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MagicStingRay

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Members
Join date
10-Jan-2017
Last activity
6-Aug-2023
Posts
20

Post History

Post
#1254897
Topic
Cinderella (1950) & Pinocchio (1940) 35mm Preservation opportunity (a WIP)
Time

Wow, absolutely incredible, and I admire the dedication, both in time and money, you are putting into this. Definitely keeping my eyes and ears open to this from now on.

Barring setbacks funding wise, is there a timetable for when you hope to have this done? Just that Reel 1 preview alone of Cinderella is blowing my mind as a Disney fan.

Post
#1041539
Topic
Star Wars Despecialized Editions - Custom Bluray Set (Released)
Time

Sougouk said:

MagicStingRay said:

Kinda new to this stuff, but got the BD50GB ISO files downloaded on an external hard drive.

Won’t play on VLC media player, any idea what to do to watch the files before I burn them to blu ray discs?

You can also use Daemon Tools to mount the ISO which will make it act like a BluRay disc. Then you can run a DVD/Bluray player application on your computer to test out the menu and features.

Thank you! Daemon didn’t work so well for me, but it did lead me down a rabbit trail where I found “Leawo”, this bluray player software that is free and seems to work well.

Post
#1041146
Topic
Opening Crawl for Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Time

STAR WARS

EPISODE VIII
THE LAST JEDI

Chaos has engulfed the galaxy. The destruction of the REPUBLIC leadership has allowed the dreaded FIRST ORDER to spread across the galaxy, as thousands of star systems are left to defend themselves against this growing threat.

Aiming to combat this evil, the brave RESISTANCE fighter Rey has traveled to contact Jedi Master LUKE SKYWALKER, the last hope against the agents of evil who seek to destroy him.

Driven to find Luke and end the Jedi once and for all, the dark lord Kylo Ren has arrived to a remote sanctuary in the frontiers of space, seeking to complete his training…

Post
#1036731
Topic
Star Wars: Clone Wars contradictions to canon
Time

Well the only one off the top of my head is that Grevious, for the most part, is much more formidable than his 3D Clone Wars counterpart.

Although no longer canon, I always thought how the two shows fit in quite well if you think of it this way:

2D Clone Wars (Season 1) ->

3D Clone Wars (all seasons) ->

2D Clone Wars (Season 2)

Season 1 has Anakin right after Attack of the Clones as a padawan. Still very immature, rebellious, whiny and has the same hair style. Once he deafeats Ventress and matures a bit more after learning his lesson, than his personality and looks changes more to his 3D/Revenge of the Sith appearance.

Then you jump to the 3d series. He trains Ahsoka, goes through all his ordeals for the entirety of the 3D Clone Wars Series, and then after Ahsoka has left the Jedi Order you have 3D Clone Wars ending, and you jump right into season 2 of the 2D series and it surprisingly feels natural since Ahsoka is gone, and leads right into Revenge of the Sith.

The only problem is Dave Filoni has already mentioned how the events right before Revenge turn out differently than in the 2D series, with Anakin instead lending Rex and some of the 501st to Ahsoka to help liberate Mandalore, complete with custom Ahsoka painted clone armor as a surprise and then he leaves off to help save Palpatine.

That alternate take by Filoni is kinda pseudo canon just because we have not seen it happen in any form of media yet. Personally, I think it is a bit much, with the whole Ahsoka themed clone troopers and freeing Mandalore from Darth Maul thing, it just reeks of fan service to the highest extent. Like why is she leading a clone army after leaving the jedi in the first place? I dunno, I always preferred the 2d series so maybe I am biased.

Post
#1036408
Topic
Ranking the Star Wars films
Time

I probably change my opinion every other day, but this is what I am feeling now:

A New Hope
Empire Strikes Back
Rogue One
Return of the Jedi
Force Awakens
Revenge of the Sith
Phantom Menace
Attack of the Clones

Hope and Empire tend to switch spots now and then.

