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Mike O

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20-Jun-2006
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15-Jan-2026
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Post
#250449
Topic
Lucasfilm Exiting Movie Business?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/250449/action/topic#250449
Time
Originally posted by: Han Solo VS Indiana Jones
Originally posted by: C3PX
When you think about it, it really is sad. For people who have seen THX and Graffiti, and even the first Star Wars (outside the context of the dead bloody corps of the beaten horse), there was a lot of potential in this guy. If he had stayed on that track we could have expected to see great things from him. Didn't he say something about going on to do his artsy, experimential films after ROTS was finally finished? I guess that is down the crapper again. Probably for the best.

Lucas has been saying he wants to do something experimental or "artsy" every since ROTJ wrapped back in 1983, and he still hasn't done anything. If Lucasfilm does exit the film business, I say good riddance to their bad rubbish.


I think that Lucas is sort of stuck in Star Wars now. That might be part of the problem, a sort of rut. As for the T.V. series, I say be careful. The light that burns twice as bright burn half as long, and if you milk the cash cow too much, it'll run dry. Obviously, Star Wars still ahs plenty of life, but I think that Lucas should be wary.

as for him donating money to usc film school that is nothing new it's his place to pick up the next generation of lucas employees, as it always has been, as well as some of the other universities where his friends went.


That a bit cynical. I'll give him the benifit of the doubt for giving money to the less fortunate. Ironically, there was a time when I'd have love to have worked for Lucasfilm.
Post
#250446
Topic
"..secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/250446/action/topic#250446
Time
Originally posted by: lord3vil
Originally posted by: Seiji

Q: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?

LUCAS: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it. ...
I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore. It's like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I'm sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be.

Thanks for posting this, Seiji! It's interesting to see a quote of Lucas stating his opinion on this matter as openly and explicitly as this. It's my opinion that we'll probably see the OOT again at some point, since the article illustrates pretty well that Lucas will change his mind and set plans if he can be convinced that doing so will make an investment worth it, or worth more, in terms of sales. I do wonder though, what is the source of this information?

That's an older article. And Lucas states very explicitly in it that his reason for releasing the OT was a changing market and demand (people paying for bootlegs of the version they want), so there's no reason to think that he won't do it again. Remember his MTV comments: "Now we'll find out wherer people really wanted the originals or whether they wanted the improved versions. It will all come out in the end." I think that this is very much about marketing.

I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore


It wouldn't cost that much. There's got to be something else going on here. The MTV interview also makes it seem like Lucas is extremely bitter about the reaction to the SEs.

Which is fine, except I'm making the movies, so I should have it my way.


Which is all good and well, but what about the other people who worked on the movies?

I WONDER HOW LUCAS WOULD FEEL IF SOMEONE COLORIZED HIS FAVORITE FLASH GORDON SERIALS BECAUSE OF HIS "ORIGINAL VISION."

He never liked the movies most everyone else liked.


Which may well ahve been becasue they were not entirely what he wanted. He didn't direct two and had many concessions forced upon him (evidently) for the original, and I think that he wanted the saga to be all his, as opposed to a collaboration.

Of course, I initially became angry reading that article, but I do sort of see Lucas's point. What I have a problem with is him being such a stubborn fellow about what does, and insulting his fans. Still, this release shows that things are changing, so maybe he is too.
Post
#250445
Topic
2004 DVD crap-o-la
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/250445/action/topic#250445
Time
I think the SE's, while not perfect, are heads and shoulders above and beyond the quality of the O-OT.


Which is good for you, the problem is that we can't get a high quality release of the OOT. And I'm going with Gomer here. Vader or the Emperor would easily kill the other if they could and rule in the other's place.
Post
#249920
Topic
"..secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/249920/action/topic#249920
Time
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
It's all good, I'm just glad we were able to rise above it in the end.

I was having a lot of personal problems today and wanted to burn off some steam. Unfortunatley, you got in the way of my warpath. Please accept my sinceares apologies. I'd PM you if I could.

fixing Lando's erection.


What?

I am personally hedging my bets just in case he really doesn't do another O-OT release.


Ah, the catch 22.
Post
#249847
Topic
"..secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/249847/action/topic#249847
Time
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
Wow, I didn't expect to return to this.

Thanks guys.

I may not be against Lucas, but I am certainly for getting the O-OT in better quality.

I'm for making it so as many people can be happy with Star Wars as possible, no matter how much of it they enjoy.


I again apologize. Please forgive my outbursts. They were inappropriate and you did not deserve them. I lost my temper. I apologize.
Post
#249843
Topic
"..secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/249843/action/topic#249843
Time
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
Please forgive me, I shouldn't have eaten one of everything at old country buffet today at lunch, and I've become a bit cranky.

Maybe hate is too strong a word, and sure I -do- understand the frustration regarding the lack of anamorphic release for the O-OT.

