Gaffer Tape

Yeah, SP is how I recently played it.

Nah, it should be Jar-Jar Binks screaming!

GARBLAHERGHEREFG!  I AM VERY ANGRY AT THIS 'OVERRATED' COMMENT!

I will now calmly sit down and do nothing because I cannot stand for this.

Now, VINH, you know I respect your opinion and all, but, man, that's just some silly crazy talk coming out of your head right now!  Silly, silly, silly!

Sigh, yeah... It was in May, Off-Topic, in the Star Trek film thread, I believe.  But then again, this whole day has been posting deja vu for me, as the ROTJ polarizing debate has sprung up again.  I'm sure all of us have weighed in on the issue about fifty times by now and know each other's positions by heart by now.

It's so weird to see this topic so polarized since I see myself quite in the middle.  Hell, I made a video about what I consider a major problem of ROTJ for crying out loud.  I've always seen it as slightly disappointing compared to the first two films, and I was nine when I first saw it.  Even then I could just tell that something felt tired, not as fresh, and not as emotionally charged as the previous two.  And it was a bit of a letdown.

That said, I definitely don't see it as in the same league as the prequels.  From an anthropological standpoint, I can trace the humble beginnings of elements that would saturate the prequels first being germinated here.  However, I still find it an enjoyable movie, and a lot of things that seem to bother other fans don't bother me.  I see the baby ewok pictures that Anchorhead posted, and I think it's cute.  I've always thought it was cute, and I don't see how a cute baby animal diminishes the impact, quality, or maturity of a film.  And I've also enjoyed the ewoks and their role, and I don't find it too much of a stretch of disbelief to accept that they could ambush the Empire with some level of success.

I suppose I can sum up ROTJ in a word:  competent.  Most of it is overwhelmingly... competently done.  The beginning is a train wreck.  The end is exhilarating.  Everything else in between is above average.  Overall, it feels competent.  Not great, not outstanding, but certainly competent.  The problem only exists when you stack it next to the sheer awesomeoness of the first two films.  It just can't measure up.  But when Anchorhead said that he sees it more in line with the prequels, I have to say that it would have to stand out as a gem among them at least.

Hardly a big deal, I think, and I'm a fan of Firefly.  I love Firefly.  Had I known it existed when it first aired, I would have watched it religiously and campaigned to save it when it was at death's door.  However, VINH is totally within his rights to have wanted it and want other shows to be cancelled.  It's his opinion, and it doesn't change what happens.  Hell, I wish American Idol and several other reality shows would be cancelled and never spoken of again even though many people I know like them.  Am I somehow spoiling their fun by wishing those shows' demise?  No.  Granted, in their case, they can laugh all the way to the TV since those shows are in no danger of being cancelled, but no matter how much VINH hates Firefly, I can always pop in my DVDs and marvel over how wonderful it is.  Whatever...

Yeah, I remember people occasionally would claim that the frog thing belching was an SE addition, but, nope, it's always been there.

Bingowings said:

There's a nice item here about the origins of the mini-rigs:

http://theswca.com/images-speci/mini-rigs/mini-rigs.htm

Basically it started with bored workers at Kenner playing in the spare parts bin, but then they thought it would be a good idea to make small vehicles that children could buy with their pocket money as the larger ones were rather pricey.

None of the designs actually appeared in the films though sometimes you get items like the Imperial Tripod gun being glassed as a mini-rig because it was in the same price range so in a sense they were (with Splinter Of The Mind's Eye and the Marvel Comics) the beginning of the EU.

Wow, interesting.  Thanks for the info!

Vaderisnothayden said:

Gaffer Tape said:

VINH:  Chewie made the Tarzan yell when he swung across a vine to land on top of the AT-ST during the final forest battle.

 

Well I don't see why that should bother anyone. He's a wookiee after all. Thanks for the info. :)

Was the belching Jabba belching?

Not exactly sure why "being a wookiee" justifies the Tarzan yell.  Not that it's ever seriously bothered me, but it really is only about a step up from Han Solo drinking a Pepsi.  Too real world.

And, no, the belching was that cutaway shot to the outside of Jabba's palace where the frog-tongued creature eats the smaller creature and belches, which then echoes into the transition to the next scene where Leia sneaks into the palace.

Wow.  I suddenly feel like a young-un.  I've never heard of or seen these before.  I'm assuming they're original creations by the toy companies?  Or are they rejected designs, a la the later Expanded Universe toys?

Geez, even when I'm in this thread, I continually find myself confused since I'm still so used to seeing "ric" and thinking ricarleite.

Oooooh, a challenge!

VINH:  Chewie made the Tarzan yell when he swung across a vine to land on top of the AT-ST during the final forest battle.

Nanner Split said:

One editing flub that always bugs me is during the attack on the Death Star, and I'm sure you've all noticed it, but I think it's worth a mention. Red Leader (I think that's who he is; I can never remember my pilots :P ) says "Hey there, I just lost my starboard engine! Get set up for your attack run!" THEN his starboard engine gets shot, and he goes down. That bugs me every time I watch the movie now.

Hmm, I have noticed that, but I was never entirely sure if it was a flub or not.  I mean, yeah, it certainly seems like that now that you mention it.  I always assumed he just had a technical problem... um, and then Vader happened to hit the same spot?  Okay, about the only thing that does make sense the way it is Red Leader's calm demeanor as he was saying that line, followed by his screaming plunge after he gets hit.  What would cause that sudden shift if those two shots were supposed to go together?

Eh, I really, really hesitate to say this, but I can see where someone making that claim would come from.  The documentary-esque style could appear to some to be rushed and simplistic, especially compared to the cinematic cohesion of Empire.  And I know most of us attribute a lot of the success of the original films to Marcia's editing, but there are a few sloppy moments in there.  Don't tell me you've never noticed any, like in the scene where Tarkin learns that Leia lied about the location of the Rebel base.

Vader and Tarkin in a master shot:
Vader:  I told you she would never consciously betray the rebellion.
(long pause.  Vader begins wagging his finger as if Dave Prowse was giving a line, but Vader is not saying anything!)
Tarkin:  Terminate her, immediately!

Haha, never ceases to crack me up!  Hard to say if that's a problem with the editing or with the footage that George shot, or maybe Prowse.  Who knows, but it's a glaring, poorly-constructed error.

G E Predator said:

 As a kid, I also enjoyed Return of the Jedi.  And now that I'm less than four months from turning 28, I still like it.  I know that the rescue scene in Jabba's Palace could have gone better, but it's those moments where not everything goes according to plan and the hero's chances of success become slimmer that can really heighten a moment. 

Well, there's only one thing here I will choose to talk about it, and I'm sure most people know what it is.  There was nothing in the Jabba plan that did not go "according to plan."  Everything went exactly as Luke wanted it to.  Remember his confident, "I've taken care of everything?"  All of the stupid captures and seeming failures were all due to Luke's plan, which is why it was such a ridiculously stupid plan.  That is all I wanted to say.  ^_^

It's anamorphic, but it is pretty bare bones.  Theatrical trailer, that's about it.

Haha, amazing!  The ad for this page is trying to sell thongs!  This is truly a thread for the ages, Mr. Olie!

C3PX said:

Man, I really thought my post on IGN's top twenty five would have generated a bit more discussion...

I plan to watch them soon, but I just moved and haven't gotten internet yet, so my time is limited to how long I'm willing and comfortable to spend at Wendy's on a given day.  After I watch them, though, you can bet I will chew your ear off with discussion.

But in this case, in terms of mono, there is some subjectivity to it.  Although the majority of the country would see it in mono, the mono mix was the last of the original three to be completed, so I would think there is some validity to a claim that one of the original stereo mixes is more the "original" version than the mono.  Granted, I would still like to hear the mono version at some point in my life.

But, geez, when you get right down to it, there are just far too many sound mixes for Star Wars.  It makes my head spin.

GAFF SMAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!!

Whew, wow, did this get out of hand.  But apparently C3PX explained everything I was about to say before I managed to.  I was never pissed off or even slightly miffed.  It was just a reminder to be careful.  I didn't even think any lines had been crossed when I replied to VINH.  And, of course, my second response to xhonzi, not VINH, so I wasn't hammering the point back in to him, I was just elaborating.

And, yes, I knew you were joking xhonzi, and I laughed heartily at that.

Phew.  What I get for trying to be nice around here.  =P

"No hutt can deny a request on the day of his Stinky's wedding."

Yes, obviously.  You'll find me bitching about the prequels/SEs as well.  I'm sure a large portion of my nearly 6,000 posts have something to do with that.  However, we don't automatically shun those who have differing opinions.  That's what makes us different from places like theforce.net.  Sure, if someone's being an asshole about it, sure, take 'em to town.  But just because someone likes an element of something you loathe is no reason to chew that person's head off or make them feel unwelcome.