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speakhard

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Members
Join date
29-Apr-2017
Last activity
15-Apr-2024
Posts
21

Post History

Post
#1536862
Topic
What if the prequels were made in the 80s?
Time

Superweapon VII said:

I used to stan for Kenneth Branagh, but James Spader is now who I picture as my ideal young Obi-Wan.

Interesting pick, right?? I’ll pass along your approval to Russ 😉

Juno Eclipse said:

speakhard said:

Exactly! I think you’ll enjoy our pod if you get a chance to listen to it 😉

I’m halfway through and I love it! ❤️
 

Your Andor review looks interesting, if it is half as good as your ‘Prequels in the 80s’ podcast then you’ve got another new subscriber.

Thoughtful takes on Star Wars from the VHS generation.’ - I love that as a sideline. And your 80’s logo. Very much my thing.

So glad you enjoyed it. We’re coming from a very specific POV but we like to have an open mind!

Channel72 said:

Oddly, the phrase “trash compactor” is never used in A New Hope, or anywhere else in the OT. But I suspect a lot of people are absolutely sure it is.

True enough–but it’s in the script!

Also we’re launching our second, prequel-focused season next week on Tuesday, May 9!

Post
#1496961
Topic
What if the prequels were made in the 80s?
Time

accidental double post, but I will use the opportunity to ask that you upvote the vid on YouTube or rate us on your podcast platform of choice 😉 or follow the links here: https://www.trashcompod.com/reviews/new/

I interview this board’s own Hal 9000 a few weeks back: https://www.trashcompod.com/i-made-some-special-modifications-myself-fan-edits-with-hal-9000/

And I just recorded a cool interview with one the main member of Team Negative 1 that should be coming out in August.

Sorry if I’m coming across as too self-promotion-y, I’ve just been working really hard on this and I’m quite proud of some of the work we’ve done.

Post
#1496960
Topic
What if the prequels were made in the 80s?
Time

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Yeah I was in the headspace of imagining who George actually ended up working with on other films during that time, and didn’t think it was a leap to think he’d end up working with some of the same people. Basically anyone from Willow, Howard the Duck, Tucker, etc.

But I think my favorite picks ended up being for Jar Jar 😉

I also had fun imagining who might direct, operating under the premise that he’d still be a little burnt out and have other priorities like building his companies and raising his kids.

Post
#1496924
Topic
What if the prequels were made in the 80s?
Time

Hello gentle star folk,

My friends and I did a thought experiment a while back: what if George Lucas continued after Return of the Jedi and made a new Star Wars movie every three years, meaning the prequels would have been released in 1986, 1989, and 1992. Who would have been cast? How would the different actors, available technology and, frankly, George’s sensibilities general exhaustion have changed what those movies were?

So we just did an episode of my podcast about it, and it was one of the most fun ones we’ve done. I figured if anyone else in the world would enjoy this discussion, it’d be members of this forum.

Here’s the episode link: https://www.trashcompod.com/prequels-1986-what-if-the-prequels-were-made-in-the-1980s/ (a transcript is available there as well)

But this one in particular benefits enormously from the YouTube version to put faces to actors names, so here’s a link to that directly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3xLMTyICc0

I’m pretty confident either Ron Howard or John Korty would have directed Episode I (1986).

What do you think of our choices?

Post
#1494996
Topic
The Rise of Skywalker: Ascendant (Released)
Time

Octorox said:

speakhard said:
To that end, I try to foster a vibe of thoughtfulness if not outright positivity when we make critiques. I’m still trying to find that balance, and I try to “cast” the episodes with voices I know will bring certain energy to the specific topic.

I noticed that while listening to a few of your episodes and I really appreciate it. A lot of fandom/pop culture podcasts either go for easy criticisms or relentless positivity, and don’t have a lot of room for nuance.

Thanks, I really appreciate you saying that. The vast majority of the Star Wars pods I’ve heard are either uncritically positive or relentlessly negative, neither of which I find worthwhile to listen to. So I’m trying to create the discussion that I would want to hear myself.

Octorox said:

I noticed you haven’t tackled the prequels yet.

Yes, but I certainly plan to. I’ve been trying to pick topics that roughly go in release order, combined with my own personal experience of the films. But I am slowly transitioning in to prequel era topics. On July 27 we’re releasing an episode called “Prequels 1986” where we imagine what the prequels would have been like if George had kept making a new movie every 3 years after Return of the Jedi, and I think it’s one of the best we’ve done.

