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Regicidal_Maniac

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Join date
29-Jul-2004
Last activity
3-Oct-2005
Posts
345

Post History

Post
#68222
Topic
Did George Lucas take too much credit?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68222/action/topic#68222
Time
Yes Lucas wrote the 4 or so draft scripts for Star Wars all of which are pretty terrible and came up with the basic story outlines for Empire and Return. But the actual shooting script for Star Wars was written by him AND Leigh Brackett AND Gloria Katz AND Willard Huyck (AND LET'S NOT FORGET AKIRA KUROSAWA).

As thanks for their help Lucas lent his name and fame to Katz and Huyck's Howard The Duck in gratitude for their work on the narrative structure, dialogue and for giving the script a general polish.

"Written by George Lucas" is a misnomer. Even the novel of Star Wars says Written by George Lucas based on his script but this is a LIE as it was written by Alan Dean Foster based on the script by all of the above.

The direction on the original film was helped by GL's good friend Francis Ford Coppola's respected advice and for Empire and Return Lucas served as a meddling creative consultant exectutive producer and backseat director to better talents.

Lucas showed a roughcut of Star Wars to his friends: Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck, John Milius, Matthew Robbins, Hal Barwood, and Time magazine film critic Jay Cocks. They were merciless and he made many a few wise changes thanks to their advice.

All of this is pretty well documented, although good luck getting Lucas to step up and admit it.

As far as I know the only Star Wars film written and directed by Lucas is The Phantom Menace and it sure shows.
Post
#67736
Topic
Lucas listens to us...and ruins things further (Boba Fett)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67736/action/topic#67736
Time
Good reasons all.

There are many reasons to love Boba Fett but for me it was because he was a mysterious Man With No Name ala Eastwood in Leone's The Dollars Trilogy, he took no guff from Darth Vader and actually talked back to the man in black.

Eastwood

Boba

(I hope these images work) EDIT: They didn't. You'll just have to click them.

The things that made him interesting to me were the very thing sthat were left unsaid by tell-you-twice-Lucas.

Plus he's ubercool looking and (used to be) VERY cool sounding.

His action figure could fly and he had a missile on his back which could spring out and hit you in the eye.

Like much of Star Wars and Empire (ROTJ not so much) he's very lived in. His outfit is dinged up and used, he's a busy man obviously.

His reputation for disintegrating his quarry preceeds him.

He is not a Kiwi and we all know he made it out of the Sarlaac pit.

I really never wanted to know his backstory for sure, and so I still don't.
Post
#67703
Topic
I love the DVDs!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67703/action/topic#67703
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: Luke Skywalker
the fact that you came to these boards knowing what this cause is about and what we've been campaigning for and then make a post like this,

Quote
I have watched all three of them over and over. I must say, the changes are not bad at all! My favorite is how they took out the original emperor hologram and replaced him with the man we all know and love. I don’t think these are abominations, not like a lot of purists do. Lucas is just doing now what he couldn’t back then. He’s not hurting them, he’s just patching some old cracks. It’s his work of art; let him do what he wants to them.


makes us wonder why you would even post that as your first post...
you must
a) want people to hate you
b) be a friend of jimbo's
c) have been payed by Lucas himself to come here and piss us off
or
d) flocked over to this site with most of the other new fanboy members from starwars.com

i dunno about most of the other members here but if you notice the url being originaltrilogy.com....
your not going to make many friends by coming here and praising the new DVD's considering we got screwed...
i find this forum to be getting more and more out of hand by the day....
fanboys are coming out of Lucas' pants and coming in here to be nothing other than annoying pricks who just want to shit all over our parade...

well i dont know about some of you guys but i think Luke is posting his resignation in the next couple days...
i just dont even have a fun time coming here like i used to with some of you guys...
but i hate to leave because we have got some other really great members in the last little while...

ie. Regicidal, Darth Justin, and many others..

before i leave this topic and perhaps this board for good i just want to say kudos to Jay for standing up to this new member...
i dont know if you've done it before but the only other time i've felt that proud was when i saw Han shoot first...

lates


Thanks for the props.

Don't leave man.

I too have been frustrated by the very recent influx of Apologists and Lucas-lap-dogs but I think they'll wear themselves out just like all trollers.

Just sit tight and ride out the tide of pathetic fanboy freeaks until they go back to StarWars.com or whatever dark hole they all crawled up out from.

Seriously where are these weirdos coming from?

And what is their objective?

They got theirs now we want ours.

Lucas Losers leave, now.
Post
#67700
Topic
Best Movie Endings
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67700/action/topic#67700
Time
Yeah what Luke said and more.

IN no particular order:

The Empire Strikes Back, naturally
Planet Of The Apes (1968 of course)
The Treasure Of Sierre Madre
Casablanca
The Maltese Falcon
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
The Terminator
T2
Jaws
Predator
The Thing
Deep Blue Sea
The Truman Show
Point Break
The Breakfast Club (Don't You Forget About Me)
12 Monkeys
2001 A Space Odyssey
Ghost Story (from the Straub novel)
What Lies Beneath (yeah it rips off Ghost Story but it's still a good ending)
Arlington Road
Boondock Saints
The Blues Brothers
An American Werewolf In London
Poltergeist
The Chronicles Of Riddick
Die Hard
The Game
The Matrix
Wild Things
Primal Fear
Reservoir Dogs
Citizen Kane
Bicentennial Man (oh I get all weepy)
First Blood
Every Rocky Film
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Shining (Kubrick)

to name but a few.
Post
#67511
Topic
Changes in 2004 DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67511/action/topic#67511
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: jimbo
That scene was always meant to be there. They didn't have the time or money to create the stop motion puppet. Thats how it was orginally filmed and scripted. There are no real story changes. Its the same story I have always loved.


Gah!

Yes Jimbo it's true that originally Han met Jabba in Docking Bay 94 in the draft scripts and in the filming process...

HOWEVER in the editing bay it made more sense to drop the scene than it did to include it because the information had already been delivered by Greedo and it ruined the unveiling of the Millennium Falcon a few scenes later not to mention the fact that it spoiled the mystery behind the gangster Hutt Jabba who'd pout this price on Han's head.

AND SO it was rightly dumped for narrative reasons.

UNTIL the senile old fart decided that telling the audience something twice is SO MUCH better than telling them something once and the plaid hack decided to reinclude the scene in order to make the film 'special'.

Special like a short yellow bus.

(I'm drunk right now so I'm not going to proof read this but I feel that my main points have been made.)
Post
#67506
Topic
Why I Don't Like Anything About Naboo or Sifo-Dyas
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67506/action/topic#67506
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: Darth Chaltab
Wow. You don't meet many people who think TMP was better than Attack of the Clones.


Well not that you've met me but I'll put my hand up to say that I believe that TPM is a better film than AOTC. Don't get me wrong I loathe them both but I believe that AOTC is just the stinker pile of shit.

I'm constantly amazed at comments I read from functioning humans who believe that the PT is on a par with the OT.

It's staggering.

Also Naboo sucks and Sifo-Dyas, the PT film character not the hilarious ot.com member, also makes no sense.
Post
#67501
Topic
Favourite non Star Wars roles for Star Wars actors
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67501/action/topic#67501
Time
All the actors in the series maintain that they are more than just their Star Wars characters.

Well what other non Star Wars films have you enjoyed these actors in?

Here's mine.

Mark Hamill is fantastic as The Joker in "The Batman Animated Series" but especially in the "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" movie.

Harrison Ford naturally as Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

Carrie Fisher is hilarious as the Mystery Woman in "The Blues Brothers".

Alec Guinness is also hilarious as Jamesir Bensonmum the blind butler in "Murder By Death". This film is worth seeing alone for James Coco's amazing and piss-yerself-funny performance. ("And where is the waiter... with our dinner?!?")

Kenny Baker as Fidgit in "Time Bandits".

David Prowse in the original "Callan" film as the heavy Arthur aka The Neutralizer. He doesn't last too long.

James Earl Jones has always been one of my favourite actors and here are just a few of my favourite performances from him.
Jack Johnson in "The Great White Hope". Great film.
Joshua Burke in the classic "A Piece of the Action".
And of course as Mufasa in "The Lion King". Ooh say it again.. Mmuu-ffaa-ssaa...

Billy Dee Williams as Detective Sergeant Matthew Fox in "Nighthawks".

Frank Oz as the wonderfully deadpan Corrections Officer in "The Blues Brothers".
And of course as Bert and Cookie Monster in "Sesame Street".

Ian McDiarmid has a great understated comedic performance as Arthur the butler in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels".

And let's not limit ourselves to merely the actors I also enjoyed Irvin Kershner's direction on "RoboCop 2" and "Never Say Never Again".

