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Tiptup

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4-May-2006
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26-Apr-2012
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Post
#266318
Topic
Seeing the Saga in order - a review by a first-time viewer....
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/266318/action/topic#266318
Time
Originally posted by: Cable-X1
...anyone think that Lucas should have just redone the whole damn thing? Went right back and made 1-3 and then totally redid 4-6 with new actors, new storylines, etc? Sort of like a re-imagining a la Battlestar Galactica?

He could have remastered the originals and put them out there as a separate entity, but then went back and did it all his way from the beginning. He could have taken a que from Phil Jackson and did one trilogy back to back, waited a few years and did the other...this time in order and changed so they flowed better. I would have accepted that. We'd have classic SW and neo SW then....you could take either one you liked.


I almost wish he had done this. Its primarily because of his tinkering with the original movies that I am so upset. If they were allowed to exist as their own, separate, linear story then at least everybody could decide what they want. The PT fans who dislike the original trilogy would now have a 4-6 that caters to them (and more moviegoing experiences). The original fans would have movies divorced from episode numbers that sit on their own. Then, the majority of people would be able to vote for whatever's best with their hard-earned.

There's no way that would ever happen though. George is way too lazy to take on a project like that. You can tell that he barely even cared about the prequels.
Post
#266268
Topic
Seeing the Saga in order - a review by a first-time viewer....
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/266268/action/topic#266268
Time
From my perspective, I'm going to pretend Star Wars is a true mythology. One that's bigger than its inventor. That means I can then focus on what I like and ignore the substandard qualities. This allows me to be content with everything enough and finally give George Lucas a break (he's still not getting my money for crappy products though).

But, I agree with CO that the prequels are stuck in our heads. So, at the same time I'll regard them as a loose and mock-worthy portrayal of the real back-story. When I watch 4-6 I'll remember the prequels in a very hazy way that actually fits with the original trilogy and doesn't make Ben into a liar. With that then in mind, I'll mostly watch 4-6 and maybe give a quick viewing to 1-3 on very rare occasions (laughing at or skipping past the unacceptable scenes).


Originally posted by: Guy Caballero
I've never read The Lord of the Rings books. Is Return very faithful? After loving the shit out of the first 2 movies, I kind of felt like I wasn't "getting" something. I think I was expecting a LOT more time spent on Viggo Mortensen, becoming the Lawrence of Arabia of middle earth. There seemed to be a lot of time spent on "Sam is such a good friend". And "Sean Bean's dad sure is nuts".


As a huge fan of the books, I would say that it was generally faithful, but in a hyper, comic-book-cheese way. So much of the meaning and growth to the story was completely skipped by Jackson.

Specifically, about Aragorn, RotK did not seem to capture his becoming the king well at all. It left out many of his key scenes from the book. Specifically, I wanted to see him as a man who's force of will defeated Sauron's (using the palantír) and see him as the gentle healer who gives new hope to Gondor. It seemed like Jackson only wanted to see Aragorn as one of the gang buddies who's only good at leading because he can kick ass. The speech that Aragorn spoke before the final battle seemed awkward using that approach.
Post
#266237
Topic
Seeing the Saga in order - a review by a first-time viewer....
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/266237/action/topic#266237
Time
Originally posted by: Guy Caballero
I thought Fellowship was way more moving than Return of the King,

I would tend to agree. RotK and TTT have better moments I believe, but FotR seemed to be more consistently compelling in the way it presented hard choices for the characters. (That’s not to say the books for TTT and RotK didn’t have consistent content, but the films changed a lot of that.)


Originally posted by: see you auntie
Why did he direct all three prequels?

Because after the SE Lucas realised directing just got easier. SW was a pain in the ass, now with technology he could sit in a chair behind plasma screens with an AD yelling "Action" and "Cut" himself occasionally adding "Faster" and "More Intense". The rest he could do with computers.


lol, perfect way to put it.