Jedi and Rogue One tend to switch too. Heck, sometimes I will even put TFA above one or both of them. But this is how I would rank them now.

Post
#1035704
Topic
What do you HATE about the EU?
Time

Ignoring the designs, Legacy always confuddled me. I mean, why go the route they did story wise by basically having another Jedi Purge, having the Sith come back, etc.

With the current sequel trilogy, the whole First Order and killing of the Jedi again at least kinda makes sense because you can see what Lucasfilm was going for with trying to find a way to tell the story of building the Jedi Order 30 years after ROTJ, so doing a soft reset to establish your villain, why Luke is gone, etc is understandable.

But with Legacy, they jump ahead like what, 150 years or something ahead of the timeline? Wouldn’t that be for the purpose of creating an original story line not hampered by the luggage of the OT and post-ROTJ EU? But they basically go for a retelling of a story we have already bascially seen not just in the films but in other media too like the Old Republic stuff.

There were some aspects about Legacy I did like, on paper at least since admittedly I never read the material. I thought Cade(?) Skywalker was an interesting deviation from Skywalkers in the past, though a bit cliche. I did find it interesting how the Empire was not really evil either, just another Galactic entity next to the One Sith and New Republic (I believe they were called Galactic Alliance at this point? ). I think some Game of Thrones style kingdom clashes would be an interesting premise, with varying dynasties and factions vying for control of the galaxy.

Post
#1035455
Topic
What do you HATE about the EU?
Time

NeverarGreat said:

MagicStingRay said:

NeverarGreat said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

If ever I have misgivings of the EU’s de-canonization (which I don’t), all I need do is remind myself that this existed

and I’m happy again that the EUphiles’ favourite tin god was torn down and hammered into dust.

I see images like that and wonder how they are in the same universe as that quaint 70’s movie. You know, the one featuring a farmboy, a down-on-his-luck hot rod driver and his giant doglike sidekick, and a sassy Mexican Revolution styled princess.

It must have to do with the cartoonification and superheroication of Star Wars.

Basically put to words what I have always thought. I think that’s what the new movies have done well with doing so far, making designs that feel like they exist in the same universe as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Yoda, and more, while not being too derivative too, save for a few things here and there.

Compare the utter ridiculousness of these Darth Maul on meth designs to something as simple, clean, and elegant as Kylo Ren. Honestly, I like Darth Maul but his design was still pretty straightforward and not too cluttered. He had the simple black robes, scary tatooed face and was good to go. So many EU designs, for villains especially, bordered on the ridiculous.

Darth Kryat (spelling?), Darth Bane (armor wise), the rest of the One Sith and more just all reeked of cluttered nonsense. Even the rest tended to be uninspired… I mean Darth Plagius’ master was a cantina Bith fused with helmetless Vader. Even Plagius himself was one of those Banking Clan aliens from the prequels with a respirator.

Some villains like Thrawn and Darth Revan had simple and memorable designs but also unique characterizations and stories to boot, so it’s no wonder there was and is so much clamor to bring them back.

I think a lot of what makes Kylo Ren stand out from the standard red-lightsabered rogue’s gallery of the EU is that he exists in a world of medieval Christian imagery and iconography, from the rough burlap of his cloak to his crucifix lightsaber. He worships a holy relic, travels in a starship with a cross on its bow, and his battlefields include something resembling a crusader encampment, an English castle and grounds, and a Germanic forest. If the locations weren’t clear enough, the final location of the film is literally a Christian monastery. His personality and visage under the mask is reminiscent of a Spanish Inquisitor, and he undergoes emotional (and perhaps physical) torture as a way of strengthening his twisted faith.

While this is rich iconography for TFA to explore, I think one of the reasons it doesn’t resonate as well as the originals is because of this singular European influence. Star Wars has always been projected through a lens of American values, even if it draws from a wide variety of other cultures. Since the primary iconography is now European, it feels removed from the American zietgiest. I would be curious if it resonates more with European audiences, but I would doubt it.

