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canofhumdingers

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Join date
7-May-2005
Last activity
7-Sep-2024
Posts
1,285

Post History

Post
#1531425
Topic
<strong>The Mandalorian</strong> - a general discussion thread - * <em><strong>SPOILERS</strong></em> *
Time

Yeah this season feels like the show has definitely lost its way (ha).

It’s funny, I can see a lot of parallels between the three OT films and the three seasons of Mando. S1 is a lot like SW, new and refreshing and exciting and works on its own and appealed to a ton of people and had a wide open sandbox feel. S2 mirrors ESB in that it upped the stakes and delivered high tension drama with a huge cliff hanger but also began the shrinking of the sandbox which alienated some fans of the first one. S3 is much like ROTJ in that it is a significant step down in quality in many areas. The writing is worse, the acting often feels phoned in (Han…), it’s more kiddie/Saturday morning cartoon in its overall vibe. Hopefully it at least pulls together and delivers an epic, powerful finale like ROTJ was able to do.

Shifting gears…

While I like the character Bo Katan, shouldn’t she be rather old by now? She was already an adult during the Clone Wars. This is like 30 years later, no? It just seems like she should be in her 60’s at least. Am I missing something?

Post
#1528039
Topic
<strong>The Mandalorian</strong> - a general discussion thread - * <em><strong>SPOILERS</strong></em> *
Time

I don’t think Favreau was underestimating anything. That sounded very much like a political non-answer.

In fact, he doesn’t actually answer the question. He responds with a question of his own and then starts going down that trail about why the original question is irrelevant without ever actually answering it. Total political evasion.

But I agree, it was terribly disappointing (though not at all surprising) to hear.

Post
#1527801
Topic
Reimagining the OT with more realistic space physics
Time

Yeah. Star Wars ships were never meant to move realistically. They knew how space travel worked in 1976. They were literally landing people on the moon just four years prior.

Star Wars ships were intentionally made to fly and maneuver like 1940’s fighter planes. Like so many other things in Star Wars they took something familiar and put a new skin on it.

The analogy of a Honda Civic moving sideways doesn’t really work. A Honda is a real world vehicle. X wings and TIE fighters are not. But they were intentionally designed to mimic real world things from our past. A better analogy might be a newly designed car-like object that moves in the same fashion as stagecoach. And with that in mind (making something new mimic something familiar/old) I think future audiences will accept it just fine.

I think the fact that it will be (is?) an old movie with old effects, old makeup, old sound design, old dialogue, etc will ruin it for people before it hits that “uncanny valley of the familiar”. Much in the same way old silent films or even talkies from the ‘30’s are a difficult watch for most audiences today.

And finally, SuperweaponVII is right to point out (as has been done many a time) that Star Wars is, at heart, a swashbuckling fantasy with a sci-fi veneer. To lean so deep into the hard science would destroy what makes it Star Wars.

Post
#1526953
Topic
<strong>The Mandalorian</strong> - a general discussion thread - * <em><strong>SPOILERS</strong></em> *
Time

Yeah I thought S3E1 fell flat on it’s face too.

But I’m not surprised. They absolutely shot themselves in the foot when they completely nuked the dramatic tension set up by the finale of season 2 in one episode of not-his-own-show. BoBF completely ruined Boba Fett’s return AND Mando season 3 in one fell swoop. So many awful decisions with that show.

I’m still hopeful that we get something more exciting with a fight to retake Mandalore but it’s not staring out on the right foot at all.

Post
#1511905
Topic
<em><strong>ANDOR</strong></em> - Disney+ Series - A General Discussion Thread
Time

Maybe it’s just the limited circles I run in but I haven’t seen many people claiming this is better than the OT. But I have seen plenty of people (myself included) sing its praises for all the strengths you mention. It’s flipping GREAT television and it lives up to the high mark set by the OT that preceded it while also doing something quite fresh and different than said OT. It’s not really “better” but it is really good and it’s also new and those things have people excited.

Post
#1511475
Topic
<em><strong>ANDOR</strong></em> - Disney+ Series - A General Discussion Thread
Time

Episode 10 might be the single best episode of tv I’ve ever watched. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. My hands were literally shaking during the climax it was so tense and exciting. And it’s not like it was a new idea or story that’s never been done before. But it was done SO SO well, from the build up to the execution. An absolute masterclass in how to execute a classic trope.

And good gravy the dialogue and acting from Mon Mothma and Luthen!! This show has absolutely BLOWN past any expectations I had. Just phenomenal in every respect.

Post
#1509419
Topic
<strong>STAR WARS: REBELS</strong> (animated tv series) - a general discussion thread
Time

I finally finished Star Wars Rebels last night. Since the show ended over 4 years ago, I’m not going to hide any spoilers.

Overall I enjoyed the show. But it’s not without its faults. My biggest complaint, and one I’ve seen from many others, is the rebels’ victories seem too big in some cases which kinda flies in the face of the original opening crawl “Rebel ships, striking from a hidden base, have won their FIRST victory…”. The finale, freeing an entire planet from imperial rule, particularly feels way out of place to be happening before the events of ANH. Likewise, the final summary of certain characters being in major OT battles felt off and/or shoehorned in.

I also don’t love how “common knowledge” the Jedi are among all the other characters. Not that they know Kanan or Ezra. But that everyone knows what a Jedi is and immediately knows they’re Jedi when they see a lightsaber or force use. And that like all the imperials down to the lowest button masher knows. I’ve always been of the opinion Jedi were very rare even before the empire (10,000? 100,000? In a galaxy of billions upon billions? VERY rare) and that the Empire would do everything in its power to hide, bury, obfuscate, belittle, and destroy any knowledge or belief in the Jedi. To the point that the lowly grunts wouldn’t have even heard of them.

My other gripes are mostly just Filoni-isms. He always has to bring in his favorite characters that he created and then he can’t let them go. I thought Ashoka was actually handled pretty well but the Clones shouldn’t have stuck around after their initial couple episodes. And we get it. You’re obsessed with wolves. Stop forcing that into all the media you work on.

Now, with the negative out of the way, I’ll end with the positive. This show NAILS the adventure and fun of the OT. It looks, sounds, and FEELS like Star Wars. It’s almost everything I would want in a Star Wars cartoon.

The visuals in particular are just spectacular. Going back to the treasure trove of McQuarrie and Johnston concept art was absolute genius and a huge benefit to the show. There are some really breathtaking establishing shots throughout the series.

The characters are all likable and engaging each in their own way. Even “standard Disney male hero” Ezra turns out to be a decent character.

I love the mysticism of the Force in this show. It gets back to that “magical space wizard” feel of the 70’s in all the right ways. Even the loth-wolves. Though Filoni might’ve leaned into them a bit too hard because of his personal opinions, I did like the basic concept of how they were used in connection to the force.

So yeah, perhaps it bends continuity a little too far but overall this is a really great Star Wars cartoon!

Post
#1509310
Topic
<em><strong>ANDOR</strong></em> - Disney+ Series - A General Discussion Thread
Time

Anchorhead said:

Another question for the board, if you would indulge me.

In keeping with the above comments, the response does seem to be overwhelmingly positive. For me, it’s the deeper story & characters, the realism, and most importantly the lack of connection to The Saga. However, I do have a close friend who isn’t all-in and in fact has some criticisms. We have a weekly evening nerd call where we discuss all things film & TV pop culture. We tend to stay primarily on Marvel, Star Wars, and DC.

His criticism of Andor is that it’s so grounded in an Earth-like reality that doesn’t offer a real escape from a long work week or our real world stresses and problems. The very thing I like most about it is the part that has disappointed him. His biggest criticism was from an episode or two back where we see Syril at home with his mom. He gets up, goes too he kitchen, eats a bowl of cereal, and then gets ready to go to work - where he sits in a cubicle wearing a suit & tie.

As he says, the world and our culture are a mess and life can be very stressful, is it too much to ask for just one hour a week where he isn’t reminded of it. I absolutely get that and I agree. It’s nice to step away even for an hour or so.

He says for him it was just too much like Earth to offer any escapism. I found the Earthiness to be a bit interesting (the cubicle part, going on a job interview, etc), because a great many of us may exist in that very world. I’m very happy with the show, where he wants more droids and aliens. Note: he was very happy that the vacation planet offered up what he’d been missing.

What say the board: Too Earth-like or no?

Sounds like your need a new friend. Lol.

