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31-Aug-2004
Last activity
4-Dec-2019
Posts
421

Post History

Post
#75619
Topic
Do you believe in ghosts?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/75619/action/topic#75619
Time
Wow, I jumped out of my fricking chair. Fortunately I was in the office by myself...

As for ghosts and all that, there's no way for the dead to be on the earth, but Demons are very real. They will impersonate "ghosts" or anything else when it suits their purpose (whatever it may be at that time), so long as no one knows how to call them on it and send them packing.

Take it or leave it, that's my experience with the matter.
Post
#75617
Topic
Thoughts on "Empire of Dreams" Disc
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/75617/action/topic#75617
Time
Hey folks. I was fortunate enough to pick up a bonus disc off of ebay. I haven't watched all of the big documentary, but watched the featurettes. I was wondering what the rest of you all thought of it?

Thought #1: Movie trailers used to suck! I have seen the original trailer for Princess Bride as well and can barely sit through it. I wonder if it's a difference of expectation or if they really did just suck back then. Movie marketing has come a long ways.

Thought #2: It was good to see the original trilogy outside of the context of the new stuff. It just reaffirmed my position that Lucas ABSOLUTELY deserves the lifetime acheivement award. What he did in those movies and in the industry was a monumental task, both in what he accomplished and how he had to accomplish it. It is incredible, the sheer number of revolutions in film and the industry that were either started, ended, or pushed forward by Star Wars. Lucas as the head of the operation deserves all the respect and awards he gets for those.

I still squirm because he won't acknowledge that the new Star Wars are not at the same level. I don't want to affirm him in that. But that's no reason to resent the award.

Thought #3: Lucas hasn't lost anything, he still has what he always had, and that was vision. The concept of Star Wars, of Indiana Jones, and all his other smaller works is awesome. It isn't Braveheart, it isn't Dr. Zhivago, it isn't 2001 type stuff, it's just GOOD solid film-making. It has all the entertainment of a B movie but with the depth and characters of an A movie that makes it timeless. To hear him talk about the old trilogy and what he's trying to accomplish with the new trilogy, he still has that vision. The problem lies in the execution; he should not be writing scripts (in my opinion) and other such things. The vision and the meat of it is still there, I just wish he would let other people do what they do best and be content with what he does best.

The short of it is, getting back in touch with the OT and hearing from Lucas in that way did a ton to restore my faith in him and restore the credit he deserves.
Post
#75172
Topic
Question about Return Of The Jedi
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/75172/action/topic#75172
Time
Maybe he already knew the wound would cauterize and Darth Maul would be resurected to haunt Luke in spirit form, so no explosion was coming

And anyway Obi Wan would have had no idea since as Yoda says the Sith have been extinct for thousands of years, and the knowledge very easily could have been left behind. If my theory were true, it's believable that he would have assumed Maul as a force user would disappear like all the force users Obi had ever known.
Post
#74785
Topic
MagnoliaFan Edits: Ep I "Balance Of The Force", and Ep II "The Clone War" (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/74785/action/topic#74785
Time
You all can throw multiple pointy rocks at me, but I gotta say it...

I LIKE the line when Anakin says "I miss you so much" at the grave. What it needed was context, that Lucas or SOMEONE left out of there. The extended monologue that MagFan got in there was a great context. If I was the one calling the shots and it was possible, I would have him open with the "I miss you" line and then say all the real substantive stuff. Which isn't to complain about MagFan's work or say I could do better, because I'm 99.87 percent sure I couldn't. Just tossing two cents onto the pile.

And it's really too bad there aren't any cuts around the truly, deeply love you line. Either word would be ok on it's own, but together... no one talks like that in that situation. I can see why the actors/esses often had a hard time acting "human" since the dialogue is unnatural.

And with those comments, I'll again close by saying MagFan is the MagMan. (Just sticking with the tradition of putting a good thought into poor phrasing... If you're an OT fan and haven't seen these, GET THEM.
Post
#74779
Topic
I need your help - re Hyperspace
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/74779/action/topic#74779
Time
Hey Joseph,

Sorry but you're out of luck. Unless someone sends you the money. But for one, it's illegal. I'm sure a lot of people share passwords and all, among friends, but to do it with strangers over the internet is a whole step further. Secondly, most people at this board aren't very interested in Hyperspace and don't care for starwars.com as much as we used to. We focus on the old movies rather than the new ones.

