daneditor said:
Nice! I'd love to see what you come up with.
Here's a peak of a work-in-progress matte painting I'm working on for the scene...
Luke's walking under his x-Wing in the scene with Ben so I needed this shot ^ to show he's actually walking under 'Shuttle Tydirium' (Notice I've used the same X-wing under-carriage light for continuity).
daneditor said:
I could add the Obi Wan scene to the Ewok village before Luke surrenders.
^ This idea has caught my imagination. I'm working on it now.
Was it this one...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfNG_saVEnk
;-)
SilverWook said:
I had the chance to exchange emails with an ex employee of the studio that made Titan A.E. (The one that sold me the drawings and model sheets.) It was shut down by Fox after the film's failure, leaving a lot of animators who had relocated to Arizona up the creek. The movie had been in development for quite some time as Planet Ice before Bluth came on board. I also learned there were plot elements toned down or eliminated to avoid a PG 13 rating.
The plot thickens.
Love all the background info that goes into bringing a film to the audience. With other art forms an artists thinks of something and just does it. With a movie an artist has to assemble a whole army of like minded other artists who they have to trust to all pull together towards that release date. Al the miss-steps, blind alleys, rejected ideas, casting problems, set backs etc can all add to a movies DNA. Coppola took it a little too literaly on 'Apocalypse Now' declaring they weren't filming Vietnam, it was Vietnam! Then again watching the restored original 'road-show' style cut of A.N. is probably the greatest experience I've ever had in the Cinema... and that includes SW btw
Now, not only do I want a Blu-Ray of 'Titan A.E.' but I want a feature length documentary about the production!
^ "We had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane" - Francis Ford Coppola 1979 George Lucas 1999
darth_ender said:
I did want to make the extremely off topic but fully in character point that Don Bluth, the genius behind Titan A.E., Land Before Time, Anastasia, The Secret of Nimh, and many other brilliant films in competition with Disney, is...a...Mormon!
Yes I'm having fun with this one.
Bet he's a lovely guy. You'd expect Mormon and Sientologist celebs to be frickin' nuts but they all seem to be super nice... except for Romney (I'm sure you could end alot of jokes with the punchline... except for Romney).
Away from movies for a moment, the future set FF books had plenty of Star Wars thrills for any kid with a dice and a pencil:
I re-purchased a few of these books as iPhone apps last year... great fun
Hey, it's me. said:
The original version has been aired on the UK SF channel quite often and its brilliant.
Would love to get a rip of that.
Again, on the Anime front. Katsuhiro Otomo's 2004 'Steamboy' has a lot of nice SW elements. Beautifuly animated epic fantasy.
^ Luke ^ Leia
^ Vader (The father of Steamboy)
^ Stormtroopers
Hey, it's me. said:
Growing up, LOTR was always the animated cartoon from the 70's.
Life doesn't get much better than watching this moment does it...
PJ's LOTR took so much inspiration from this masterpiece. So much so that there is a guy on YouTube who has FanEdied footage from PJ's trilogy to match Bakshi's soundtrack, pretty clever stuff. Some of it is so close it's spooky, some of it (When PJ didn't actually film those scenes) is a little rougher but still very clever.
I hope one day that like the OT we'll get Ralph's original unaltered Movie = or ROUM for short lol
I can't stand the re-dubbed end from the post PJ VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray releases.
If this had come out before Star Wars it would have stormed the Box Office and guarenteed a sequel. But coming a year later it did good business but audiences probably wanted blasters and droids. Spirit wise, the cracking pace of Bakshi's version is pure Star Wars. Bakshi's fellowship are already leaving Rivendell before Jackson's even got Frodo out of Bag End.
Ronster said:
That certainly sums it up... you hit the nail on that
Yes he did.
Anakin slaughtering the trade federation goons was probably the point were I thought "Now were having fun with this character t last" ;-D
DominicCobb said:
The heir to the original SW I believe is the LOTR trilogy most certainly.
I've heard many similar quotes saying "LOTR is this generations Star Wars".
