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cador

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31-Dec-2004
Last activity
10-Nov-2006
Posts
14

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Post
#251927
Topic
Letterbox looks like CRAP on a widescreen HDTV :(
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/251927/action/topic#251927
Time
So, I caved in and bought the "Limited Edition" DVDs even though I already had the 2004 DVD box set. Right now, I am still using a standard CRT TV set at home, so the OOT in letterbox format looks fine.

At work, there is a big widescreen HDTV and an XBox 360. I brought my Star Wars OOT "Bonus Disc" and tried to watch it--arrrgh. I can see why everyone hates the non-anamorphic release now, it looks like a RealPlayer video when you try to zoom out the lback bars However, this is a gigantic television set.

So when I finally buy a plasma widescreen, my OOT "bonus discs" will be pretty much inadequate for me to enjoy SW. Maybe if I get a smaller widescreen, it won't be as bad?


P.S.: would it be considered rude if I gave away my '04 DVDs to friends as Christmas presents? They've only been watched once.
Post
#251143
Topic
Lucas on Colbert
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/251143/action/topic#251143
Time
I watched the show yesterday (recorded from the night before on VHS) and I was pleasantly surprised that "George L" entered the Green Screen challenge. Of course, I knew that George was going to "lose", that was the whole point of him being on the show.

Some interesting things, however. When Jar Jar appeared, he made fun of Colbert's talking like a Gungan. George, when asked if he owned all the Star Wars movies he said most of them, but wasn't so sure about "Episode I". That was nice of George to throw a bone to us PT bashers

Stephen has bashed the PT quite a few times (in a humorous way, of course) on his show, so I was quite surprised to see George make an appearance, regardless.
Post
#246142
Topic
Waiting for Episode VII during the lean years (1984-1998)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246142/action/topic#246142
Time
Originally posted by: CO
The reason fans like myself bash ROTJ, is because it is not of the quality of SW & ESB. When you look at ROTJ as just a sequel compared to many other sequels, it is a really good film. But when you compare it to SW & ESB, you are following true greatness, and that is why fans are so tough on it.


I would rate ROTJ a *** (out of 4) film, while ANH and ESB are **** classics. ROTJ is not a bad film by any means, I did find it very entertaining.

And for whoever said ROTS is better than ROTJ, I disagree, it is on par with ROTJ, they have really great moments and really bad moments. The problem with ROTS is, I call it Episode III: The Movie Montage. The last hour is a just a collection of undeveloped scenes that we all waited 20 years for, showed by Lucas set to music, and that is it. ROTS is average at best as a movie, but the plot points are what make it interesting and that is why many fans think it is so good. To me it is like a Greatest Hits CD that I have of several of my favorite bands, so I don't have take all their individual CD's in my truck with me. Maybe I should call it, Episode III: The PT's Greatest Hits.

I mean in all honesty, what do you see in the last hour that any of us diehard SW fans couldn't have done on screen. Lets see: Show Bail Organa delivering Leia to Alderran for 10 seconds, check. Have Yoda say Leia goes to Alderran, and Luke goes to Tatooine. Show Vader being built for 15 seconds, and then he rises from the table, check. Have a lightsaber duel over a volcano that goes on too long, and has zero drama in it, and just let them flail at each other. The only reason anyone of us like ROTS, is it is a collection of cool images we were hoping to see since 1983, but overall it is not a great movie.


I rate both TPM and AOTC ** while I consider ROTS to be *** 1/2. Maybe it is a retread and could be considered a "Greatest Hits" package (I'll concede that point to a certain extent), but after 6 films, I was surprised that old George Lucas was able to pull it off. I went in with very low expectations and to just satisfy my curiosity, and I liked it enough to go for a repeat viewing and buy it on DVD. I think that Anakin's acting performance was 100 times better than it was in the previous film. The only weakness is that not enough was done to provide motivation for Anakin's turn (although I really liked the line, "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil"). "Nooooooo!!!!" was kind of corny, but I sort of liked it.

So I think that Star Wars fans fall into these categories:

