Sluggo said:
theprequelsrule said:
I really hated the way the original action figures had their lightsabers in the figures arm, which you then extended. I know what they were going for, but it didn't work
I thought that was actually pretty clever.
I suppose, but the sabers looked stupid.
zombie84 said:
Hoth-Nudist said:
xhonzi said:
Hoth-Nudist said:
He should have hired an actress that knew and loved SW, an actress that wanted to throw herself into the role with passion.
This never seems to be the case. Look at all of the comic book movies being made where the director has the passion for the character and the actors have to google the name as soon as they get the part.
Maybe, maybe not. But I havent seen a comic movie with a lead actress' performance that was as bad as Portmans. Portmans was the worst and she didnt want to be there. And what an aweful time to pick such a shoddy performance, during the most anticipated films of all time. Your point reminds me of the x-men movies though. Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, and Famke Jansen werent too familiar with x-men prior to their filming, but they fell in love with it and even read some comics. And they loved their job and wanted to be there, and their performances were great for 3 movies. Not Natalie's though. A good actor/actress will read the script, research the role and mentally prepare himself/herself for the performance. Thats Luca$s' fault for hiring Natalie, and Natalie's for not being professional.
I think that's unfair. Natalie Portman is a great actress; so is Sam Jackson. And look at Ewan McGregor in Episode I. There were ton of Oscar-winning actors in this series that gave in shitty performances.
Why? Well, Lucas can't direct actors. Older actors have learned how to just direct themselves, that's why Christopher Lee and Ian McDiarmid gave the best performances, followed to some degree by Pernilla August and Liam Neeson. But Lucas can't direct actors that need guidance, and that's the directors failing. He's also to blame for miscasting any roles if you feel it is the actors after all.
But the main reason is that the script. That's why the actors are shit: the characters are shit. The dialogue is bad, there's no development, they don't behave like real people. Why does Padme fall in love with pyscho stalker Anakin? Who the hell talks the way she does? What makes her character tick? Who are these people? The only scenes that attempt to answer these questions were cut out, and that's not coincidentally the only scene in AOTC that has good acting in it (Padme's parents house).
The fact is, she probably didn't want to be there, but she had no choice--she was tricked. Everyone was. They had to sign up in 1997 and 1996 without seeing any scripts. Think of how Star Wars was regarded back then--god-like. Lucas was a genius! Even though people knew Star Wars never had the best dialogue, it had well-developed, likeable characters you could relate to. So everyone assumed the prequels would have this but not only that, be better! Imagine their shock when they read the script for Episode I. But Episode I is pretty light, it's just setting everything up. But then imagine their shock when Episode II is even worse! They didn't even get the script until the week they began filming (because it wasn't done!), not even the main cast.
So yeah, probably Portman was like "are you fucking kidding me?" Even Hayden Christensen said to reporters that he was "worried" when he first saw the script because he didn't know "how to make the dialogue sound believable." He never found a solution. There is no solution, the character was simply written awfully.
See, if any good actor saw that script beforehand, they would have turned down the role. "Are you crazy? I can't make this work. No one can. This is professional suicide, I'll be laughed at." That's why it's usually shitty actors that take shitty parts, because the good actors have turned down the role. But Lucas tricked everyone because he made them all sign up based on the success of the OT without ever having seen a script or any scrap of dialogue.
Luckily, Portman continued to take good roles after the films. Christensen, well, his whole career is a bit of shame. He's a good actor if you've seen his early stuff, he thought Star Wars would be his big break but now he can't get good roles because no one has confidence in him as an actor so he gets stuck with stuff like Jumper. Same thing happened to Hamill, who was probably the best actor in the OT aside from Harrison Ford and even then maybe better.
I partially agree with you. I think Portman always plays a very similar character (or plays all her characters in a similar way). Jackson is good in certain roles but has limited range as an actor. Or perhaps he has just fallen in love with his bad-ass persona.
