Originally posted by: Mike OOriginally posted by: JediRandyNot possessing the type of mind to adequately create the art that so much intense effort and money went into ... well, there's no excuse for that on an artistic or business level.
If he didn’t “possess the mind” they why are people still talking about SW 30 years later? Was ANH a fluke? Did he get lucky?
He didn’t possess the mind to create the art that you wanted to see. That’s it. Disagree with his choices all you want, but he made the movie he wanted to make. Some folks didn’t like it, some did. But you not liking the SE or the prequels doesn’t make the artist inadequate.
Casino wasn’t as good as Goodfellas. Is Scorsese an inadequate artist? I wanted Casino to be as good as Goodfellas and it wasn’t, should I hold him in “complete contempt” because of his inability to entertain me as much as he did before? Did Orson Welles ever top Citizen Kane? Did Ridley Scott top Alien? Are they inadequate too?
And on a business level… I’d say the SE and the Prequels worked out just fine… the hundreds of millions of dollars they made seem to contradict your poor LFL business analysis.
No one is disputing that they made a lot of money. But notice: if Casino doesn't meet my expectations, I can watch a high-quality version of Goodfellas in crisp, anamporhic widescreen taken from a hight quality master. If I don't like Welles's or Scott's work after the mentioned films, then I can just watch Alien and Citizen Kane again. But unless I watch a VHS tape, a laserdisc, or a subsandard DVD transfer, I cannot watch Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, and by that I mean the films released in 1977, 1980, and 1983. If I don't like the prequels or the SEs, you're saying that I shouldn't buy them, which is fine. But I don't have any other choice. Scorcese, Welles, and Scott have all given their viewers acceptible choice between the versions of their films. Lucas continually insults the fans who have made him rich. No one is denying the prequels or the SEs. Many people here do not like them, but there's nothing that we can do about that. But we cannot (not won't, can't) go and watch the OOT in high quality. Lucas continues to insist that it does not exist, when millions of people love it. I really don't care what he does to the films. I really don't. I want to sit down in my basement and watch the original theatrical version of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi in high quality. I don't have anything against Lucas per se. I'm not denying him his vision. I just want the originals to watch in high quailty. Just release them. After that, it doesn't matter. Oh, and not to be a smart aleck, but Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie make millions of dollars too. That doesn't make it a good movie. It doesn't mean that hold Brian Spicer in contempt. I can just choose to watch something else. If I don't like The Phantom Menace, I can't go watch the OOT in high-quality. That's all that there is to it. I'm not insulting Lucas. As long as he's not hurting anyone, he's free to do whatever he wants. I just want a good OOT. Until I get that, I won't be satisfied with his actions.
No one is disputing that they made a lot of money.there's no excuse for that on an artistic or business level.
Business means money, no? Call GL a poor filmmaker, director, etc.... but to call him a bad buisnessman is silly. He's a billionaire who made his money through his movies during a time when directors couldn't even dream of making billions. Don't let your distaste for the SE cloud the obvious.
And I totally understand your desire to want a high quality OOT DVD. The comment I commented on, didn't seem to be about that. There was nothing about DVD quality, etc.
His statement was about GL's inadequacy as an artist. He doesn’t
possess the type of mind to adequately create the art”. A statement I think is total rubbish.
Furthermore, if Scorcese and Scott had gone on to make only pure crap after their earlier triumphs, I would hold them in the same artistic and business disdain I hold Lucas.
And yes, it's my mere opinion that the prequels suck. That's what we express around here, our opinions.
And yeah, the prequels made a ton of money. But perhaps there would have been a few hundred thousand less Yoda Pepsi cans left over if the films had actually been well-received as opposed to preordainly viewed. (In other words, even more money to be made if the films had actually been good. Funny how almost everyone saw them, but almost everyone also hated them. Yet saw the next one and the next, and hated them all. And I use purely anectodal evidence for my claim of "almost everyone.")
Then again, perhaps it was capitalist genius to put the Star Wars names on films that otherwise would have sunk like a stone. I don't exactly fault George for this. Who among us could resist packaging something in such a way that would guaranty movie-admission paid by every living, breathing soul on earth?
