Tyrphanax

Lord Haseo said:

DominicCobb said:

Lord Haseo said:

Even if you didn’t care for TFA and Rogue One you can’t deny Episode VIII has a lot of potential…ESB like potential.

• Rey and Kylo Ren’s training (first time seeing a Dark Sider being trained in a SW film)

• Finn trying to fit into The Resistance

• Finn possibly finding out Poe shot his friend

• Phasma going after Finn

• Knights of Ren

• Leia and/or Chewie confronting Kylo Ren

• Possible learning at least something about Rey’s past or Snoke’s identity

• The possible power vacuum left after the destruction of the Hosnian System

• Learning about the ancient Jedi

I would be surprised if the film was anything less than great.

You forgot the obvious - Luke mofucking Skywalker, Jedi master.

I can’t believe I forgot about that…

If Luke can beat Vader’s ass imagine what he can do with 30 years of training.

I like to think that Luke has transcended to an OT-Yoda-like state where he won’t be whipping out his saber to backflip all around.

DominicCobb said:

NeverarGreat said:

DominicCobb said:

I really don’t give a shit about Starkiller Base, it’s dumb but it’s also such a relatively small part of the movie. There are other little things that bother me but they don’t amount to much with the overall story as satisfying as it is.

I think it’s a problem that the largest superweapon in the Star Wars universe to date can be accurately described as ‘a relatively small part of the movie’.

No you’re right that’s exactly the reason why it’s a problem (the scene where they formulate the plan is absurd) but it also makes it really easy to roll with it (again that scene, you kinda just have to laugh).

Yeah, it’s not that I think the movie is bad, I just wish they’d done something that wasn’t so similar to two other movies in the franchise. I can (and do) overlook it when I watch, because the characters and their adventures are so enjoyable (and the fact that I can and am willing to is a testament to that), it’s just I wish the plot was more original.

I remember Rey’s Theme from TFA and that’s literally it. And I saw it maybe five times in theaters and listened through the soundtrack a few times. To be honest, I left the theater wondering if it had even been scored in the same way as the OT. Music felt much less like a part of the film for TFA (whereas it’s an essential part of the OT).

I remember a lot more of the music from Rogue One. I also listened to this podcast at the behest of Tobar and gained an even larger appreciation for it.

TV’s Frink said:

Singer George Michael has died aged 53, his publicist has said.

Damn, you beat me to it.

Freaking crazy. He just snuck right in there.

Sixty Members Red Army Choir

Just heard that they were on the plane that went down yesterday. Regardless of your views on Russia, these were supremely talented individuals in one of the world’s greatest choirs.

Took my apple pie out of the oven a bit ago and decided it needed to go back in for just a bit. Took it out just now and cooked the filling down too far.

So instead of having some toothier Granny Smith slices to contrast with the mushier Macintosh slices, it’s all more of a cooked-down mush than I wanted it to be. And the top crust of course molded to the height it was when I first took it out of the oven and now the pie is lying about how much filling is in it now.

I’m so incredibly disappointed in myself right now. Nobody else will care but god damn it.

Anchorhead said:

So you guys are saying that if I’d watch the film more than once every 15 years I’d remember more of it? 😉

To be clear for any latecomers, I loved Rogue One. My walkers post was in response to some complaints about the practicality of a cumbersome walking vehicle in a battle when you have hover capabilities. It wasn’t a slam on the writing of Empire (which I’ve obviously forgotten some of the details).

Haha yes!

And yeah, I don’t mean to come off as rabidly correcting anybody, just giving props to Brackett and Kasdan for actually explaining why the Empire would use a ground assault when they should just be able to nuke the Rebs from orbit.

For what it’s worth, I always felt like half the power of the AT-AT was intimidation factor. A hover tank is scary and all, but like you said, it’s the visual. And that works for both filmmaking and the Empire.

Anchorhead said:

At the one year mark:

When I first saw the movie I liked it. Everything on Jakku was exactly what I’d hoped it would be. I loved the isolation and lack of inhabitants. The remnants of a past war were interesting and Daisy stole the film. Fantastic lead in a fantastic story (the Jakku portion).

