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Ripplin

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13-May-2006
Last activity
23-Apr-2025
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5,319

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Post
#213856
Topic
The Official Lucasfilm Response
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/213856/action/topic#213856
Time
Originally posted by: Neil S. Bulk
And I lost faith in THX certified videos in 1995 when the THX certified Stargate laserdisc came out with......a defective soundtrack!

That stinks. Another "how did that get by so many people?!" moment that shows that even the most impressive/influencial of companies can have ridiculous quality control issues.

I also once had a bad experience with THX. I used to have a job that had me spending a couple of weeks at a time in Michigan (I live in Ontario) and one time, I decided to buy an Onkyo receiver at Circuit City, mostly because it was "THX Certified" and I was looking to upgrade my sound system a bit anyway. I was convinced that because it had THX on it, it would be great! Well, it turned out that there was a constant hissing noise that wouldn't go away. The kind of noise you get if you turn the speakers way up while nothing is playing. The DSP modes were pathetic once I tried them, too. I'm sure it was more down to the machine than the THX certification, but still, I was highly annoyed, especially since I wasn't able to return it before the limited warranty was up. I ended up trading it towards a new Yamaha, which was a million times better anyway. Oh well...

P.S. I read your article "The Anamorphic Issue" at UGO, Neil, and it was very thorough. Thanks for a nice informative read!
Post
#213622
Topic
Lucasfilm lunch hour
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/213622/action/topic#213622
Time
Originally posted by: Obiwampa
"I dont think it occured to anyone that it would be necessary to specify that they be high quality."
I don't know if this is right, but I figure it was assumed by many since the site began that if they did release them on DVD, it would be at least up to current DVD standards, which we know they aren't going to be.
"Now things have changed. Lucasfilm needs to know that we will not take this sitting down. They need to know that if they go ahead with this, _______ will be the consequences from the hardcore fanbase. Who agrees?"

Yes, action still needs to continue instead of walking away defeated, but in the end, it's all up to one man. If he finally caves in and gives us what we want someday, great! If not, we'll just keep on putting that bug in his ear that we don't care if some of the effects are dated, or that continuity may be ever so slightly flawed, etc...we still love the OOT and just want them to get a treatment deserving of their legacy.

Post
#213596
Topic
Lucasfilm lunch hour
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/213596/action/topic#213596
Time
Nicely written, THX. That's what I'm thinking too, basically. There are people working in Lucasfilm that are as passionate about seeing the OOT restored as well as possible, but they aren't being allowed to do so and I'm sure there are plenty of unhappy people at the Ranch, too, speaking to each other about it in hushed tones.

And yes, the more we talk about it, the more sense it makes that these September sets must sell very well if there's any hope for future, better restorations. No harm in buying them, keeping the "bonus" discs, then sending back the SEs (in resellable or unresellable shape is another thing people can't agree on) along with a polite note.
Post
#213525
Topic
What scene in the (O-)OT do you hate/dislike the most?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/213525/action/topic#213525
Time
Originally posted by: Dug
Were the troopers "holding back" in ROTJ, too, to allow the characters to escape or win?

Of course! They're the heroes of the movie, after all.

Seriously, though, I never really thought about the "holding back" thing before. It's interesting, but ultimately, the main characters are usually gonna get away, sometimes completely unscathed. The bad guys very rarely get the good guys in cowboy movies and neither do they in Star Wars.

One example is in docking bay 94. It was 7 or 8 stormtroopers in an, albeit short, shootout versus Han Solo and he didn't even get a flesh wound? "Precise" shooting indeed. The best scenario would have been for them to kill Solo, then rush in and grab R2, but they didn't manage to hit him once.
Post
#213487
Topic
The Official Lucasfilm Response
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/213487/action/topic#213487
Time
"We had so many requests for these versions, we wanted to find a way to bring those to DVD, and we thought this would be a fun way to do that," Singh said.