1. Lucas apologists who think that the prequels and the SEs are far superior to the OOT. Greedo really shot first. And Jar Jar is simply awesome.
2. The casual fan who goes with the flow: prefers the OOT and doesn't care much for Jar Jar but still enjoys Eps. 1-6 as a whole
3. Those who prefer the OOT + Revenge of the Sith, hates TPM + AOTC.
4. Those who only like the OOT and hate all of the prequels
5. Those who only like ANH & ESB and hate ROTJ
6. Traditionalists who disregard the secondary title "A New Hope" and consider "The Adventures of Luke Starkiller" to be the only TRUE Star Wars.
Post
#245839
Topic
2004 DVD crap-o-la
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245839/action/topic#245839
Time
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
I think the SE's, while not perfect, are heads and shoulders above and beyond the quality of the O-OT.
I agree--the O-OT is pure crap. I'm disappointed in George Lucas because he caved in to the demands of the extremist fanboys by putting out the inferior originals on DVD
1) Jedi Rocks is cheesey, but so much easier to believe than the older "rod puppet" Sy Snootles could have ever hoped to have been, and more hot alien chicks seals the deal for me.
What the hell are you talking about? "Jedi Rocks" -- well, it simply ROCKS!!! I love how the entire sequence looks like it was taken out of Monsters, Inc.
5) The new Emperor scene in Empire is entirely better than the old one, dialogue, performance, everything about it is better now.
I agree--"The Son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi" is one of the worst lines of dialogue in cinematic history.
6) I don't see any reason why Tattoine shoulnd't celebrate the return of democracy to the galaxy.

I thought that having Jar Jar scream "weesa free!" was a nice added touch
7) I much prefer the new ending music. It feels more like a whole Galaxy celebrating instead of just the Ewoks.

I love the new age music at the end, it's simply exquisite. I'm also glad that they took out the ghost of that OLD FART, Sebastian Shaw.
Sure it's not perfect. But I say it's still closer to perfect than they ever were before.

I look forward to more Special Editions in the future, so that I can buy them over and over and over again.



Post
#245837
Topic
Waiting for Episode VII during the lean years (1984-1998)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245837/action/topic#245837
Time
I find myself amused that there is a George Lucas apologist in this thread, it brings back memories of those flame wars back in 1999...heh.

I'm not a Lucas hater per se, I take the good with the bad. I think that he redeemed himself with "Sith", showing some of the flashes of brilliance he displayed in eps 4-5. A case can be made that ep 3 is a better film than ROTJ, actually. If you think about it, ROTJ is closer to TPM and AOTC in terms of quality except that it has Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Alec Guinness and Darth Vader in it, thus preventing it from being hated as much as the first two films of the prequels.

Maybe one day I'll get eps 1 & 2 on DVD on the premise that they're "so bad that they're actually good", lol. Or maybe there will be a "Special Edition" hack job of the PT that is so horrible that it will create the rationale for a www.originalprequeltrilogy.com petition site and I'll rush to the stores to get the DVDs before they're recalled by Lucasfilm.
Post
#245386
Topic
Waiting for Episode VII during the lean years (1984-1998)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245386/action/topic#245386
Time
Originally posted by: cador
My "review" of the 2004 DVD set


We TRUE Star Wars fans will enjoy and relish the changes that George Lucas
has made to the upcoming Star Wars DVD set while you cynical "Han shoots
first" fundamentalist extremists stilll wallow in your hatred. We
appreciate what Lucas has and still does, why can't you?

To which someone replied: "Shutup, fag!" -- LOL

Post
#245385
Topic
Waiting for Episode VII during the lean years (1984-1998)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245385/action/topic#245385
Time
Originally posted by: cador
Did Han Solo really shoot Greedo first in ANH?


Now to get a few things off of my chest. I'm sick and tired of you racist
homophobes who don't like Jar Jar Binks. Star Wars is about poltical
correctness, diverisity and multiculturalism, and if you got a problem with
that: sod off you stupid wanker! You deserve to be branded and imprisoned
because you are a hate speech criminal. Jar Jar haters are no better than
the "forces of darkness" that the visionary Lucas has spoken out against.

I have a question for you Jar Jar haters: if everyone hates Jar Jar so much
then how come TPM is the highest grossing Star Wars movie of all time? Can
millions of true Star Wars fans be wrong?

The truth is Jar Jar Binks and TPM make ANH and ESB look like shit, OK? Jar
Jar is a much more interesting and more inclusive character than that
mysoginist Han Solo. His fans are typical male chauvinist anti-choice pigs who voted
for the right-wing racist cowboy George Bush. If you don't like Jar Jar
then you are not a true Star Wars fan. Racists like you deserve to be
stripped of your civil rights. I believe in freedom of speech but hate
speech like this should be banned and its practicioners should be imprisoned
for life.

lol
Post
#245384
Topic
Waiting for Episode VII during the lean years (1984-1998)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245384/action/topic#245384
Time
My first experience with Star Wars was seeing "The Empire Strikes Back" in the movie theater in 1980. I remember being very excited when I found out my parents were taking me to see the movie, my curiosity for the Star Wars universe being piqued from playing with another kid's Star Wars action figures. I remember really liking the movie, the scenes that stuck with me was the battle with the AT-ATs, Luke encountering Vader in the Dagobah Cave, Han getting frozen and of course, "Luke, I am your father". I really liked the movie then, but I was very bummed out at the end because the "good guys" lost. Of course I was pleased when all of those loose ends were nicely tied by the time "Return of the Jedi" came out. Being a little older by then, I noticed the "Episode VI" in the opening crawl thinking "Wow! Were there 3 other Star Wars movies that came out before the original Star Wars? The next year (1984), I watched the original Star Wars for the first time when it was aired on network TV. I made sure to pay very close attention to the opening crawl for the words "Episode IV". I asked around and no one knew what the hell I was talking about when I said that Star Wars is actually part four in the series. Everyone basically called me an idiot, lol. It wasn't until about 3 years later when someone made me VHS copies of the original trilogy on one 6-hour tape that i was finally vindicated and had physical proof about the whole IV, V, VI thing.

