I’m watching the original theatrical American Graffiti. Other than it being 480P and the wobble in the telecine its very enjoyable. The print looks surprisingly clean. The mono mix isn’t incredible but it is great to finally be able to hear it.
This might be my go to version if it wasn’t for my Japanese Laserdisc. With a very nice video transfer and the 78 stereo mix.
Transformers Rise of the Beasts. Not recommended easily the worst of the franchise. Cheap looking, even worse cgi. Can’t even recommend Peter Cullen’s performance it was lackluster. And he is the only voice actor from G1 in it as far as i could tell. No Frank Welker. No Megatron, no Galvatron. But there is a mishmash of including Beast wars and Unicron in one story for some reason.
And it isn’t from Bay but it still has the Bayformers theme and Bumblebee but acts like those other movies never happened. And it tries to set up a combined Transformers/GI Joe universe. And it fails.
Tom Holland is a good Peter Parker and an awful Spider-Man. I’m always going to see him as Spider-Boy.
I’m very interested in the pre Lowry video masters. Even tv broadcasts.
The Letterbox THX VHS tapes, The letterbox Laserdisc US discs.
On further reflection while i’m happy to have gotten new movies, i’m not sure i was willing to sacrifice the EU, Lucasarts or Dark Horse comics Star Wars to get them. The Disney canon is like an entire rebooted universe.
I mean i like the Kanan comic, and Rebels. I like Rogue One, i like the Darth Vader comic from Marvel. I guess i’m selfish because i want the old Star Wars but also the best of the new. But we can’t have what we want, i mean i would love to be able to see George Lucas sequels and Duel of the Fates as actual movies.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. A solid C- minus about the same as Crystal Skull. A lot to like and a lot to dislike, i’m pretty torn on this movie. Harrison was really good in it. I don’t want to spoil. The digital photography and dark lighting was distracting to me though. So not Indiana Jones. And i love Johnny but that was his weakest Indiana Jones score. The cgi was bad and not believable.
I will say this is the worst of Jimmy Mangold’s films i have seen. And its still a pretty middle tier film.
Was watching Rise of Skywalker And i’m still confused by objects being teleported from one location to another. For a series that is totally fake and make believe with space wizards i couldn’t suspend my disbelief. It just breaks the canon laws of the Star Wars universe which they’ve been doing since Force Awakens. Things like lightspeeding through shields, lightspeed skipping, lightspeed ramming, automatically leveling up like a video game character by downloading another persons training through a force link. Force Skype, astral projection. Maybe i could ignore some or most. But its just so bad in the ROS i had to change the channel.
I really need to get into the older EU. Star Wars in its purest form. The original Marvel comics, Newspaper Strips from Manning, and Williamson. Radio plays by Brian Daley. Novels by Daley and Foster.
the pre west end games, pre Zahn, Pre prequels stuff.
Reading some old magazines with the comic strips and McQuarrie art, love how pulpy it is. I can imagine the SW universe as this vast place. With lots of adventure. Free of the Saga and, free of 40 years of baggage.
Every member of my family i have talked to about the originals either thinks they’ve already been released, or tells me to get over it.
If they were released i would buy them even if maybe 4K77 and 4K83 might end up being better than official releases, for one reason or another. Maybe they screw up the color correction, don’t give us original audio. Or too much DNR. Or even if they digitally tweak optical effects like they did with Indiana Jones. Or even recomposite them.
The Matrix, original. None of the sequels.
Star trek the Motion Picture.
Back to the Future
Jurassic Park
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Superman 78
Can’t go wrong with Akira Kurosawa not sure which of his films is my favorite. Yojimbo, Ikiru. Seven Samurai. Hidden Fortress.
Manny Coto. Producer of Star Trek Enterprise. R.I.P.
Unless i change my ranking with the video release of Dial Of Destiny my ranking is as follows.
Raiders
Doom
Skull
Crusade
Dial
I don’t like Disney Star Wars, but i will admit the trailer was enjoyable. It was light and fun. I almost smiled. I applaud Mr Filoni’s efforts to make something young people will enjoy. I know my niece is going to love this series.
Alien Resurrection. A film so awful i almost feel bad for my negative rating of Alien 3. Clearly a superior film.
The only thing i will say is Brad Dourif comes off as creepy in it. But the whole thing looks so cheaply made.
I hope there is also a restored Blu-Ray and not just 4K. It would be a shame if its like Indiana Jones and they just reissue the same one as before. It that is the case i’ll stick with my laserdisc.
Vader hunting down and killing the Jedi instead of order 66, Anakin’s wife living and going to Alderaan with Leia. I wish i could find the article talking about it. The one Lucas came up with in the 1980s. It also has Palpatine as a Nixon type who subverts a democracy.
I believe it might be touched upon in Paul Duncan’s book but i don’t have that one myself.
The gulf between the OT and the prequel is just too wide for me. I’m never going to accept them as a true continuation of that story. Lucas original prequel concept fit the OT why he changed it only he knows. Many of the canon contradictions were preventable. That isn’t to say the OT is perfect i still think Leia as the sister is stupid. Vader reveal as Luke’s father works because it was done well, imagine if it had been handled as badly as the prequel.
He made the right choice in letting go. Some fans need to do the same. Its like the scene in Last Crusade with Indiana and his father trying to reach the grail.
Added Return of the Jedi Special Edition with OBI. Laserdisc Japanese Release CLV.
Added Making of Star Wars/ SPFX:Making of Empire Strikes Back. First issue Japanese release analog audio only triangle OBI.
Worked out a deal to get both for 59 dollars after tax, free shipping. Not a great deal since they are valued at 25 each but a fair one. Especially considering the seller is in US and so i don’t have to pay 50 dollars for shipping from Japan.
Edit: Added Jason and the Argonauts ViaVision Blu-Ray import. And Supergirl Warner archive Blu-Ray
New York 1969. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny soundtrack.
Yoda should have been Obi-Wan’s Master and instructor in the ways of the Jedi. When Obi-Wan contacts Luke as a spectral force ghost he says to go to Dagobah to be trained by the Jedi Master who trained him. He doesn’t say well Luke contact Qui-Gon’s ghost he was my master he will teach you the ways of the force.
I know Lucasfilm usually does their own in house stuff, but they should have the people who restored Cinderella restore the OT theatrical cuts. Hand it off to Disney. For the first time that movie looks like film again in 4K. They should do that as little DNR as possible, and include the original audio. Just remove the garbage mattes but no other fixes.
Basically i’ve given up on the very idea of canon being anything other than a guideline. Since the people making these television and film franchises are just making it up as they go. Whether it is Star Wars, Indiana Jones or Star Trek. Its malleable and not set in stone. That doesn’t mean that a secondary universe should violate its own rules, or lore.
Its all fake isn’t a good excuse for telling a bad story, or making a bad movie. Anymore than saying its a kids movie, or i based it on 1930’s matinee serials so the quality doesn’t matter.
I still wonder what happened to Revan. In the unmade Kotor 3. I don’t accept the story they gave us in the book and in the old republic. It doesn’t fit with the story of Kotor 2 the Sith Lords.
Kotor I was very familiar to the original film Star Wars, it wasn’t as original as II.The Revan twist was the only really novel thing about it.
Has it really been 16 years since Returning to Jedi. I feel really old. Thanks for the new book Jamie. Its on my list of books to read.