Again, good luck. Maybe you can get some odd jobs with the neighbors to wash cars or pets or clean up their yards, or get a part time job for an afternoon or two per week. When I was younger and in need of cash I could sometimes negotiate extra chores with my parents for a little spending money.
Post
#74778
Topic
Forget the plot, we want action!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/74778/action/topic#74778
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: Darth Chaltab
Why did you not like Obi-wan falling into the shaft? Aside from the cliche attempt at suspense...


It's the whole "I'm Darth Maul and I rock" sort of thing. He just took on two Jedi at once and didn't even break a sweat. Killed one and thoroughly whomped the other one, other than one good swing that Obi got in. And then Obi Wan flies past Maul's lightsaber, past his face, over his head, ignites a lightsaber, and takes a swing all while Maul stands there blinking. Given the fact that force users can even see a few instants into the future, catching Maul unaware to that degree, especially after Maul has shown his stuff, is unbelievable. As such, it seems like they wrote themselves into a corner and couldn't figure out how Obi Wan could beat Maul, so they just ... trailed off ...
Post
#74777
Topic
Question about Return Of The Jedi
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/74777/action/topic#74777
Time
I used to be of the "jedi disappear, dark siders blow up" mentality. It's sort of a Jedi let the force flow through them, and so are gathered up into the force and continue to live as a part of it. Dark siders, on the other hand, try to control and "store up" the force in a way. Instead of flowing through them, as Yoda says, they grab it and hold onto it. Thus, when they die, rather than continuing to be carried on by the force, there is a sudden release of the force like water bursting from a dam.

But of course, now that "dark siders" are Sith and those patterns don't apply, who knows? I liked my old explanation and have yet to hear a better one (or any one) from Georgie, so I'm just going to close my eyes to the PT and live on in my dream world. That's always the most mature way to deal with things, right?
Post
#74235
Topic
Forget the plot, we want action!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/74235/action/topic#74235
Time
Best action for action alone is the Maul duel. Up until Obi Wan falls in the shaft. Worst ending to the best action. Otherwise, the speeder chase on ROTJ. The duel in ROTJ blows both of those out of the water for me, but it's due to the cinematography, music, and dialogue, not the action.

I must say, the speeder joust in the Clone Wars was a good romp as well.

As for Yoda and Dooku...yeah. Whatever. Being a great Jedi isn't isolated to being a great warrior. In the OT I thought that's what being a Jedi WAS...wisdom over strength, being used by the force rather than using it. The "New Jedi" is quite different, more a soldier than a leader. Oh well.

And I did like the end of Clones better than Menace. The action is not as good, but for me the surrounding aspects easily elevate it.
Post
#74085
Topic
MagnoliaFan Edits: Ep I "Balance Of The Force", and Ep II "The Clone War" (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/74085/action/topic#74085
Time
Finally got and watched my MagFans. In the immortal words of MC Hammer, yo sweetness.

Before these, I liked AOTC much more than TPM. It was more exciting and had less sticking points. But with the edits, I like episode I much more than episode II. I guess, now that I see MagFan's vision, TPM was a good movie with some horrendous sticking points. Removing them (and upgrading some of the other stuff) and putting it all together left a good movie. Amazing work, and amazing vision. AOTC, on the other hand, had few awful sticking points but lacked even the potential for a great movie. So the MagFan version didn't change it too much for me. I wish Magnolia had better building blocks to put together, because I really like his perspective. But I don't think he had the material to make it as good as the Balance of the Force. Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing could handle "high language", but the new cast just doesn't know how to deliver it, and there's no way to change that.

As for the OT edits, I'm also not interested. Some things, like Uncle Owen and the name Skywalker will be difficult to get around. Ultimately, I like them as they are. But as someone else said, having the PT in a format that conforms to the OT as much as possible is a wonderful gift that MagFan has given to us. High praise and gratitude for that. You have great admiration from most of us on this site, Magnolia.
Post
#73856
Topic
"I want that ship"
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/73856/action/topic#73856
Time
I just remembered...this has plagued me for countless years. I figure this is the place I might find an answer.

Both myself and a friend of mine remember Darth Vader saying "I want that ship" as the Falcon takes off from Hoth. He DOES say that line in another place (my memory is thankfully getting a little fuzzy. I haven't watched it in years in the hopes that I can forget it a little and see it fresher), but we both remembered it being specifically said as the Falcon was taking off. POSSIBLY as it leaves Tatooine in ANH.

My only conclusion was that it must have been dubbed into that scene in the story book version. You may remember, there were kids books with records (turn the page when you hear R2D2 beep like this...) where the record would read the book with the sounds while you read the words and looked at the pictures. I don't know for sure, but it was the only conclusion I could come to.