George's impatience with actors is indeed a big problem. A lot of the TPM and ROTS dialogue (AOTC was a mess) is serviceable if you are willing to do multiple takes until you get it right - I doubt that was the case. With Portman he must have seen Leon and said "shit, she is amazing" and figured that she needed no real help. I feel bad for Portman - her best performance (Oscar or no Oscar) was as a child. Peaking early sucks.
You are correct: Hamill was (and is) a superior actor to Ford. Ford's problem is that he is conservative and does not take risks. He was awesome - and so not the stereotypical Harrison Ford - in The Mosquito Coast, but it tanked and he has stuck with playing heroic roles pretty much ever since.
The dialogue in the OT is great for the type of films that they are. Ford did not think so ("you can type this shit but you can't say it"), but when you actually see the films the dialogue works beautifully.
Both Portman and Jackson's performances/ delivery actually made the dialogue seem worse. That is quite an accomplishment!
For the most part MacGregor, Neeson, and McDiarmid made it somewhat better or had no effect. That's not saying much of course. McDiarmid was the only one who seems to have understood the theatrical style that Lucas was (stupidly) going for and was also able to tailor his performance accordingly. But even he, at times, seems to have been playing a spoof of Palpatine.
Christensen is all over the board. Sometimes he butchers the dialogue, sometimes he has no effect, sometimes he made it better. I love the look on Hayden's face (in RLM's review of ROTS) when Lucas informs him that he changed his dialogue over the weekend!
I really hated the way the original action figures had their lightsabers in the figures arm, which you then extended. I know what they were going for, but it didn't work
Welcome to the forums.
There are many fan edits. Star Wars Revisited is considered the best of the bunch.
The original trilogy is only available used at this point (on both DVD and LD). You might be interested in some of the preservation efforts you can find in the appropriate forum on this very site. They are actually the best quality releases of the original films. The preservation efforts by the members Harmy and DarkJedi are considered the cream of the crop.
Cheers.
SilverWook said:
Hopefully, things will quiet down around here a bit now that the Blu Ray is finally out.
At least until the 3-D release of Phantom Menace. ;)
Do people on this forums really care about a 3-D TPM release?
zombie84 said:
@ the prequelsrule: Marcia came to me after I wrote the only existing biographical article on her and her work. Our correspondence was not too extensive and she hasn't contacted me since.
You should consider writing her biography. I am being dead serious.
zombie84 said:
This actually makes me want to write to Marcia again. Maybe she will be game for another interview if she knows that lots of people are interested in her work. I haven't spoken with her in a while now.
How freaking cool is it that Marcia Lucas has corresponded with you? I'll tell you how cool: very. How did that come about Zombie?
Jair Crawford said:
- While I'm on the acting... I don't know what it was but Natalie Portman sure had a rough time with this film. She looked confused in like, every single scene she was in. lol
Natalie Portman was fucking awful in all the prequels. Some of the shittiest acting I've ever seen. They had to bring in an acting coach for her in Ep III.
I have never doubted that she took the part only for the fame it would bring her. There were a lot of rumours that she was difficult to work with on "set".
Heilemann said:
There's a piece on the prequel extras disc about bluescreen, which honestly looks like a defense against the criticism of its use.
Pftttt. Figures.
FanFiltration said:
"Battle Beyond the Stars"
The ship has boobies! How cool is that guys?
It doesn't get any better than this.
DominicCobb said:
theprequelsrule said:
DominicCobb said:
theprequelsrule said:
Bingowings said:
As raw footage they are just curios but if placed inside reworked scenes with different pacing they could be a really useful resource to fan-editors etc.
They deserve a clean up at the very least (as far as that is possible) so plenty of potential work for the creative arms of the community.
Ye, I understand this point. I just don't like fan edits from an ethical point of view.
Kind of odd first of all that your name is "theprequelsrule", and that second of all, your on the the forum for fans of Star Wars that are also (for the most part) really into fan edits.
I am here to support the petition for a high quality release of the OOT. I would be happy with a standard-def DVD, in 16:9. That is all you need to be here.