Since I'm a little older than that bracket and didn't 'grow up' with the LOTR films I can't comment if this is true really (I suspect it is). I grew up watching Star Wars on VHS, listening to the BBC LOTR radio drama and reading Judge Dredd lol
I grew to love Peter Jackson's films but Gandalf will always be Michael Hordern for me...
^ Gandalf ^ Bilbo ^ Frodo (And Bilbo in PJ's films)
^ Aragorn
or even... ^ Aragorn
NeverarGreat said:
Nobody has mentioned John Carter yet. After listening to the director's commentary and hearing about how everything in it was designed to simply begin an epic series of movies, It's really sad that they won't be making any more.
I was waiting for somebody to mention John Carter Of Mars'. I really enjoyed it, I didn't LOVE it, but it was way better than alot of other half baked franchises that go on for film after film. It deseved a couple of sequels, the plot twist at the end was very clever and it left me wanting more. But when you go over on the budget so much that the film needed to be one of top grossers ever to break even you've killed the franchise yourself before the audience even queued up.
The problem was that GL and others had ripped off the source books already leaving the film feeling (Unfairly) derivitive of Star Wars.
^ A screenshot from AOTC
silverwheel said:
The Matrix really struck me as the true heir to the original Star Wars. If the sequels hadn't screwed the pooch so badly, that film series could have been the new OT.
That makes The Matrix even more SW!
It took GL a quarter century to forget how to make a decent follow up.
It only took the Wachowski's four years... that's modern effeciency for you.
And like the PT the two Matrix follow ups not only managed to suck on there own they actually managed to inflict damage on the original concept! lol
In the PT they got Anakin being arrogant right but they forgot that he needed to be a badass and likeable rogue to counteract this character trait so, we the audience would identify with him.
Sound familiar?
That's because that character is Han Solo. Han starts of the OT as a massively arrogant, sarcastic guy who I'm sure is convinced that his ship is like a gleaming Silver Naboo royal starship but is infact a barely functioning old rust bucket that only goes to Hyperspace if you hit it! But because he is such a badass and likeable rogue we love him (And the Falcon!). Through his new friendships he becomes a better person and joins the rebellion.
But if I was on the Jedi council I wouldn't let Han anywhere near the Force. You know Han would be taking "THE QUICK AND EASY PATH" to the darkside as soon as you handed him his robe. Han is the kind of "SIMPLE TRICKS AND NONSENSE" kind of guy that would fall into that trap.
So if GL had made Anakin this type of character, his fall would've been entirely believable and all the more painful because we would've been rooting for the guy for the past 3 films.
Hey, it's me. said:
Yeah. I didnt quite mean reanimating a dead corpse but well done for being patronising lol. I meant in the sense of someone being terminally injured and being able to heal them. Saving them from death (within reason, obviously) kinda like the elixir of life in Lord of the Rings. But a force power.
Yes that's true if handled right it could be portrayed as a good OR evil ability. My point is it's described as an evil thing in the PT, so I'm fine with that. Aragorn's ability to bring people back from the brink of death is the very sign that the King has returned to Gondor. So your absolutely right.
Usually in fantasy/SF the hero is required to "Give of themselves" to bring the heroine back to life. Wonder how this would be portrayed in the SW world?
Hey, it's me. said:
Yeah supposedly all tied up in a nice little bundle. Like, there you go that's for the 'older' fans. Total disrespect for the intelligence of the 'original' fan. And it wasn't just the final 10 minutes. The seeds were sown in the abomination that was AOTC with the Anakin- Lars connection that was alluded to in ANH, or Star Wars as some would prefer to say.
That was a HUGE missed oportunity.
I was looking for Owen and Anakin to actually be half-brothers who grew up together. Perhaps Anakin could've been the slightly older Son of his mothers rich and powerful first husband. When he died she was left with nothing and married the poor but honest farmer Lars. This would give the two brothers a strong family bond but it could also be used to set Anakin apart as ambitious, even arrogant believeing that he was literally born for better things. Owen on the other hand was content with the modest life he had.
