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zombie84

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21-Nov-2005
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12-Jan-2024
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3,557

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Post
#317065
Topic
Possible 30th Anniversary Airing of the Holiday Special?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/317065/action/topic#317065
Time
This seems unlikely, especially considering a dubious source ("a sister of a friend, in Australia...") that hasn't heard anything in over a year. But would be cool if true, which I doubt--if anything was done to celebrate the special, even a tongue-in-cheek "isn't this awful" kind of mockery, complete with documentary's and such, it would more likely be made for a wider release and not some obscure Australian specialty channel, unless that is exactly the case and the Australian network is just getting rights (though they say it is a Fox thing, but CBS controls the rights).

I'd like to see this happen, but I doubt it. On the other hand, Lucas was going to release the Holiday Special on VHS in the 80's, so who knows...
Post
#316763
Topic
How would the GOUT look upconverted on a BluRay player?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316763/action/topic#316763
Time
Nyuck nyuck nyuck.

I know what you are saying though, from an entertainment point of view its close enough to the same film. But I would argue that the coloring errors alone massively bring down the watchability of the SE. I'm not that huge a SE hater but its gotten to the point where the coloring alone makes it unviewable to me because I can just watch the original version where it looks nice and not a mess, irrespective of the negative "enhancements" that are found in the SE. And again, if it ain't broke don't fix it, so its highly distracting to see something that never needed alteration have changes made that make the film worse.
Post
#316761
Topic
How would the GOUT look upconverted on a BluRay player?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316761/action/topic#316761
Time
Johnboy3434 said:

Blackjack said:


think of it like this:

the UDT
(Un Destroyed Trilogy) is like looking at a slightly grainy picture of a beautiful landscape (or whatever suits your fancy).

the 2004 versions are like looking at a crystal clear picture of a pile of shit.


As funny as that was, you do realize that the unaltered and special editions are 90% identical, right?


Just like the DNA between chimps and humans are 99% identical. Its the little details that make the difference. :p

Just a hunch, but I don't think many people here subscribe to that train of thought.
Post
#316713
Topic
New 'The Clone Wars' movie trailer
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316713/action/topic#316713
Time
Fang Zei said:

I figure it's Lucas sticking too closely to the Campbellian idea of "the hero returns home at the end." It's been forever since I read Shadows of the Empire, but as I recall, they actually do "rendezvous on Tatooine" at the beginning and then somehow end up back there again at the end.


Thats possible, but I have to say the idea of Lucas just recycling stuff from ANH but remaking it on a grander scale is much more consistent with all the other stuff in ROTJ. The Campbellian idea actually requires that there be consequences to his return home (ie that he returns in triumph and people actually recognize it, you know its Ulysses at the end of the Odyssey); in ROTJ theres none of that going home, and the only acknowledgement that Luke used to live there is a passing wise-crack Han casually makes. Its probably just coincidental (especially since that line sounds more like something Lawrence Kasdan wrote--I don't believe its present in the drafts Lucas did).
Post
#316557
Topic
What order would you show the Star Wars movies to your kids?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316557/action/topic#316557
Time
I'd show them the OOT, and if they really liked those maybe I'd show them the PT one day. Actually I'd probably just show them TPM. But I don't think there will really be any moment where I'll sit them down and "unveil" the films, I watch them regularly so they will probably just grow up with them. That was how it was with me; I have no memory of first watching ANH because I was under two years old, its just kind of "always" been there. The only film I might go out of my way to play for them is TPM because I think thats a really good film for young kids but I doubt I'd watch it a whole lot myself.
Post
#316520
Topic
Star Wars - The Vintage Edit (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316520/action/topic#316520
Time
Knightmessenger said:

Those screens look pretty amazing. However I think any correction from the 2004 colors will never look perfect because a lot of detail was lost in crushed blacks, detail that actually is on the Gout. The colors are accurate but I don't think it's possible for anyone to remove the digital shiny look that flattens everything out. It's like boosting the shadow on a digital photo that turned out too dark. Everything comes out brighter like it should be but the subtle different shades of dark grey areas are all the same. The 2004 versions just don't have the film texture and natural grain which the gout and other versions do.
It's not that I think you're doing a bad job or should stop, it looks like you have made an amazing improvement. I just wonder if LFL is actually going to do a release of the ot that is a competant transfer at all (for any version). If these projects along with the Close Encounters and Blade Runner sets don't embarass them into getting it in gear, I don't know what will.


That may be true, but its a hell of an alternative to the GOUT. I can't forsee LFL cleaning up the OOT within the next few years because as far as Lucas himself states the SE itself won't be available in HD until at least a while longer.
Post
#316411
Topic
The original inspiration for Star Destroyers?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316411/action/topic#316411
Time
Actually, that picture is closer to the early prototypes than to the final design. I have to believe that, given the sci-fi fandom going on by the people involved in the films making, and given that Lucas constantly was handing out comic books and pulp sci fi stuff as reference, that this is not a coincidence.

At the same time though, its not that original a design. I mean the whole "wedge shaped spaceship" had already been done to death. But still, this is probably one of the specific points of reference Lucas was using. Excellent find!
Post
#316405
Topic
Why is the GOUT not anamorphic?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316405/action/topic#316405
Time
An anamorphic transfer would yield better results than most player-based zooming/upscaling, but its really besides the point that the transfer itself sucks because its from 1993. I have lots of non-anamorphic DVDs but they look fine because the transfers themselves are good, they yield considerable detail (and since I don't have a widescreen TV anamorphism is an irrelevant issue). The only version of the Abyss that you can get on DVD is non-anamorphic but it looks really good in spite of that.

The issue really just comes down to: the GOUT was an extra that was thrown on "as-is." The 1993 transfer is non-anamorphic so the GOUT is non-anamorphic. End of story. No work is to be done, the main point of the release is that the films are available individually, this is just an extra being tossed on to get people to buy, along with a demo for the latest video game of the time. Lots of extras are non-anamorphic, perhaps even most extras, at least back then.

Why are the menus anamorphic? Because DVD authoring software is anamorphic by defeault. Making anamorphic menus takes no additional labor, you just tick the box that it is 16:9 and this is the default that you start with.
Post
#316387
Topic
State of the Trilogy/ annual SW depression
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316387/action/topic#316387
Time
lordjedi said:


McCallum told everyone they were waiting to see which format would win. If one format didn't win, they were going to look at digital downloads. Well, Bluray has won. LFL hasn't said a thing. If it was that important to them, I'd expect some kind of announcement. Maybe we'll hear something at Comic-Con, but I don't have my hopes up.


Actually, Lucas commented recently. He said now that Blu Ray has won, Star Wars might come out "in a few years" when the format "finally takes off", or words to that effect.

WTF? Talk about the worst, most over-cautious business strategy. But then its just like DVD. This is the company that released a TPM Laserdisk in 1999 but waited until late 2001 before putting it out on DVD, and then waited so long in getting around to making their big super saga DVD boxset that by the time they could start working on it DVD had become obsolete.
Post
#316338
Topic
opinions - how the release of the original to theatres was different than the new three films.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316338/action/topic#316338
Time
Tiptup said:

Anchorhead said:


Star Wars took the world by storm because that's exactly what it didn't set out to do. It was created with the idea of film first, franchise second. Once that changed, so did the quality of the story.


From everything I know of the production history of Empire, that art vs. franchise switch didn't really occur until the box-office returns came in for the film. Before that, George still had a passion for adding interesting story elements and he invented most of the key plot details. (Zombie can correct me if I'm wrong though.)


He always did, really. As sentimental and nice as Anchorhead expresses, its really not as accurate as it seems. Lucas retained merchandizing rights way back in 1973 when he started making it he had "visions of R2D2 mugs and action figures" when he was writing-- just as a fun tie-in the way they had robbie the robot toys in the 50's and stuff like that. Besides which, many feel ESB is a much better picture--whatever honesty Lucas had lost was made up by Kershner, who if you examine the behind-the-scenes history really believed in ESB and really tried to do something special with it, often to contrary of Lucas' wishes. Its Kershner's film, not Lucas', and I think thats why ESB is special. But the issue is very complicated, and cannot really be summed up so succinctly.
And really, thats another thread--I'm really enjoying reading these memories here, lets keep them coming. I'm not so much interested in debating what the technical truth behind the situation is because its interesting simply to hear the perspective of people who saw the film back then and how they view it, which is really the point of this thread.
Post
#316333
Topic
State of the Trilogy/ annual SW depression
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316333/action/topic#316333
Time
PaulisDead is your only hope...

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Star-Wars-The-Vintage-Edit/topic/8069.