But he did go out of his way to do the THX version with the warning that it would be the last time to get it. To me that doesn't sound like he's insulting the people who liked those versions just as they were.

And I just think it's a pretty narrow point of view to equate everything Lucas does with a desire for money.

I just think it's pretty extreme not to at the very least aknowledge that he did this september release for us, even if money is another concern.

Sure the guy didn't give it the 5 star treatment, but he did do it.

I just think that the next step in getting him to reconsider doing an anamorphic or even future HD or better releases is to give the man just a pittance of respect for changing his mind at all.

Thanks. My apologies too. I think that we both got carried away, and its nice to see that we have gotten to look at each other's side of the argument. My apologies. I think that we both have valid points.

Originally posted by: Windexed
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic

I just think that the next step in getting him to reconsider doing an anamorphic or even future HD or better releases is to give the man just a pittance of respect for changing his mind at all.




That's reasonable.


Good point. And if Gomer is with us, we stand a better chance. You're a valuable member like everyone else here. I should have jumped on you like that. I apologize.
Post
#249833
Topic
"..secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/249833/action/topic#249833
Time
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
Because if Lucas doesn't release the O-OT he's a jerk, and when he does he's still a jerk, just because it's not the best quality possible.

Lucas wasn't insulting you by making his own movies better in his mind. To him he was giving his own movies the respect and care he felt they deserved, and he spent more time and money doing that than anyone else has so far for their own movies.

And for a lot of us it won't be enough no matter what Lucas does or doesn't do.

Regardless of his detracotrs, Star Wars will be selling well beyond his years and our own.

Once the generation who felt slighted by him pass on, future generations will wonder what the hell all the fuss was about methinks.


He was insulting us by dening the release, then releasing it in a substandard release. You're right, its not the best quality possible. But it could and should be. Hence the criticism. That's all. I sure as hell don't hate him or bear him any ill will.
Post
#249831
Topic
"..secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/249831/action/topic#249831
Time
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
Oh beleive me he is not hurting himself by any stretch of the imagination.

If you guys can't even give him a pittance of credit for this release (albeit it's not anamorphic) then what incentive does he have to give more of a crap?

If Lucas was just about making money, he wouldn't have held off with the 2004 DVD release as long as he had. If Lucas was just about making money, he wouldn't have originally planned to wait until he was finished with these films before releasing them. If Lucas was just about making money, there would be an episode 7 8 and 9 in the works.

If you guys would just release your hate then maybe you would be able to see that.


I don't hate him. Why do you keep saying that I hate him? I don't know him why should I hate him? He's not gettting credit for this release because it is not up to industry standards. And its selling well, which seems to indicate that some people are giving him credit. There's no VII, VIII, and IX in the works because of the T.V. series, which is cheaper. There is no proper OOT DVD release for me to buy. That's all there is to it. I certainly bear the man no ill will.
Post
#249826
Topic
"..secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/249826/action/topic#249826
Time
Well it means it was quality to more people than most movies can claim.

It means that more people saw it and it was more popular. There are movies which made less money than the prequels which are better films. I'm not saying the prequels are bad films, I'm just saying that the fact that they made money does not make them good or bad.

Has it ever occured to you that the people who buy into the SW label might actually think his productions are worth their money?

Go to Amazon.com where TPM and AOTC have a 3.5 and ROTS has a 4.5, the OOT release have 2.5s and 2.0s because of their quality, and the trilogy boxed set has 3.5 because of the SEs. Sure, it's occured to me. But how long will people think that the productions are worth their money if he keeps putting out things like this?


He cares about other opinions, just not the ridiculously negative ones from a certain portion of his fanbase. And I ask you, why should he give a crap about people most of whom have made it a priority to demonize him every chance they get since he released ROTJ? Do you see some sort of inequity here than I cannot?

Why would the fans make those comments? Lucas cares about nobody's opinion but his own. That's not a bad thing, but people have not "demonized" him. Since ROTJ, he's been insulting the fansbase by his treatment of the OOT. Perhaps if he put out a high quality product, the ridiculous negativity would stop.

People who only wanted one or two of the movies, and people who didn't get the box sets when those run out of stock. It's not like there will ever be a point where Star Wars on home video -isn't- selling.

How many of those people do you think that there are? Sooner or later, the cash cow will run dry.

Only for the sake of people who kept asking him to. He didn't want to release it at all.

Then he wouldn't have. He did so only for the sake of making money. Pleasing his fans had nothing to do with this. Lucas does have to do anything he doesn't want to do.

A lot of people asked him for a laserdisc transfer at the very least.


No one I know.

He didn't need to release the O-OT at all to sell Star Wars DVD's. He didn't want to release it at all, and changed his mind because of pettitions like this. It's not like he just now realized he could make more money by releasing 2 versions of each of his movies. He fought this for a long time.


