There is certainly more than enough material for an excellent documentary. If told well enough, one that would even interest people outside of Star Wars fandom.
Thinking about this thread got me to watch “The People vs George Lucas” again. That documentary could have been a whole lot more harsh. Perhaps it should have been. It’s such a conflicting situation. I admire him for creating Star Wars and am grateful for all his contributions to cinema in general, but some of his comments, and more importantly his actions, are so counteractive to everything I believe made it all great to begin with.
I guess if you take a perfectionist and storyteller, they will give you some quality entertainment, but you might not get the truth about anything.
Happy 75th birthday to George Lucas!
So that’s a no on my western war musical concept?
Blazing Saddles 2!
JJ also said Cumberbatch wasn’t Khan. Best to just go into the movie open minded instead of deciding for yourself how everything should be beforehand. Only 224 days left!
I find thinking about the prequels better than watching them.
I used to try and ignore them entirely, but since The Clone Wars animated series factors into Star Wars so greatly with characters like Ahsoka, that era is pretty much impossible to ignore. Also, there are some really great aspects such as lightsaber battles, soundtracks, and memorable quotes from the prequels, I find myself referencing them often.
Over time, my opinion of the prequels has grown more tolerant. I have an appreciation of them as being unique products of their time and circumstances, even though I consider them to be poorly made.
I tried watching them again and just couldn’t. They’re too bad. Best to just remember the fun times I had during the hype leading up to them and just recall the good parts from time to time. I’ll just rewatch The Clone Wars instead.
A three year wait after TRoS for another trilogy? Sounds perfect. I love they will be released every other year during the holidays too. That time of year just feels perfect for Star Wars to me. Marvel feels right for spring and summer.
Rey has definitely been challenged. She just deals with it differently.
Her entire life on Jakku was a challenge just to survive. Luke had an aunt and uncle with a home, food, and jobs, and he had friends. He even had a Jedi master watching over him, waiting to take him under his wing. Even though Anakin was a slave, he still had Shmi and even Watto seemed to treat him decently. He even had his own racer.
Rey was left alone, got captured by the First Order, mind probed by Kylo Ren, watched her friend Han get impaled on a lightsaber and her other friend Finn get his back sliced. Luke was negative about training her. She felt helpless as the First Order targeted resistance escape ships and Kylo refused to call them off. Yes, Luke and Anakin both experienced adversity and great losses too. I’m just pointing out so did Rey, but she faced her’s without family or a mentor. There are no force ghosts talking her through anything.
Rey has had plenty of reasons to give up but she simply just does not quit. I love Luke Skywalker, but he was very whiny. Anakin was too. Rey just sucks it up and gets it done. She makes it looks easy because instead of complaining, she gets straight to solving the problem. I don’t think Luke or Anakin would have survived long on Jakku alone with their attitudes. If you dropped a young Rey, Luke, and Anakin into the middle of a zombie apocalypse, I’d put my money on Rey being the one who survives and probably becomes the leader.
The Force enhances your abilities. Rey was already shown to be a proficient fighter just to survive on Jakku. Of course she defeats an emotionally distraught Kylo who had just been shot by a weapon that we’ve seen can send bodies flying. She knows a lot about mechanics and ships from salvaging, so I have no problem with her being able to repair the Falcon. There’s no training better than experiencing something first hand. Kylo probes Rey’s mind aggressively, so her being able to get inside a weak minded stormtrooper for a second doesn’t seem surprising to me. It would be more surprising if she just sat there and did nothing while waiting to be rescued. Her abilities are no more surprising than a small boy being the only human that can pilot a podracer or a rural farmboy flying a combat mission in space or blocking lasers with a blast shield down just from a suggestion to reach out.
A great deal of the Jedi training we see in the movies deals with focus. Luke and Anakin both lacked focus. Rey is extremely focused. She is strong willed and determined. She is task oriented and has a can do attitude. All of that can take you a long way.
Jedi rocks from the RotJ special edition.
Vader saying “Nooooo!” when he stands up in RotS.
Anakin vs Obi-Wan lightsaber battle in RotS looks like synchronized swimming and jumping on a green screen Super Mario Bros game.
C-3PO’s dialogue and antics during the battle in AotC.
Anakin talking to Padme about their kiss.
*Honorable mentions to all things gungan and making R2-D2 cgi instead of practical.
There is one particular matte painting in Return of the Jedi where Han is telling Lando to take the Falcon that looks pretty bad. It sure seems George left it alone just to emphasize how much better his special edition changes were by comparison.
This is a great thread. Thanks for all the hard work.
Maybe add a section on the GOUT and George’s comments he made then?
https://savestarwars.com/gout.html
“The other version, 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.” - George Lucas.
“It’s just the original versions, as they were. We didn’t do anything to it at all. But we’re not sure how many people want that…Now we’ll find out whether they really wanted the original or whether they wanted the improved versions. It’ll all come out in the end.” - George Lucas
He’s being very disingenuous with these comments.
(I still love George Lucas anyway though.)
All of the trailers seem to be showing so much more that I don’t remember being in the first teaser I saw. Sounds like I have some sort of false memory, since no one else remembers it. Let me go take some Omega-3.
I feel like Obi-Wan looking for Kamino. I know there is another trailer. I remember it distinctly. I don’t know why it isn’t on youtube. There’s got to be someone else out there who remembers it.
I’ve looked at trailers, teasers and tv spots on youtube, and it’s none of those. Could the one they released online earlier be different? I think it was in quicktime? Maybe that’s why it isn’t around anymore?
I hope no one minds me starting a thread for this, but I have a question that is driving me crazy.
I remember enjoying the very fist trailer for The Phantom Menace immensely. I couldn’t wait for the movie. I remember it starting with the Gungans in the fog, the droid troop transports slowly coming over the hills with their distinct sound, then a close of up Amidala looking out a window. It ended with just a quick look at Darth Maul as he ignited the 2nd blade of his lightsaber.
I’ve been looking all over the internet this morning to find that trailer and I do not see it anywhere. All of the trailers I’m finding show far more that we got to see initially, I feel certain of it.
I’m starting to think I’m crazy. Does anyone else remember a different version of the trailer? I know I saw it first online and in those days I was only able to see it in a little window, not the full monitor, but I also saw it on TV later. I thought I would just come here and ask. If no one here remembers, then maybe I’m in the Matrix or something.
No idea of the legitimacy of this article, but it certainly sounds interesting.
https://www.thedigitalfix.com/film/content/105409/exclusive-skywalker-saga-4k/
Probably just someone trying to get clicks since it’s Celebration time.
2017 was a great year for me at the movie theater. We got Logan, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Blade Runner 2049, and The Last Jedi.
2019 still feels bigger though, just because Avengers: Endgame and Episode IX are just so huge in their respective universes.
Endgame for the summer and Episode IX for the holidays. What a great time to be alive!
Hard to beat Vader in the intimidatingly evil department. I like that they went in a different direction with Kylo. It’s not that they didn’t know how to make him more menacing. They just didn’t want to write a Vader clone. Kylo is Kylo. He’s got his own issues. Not being as big of a deal as Vader just makes his idolization of him more torturous. He wants to be but just isn’t. I still wouldn’t piss him off though.
Tag and Bink
DrDre said:
To be honest I have never completely watched a fan edit, outside of the Despecialized Editions.
Same here. I’ve tried watching a few online and early on just became disinterested. Maybe I’ve just seen the theatrical releases so many times, that any sort of fan edit just feels bizarre.
The one I would be most interested in seeing would be where someone edited all the prequels into one movie. That sounds extremely appealing, but I’ve never seen it.
Seriously, how long do we wait before drafting a new petition that simply opens with “Dear Walt Disney Company”?
I was so certain the Unaltered Original Trilogy would be announced during Celebration for the 40th anniversary. While standing in various lines I would mention it during conversation and always the same response… blank stares. It was like I was speaking latin or something. I don’t know if they just had no idea what I was talking about or were just devoted to whatever is said to be the official version that the idea of anything else was blasphemous. The point is, if I didn’t come across many fans wanting the UOT at Celebration, then I don’t think it’s much of priority for many people.
Sorry to be pessimistic. I believe they will show up as a special feature eventually, but I just don’t see a beautiful Unaltered Original Trilogy on 4K UHD with HDR released to huge fanfare. I’m more and more thankful for my Harmy discs every day. Still doesn’t address the need for preserving the original content for future generations though. I hate the idea of something so special being lost. Guess this is all for another thread though.
Knives Out sounds like a blast. He said it’s a mystery movie and listed several movies that were inspirational in making it. Among those were Clue, Murder By Death, The Private Eyes, Deathtrap, and Something’s Afoot, so I’m sure there will be a strong comedy element. He also named Evil Under the Sun, Death on the Nile, The Last of Sheila, Gosford Park, The Mirror Crack’d, and Murder on the Orient Express. The cast is great and I can’t wait to see it.
Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc
Chris Evans
Lakeith Stanfield as Detective Troy Archer
Michael Shannon
Ana de Armas
Don Johnson as Morris Bristow
Jamie Lee Curtis
Toni Collette
Christopher Plummer
Knives Out is most likely comedic, but I wouldn’t call Looper or Brick comedies, The Last Jedi isn’t either. Hopefully we get some details soon. Can’t wait!
DrDre said:
That becomes clear from the films, but that w Some of us simply feel these characters’ arcs in the OT were sacrificed in order to push new characters into the limelight, and that these new characters aren’t up to snuff in a setting is way too contrived, and familiar, because the powers that be feel that a Star Wars trilogy without Empire vs rebels, x-wings, and tie-fighters is a harder sell to the general audience.
Those OT characters definitely were made supporting characters in order for new characters to be the leads. I think that is logical and they did a great job executing it. I get to see old familiar faces and reconnect with them while being introduced to new characters. Great supporting characters can be just as important. They win Oscars too.
The same goes with ships. We have familiar but updated types, but also a few new ones. Yes, we still have a similar Rebels vs Empire conflict, because for many that is what Star WARS essentially is. We have other projects they are making that can expound on the galaxy and show us lots of other characters, ships, and new conflicts. I think it’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan.