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Mielr

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15-Jun-2006
Last activity
27-Dec-2024
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2,805

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Post
#227396
Topic
An exact quote from Lucas on Greedo shooting first.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/227396/action/topic#227396
Time
Originally posted by: Paulus

Somehow GL seems to think that artistic license is more important than what the fans feel. Having bought the the trilogy box set on DVD, I proceeded to watch the documentaries. Here it is clearly stated that if it weren't for the fans making such a big deal of all this before Star Wars was even released, there would have been no incentive for people to go and see this film. Therefore Star Wars is not solely the artistic property of GL but, I would say, that the fans have more rights to decide about the fates of these masterpieces than this genius that seems to have gotten too used to the idea of being called a genius.
George, get over it. Not all your films are brilliant but you do have talent. Don't waste it because you want to be the spoiled brat that has to have it his way because he sees it like that.

Of course, please don't get me started on my views of the PT.........

I agree- if the fans hadn't made the original Star Wars such a success by going to see it multiple times in the movie theaters, and buying all of the accompanying merchandise, there wouldn't have been any sequels. Star Wars would have been just another semi-obscure cult-movie which (ironically) would probably have an anamorphic DVD release by now! LOL!

Post
#227390
Topic
$36 pre-order (AR) for all 3 titles...anyone found it cheaper??
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/227390/action/topic#227390
Time
Originally posted by: bgx90
Still, I would expect whatever introduced elements exist on the LD's, even if they are just black screens, will also exist on the DVD's, because they said that they were using the masters for the 1993 laserdiscs. That sounds like they are using the movie as edited for laserdisc to make the DVD's. If that were not the case, I would think that they would say they are using the masters for the 1993 release of the movies, rather than the specifically noting that the sources are from laserdisc masters, but the VHS and LD releases had different masters because of the differences in the two media. Also, as I and LFL have both said before but in different words, they aren't putting any effort into these releases at all, so I still expect there to be introduced artifacts from the laserdiscs that weren't on the original film prints or VHS tapes. I still say that these DVD's are no better than bootlegs and are being used as a gimmick to push more copies of "Special Edition" onto fans. I think Lucasfilms is the worst company I have seen in terms of how they value fans and customers.
Well, they'll have to put SOME effort into the DVDs, if the original '77 scroll is going to be on there, (as they're claiming).

I don't know if the black screens exist on the original LD masters or not, but it wouldn't be hard for them to just edit out the black screens and join the footage together seamlessly. Other DVDs have been made from LD masters, and none of them have side breaks in them.

I don't see why there would be any artifacts that aren't on the VHS tapes- the "faces" VHS tapes and laserdiscs were made from the same transfers, and the LDs are of much higher quality than the VHS tapes.

I do feel that the new DVDs will be higher quality than the bootlegs, since the best source material the bootleggers and preservationists have to work with are laserdiscs, while the DVDs will be made from the LD masters.
Post
#227385
Topic
An exact quote from Lucas on Greedo shooting first.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/227385/action/topic#227385
Time
Originally posted by: Mike O
Wait a minute. I'm confused. If that is what Lucas originally wanted, then why didn't he write it that way to begin with? Is he saying that he originally wanted Greedo to shoot first and did not have the technology? It seems from the editing in the original version that Han was planning to shoot Greedo from the get go. Which is how things should have stayed.

I've wondered that myself -but, apparently, GL changed his mind.