Queue Anakin striding off to Join the Academy (Like Luke would want to do against the wishes and fears of his Aunt and Uncle). He becomes the best starpilot in the galaxy, meets Obi-Wan who is a rogueish young Jedi who (With no small part of his own arrogance) sees potential in him and decides to train him "JUST AS WELL AS YODA"
etc etc
Was that so difficult George? I just thought of that in about 90 seconds and it's better than the sh*t it took you a quarter century to write!
Hey, it's me. said:
Why the hell wasnt the ability to save someone from death a 'Jedi' power? It just doesn't relate to something that can only be learnt by someone who practices in the Dark side of the Force.
In the pink floaty Opera house scene in ROTS, Anakin asks about the Sith's ability to 'prolong life beyond death'/'reanimate a dead person' and Palpatine replies:
"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be... unnatural"
But in the counter scene Yoda tells Anakin:
"Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."
The film 'Mary Shelley's Frankenstein' tells the story of a man who dared defy the-gods/nature and explore "Abilities some consider to be... unnatural". If I had to put Doctor Victor's research into one camp, it would be the Sith. When his wife Helena Bonham-Carter, is killed by is own creation he brings her back from the dead and look how that turned out...
Plus consider Palpatine entombing Anakin in the black Vader armour sustaining what's left of him past the point of death. Again I don't think this is a very Jedi thing.
Obi-Wan just puts up his saber at the end of ANH and excepts his fate.
A shame that Lucas layed the metaphor on far to thick in the "Noooooooo" re-animation chamber scene. I bet there is an out-take of Ian McDiarmid going "It's alive, it's alive!" lol
Bingowings said:
I auditioned for the role of Watson in Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear.
I was sent away because I wasn't fat enough but the guy who got the job was the same size as me.
He was practically identical to me at the time (before I the beard happened).
No way!
Great anecdote Bingowings. I reckon his dad Brian Cox must have put the fix in with the casting Director lol
^ **DEAL WITH IT**
Ulysses was a saturday morning kids cartoon Star Wars knockoff par excellence back in the day...
"No, no Mr Lucas as I told your legal team it's not a Light-Saber, it's a Light-Blaste... erm, ah, I mean a Light-Pistol, yes a Light-Pistol"
vacuum said:
i also liked redtails, but back to the topic. i thought space raiders (1983) had some of the same fun that star wars had, anyone seen it? its on you tube.
I loved that Roger Corman documentary but I haven't seen any of his Sci-Fi stuff like 'Battle Beyond the Stars' or 'Space Raiders'.
Must add them to the watch list.
At school, I did eat the crisps though...
Burdokva said:
I find it disgusting how actual war subjects can be re-made to "celebrate" or "glorify" anything.
You want a lighthearted, fun, heroic movie about aviators ? Cool, pick a fictional subject or even use a fictional war for your setting.
Using an actual war, especially WWII, the deadliest and most brutal air conflict that took the lives of over 60 million people (possibly over 200 000 in the air alone!) is just ridiculous.
I'm gonna assume you have the same problem with "lighthearted, fun, heroic" and celebratory ground or naval based WW2 movies too (That seems like a logical conclusion). In which case movie producers had no right to make these ten WW2 classics such as:
- A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
- The life and death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
- The Dam Busters (1954)
- Ice Cold in Alex (1958)
- The Guns of Navarone (1961)
- The Great Escape (1963)
- 633 Squadron (1964)
- The Dirty Dozen (1967)
- Where Eagles Dare (1968)
- Memphis Belle (1990)
I also appreciate the darker and more serious WW2 films like this ten (In fact, if forced to choose, I prefer them):
- The Cruel Sea (1953)
- The Longest Day (1962)
- Cross of Iron (1977)
- A Bridge Too Far (1977)
- The Big Red One (1980)
- Das Boot (1981)
- Schindler's List (1993)
- The Thin Red Line (1998)
- Downfall (2004)
- Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)
But I think we can have both without throwing out half of Cinemas history. I need films like this in my life...
...surely one of the most ridiculous but magnificent WW2 films ever shot.