Loved her stealing The Falcon, meeting Han & Chewie, and her interaction with him as they learn about the past. I thought Finn and Poe were also interesting, well written, and well acted.

I never found the Starkiller base interesting. It seemed too much, in story element as well as plot element. It wasn’t necessary. Ren isn’t interesting, nor is the attack on the base. I could see Han’s death coming, so it was anti-climactic. Snoke seems like he’s from another film. Not interesting.

I LOVED Rey going to find Luke and thought her offering him the saber was perfect. Possibly her finest moment of the film.

I saw the film three times in the theater, bought the DVD, and have watched it maybe four times since. What I didn’t expect after the film had time to sit with me, was how little of it stayed with me. Now when I watch it I watch up to the entrance into Maz’s place, then I skip to Rey leaving to find Luke. I had a few issues with it a year ago and they didn’t pass as the year went on.

In contrast, I have zero issues with Rogue One. It was even better than I expected. It’s the Star Wars I’ve been waiting on for decades. It fits my personal canon perfectly. It’s a stand-alone story with characters who are wholly unrelated to the characters in the franchise saga. Thats a huge deal for me. It expanded the ever-shrinking Lucas universe.

I don’t know how I’ll feel as even more time passes. As it stands now, I haven’t watched any of it in several months. I hope VIII is better.

Yeah, Rogue One being as great as it is has made me look back on the insanely massive flaw that was Starkiller Base (and everything surrounding it, especially everyone watching the Hosnian system get popped in real time from millions of miles away) much more severely. The characters in TFA were fantastic and I ache to see where their adventures take them next, but eesh was the story not incredible in the light of Rogue One.

Still love TFA, still rate it in my top five Star Wars movies, but while they totally nailed it in places, they really dropped the ball in others.

canofhumdingers said:

Anchorhead said:

I agree with pointing out the lack of consistency in criticizing elements of the movies. I’ve been a vocal critic of the silliness of Imperial Walkers for decades. However, I appreciate the visual. It makes for an imposing presence and it’s cool for the audience. I thought they were interesting visually in 1980 and I think they’re interesting visually now.

To be clear, if you can do this;

You wouldn’t be bothering with this;

I’ve not been following this thread too closely (so tired of all the bickering, first with TFA, and now Rogue One). So apologies if I’m missing the point. But in ESB, the walkers were sent to take out the shield generator. We saw in R1 what happens when a ship flies into a planetary shield… And (I can’t believe I’m saying this) we saw in The Phantom Menace that walking slowly through an energy shield works. So maybe the imperial navy had every intention of sending a star destroyer down into the atmosphere on Hoth…?

As for the logicalness of walkers, they actually make a lot of sense in forrests or really steep and jagged/loose terrain. The original AT-ATs were inspired by an actual military research project.

Yeah, the initial Imperial plan was to sneak up on the system, drop out of hyperspace right on top of the planet, and orbitally-bombard the Rebels into spacedust.

The whole reason the Empire sent the AT-ATs was because Ozzel dropped out of lightspeed too close to the planet. This alerted the Rebels to the presence of the Imperial fleet, giving them time to raise their shield (“strong enough to deflect any bombardment”). It’s all right there in the movie!

DominicCobb said:

Oh fun we’re talking about Christmas and Jews.

Well usually I quite enjoy Christmas, but this year it just feels like a chore. Mostly because I’ve been pretty unhappy these last couple months since my favorite Jew left me…

Anyway, enough of that. I still love Jews, and I do hope everyone else has a merry Christmas or whatever else they choose to celebrate.

Frink’s right over there, dude.

I didn’t even know people were saying VHS player. That’s weird.

It’s a goddamn Christmas miracle.

I freakin’ love Jews.

digitalfreaknyc said:

[Tyrphanax said:]
Haseo was saying “there’s no logical reason such a thing should happen to someone like her” and I felt like her drug abuse was a pretty logical reason.

My response was dripping with sarcasm. Sorry if that wasn’t clear.