He changed his mind because he couldn't sell the rest of the stock of the 2004 SEs to prep for his 2007 versions. Again, I ask, how many more people would have bought the SEs if the OOT had not been the selling point? Certainly not enought to make the sales as high as they are now.

I held my breath this long, and I'll keep holding it.

If it doesn't exist, then how do you explain this September release? To Lucas the updated versions are his way of making the end result of all those artisian's contributions as good as he can (in his opinion). Should he have left the bad matte lines in from the optical compositing? After all that was the blood and sweat of real aritistic professionals.


In his opinion? How about the opinions of others? The September release? How do I explain it? Lucas wanted to make money, that's how I explain it.

Yeah and sometimes they use a laserdisc transfer for a DVD release. Lucas isn't the first one to do it.


Not in 2006, and not for the most popular and influential films ever made.

Then you don't have to buy it now do you? I'm sure Lucas won't mind if only the people who think this is good buy it.


I'm not. Lucas doesn't care. You keep talking like he knows that we exist or does things for us. He wants money. That's it. Again, is that a bad thing? No, it's not like he's hurting anyone but himself. Is he the first or the last? No.

Gee really? I hadn't noticed. I'm sorry, I didn't know that the Star Wars fanbase was really only made up of the people who post here.


That was a little uncalled for. I'm trying to be polite. You're right, nor does it consist only of the people at TFN.

Here's the bottom line: The 2006 DVD release of the OOT is not acceptable by the stards of the DVD industry, which Lucas himself helped to set. That can be spun any number of ways, but Lucas's not wanting to release this is not an excuse.
Post
#249811
Topic
"..secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/249811/action/topic#249811
Time
Originally posted by: canofhumdingers
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
He never said anything about quantity over quality....


Oh really?

"I think the secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said.

Sounds like he said something about it to me. It's quite apparent that quality isn't what he's been after for quite a while given his various film projects over the last few decades. Just because you enjoy the prequel films Go-Mer, doesn't mean they are GOOD films. I thoroughly enjoy giant monster movies. While some of them actually do have some great talent behind them (esp. some of the TOHO films from the 50's & 60's) , my enjoyment & rose colored lenses doesn't once cajole me into believing that most of these are QUALITY films. I'm so tired of seeing people defending the prequels and lucas' actions in his more recent film projects as if they are quality, or (dare i eve use the word in reference to them..?) art. They are not. I mildly enjoy TPM & ROTS, but for goodness' sake, they are not art. they are not FILMS. they are cheap hollywood junk. They might be entertaining, but unlike thier forefathers (the original STAR WARS, and ESB) they are not good movies & are certainly not FILMS. Casablanca is a film, the original King Kong is a film, The Seven Samurai is a film, STAR WARS is a film. The PT are not. Whew! Needed to get that out.

Back on topic, this article only solidifies my opinion that Lucas, who i really believe was once a visionary film maker, has become nothing more than a corporate boob. He's interested in nothing but making money. Art? what's that? Quality? who cares!! if we make enough crap, someone will buy it & make us richer!! yaaaayy! To paraphrase a scene in the School of Rock... Mr. Lucas, you are the MAN! & i feel a case of schtickittodemandeitus coming on....


How can we stick it to the man? I don't even want to, but even I did, how? The guy's a multi-billionare.
Post
#249808
Topic
"..secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/249808/action/topic#249808
Time
Say what you want about his movies, but most of them have done extremely well, which would indicate that not everyone thought they were complete crap.

Which does not mean that they are good movies. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are bad ones either, but the fact that something makes money does not automatically indicate quality.

I'd trade any number of hours of new Lucasfilm stuff for one high-quality release of the OOT.

His home video releases have -always- set the industry standard for quality.

Not anymore.

The only reason he released a non anamorphic bonus feature was because -we- asked him to.

No. We asked for a DVD release. Not a bonus material release. And there are standards one expects from DVDs.

So all of us here can take the credit for soiling his good name. He fought us for a long time on the idea, but then finally relented. At our request.

He relented because he wanted more money, not because of the fans.

Yeah well I never heard anyone ask for Anamorphic until we found out it wouldn't be. It certainly wasn't part of the main message contained in this pettition.

Well it should have been automatically. That's DVD industry standard. People wanted a DVD release. There are standards for DVD releases.

I think most people would agree that it's better to get it non anamorphic than to not get it at all.

If I haven't eaten for days, I'll eat moldy spam. That doesn't make it good food.

And while many of you didn't want a laserdisc transfer, I remember huge threads over at TFN where people were saying that if Lucas doesn't have any quality prints laying around anymore then the least he could do was give us one of the laserdisc transfers.

This isn't TFN.

I know that it's the industry standard, but at the same time, he isn't willing to spend the kind of money it would take to restore one of his weathered prints, so he instead took the best home video master he had on hand to re-create the original movies. He didn't want to re-release the O-OT AT ALL.