Originally posted by: CO
Now look at the PT characters other then the big 4 of Padme, Anakin, Palps, and Kenobi:
-Mace Windu = Boring
-Jar Jar = Do I need to expound
-Grevious = Get him some Robitussin
-Boss Nass = Stop slobbering!
-Captain Panaka = bland
-Dex at the Diner = Go flip burgers and get the fuck out a SW movie!
-Jango Fett = Unoriginal
-QuiGon = Good character, only shining spot of TPM
-Count Dooku = Good bad guy, wasted in ROTS
-Darth Maul = Looks cool, does he talk?
-Two Headed Pod Racer Announcer = UGGGH
-Every character in the pod race = Made for 5 year olds
-Lama Su = Sounds like a porno character


Heh, that was awesome (particularly your comment about Dex: McGregor still somehow makes that scene work, but that character was so incredibly stupid).


Anyways, we can discuss alternate timelines as much as we like, but Star Wars is what it has now become. The prequel’s concepts weren’t done well. Where do the fans with higher standards go from here? Do we simply pretend that the later Star Wars films and content don’t exist in our world and then divorce ourselves from the pop culture?
Post
#266154
Topic
Seeing the Saga in order - a review by a first-time viewer....
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/266154/action/topic#266154
Time
George Lucas is trying to take Star Wars down the path of Star Trek. If he succeeds, the primary Star Wars fans won't know or care about the truly fantastic achievements he and others accomplished with the original Star Wars and its two sequels. It will always be about the next lame video game, or the next TV episode written by Whoknows and Whocares. Eventually it will all become so oversaturated and redundant that nobody will care at all about a consistent plot for the series or its most truly meaningful moments. Eventually you'll have the popular culture stop watching altogether, but we'll always have the geeky fans that can't get enough of the mess and will love watch it all again and again. Fans of what the original movie was will be relegated to esoteric obscurity by the more prominent fans. Star War will die.

That is unless someone can manage to change the popular approach to Star Wars that George Lucas is funding . . . but I’m not sure who could do that or if they’d even want to. It was just a movie after all. A great one to be sure, but it’s not life or death.
Post
#265925
Topic
The saddest thing ever - WOW Radio!!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/265925/action/topic#265925
Time
lol, this is awesome. Evil prejudice is running rampant on the internet! The WoW sensitivity police are to the rescue!

Originally posted by: Alekseyev
Why make this discussion. Hmm. I am thinking that you'd know why I am here if you'd actually opened your eyes to continue reading, my friend. To stop the incessant, childish bickering that has gripped these two sites, that's why I am here! I have nearly succeeded in such.

Again, why do you care about some bickering that should have never begun in the first place? For anyone to get upset over this thread was ridiculous in the first place. So what are you accomplishing by escalating it?


Originally posted by: Alekseyev
Read a little deeper. I'm not sure what is causing you to overlook this, but I clearly state that I am relieved and thankful that he does not hold vendettas against abstract ideas such as online gaming because that is very irrational and the fact that he does not hold such ridiculous grudges means I have "more room to work with".


Uhh, yeah, I “overlooked” that. Sure.

An oversensitive response to this thread is stupid on your part. The fact that you actually believe HotRod might be irrational just shows how silly you’re making this entire issue. Who cares if he’s irrational? Can’t someone be irrational about a game if they want to be? Must everything in this world be boring and serious?


Originally posted by: Alekseyev
Your post also makes two things clear:

1) You disrespect me by neglecting to read the discussion in its full. You begin spouting off about how I should admit that I am nerdy and that listening to WoW Radio (the little bit I do) is nerdy. Problem is, I've already done so. Almost everyone in this thread had vouched for their own nerdom. So, the onus is on you: why are you still talking about it?

2) The second fact you missed. WoW Radio's subjects. Best armor, best spec for rogues? I am not aware that WoW Radio is so simple. The programs I tune into it, few though they may be, are not. For examples of topics I enjoyed listening to, please read the rest of my posts, as I listed some. You clearly have not read my posts in their entirety, as #1 attests to.

Your jab at Blizzard's "uninspired" stories also has no place in your post. (I'm sensing some sort of Warhammer Fantasy fanboy uprising incoming, but I could be wrong) Are you trying to get a rise out of me? You'll be sorely disappointed, as you're entitled to whatever opinion you may like on Blizzard's storylines. I enjoy them immensely. I love the rich backstory and lore they have created, as do millions. What you think of them is irrelevent both to me and to the topic at hand.

Most insulting is how you act like I claimed it wasn't nerdy. That is simply totally untrue and it just proves how little of my posts you've actually read. *sigh* Please go back, read them, and then return and you can hopefully make more informed posts.


1) I read your posts in full. You were defending the other WoW poster in this thread and he’s the one who’s acting strange because someone doesn’t happen to place as much value to WoW as he does. WoW is just a game.

(If you want to start pointing fingers, you obviously are not carefully considering what I was stating. Instead, you’re reacting in a very defensive and overly sensitive way, which makes me wonder why you’re so insecure.)


2) I read what you said (and I mentioned the lore in the game [but you don’t need to read what I say, correct?]), but I also know that WoW-radio has what I described as well. Are you saying that it never dwells on those subjects?

As for Warhammer, that is a cool tabletop game series, and you can tell that the people at Blizzard are fans of it, but as far as I’m concerned, Warhammer is often very generic and uninspiring as well. There have been fantasy stories around for years that use most of these concepts before they were placed into games. Blizzard added in some originality, but they don’t bother hiding what they steal because it’s just a game. I don’t see why this factual observation on my part was trying to “get a rise” from you, but perhaps you can enlighten me. The “lore” behind the WarCraft universe is meant for fun, not aesthetic achievement.

And I already knew that you admitted being nerdy, but your actions begged my additional questions. You and the person you’re defending are taking this way too seriously. If you realize that you’re a nerd, then you should be able to shrug all of this off. Instead you’re getting more worked up as time goes by.

As a nerd with many nerdy interests, I’d probably laugh if I saw someone attacking my obsessions. The criticisms would probably be true in many respects.

I’m not even trying to “insult” you here. I’m just wondering why you’re all so thin skinned. Why do you need to discuss this and smooth everything out? It seems like a silly subject to me.

Oh well, hopefully your next post will be more “informed,” Alekseyev.
Post
#265823
Topic
The saddest thing ever - WOW Radio!!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/265823/action/topic#265823
Time
Originally posted by: Alekseyev
First off, yes, I stand by World of Warcraft. It is truly a great game, and Blizzard Entertainment is truly a great game developer. I enjoy online games. I love games in general. I thrive on competition, teaming up with friends to defeat impossible odds, and relaxing after a hard day at work. I am aware HotRod has expressed he has nothing against online games, and this is a relief to me as it makes you appear more rational in my eyes and gives me more room to work with. I am thankful for this.


Blizzard is indeed a brilliant gaming company. StarCraft was their most amazing achievement to date, but their latest games are also incredibly good. I've researched WoW rather heavily and I'm more than sure that if I had possessed the time I'd be addicted to it by now. But it's a game. Games are about fun gameplay. Anything beyond that is nerdy interest. As a gamer that regularly obsesses over his games in insane ways, I can simultaneously realize how out of touch I am at the same time. Why are you "relieved" and "thankful" that Hotrod has nothing against online games? Why even discuss it? What purpose does this discussion serve for you? Are you trying to make WoW converts? (I ask these questions because I really am curious about the motivation here.)

I'm sure there are plenty of WoW players who would think of the arguments in this thread as absurd. It’s a fucking game. If you want to listen to a radio show discussing the best ways to “grind” or the best armor for your perfectly balanced rogue, then you need to understand how nerdy that is. If you want to listen to people discussing the generic and uninspiring story elements that Blizzard stole for the WarCraft universe, then go ahead, but don't act like it’s anything other than nerdy. WoW is a game and games should be about fun gameplay. For the most part, the other WoW-radio defenders in this thread don't seem to know what fun is.

This isn’t a battle of life and death to see who’s more adult. That just seems so sick to me. Why take an amazing game like WoW and turn it into something so boring?
Post
#265706
Topic
The saddest thing ever - WOW Radio!!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/265706/action/topic#265706
Time
Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
It's par for the course for others to make fun of such a hobby, but it takes a bigger person to laugh at himself.


Exactly, this thread became very sad, very quickly.

Talking, LIVE, about the encyclopedic details of a game's elements is truly worthy of ridicule. I'm sorry. It would be like someone here discussing all of the intricate details of Star Wars collectables as the sole, continual purpose for a live radio show. I would never expect someone to allot time in their schedule for listening to something like that.
Post
#265699
Topic
Global Warming
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/265699/action/topic#265699
Time
Originally posted by: auraloffalwaffle
I'd just like to apologise to Tiptup for making personal remarks in my posts.


That's okay, many of them were basically accurate, though twisted to a degree.

I don't know when I'll repsond about the Iraq questions. The issue is very tiring to discuss and it's not like any of us can truly affect the policy. The people currently in power have their minds made up (for whatever reasons).
Post
#265555
Topic
Serenity
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/265555/action/topic#265555
Time
Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
Still, that's one of the most exciting and scariest elements of the movie to me. You've spent so long with them just trying to get by, just surviving, and then suddenly, you see them thrust into matters of importance that they really have no business getting into with greater risk than anything in the series, but they don't really have a choice. And I really enjoyed seeing everything go to hell. It was almost Empirestrikesbackian!


Yeah, it was a real tearjerker when good old favorites from the series like "the twins" and "Mr. Universe" died.

I hate raised stakes. It's so predictable. My favorite TV-series-to-movie transition was with the Cowboy Bebop movie. It made no connections to any big story arcs and I liked it that way. It was fantastic.

Don't get me wrong, I liked how the world got a lot more desperate over the course of Serenity. However, I couldn't appreciate that drama because nothing had been established enough for me to truly care about it. There was nothing emotional to latch onto. Everything involving the conspiracy and "the operative" was overly glitzy and cold. If I had not seen the TV series first, I probably wouldn't have cared much about anything that happened.

I see no reason to worry about whether or not the show was going to continue or not. In an ultimate sense you can't let what-ifs guide art. It may have been the last chance to wrap everything up for the firefly universe, but why was there even a need to worry about something like that? Do things right. Show us more, not less. Lower the stakes if you need to.
Post
#265485
Topic
Serenity
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/265485/action/topic#265485
Time
Originally posted by: C3PX
I think the Western idea was brilliant, and it was ashame they tossed it out for the film.


You see, that's where I think the movie went most wrong, but in a general sense of the characters living ordinary, tough lives. You claim that introductions were needed, but I believe the series was most brilliant when the characters acted and behaved like themselves. When I got hooked on the series, I jumped into the third episode or so and needed no introductions to the characters because they were compelling, real, and down to earth in their own way. I thought it was awesome. You don't need introductions when you understand that the whole group of characters is comprised of ordinary people just like you and me. They're special in their own ways, just like everybody is, but in a general sense they have desires that everyone identifies with and that's where the show most excelled in my opinion.

If I had advised Joss Whedon, I would have told him not to worry about finishing any big story arcs and not to dwell on lengthy introductions to the firefly universe or the dire history of the main characters. Instead, it should have been a much more reserved and less apocalyptic storyline. One with plenty of action of course, and cool special effects, but one that was self contained for the most part and not complicated. Then, if he had wanted, he could have introduced new back-story hints and such, with the hope of potential sequels. Unfortunately, he was so focused on all of those large scale items that the drama didn't flow correctly (if you ask me) and the main characters didn't seem as authentic (at least not in the ways I remembered him writing them in the past).

Anyways, the western/sci-fi combination was a bit awkward, but the character interaction and the drama were always the pull of the show for me, so I could overlook those problems. And, even then, the combination was a very cool attempt at something different and I really came to love it after a while.
Post
#265432
Topic
Serenity
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/265432/action/topic#265432
Time
Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
And, yeah, as I've said before, Firefly is a great show. I disagree that the western motif was overused. I thought it was great, and I was disappointed that Serenity was overpowered with sci-fi without enough western to balance it out.


I agree. One thing I can't stand is how the sets for Serenity (the spaceship) were changed to be so cold and metal feeling now. Before the main hangar felt warm and inviting. In general there was too much of that sort of cold blue coloring everywhere in the film.

I also agree with Stinky about the original series being a lot better. C3PX mentioned that the movie didn't have enough introductions, but I think it had too much if you ask me. It was expecting new viewers to get caught up with everyone in a very short space of time and then supposedly care about the characters in the way a fan would, and there was no way that would have worked. The movie should have jumped straight into the drama and forgotten the damn introductions completely. Let new viewers enjoy the characters based upon their roles and nothing more. Then the movie would have been about awesome character interaction and drama. The series always had that perfect.