JadedSkywalker

Thank you and congrats. You’ve been incredibly helpful.

A great actor. I loved him Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Will always remember all the president’s men, The natural. The Sting. The Great Gatsby.

Considering Tony reprised Threepio for Lego I could see him doing this if it got made.

I’m thinking George Lucas can’t be that misinformed to think the originals always looked bad like a laserdisc and no doubt has to know his own archives have quality film materials for a restoration of the originals.

That Cannes interview in my own opinion was in bad faith to try and spin his excuse for not putting the originals out there except as bad bonus discs in 2006.

With 4K77 there is no way you can say with a straight face the originals look like a laserdisc. And the team was working from positive print theatrical release prints. And Ib tech. Look what Harmy did with the official home video releases in approximating the original in modern quality.

I think George’s argument is weak. At best it’s the creator gets their own way. Fine. No one is disputing his authorship of the 1977 film.

Release the damn film and let older fans revel in nostalgia.

I just started getting into DVD again because of DTS mixes. So far I’ve bought Ah My Goddess the movie that has DTS only on the Japanese track, Spider-Man 1 and 2. Ghost in the Shell. Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl, 007 Die another Day.

The titles on my wish list are Die Hard, Die Hard II, Die Hard with a Vengeance. Underworld and Underworld evolution. Terminator II, True Lies. Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters. Starship Troopers. Lord of the Rings trilogy. Resident Evil. X-men 1.5, X2. Minority Report, Catch me if you can. Predator, Alien Directors cut. Stargate Ultimate Edition. Most are just DTS 5.1 some like 007 and Ghost in the Shell are DTS ES 6.1. Bond is matrixed and GITS is discrete. Don’t let the Matrixed audio fool you, Die Another Day is one of the best sounding DTS DVD. Loud and bombastic. The Star Trek TNG films for instance are DTS surround but its theatrical. On the 2 disc DVD sets.

What I like about DVD they can be had new for as little as 5-10 dollars each as long as they aren’t brand new just released movies. Spider-Man 2 Superbit was 4 dollars.

Until shipping opens up again, I won’t be importing any import DTS which is what the Japanese titles are. I’ve also stopped buying import laserdiscs. de minimis being gone also means no longer buying UK releases because they are cheaper. Whether 4K or DVD. or zone free blu-ray there are not a lot of those. Most are region locked to B.

Hilarious considering I’ve been fighting for the preservation of his films for decades. And I’ve long been a fan of his student films, Zoetrope years and completely champion THX 1138 and American Graffiti and Star Wars 1977.

But disagree with the Special Edition, and dislike the prequel and somehow you are hater despite paying to see each one in the cinema and giving him your money.

Toxic? The man is my all-time favorite director, I have bookshelf’s dedicated to his movies.

I studied film and took up writing because of him, my interest in mythology and science fiction were inspired by him.

You can criticize artists that you love. In all sincerity.

I have a complete Love/Hate relationship with the Last Jedi, nothing I said about the auteur theory is untrue.

The have a fan approved checklist method is JJ Abrams. Mystery boxes and member berries.

When things are sensible, and I can have the original Star Wars, American Graffiti 1973 with the mono mix and 1978 Dolby Stereo Directors cut version, and THX 1138 1971 and 1977 Directors cut version in a catalog release, that looks like they are to supposed to look and not scrubbed free of grain, In 4K no less I’ll relent on any criticism.

BY all means quote Worley to me, I won’t listen.

I think its chronically overrated. Every poll that places it above everything but The Empire Strikes Back is crazy. The duel on Mustafar beating the duel on Bespin is literally insane. None of the prequels are better than Return of the Jedi much less Star Wars.

If you don’t examine it critically the last third is a strong finish. It does make you think the Jedi were weak and pathetic and foolish, and Yoda losing to Sidious and just giving up is ridiculous. Mace’s attempt to arrest Palpatine is also incredibly ludicrous, he thought he brought enough Jedi. He never had the upper hand, Palpatine pretended to lose that fight and to be weak to get Anakin to his side. Then Mace is blown out a window do to unlimited power. Yet everyone rates Mace so highly and thinks he could take Empire Strikes Back Vader in a fight, in those who would win theories.
Vader would smoke Mace.

