Star Wars Discussion Thread v. Rogue One

[zepp-head]

I read that earlier, and that's good news. I've seen some people whining that it needs to be May, but I'd rather them have a bit more time to put out a great movie.
It's in Disney's best interests to release a strong SW movie that puts people at ease about the continuation of the franchise, even if they firmly wanted to keep to a 2015 schedule. And it's going to do great business for them regardless of what time of year it's released.

It should come out in May...2016.

Or better yet, never.

Also, Saoirse Ronan has confirmed she didn't get the part. 

[Super Dude]

Ah, that's a shame about Ronan. I'm pleasantly surprised to say I like the movies she's been in.

Anywho, new blog post today, a list of three stuff. I mention this because at #2 is a review of the recent comic series "The Star Wars," which is an adaptation of George Lucas's 1974 draft of the script for A New Hope. Let's just say it's a good thing it stayed a draft, and it pretty much sums up my belief that George Lucas never figured out what audiences liked about Star Wars, because the stuff that sucked he ended up taking out in 1977, but just brought it back for the Prequel Trilogy.

https://hoppedonpop.com/2013/11/12/short-but-sweet-4/

[RandalGraves]

So, as some of you may know, they're doing online auditions for the new Star Wars flick.  The thought of nerds (relax, I love you) everywhere trying their best to impress the powers that be made me giggle with delight.  And it certainly didn't stop me from throwing my hat into the ring, with the help of some friends:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aKXgMPZfHI

[zepp-head]

Ah, that's a shame about Ronan. I'm pleasantly surprised to say I like the movies she's been in.

Anywho, new blog post today, a list of three stuff. I mention this because at #2 is a review of the recent comic series "The Star Wars," which is an adaptation of George Lucas's 1974 draft of the script for A New Hope. Let's just say it's a good thing it stayed a draft, and it pretty much sums up my belief that George Lucas never figured out what audiences liked about Star Wars, because the stuff that sucked he ended up taking out in 1977, but just brought it back for the Prequel Trilogy.

https://hoppedonpop.com/2013/11/12/short-but-sweet-4/

It's a draft for a reason, and it's ok for drafts to suck.  There were still some really cool ideas in there, even though they didn't really work with what we came to know as Star Wars.  I do hope one day people get over the idea that the prequels are universally hated by everyone though, since all evidence points to the contrary.  It's easy to see the misconception though, with the butthurt still shouting as loud as they do after all these years.

That said, the open auditions are actually coming within a few miles of my house the day after tomorrow.  I would love to say I know someone in the new flicks.

[Super Dude]

Ah, that's a shame about Ronan. I'm pleasantly surprised to say I like the movies she's been in.

Anywho, new blog post today, a list of three stuff. I mention this because at #2 is a review of the recent comic series "The Star Wars," which is an adaptation of George Lucas's 1974 draft of the script for A New Hope. Let's just say it's a good thing it stayed a draft, and it pretty much sums up my belief that George Lucas never figured out what audiences liked about Star Wars, because the stuff that sucked he ended up taking out in 1977, but just brought it back for the Prequel Trilogy.

https://hoppedonpop.com/2013/11/12/short-but-sweet-4/

It's a draft for a reason, and it's ok for drafts to suck.  There were still some really cool ideas in there, even though they didn't really work with what we came to know as Star Wars.  I do hope one day people get over the idea that the prequels are universally hated by everyone though, since all evidence points to the contrary.  It's easy to see the misconception though, with the butthurt still shouting as loud as they do after all these years.

That said, the open auditions are actually coming within a few miles of my house the day after tomorrow.  I would love to say I know someone in the new flicks.

Then maybe you'll like these comics.

[zepp-head]

Ha!  It's interesting to see it as an alternate universe so to speak, if nothing else.

[rumborak]

Has any of you seen the fan edits by JamieSWB? They're very cool, tons of behind-the-scenes footage.

And, let me just reiterate, good god is Carrie Fisher hot in ROTJ. And I'm not just talking metal bikini Carrie Fisher, even tie-die shirt Carrie later in the movie.

[ReaPsTA]

Has any of you seen the fan edits by JamieSWB? They're very cool, tons of behind-the-scenes footage.

Because of this post, I've now watched the ones for both the original and ESB.  What are you doing to me?

[ishak540m]

My biggest problem with the dialogue in the prequels was that everyone literally said everything they "felt."  Especially regarding the love affair between Anakin and Padme.  It was so forced (no pun intended  ).   Also Anakin's fall to the dark side.  You should see it in his face.  Not him verbally saying, "What did I do?"  when he helped kill Windu.  And no one can ever forget, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"  Why not have him only use the force and go after the Emperor only to be struck down in enternal servitude?

[rumborak]

To this day I don't exactly know what Padme died of.

And, I know there's a lot of stuff to hate in the prequels, but shoehorning a Jesus allegory of immaculate conception into the Darth Vader back story is pretty high up there.

[bosk1]

To this day I don't exactly know what Padme died of.

You have to watch the deleted scenes.  She actually tore a page out of the script, and literally choked herself on bad dialog.

[ishak540m]

To this day I don't exactly know what Padme died of.

And, I know there's a lot of stuff to hate in the prequels, but shoehorning a Jesus allegory of immaculate conception into the Darth Vader back story is pretty high up there.

