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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
#234120
Topic
Expecting too much of George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/234120/action/topic#234120
Time
Originally posted by: Anchorhead
Originally posted by: Obi Jeewhyen
as I now confess and then run for cover .... that I am the world's only megastarwars fan who … doesn't like The Empire Strikes Back.
Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
No, Anchorhead feels the same way you do.


Gaffer speaks the truth.
I’m not a fan of Empire. Too contrived, too slick. Star Wars was a complete story. A reluctant bystander gets drawn into a battle against an evil lord and with the help of a mentor and an unwilling pair of shady characters, he rescues the princess and defeats the bad guys. It’s an outer space fairy tale, and it worked very well.

No more of the story needed to be told. Doing so started the process of shrinking the universe and weakening the story. The characters in Star Wars aren’t related to each other and it’s just by chance that their paths cross. The adventure they all go on because of the chain of events that brought them all together is what makes the movie so big and magical. Empire is none of those things.

In fact, I haven’t seen Empire in about 7 or 8 years and I can’t imagine I’ll bother with it again.

Star Wars is the movie that awed me as a boy. It’s the only one I’m interested in.


I shudder to think what you'd say about Jedi or (gulp) the PT.
Post
#234012
Topic
Quit Whining
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/234012/action/topic#234012
Time
Originally posted by: PaulisDead2221
Well hey let's not use this douchebag to characterize Lucas or McCallum in an improper way. I think Lucas wouldn't be so base. McCallum though...the special features had had to censor him a couple of times...nah I'm sure they'd bullshit us a lot more politely and diplomatically and from a position of condescending authority. You know how they are.

I get uncomfortable sometimes looking at certain avatars anymore don't you? There's the avatar with Han sitting back from when he says "over my dead body" that a couple of jackasses have given a bad name, and there's one jerk using Luke turning to the Emperor right before he says "I'll never turn to the dark side," And seeing Ocp's old avatar I thought maybe it was him. This guy didn't know enough about the controversy to be Ocp anyway. Plus, Ocp simply was self-rightous and disparaging to competing projects like X0, instead of disparaging to the entire movement. It's funny actually he was arguing with us about how great the September release will be when they'll be of the same quality as an unclean X0...then again he left before that was revealed.

Oh yeah, I hate assholes who use "free speech" to argue their point. "I'm right because we can all say whatever we want!" What?! It's worse than the Chewbacca defense! "Lucas can change history because he can say whatever he wants!" People, it does NOT MAKE SENSE! If Chewbacca lives on Endor you must aquit!


What? I'm totaly confused
Post
#234010
Topic
Expecting too much of George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/234010/action/topic#234010
Time
Originally posted by: Tiptup
Originally posted by: JediRandy


And can you imagine their work on Star Wars without Lucas? Wow....McQuarrie's Darth Vader design.... Burt's Sound design...... ILM's SFX..... JW score..... the editing...

...


Oh wait. Without Luca$h, there wouldn't have been a movie.

So, are you then saying that George Lucas has the moral and ethical right to disregard the work that so many people accomplished for him? There's nothing wrong with him treating the theatrical releases as rough garbage?

Sure Lucas was the epicenter for the creation of Star Wars, but without him, those same great movies wouldn't have been crippled with disgustingly worthless changes. Even if you think the SEs are superior (which is totally nonsensical to me, but everyone has the right to hold an unfounded opinion), quality treatment for the original theatrical releases shoud still have some importance to you.

To say nothing of the fact that he is also mucking with Empire and Jedi, which he did not direct, and that Gary Kurtz, who prouced the first two films vehemently disagrees with him, as does Mark Hamill, the star of all three films, as well as millions of fans. It think that the issue with the comparison is that many, particularly Lucas himself, seem to regard an attack on the SEs (which I don't neessarily dislike per se, I just won't associate with them because of what happened to the OOT because of them), when in fact the comments simply mean that we prefer one version while he prefers the other. I really don't care about his original vision. He can change the releases with new one ever single day of the year for the rest of his life, for all I care. But I want the originals to be availabe on high quality releases. They are not. And that to say nothing of THX 1138, which I can't watch because it's not available on DVD, just Lucas's altered version. And I very much doubt that the original version will ever see the light of day.

Lucas seems to be to be a much more skilled technican and craftsman than storyteller. He is great at cmoing up with characters and stories and taking them in new directions; witness such works as The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark. He is a phenomenal producer--Lucas can hold together a production like few people, and is great at manipulating people (I don't meant that word in a negative connotation, it is simply the best way of phrasing description that I am thinking of) and contructing things. That's probably what makes him such a marketing genius. Heck, the PT, especially AOTC (which Lucas co-wrote), has a great story. The problem is the dialogue and the performances (and isn't it widely believed that his two American Graffiti co-writers assisted with original screenplay of Star Wars?).

Lucas was AWESOME in the 70s. I'd never downplay his talents from back then. To direct Graffiti, THX1138, and Star Wars by age 32, or whatever he was, is fucking brilliant. And all three original works, not based on a book, or a true story, and all made with limited resources. He was great. I miss that guy.


Not to start anything, but the fact that a work is adampted from a comic book/novel/whatever does not in any way diminish its artistic quality, in my opinion. All 13 of Kubrick's films were based on books, but that doesn't make them any less brilliant.