Oh and let's not forget that Indiana Jones 1 & 3 are also Submarine exploding, Nazi face melting, Hitler book signing, Tank riding WW2 films too. So let's get rid of those two aswell.
Burdokva said:
Second Titan A.E. Fantastic movie, too bad it was considered a failure when it was released (poor sales?)...
Now, about "Red Tails", I find it horrible due to numerous issues. The CGI sure looks a lot more like "space battles" than actual WWI footage, the aircraft physics are horrendous, and for a movie that supposedly tells the story of how stereotypes and prejudices are wrong, boy, the Luftwaffe pilots sure aren't caricatures...
There's actually an older, early 90s movies about the 332nd AG that used real P-51s and it's a far better movie as far as the actual flying is concerned, even on a tight budget. I've watched in only once, many years ago but I still remember it fondly.
"Red Tails" is garbage.
Co-writer Aaron McGruder commented on the film's tone at the time of release:
"Some people are going to like this tonal choice and some people are going to say, 'Oh it should've been heavier and it should've been more dramatic.' But there's a version of this that doesn't have to be Saving Private Ryan. We can be Star Wars, as crazy as it is."
The Laurence Fishburne TV movie (Pictured below... Cuba is in both films. Kudos) is also great, I watched that a bunch of times when it came out. It's a more serious, sombre film, for sure. But 'Red Tails' isn't trying to be that film. It's trying to give us a SW style adventure with larger than life heros. Yes the evil German pilot is a little too evil for my tastes (But Vader, Tarkin or Palpatine were hardly nuanced villians). But he's more of a totemistic baddie as the real villians of this story are the institutionaly rascist US Airforce top brass.
To say that the flying-physics in 'Red Tails' isn't realistic is also missing the point. The most eye popping shot has our hero back flipping his Mustang inches from the camera. Is it in anyway realistic? No. Does it look frickin' awesome? Hell yes. This poster has nothing to do with realism:
To quote chapter 3 of Hunter S. Thompson's 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas':
(Red Tails is) "A classic affirmation of everything right and true and decent in the national character. It was a gross, physical salute to the fantastic possibilities of life in this country-but only for those with true grit. And we were chock full of that!"
The real Red Tails were pioneering heros, GL's Red Tails' were the same. It's not a documentary about those pilots... it's a celeration of them!
The late Joe Kubert made this vintage-comic inspired tribute poster for comic-con which kinda captured the intended 'Boys own adventure' spirit of the movie:
btw I conceed it has a few minor flaws and I'll be starting work on a 'Red Tails' FanEdit soon to remove them.
SilverWook said:
Titan A.E. got pretty close to what made Star Wars fun, IMHO...
If Fox would get off it's butt and release it on Blu Ray, I'd rush out and buy it. :)
Found a pretty decent HD TV version, gonna watch it some time this week.
^ "Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other..."
re Harry Potter,
One of my ALL TIME favourite films growing up was 1985's 'Young Sherlock Holmes', I watched it at least once every week. It's interesting to note that it is an exact blueprint for the Harry Potter movies. It was even written by Chris Columbus would go on to be the Director of the first two HP movies! In turn, YSH could be seen as an Indiana Jones knockoff.
Which means that Harry Potter is a ripoff of Star Wars AND Indiana Jones!
^ Leia ^ Han ^ Luke
^ Hermione ^ Ron ^ Harry
^ Willie ^ Indy ^ Short-Round
Seriously if you've never seen this forgotten classic, check it out. It's a blast and as a kid it scared the living daylights out of me (In that great hiding-behind-the-sofa way!).
^ Malfoy
^ Temple of Doom
^ Diagon Alley
^ Hogwarts
thecolorsblend said:
I'd suggest the first Matrix film.
The Matrix had that fantasy fulfilling force-power element for sure. That movie could definitely be seen as a SW contender. Young guy (Neo/Luke) is snatched from his humdrum existence by a wise mentor (Morpheus/Obi-Wan) who teaches him to unlock the powers he never knew he had and fight the evil machines (Empire).