So, I just made the assumption that Episode IV (it's secondary title being "A New Hope"), was actually the first movie that was made and that the series of Star Wars movies would be made in a non-linear fashion. Noticing that the release dates of the 3 movies (1977, 1980, 1983), I was slightly disappointed when Episode VII didn't come in 1986, 1989, 1992, etc.

Those "lean years" built up a lot of anticipation in me for the next Star Wars movie. I scoured newspapers, magazines, bought countless comic books to satisfy my appetite for any information on upcoming Star Wars movies. I sat bored watching those horrible Ewoks live-action made for TV movies. I recall a Mad Magazine feature called "The Star Wars Log" giving some humorous speculation about future episodes in the 12-part "Star Wars Saga -- Part I" (to be completed in 2014, lol):

STAR WARS LOG from Mad Magazine circa 1981 (reprinted in 1988)

With each passing year, and with no new Star Wars in sight, I yearned more and more. I even remember dreaming about watching Episode VII in the movie theater then waking up in a cold sweat, disappointed that it wasn't real. If you must know, in my dream version of ep. 7, the Rebel Alliance destroys the last holdout in the Empire--20th century planet Earth (yeah, I know it contradicts "A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away..." but most dreams basically have the logic of a David Lynch film). I was actually one of the pilots in a Rebel squadron and I heartily destroyed my home planet. At the end of this ep. 7, Han and Luke infiltrate a prison colony to obtain information on a new threat and they get captured and it ends in a cliffhanger. The freaky part is that a couple of years later, I dreamed up Episode VIII (and I remember the subtitle: "Where Free Men Have Lived and Died!") where Han and Luke break out of said prison colony.

So you see, I really liked Star Wars (to the point where I was having a series of recurring dreams about future episodes!!)

Imagine how it was like for me when I found out through my college's computer terminal (connected to the then-young Internet) in 1994 when I found out that Episodes I, II and III were in the works. I even went to see "Star Wars: The Special Edition" on opening night (I hated the changes, so I refused to see the other two SEs, but I incorrectly assumed that these were just "special" and that the OOT would still be considered "official" ). When I downloaded the first bootleg trailer for "The Phantom Menace", I was elated. Finally, after 16 long, excruciating years, we were getting a new, official, Star Wars adventure.

When May 1999 rolled around, I read the first reviews that were coming out. Most of them were mixed, but I just assumed that it might be rust on George Lucas' part and that the new movie was still Star Wars. If it was halfway as good as the original trilogy, I would be satisfied.

I've only watched "The Phantom Menace" once in the theater. I. Could. Not. Believe. That. I. Waited. Sixteen. F*cken. Years. For. This. Piece. Of. SH*T.

There was no stage of fanboy denialism on my part. I knew what I saw was a big turkey rolling right before my eyes. What we were witnessing was George Lucas suffering from severe artistic and creative senility.

Anyway, just like Comic Book Guy, I vented my hatred for TPM on the internet and I was subsequently flamed to death by fanboy apologists. I remember their talking points very well:

"There was no way that the new Star Wars movie could live up to everyone's expectations"
"Give it a chance. The first movie was not supposed to be as good, it introduced the context of the story, etc."
"The lightsaber duel is the best of the entire series!!!"
"The pod race was absolutely awesome"
"There were many subtle nuances that were more sophisticated than the original trilogy."
"The movie is actually good if you can ignore what Jar Jar is doing."
"The Phantom Menace is the highest grossing movie in the franchise. Can millions of fans be wrong?"

Ugh. I got the impression that the fanboy apologists were actually paid hacks planted by Lucasfilm on the internet. Maybe they were paid, but I think in retrospect, it was just a simple case of denial on their part. I even resorted to not-so-subtle trolling to get my point across:

My response to fanboys complaining about the delayed Phantom Menace DVD release
Phantom Menace is better than Lord of the Rings movie
Did Han Solo really shoot Greedo first in ANH?
My "review" of the 2004 DVD set

"The easiest way to destroy a cause is by becoming it's most excessive advocate" -- Nietzsche (quoted from memory).