Now it's your turn.
Post
#67140
Topic
Star Wars 2004 DVD's
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67140/action/topic#67140
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: Luke Skywalker
enjoy this little pole i created...
i was just curious on how some people are dealing with the events of September 21st.


I think you're going to cop a bit of flack about that sentence Luke, from overly sensitive people who don't share our dark sense of humor.

I know of only one person I wasn't able to convince NOT to buy the set and he's going through the stages of grief at the moment.

Right now he's on the cusp of Denial and Anger. He'll soon move through Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance then finally onto Refunding.

He's an SE lover and he said he was prepared to accept a lot but that Kiwi Boba Fett and little Wooden-Head's ghost tore it for him.

He didn't mind the "weesa free".

Chalk up another ex-fan to Lucas's insane machinations.
Post
#67108
Topic
Changes in 2004 DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67108/action/topic#67108
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: drcrawn
Well, if you believe this, how do you explain the U.S. getting its ass kicked in Iraq? Hmm....The whole point was that the Empire was spread too thinly, and the rebel fighters prevailed, in that battle. The movie is totally fine with Ewoks. In fact I love the Ewoks, so cute, but smart. But i tell you what, there were boos when the credits rolled after Episode One...I bet nobody booed ROTJ....
I prefer to think of the last three films as an after thought. They are simply a mess for the average movie-goer.


I too have a lot of time for the Ewoks, I had an Ewok saver account in 1983 (neeeerrrrrrd). They're cute and they represent primitive knowhow battling superior technology and prevailing through sheer will and ingenuity. To see how far Lucas has strayed from his original points he once equated the Empire to the invading US in the Vietnam conflict, which would make the Ewoks and the rebels Charlie. But then this is a galaxy far, far away...

I agree that the PT films are an afterthought but I think it's a bit like this: The OT is the child and the PT is the afterbirth which Lucas is blindly holding up and praising while we all look on in horror and disgust.

Post
#66104
Topic
Lucas changes the OT to better suit his PT.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/66104/action/topic#66104
Time
I always felt that the PT films should have found creative ways to SEEM like real prequels to the OT.

Like using the same effects methods or limiting themselves to effects methods of rear projection, models on string with smoke jetting out the back et cetera.

The artists would have been forced to find creative solutions to the problems and you can't tell me these guys wouldn't have had a blast working the old school methods.

Visually the films should have looked as if they were produced in the 40s and 50s with clothing and hairstyles that reflected the era.

There should have been more swashbuckling and deeds of deering-do, hand rubbing mustouche twirling scum and villainy.

Idealistic crusaders: the best starpilot in the galaxy and his best friend and mentor a young reckless Jedi.

The two young Jedi are surrounded by an army of Sith footsoldiers.

ObiWan: Oh I'm a fool for getting you into this.

Anakin: Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?

They smile and ignite their lightsabers...

A black and white holocron presentation/newsreel sequence.

Hotheads in hotrods racing for credits.

And so on...
Post
#66102
Topic
scifi.com ScifiWire Poll
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/66102/action/topic#66102
Time
Final poll results:

09/12/04 - 09/18/04
The new DVD set of the original three Star Wars movies adds Hayden Christensen at the end and makes a few other changes. Which version of the movies do you like best?

Final Results:

55% The original '70s and '80s releases.
13% The 1997 "special editions."
17% The 2004 DVD versions.
16% Star Wars? Give me Trek.

Votes Cast: 11116

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Lucas.
Post
#65960
Topic
PG-13 Revenge of the Sith
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/65960/action/topic#65960
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: jimbo

Similarities between Attack of the Clones and The Empire Strikes Back

Both movies involve a love story between the male and female lead

Both movies flash between different charcters in different places

Both movies involve charcters being kidnapped

Both movies have a rather dark ending compared to all the other movies

Yoda rocks in both movies

Attack of the Clones is definutly closest to The Empire Strikes Back then any other movie of the series. In story and feel. The Phantom Menace is closest to Return of the Jedi in look and feel which is why both Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace are the underlings of the series.



Similarities between Attack of the Clones and The Empire Strikes Back and The Vanishing

All three movies involve a love story between the male and female lead

All three movies flash between different charcters in different places

All three movies involve charcters being kidnapped

All three movies have a rather dark ending compared to all the other movies

So what?

