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lord3vil

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7-Aug-2006
Last activity
2-Dec-2007
Posts
97

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Post
#235367
Topic
POLL: WORST ACTOR OR ACTRESS IN THE PT?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/235367/action/topic#235367
Time
Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape

[...] Howard the Duck.

Actually, when I was a kid, I thought Howard the Duck was a horror flick and for some reason, I believed he was some kind of evil Chucky type of character. I never got around to actually see the movie, and nobody I knew had seen it either, and I didn't ever dare to ask my parents to rent it for me, so it took several years before I discovered what sort of movie it really was. How's that for bizarre?
Post
#235328
Topic
The definitive list: changes you can and can't stand...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/235328/action/topic#235328
Time
I guess I'm in the minority by very much preferring the new celebration song at the end of ROTJ. I've always disliked the whiny Yub-Nub, and I was almost getting worried Lucas might edit in Barney the Dinosaur at the end there to chime in with the muppet show singing goodbye. My ideal version of the ending would be the new song with the old Endor only celebrations. (The CGI and particularly Hayden is atrocious.)

As for Lapti Nek and Jedi Rocks, I've never cared much for either song. Again though, the new SE CGI for this scene is intrusive and annoying at best, so in the end I'll opt for Lapti Nek here.
Post
#235180
Topic
one month and counting
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/235180/action/topic#235180
Time
Originally posted by: Darth Lars
I'm waiting for the reviews.

I second this! Actually, I haven't bought a single DVD release of any of the star wars films. The last versions the movies I bought was an OOT VHS boxed set almost exactly ten years ago and a SE set on VHS just after they were released. I was looking forward to finally getting my hands on the resources I need to edit together my own perfect version of the OT, but looking at the poor quality of the 2004 DVDs and the upcoming WS versions of the OOT, it looks like I'm going to have to bite my fingernails for another few years.

Post
#234724
Topic
.: The XØ Project - Laserdisc on Steroids :. (SEE FIRST POST FOR UPDATES) (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/234724/action/topic#234724
Time
I appreciate the amount work being put into this preservation effort. Great work guys! Unfortunately, I know little about the old LD technology, and so I have to wonder why there appears to be no way of getting hold of the LD data other than doing analogue captures. It seems that getting hold of the raw digital image data, as stored on the disk itself, isn't possible for some reason. Why is this?
Post
#234715
Topic
What did the Prequel Trilogy need?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/234715/action/topic#234715
Time
Originally posted by: CO
Actually I am one of the many that actually hate Jar Jar with a passion, cause his whole antics showed me that Lucas really didn't have a handle on how these movies should play out.

I understand this point of view as well, although my feelings for Jar Jar are limited to a sullen contempt as he's just part of the problem. Even with Jar Jar removed from Episode 1 (as most of the fan edits have done), it is just a dull film even though it isn't as annoying anymore. This is also evidenced by the last two prequels, which had very little Jar Jar in them, but still didn't come close to being viable stories. I actually tried to watch AOTC again yesterday, and even though I skipped past the romance scenes, I still had to turn the movie off halfway through. It was just too boring.

Post
#234713
Topic
What did the Prequel Trilogy need?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/234713/action/topic#234713
Time
Originally posted by: Tiptup
Yeah, he definitely ruins the drama and gets in the way a lot, and is perhaps the single greatest element in TPM that makes it lose its Star-Wars feel. But, I can still handle him as a character if I expect nothing from the film other than what it offers. Perhaps that's just me though.

I think this is correct. Had Lucas decided to market these films as, say, Clone Wars rather than Star Wars with a different logo, no opening crawl or at least a different one and so on, basically something along the lines of the Ewok films, then chances are most people would have had fewer problems with them, since it would have been much easier to just let the new "brand name" establish itself as the story played out over the years. However, when Lucas decided to market the new movies as a direct prelude to the OT, being part of the same story on the same level as the original films, he invariably created a lot of expectations since everyone used the older films a measuring stick for what these new films would and should be like. Of course, marketing the PT under a different name would most likely have generated a lot less interest in the project, and so less money for Lucas, which likely goes a long way to explain why he never seriously considered that option.
Post
#234518
Topic
What did the Prequel Trilogy need?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/234518/action/topic#234518
Time
Originally posted by: Tiptup
About Jar Jar [...] Again, there's nothing particularly good about him, but I can tolerate him in my amusement I guess I could say. Also, I was always sort of impressed in a technical way at how they could make a digital character look almost decent next to everybody and on real movie sets (most notably after seeing how horrible the digital Jabba looked in those scenes with Han Solo in the special edition of Star Wars).


I totally understand this perspective, and it makes very much sense. Also, Lucas has stated something along the lines of what you say pretty explicitly in that he saw the inclusion of a completely digital actor alongside real ones as a technological challenge he wanted to master. I have no problems with any of this at all, and as much as lots of the CGI and SFX look plasticky and unreal, I don't really care about that either. I don't actually hate Jar Jar, but I see him more or less as the personification of the greater problems with the films. In the end, my issue is really with the inappropriate storytelling. I was looking for a light hearted science fiction fantasy fairy tale about the great and epic struggle between good and evil told in such a way that kids and adults, young and old alike, would marvel and rejoice at this great tale, because that's the sort of entertainment the OT was. This is what made and defined Star Wars to me, and to me the PT just doesn't feel like Star Wars, except perhaps for a few and brief moments.
Post
#234469
Topic
ADigitalMan's Guide to MPEG2/AC3 Editing
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/234469/action/topic#234469
Time
Originally posted by: MeBeJedi

I'm away from my main computer, but look under the Video menu (I think), and then Compression (someone please correct me.) You will see a list of codecs, and I'm betting that the first setting - Uncompressed/RGB - is selected. The codec of choice on these boards is called HuffyUV, and it'll get your filesize down well below 100GBs.


Is HuffyUV lossless btw, so as to allow for multiple compressions/decompressions in order to save space during the edit phase?

Post
#234417
Topic
What did the Prequel Trilogy need?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/234417/action/topic#234417
Time
I just watched ADigitalMan's fan edit of Episode 1, which he named "A Vergence in the Force", yesterday. Now let me say that I've only ever seen the theatrical cut of Episode 1 once, on opening day back in 1999. I've tried to watch it again on a few later occasions, but the poor and rampant style and execution gets at me every time and I just have to shut it off. To me, the worst aspect of the movie is the excessive slapstick in general and overexposure of Jar Jar in particular. In ADigitalMan's edit most of this has been cut, and after so many years I was eager to get my hands on a version I could watch until the end credits, which I did. My compliments to ADigitalMan for his skillful and outstanding editing work! Having said that though, the movie is still too long and it still doesn't come close to working for me at all, in spite of the fan editor's talents and good effort.

In general, whereas the OT comes across to me as a timeless, lighthearted and epic fairly tale, the PT just comes across as a commercial turn-of-the-century marketing effort. As far as Episode 1 goes, I don't feel anything for any of the characters, except for Jar Jar who still fills me with contempt every time he shows up onscreen. Even most of the other aliens either act or look corny and cartoonish: The nemodians, Boss Nass, Watto, Sebulba, the pod race announcer creature and even the charismatic Jabba we knew from ROTJ has been turned into a visage for slapstick comedy in this film. Episode 2 and 3 did only slightly better. The OT introduced C3PO, R2D2, Jabba the Hutt, admiral Ackbar etc. There's just no comparison for me.

As for the perpetrators of the PT, Darth Maul has always appeared to me as just another very uninteresting, old and kitchy style satanic character that wasn't given nearly enough screen time to be an effective enemy. This is much of the reason why the final saber fight in Episode 1 has no emotional impact on me whasoever. Dooku in Episode 2 is better executed for sure, but I still don't care. Give me the OT any day of the week.

When it comes to costume design, the PT has nothing that comes close to the visual coolness of stormtroopers, TIE pilots, snowtroopers, biker scouts, Darth Vader and Boba Fett, except for the obvious variations on the stuff created 25 years earlier. I don't really care that the imperial soldiers can barely see through their helmets, the OT wins hands down. As for spaceship and set design, I'll take the death stars, TIE fighters, X wings, Y wings, Millennium Falcon, star destroyers, cloud city, AT-ATs and AT-STs over anything I've seen since.

Save for a few pieces of music, I also find John Williams score for the PT to be rather uninspiring. I don't think he is as creative today as he was in his earlier years, but what he was given to work with for these films didn't make things easier for him of course. The fantastic score of the OT is an integral part of the films that contributes immensly toward keeping the viewers emotionally attached and some of the pieces stand well even on its own, without the movie to support them. As far as sound effects go, the OT gave us the on/off, hum and clash of the lightsabers, the blazing lasers, the shrieking TIE-fighters, Vader's breathing and voice and the list goes on.

I'm going to download ADigitalMan's edits of Episode 2 and 3 as well, since this is probably the only way I can make myself bother to watch these films again, and I'm sure I'll enjoy them much more than the theatrical and DVD releases.
Post
#233632
Topic
Idea: My own version of the OT
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233632/action/topic#233632
Time

Originally, I had absolutely no plans to pick up the Sep 12 release, but after realizing that it contains just about everything I need in order to recreate the OT the way I’d personally like to see it, I might just do it after all. I’ll definitely hold off until I see some review for the quality of the WS version of the OT though. In any case, whenever I get around to creating my own films, I probably won’t spend more effort on it than what I’m willing to invest over again at a later point if the films get released in a superior format, such as HD-DVD or BluRay. Able to spend only a limited amount of time on a project such as this, these are the changes I’d make using the 2004 DVD as a basis:

ANH:

  • Reinstate Han shooting first
  • Remove the Jabba encounter

ESB:

  • Remove/replace the cloud car flyby before we see Leia in the window in Cloud City
  • Remove the “Anakin has offspring”-line, but keep Ian McDiarmid as emperor
  • Reinstate original Boba Fett dubbing (I completely disregard the PT so I prefer the original actor)
  • Reinstate “Bring my shuttle!”

ROTJ:

  • Perhaps reinstate Lapti Nek (haven’t seen the OOT many years, so I’m going to have to dig out my old VHS tapes and compare it to Jedi Rocks before I make a decision on this)
  • Remove CGI celebrations from the other planets, so Endor only and keep the new song.
  • Reinstate Sebastian Shaw (Seeing Hayden Christensen in this scene was no less than a horrific experience. It completely ruins the very end of the trilogy for me, and I feel much better covering up the left half of the screen during this scene until I can get it fixed!)

Too time consuming to fix:
Things which I unfortunately just don’t have the time to deal with: Color calibration, which appears to be all over the place in the 2004 DVD release; Luke’s green saber in ANH; lots of poor quality audio and poor audio mix, especially in ANH; lots of minor issues such as unretouched laser bolts, minor goofs and annoying CGI.

Other thoughts:
Perhaps somebody has already created fan edits which include all of these specific changes, and more? Anyone? I’ll have to be a good man and purchase the 2004 DVD set for myself first before I embark on the PIF route though. I have to say that I admire the healthy spirit of the fan editing community and it’s great to see the effort people around here are willing to put into helping each other out! As for Lucasfilm, for lack of releasing the OOT, I can at least appreciate them for how they appear to tolerate the non-profit distribution of fan edits.

Post
#233610
Topic
My personal Special Editions
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233610/action/topic#233610
Time

Well done, keep up the good work.
...
He's quite the fast editor isn't he? Should be finished in no time!
...
That was what he originally intended to post. He just didn't have a keyboard with those letters in it the first time. He had to set aside his vision and settle with something less.

I, for one, am glad to see that technology has finally allowed him to post his original thought.


HAHA, thanks for the laugh folks! Apologies, I posted some thoughts on creating my own version of the OT/SE that didn't really belong in this forum. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Post
#233416
Topic
The lost song from Jabba's palace
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233416/action/topic#233416
Time
I'm looking for the song which is played in Jabba's Palace right after Leia disguised as a bounty hunter hands Chewbacca off to Jabba's guards. The song is also played on the sail barge. As far as I've been able to gather, the original recordings for this song were lost long ago and it has never been included on any of the official soundtracks. I've seen the title "Sail barge dance" float around, but I don't know whether this is the real name. (I can tell you though that this isn't Baroque Recital, Jedi Rock or Lapti Nek I'm talking about.) If it's indeed unavailable from official sources, then perhaps someone has tried to reconstruct it from other sources? Does anyone know whether it's possible to get it from somewhere?
Post
#233025
Topic
What Special Edition changes (if any) did people like?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233025/action/topic#233025
Time
Actually, I'm going to go so far as to say that I would have preferred the 2004 remastered special editions over the originals had the following changes been omitted:

ANH
- CGI jawa and droid slapstick (not funny, serves no purpose, feels very inappropriate and out of place)
- Greedo shoots first (detracts from Han's character, original is also much better executed)
- Jabba encounter (though I'm somewhat indifferent to this, it serves no purpose, better to save Jabba for ROTJ)

ESB:
- Cloud car flyby before we see Leia in the window in Cloud City (simply CGI showoff, serves no purpose)
- "Anakin has offspring"-line (unneccessary, though other than that the new McDiarmid scene is fine, I think)
- New Boba Fett dubbing (I tend to simply disregard the PT, so I prefer the original actor)
- "Alert my star star destroyer..." (poor line, poorly delivered, "Bring my shuttle!" is simply much better)

ROTJ
- CGI celebrations from the other planets (Again, I disregard the PT, so I prefer the Endor only version, though I very very much prefer the new song over the old one)
- Shaw replaced by Christensen (atrocious, it completely ruins the very end of the trilogy for me)

I might have forgotten a couple of things, but other than that, this is pretty much telling of the fact that I'm indifferent to or even applaud the vast majority of changes Lucas decided to make to the films. Unfortunately though, due to the issues mentioned above, I still prefer the originals. I have to say though that, if Lucas someday honors the OOT with a proper release, I will be tempted to attempt to stitch together my very own special edition of the movies. If I could have the movies with the omissions listed above, then those would be my own and personal ideal versions, and I would prefer those over the OOT and the current SE.