auximenies

Warbler said:

Mcnabb has been traded to Redskins! 

Hahahaha.  As a Cowboy fan, I love it.  I had to call my Redskin-fan brother-in-law immediately.  He kept saying "no. no. no." over and over.

Isn't this the ultimate insult by the Iggles to Donovan?  "Not only do we think you are no longer worth keeping, but we are sending you to a divisional rival because we think you will be a liability for them.  It's a win-win for us."   Hilarious.

Just picked up "Get the Knack" last week and now Doug Fieger has died.  Odd.  Also got "Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group: Live".

If your only knowledge of Jan Hammer is from Miami Vice, you should check out his work in the '70s beginning with John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra and then with his own band.  Excellent fusion.

It's hard not to turn this into a "WHAT?? YOU DON'T LIKE THAT MOVIE??" thread, so I will refrain. <cough-cough didn'tlikeragingbull?? cough-cough>

I had a look at the AFI list and have seen a majority.  I didn't get to one I don't like until #65, The Silence of the Lambs.  That just didn't do it for me.

Mielr said:

I understand that TIME and Newsweek gave SW favorable reviews, I don't know off-hand about the opinions of any popular reviewers of the day, such as Gene Shalit or Rex Reed (though I'm guessing Shalit's was positive based on the group interview he conducted with Hamill, Ford and Fisher in '77).

Sorry to derail this slightly, but has that group interview been preserved anywhere around here?  The Today Show re-ran it during the SE hype.  I taped many things back then, but missed that one, although I saw it (it caught me by surprise).

TV's Frink said:

C3PX said:

McDonald's Arch Deluxe - (not a big fan of McDonald's, but that was a great burger... as far as piss-poor quality fast food goes)

I already talked about the Arch Deluxe...except it was called the McDLT!

Not the same.  Not even close.  McDLT was one of my all-time favs (and don't try to sell me on the Big N Tasty).  As far as that whole "Arch" line goes, from the moment they announced it was forthcoming I knew it would be an epic fail (before "epic fail" was in the vernacular).  People go to McD's not to get "adult" food, or gourmet burgers, but to get burgers that taste nothing like what one could make at home.  Love it or hate it, it is the ultimate representation of fast food.  But I digress.

vote_for_palpatine said:

4. Taco Bell's Santa Fe chalupa/gordita. By far the best chalupa/gordita style TB ever made.

Yes. YES.  The Santa Fe Chalupa was beyond delicious.  When they got rid of this thing I went from going to TB maybe twice a month to once a year.  I end up getting another style of chalupa, and then wish they still had the sante fe.

The thing I need that they've discontinued is a battery for my Nokia 3588i cell phone.  Even though I got a new phone, I clung to my Nokia 3588i for an additional year, until the battery could no longer hold a charge and I could maybe get in 2 lengthy converstations per day, max.  This phone was designed mainly for making phone calls and not other things that I don't need to do.

I could easily feel all the keys and dial without even looking, unlike my new phone.  I didn't have to flip it open to get a name to the number that was calling me.  And the call-based features were easy to get to because there wasn't a lot of bloat.  <sigh> :^/

Thanks.  That's not the one i have.

Doctor M said:

Ok, subtitles are (probably) finished.  I still need to edit the main menu (adding a subtitle on/off button), rebuild and proof the new disc.

Can anyone provide a 1 minute clip from Mentor's disc (live action scene) so I can test if a new video clean up is worthwhile?

I have SotS, but i'm not sure of the source.  How can i ID it to determine if it is Mentor's?

No, you aren't the only one.  I really liked these when they first came out.  I was disappointed that my kids were just past the age to want these.  I kept trying to suggest that they should get some, but they weren't biting.

xeno_alpha_07 said:

I was planning to to upload all 3 PAL AM documentaries to rapidshare just haven't had the time yet, i also want to include all 3 of ASH595's covers to.  I'll make a start soon and if it's ok with the mods i will make a thread, since i speak to Dennis Lowe himself i'll let him know what i've done.  I don't have the NTSC versions i'm affraid.

Oh, that would be great.  The megaupload links to the first Alien Makers files provided by Dennis Lowe (the filmmaker) are still here at AXP:
http://www.alienexperience.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=58&Itemid=9

I'm not sure if they are still valid as i used them a while back.  Note a couple of things:  The direct links for the NTSC ISO parts read "PAL".  But they are for NTSC.  Also, if you click the "VIEW" box below all the links, a text popup will list all the links.  So you can just copy and paste these into JDownloader's "LinkGrabber" window.

dark_jedi said:

I know this is a little off topic,but does anyone know where to get Alien Makers 2 NTSC from? mininova does not seem to have it anymore.

also is there a 3?

 Yep.  In this thread (replies 1776 & 1777) the filmmaker provides torrent links: AM3

Heck, i was still looking for Alien Makers 2 (PAL) rapidshare download.  Now i've got another to find!

