The 'Star Wars' Thread

[LMP]

Yeah, I did catch that. That was a funny joke, but the release didn't match the buildup.

The only other prolonged ones I like are when Peter is asking for Ms. Clifton's attention and when Stewie's asking Brian about his novel and raising his voice.

Other than that, not for me.

Can someone get this walking carpet out of my way?

 

[lazarus]

It should all be in Random Movie Talk anyway.

 

[lazarus]

I didn't want to derail another thread with SW again, but I'm curious:

Who has rewatched The Phantom Menace after having seen Revenge of the Sith?

Because I've heard several people say that the film seemed retroactively stronger after knowing the whole trilogy.

 

[LMP]

Hmm, that's interesting. I may have to try that someday.

As much as I dislike Episode I, it's still Star Wars and I'll probably end up watching it another thousand times before all's said and done.

Did they comment on what exactly is stronger?

 

[lazarus]

Well it just resonates more. I mean, you knew kind of what was going to happen the first time you watch it, but the whole thing becomes a bit more moving knowing exactly what the characters go through.

For instance, the scene where Anakin meets Padme and asks her if she's an angel: It's totally fanboy fodder, but it's a sweet and innocent line. You contrast this with the stuff from the end of Sith and it has a bittersweet quality now. Also, the scene on the ship when he gives her the necklace is PERFECTLY played by both of them, and when you know she will be wearing it during her funeral procession it adds some weight as well.

Also, when you watch the trilogy all at once it's a lot clearer how Lucas mapped out the whole conspiracy of Palapatine's and it's rather brilliant. His whole arc is just great.

I know it sounds like torture, but I'd really suggest trying to do all 3 in 3 days or something, if you can't do it all in one sitting. I don't think the problems are going to vanish, but taking it all as one piece (like many view Lord of the Rings) might make you more hesitant to prequel-bash.

Taken all together, it's just such an amazing undertaking and a type of storytelling that is just going to get more and more rare. The only films that can even sustain this type of multi-film saga are all based on books, and not even all of those succeed (Lemony Snicket, His Dark Materials). The ones that aren't (Chronicles of Riddick, anyone) stand even less of a chance, or in the case of The Matrix films, can't even reach the finish line without stumbling repeatedly and awkwardly. That SW is mainly from one guy's imagination makes it even more impressive.

 

[LMP]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-aLDKsJLGuA&feature=related

 

[lazarus]

And you guys make fun of Family Guy?

 

[LMP]

Aw, come on. It's Colbert.

 

[lazarus]

It's not very funny.

Certainly not as funny as the Star Wars kid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvCVVAfRrFE

 

[LMP]

Nothing can top the Star Wars kid. Even when I did it.

 

[Diemen]

I know it sounds like torture

Yes, yes it does. That's a whole lot of corny lines, overacting/underacting/barely acting and masturbatory cgi overload to watch in one sitting.

I think Lucas's penchant for special effects actually got in the way of the story in the prequels. Character development was laughable for the most part, though I can see what you're saying as far as taking the 3 in to see the grand arc.

 

[lazarus]

I appreciate your fairness. Because to me that arc is just as essential as it is to Lord of the Rings, and perhaps the prequel trilogy suffered by comparison because they were all released three years apart, instead of in consecutive years.

The original trilogy didn't have as many plot threads going on, and the plot wasn't as convoluted. All you needed to know going into Empire was that the Death Star had been destroyed and that Vader escaped, and for Jedi it was simply that Luke had learned Vader's true identity and that Han had been captured.

And I'm not so sure about all the character development being poor so much as the dialogue. Regardless of the quality of the performances, Anakin did have a legitimate arc, and so did Obi-Wan. Padme not so much, although the deleted scenes from both Clones and Sith both flesh out her personal and political stories much more, and should have been added back in for the DVDs. You could also argue that Yoda is certainly humbled over the course of the films, and becomes a pretty tragic character by the end of Episode III.

