DrDre

yotsuya said:

DrDre said:

SilverWook said:

I’m almost at the point where I will have no use for the community at all. I hope that guy gets paid by the word.

I’m not even sure that guy is part of the community. He seems to be writing about film in general, but I share his view, that Star Wars has become a franchise, that doesn’t go forward, because it’s obsessed with looking in the rearview mirror.

Funny, I thought TLJ moved to new territory and broke the pattern. And Solo should be fun, not epicly serious.

I disagree. An Empire vs rebels/new hope vs fallen Jedi apprentice replay is not my interpretation of breaking new ground. TLJ’s calculated story twists don’t alter the fact, that it still shares a lot of narrative and visual similarities with TESB and ROTJ. It’s less derivative than TFA, but the fact that TLJ is seen by many as moving to new territory, imo proves that Star Wars has become so limited in scope, that the slightest deviation from the mold is now seen as visionary, and creative.

Solo doesn’t have to be epicly serious, but the problem with it is, that it’s mostly interested in checking boxes. How did Han and Chewie meet? How did Han and Lando meet? How did Han obtain the Millenium Falcon? What’s the Kessel run? Aside from some cool visuals and some good performances this movie is the poster boy for unimaginative film making, the anti-thesis of what Star Wars used to be.

I seriously wonder if we will ever get a Star Wars film, that isn’t in some way a remix of Lucas’ greatest hits. What’s wrong with just telling a story about a new smuggler type character (or any other new character for that matter) set in the Star Wars universe, where we don’t know where all the characters end up? How about getting people to view your film simply on the merit of telling a good original story with good original characters, rather than relying on the classic characters, story tropes, nostalgia, and fan service to draw people in for another deja vu experience.

Possessed said:

I think he’s only providing the LUTS not actual video files so you could probably apply it to whichever version you wanted

No, both a video version and the LUTs will be provided, although I might leave the creation of a DNR version in the hands of others.

DominicCobb said:

DrDre said:

SilverWook said:

I’m almost at the point where I will have no use for the community at all. I hope that guy gets paid by the word.

I’m not even sure that guy is part of the community. He seems to be writing about film in general, but I share his view, that Star Wars has become a franchise, that doesn’t go forward, because it’s obsessed with looking in the rearview mirror.

One could easily make the argument that it has been that way since at least 1997.

I would agree with that statement. I personally feel Vader’s journey is much better represented by the OT’s suggestion that Luke’s journey mirrored his father’s leaving the rest to the imagination, rather than fill in the blanks as the PT attempted. The funny thing is that rather than introduce a new interesting big bad behind the scenes, Solo reintroduces Maul, another character whose fate is already known.

SilverWook said:

I’m almost at the point where I will have no use for the community at all. I hope that guy gets paid by the word.

I’m not even sure that guy is part of the community. He seems to be writing about film in general, but I share his view, that Star Wars has become a franchise, that doesn’t go forward, because it’s obsessed with looking in the rearview mirror.

SilverWook said:

DrDre said:

While this review is for TLJ it sort of sums up how I feel about the current state of the franchise, and the addition of Solo to the list of feature films:

https://www.google.nl/amp/s/www.popmatters.com/star-wars-the-last-jedi-death-spirit-review-2517583409.amp.html

This quote sums it up pretty well:

“These films of oppression and resistance, good and evil are restrictive in their scope, their multi episode continuation an echo chamber that would best left to the silence of imagination over big screen realisation. Star Wars has become a broken record, with a faulty premise of philosophical balance, that can only be handled appropriately by breaking its defined structure.”

While Solo is not a bad film in my view, and I liked both TFA and RO, I’m sick to death of the current franchise’s self-referential nature, and its tendency to revisit past hits. The announcement of a Boba Fett film on the day of Solo’s release only reinforces this view, and I dislike it intensely. Star Wars used to spark the imagination. These new films stiffle the imagination by either giving us distorted versions of what came before (ST), or by filling in the blanks with backstory and fan service (RO and Solo). So, while I found some enjoyment watching Solo, I can’t help but feel empty after yet another entry in the continuing Star Wars franchise, which sadly grows much faster in volume than in original content.

Because the prequels never referenced anything. And the feeling empty comment is kind of ironic as Star Wars was sometimes compared to junk food back in the day. I wish these pop culture pundits would burn their Star Wars fan club card and be done with it already. And get a spell checker. Stiffle the imagination? 😉

And I refuse to believe anybody was ever happy about waiting three years for a new movie. I sure wasn’t.

Yup, it certainly is ironic that the nutritional content of a Star Wars meal is dropping rapidly these days. Critical voices is what prevents the Star Wars community from becoming an echo chamber, celebrating its happy meals as if they are haute cuisine, whilst eagerly anticipating every fan service toy McLucasfilm is willing to share with them 😉.

I would gladly wait three years, if it results in an OT quality film…

While this review is for TLJ it sort of sums up how I feel about the current state of the franchise, and the addition of Solo to the list of feature films:

https://www.google.nl/amp/s/www.popmatters.com/star-wars-the-last-jedi-death-spirit-review-2517583409.amp.html

This quote sums it up pretty well:

“These films of oppression and resistance, good and evil are restrictive in their scope, their multi episode continuation an echo chamber that would best left to the silence of imagination over big screen realisation. Star Wars has become a broken record, with a faulty premise of philosophical balance, that can only be handled appropriately by breaking its defined structure.”

While Solo is not a bad film in my view, and I liked both TFA and RO, I’m sick to death of the current franchise’s self-referential nature, and its tendency to revisit past hits. The announcement of a Boba Fett film on the day of Solo’s release only reinforces this view, and I dislike it intensely. Star Wars used to spark the imagination. These new films stiffle the imagination by either giving us distorted versions of what came before (ST), or by filling in the blanks with backstory and fan service (RO and Solo). So, while I found some enjoyment watching Solo, I can’t help but feel empty after yet another entry in the continuing Star Wars franchise, which sadly grows much faster in volume than in original content.

Nate D said:

Fantastic work, Dre! Is this 4K77 color grading meant for the non-DNR version already released or is this for the upcoming DNR version? Thanks!

Thanks! 😃 It’s for the non-DNR version, as DNR can easily be applied after color grading.

UnitéD2 said:

In framecompare : http://www.framecompare.com/image-compare/screenshotcomparison/KDK7NNNX

The comparison actually turned out to be pretty useful, because it led me to minimizing the differences of the color grading for this shot of the bluray:

I’ve updated the above bluray regrade set to reflect this change.

The 4k77 regrade and the bluray regrade are now in synch. Here are the same shots for the 4k77 regrade and the bluray regrade.

4k77 regrade:

Bluray regrade:

The 4k77 regrade and the bluray regrade are now in synch. Here are the same shots for the 4k77 regrade and the bluray regrade.

4k77 regrade:

Bluray regrade:

I’ve added twenty more shots:

rodneyfaile said:

Personal stakes are not low stakes.

Agreed, but the personal stakes in this movie are also pretty low, punctuated by Han’s meaningless three year stint as an Imperial soldier.

TV’s Frink said:

Why does every SW movie have to have the stakes of ANH? Or of any other SW movie that came before it?

This was the first SW movie with low stakes and I’m not sure why that’s a bad thing.

Because low stakes in an action adventure movie have little impact on the characters (which are generally not that well developed to begin with) and the viewer generally resulting in a pretty bland and uninteresting movie.

“Indiana and the Raiders of the Lost Typewriter” probably wouldn’t have been as memorable as the one we got back in the day.

Hardcore Legend said:

You mean like when they reveal Ben Kenobi is actually Obi Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Master who was friends with Luke’s father but we only just met him?

Backstory for a supporting character that provides a link to our main character, who’s death actually had an impact on that main character.

I get what you are saying but we are dealing with Ron Howard, a close friend of George’s (whom George asked to direct the PT) and Kasden, who gave most of our beloved characters their depth we now take for granted.

I don’t get what you mean. Just because Howard is a friend of Lucas, and Kasdan has written some great movies that should exclude them from critical evaluation?

This has all the fun of ANH, in my opinion. ESB, ROTJ, TFA and TLJ all have been tied down (not a bad thing) with raising the stakes over and over again and resting the fate of the galaxy on the events of the film. This time, like ANH, there was no burden. Just make a fun, sci-fi flick.

Yes, the fun of ANH, but without the stakes and well crafted characters in my view.

TV’s Frink said:

I don’t understand this opinion that it’s all grey and bland and flat characters.

From my perspective it’s all about character growth, and how movie events affect the characters. For example Han was a soldier in the Imperial navy for three years, probably having inflicted/witnessed much pain and suffering, but this seemingly doesn’t affect the character at all, having the effect of making the character seem shallow, greatly reducing the potential drama of having such a character history. The story focusses on Han, a rather stagnant character, when Qi’Ra seems to have changed the most in the intervening years, changes which mostly happen off-screen. These changes don’t really affect our main character in this movie though, since he remains oblivious to it all. These changes may provide a setup for drama in future movies, but that in of itself doesn’t justify the existence of this one in a dramatic or story sense. To summarize, Solo seems like a low stakes setup for a much more interesting movie, which given the lukewarm reception and poor box office performance may never get made.

TV’s Frink said:

People change a ton in 10 to 12 years. Especially from their 20s to 30s. I don’t see the problem.

Perhaps, but for a film titled Solo the film doesn’t provide Han with enough of an arc to really justify its existence beyond some entertainment value, which for many may be enough, I guess. If I didn’t know about the OT, the Han Solo we meet in Solo doesn’t seem all that interesting of a character to me be honest. Like for RO Solo offers rather flat characterization for most of its characters (with Qi’ra seemingly having the most potential), but where RO could at least draw from the drama stakes, and spectacle unfolding on a galaxy wide scale, Solo doesn’t have that luxery. Its story is entertaining, but doesn’t really rise above the level of an average Star Wars Rebels episode with a set of generally likable characters performing a largely inconsequential mission, except with much higher production values. I guess my biggest criticism against this film is, that the stakes are low, making it pretty forgettable. In my view a Star Wars movie should have high stakes, if not on a larger scale, then on a more personal level. I didn’t get that from this movie, leaving me entertained, but underwhelmed.

Hardcore Legend said:

Han is naive in this film. He’s had a hard life but he thinks being a thief is great and the life will be glamorous. As this film progresses, he learns that you can lose the ones you love, you can die alone, the people you trust can betray you and other people in the galaxy are suffering too. I imagine that if there is a sequel, he will be broken and jaded somehow by Q’ra. She will either be killed by Maul or betray Han to the point where he doesn’t trust women or “sticks his neck out for no one”.

There is growth in this film. It just doesn’t hit you over the head with sweeping orchestra and slow motion realization.

Yeah, but considering this film takes place only a few years before ANH that doesn’t really make sense. Han’s portrayed as this naive good guy who wants to be a rogue, and has a generally very optimistic outlook on life, despite growing up in harsh circumstances. This doesn’t seem all that consistent with the jaded cynic, and opportunist we met in ANH. That guy seems to have had a very tough life, literally fighting for survival his entire life only relying on himself, and Chewie. Now, it seems Han was a good guy all along, a self-confident optimist who apparently just had the blues over his former lover when we meet him in ANH. While Solo is entertaining that doesn’t really add to Han’s arc in the OT for me, in fact it diminishes it to an extend by softening the character more explicitely than Greedo shooting first ever did.

poita said:

A couple of images from the new print. It hasn’t been cleaned yet, and I’ve just ordered 40TB of HDD ready to store the scan, once they arrive I’ll see about getting the cleaning done, but I couldn’t resist grabbing a few images for everyone in the meantime.

Looks amazing poita!

TV’s Frink said:

DrDre said:

Saw Solo in a almost empty theatre at 20h30, which doesn’t bode well for the box office. I liked it for the most part, although in the larger scheme of things it’s pretty inconsequential, which in it’s own way is sort of a sad state for a Star Wars film to be.

I don’t think it’s intended to be consequential though? There was never a side-story aspect to a SW film before RO, and even that one has big stakes that lead right into ANH.

I know, and I guess it doesn’t have to be. However, this is the first Star Wars film that feels like “just a movie” and not an event. It appears it’s possibly going to be remembered most for bombing at the box office, deflating the value of the Star Wars property.

Saw Solo in a almost empty theatre at 20h30, which doesn’t bode well for the box office. I liked it for the most part, although in the larger scheme of things it’s pretty inconsequential, which in it’s own way is sort of a sad state for a Star Wars film to be.

Possessed said:

I’m talking about Dr. Dress 4K77 project. Which I’m pretty sure is shot which would make sharing LUTS impractical.

Yes, my 4k77 project is shot by shot. I will share the LUTs (roughly 2,000 of them) in the appropriate threads.

darthrush said:

So if I’m following this correctly, your 4k77 regrade and the SE Blu-Ray regrade will both be LUT’s to apply over either 4K77 or Neverar’s Technicolor-Regrade of the Blu Ray? And they will both be shooting to have very similar colors?

If so, that is really awesome cause then someone can make their own custom special edition using your beautiful regrades 😃

Yes, it is my intention to apply the same color grading to both sources. 😃

Lust-In-Phaze said:

Out of curiosity, how long does this process typically take from inception to release, and will it be upped to the usual trackers when it’s ready? I haven’t really followed any regrades of the works on here (besides DeEd 2.7) but this looks terrific.

Thanks! Since it’s a shot by shot regrade it’s a pretty long process, so it’s difficult to give an exact release date. It will be upped to the usual trackers when it’s finished.

Ronster said:

Dr Dre I like what you have done so much I had a go myself at the whole section.

I got close to what you have but I feel that you win! but I wanted to learn something and that soldier shot was bugging me… Anyway take a look at the grade there might be a few tid bits in there where you feel I win (probably not mind) but it inspired me and I like a challenge but this is not a competition really. Like I said I wanted to learn something and each shot was manually graded and there are plentiful hue alterations too please pay attention to the hues. Wow it really does shift about when you scrutinize it. The version I have is not as bright as yours and that was specifically what I wanted to do experiment with a darker grittier look… The only thing I can kind of question you from what I have seen is what is the Star Destroyer Hanger Bay light color? Is it not supposed to be yellow?

Anyway my effort to grade it is in the link below enjoy it for what it is a shot by shot manual grade that is close to yours but I feel missed the mark a bit. But it’s a good effort to be sure but not as good as yours at least most if not all the time…I won’t ever get to see your lots work so I have to re-create it myself now my computer is not much good.

https://vimeo.com/271888039

The colors look good, but it is pretty dark. I would brighten it up a bit. 😃 The hangar bay lights were never yellow in the original theatrical release or the 1997 SE from what I can tell from the print scans and other sources.

Amsterdam would be a nice place… 😉