Bingowings said:

As posted earlier if Darth isn't a name but an assumed title Obi-Wan using it becomes a dig.

Like Han's "Buddy" and Mace's "My Lord".

Even as an assumed name it's still a dig.

He isn't "Anakin" and he isn't "Lord Vader", he is "Darth".

As friend or worthy foe he would command respect but as the turncoat traitor Kenobi sees him as not deserving recognition of rank (even an enemy rank).

Nah.  He would have called him "Anakin", just as Dumbledore called Voldemort "Tom" when they dueled in Harry Potter 5.

From my limited knowledge of EU, "Darth" is a title implying some sort of worthiness, and of which the bearer is proud.  Interchangeable with "Lord" if i'm not mistaken.

So, you have this dude who thinks he's now a badass and has taken on a new name to go along with his new persona.  It's quite an insult to not acknowledge the new name.  So.... "Tom" or "Anakin".

Anchorhead said:

As far as going back and changing past works to try and force them to fit later works; That's something I just can't make sense of.  To me, it's a slap in the face to an artist's original fans, as well as a lie.  The past can't be changed - no matter how hard you try to make it for the original fans to remember - no matter how many times you lie about what you originally said & did.  Yes, I'm looking at you Mr. Lucas.

While Tolkien is guilty of changing the Hobbit to fit LOTR, here's another thing in his favor:  He didn't pretend that the alteration was part of his "original vision".  And, while there is some validity to the notion that by altering the Hobbit he muddles the plot point in LOTR, realize that he does include a preface in the Hobbit stating that the story of the riddles used to be told differently, but the truth was discovered and so now it has been updated.  It's rather clever how he explains the discrepancy in LOTR, and the change in the Hobbit preface.

And to another point, it is quite understandable why certain fans would want to get ahold of an original printing to have the entire original story bound and in a complete volume, despite the feasibility of the "work around" I described above.

Vaderisnothayden said:

Middle Earth was all JRRT (except his son's posthumous edits in the Simarillion). The OOT is way more than just Mr Lucas.

Very good point.  And one which we are all aware of but I don't think it was yet brought up in the context of this discussion.  Lucas withholding the original is an insult to, as one example, the ILM crew whose work was replaced by CGI.

C3PX said:

But again, I can forgive this, because the whole thing, exactly as it was originally written, is readily available to the world in the same sort of quality as the replacement. Anyone who wants to read the unaltered chapter of The Hobbit or the original bit from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader only has to do a quick web search in order to do so.

 

I think this is the key.  Because the medium is the written word, as long as the former text is available to read, it is therefore available in the same quality as the replacement.  All that is required is legibility, and the mind will take care of the rest.

Plus, since the pace of a book is dictated by the reader, one can:
1. Read chapters 1-4 as is.
2. Next, remove a piece of paper from behind the dustjacket, unfold it, and read their preferred chapter 5 (magnifying glass optional).
3. Finally, return the folded paper to its dustjacket nest and resume reading the book's chapters 6-19.

...and thereby experience the piece of literature as it was originally composed.

Sokudo Ningyou said:

The one thing that has bugged me since the EU and prequels established "Darth" as a title, not a name:  editing out Obi-Wan's constant use of it during the final duel and replacing it with "Vader."   To me, at least, it's a glaring continuity error, and annoying even in context with the other two original movies, as everyone uses "Vader" when not using his full title.

My head is spinning at the notion that something coming a long time afterwards serves to "establish".  Don't get me wrong, I understand what you are saying, and it makes sense.  But that's what drives me nuts about this whole Star Wars mess that Lucas has ended up creating.

Anyhow, in SW77 he's on a first-name basis with his former pupil, so continues to call him "Darth" as he always had.  Even if the OT progressed based on the original story (DV and Anakin are 2 separate persons), it would make sense in the next films if everyone called him "Vader" since they weren't on a first-name basis with him.

Frankly, if you are trying to create continuity with the PT, it doesn't make sense for Obi-Wan to call him "Darth" or "Vader".  He would have called him "Anakin".  If you're watching the films 4-6,1-3 this name would be meaningless to the viewer unless in the hut scene Ben tells Luke "he betrayed and murdered Anakin, your father".  In which case the duel serves as the reveal of Vader as Luke's father and then many other things are messed up in Empire.  He could call him "Anakin" in that scene if the films are to be watched 1-6.  But do people really do that??  I mean, what is one to think when they get to ANH and hear Ben tell Luke of his father's death?  Again, my head is spinning.

I'm no longer sure what I set out to type here, but I am sure of something.  The best order in which to watch the Star Wars saga is 4-5-6.  The end. :D

Oh, the other thing i do to prolong the game is when i reach the center space for the final question, i must answer all 6 on a single card in order to win the game.