I suppose it does come down to preference, as I think the European elements are new and interesting, but that may just be due to my interest in medieval and European history and aesthetic as well as Authurian lore.

I will say, though, that mainly the villains seem to influenced strongly in European roots (including the obvious Nazi ties with the First Order, you could say, and the Knights of Ren are basically an evil Knights of the round table with seven samurai flavoring thrown in). Rey and Finn really seem to be almost directly influenced by the youth and audience of today. Finn being both black and American almost makes him feel like an average day Joe stuck in this space fantasy, reacting as you would expect to all these crazy things (Goofy aliens, Chewbacca, the force). Even Poe is like your stereotypical company-man military type, like a friendly Top Gun pilot who believes in the cause for freedom as he shoots down those First Order (Nazi) “thugs”.

Even Kylo Ren seems oddly contemporary. The angst with his parents. His wanting for belonging. His obsession with Vader and trying so much to be like him has many parallels to youth of today trying to be more like the giants of the past yet not learning enough that they make the mistake of repeating history.

All that being said, I do think the European influences ARE stronger this time around but that may just be because of the time period… if the fall of the Galactic Empire is the fall of the Roman Empire, then the sequel trilogy is the middle ages of Star Wars.

Post
#1035230
Topic
What do you HATE about the EU?
Time

NeverarGreat said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

If ever I have misgivings of the EU’s de-canonization (which I don’t), all I need do is remind myself that this existed

and I’m happy again that the EUphiles’ favourite tin god was torn down and hammered into dust.

I see images like that and wonder how they are in the same universe as that quaint 70’s movie. You know, the one featuring a farmboy, a down-on-his-luck hot rod driver and his giant doglike sidekick, and a sassy Mexican Revolution styled princess.

It must have to do with the cartoonification and superheroication of Star Wars.

Basically put to words what I have always thought. I think that’s what the new movies have done well with doing so far, making designs that feel like they exist in the same universe as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Yoda, and more, while not being too derivative too, save for a few things here and there.

Compare the utter ridiculousness of these Darth Maul on meth designs to something as simple, clean, and elegant as Kylo Ren. Honestly, I like Darth Maul but his design was still pretty straightforward and not too cluttered. He had the simple black robes, scary tatooed face and was good to go. So many EU designs, for villains especially, bordered on the ridiculous.

Darth Kryat (spelling?), Darth Bane (armor wise), the rest of the One Sith and more just all reeked of cluttered nonsense. Even the rest tended to be uninspired… I mean Darth Plagius’ master was a cantina Bith fused with helmetless Vader. Even Plagius himself was one of those Banking Clan aliens from the prequels with a respirator.

Some villains like Thrawn and Darth Revan had simple and memorable designs but also unique characterizations and stories to boot, so it’s no wonder there was and is so much clamor to bring them back.

Post
#1035056
Topic
Star Wars THX "Faces" DVD Covers (Finished)
Time

oojason said:

Found these 2 great old dvd covers by the talented sluggo - may be of use to someone who likes the Faces sets…

Minion

link - http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z28/maplefootball/From_Star_Wars_to_Jedi_zpsi7si7ljf.jpg

and

Minion

link - http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z28/maplefootball/Mark_s_Making_of_Star_Wars_Version_1_zpsndtack02.jpg

Jesus the nostalgia is palpable… great work

Post
#1031981
Topic
Star Wars Despecialized Editions - Custom Bluray Set (Released)
Time

I’ve always wanted to jump into the world of fan edits, but just recently I have decided to take the plunge.

Sorry if I missed the answer somewhere because I have read around, but if I want to download the Despecialized movies with these menus and special features (basically the recommended options 3 and 4 in the OP) how would I go about to even start?

Thanks again in advance!

Edit: is this spleen website invite thread the way to do it?