diehard niche fanbase of PT fans at TFN, but there are so many socks there I can never tell HOW many people are legit there. Whenever someone on TFN told me they loved the PT, I always remember there is someone out there who loved Battlefield Earth. I say to each his own!
Post
#295758
Topic
I say forget the OOT on DVD, lets target HD-DVD/Blue Ray Now
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/295758/action/topic#295758
Time
Originally posted by: RickWJ324
Paramount and Dreamworks just announced exclusivity for HD-DVD! Titles like TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE, SHREK, and STAR TREK shows/movies will only be available to HD-DVD.
Both camps have their exclusives, but this is good news for HD-DVD supporters!

I personally have been pulling for HD-DVD, but will not buy either until there is a definite winner!

-Rick


The problem now is that it will prolong the format year for alot longer as BluRay was winning. Now I am not in one camp, I just want one format so I can finally start buying HD movies, but this is bad news, cause this crap can last for years, and fans like myself just sit there and wait, and won't support either of them cause I don't want to get burned.

Post
#295509
Topic
Who got their membership pkg and "letter" from George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/295509/action/topic#295509
Time
Originally posted by: zombie84


And while we're on Superman, I have to reinforce my love and preference for the 2000 cut. The expanded smallville scenes add so much and there is a totally kick-ass action moment where Superman breaks into Lex's lair that is classic Superman; they don't slow down the film, they enrich characters and kick up the pace IMO. The biggest drawback is that the soundtrack is remixed in 5.1 and has a lot of new sound effects--to people who have the film memorized the new sounds seem jarring but actually considered objectively they are excellent additions to the sometimes-dated sound mix. Terminator had a similar remix in 5.1 wherein a few sound effects were replaced--people who know the film might be thrown off, but a lot of the times they add an appropriate punch.


I agree with ya there Zombie, as this is actually a directors cut that HELPS the movie, as with the OT movies, it is a bogus directors cut, or special edition. None of the changes in the OT add anything to the overall movie, such as the jabba scene in ANH which already repeats what Greedo said to Han before getting killed, or Vader going to his shuttle in ESB like any moron couldn't figure it out! I enjoy director cuts where the footage was originally shot and it was cut for time reasons by the studio, that is why the Biggs/Luke scene before the Battle of Yavin is the only worthy addition to an OT movie. The rest are pure crap.

Post
#295411
Topic
Who got their membership pkg and "letter" from George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/295411/action/topic#295411
Time
Originally posted by: Fang Zei
To finally address gf's point more directly, as silly as the GOUT release was I don't think Lucas would go so far as to bothering to include the OOT on blu-ray unless it was remastered.



I agree cause the majority of people who buy DVD's just have 4x3 TV's, and really don't even know what Anamorphic is, let alone can really tell between the difference in a good transfer and bad transfer.

BluRay is made for people with HD TV's, so if it is put out non-anamorphically, EVERYONE will notice, and Lucasfilm would look ridiculous in that respects, whereas for DVD's they only look ridiculous to the DVD-diehards like us.

I still think BluRay is our best shot, cause as I have said before: What sold DVD to the average consumer was the fact that they could buy a movie and don't have to rewind it and that each movie had a slew of bonus material in it to watch plus the movie. What is going to sell to the average consumer for BluRay is that because of the space allowed you can buy multiple versions of the same film to enjoy, and Blade Runner and Close Encounters are setting the trend.
Post
#295190
Topic
Part VII VIII and IX
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/295190/action/topic#295190
Time
Originally posted by: adywan


I'm pretty sure it was the other way around. i'm sure i saw an interview with Spielberg and he said that Lucas approached him about directing one movie but he declined saying that Star wars was his baby.


I have to find the quote somewhere, but Lucas said it before Episode I. Originally, Lucas was going to direct Episode I, and then let someone else direct II & III, but he was very steadfast about Spielberg directing any PT movie, cause Spielberg had Jaws, got most of the credit for Indy Jones, Jurassic Park, etc. Lucas and Spielberg are great friends but they are also very competitive, and Lucas was worried that Spielberg would get too much credit for a SW movie, and that is why Lucas says SW is his baby.