Sure, it was kinda fun for them, I suppose, but considering the backlash, I guess it's not so fun anymore. It's frustrating and sad that Lucas can't just leave things alone. I draw, and there always comes a point where I have to stop or I'll just make things worse. When it's done, it's done. I will clean it up a bit if I've scanned it and there was dirt on the glass that showed up on the image, but that's it. Not so with the OT.

"Basically, that means Lucasfilm is asking fans to shell out another $90 (each disc is $29.98) for movies they probably already own — the 2004 restored versions — just to own a sub-par DVD version of the nostalgic theatrical films," Hunt said.

"It’s disappointing on a personal level, and also not in line with the image of Lucasfilm as a cutting edge leader of moviemaking technology," he said.

Such good points. All they'll have to do is print up those new covers, because they'll have so many unsold copies of the SE DVDs already. This whole venture seems fairly cost efficient/high profit for them.
Post
#213316
Topic
The Official Lucasfilm Response
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/213316/action/topic#213316
Time
Originally posted by: Scruffy
Some of us have jobs, wives, and girlfriends.

Er, I mean ...

I hope she doesn't read this.



For some reason, that reminded me of a funny bit that a comedian named Sean Keane once did. He's standing there adjusting the mic, not saying anything, then blurts out "oh, my girlfriend died!... It's been two weeks, but it's only now that I can laugh about it... I was gonna go to her funeral, but I couldn't find a date... I asked her sister, but apparently she had some family function to attend."

Post
#213309
Topic
The Official Lucasfilm Response
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/213309/action/topic#213309
Time
Originally posted by: Skyranger

I am frustrated that we won't be getting decent quality DVDs...because they don't fit in with George Lucas' current "vision of the movies" (which seems to be constantly changing).

Exactly. He will never, ever, ever be satisfied. If he thinks the '04 set is his true vision of the OT, then he has some serious cataract action going on! You just know he'll be sitting around watching that set some day and think "ehh, Jabba looks fake. Let's re-do him."

Here's one way I would put it: Like George Lucas, I am also an artist, of the pen and pencil variety. There are things I drew when I was a little boy (including tons of Star Wars stuff) that my mother cherishes to this day. Imagine if now, I say to mom "those old drawings really don't represent what I'm able to do now and I don't like them anymore! I'm sorry you fell in love with those old doodles, but I feel no need for them to be around anymore." Then I take out my pens and draw over all of them, adding more detail, shading, etc..., thus covering up the originals she loved. Or worse yet, I take a lighter and burn them all before her eyes. She would be very hurt. To a large extent, that's what it's like with the OT and the constant tinkering, apathy and bad feelings that Lucas, and by extension, Lucasfilm, have for it.

Anyway, I am also very "meh" about most anything Lucasfilm says or does nowadays as pertains the OT. I take everything they say with a heaping bowl of salt, knowing that they go back on things they say a lot (maybe one day in the resting home, Lucas will finally crack/have had enough and shout out "Fine! Take your stupid anamorphic sets! They've existed for years anyway!"). With the constant re-releasing of the movies, you know that money really is a driving force with them. It's too bad that they won't spend the relative drop in a bucket it would cost to really restore the movies to a level consistent with its legacy.

Whereas I'm not excited about the forthcoming official set, I must say that I am very excited about some restoration sets and bonus discs that RowMan and Rikter will be sending me. I could only have found out about such great things here, where people are so concerned about seeing the movies we love the way we remember them and want to see them, anamorphic or not. Thanks to all for everything I've gained by hanging out here!
Post
#212657
Topic
New DVDs NOT 16x9
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212657/action/topic#212657
Time
"Although the prints aren’t in the best of shape, the masters used for the laserdiscs “do look good,” Singh assured."