I mean, I guess so. Its just a little odd.
We are all a little odd around here. Wait till you meet Ric Olie.
CO said:
theprequelsrule said:
I wish this were true, but Lucas is a stubborn SOB. As I said in an earlier post he hates the OOT and will never release it. Even if sales were disappointing he would probably just say "fuck it" and move on to the TV series. We will not get the OOT until George is dead and the people who take over (and only care about money) release it. Book it.
Lucas is a stubborn SOB, but he is still a businessman. He can do all of this 'revisionism' shit simply because anything he has released for SW since 1997 has not disappointed when it comes to making money. Whatever you want to say about the PT, whatever you want to say about the 97 SE, whatever you want to say about the 2004 DVD's, they all did HUGE business and made him big profits. So there is no reason in his opinion to change, as he looks at us as just a niche community of complainers who wont ruin his bottom line.
Lucas did an interview with Charlie Rose in 2004, and it was a telling quote (I am paraphrasing), "Lucasfilm was having financial problems in the late 80's and my financial guys came to me in the early 90's and said if you do the PT, here is the projected revenue over the next 10 years. I had to make a decision at that point to either do the PT, or walk away from SW forever."
Don't ever get fooled by his vision bullshit, he is still a businessman first. His daughter even said it, "The complainers will bitch and complain, but in the end they will buy it." As long as that happens, Lucas can keep making the changes. A backlash only works when people follow through!
That was then, this is now. George is loaded (again). He does not need money. The correct business decision would be to satisfy as many customers as possible, while still maximizing proftis. Restoring the OOT would not be expensive (Zombie, Harmy and others can tell you why). So, I am left to conclude that not releasing the OOT is an artistic decision.
DominicCobb said:
theprequelsrule said:
Bingowings said:
As raw footage they are just curios but if placed inside reworked scenes with different pacing they could be a really useful resource to fan-editors etc.
They deserve a clean up at the very least (as far as that is possible) so plenty of potential work for the creative arms of the community.
Ye, I understand this point. I just don't like fan edits from an ethical point of view.
Kind of odd first of all that your name is "theprequelsrule", and that second of all, your on the the forum for fans of Star Wars that are also (for the most part) really into fan edits.
I am here to support the petition for a high quality release of the OOT. I would be happy with a standard-def DVD, in 16:9. That is all you need to be here.
TV's Frink said:
CO said:
TV's Frink said:
Buy or not buy - in my opinion it will have no bearing on the eventual availability of the OOT.
Lets just say for the sake of argument, the sales for this Bluray set are terrible. You don't think that Lucasfilm is going to continue to suppress the OOT? The reason Lucas can keep holding back the OOT is because he knows he has the diehards who will buy anything, and most of the fans on the fence who will waver but end up buying in the end.
The 2004 DVD's were the #1 seller of 2004, so there is no reason for Lucas to worry about the OOT fanbase because he is still making loads of money. His theory is for every OOT fan who boycotts, there is a new (younger fan) who is watching the movies for the first time who will not care. Remember Lucas is still a businessman and as long as the Bluray set sells well, that tells him there is a demand and no matter what fans think of the changes, they will still buy it.The only way this shit will stop is if all the fans on the fence would boycott this release! I bought the 2004 DVD's, so I was guilty of keeping the Lucasfilm train going, but I boycotted it this time because I realized nothing will change until their sales are affected.
I can see this going on and on, so I'll just say it one more time...in my opinion, the sales numbers for this release will have no bearing on the eventual release or non-release of the OOT.
Yep. This is a strange case. Artistic integrity - in a weird, round about, and twisted way - is actually harming the art in question. George has his vision delusion, and will follow it through no matter what. If George didn't care, and just wanted to maximize profits, we would probably have the OOT by now.
CO said:
TV's Frink said:
Buy or not buy - in my opinion it will have no bearing on the eventual availability of the OOT.
Lets just say for the sake of argument, the sales for this Bluray set are terrible. You don't think that Lucasfilm is going to continue to suppress the OOT?