The difference is that in The Empire Strikes Back and The Vanishing it WORKS because the direction is top notch, the characters are fully realised and the situations are interesting and compelling because there is "something at stake".

Whereas the similarities in AOTC only serve to underline how inferior it is in comparison.
Post
#65950
Topic
PG-13 Revenge of the Sith
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/65950/action/topic#65950
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: jimbo

I think A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back are equal. The Empire Strikes Back is great until it stops. It doesn't end it stops. Return of the Jedi is needed to finish the story and Return of the Jedi is a far inferior movie.50 reason Return of the Jedi sucks


It's interesting that YOU should mention that filmthread article as ALMOST EVERY ONE of those reasons for ROTJ being a weak film are the very same kinds of inexcusable crapola that the PT films suffer from.

Except the PT films exacerbate the problem tenfold by having zero likable characters, a boring story and an over reliance on CGI.

Gungans.
Tone is inconsistent.
Look is all wrong.
Silly/racist aliens.
Repetition rather than innovation Lucas rips himself off and manages to spoil his OT surprises.
Poor and stilted unforgivably bad dialogue and horrible exposition.
Poor and extremely noticable CGI effects.
Physical and scatological humour.
Uninteresting locales.
The pointless Gunagan battlescenes.
Obiwan is neutered and cardboardy.
Music (while well composed is butchered by poor editing choices).
Threepio/Annie.
Stupid coincidences/virgin births/demystifying of The Force.
Maul, while semi-cool-looking, is a useless character who dies a pussy death.
Jake Lloyd's woeful 'acting'.
George Lucas's atrocious 'directing'.
Ben Burtt's superbad 'editing'.
All the actors look bored as fuck.
Missed opportunities.
Both the puppet and CG Yoda look worse than before.
The PT was made in such a way that the OT needed to be 'fixed' to match it.
Yippee!
What's at stake? No really what is at stake? Tell me because the film doesn't seem to want to or be able to address it.
Well staged saber fights that are still dull because, what's at stake?
People live and operate in videogame levels.
StormTroopers are all Kiwis!
Boba Fett! Oh my man what have they done to you?
Vader 90210.
Continuity Shmontinuity.

There are hundreds of others but I can't make you see when you won't open your eyes.
Post
#65933
Topic
Things you LIKED about the Special Editions?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/65933/action/topic#65933
Time
I liked the Death Star explosions with their concussive wave rings.

Also the new Celebration music that replaces Yub Nub.

Clean-ups and matteline/box removals, flopped images and whatnot are all fine.

I would probably include only these new elements in a composite edition.

I used to like the Cloud City exteriors but they're not needed.

I also used to think that the Jabba's palace scenes were an improvement until I had a chjance to rewatch the Originals and I prefer the low-key opium-den song and non-flirty Boba Fett.

I have no problem with the digital Dewbacks but I prefer the mechanical ones.

To me the Special Edition Trilogy is Special in that it has a drool-bib and wears a helmet.

Lucas has dropped his baby on the head, repeatedly. Aren't there laws against this kind of thing?
Post
#65911
Topic
Dude, where's the General Lee?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/65911/action/topic#65911
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: Darth Chaltab
Talking about?
Your comment about Jessica Simposon of course, and the subsequent comments from Reg about censorship. Read page three of this thread again.



Huhwah?

My comments on censorship had little to do with Jessica Simpson's undoubted awkwardness in bed.

It was more a rant about the political correctness army of thought police that limit our free expression on topics they find sour or distasteful to their ears and eyes.

[Not trying to pick a fight with anyone here]
To say that Luke has no right to express his thoughts either verbally or in text IS censorship and IS similar to book burning or banning of controversial art et cetera.

To the quick to ban/burn I say look away.

That is all.

Quote
Originally posted by: Darth Chaltab
Corrupt people would, I think, tend to vote for corrupt people so their own corruptness (is that a word?) is overlooked--maybe even encouraged.


Oh boy I totally agree with this.

One merely has to look at the lapse in big business ethics when conservatives rule.
Post
#65795
Topic
I have been taken by the dark side
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/65795/action/topic#65795
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: Commander Courage
And the Emperor? It really is sad when an old woman, a chimpanzee, and a voice actor do a far superior job than the guy who plays Palpatine in the rest of the saga.


Don't blame Ian McDiarmid or even the latex FX guys I'm sure the differences between the quality of performances can be traced to the fact that the director of the injected DVD scenes sucks, whereas the original TESB director had real talent.