 

[lazarus]

There's an article in this month's Vanity Fair (the annual Hollywood issue) about the new Star Wars game coming out this year. I think there was a trailer out for this within the last 6 months, but actually reading about the advancements they've made has whet my appetite even more.

I don't own any game systems (at least, none that were made after Sega Dreamcast), but this definitely has me considering buying one to play this.

The story takes place between Episodes III and IV, and unlike the planned television series, this one features Darth Vader in a main role.

It doesn't get any better than that.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/03/lucas200803

 

[No spoken words]

There's an article in this month's Vanity Fair (the annual Hollywood issue) about the new Star Wars game coming out this year. I think there was a trailer out for this within the last 6 months, but actually reading about the advancements they've made has whet my appetite even more.

I don't own any game systems (at least, none that were made after Sega Dreamcast), but this definitely has me considering buying one to play this.

The story takes place between Episodes III and IV, and unlike the planned television series, this one features Darth Vader in a main role.

It doesn't get any better than that.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/03/lucas200803

I have an Xbox 360. I love it. I'm 12. Keep the fucking Wii away from me, though. I still like playing sports outside, on the real.

 

[Lancemc]

Dreamcast FTW.

 

[No spoken words]

The Phantom Menace FTW.

 

[lazarus]

Best. Poster. Ever.

 

[dazzledbylight]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

that IS one of the best posters ever!


only the version I remeber had vader's shaow being a bit more obvious-- darker....

 

[lazarus]

There's a film blog called The House Next Door (which also has writing about music and television) with contributions from various writers, run by a guy named Matt Zoller Seitz. Today Matt posted his own article about silent film vs. sound film, and as an experiment tried watching a handful of modern films with the sound turned completely off. One of them was Attack of the Clones. The whole thing is a great read, but I thought his comments were interesting (and back up much of what I've said in the past about Lucas' directing skills). Here's a little pull quote:

"Awkward lines and bum performances vanish in silent mode, and Lucas' pictorial gifts loom large -- particularly in Clones. The most geographically and texturally diverse Star Wars film, Episode II unreels like a dream, unveiling one striking, sturdy image after another. The compositions and transitions alone put more respected, "serious" epics to shame"

Here's the link:

http://mattzollerseitz.blogspot.com/2008/02/5-for-day-silent-beauty.html

The site itself is well worth a look.

http://mattzollerseitz.blogspot.com/

 

[Lancemc]

Best. Poster. Ever.

You Phail at linking.

 

[No spoken words]

Best. Poster. Ever.

I can't see what it is, but, if it's the Annakin with Vader's shadow poster.....I own that shit.

 

[lazarus]

Me too. I bought the theatrical poster for the first two also. Don't know why I didn't buy Sith's as well, I think my fandom had just burned out at that point, even though each film was better than the last.

 

[lazarus]

You Phail at linking.

It's still showing up for me?

 

[No spoken words]

I had a Sith poster, but it somehow got lost when I moved to Chicago.

The day I saw Sith, I was visiting home, NYC, and this was my day:

Breakfast with an old friend
Met my best friend at Grand Central, hopped the 7 to a Met/Yankee game.
Headed into Manhattan, saw Sith.
Walked over to the Garden, attended a U2 concert.

Yanks, Star Wars and U2 in the same day. It was dork overload for me.

 

[lazarus]

You are the king of time management, my friend.

I hope for your sake you weren't doing Jedi moves a la Star Wars Kid inside the heart.

 

[No spoken words]

More like George Michael Bluth than that kid.

 

[impy13]

More like George Michael Bluth than that kid.

We gotta get a new tape. They're not expensive.

 

[lazarus]

Too bad you couldn't fit a little Afternoon Delight into that packed NYC day, NSW.

:insert La-Mom joke:

yes, I just made up that abbreviation. just testing the waters. actually, someone needs to create a Smilie for her. How awesome would that be? I mean, at this point the closest thing we have is , and you have to just pretend the eyes aren't there, or maybe with the rolling pin somewhere else.

 

[impy13]

How about ?


I'm going to Hell.

 

[lazarus]

Or: