SilverWook

I think I'm going back on vacation now.

Sketch of interest from an artist who has official Star Wars art in their resume, and claims to have seen the new trooper helmet.

http://instagram.com/p/rkJAnrHmDA/

This was a sad enough day without learning a key member of the original Star Wars FX crew has passed away.

http://www.theforce.net/story/front/Joe_Viskocil_19502014_159368.asp

I've been wondering when someone would make one of these!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THX-1138-George-Lucas-Star-Wars-Grafitti-Robot-Police-Helmet-Mask-Prop-by-Agapop-/261560004089?pt=US_DVD_HD_DVD_Blu_ray&hash=item3ce630edf9

Absolutely shocked. Why must creativity and genius always seem to go hand in hand with personal demons?

There was a bit in one of his early stand up specials where he portrayed himself as an old man. That will be bittersweet now.

If Vader is appearing, it has to be a Force vision ala Dagobah in Empire.

It would be nice if Dave Prowse got a small role, even a cameo. I suspect all the bad blood between him and Lucasfilm over the years was mostly coming from George.

Time to bury the gaffi stick.

Cast in lead? Some perv will lick that statue and take ill! ;)

I'd love an action figure based on Rocket's 1980's miniseries look.

I haven't read any of the later appearances, so I don't know if his origin story has been changed since then, or just tweaked for the movie. He certainly has more of an edge and attitude than I remember.

Could have just worn off, and he's been living out where replacement skin isn't handy. Or else he simply got used to wearing the black glove.

DominicCobb said:

Have to say I'd be disappointed if Episode VII was basically GOTG. I'm hoping for something better than that.

 At it's heart, GOTG is space opera. And it's fun in the way Star Wars used to be. (Something the prequels were in short supply of.) I'm sure Episode VII will follow it's own path, but it will also have to bring back the fun. That is what will bring in audiences beyond us old geezers.

I'm already itching to see the movie again, and 2017 is sadly a long way off.

The Star Wars vibe is definitely there. Ronan's look reminds me of the Reborn Sith from the Jedi Outcast game.

skyjedi2005 said:

They would make him a Jedi and not another Han Clone.

I mean who wants another Usagi Yojimbo.

It would also make the Jaxxon the Jedi Bunny internet thing finally true.

I mean because everybody has a lightsaber even mickey mouse.

 This is news to me.

ratpack1961 said:

To get back on track...

What do you all think of them filming in multiple formats (unless its all IMAX)

I'm not sure if I like the idea of the eventual Blu Ray releases going full screen for the IMAX and then 2:35:1 for the rest of the film like with the Nolan Batmans.  A Star Wars film not in 2:35:1 just aint right to me.

Maybe this belongs in the JJ thread but the multiple formats could be a spoiler?

 I saw Guardians of the Galaxy last week, and the aspect ratio changes are subtle to unnoticeable if you're absorbed in watching the action. It also lent itself to some 3D effects where the action "busts out" of the 2:35:1 frame.

Hard to say, as we never saw it totally without skin. Definitely not Threepio's Phantom Menace hand though.

Spielberg had enough clout to get a two year guarantee out of NBC, so they couldn't cancel it until that was up. Kind of a shame nobody does anthology shows anymore.

"Hell Toupee" and "Mummy Daddy" were two of the funniest episodes, as was "Family Dog", which was spun off into it's own short lived series in the wake of Simpsons mania. I wish Adult Swim would dig that up. AFAIK, it's not on DVD.

I still have mine, (softcover) but the pages are all loose. Post 1997 reprints added an SE chapter.

Pre internet, it was one of the few ways to see all that material.

For the purposes of the film, they would really only need the cassette hubs to spin.

The broken ones probably only needed new belts, unless they were really badly taken care of. Sony built stuff to last back then.

In any case, the bar for Episode 7 has gone up several notches. And space opera is fun again!

Luke has been through a hell of a lot though. (He didn't have a whole lot of time to really deal with his father issues before confronting them head on.)  When the major battles were won, sneaking off to some remote world might have been what he wanted.

There's still room in the post Jedi years for him to have had a little romance and father a child before vanishing.

The island location Mark was filming on recently (with one new cast member) looks like a place an old Star Warrior might retreat to if they were seeking inner peace.

http://www.starwars7news.com/2014/08/more-interesting-bits-and-rumors-about-the-star-wars-vii-skellig-michael-shoot.html?show=comments

You do know there was a Starman tv series in the mid 80's, where he comes back and unites with his son? ;)

You did jog my memory about another Bowie song they can use in the next movie though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRcPA7Fzebw

Maybe, but it has a clunky generic look of something reverse engineered. The group of redneck (blueneck?) hillbilly bounty hunters Quill grew up with seem to have pretty good technology.

I dug the gizmo Quill used that showed the ruins as they looked in the past, complete with inhabitants.

The scene where that whistle controlled spike thingy takes out a bunch of goons was pretty badass. Another thing I like about the movie is even the supporting characters got their little moments to shine.

Speaking of other terrans, the door is wide open for the Starjammers to show up, if the rights aren't tied up with the X-Men at Fox.

The original Laserdisc release would be a better source for the "Beatles to Battle" footage. Not sure if the cropping is a the same as the VHS master.

16mm prints have turned up on Ebay on occasion, but like anything remotely Beatles related, the prices get kind of steep.

Ryan McAvoy said:

Daaamn. That thing is selling!

As this movie seems to be on a lovely nostalgia tip... I had this:

Sony Walkman WM-EX36

Many an "awesome mix tape" was enjoyed. Although given I got it in 1991, I also probably sent a lot of time listening to Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous' album ;-)

Look kids ^ it had "Auto Reverse"! That meant you didn't have to spend several minutes rewinding your tapes if you wanted to listen to the album again.

Welcome to the future.

 Funny thing is, I used to see old Walkmans littering thrift stores well into the 90's. This was well before the net, ebay, and retro electronics being in vogue though.

Quill's model was a bit old, even in 1988. Makes sense a kid would have a hand me down. I knew someone in high school who had the really tiny one no bigger than a cassette box, and that was an expensive model.

I lament my busted old Walkman is a Sanyo.

This is the first movie I've seen in a long time where the source music is so integral to the story. It's not just there to push a soundtrack album. I'm sure Disney would have loved to sneak something in by some fresh faced teenybopper band of the moment, but that would have broken the spell.

I could nitpick how a cassette tape could survive twenty years of a rough and tumble life in space, but if Quill could find someone to build the tape deck in his spaceship, anything is possible. :)

****Spoiler Alert****

Kevin Smith saw stormtroopers when he visited the set.

Since this movie has warmed the hearts of many an old jaded SW fan, I thought it deserved it's own thread.

I was curious about the Walkman that is Quill's prized possession. The ebay prices for a similar model before and after the movie came out are an eye opener!

Sony should make a modern replica with a MP3 player hidden inside. ;)

I think Guardians Of The Galaxy deserves it's own discussion thread.

Happy now, Frink? ;)