That's also why so much of the editing in the SE was changed as well. There was a site that I found once that compared some of the shots in the OOT with the SE, and you wouldn't notice if they weren't shown side-by-side, but the editing in some shots was subtly changed so that you can't see the actual laser from the blaster guns make impact with their targets. For example- in the Death Star control room, when Han and Luke are blasting their way in while in their stormtrooper disguises, you actually see the blasters make contact with one of the stormtrooper's armor in the OOT, but in the SE, you only see him falling- the actual blaster impact is cut out. Again, you probably wouldn't notice this (I didn't ) unless you see the 2 scenes running side-by-side, but I think the changes are unnecessary at best, insidious at worst.
Post
#227380
Topic
$36 pre-order (AR) for all 3 titles...anyone found it cheaper??
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/227380/action/topic#227380
Time
Originally posted by: bgx90
No one seems to have mentioned that, since LFL is using laserdisc masters as the source for these DVD's, there will be those fade ins and fade outs that were added to the laserdisc versions as transitions between disc changes. For me, this alone would make the DVD's unwatchable and not worth buying; I could have almost tolerated a cheap letterboxed release if not for that. At least when fans make versions of the films from laserdisc sources, they eliminate the fades, although it is at the cost of a few frames, but those frames were ruined by the fades anyway.

There really aren't any "fades" on the laserdiscs (at least, not on the '93 or '95 discs)- it's just an abrupt black screen at the end of each side. That's why I prefer the "faces" LDs so much over the "definitive" LDs. On the "faces" LDs, there are only 2 side breaks in each film, (that's one break every 45-50 minutes), while with the definitive discs - there are 4 side breaks in each film (one break every 20-30 minutes!)

In any case, the side breaks won't be on the DVDs.

Post
#227223
Topic
Pirates of the Caribbean Two
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/227223/action/topic#227223
Time
Originally posted by: HotRod
Originally posted by: Mielr
Jack Sparrow seems to have taken a back seat in this new film as well, which I didn't like.


Are you sure? He was like the main character. If anything, Will Turner took a back seat in most of the film, which is a good thing imo. Anyhoo, I get the feeling Captain Jack won't be in much of the third film, and Will will () become centre stage.

Johnny Depp seemed to have a lot less screen time than he did in the original, and Orlando Bloom seemed to have more than he did in the first film. Anyhow, it will be interesting to see how they 'rescue' Capt. Jack and how they explain it. LOL!
Post
#227013
Topic
Pirates of the Caribbean Two
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/227013/action/topic#227013
Time
I just saw 'Pirates 2' last Wednesday, and I found it to be a bit disappointing. The plot was kind of unfocused, and a lot of the action scenes went on WAY too long. 'Pirates 1' was just on TV the other night, and I watched it again, and now I'm sure that I like the 1st one better. It was just creepier and scarier. I much preferred the "skeleton crew" from 'Pirates 1' to Davy Jones' barnacle-encrusted crew, which was just gross. LOL. Jack Sparrow seems to have taken a back seat in this new film as well, which I didn't like.
Post
#227009
Topic
SUPERMAN RETURNS REVIEW
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/227009/action/topic#227009
Time
Originally posted by: oojason
^ Bright Eyes... burning like FIRE...

can't believe that scary ass cartoon got past the censors - gave me nightmares for years...

LOL! I wanted to see Watership Down when it first came out- but my mom wouldn't let me- she said it was a grown-up movie, not for kids. I guess it's a good thing she didn't let me see it! I remember she had the paperback of the book in a bookcase- I guess she had read the book and knew that it wasn't appropriate subject matter for children.

I'm glad I never saw Dumbo or Bambi, either. I can't believe the kind of scary stuff Disney used to produce for children. Even with The Lion King- why does there always have to be a death of a parent in the first 20 minutes? I'd never allow a child of mine to see any of those films. What kids fear the most is the death of a parent or being separated from their parents. That seems to be a theme in Disney films.

Post
#227005
Topic
SUPERMAN RETURNS REVIEW
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/227005/action/topic#227005
Time
I just saw this movie last week, and I have to say that the imagery was beautiful. I loved the opening credits with the old Superman titles and the John Williams theme. Brandon Routh made a good Supe (though not as good as Chris Reeve), Kevin Spacey was a very good Lex Luthor, Parker Posey was great as Kitty, but I think the girl who played Lois (can't recall her name this second) was badly miscast. Margot Kidder's Lois was spunky yet vulnerable, but this new Lois is totally boring and bland. Overall, the story was OK- but could have been a bit more focused.

Glad I saw it, anyhow. I liked it a bit better than "Pirates 2" which I thought was too long, and not as much fun as the original.

I don't know, is it just me, or are all of these movies having trouble living up to their hype? Maybe I'm just getting old. LOL!

Not crazy about Supe's new threads, FWIW. They look slightly...off.

Post
#226999
Topic
The Muppet Movie Extended Edition (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/226999/action/topic#226999
Time
Originally posted by: Sluggo
It's funny. Since I listened to the album and read the book so much, I started to think that the extra footage was like the urban legend of kids seeing Biggs in '77.

You know, I think there might be something to that. I recently watched my VHS cassette of The Muppet Movie that was purchased in 1984, and the 'grasshopper' line isn't in it. Then, I listened to the LP, and the 'grasshopper' line IS in it, along with an entirely different exchange between Rowlf and Kermit (which sort of 'explains' the setting of the song), and additional lyrics. That leads me to believe that the difference exists only on the soundtrack, and there really aren't 2 versions of the movie.

A lot of times, when a movie musical soundtrack is released, the spoken parts are very different from the movie's version. What they'll do, is record the spoken parts along with the music in the recording studio- and release that as the movie soundtrack, while for the actual movie scenes, they'll record the spoken parts on set, then break into the songs that were recorded in the studio.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone have one of those 'laservision' discs of the film from 1979? It would be interesting to check that as well.

Post
#226893
Topic
$36 pre-order (AR) for all 3 titles...anyone found it cheaper??
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/226893/action/topic#226893
Time
Originally posted by: boba feta
My money's on the X0 Team. These guys know what they're doing, they're using cutting edge software and what's more they actually care about the Original Trilogy.

I don't doubt for a minute that they know what they're doing, and I'm sure their results will be fantastic. All I'm saying though, is that the final product will still be limited by the fact that they're using laserdiscs as their source material, and there's no getting around that. No matter how much they care about the OT, the Fox discs will be of a higher resolution, simply because the source material they will be using is superior to what the X0 team has to work with.
Post
#226796
Topic
Finally Got Rid of My 2004 DVD's...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/226796/action/topic#226796
Time
Originally posted by: Tiptup
Originally posted by: Mielr

Yeah, I think making the OOT unavailable for the last 10 years and then releasing it on DVD from a laserdisc master, despite obvious demand for a new transfer is definitely "on purpose".


Well, that's interesting opinion at least. But for me (until I see good enough reason to believe otherwise) it seems easier to believe that George Luca$ has a deranged view of the world than to believe he would purposely hurt his ability to swindle money from Star Wars fans.

At the best, perhaps he'd purposely offend people if he thought it would make him higher profits in the long run . . . that's a possibility.


I definitely agree with the "deranged" part, LOL, but I really think he has actual disdain for those of us who prefer the OOT. He can't stand us, because we're the only thing standing in the way of his effectively eliminating the OOT for good, which is what he wants.

If he REALLY wanted to please us, he'd do what Spielberg, Cameron, and so many other directors have done- he'd give us BOTH versions of the OT in beautiful, anamorphic DVD transfers, and let US choose which ones we want to watch. I think his pathological desire to relegate the OOT to second-class-citizen status, outweighs even his desire for $$$. (IMO)
Post
#226784
Topic
new book on a new hope coming in september
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/226784/action/topic#226784
Time
Originally posted by: Guy Caballero
I wonder what the whole story there is, if there even is one. TRON had no opening credits, Spielberg himself directed 1941, which has no credits. i think that whole Spielberg-directing-a-star wars-movie was probably a lot of talk. The dvd just covered it in the same vague P.R.-influenced bullshit as everything else.
Well, they kind of let it slide for the first movie. Then, when ESB came out, they fined Irvin Kershner like $200,000. GL paid it, and left the guild. He didn't want more problems for Jedi with Spielberg, so he picked a non-American to direct. TRON and 1941 had no sequels, so there wasn't the same problem.