So, good but not great? It's sad when so many people who are directly involved with the company admit that these aren't as good as they could be. I'm thinking of the previous statements about it being state of the art 1993, not 2006, too. I'm sure they feel the pressure to not say too much or voice their own opinions too strongly, with Big Georgie watching. I can imagine there are a lot in the company who, themselves being big fans of the originals, when they heard of the new changes and such, thought "this is going to get ugly..."
Post
#212647
Topic
New DVDs NOT 16x9
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212647/action/topic#212647
Time
Originally posted by: The Dean of Don Mills
Posted today by Ronald Epstein over at HTF:

"There has been a further statement made from LucasFilm as
to the reasons for what they are doing, but out of fairness to
the upcoming article that will be written, I am not going to talk
about this right now. In a few days there will be a story posted
and linked here that all of you are welcome to read. It will explain
the situation in more detail."

Try to remember to link us to that upcoming article, Dean. I doubt I'd remember otherwise and it sounds like it could be very interesting!
Post
#212429
Topic
Original Trilogy Novelizations
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212429/action/topic#212429
Time
Thanks for the nice explanation of retcon, YIYF (can I call you that?). That Jango thing really is nonsense, isn't it? It's like, there can't be anything but perfect stormtroopers, but for one to actually bump his head must mean he has a birth defect! Heh. That might also explain how their marksmanship is described as "precise" in one scene, and then in the next, they can't hit anything.

One retcon thing I did like, however, was on the show Deep Space Nine, where the crew went back in time to the first Enterprise. It was during the time of "The Trouble With Tribbles." There's a scene where Worf, Miles and Julian are in a bar and they see those old human-looking Klingons. Miles and Julian give Worf a look like "those are Klingons? What happened?!" Worf's explanation was a simple line about not talking about that with outsiders. Simple, mysterious, and perfect! Kinda like how there was little known about Boba Fett. Then they managed to mess him up, too, just as they did with explaining the whole Klingon thing a few years later on Enterprise.
Post
#212316
Topic
***The "Darth Editous" Episode V DVD Info and Feedback Thread*** - a work in progress
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212316/action/topic#212316
Time
I am a bit surprised that they didn't re-do the tauntaun scenes for the SE. They could have even made a CG Luke, at least for the parts where it's running or at a distance. Not sure I'd wanna see a CG tauntaun circa 1997 or even 2004, though! The way it looks never bothered me in the least, and knowing how much work goes into stop-motion animation made me appreciate it even more.
Post
#212315
Topic
New DVDs NOT 16x9
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212315/action/topic#212315
Time
Entertainment Weekly is pretty good at telling it like it is, so to add them into it is a good idea. I think they would make a stink over it, too. I'm sure there are plenty of them that are disappointed about this not being the best quality possible, and they'd let the world know about it, especially with a little nudging.
Post
#212312
Topic
Original Trilogy Novelizations
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212312/action/topic#212312
Time
Here's how that scene finishes in the book:

"I don't think they'd like another killing in here," Solo pointed out.
Something which might have been a laugh came from the creature's translator. "They'd hardly notice. Get up, Solo. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. You've embarrassed me in front of Jabba with your pious excuses for the last time."
"I think you're right."
Light and noise filled the little corner of the cantina, and when it had faded, all that remained of the unctuous alien was a smoking, slimy spot on the stone floor.
Solo brought his hand and the smoking weapon it held out from beneath the table, drawing bemused stares from several of the cantina's patrons and clucking sounds from its more knowledgeable ones. They had known the creature had committed its fatal mistake in allowing Solo the chance to get his hands under cover.
"It'll take a lot more than the likes of you to finish me off. Jabba the Hut always did skimp when it came to hiring his hands."
Leaving the booth, Solo flipped the bartender a handful of coins as he and Chewbacca moved off. "Sorry for the mess. I always was a rotten host."