As for "Attack of the Clones", I hated it even more than TPM, but I actually liked "Revenge of the Sith".

So... how was it like for you guys when you waited for a new Star Wars movie during '84-'98?
Post
#242614
Topic
2006 OT DVD: Poll: So What are You Going to Do?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/242614/action/topic#242614
Time
I just found out about the "Original Original Trilogy" DVD coming out today while I was at Wal-Mart and saw a promotional poster for them ("Limited Time Only"). I thought I missed out on the promotion but a quick search of the internet and this site confirmed the September 12 release date.

I asked for and received the Special Edition (2004 version) DVD set for Christmas a couple of years ago and to be honest, I didn't mind the changes made to Eps 4 & 5, but I absolutely loathed the hack job done to Return of the Jedi (the Jabba house band now looks like Monsters Inc, Jabba screaming "weesa free!" and Hayden Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw), so what I'll probably do is buy Ep. 6 this Tuesday and I'll donate my Ep 6 special edition DVD to a library or give it to a friend of mine. I don't feel justified in re-buying eps 4-5.

Of course, if I had known that the "Original Original" was coming out in 2006 I wouldn't have asked for it for Christmas back in '04. I thought it could be possible for Greedy George to release the OOT _eventually_ but I assumed that his ego would hold out for 10 years at least.I'm just surprised that the OOT is coming out on DVD this soon (anamorphic controversy aside). I guess pigs can fly, after all.

As for those of you who still want the anamorphic versions (doesn't affect me, I'm still satisfied with my CRT TV), I think it's obvious that George Lucas wants to milk Star Wars for every possible dollar and that an anamorphic OOT DVD set will probably eventually come out. Perhaps for a 2007 30th anniversary boxed set containing eps 1-6?
Post
#86704
Topic
I absolutely hate the "new" ROTJ
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/86704/action/topic#86704
Time
I got Star Wars on DVD for Christmas. I was dreading the new changes, but went ahead and watched the movies in the following order:

Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars (ep 4)
Return of the Jedi

The only Special Edition I saw was ep. 4 at the theater in 1997. I boycotted the rest of the SE based on the botched Greedo scene and the horrible entry into Mos Eisley (you know the CGI robots that looked totally out of place).

I found the new ESB and ep4 to be not too bad. I liked the extended scene with the Wampa clutching to his severed arm. I like the scene with Biggs. I was happy that Luke's scream was edited out. I didn't really mind Boba Fett's new voice. Ian McDarmid replacing Clive Revill is also not that bad--but I still prefer the original dialogue ("The Son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi"). I found that Vader's voice didn't quite sound like James Earl Jones as he asks for his shuttle. If George Lucas felt the need to add this scene so badly, couldn't he have called JEL and asked him to speak that line and then have it recorded? I kind of liked the improvement on the new Greedo scene--though Han's head does skip. I still hate the fact that Han steps on Jabba's tail. I also hate Luke and Obi Wan's entry into Mos Eisley with the CGI robots having a scuffle. And Luke's sabre is green when he uses it in the Millenium Falcon (I could ignore this by imagining to myself that lightsabres have a color setting...)

But after watching these two movies, I was thinking "so far... not too bad". And I put in ROTJ in the DVD player with some sense of renewed optimism...

UGH. YUCK. TERRIBLE.

The "new" Return of the Jedi is by far the worst botched job in the history of movies. This is worse than the Greedo scene from the 1997 SE. I can't believe that the changes made to ROTJ have not elicited more fan backlash than TPM and AOTC.

Changes come to my mind, that have absolutely ruined SW for me:

-the new song "Jedi Rocks"
-Hayden Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw
-Ewoks' "Yub Yub" replaced by cheezy muzac music.
-Weesa free!!!

The original song "Lapti Nek" was one of the coolest moments in SW history. And now GL has erased this and put in a "Monsters Inc" type of music video called "Jedi Rocks"... this looks completely out of place. It's like the new entry into Mos Eisley--but it's 10 times worse. It makes the 1950s diner scene in AOTC look cool by comparison. The rest of the changes that I'm comlaining about, pretty much speak for themselves.

Although I consider ROTJ to be the weakest of the O-OT, it's still a good movie (better than TPM and AOTC anyways). Is George Lucas insane and senile? This is the only explanation I can come up with for the decline in the quality of Star Wars. Even artists who are past their prime are capable of showing flashes of their former brilliance (think Beethoven's 9th or Iron Maiden's "Brave New World"). But George Lucas completely pisses on his past work. I think he has some secret bet with the Illuminatti where he will prove that he can make absolute crap and put the name "Star Wars" on it and still make billions of dollars off of it.

I can't believe that the same man who made "American Graffitti" and the 1977 version of "Star Wars" is giving us ROTJ re-edits, TPM and AOTC.