Mielr said:

Hey, remember "The Jedi Master's Quiz Book" that was written by that kid?

Wonder what he's up to now...? Probably serving 20 to life at Rikers.

I played my SW Trivial Pursuit a total of (1) time. None of my friends or family members know as much about SW as I do. :-/

Actually play mine quite frequently.  Either my wife teams up with my more knowledgeable kid while i team up with the younger kid, or this: she reads me Star Wars OT questions and i read her LOTR questions (we have that Trivial Pursuit, too).  Of course, for me the challenge is to win it all in a single turn.  But that hasn't happened yet.

auximenies said:

digitalfreaknyc said:

There was a layer break set when I created the file.  It should be set when you burn it.  Never had a problem otherwise.

Okay.  Maybe that is why ImgBurn only gave me one option. (is it when Elliott is breathing on the window of "dead" E.T.'s containment unit?)

I'll deselect ImgBurn's "seamless" option since maybe my player doesn't like that.  Frankly it generally does well with layer changes so i shouldn't need to resort to any software trickery.

Thanks for putting this one together many moons ago.  Any potential material for an Archive #2?

My troubles were apparently due to an incomplete download on my end, which i didn't detect because i saw the ISO image and figured all was well.  I re-downloaded and everything was fine.

Much appreciation for using ImgBurn's MDS file which specifies the layer break automatically!  I wish more people upped ISO + MDS, especially with a DL release.  Even just using ISO images for downloads, we'd eliminate the incidences of missing notes, artwork or other ROM folder content.

I'm not trying to call you out or anything like that, Warbler, but I do find your comment interesting given that your signature features your mission statement which includes "Show Love, respect and mercy."  I realize mercy can have different applications, so i'm most certainly not suggesting you are a hypocrite.

Is there anything more Vick can do (he's served time in prison, he's owned up to his bad choices, he's speaking publicly about how dog fighting is a bad thing) to mollify your stance?  Will he ever deserve a second chance in your mind?  I'm asking these not to pick on you, but because I find them to be interesting questions for anyone to answer, and this whole Vick saga has fascinated me -- primarily in how people have reacted throughout.  I live in Atlanta, btw, so this is a big deal where I live, just like it is in your part of the country.

I wish you were a "practicing Eagle fan" at the present... because it would make it more fun for us Cowboy fans!  Just don't suddenly jump back on board should they defeat Dallas in this Saturday's rematch. ;)

Still, something was missing.

[Scenes from the GOUT unaltered (i.e. with black bars all the way around the 16:9 image, showing what you get if you just put it in your DVD player), leading to the example images showing the flaws.]

The version released was a non-anamorphic copy scanned in 1993 for the last laserdisc release.  As fans zoomed in to fill their wide screens, more flaws presented themselves.  (Gate weave, compression artifacts, and general blur) plagued the copy.  The fans were not pleased.

[Screenshots of the new petition, followed by pictures/examples of the Blade Runner and Close Encounters releases]

Starting in late 2009, a year after the Blu-ray format won the high definition war, Originaltrilogy.com is trying again.  Since the release of the 2006 versions, multiple films have come to the Blu-ray format in all possible versions.  Ridley Scott had all possible versions of Blade Runner rescanned and released in one set, even ones he didn't care for.  Lucas' friend Spielberg released all three versions of Close Encounters of the Third Kind in high definition around the same time.  However the rumored 2011 Star Wars Blu-rays are still looking to be only the 2004 version, if not an even further enhanced version.

 

Here are some suggested changes in the text, with specific words underlined that i think are better choices...

"Still, something was amiss."

"The version that was released came from a transfer of the film originally done for the 1993 laserdics release, which by 2006 was technologically outdated to say the least (or... "using a method that by 2006 was far from state-of-the-art").  And unlike its companion Special Edition disc, the Original Theatrical version disc was not anamorphic, meaning it was not formatted for optimal viewing (or... "proper viewing") on widescreen TVs, a DVD format which by 2003(?? i'm guessing here) had become industry standard.  As viewers zoomed in to fill their widescreens with the film image, more flaws presented themselves. Blah blah blah, etc."

"Starting in late 2009, a year after Blu-ray won the high-def format war, OriginalTrilogy.com has opened a new petition and is once again providing a voice for those who believe that the original versions deserve a high-quality release worthy of films of such historical significance.  Blah blah blah, etc."

Also, I don't think it is a good idea to show/discuss fan efforts to make changes themselves.  I believe that muddles the point.  It is quite simply: these are important films that deserve the proper respect.  Lucasfilm can release whatever other versions they want, just please also include these at the same level of quality.

skyjedi2005 said:

For those like me in the united states who cannot get cinema 16 because it is in pal land here is an alternative.

http://www.amazon.com/Reel-Talent-First-Legendary-Directors/dp/B000QGEB26/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1245524977&sr=1-6

This has three Lucas student films.

