I’ve come to despise the revisionism of pretending it was called A New Hope when in 1977 it was simply Star Wars on the marquee.
I also refuse to call Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
A Star Trek Legend and I’m very sad he died.
R.I.P. Tony.
According to Deadline Hollywood there is a new trilogy in development.
https://deadline.com/2024/11/star-wars-trilogy-simon-kinberg-movies-1236169916/
I might pre order Mando season 3 and Ahsoka if i can get them for 50 each. But it’s absurd there is no Blu-ray and 4K exclusive. I do want to continue supporting Star Wars but what is up with these prices.
I got the 5 film Bayformers collection in 4K for 32.00 No rise of the beasts or Bumblebee but it was a good price.
And damn it all Lucasfilm also has announced Willow 4K for 65 as well. I wish Sony had never gotten Disney’s video rights these prices are insane.
Absolutely, John Williams is a genius. His music makes you believe bikes can fly in ET. And Superman can fly. And Indiana Jones somehow succeeds at every crazy endeavor he gets himself into. We thrilled to Luke’s adventures and hissed at Darth Vader. and we were truly lost in space with his jazzy sounding music. And Dinosaurs lived and walked among us.
Brilliant man, I adore him. Super proud of him being the Laureate conductor of the Boston Pops.
For me personally Battle of the Heroes is the worst lightsaber fight of the prequel trilogy. It’s too much style over substance. It’s supposed to be the most personal one in the entire Saga, but I can’t get over all the twirling they do its just ridiculous. And the cgi looks so bad.
I do like don’t try it I have the high ground though. The dialogue is mostly okay if not great.
I wish it was more like the OT. I wish Kenobi tried to turn Anakin back to the good side, so Obi-Wan once thought as you do had a basis.
Anakin never was built up as a good friend and you never fell in love with him as a character or sympathized with him so his turn on a dime and going evil in 5 seconds made no sense.
He was just whiny and petulant and never showed the Anakin I wanted, as spoken of by Obi-Wan in Star Wars. And I shouldn’t have to go to a cartoon to get that Anakin. The Clone wars and Anakin being a leader should have been in the films.
The complexity and interest we have in Vader in the original is not justified by the prequel, he is not multilayered or really at war with himself over doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. Or seduced by evil. He is just purely selfish and a jerk. And Padme loving him for all this makes no sense.
You have to go external sources read into things or headcanon to make sense of it all. If you don’t rely on Lucas stated goals in his commentary on what he was trying to portray, and you just stick to the movies as is, it’s pretty dicey.
I really do like Ian as Palpatine/Sidious and Christopher Lee as Dooku. And I really liked Maul in Phantom Menace, I think George if nothing else did well with those characters. I also kind of don’t mind how cartoonish Grevious is. Like a mustache twirling villain.
I like the idea of the force as being bigger than it was shown or described in the original even if i dislike Midichlorians. I like the idea of the Clones being Jango’s Clones, and i actually liked Jango as a character.
The Emperor/Chancellor’s machinations are interesting if they don’t always make sense.
Even though I don’t like the idea of the Jedi being a political body who sit in a circle, Yoda is portrayed with gusto by Frank Oz. Even though ultimately i think giving him a lightsaber was a mistake.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are my favorite Jedi in the prequels. Liam and Ewan did a good job.
Except for some really over the top flourishes the cgi over time has started to bother me less when it’s not intrusive.
Nausicaa, my Japanese blu-ray just arrived. Totally blown away by how beautiful this animated film is. And from 1984 no less. Its intrigued me so much I want to reread the Manga.
I give Ronnie some credit he kind of saved that movie as much of a mess as it was. Nobody ever talks about how true to the character it was or how good Lando was in that film. People only care that is never made back its budget plus ad buy costs. You got that right I’m defending Solo and I’m one of its detractors.
Let’s not act like Rogue One wasn’t any less messy saved in editing and reshoots. So was Star Wars 1977 and Return of the Jedi.
Production issues are almost baked in for Lucasfilm. Other than Raiders which production has the studio made that wasn’t some issue or problem. Lucas saying Raiders had no problem is largely due to Robert Watts. Everyone knows what happened on Empire Strikes Back, that had a hell of a lot of problems. The prequels faced their own issues.
Each production has its own unique issues and compromises. If you can enjoy a film not see them, its because someone worked their ass off, some art department person, some set designer or effects technician. John Williams also deserves some recognition I’m glad they finally made a movie.
As for the Rey movie I’m more interested in that than Skeleton Crew, some nascent Jedi movie or Gorgo or Grogu or whatever his name is.
I do think the Clive Revill delivered dialog is infinitely better than the 2004 remake scene. the Son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi. And Vader’s he will join us or die. No is that possible search your feelings lord Vader. Just as bad as alert my star destroyer to prepare for my arrival instead of bring my shuttle.
In my opinion Jedi Rocks is not better than Lapti Nek, and Victory Celebration is not as good as Yub Yub.
I remember Greg from his Shannara work. His Star Wars poster and of course those Shadows of the Empire art cards. And Tim his brother died in 2006. It is really sad. If you collected fantasy novels you probably had one of their calendars for Tolkien.
R.I.P.
I always like to watch something 1980s. Like Back to the Future. No matter how many times I’ve watched it, I always do a rewatch at some point. Such a good symphonic score as well. Marty the slacker. Who kind of is an accidental hero.
Michael J Fox is absolutely brilliant. I can’t picture Eric Stotz at all playing this role.
The Blu Ray pack in was the new version with the 4K was the 2020. As for the stand-alone Blu-Ray I’m sure someone knows. I do know the 2019 was the same old master. And in the US the 2020 edit never made it to DVD but it did in the UK.