It will have been worth it only if the Original original trilogy gets restored and released. I’m so old now though It would be pyrrhic victory, at least for me personally, If not for film preservation. It would have meant the world to me in my 20s. Moving into my 50s not so much.

Vaguely. It has been a long time. I’d have to go back and read 20-year-old threads. Amazing you still remembered your sign in or did not lose your log in credentials.

Welcome back.

Jason is the resident archivist and archeologist. He knows people and remembers them, collates old pages, almost the OT historian as it will.

The GOUT is still a topic of discussion. Lucas has prevented the originals from being remastered for decades. Even with the ten years of Disney tenure this hasn’t changed.

Well It certainly would be the first Special Edition without Lucas involvement. If it happened. Does anyone want an AI messed with version of Maclunky. Considering Disney cancelled the 3d conversion of Episodes IV, V and VI. A Sphere conversion of SW would be super weird unless Disney sees profit in it.

Andor was planned meticulously. It’s the opposite of how Disney usually approaches Star Wars. Well done on Emmy wins, even if awards are usually nothing but money spent and politicking to get said awards. A lot of artists and craftspeople had to construct those sets and costumes. I regard the fact they did not fake everything in cgi and the volume very highly, in terms of the way the show looks and the production design. Vs a show like the Book of Boba Fett and that fakery of the bikes chase. And the poor writing.

Yeah, but they had the High Republic era and project luminous and after five years they’ve abandoned it. On the heels mind you, of the Acolyte being cancelled. There are no films in that era. I don’t see what placing a film at the Dawn of the Jedi, how that somehow miraculous fixes the fan discontent with Disney. The lack of adherence to canon, or any sense they’ve planned or outlined anything, have finally figured out how to build out a story and do world building. and aren’t just throwing stuff at a wall to see what sticks. Like a blindfolded person throwing darts trying to hit a bullseye.

They always do random things then try to get the comics writers and novelists to fill in the blanks, or to get the story group to claim it all makes sense. Of course we have a plan, right. I don’t believe that with somehow Palpatine returned.

I feel bad for the Disney EU writers who have to retcon or make sense of one of the bad movies. Where the director didn’t do his homework. And the story group allowed them to do whatever they wanted. With no regard to the legacy of SW, or its characters, or its own separate internal laws of how it all works.

Happy 59th Anniversary to Star Trek. Its been a long road getting from there to here. and the less said about New Trek the better.

I disagree I’d like to see another Star Wars within my lifetime. Who knows if I have decades left, god willing. But I may not. I’d like to enjoy life and smell the roses, so to speak, while I still can.

I’d also like an X-men film I don’t have to wait another ten years for, and can we please get a Star Trek film.

If they aren’t making that Rey movie please let Daisy know and stop gaslighting the fans, and KK please retire.

I’m somewhat pleased there was a new Superman film, can’t wait for a Supergirl and Wonder Woman movie. And another James Bond. I’m even looking forward to the Hunt For Gollum but have no idea what to expect with Andy Serkis not Peter Jackson directing. Looking forward to Avengers doomsday, maybe I’m setting myself up again, Disney is known to disappoint. With few exceptions Like Alien and Predator, and Planet of the Apes franchises. Fox films.

Will there be another JJ Abrams Star Trek, that is as nebulous as Disney and The Rey Skywalker movie. I don’t hardly trust Simon Kinberg with anything that is not X-men related. Even there he had his hands in X-men The Last Stand and Dark Phoenix and 4-Tastic. With Star Wars and Star Trek, please.

Star Trek Lower Decks. It’s well-made, but the comedy is not up my alley. It turned me off completely. I don’t think I will finish watching it.

I also started watching season 2 of the Frasier remake. I don’t know if it will finish that either, I think I prefer watching the old episodes.

Section 31. I love Star Trek films. I couldn’t get into this. It was bad. It might be the single worst Star Trek ever made.