Don't wish for something cause you just may get it George, cause the PT is definitely your baby!
Post
#295163
Topic
Part VII VIII and IX
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/295163/action/topic#295163
Time
Lucas will never do 7,8,9. The only way 7-9 movies would get made is if Lucas handed the material to a director to shoot the movies, and Lucas could essentially do what he did during ESB, run Lucasfilm, and make sure his story gets told, but someone else tells it. Unfortunately Lucas has gotten so hands on in the movies, that this will never happen as he has even said when Steven Spielberg asked to direct one of the PT movies, "Sorry Steven, SW is my baby."
Post
#295082
Topic
Who got their membership pkg and "letter" from George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/295082/action/topic#295082
Time
Originally posted by: Fang Zei


2. While I'm on the subject of everyone knowing who Darth Vader's children are, I must admit it sometimes makes me cringe to hear kids give the answer. Mainly it's because of everything I've learned in recent years about the making of the OT. It almost does make today's Star Wars fandom sound like a religion, Jedi the first step on that long revisionist path, and cements Star Wars and Empire as a one two punch. So, and this is mainly a question for the older people, how would you compare Star Wars in 2007 to Star Wars in 1985? Jedi wasn't even released on video until '86 for starters.


I grew up seeing the movies from 77-83, as I was 5 years old in 1977, and the only time SW was mainstream was in 1977-79, and after that the tag of 'geekness' insued.

What I am getting at is even in the early 80's on the schoolground, I did not pronounce my love for SW to EVERYONE, only to people who I knew loved SW, cause even then it really wasn't cool. Now back then you didn't have the stigma of idiots dressing up at the premieres and the word 'scifi geek' was alot different then it is now, but SW was beloved by its fans, but it still wasn't something you brag about!

But in all honesty, most SW fans ate up everything George said back then, and even though I saw the OT movies 8,000 times as a kid, I always thought Lucas directed all 3! Never bothering to check the damn credits at the end of the movie! I never knew who Irvin Kershner was or Gary Kurtz or even Lawrence Kasdan, as I always thought Lucas had it all mapped out and did EVERYTHING, as I remember back in 1987 there were rumors of 7,8,9 being made first, then going back and doing 1,2,3 in the 90's. So trust me guys, Lucas was able to spread his revisionism on the OT generation too, simply cause it is easy to dupe kids, and we were all kids at the time.

The only difference of the PT/OT generations, is we truly loved the movies more then anything else, and the PT crowd seems to be a niche fanbase that loves the movies sorta like the Serenity crowd, and the majority who saw the movies were just OT fans who 'had' to see the story out who waited so long for it. PT fans are more like Trekkies now, as they know TOO much about the movies, as I had said before, I loved the movies to death and had seen them 8,000 times, but it stopped with the movies, and never went past that, now with EU and the PT, SW has become alittle to fanatic, but to each his own.

Post
#294957
Topic
Who got their membership pkg and "letter" from George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/294957/action/topic#294957
Time
Originally posted by: Sluggo
I am so sick of seeing pics of dorks in stormtrooper costumes marching around conventions. .


Those people seriously scare me sometimes. It is so sad now that when I tell someone I love the SW movies I have to say right after that, "But I am not one of those people that dress up when I go see the movies, and I also am not one of those people that like the newer movies with Jar Jar Binks."

Post
#294943
Topic
Who got their membership pkg and "letter" from George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/294943/action/topic#294943
Time
I have a respectful question Mielr, what is in SW insider that has any relevancy anymore? I picked up a couple of issues during the PT days to see what was going on with the upcoming movies, but I just don't understand why people keep funding Lucas every year for a movie series that is overwith?

Maybe someday people will stop funding Lucas's cash cow like the fans did in the 1980's after ROTJ when nobody cared about the Ewok & Droid Cartoons, and SW was what it was: 3 movies that formed the greatest trilogy of all-time. As long as Lucas keeps getting rich off of these side projects, I don't think he will ever care about the OOT, because he will believe there is a fanbase out there of Saga fans that he can keep happy who in turn keep him rich.

The bottom line about that letter is Lucas knows EXACTLY how we feel about the SE & PT movies, but he believes there is a big enough market of fans to offset the disgruntled OOT fans.

IMO.