I think if you want a character who becomes less interesting the more you learn about him, you need look no farther than Boba Fett.
What’s the point arguing with Imp’scum?
It could have some value as a Kobayashi Maru kind of exercise.
I’ve heard good things about Guardians of the Whills. The consensus seems to be that the only thing that makes it a YA novel is it’s length and that otherwise its as adult as anything else that’s out. I’ve heard nothing about Rebel Rising one way or the other.
I’m about a third of the way through Phasma and it’s not at all what I expected. There’s a hefty dose of that old Legends-style weirdness, which is kind of a welcome surprise. There’s an espionage frame story that’s kind of neat, and Phasma’s pre-military life has almost a Mad Max vibe, which I feel like we haven’t seen before. It’s not as good as Thrawn or Bloodline, but it’s certainly more interesting that a fair few of the other canon novels.
I think it evokes Vader’s TIE and the bomber in addition to the interceptor. It’s interesting that it has the Imperial color scheme rather than the First Order. I wonder if it’s actually a leftover prototype from the old Empire?
We can revive Nar Shardaa…
Already reestablished as of the second arc of the ongoing Marvel comic 😃
I picked up both yesterday but I’m not sure which I’m going to read first. I’m leaning toward Phasma right now just because Claudia Gray is a known quantity at this point and I’m curious as to how Delilah Dawson does Star Wars. Also, she said on Twitter the other day that she wanted to please people who “own 4 different versions of Episode IV”, and the fact that an insider was willing to acknowledge that there even are multiple cuts filled me with good will.
Force Friday II releases aside, I’ve been wondering lately if we’ll ever see another large-scale adventure with established characters in a book once the ST is finished. I get that they’re holding off on that kind of thing now because the movies are filling that role, but I really hope we eventually get some one-offs like Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor again instead of everything either being on a very small scale or exclusively featuring original characters.
My ranking:
★★★★★
- The Empire Strikes Back DESPECIALIZED
- Star Wars DESPECIALIZED
- Return of the Jedi DESPECIALIZED
So you like despecialized movies more than the actual originals? Huh.
I certainly like watching them over any official version. The picture and sound quality is miles ahead of the official product and the SE changes have been erased to the point that I can’t tell they were ever there.
I’m not talking about versions or what is out there but what the movies actually are. It’s like saying my favorite movies are The Terminator Special Edition DVD and Terminator 2 Skynet Edition. When ranking films it’s odd to see them specifically categorized as despecialized versions and not actually the movies that were actually made.
The special editions changes throw off the tone for me. I consider them to be completely different movies.
I don’t think that’s what he’s getting at. It’s weird that you choose a specific unofficial preservation rather than just saying “the theatrical cuts”.
See, I quite like the Jabba stuff; it’s everything slowing down to a crawl between Dagobah and the Battle of Endor that spoils it for me. I love the beginning and I love the end, but I find the middle to be a slog.
(My ranking hasn’t changed, but I haven’t stated it in a while, so ANH = ESB > TFA > ROTJ = R1 > TPM > AOTC = ROTS if anyone wonders where I stand)
I mean, if they made it I’m sure I’d watch it, and maybe even love it if it was well done, but it doesn’t seem like a great use of time or creative energy to me. I’ve never been particularly interested in that story beyond the broad strokes Ben gives in the OT. Better prequels would be a perk, but it’s not something I’m fiending for and if you gave me an hour I could probably think of a dozen other movies I’d rather have.
I’m just tired of the focus on the character in general. I wouldn’t mind some new stuff set around the same time as the prequels focusing on different stuff, but I’m too bored with the whole “Tragedy of Darth Vader” concept to want another crack at it, regardless of quality.
God no. Six more years of movies about Anakin Skywalker is the absolute last thing I want.
Oh dang, I thought it was a Frankenstein situation between the two; didn’t realize both were included. I’m happy I asked before sitting down and watching it front to back with the wrong mix.
Would you consider reverting the Krayt Dragon howl to the 1997 version for 2.0? Not a huge deal, but I feel like the 2011 sound effect is the aural equivalent of R2’s rock.
RE: soundtracks, TFA introduced no fewer than four memorable and eminently hummable themes (Rey’s, Kylo’s, March of the Resistance, and Jedi Steps). None of the prequels had more than two. R1 was indeed comparatively weak (apart from the Whills theme), but you can’t expect much else without Williams on board.
This is absolutely gorgeous. It’s hard to believe this is still the Lowry transfer. Even the CGI looks a lot better when the colors are this good. Endless thanks for all your work on this; I’m sure a lot of folks are (rightly) psyched about this being the basis for future Despecialized editions, but as a child of the 1997 tapes I’m going to enjoy the hell out of having an SE that doesn’t look like I’m watching it through purple sunglasses for its own sake.
I was just about to ask again if any decisions had been made about release format. There is indeed a dual layer version, then? I’ll order discs immediately. I think I’ll watch this back to back with Rogue One this weekend.
The only way I could see this working is if it’s an anthology film in the spirit of the old Tales from Jabba’s Palace short story collection. Do a frame story with Jabba and then a handful of segments following different characters present at the palace. You could play around with genre a whole lot. There could be a Western segment, a horror segment, a gangster film segment, etc.
I can’t really narrow it down to a single favorite movie, but ANH and ESB are in the very top tier for me.
He resents us because we’re having a better time than he is.
I can’t wait to find out who they’ll name as the replacement director when they start all the reshoots!
I can’t wait to find out who will make this lame joke next!
I quite liked The Reader when it came out, but I haven’t seen it in almost a decade. As to whether or not Ewan will be back, I think he most likely will, but I’ve also seen it suggested that this might be set before TPM and follow his training. That seems doubtful to me, though, given Liam Neeson’s age. The Qui-Gon character is so beloved among the PT crowd that I can’t see them recasting the role or writing him out, so in guessing they’ll just cover that story in other media.
This had better be a Yojimbo-Seven Samurai/A Fistful of Dollars-Magnificent Seven mashup where Kenobi plays Tatooine’s criminal elements off of each other in order to protect some innocent moisture farmers.
Now if he’d care to elaborate, maybe an actual discussion would follow.
I actually prefer this to having that discussion again.
I hate to so consistently be the “any update?” guy, but I have to ask: any update?