I see. So the millions of artisans and craftsmen who worked on the films, including two other directors, as well as the millions of fans who have made the entire franchise possible because these versions don't mean squat? Terry Gilliam despises the "Love Conquers All Version" of Brazil and James Cameron prefers the extended version of The Abyss, and they both allowed them to be released. Lucas doesn't want to release the OOT becasue he knows that people prefer it.

Also, when I was talking about "crappy presentation" I wasn't tring to even get into the quality of any given movie in it's own right, merely the crappy presnetation a film based presentation provides. Unless you see it the first time it was unspooled (and usually only theater employees see the first unspooling) it will have dirt, scratches, and image instability.


Not if its restored like it should be.

Again, I think most of the people who really wanted the O-OT on DVD will agree that this is better than not getting it at all.


So, what, we should just shut up? No. Yes, it's better than nothing, but its not all that good either. The X0 project will probably look better and that being made by fans who evidently love the films far more than Lucas does.

"Since no one would pay to see anything I make that doesn't have the Star Wars label on it, and I'm not making anymore of those, I'm going to get into TV, where I can make shows with a far smaller budget, but are still just as crappy."


People will buy anyhting with the SW logo, and with T.V. he can put the SW logo on more things.

Luca$hFilm wouldn't release anything they didn't want to. Neither would they release anything they weren't damn sure would make money. Luca$hFilm released the OOT on DVD because they knew it would sell well and they will release it many more times for that same reason.


Exactly. If Lucas really didn't want to release this, he wouldn't have. The end. He did it to make money, not please anyone, least of all the fans.

The original versions are discarded rough drafts to him at this point, and the only reason he put this out was because everyone seemed to want it so much.


No, he put them out to make money. How many people would have bought the 06 release without the OOT? Not many.

In the end he did this mainly for people who have soundly rejected anything he's done since ROTJ (some since ESB or even ANH for that matter). I'm sure he doesn't care a whole lot about a group of people who don't seem to give a rat's ass about his opinion of how these movies should be.


He doesn't care about the opinions of anyone anymore. That's the problem.

What should he buy you flowers and take you out to dinner too?


If he wants. I really don't care. I want the highest quality OOT DVD release possible. Goodbye. The end. After that, I don't care. He can do whatever he wants. More power to him. May he live a long, happy, healthy life.

Exactly Gomer. This was a movie that changed cinema. It had an enormous effect on the industry and on a lot of people. Now GL wants to get rid of it because in his mind, it was never really completed. Tell that to everyone that worked on it and to the people whose lives were completely changed by it.


And let us not forget the millions of people who worked on the film other than him. Oh, and Gary Kurtz, the producer, who is against the changes. And Richard Marquand, who has passed on and is no longer around to ask.
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
The people who worked on that film were employed by Lucas to realize his vision for these films. They produced a ton of stuff that never even made it to the original theatrical version, should they feel slighted by that too?

What about the actress who played Beru in ANH? Her voice wasn't dubbed over in the initial theatrical run, and was later.

What about the people who put together the "man in suit" version of the rancor they never used in the end?

What about Luke's friends on Tatooine that now aren't in the movie at all?

Is it -ever- okay for Lucas to make an executive creative decision? Or does he lose that right only when you have seen his movie?

And Lucas didn't get rid of it, he merely made it better (to him).


They knew that their work would not be included in the first place. The OOT was a complete work. All of the work that they did in the service of Lucas's so-called "vision" was to create the films which were ultimately made. 20 years later, suddenly their work doesn't exist to serve Lucas's ego? He made it better. Great. That doesn't mean that he should deny the existance of the OOT. He doesn't lose the right after I've seen the movie. He "loses the right," so to speak, after the films have been released. Director's Cuts are fine. What is the problem is Lucas's continual insistance that the OOT doesn't exist anmore. If the OOT was not a complete product, why did so many people spend money on it over the years?

It's not about art or anything else at this point. It's about get a proper OOT DVD release.
Post
#249668
Topic
Calling all HALLOWEEN fans...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/249668/action/topic#249668
Time
Originally posted by: Cable-X1
Thanks a lot of the heads up here, Mark!!!

My girl is gonna flip when she finds this out. She loves this movie and would definitely want to see it on the big screen.

And to the analysis further up....no horror film is meant to be taken that seriously...the only ones I would seriously think about would be Romero's Living Dead trilogy. Those got some seriously heavy themes at work there.


Good horror films can have plenty of subtext. Certainly, slasher movies won't have much subtext, but good horror pictures can. I'm not the world's biggest Wes Craven fan, but consider the look at families and society in The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes or in Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. How about the dazzling hyperkinetic visuals of the Evil Dead trilogy? Great art, they ain't but it hard to have more fun. That's not to say that there is no fun to be had from slasher movies, though.