Then we’re doing an episode where we discuss the famed “Fall of the Republic” fan script that was making the rounds in fan circles in the early 80s, purporting to be the real script for Episode III.

And in the same drawer that I found both the tape of my Mark Hamill interview and the Star Wars Newsletter I made when I was 10, I came across a print out of prequel rumors from various websites in 1997 that are pretty wild, and I want to do an episode discussing those. That’s all a lead up to covering Episode I and the rest of the prequels themselves.

I’m thinking I want to come at the prequels from a different angle than the blow-by-blow I did for the OT films. As interesting as I think some of those conversations are, I’m not sure if they’re enjoyable to listen to for others.

Octorox said:

I’d love to see you dive into them with someone who has the perspective of growing up with those films.

You read my mind 😉 Might you have any interest in guesting on either the TPM or a “growing up with the prequels” episode?

(@Hal, I realize I’m pulling this thread very much off topic, so let me know if you think this should split off into its own thread.)

Post
#1494865
Topic
The Rise of Skywalker: Ascendant (Released)
Time

Oh man I am so glad you all are enjoying the episode on this level, this is exactly what I was hoping for.

@RogueLeader, you pretty much sum it all up. I think you’re right – Lucas, who is fiercely controlling over his movies and his business, ironically is the one who seeded the idea that there can be multiple versions of the same film…and being indirectly responsible for the phenomenon of fan edits.

If Lucas’s aim truly was, as he’s said many times, to create a modern mythology with Star Wars…well, there’s a certain amount of collective ownership that comes along with that. Though I don’t think he anticipated things like fan edits even being possible.

It does demonstrate the malleability of the “text.” Star Wars, though designed to be a cinematic experience, really lives on as an idea. There actually is no definitive text of Star Wars – there are too many versions to choose from with conflicting depictions of the same events! (Does Greedo shoot at Han first or doesn’t he?)

And yeah, the elegance of that TFA restructure not only makes it a better movie in general, but it creates a whole justification for all the other decisions the filmmakers made in making it a “retro” movie. The only reason to do that, it seems to me, is to contrast the few ways in which it differs from the original in order to make a point. I dig your idea about Rey tapping in to the dark side to defeat Ren – it would have made the trilogy’s whole theme of rejecting both dogmas and choosing a new path that much stronger. Alas…

@EddieDean You’re right on the money there. These movies are supposed to be fun above all else. I happen to find picking them apart and discussing them to be part of that fun (as I imagine everyone else on this board does). But the moment it stops being fun, I’ve learned it’s time for me to bow out. That’s actually a line I’ve been trying to strike with this podcast. It came about because I realized one of my favorite things about Star Wars was talking about Star Wars, and as someone who has done creative work in the past, I know that nobody sets out to make a bad movie or make a bad creative decision. It is so much more complex an endeavour. To that end, I try to foster a vibe of thoughtfulness if not outright positivity when we make critiques. I’m still trying to find that balance, and I try to “cast” the episodes with voices I know will bring certain energy to the specific topic.

Anyway, I can’t thank you guys enough for listening, and for Hal for being game to chat with some stranger on the internet.

Hal 9000 said:
The longer I live, the more earnestly I accept the message of the real worth coming with the proverbial “friends we made along the way.”

You are a very wise Jedi indeed, Hal.

Post
#1494585
Topic
The Rise of Skywalker: Ascendant (Released)
Time

Thanks for the shout out, Hal (and for the sub, Octorox)! I know I’ve said it before but I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and many thanks for being game to come on. Like Hal said, I think we touch on Star Wars-related topics that may be of interest to people in this community. I’m trying to track down one of the guys from Team Negativ 1 to talk film restoration for a future episode.

(And at the risk of going off-topic, a couple weeks ago we released an episode I’m particularly proud of, where we listen and react to an interview I did with Mark Hamill in 1996…when I was 12 years old! Check it out: https://www.trashcompod.com/oh-hi-mark-our-1996-interview-with-mark-hamill/ )

Post
#1250176
Topic
Babylon 5 - Broadcast NTSC (4:3)? (Released)
Time

AntcuFaalb said:
2. The intro is strangely in letterboxed 16:9.

The intro was always letterboxed, even on the original broadcast. It’s actually slightly wider 2.35:1 AR intended to give it cinematic scope. I’ll let jms explain:

jms said:
We’ve decided, in order to emphasize the cinematic aspects of our show, that it’s taking more of a movie approach to TV SF…to do the main titles in letterbox format.

And it looks really, really cool.

jms.

Post
#1247332
Topic
Babylon 5 - Broadcast NTSC (4:3)? (Released)
Time

Just a heads up for anybody looking for the laserdiscs: just got an email and apparently JMS is selling a bunch of items from his personal collection that includes laserdiscs. They’ll be for sale on http://www.thejoestore.com/ which goes online about an hour from when I’m posting this. Here’s the full text of the email:


J. Michael Straczynski–creator of Babylon 5 and Sense8, writer for such movies as Clint Eastwood’s Changeling and over a dozen comic book titles from The Amazing Spider-Man and Silver Surfer Requiem to Thor, Rising Stars to Dream Police–has teamed with Jason Davis–of HarlanEllisonBooks.com and long-time editor at B5Books.com–to offer hitherto unimagined treasures from his own private vault via TheJoeStore.com.

“For years I’ve had all these near-mint-condition artifacts from Babylon 5 and elsewhere under wraps,” Straczynski said, "thinking I might eventually donate them to a museum, but after thirty years of thought - I’m very deliberate that way - it seems to me that the best destination would be the hands of fellow fans who could appreciate them. This is particularly important since Amazon and Comet have brought along a lot of new fans who never had the chance to buy any of these now-unavailable treats. That these fans weren’t around In The Beginning shouldn’t preclude them from owning the cool stuff that was created for viewers at the height of the show’s original run.

"However, as a fan myself, I didn’t want to go through eBay or other high-priced auction sites because the whole point is to get these items, many of which have been unavailable for years, into the hands of fans in a way that’s affordable. So Jason came along with this solution.

“All of these items are from my own private collection, from TV series and other projects I’ve done, preserved as I first got them. Most of these items can’t be found at all online, or would be in poor condition. These are mostly mint, still in the box mementos, paraphernalia, collectibles, toys, books and other rarities. In most cases there are only a few of each item, so when they’re gone, they’re gone, and the final chance to get these long-lost treasures will come to an end.”

The online shop goes live at 11am Pacific Time on 9 October 2018 offering virtual shelves stocked with artifacts from the last 30 years of Straczynski’s career: Joe’s short stories (including the paperback adaptations of his Twilight Zone episodes and the elusive, highly-sought-after but never-reprinted B5 tales from Amazing Stories), novels (Demon Night and OtherSyde), and some of his best known comics, most of which are now sold out (Rising Stars, The Book of Lost Souls, Ten Grand, Sidekick, Dream Police and more–as well as convention exclusives, individual copies and entire 12 issue runs bundled together).

TheJoeStore.com has Babylon 5 DVDs, CDs, magazines, novels, bookmarks, and even the long-forgotten promotional buttons, T-shirts and pamphlets that Joe personally commissioned to promote “our last, best hope for peace” in the days before the pilot was filmed and broadcast. (B5 adjacent, there are T-shirts from Joe’s tenure as host of LA’s sf radio show, Hour 25, designed by the late Peter Ledger, who also created the earliest concept art for B5.)

Don’t see what you’re after? Feel free to inquire. We have very limited supplies–often just one or two–of Babylon 5 standees, Laserdiscs, and various action figures and games that we haven’t yet put online, but we’ll brave a journey to the Rim in an effort to fulfill your requests.

Best of all, Joe will sign selected items for a nominal fee.

Every order will be packed with a Joe’s Comics bookmark or sticker, and a photocopy of Joe’s “Sleeping in Light” teleplay will be packed with every order over $100 until our stock of those bonus items has been depleted.

The Joe Store opens at 11am Pacific Time, 9 October 2018. Remember, many items are in (very) short supply, so don’t be late.

Items range in price from $5-100.

Post
#1240369
Topic
Babylon 5 - Broadcast NTSC (4:3)? (Released)
Time

Thought there might be some interest here: I captured a VHS recording of a making of TNT special “The Guide to Babylon 5” that aired in December 1997, right before the premiere of season 5. I left the commercials in because that’s part of the charm of this for me, but I can do a version without if anyone wants 😉

https://mega.nz/#!bw5jiYaY!vZtw42U8uy7spy1pmgi_VMgSl85B5KkwxSEn9FgzdEU

Post
#1237918
Topic
Star Wars Prequels 35mm 4K Filmized Editions by Emanswfan (a WIP)
Time

emanswfan said:

Rendering an opening preview of my single pass color grade of ROTS. I based it roughly on those 35mm trailers posted above but brighter and a little bit more fitting with the looks of TFA and TLJ.

I’ll post a copy on youtube and provide a higher quality download in x265 4k.

Looking forward to it, thanks for your work.