But yeah, I've also read that Marquand was picked because he agreed to kind of "go along" with whatever GL wanted. However- in "Empire Building", it did say that the scene where Luke goes back to Dagobah was Marquand's idea, and he was pretty firm on it. In the original Jedi script, Luke doesn't go back, so we have Marquand to thank for that scene.

Post
#226772
Topic
new book on a new hope coming in september
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/226772/action/topic#226772
Time
Originally posted by: hairy_hen
I like RotJ fine, mostly. Having Steven S. direct it would have been great, though . . .

I don't like everything he does but there's no doubt he's a fine director who really knows his stuff.

Question: if Lucarse couldn't have Steven S. direct Jedi, how did he keep having him for the other Indy flicks? Because those still have the credits in the beginning? Yeah, Jedi didn't have credits in the beginning, the Indy films did. That's why Spielberg was OK to direct the Indy films, but not Jedi. Lucas was too worried that Spielberg's director's guild membership would be in jeopardy if he directed Jedi.
Originally posted by: hairy_hen
I'd sure like to read a book about the making of SW that didn't have any official Lucarse propaganda. That would be really interesting.
I recommend "Empire Building" by Garry Jenkins.

Post
#226770
Topic
$36 pre-order (AR) for all 3 titles...anyone found it cheaper??
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/226770/action/topic#226770
Time
Originally posted by: Mr Bungle

I am gonna gamble that the XO is gonna be better, Im not paying full whack for DVDs I have(the 2004) and a bonus non ano laser transfer which is slightly better than my fan preserved sets which I am happy with, they are charging more or less full price online here in the UK and if I import from the US I will have to pay custom charges as they are over a certain amount, and I have better things than these to spend my money on, the only way is if they are reduced in a sale
But remember, you can't create resolution where there is none. No amount of filtering or color correction is going to give those laserdiscs the same resolution that their masters have (even when played on an X0). I think the Sept. DVDs will be more than just "slightly" better than the fan-made DVDs.

Believe me, I understand. I spent $300 on an LD player I didn't need, God knows how much $ for the OOT THX laserdiscs and a couple weeks of my time, all so I could make my own OOT DVDs, because GL said they would NEVER be released on DVD. But regardless, my DVDs will pale in comparison to the 9/12 releases, and so will ALL the other LD-sourced fan-made DVDs out there.

Considering that these DVDs will be selling for about $20 each, that's a pretty good deal.

Post
#226769
Topic
$36 pre-order (AR) for all 3 titles...anyone found it cheaper??
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/226769/action/topic#226769
Time
Originally posted by: Mike O
As stated before though, I don't think this is the last we'll see of these movies on DVD.


A quote from George Lucas himself" "Now we'll find out where people really wanted the original or whether they wanted the improved version. It will all come out in the end." Plus, this is George Lucas we're talking about here. The man seems to have a genetic inability to release only one version of his films. Remaster OOT discs with 5.1/2.0/mono=more money. I highly, highly, highly doubt that we won't see a high quality release of the films in the future, probably the near future with the 30th anniversary so close at hand. Then, maybe, one Lucas sees that there is a market for the version of his films which the majority of fans actually like, then maybe, at some point before the end of time, we can see a high-quality release of the original release of THX 1138 so that I can finally see the movie.

I agree- I've said before that this DVD release is a sign that he's starting to soften. Remember 1995- "ONE LAST TIME!" Well, that wasn't 100% true, now was it? I think eventually the OOT will be PROPERLY released- but probably not for the 30th anniversary. I'm betting it will get a blu-ray or hd-dvd release several years down the line, when one of the formats has caught on.

I think this September DVD release will be HUGE! It's going to blow Fox/Lucas away as to how many people still love and want the OOT. It will just give that much more reason for the OOT to be presented properly in a few years.