Nah, I guess I can see that criticism even if I completely disagree with it. I’m fortunate in that I don’t work a cubicle job and my work life is pretty low stress and enjoyable. So escapism isn’t a needed aspect for me to enjoy something.

And I agree with you. Seeing the “slice of life” aspect of Star Wars and the mundane bureaucracy of the Empire and all the infighting and ladder climbing inherent within has been really fun and fascinating! Of course, it helps that the writing and acting is just superb to sell the interest in the mundane. With a lesser creative team behind this it could be a total train wreck of boringness. But it’s not! It’s SOOO good!

Post
#1507190
Topic
<em><strong>ANDOR</strong></em> - Disney+ Series - A General Discussion Thread
Time

Yeah, this show has been fantastic so far. Political intrigue. Spy thriller. Seeing the nuts and bolts that make a galactic empire function. And the cast is phenomenal. Mon Mothma in particular really stands out as she navigates the treacherous world of fighting the machine from inside while dealing with her loveless home life. But the acting overall has been top notch.

This show is more BBC high drama and less Saturday matinee action serial. Both are great fun and have their place, but it’s refreshing to get such an intelligent show from the Star Wars universe.

Post
#1505584
Topic
<em><strong>ANDOR</strong></em> - Disney+ Series - A General Discussion Thread
Time

Anchorhead said:

Vladius said:

I think what you’re getting at is that Han’s story is more of a classic romantic adventure, whereas Cassian’s story is deliberately less glamorous. Though when he becomes a spy and goes on spy adventures that will change.

It is more classic romanticism. As to all the things you pointed out about Han, none of that happened until Ben and Luke came into the picture. Prior to that, I don’t see anything in 1977 that suggests he lives anywhere near as dangerously as Cassian or with anywhere near the constant fear and desperation.

Our first introduction to Han is he’s negotiating a highly illegal and dangerous smuggling deal to pay off a crime lord who he owes a LOT of money. Then he has a deadly shootout with a bounty hunter in a bar that’s so seedy hardly anyone bats an eye at deadly violence happening in their midst. Han’s life might be more classically “romantic adventure” than Cassian’s but I’d hesitate to call it less dangerous.

Post
#1505069
Topic
<em><strong>ANDOR</strong></em> - Disney+ Series - A General Discussion Thread
Time

Binge watched all three episodes last night. I’m really digging it! Can’t wait to see more.

The private security company reminds me of the Corporate Sector Authority from the Brian Daley Han Solo novels, which is a very good thing. In fact a lot of this show reminds me of those novels. I don’t have a lot to say that hasn’t already been said but this show is doing a really great job making Star Wars feel “real” again.

Post
#1494074
Topic
One thing you wish were still canon
Time

Darth Malgus said:

I don’t pay attention to the concept of “official Canon”. To me it’s Canon what I decide to be Canon. So, I don’t want anything to still be Canon, simply because for me it’s Canon everything I decide it is, and I don’t give a s**t about what Disney says. In my head, many of the things that are considered as non-Canon are still Canon, and vice versa. So, I don’t need to wish that something is still Canon, simply because for me many things have never stopped being Canon to begin with.

The Clone Wars Multimedia Project = Canon
The Darth Bane Trilogy = Canon
The Old Republic stuff = Canon
The Force Unleashed = Canon

TCW = Non-Canon
Rebels = Non-Canon
The Mandalorian = Non-Canon
The Sequel Trilogy = Non-Canon

I get this and in general agree. However, official cannon does matter in how it affects new projects and media. And that can affect whether a story works for someone or not.

I very much dislike the idea that Anakin built Threepio. But for all official media that is the way it happened and all future stories will be written with that as his origin (should it ever come up again). There’s likely no chance of having a story told in new media that deviates from that history/origin except in a “what if” type scenario.

Post
#1488467
Topic
What is your main way of watching the Original Trilogy?
Time

Thanks! We’ve been doing the final equipment install and calibration over the last two days. In that process we’ve had to put some things up on the screen to verify aspect ratios and things are set correctly. Among other non Star Wars films I’ve viewed a few minutes of 4K77, 4K83, and Rogue One. It’s an 11 foot wide cinemascope screen with a native 4K projector. They all look amazing!

Hoping to watch 4K77 in its entirety really soon. And maybe 4K77 2.0 pretty soon from the sound of things. 4K80 will be a top priority as soon as it’s available and 4K83 will follow that naturally.