So there you go. Han, and only Han, fired. That's what I'd like to think, anyway.
Post
#211308
Topic
New DVDs NOT 16x9
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/211308/action/topic#211308
Time
Originally posted by: seventiesfilmnut
no anamorphic (again IFFFFF true!) is just unforgiveable being as they did it on the film clips in Empire of Dreams and other clips throughout that disc

As someone who has had almost no real-life experience with 16x9 and all that jazz (this is an excellent guide, though!), I was just wondering if the entire EOD disc is anamorphic, or if just parts of it are. If the whole thing isn't, how does one tell that it isn't? I know the resolution for regular widescreen is different, but...? Maybe I'm not phrasing it right, but I'm sure you'll know what I'm getting at, at least.
Post
#210834
Topic
What are you going to do with your SE discs?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/210834/action/topic#210834
Time
That sounds familiar, actually. Maybe I read the same stuff. At any rate, it's just one of those things where it's hard to believe that they "didn't notice."

Of course, there are some pretty illiterate sign makers out there, too, spelling things out in huge letters and not even noticing, it seems (that's where proofreading comes in, fellas!). The latest one I saw was "no parkig" at the local Honda. They also advertised the new Honda Ridgeline on three big signs with it spelled Ridegline! Also used 'too' instead of 'to' on another sign. Yes, I notice these things a lot...
Post
#210794
Topic
Describe your history with Star Wars
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/210794/action/topic#210794
Time
Thought it might be interesting to have everyone compile their Star Wars stories in one thread. There will always be similarities, but lots of quirky side-stories, too!

I was born in September of 1977, so I kinda missed out on the first run. As I grew up, I was much more into cars and trucks than sci-fi of any sort and it was only around 1986 or so that I saw anything Star Wars-related for the first time. We didn't have cable or a VCR until the early 90's (we were a busy family living way outta town, so it was never a priority), so when I saw it, it would have been either at someone else's house or maybe on TV, I guess. No idea about that anymore. I loved it right away and that basically started my love of sci-fi, which is great! So basically, I became a big fan during the "dark ages."

It may sound funny, but for someone in my position, one of the best places I turned to to see Star Wars-related things was the "Muppet Babies" cartoon. They did a lot of parodies/homages to Star Wars on that show. Not being able to pop in a tape whenever I wanted, it was always fun when they showed clips from the movies and acted out the scenes. At a time when it wasn't commonplace, any reference to the trilogy on TV always put a smile on my face!

Next came Timothy Zahn's books, which slowly started a general revival in interest in the series (I loved the books, even though he used the word "gingerly" too much. Heh!). I read a huge amount of the subsequent novels, too. I then subscribed to the Star Wars Insider and Star Wars Galaxy magazines for around 4 or 5 years (stopped Insider when the OT kinda got pushed to the side and stopped Galaxy when they basically turned it into a collector's guide).

The prequels then hit and my interest dropped dramatically, I admit, even for the OT. "The Phantom Menace" killed my enthusiasm for the new stuff and left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth for anything to do with Star Wars. I entered the theater excited and left confused and underwhelmed. "Attack of the Clones" was better, but still nowhere near the experience the OT gives (saw "Spider-Man" the same night and enjoyed it more). With "Revenge of the Sith," I definitely was expecting much more, and got it to an extent, but I was impressed with the vehicle and character designs more than anything as I watched it, which is kinda sad. I guess the story wasn't surprising enough. All in all, I don't even think the PT deserves to be directly compared to the OT. The feeling is way too different for me.

Now I'm here (lurked for a long time, too) and my interest in the movies - specifically the O-OT - has increased dramatically. Knowing there are fans out there who want to preserve and even improve the classics in certain ways is very reassuring. Thanks to everyone who runs and posts in these forums. You've made me excited about something I love again!
Post
#210761
Topic
What are you going to do with your SE discs?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/210761/action/topic#210761
Time
Originally posted by: Invader Jenny
Anamorphic or not, I don't feel it is as big as a deal for me as making sure that Luke's line of "You're lucky you don't taste very good" is still intact.

That one always bugged me a lot. Did they think it was politically incorrect or something that they changed it to such a bland, generic line? Seriously, there must be a reason...