Now that's a favourite of mine! There are many directors who seem to make their most interesting work when they have no resources. Increasing age + increasing money = decreasing quality. I'd suggest John Carpenter as a pretty good example of that trend.


I don't know, I mean, I don't think that that's fair. Spielberg got carte blanche and the money after fJaws to make CE3K, a big-budget film filled with special effects, and it wasn't bad at all. I think that it depends on a lot of things (I'd bring up Peter Jackson, but I know that many people around here do not share my opinions of him). A lower budget certainly makes one think outside of the box, and commercial success can lead "sell-outs" (I'm not 100% sure what that phrase means) but there are directors, like James Cameron for example, who can take the bigger budget that they get and do things with it other than serve their own egos, ala Michael Bay.
Post
#233924
Topic
www.dvdempire.com O-OT pre-orders rankings (updated)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233924/action/topic#233924
Time
Originally posted by: auraloffalwaffle
Luca$hFilm know that the OOT will sell on DVD. They're just using it to sell yet another repackaging of the SE. They wouldn't release something that they weren't sure would sell, would they?


That's what I thought. There is money to be made, and they want to make it. That's not necessarily good, bad, or indifferent, I'm just making a statement.
Post
#233922
Topic
Expecting too much of George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233922/action/topic#233922
Time
Originally posted by: auraloffalwaffle
Originally posted by: zombie84
Few artists have the consistent longevity of say Scorsese or Speilberg.


I am of the opinion that neither of these filmmakers are the creative forces they used to be. But that rather adds to that side of the argument, doesn't it? Few artists consistently make work that is proclaimed as their best. In fact, I'd be hard pushed to think of any. I think Luca$h should be credited with coming up with the initial concepts of SW and working his ass off to make sure that ANH got made. I would be unwilling to give him much more than that, though.

How about this: Luca$h fought hard to become independent from the Hollywood system but, in so doing, Luca$hFilm became just like the studios he wanted to leave behind.


Well, remember, Lucas had bad experiences with Hollywood and the system because of the fines, etc. Perhaps that factored into his decisions.

And Spielberg and Scorcese have both been a bit experimental of late, but I see no reason to count them out.
Post
#233845
Topic
www.dvdempire.com O-OT pre-orders rankings (updated)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233845/action/topic#233845
Time
Originally posted by: generalfrevious
Well I know Lucas is in absolute nirvana right now... he will see the OOT destroyed for good.


Not necessarily. It doesn't look like this release will be flying off shelves, but it does like its sale will be fair, if not spectacular, and should give Lucas a small message. Remember, the man is not stupid. He is a brilliant marketing genius. First he will sell this release, then a remastered one, then a Blu-Ray one, etc.
Post
#233843
Topic
Update: Blade Runner Dvd
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233843/action/topic#233843
Time
Originally posted by: GundarkHunter
Originally posted by: Mike O
I wish he's supervise an an anamorphic version of The Abyss, though. Ah, well. I'm sure we'll see one someday.

I'm not holding my breath. The non-anamorphic has been out in at least 3 different incarnations.


All of which were taken from the same master, correct? I think that, with him back in the chair, they'll do one to put "from James Cameron, director the action-packed Hollywood Blockbuster _____ ______." Fox knows an anamorphic release would sell. I'm sure that we'll see one eventually. But maybe I'm wrong.
Post
#233841
Topic
9/11 - The Movie
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233841/action/topic#233841
Time
Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
Originally posted by: TR47
Too bad the film probably can't/won't show this as being the staged hoax that it really was.

Believe me, it was no hoax. Those planes really did fly into those buildings. Speculate all you want on the motives or the lack of intelligence, but don't call the actual events a hoax. I know people who died on that day.

God rest their souls.

What happens to the people who give this movies bad reviews? They get labelled as Communists.


Kind of like how anyone who didn't like Brokeback Mountain was homophobic and anyone who didn't give Schidler's List a good writ-up was anti-semetic? That's sort of ridiculous.

But back to the topic at hand, this isn't the first 9/11 movie. Technically it isn't even the second. The best 9/11 movie is 9/11. The documentary shot by two German filmmakers who were doing a bit on one of the firefighters of NYC that day caught the real spirit of the day


God, that's powerful stuff. I've seen it too. It's really a shock to the system. Incredibly potent. The truth.

I haven't seen United 93, but it seems far more respectful of 9/11 than this cheesy cash-in. This looks like something that should go on the shelf beside Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor.


With this sort of thing, it is always difficult in film. People died in this horrible tradgedy, and I think that any attempt to translate to film will be, well, film. It's almost impossible to separated the work from the subject matter in cases like this.
Post
#233726
Topic
Expecting too much of George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233726/action/topic#233726
Time
Originally posted by: auraloffalwaffle
Originally posted by: Mike O
his desire to deny fans the SEs.


You might wanna edit that post, Mike!

Luca$h may have come up with the screenplay and directed ANH but, as discussed elsewhere, there were many people with him (Ralph McQuarrie, Gary Kurtz, John Mollo, Joe Johnston, John Dykstra, Ben Burtt, Richard Chew, Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas and many more) that shaped Luca$h's material into what people saw on 25/05/77. You can't lay it all at Luca$h's feet, like you would with a true auteur filmmaker. The reason that we have a shit PT is that Luca$h has been convinced that he is an auteur when he really never was.


Whoops! Right away.