The reason Lucas can keep holding back the OOT is because he knows he has the diehards who will buy anything, and most of the fans on the fence who will waver but end up buying in the end.
The 2004 DVD's were the #1 seller of 2004, so there is no reason for Lucas to worry about the OOT fanbase because he is still making loads of money. His theory is for every OOT fan who boycotts, there is a new (younger fan) who is watching the movies for the first time who will not care.Remember Lucas is still a businessman and as long as the Bluray set sells well, that tells him there is a demand and no matter what fans think of the changes, they will still buy it.
The only way this shit will stop is if all the fans on the fence would boycott this release! I bought the 2004 DVD's, so I was guilty of keeping the Lucasfilm train going, but I boycotted it this time because I realized nothing will change until their sales are affected.
I wish this were true, but Lucas is a stubborn SOB. As I said in an earlier post he hates the OOT and will never release it. Even if sales were disappointing he would probably just say "fuck it" and move on to the TV series. We will not get the OOT until George is dead and the people who take over (and only care about money) release it. Book it.
TV's Frink said:
Ha-ha, I love when someone new comes in and acts like they know everything that goes on here...especially in a 294 page thread in which I made the second post.
Boycott the release if you want. I support that decision. But buy it if you want, I support that decision too. Buy or not buy - in my opinion it will have no bearing on the eventual availability of the OOT.
How can you support both positions? Do you mean you support a persons right to make their own decision on whether or not to buy? I certainly don't support the decision to buy these new, and thus contribute to the problem.
Ah hell, maybe you are right - as long as Lucas is alive, financial concerns will play no bearing on the release of the OOT since George hates those films. So we are probably looking at no OOT until at least 2030 at the earliest. If I still care at that point please kill me.
Bingowings said:
As raw footage they are just curios but if placed inside reworked scenes with different pacing they could be a really useful resource to fan-editors etc.
They deserve a clean up at the very least (as far as that is possible) so plenty of potential work for the creative arms of the community.
Ye, I understand this point. I just don't like fan edits from an ethical point of view.
Meh. Glad it was all removed. These are curiosities and nothing more.
Is it just me, or are all these scenes stuff that seemed to work far better in the novelizations rather than onscreen?
I'm especially glad that I did not buy the blu-rays just for this stuff, like some people probably have.
Whatever happened to Ric Olie? How am I supposed to know if there is a blockade? Or if the shield generators been hit? Or what Coruscant is like?
"They've gone down the ventilation shaft."
TV's Frink said:
I have no idea who this is, but...
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/09/jamie-benning-reviews-the-star-wars-blu-ray-set/
You can skip the review of Disc 7 ;-)
EDIT: That's Jambe? Cool!
So there are some original negatives still in existence it seems.
I would guess that George probably has a 70mm technicolor as well.
Erikstormtrooper said:
It's funny how some people say you can't complain unless you've seen the discs.
Then others say you can't complain if you buy the discs.
Me? I just remember the words of Katie Lucas: "haters gonna hate. And then haters are going to buy the bluray set and keep complaining"
(and I hope this thread calms down before that big pulsing vein in DJ's head explodes)
Was Katie Lucas the one doing Mixed Martial Arts? Do you think she would enter a tournament with stormtroopers in her entourage? How much do I have to pay to make this happen?!
xhonzi said:
And, as a quick aside, this is a fantasy universe that includes both Dark Magic users and cloning technology- I don't see how you can't have the darkest of dark magic users use cloning technology to achieve some kind of immortality and bring himself "back from the dead."
I agree. I always liked the notion of an immortal Palpatine, and really enjoyed Dark Empire. I'm quite surprised that Palpy has not been resurrected in the EU (again). Instead we are stuck with crap like this:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Krayt
Lucas really has the SW fans by the nuts. They will always cave in. Nobody who buys this blu-ray new has a right to complain about anything Lucas does in the future (or has done in the past).
Fixed.