I’ll gladly watch Generations, Insurrection, Nemesis or Star Trek V the Final Frontier over this and I don’t like any of those films.

Edit:

Spider-Man 2 Superbit DVD. I forgot how much I loved Raimi Spider-Man, and the DTS mix is quite good. Picture quality is nothing to write home about. I mean DVD-9 and Mpeg-2 video, just how good can it look.

DVD always looks pixelated on a 4K tv set.

Leia was visited by Anakin Skywalker in The Truce at Bakura. Leia ends up coming to terms with her father being redeemed, a part of that was naming her son Anakin, Anakin Solo. and seeing the good in him. Tatooine Ghost. Her son died in the Vong Wars, New Jedi order.
Her other son became the next Darth Vader, Jacen Solo/ Darth Caedus, and her daughter Jaina who was trained by Boba Fett had to kill him in a personal duel to the death. Jacen had murdered Boba Fett’s daughter. And Jacen did not join the Jedi afterlife, he was not redeemed. But Leia and Han adopted their evil son’s daughter as their own. Allana Solo.

The Next generation of Jedi would be Allana Solo, Jaina Solo and Ben Skywalker, the son of the slain Mara Jade Skywalker. Mara was murdered by Jacen Solo, it was his ascension to Sith apprentice. And Ben was the son of Grandmaster Luke Skywalker.

Jacen’s Sith Master was none other than Lumiya/Shira Brie the Dark Lady of the Sith. And he had been corrupted by Vergere who was also a Sith. He wanted Ben Skywalker to be his apprentice. But Tahiri Veila ended up being his agent and assassin and sort of apprentice.

Of course this is now legends.

Isn’t the Rey movie episode 10 in all but name. But they are tiptoeing around it. I guess you can consider Starfighter to be episode 9.5 since it is post Rise of Skywalker.

And Mando and Grogu is Mandoverse.

Well the more cgi they use and the more amount of shots a film has, the worse the quality is going to be.

You look at all the television and films that use cgi. Effects houses are stretched thin. CGI has gotten noticeably worse but not in all cases. What I worry about is the application of AI, over actual human artists who do the cgi, if you can even call it art.

This is more about the advent of its use as a lazy catch all like everything digital, we’ll fix it in post.

I wonder what it must be like to be on a set that is nothing but bluscreen and greensceen, and actors being shot separately as elements like in Avengers Doomsday.

The Deleted scenes in Attack of the Clones humanize Anakin, when he meets Padme’s family. But of course those scenes were cut.

I wonder if there was more material with the Lars family than what ended up in the film.

The Tatooine scenes are strong in my opinion, that whole part of Anakin going to find his mother and him at her funeral.

I feel like the Tatooine and Naboo scenes were strong. The scenes on Kamino much less so, and the least engaging material in the entire film is on Geonosis.

Sith is very rushed and Anakin does not really have all that much to do except fall to the dark side. You have this happy expectant father and the fear of losing his wife. Then he tries to kill her which never made any sense to me but, I get Lucas saying Anakin lost his humanity in selfishness. His bargain with Sidious was like the literary act of selling his Soul.

He even goes to literal hell planet to kill the separatists and where he gets sliced and diced by Obi-Wan. His eyes turn red. Suggesting Anakin became a demon.

The one consistent thing in the three films is Anakin’s fear of loss. In part one he is afraid to leave the safety and comfort of his mother and he leaves her behind. His dreams lead him to her in episode II, only for his fears to be realized when the Sand People torture her to death. He promises himself, he will be strong enough to stop his friends and loved ones from dying. Then in Episode III, his fear of losing Padme and his unborn child is his complete unraveling.

I think Anakin would have worked better if he was portrayed differently. He is so unlikable. So unrelatable. A problem of the prequel is there no Luke Skywalker to latch onto. No real central protagonist, even though Anakin is supposed to be that. Is he supposed to be an Anti-hero? Lucas didn’t seem to know where he wanted to go with the character.