Just forget official LFL stuff, it will only frustrate you. Personally I am fine watching my VHS when I have to. But the link above is a version of the OOT in HD quality. So thats basically what we ought to be looking forward to. Depending on how good it is, it may nullify any efforts on the part of Lucasfilm since this is close enough to a remastered OOT.
Post
#316262
Topic
New 'The Clone Wars' movie trailer
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316262/action/topic#316262
Time
C3PX said:

Oh, and maybe we will run across a young Han Solo being raised by Wookies in a very Tarzaan/Jungle Bookish fashion. That would be a winner!! Maybe Boba and Han will meet and become good friends, but somewhere down the road Han still Boba's first love away from him, forcing him to swear vengence on Mr. Solo. This way there is a great deal of added depth to Boba's character, instead of merely chasing after Han for money like bounty hunters do, Boba will be following his heart. Thus making Star Wars all about the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker, and a little bit about the tragedy of Boba Fett. Who knows, maybe we will even get Boba force ghost photoshopped in right between Yoda and Obi-Wan.


Lucas already tried that in Episode III after all. In the rough draft, Han Solo helps Yoda while on Kashyyk. He cut it out--but we all know how he likes to re-use old ideas. Blurgh.
Post
#316234
Topic
Boba Fett?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316234/action/topic#316234
Time
Just to be specific it is this:

http://www.starwarz.com/tbone/plugins/p17_image_gallery/images/1130.jpg

And thank god you found that otherwise it would have drove me crazy. It appears that the person given the above photo didn't know who Fett was and thought it was the guy beside Fett (Boskk). Its also interesting in that Boskk to the best of my knowledge is never seen in the film.
Post
#316220
Topic
Will your interest in the Star Wars universe be affected...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316220/action/topic#316220
Time
I have to say, I'm a sucker for behind-the-scenes stuff. I didn't buy the Vault because its mostly "the history of Star Wars swag", but I'll probably buy the couple "Art of" books that I'm still missing and if they ever do companion books for ESB and ROTJ the way they did for "The Making of Star Wars" I'd buy those in a heartbeat, and stuff like that "Sculpting a Galaxy" looks somewhat interesting (I'll probably pass since I already have "The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives" which is the same thing really, except instead of crappy PT on the side you get cool Indiana Jones stuff).
But as for anything else, I can't really see myself ever buying SW merchandise; to be honest, I haven't been a SW merchandise-buyer since I was a kid really. I don't read the books or comics since they all suck, and I'm not a gamer. And I really do not understand this "collecting" thing, theres really nothing special about the toys, its such a waste of money. I mean I can understand the odd purchase if there is a really well-done sculpt that you'd like to display, I mean I have more than a couple McFarlane products, but so few Star Wars sculpts are worth owning. People like Steve Sansweet scare me, frankly.

I think the last Star Wars purchase I made that wasn't a VHS/DVD or a behind-the-scenes book was when TPM came out and I bought a bunch of the movie tie-in comics and the novelisation.
Post
#316071
Topic
New 'The Clone Wars' movie trailer
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/316071/action/topic#316071
Time
CO said:

Zombie, I agree there is crap in every era of movies, but the ones you named are sequels, the originals were never cheesy. Of course there are great movies today: LOTR, The Matrix, Batman Begins, but those movies are either PG-13 or Rated R and kids just don't see them in the theater.

The tricky thing from the 70's/early 80's is that they were able to appeal to both markets. A movie like Star Wars worked for kids, but worked for adults/teenagers too, LOTR isn't trilogy I am going to show my 5 year old nephew.


Raiders is hardly a movie for five year olds and neither is Jaws; Jaws in fact would very likely be rated R without a few trims. BTTF, Raiders, maybe even Superman, would all be PG-13 movies today. I didn't list any R movies in the list I compiled. Men in Black is a perfect analogy to BTTF, for example, and its PG-13, just like BTTF likely would be today.

Maybe Jaws would be poorer made if it were filmed today, but its a sort of accident anyway, you can't plan classics like that they just happen. Today you have stuff like Pan's Labyrinth, which is on par as an adult fantasy film that expertly made and probably will never be repeated. I think movies like Batman Begins and LOTR show that there are an equal amount of character-oriented movies than can appeal to adults. I mean, in the 70's-80's what do you have? BTTF, ET, Star Wars trilogy, Raiders and Superman-Superman II. So thats eight movies. The rest of that era is mostly crap, worse crap than today in many cases, I'm afraid. Today you have LOTR trilogy, Pirates Trilogy, Superman Returns, Batman Begins, Men in Black, Spiderman 2, Harry Potter and its sequels, Chronicles of Narnia. Thats 12. And those films, I have to say, are about on par with the 70's-80's list. Maybe you can say the 70-80's bunch is still better, but if so then not by a whole lot, and I think thats the point I'm making--there are still great blockbusters being made, theres just more bad ones covering them up in the mix.