joefavs

I think this might be the dumbest debate I’ve ever witnessed here. Which is really saying something.

Currently watching the new 4K 25th anniversary edition of Jurassic Park, and totally counter to my expectation, I think the CGI looks a lot better than it did on the 1080p blu-ray. Is this just a side effect of the HDR, or could they have re-rendered some of these effects?

Storage, time, doubt about when I’ll actually be able to sit down and watch it. I’m sure I won’t get to it this weekend in any event, so I won’t download anything just yet.

My dilemma right now is do I go to the trouble of downloading this now, or do I hold off until the DNR version hits, since I know that’s going to be the one I keep watching into the future. Decisions.

I hate that the guy who does most of the audiobooks sounds more like Patrick Warburton than Harrison Ford when he does Han.

Collipso said:

i’ve never read anything about any of the past celebrations, so i don’t know something that ought to be basic: do i need a ticket to get in or do i just show up and i’m good?

You need a pass. You can either get a day pass or one for the whole weekend. It’s essentially a convention like any given comic con, just entirely Star Wars.

Not sure if this warrants its own thread, but it looks like Celebration 2019 is going to be in Chicago, which is close enough to me that I might actually make it out to this one (Chicago and Orlando are actually more or less equidistant from me, but I’m doing a lot better with money than I was in 2017 so it feels more doable). Anyone else considering it?

New clip!

http://youtu.be/DgaC0ytqdv4

“The Asteroid Field” theme gave me the biggest, dumbest grin.

Eh, I like having both days. I see the 4th as being about what’s going on currently in SW and the 25th as all about the past. I usually watch whatever the most recent film was on the 4th and the original on the 25th. Planning to have my first proper TFA/TLJ double feature tonight if I don’t end up going out anywhere.

In before “actually, the real Star Wars day is May 25”

In light of current events, I’ve suspended my Last Shot read in order to read I’ll Be Gone in the Dark so that I can get up to speed on this Golden State Killer stuff. Last Shot was beginning to lose my interest anyway, so hopefully a break from it will get me back on board. The flashback stuff with the mad doctor is some of the most interesting stuff in any of these books, but the “present day” story isn’t doing much for me.

someone once pointed out to me that Anakin building C-3PO isn’t really that weird if you’re watching the movies in chronological order. That way, it isn’t “Hey, turns out the villain from the OT built that goofy droid from the OT!”, but rather just “This kid built a droid and it changed hands among several people that were in overlapping circles with the kid for the next couple decades”. I still don’t love it, but it doesn’t really irk me like it used to when I think about it like that.

Anyone else have issues with the TLJ soundtrack LP? I bought a copy the other day and it skipped like crazy on the main title right out of the sleeve. I exchanged it for another copy today, and the new one does the same, so I’m thinking it has to be something wrong with the pressing. Luckily the rest of side A seems to be fine; I’m not far enough into it to know if the problem is only with that first track or the first track of each side. Anyway, has anyone else here run into this?

C-3PO spouting hacky zingers in the droid factory and subsequent battle in AOTC. Nothing else even comes close.

Certainly not enough to put it in greatest-ever territory, but speaking of Battlefront II, I’m enjoying the shit out of the Ewoks vs. Stormtroopers mode.

It looks like one of the two theaters in Boston that’s set up for 70mm is doing it June 1-14, and then the other one has it June 15-24, so the window could be a lot wider than those three days depending on where you are.

Why do they have to be producing on a galactic scale? It could be a weird little niche brand.

Kashyyyk looks better in Battlefront II than it does in the actual movie.

Anyone else reading Last Shot? I’m about 70 pages in, and so far, this feels the most like a Legends book out of all the canon stuff I’ve read. I think it’s probably because it’s so unabashedly about two OT main characters in their prime, which we haven’t really had yet in canon (Heir to the Jedi was Luke on his own [and lousy], and the two Leia-centric books had her alone too, as well as significantly younger and older than the OT time frame). Anyway, I’m having a lot of fun with it.

Last Shot was delivered to my kindle this morning, I plan to start it on my lunch break. Looking forward to it.

Watched the first half of the HBO Elvis Presley doc last night and enjoyed it immensely.

Adopting a star system, because after another OT/ST watch-through I’ve decided I have too many ties for a straight list to be practical. No surprises here if you’ve paid any attention to my other posts; I haven’t radically shaken up my opinion on anything. I just think this reflects my feelings better than a proper ranking.

★★★★★
Star Wars
The Empire Strikes Back

★★★★
The Force Awakens
The Last Jedi

★★★
Return of the Jedi
Rogue One

★★
The Phantom Menace

★
Attack of the Clones
Revenge of the Sith

The tone and pacing of the ST are absolutely spot-on for me, and those are far and away the most important aspects of a Star Wars viewing experience for me, so on the whole i’m a happy camper. My one major complaint is that the political situation is sketched too lightly. I’m an EU guy, so I’m personally well aware of what’s going on, but if I was just going off the movies I wouldn’t have any sense of that wider context.

NeverarGreat said:

The most satisfying aspect to the trilogy for me is the energy of this new cast. Finn and Poe escaping the Star Destroyer was more triumphant than anything in the prequels.

This too. I adore the new cast.

Lord knows I dig some polarizing directors (cough Godard cough), so I don’t begrudge anyone their Ashby love, but I think I’ve now come to understand that he isn’t for me.

A Night At The Opera (1935) - hadn’t seen this in seven years or so. Still love it to bits. The part around the middle where Chico and Harpo play music for the folks in steerage is absolutely mesmerizing. Beautiful, lovely film.

Being There (1979) - I wanted to like this. I really did. Lots of people who I respect never tire of singing Hal Ashby’s praises, and even though I hated Harold and Maude, I was willing to chalk that up as an honest miss and give the guy another chance. But this supposed masterpiece was every bit as cutesy and preposterous as H + M. Peter Sellers’s performance was reliably amazing, so it was worth watching for that at least, and there were more than a few undeniably beautiful visual moments, but I just could not get behind the writing. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t think I’ll be going out of my way to watch anything else of Ashby’s again.