Hayden acts like he is portraying dark and conflicted/selfish and arrogant. But where is the good friend and star pilot. Damn fool who follows old Obi-Wan on an idealistic quest.

You don’t have a believable through line of the Anakin who wants to use power to restore order to the galaxy, because he has zeal for justice, but the ends justify the means. And the more he uses the dark side, the more he digs himself into a place where he can’t escape and The Emperor is waiting to grab a hold of him.

That is what I wanted to see the Shaw Anakin become Darth Vader. The Horror Gargoyle in the Mask, the machine man.

He is a slave to the Sith as much as he was a slave on Tatooine and a slave to the Jedi. He really is an undeveloped person and a pathetic and pitiable wretch. Frankenstein’s monster, and a terror to the galaxy.

And Padme’s dreams and Anakin’s ambitions they all are manifest in their children.

People dislike that, but apparently that was what George wanted a scared kid trapped in a machine body. A young man who lost his mother and his wife. And his true sin was not in his evil acts, it was his desire to hold onto them selfishly.

Condemned to live as Darth Vader because he tried to change fate based on a vision of the future. Like Oedipus trying to outsmart the oracle. If he accepted the nature of things and dispassionately let them fade into the force, he would have been a good Jedi or so the films attempt to say. Letting people stay slaves is fine too, it’s not the mandate of the Jedi to free them.

So like what. Anakin finally accepts his role and becomes a true Jedi when he kills the Emperor in Return of the Jedi. He dies and saves his son, does something loving and unselfish. And that is fulfilling the prophecy of doing away with the Sith? Bringing Balance to the Force.

Final Fantasy VI is better than Final fantasy VII. If we need to go there. I like each one Up to Final Fantasy X and XII. XIII is where it went off the rails. And now they are bogged down in remake of VII I have no idea how many millions of dollars and how many years it will take to remake, and how many games.

The series means a lot to me, and I love the music of Nobuo Uematsu.

Final Fantasy IX is also one of my favorites. I do like VIII and VII. VI was legendarily good on Super Nes and so was Final Fantasy IV. Released as Final Fantasy II and III on US SNES.

I really don’t want a season 3 with them ticking off member berry boxes, keep it clean, no Ewan as Kenobi. No flashbacks of Hayden as Anakin. No young Leia.

I know there is desire for some fans, to set up and show everything that lead up to the opening of Star Wars. It’s not necessary showing everything and dotting every single thing. The early rebellion is quite well done as is.

You have Rogue One and two seasons of Andor.

Cautiously optimistic. Talented director and the casting is quite good.

But we’ve been done this road before. With the sequel trilogy. Casting and directing is not the issue it’s the writing.

I’d say the same about MCU and Kurtzman Star Trek, nobody can write worth a damn anymore, well except for Tony Gilroy on Andor.

I have zero interest in Mando and Grogu but this has piqued my interest a slight amount, I’d say a bit less than Rogue One or the Han Solo a Star Wars story did. But it’s not zero interest, I’m intrigued to see more.

It’s not the hell yeah I want this film, like I felt about Rogue Squadron. Having read those X-wings books for years and loved them all.

It’s not a, should they or shouldn’t they like the Rey Skywalker movie, this will be well within the spinoff territories tiptoeing around the sequel trilogy and its negative impact on Star Wars and the fandom.

I’d say go ahead and do it since The old Star Wars is gone and never coming back, Carrie is gone, and Mark and Harrison are done. What do they have to lose. some fandom menacers who were never going to watch it anyway.

Time to rip off the bandage and move beyond key jangling and member berries. If they dare.

oojason said:

Star Wars (1977) Filming Locations - Then and Now

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVxJEJsm02g - a 13 minute video form the gluecement youtube channel.
 

The blurb: ‘Pretty much every filming location from the original (“Despecialized”) version of Star Wars. Big shout-out to https://www.starwarslocations.com for finding and documenting many hard-to-get-to places.’

 

I love the shot matching ‘then-and-now’ comparisons - a cool video that brings a smile to the face. Kudos to the amount of work that went into making this.
 

Reminds me of the old David West Reynolds Star Wars articles.