I got it and assumed you were joking along, but then Ferris chimed in and I was suddenly unsure if my post was clear or not, so I figured it was safest to make sure I was getting it across.

Lord Haseo said:

Tyrphanax said:

Lord Haseo said:

Why? Just why?

I know she’s in stable condition but there’s no logical reason such a thing should happen to someone like her.

I mean there’s the heavy heavy drug abuse in her past.

I know but it sucks that could have bounced back and hit her this late in her life. That’s like talking to some dude’s sister and 30 years later he randomly beats the shit out of you for it. It’s just not fair.

It does suck. Some of the stuff she was into leaves indelible, permanent scars, though. Not sure it was so much a “bounce back” as it was a cumulative effect over time. Plus when you throw age in, all bets are off.

DuracellEnergizer said:

IIRC, Leonard Nimoy quit smoking back in the '80s, but it still ended up doing him in three decades later.

Substance abuse can be a vindictive bitch even long after you’ve left it behind.

Yes indeed.

I freakin’ love Christmas.

digitalfreaknyc said:

Tyrphanax said:

I mean there’s the heavy heavy drug abuse in her past.

Really? noooooooooooooo

ferris209 said:

Tyrphanax said:

Lord Haseo said:

Why? Just why?

I know she’s in stable condition but there’s no logical reason such a thing should happen to someone like her.

I mean there’s the heavy heavy drug abuse in her past.

She was a heavy cocaine user for years, that plays hell on the heart. Coke was why she looked gaunt and so skinny in ROTJ.

Nonetheless, prayers for her and I hope she pulls through successfully.

Haseo was saying “there’s no logical reason such a thing should happen to someone like her” and I felt like her drug abuse was a pretty logical reason.

Lord Haseo said:

Why? Just why?

I know she’s in stable condition but there’s no logical reason such a thing should happen to someone like her.

I mean there’s the heavy heavy drug abuse in her past.

Lord Haseo said:

Why? Just why?

I know she’s in stable condition but there’s no logical reason such a thing should happen to someone like her.

I mean there’s the heavy heavy drug abuse in her past.

Mithrandir said:

JawsTDS said:

She is in a stable condition, report comes from her brother.

“stable” is not necessarily well though. Certainly not after 10 minutes without oxygen in her brain.

Sad news.

Yeah, that’s not a good sign. And apparently it took them fifteen minutes for EMTs to find a pulse.

I hope she’s okay, but neither of those is good in the least.

Heard this too. God I hope she’s okay.

DominicCobb said:

This is fun
http://io9.gizmodo.com/a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-worst-rogue-one-takes-on-t-1790441878

Thank god they didn’t find us.

I mean. I would just prepare myself for it being a 4k upscale of the Special Editions.

Alderaan said:

Tyrphanax said:

Alderaan said:

Tobar said:

I saw one dude whose girlfriend had never seen a Star Wars film before. Rogue One was her first and she was excited when told they could watch the sequel when they got home.

I hope they watched the Despecialized version. Although I’d still like to see a mostly original version that includes some vfx enhancements like the CGI shots on Battle of Yavin, Alderaan/Death Star explosions, just some things like that.

Like Adywan’s Revisited?

Not necessarily. I like a lot of Adywan’s work, but I think my preference is for more OOT with fewer changes. I just like the upgraded effects on the Falcon, the Alderaan and Death Star explosions, Yavin and Endor space battles, and maybe some of the work done on the windows and escort ships in Cloud City.

I’ve never been able to decide if I prefer Adywan’s Emperor hologram in ESB or the original, but I know that I really really hate the one Lucasfilm put in there to match with the prequels.

I can get that.

Ady’s version is probably as close as we’ll ever get to a well-done SE though. Hey, he should make a version where you can select the changes you want and whether you want them from his version or the SE or no changes… kinda a make-your-own Star Wars. <_<

Swazzy said:

It’s so true. All of those videos are like that, and they never had anything I missed on them.

Tobar said:

Yeah, my gut says this is an upscale. Perhaps a monstrous hybrid.

A disturbance in the Force…