Nathan Butler would know. He knows far more about this stuff than i do.
No protection master of the restoration that was done in the 1990s was done for the original, so no there is no archival print to offer to LOC. What they have is the original copyright submission for each of the films.
I still can’t believe 20th Century Fox did not protect its investment by making sure a restored copy of the original was made. But we know one was not done, the negative cutter/editor was ready to order a new print and Lucas stopped him.
I think still having to argue with people over why the original should be on Blu-Ray and 4K and Han why Han shooting second is stupid, 20 years after we signed a petition to the get the original released just to get Lynn Hale’s spiel, kind of makes me think it’s a lost cause.
I have 4K77 and I’m reasonably happy with it.
It won’t be lost because the British Film Archive and Library of Congress have the original. Its just not available to the general public. Unless you have out of print DVD, VHS or laserdisc. Yeah none of those is theatrically accurate but whatever.
Does that mean that the original negatives are archived in a place where they are available for scanning at any time today? From what source do you get this information? It is really very interesting
Not negatives no, but LOC do have 35mm prints they have scanned and archived. I’m almost 100% certain BFI has done the same. But I don’t have some inside knowledge.
Lucasfilm has the negatives, and it is true that the O-neg is conformed to the 1997 edit. But they saved all the trims. What is lost is the original color reversal negative, all the wipes and dissolves. Anyone who says they can’t do a restoration is being foolish. It’s not about the money, it’s not about can it be done. It is all about George, he hates the original and does not want it restored.
Quite impossible I’m afraid. Al Williamson died in 2010. I have no idea who bought or holds the original art.
I wish you luck.
Probably the 20th Century Records vinyl of Star Wars. And the first issue RSO Empire Strikes Back.
I’ve heard various things over the years that either the Japanese or UK pressings were better but all I have is the US release.
If it has to be a release of the movies it is the 1995 THX Boxed set, with the making of trilogy on Laserdisc. Good picture for laserdisc, great audio. And I don’t mind the Japanese subtitles, though not having the Huttese dialog is a complaint. I do have the 1997 and 2000 sets but I haven’t watched them. Other than to sample the quality of the audio which was excellent. But George can keep Greedo shooting first.
I questioned the original vision narrative, if the 1997 special edition was supposed to be the original vision. Why was there a 2004 cut, and 2011 cut, and 2020 UHD after the Digital release all with more changes.
I didn’t even go into all the other untruths like Vader was always Luke’s father, Leia was always the sister. It was one big script. Those and the originals being available are separate issues. But linked in that Lucas likes to spin a yarn.
The biggest whopper of all is the original looks bad because it is a laserdisc.
Were Red Lightsabers supposed to denote evil? Because I swear in the EU red meant synthetic and the reason the Sith used them was because they didn’t have access to natural crystals.
Then in Disney SW they bleed Kyber Crystals.
And In George’s films he decided red is evil, and good is green or blue. And Mace is purple, because Sam Jackson asked for one.
Despite all the drama and everyone suing each other I finally did see the Icarus Maneuver short, and I thought it was fantastic.
I won’t get into all the Axanar Drama but it’s really a shame. A full hour long or 2 hour long feature like that would be the best thing to come out of Star Trek in years. I’m still not convinced if they did it for real Alec Peters should be Garth though i think an actor would be better, but he is just good enough for a 6 minute short film.
Robert Watts died. R.I.P. He seemed like such a nice man and so unsung on Indiana Jones and Star Wars.
Your story still sounds better than a Jacen Solo ripoff given the name of Luke Skywalker’s son Ben. Who also wore a Darth Revan style helmet. Whose Dark Side name came from Kybo Ren and the Droids cartoon.
And who had a bigger more dangerous lightsaber than Vader and a bigger death star called Starkiller base.
I mean you can’t make this stuff up.
He is right about Scorsese being right about Marvel but a broken clock is right twice a day. I have a deep respect for George Lucas as an artist, creator and mythologist. But he ruined his art with the prequel and forcing the special edition on people who liked the original is stupid. The prequels if dissected might have something to say in them about the downfall of a republic and the rise of fascism, they are mixed at best as films.
Also Francis does not make commercial films, or pop art the most commercial thing he ever made was the Godfather and he didn’t even want to make it and was forced do to it for financial reasons.
the Conversation and Apocalypse Now are absolutely brilliant.
The one thing I dislike about George which I won’t change my opinion on is promising final cut to Kersh on Empire and going back on his word with the Special Edition. Recutting Jedi when Marquand was dead and had no say.
He kept his word on Spielberg directed Raiders of the Lost Ark, there is no George Lucas redone cgi cut on DVD, Blu-Ray or 4K. He never took the picture away from Spielberg during production either. There is just something about Empire that makes George deeply unhappy from the way Kurtz produced it, going way over budget and schedule. To where he said in public, he thought it was the worst one and I actually believe he thinks that.
I also take him at his word when he says he doesn’t care what the fans want, and that he hated the Expanded Universe of Star Wars and let the marketing people do it because it was separate from his world. When he says we will never allow the original, I take that as gospel. That man is stubborn will never relent.
I think still having to argue with people over why the original should be on Blu-Ray and 4K and Han why Han shooting second is stupid, 20 years after we signed a petition to the get the original released just to get Lynn Hale’s spiel, kind of makes me think it’s a lost cause.
I have 4K77 and I’m reasonably happy with it.
It won’t be lost because the British Film Archive and Library of Congress have the original. Its just not available to the general public. Unless you have out of print DVD, VHS or laserdisc. Yeah none of those is theatrically accurate but whatever.
Should have been more plain, he comes off as a WWF 1980s wrestler.