So the question for the forum: was there ever a version, TV spot, anything that had Vader say that line in that context? Anyone else remember this?
Post
#73003
Topic
Lucas to Receive AFI Lifetime Award
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/73003/action/topic#73003
Time
Well, on the one hand I feel like he deserves it because the OT changed, in many ways, the way films were done. Having a sound track playing throughout the movie rather than just for certain scenes was not commonly done, having the credits at the end, giving the director more freedom and say over his own work, etc. And early ILM work was the most innovative thing around and changed the way effects were done.

On the other hand, based on his newer work, it seems likely that those developments were largely due to the entire Star Wars team and not Lucas' vision alone. Or, you could say, Lucas' vision and the team's implementation. That vision is absolutely worthy of a lifetime acheivement award. But those who executed it, the directors, screenwriters, effects guys and so forth deserve it just about as much as he does. Because, again as demonstrated by his new work, his vision never would have become acheivement without all of them. And I wish he knew that.
Post
#72491
Topic
Is General Grievous really Maul??
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/72491/action/topic#72491
Time
Well, that shatters to pieces my "crossing George Lucas' line" theory... goes to show...

I just watched Balance of the Force last night, and Maul really is something special, just to see him move. And his death is kinda disappointing (did we learn nothing from the death of Fett?)

I can see Maul's internal dialogue right when they focus on his face: "I just kicked two hardcore Jedi's butts, pretty solidly too. And I just let an unarmed man fly past my face and over my head, ignite a saber and take a swing while I did NOTHING. Crap."

Oh well. If you get an unsatisfying death, everyone will want another go at it.
Post
#72251
Topic
LACK OF HUMANITY IN PREQUELS TAKE 2
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/72251/action/topic#72251
Time
Hey, whoever reads this, I'm a fan of starting on a clean slate as well. Let's just continue the same topic discussion over here?

Some comments were being made about characters we can identify with in the OT as opposed to the PT. This is one of the fundamentals of good Science Fiction/Fantasy: when you are creating an entirely new world you must have a point of reference for the viewer, someone who is more like the viewer and experiencing the fantastical in a similar way to the audience. It makes the universe more believeable, approachable, and ultimately draws the audience inside the universe. Lucas should know that by now. Actually, judging by his performance, he knows it very well and is trying to find a new way to accomplish it because he scorns formula. Which is a good thing, but to be used properly you must recognize what parts of formula are formula because they WORK, and which are formula because of tradition. Buck tradition, but don't compromise what you're trying to accomplish...

Anyway, Tolkien accomplishes it through Hobbits. The first Matrix has Neo who is an everyday earth dweller experiencing the Matrix. Luke is initially the regular guy thrown into the universe, but as he develops (we DO still identify with him because we have travelled along with his development; as he is absorbed into the universe the audience is as well, but still...) Han is sort of the down to earth guy who doesn't know about all these politics and jedi stuff while Threepio is the one who doesn't fit in the warfare/heroism, so we still have reference.

I bet (as I said) that Lucas figured he would draw the audience in in new ways because it was just too easy to do it the standard way. Jar Jar fills that role on paper, but surprisingly (cough) in execution we don't relate to him.

The result is like the later Matrices. The change from the end of I to the beginning of II was too drastic and we as the audience didn't have a new gateway to enter the new universe so it wasn't as real or involving (although I, as a small minority, loved the Matrix sequels)(not nearly as much as the original, though). Lucas has likewise completely changed the universe and not provided a door for us to follow, and the result is impersonal.
Post
#72081
Topic
LACK OF HUMANITY IN PREQUELS TAKE 2
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/72081/action/topic#72081
Time
I think the real problem is the script writing. The acting doesn't bother me much, and I think it goes up and down with the dialogue.

That said, the direction and writing of the OT brought humanity even through aliens. C-3PO especially provided the human touch even though he was all robot. Chewie was fittingly more of a "dog touch", as he was based on a dog, but I think the OT showed facets of humanity through aliens, whereas in the PT aliens and humans alike are a channel for the plot.

So to answer the question, YES the PT needs more humanity, but NO it doesn't need less aliens.
Post
#72079
Topic
Is General Grievous really Maul??
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/72079/action/topic#72079
Time
Oh yeah, another thing. I actually went to Star Wars.com one day (6 years ago I lived there, but in the year after Ep I it lost all appeal to me. I wish they had the old version still)

Anyway, there was a documentary on the making of Grievous, design-wise, and based on the design there were many versions that had nothing to do with Maul or even biology. It COULD be an insanely intricate web woven to throw us off the trail, but based on George's new propensity for plot twists (cough cough) I doubt he cares much about surprising us anymore.