Though i believe the cinema 16 edition has an exlusive lucas audio commentary, or maybe i am thinking of another edition?

 

@ skyjedi: thanks for the tip.  i was able to get Reel Talent new from an Amazon seller for less than $5 including postage.  BTW, i did notice that Cinema 16 is available in NTSC.  Not sure where that exclusive commentary is, though, having not seen Cinema 16.  But the Reel Talent dvd has three 10-minute "conversations"where GL, Zemeckis and Richard Bare each discuss their film-school experience.  It's nice to see a modern GL discussing his past without any sort of spin or attempted revision.

@ pufnstuf & Heillemann: thanks so much for the documentary!  I snagged the image off the Binary Bonsai site.  I've switched out my Reel Talent dvd case to be a double, and housed this Maker of Films DVD in there as a wonderful bonus feature.

C3PX said:

auximenies said:

 Do you happen to live in the southeastern US?

Nowhere near it. Though I am very curious as to why you ask.

I live in Atlanta, having moved here from California back in 2000.  I've learned that college football is like a religion to many people, beyond what I've seen for any sport where I grew up.  Maybe in California we were simply more laid back (exception: crazy Oakland Raider fans).  But on "football saturday" they mount flags bearing their team's logo on their porch, and drive around in their cars (SUVs, mostly) with little flags affixed to their windows.

(American) football is my favorite sport, and the college football fans tell me why their version of the sport is better than the pros, which is my preference.  They cite the "purity" of the players motives (yeah, because NONE of the college kids are getting kick-backs) and other such esoteric reasons.  I just tell them that since I enjoy watching football, I prefer to watch it played at the highest level of skill, hence professional.

My point is, they are more passionate about college football than I have seen people about pro football.  So your comment about the overzealous fans made me think "Southern college football fans".  I suppose if i had moved elsewhere in the country i may have encountered similar zeal for another sport.

C3PX said:

I think it is also worth noting that I have never had an encounter like this with baseball or basketball or any other kinds of fans other than football fans. They seem to be the only ones who really lack that ability to see past their hobby and realize that not everyone shares those same interests as them. When I think of baseball fans like Anchorhead, I really feel nothing different toward them than I do toward anyone else who is really passionate about something they love. But football (and Twilight) fans rank very high on my list of "Most Annoying Things On The Planet"

 Do you happen to live in the southeastern US?

ferris209 said:

I still don't get it. Bunch of idiots, running around on a field, hitting each other, and everybody cheers for a game no one remembers a week later. Okay. Whatever.

Whereas I see it as a bunch of men who have a physical (and in some cases mental) talent, executing schemes that have been practiced for a week in advance (if opponent specific) or all season long, while people who appreciate that sort of thing get to watch it all unfold within an exciting atmosphere.

If some people don't care for it, i understand that too.  I don't understand the appeal of certain sports, but I assume there is something appealing there on some level, otherwise people wouldn't watch it.

As for not remembering the game one watches, that is really hit or miss.  I've always said that live sports are risky.  You could wind up seeing a pitcher throw a perfect game and NEVER forget it, or you could see a sloppy basketball game where it didn't seem as though anyone was trying and you wish you hadn't wasted your time.

I love live music more than just about anything.  But a concert is relatively safe as far as live events go.  Sure, the band can have an off night.  But as far as a particular tour goes, you can read reviews from previous shows to see if the band still has their chops and get a general idea of what you can expect.

But when you are a live witness to greatness*, be it music or sports, it will certainly make a lasting impression on you.  So sometimes the risk is worth the reward.

*not a Colts fan, but Peyton Manning has made many such lasting impressions on me due to the precision with which he orchestrates an offense.

digitalfreaknyc said:

There was a layer break set when I created the file.  It should be set when you burn it.  Never had a problem otherwise.

Okay.  Maybe that is why ImgBurn only gave me one option. (is it when Elliott is breathing on the window of "dead" E.T.'s containment unit?)

I'll deselect ImgBurn's "seamless" option since maybe my player doesn't like that.  Frankly it generally does well with layer changes so i shouldn't need to resort to any software trickery.

Thanks for putting this one together many moons ago.  Any potential material for an Archive #2?

Hey, DE.  Nice to see that you are up to something yet again.  Or maybe you never stopped and i haven't been paying attention!

Any chance you might update the 1st post with the current state of the project?  Of course, by updating i mean just shoving down the original info there and retaining it, but putting a little blurb regarding your current goals for the project.  I imagine this will help the stragglers like me get up to speed.

Thanks!  Looking forward to what comes next!

xhonzi said:

How can I tell if I have DM or DM Revisited?  I jumped to the scene of Luke and the treadwell... there is a little flash like animation before the footage begins... I take it I have Revisited?

One of the menu screens has a choice to see notes about DM Revisited 2009.