I honestly think it was a ratings thing.  I would have loved to have seen him actually mortally wound her and then they surgically remove the babies.   I think they were shooting for a G rating though. lol

[zepp-head]

To this day I don't exactly know what Padme died of.

And, I know there's a lot of stuff to hate in the prequels, but shoehorning a Jesus allegory of immaculate conception into the Darth Vader back story is pretty high up there.

I dug it.

I've always kind of viewed it as she had a symbiotic relationship with Anakin.  He died, so she died.  Ties back in with a theme from the Phantom Menace as well.

However, in one novel they mention that Padme had a broken hyoid, which they did not search for because there was no external trauma due to him not choking her with his hands ("she's completely healthy").  Too little too late perhaps, but it's interesting to think about nonetheless.

Either way, Anakin killed her.  I love the self-fulfilling prophecy.  Very Greek.

[hefdaddy42]

Anakin didn't die.

[orcus116]

I don't consider books on the movies to be canon so I'll chalk this one up to a case of bad writing.

[Phoenix87x]

Anakin didn't die.

[hefdaddy42]

I don't consider books on the movies to be canon so I'll chalk this one up to a case of bad writing.

Indeed.

[ReaPsTA]

More and more, I'm seeing people say stuff like "the old Star Wars movies that that much better than the prequels.  They both have ridiculous dialog and plots.  The original movies just have the benefit of being seen through nostalgia goggles."

Why is this happening?

[Implode]

Nowadays people have to have the least popular opinion. Hating the prequels has become so popular recently that some people decide to abandon reason so they can have a unique opinion.

[ReaPsTA]

I like this response.  For whatever reason, hating the prequels seems to be seen as an easy opinion to have, and thus not a sophisticated and intelligent one.  Because of that, talking about the merits of the prequels and the demerits of the OT is an easy way to come off as sophisticated and intelligent.

[tapsmiled]

Michael Fassbender and Hugo Weaving are supposedly being considered for parts, and though I may be in the minority, I really hope Weaving is not in this. His voice is too iconic. It would be hard to separate his Matrix or LOTR roles from whatever he is in SW.

I would prefer 1-2 known actors, other than the returning cast, and a bunch of "nobodies" who don't carry the baggage of former roles.  I'm sure most people saw Sam Jackson and couldn't wait for him to say motherfucker. It's more of a distraction than anything else.

I also hope that the stick with and develop a single villain over the course of the trilogy rather than the Darth Maul, Jango Fett, Darth Sideous, General Grievous flavor-of-the-day formula of the prequels.

[Zook]

I don't hate the prequels, I just find them boring.

[BlobVanDam]

Nowadays people have to have the least popular opinion. Hating the prequels has become so popular recently that some people decide to abandon reason so they can have a unique opinion.

Star Wars hipsters?
I think Ep 1 is so bad that it's unwatchable these days. I always found Ep 2 enjoyable purely for the comedy value of how poorly made it was (especially the CG), and I just found Ep 3 to be boring, but not bad. Most people seemed to like that one, but I didn't find any entertainment value in it. It was largely going through the motions to fit the square peg of the PT to the round hole of the OT. So by default my favourite was Ep 2, which is kind of sad.

It will be interesting what the fanbase thinks about Ep VII. I'm hearing rumours that the rewrites to the script were to put the focus on the 3 returning characters for Ep VII, then hand it off to the new characters for the next movies, so with much stronger connections to the OT, I think people are going to be more strongly opinionated one way or another on the new movies.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Eh. I like all the movies.

[BlobVanDam]

Is there anyone who thinks Ep 1 is a good movie who didn't see it as a kid? I want to believe that nostalgia is the only possible reason anyone can find that to be an enjoyable movie.

[tapsmiled]

Nowadays people have to have the least popular opinion. Hating the prequels has become so popular recently that some people decide to abandon reason so they can have a unique opinion.

Star Wars hipsters?
I think Ep 1 is so bad that it's unwatchable these days. I always found Ep 2 enjoyable purely for the comedy value of how poorly made it was (especially the CG), and I just found Ep 3 to be boring, but not bad. Most people seemed to like that one, but I didn't find any entertainment value in it. It was largely going through the motions to fit the square peg of the PT to the round hole of the OT. So by default my favourite was Ep 2, which is kind of sad.

It will be interesting what the fanbase thinks about Ep VII. I'm hearing rumours that the rewrites to the script were to put the focus on the 3 returning characters for Ep VII, then hand it off to the new characters for the next movies, so with much stronger connections to the OT, I think people are going to be more strongly opinionated one way or another on the new movies.

Pretty much this, except the comedic value of Ep II nearly made me suicidal.  I hate that they waited and had to shoehorn almost all of the necessities into Sith.  I never viewed Anakin as "a good friend". They tried too hard to force it. Very poor writing.

[ReaPsTA]

I think Ep 1 is so bad that it's unwatchable these days. I always found Ep 2 enjoyable purely for the comedy value of how poorly made it was (especially the CG), and I just found Ep 3 to be boring, but not bad. Most people seemed to like that one, but I didn't find any entertainment value in it. It was largely going through the motions to fit the square peg of the PT to the round hole of the OT. So by default my favourite was Ep 2, which is kind of sad.

Curiously, I like Episode I the most.  For all its ridiculousness, it feels the most like a real movie.  Not every background is CG, there's real sets in it.  Not every dialog scene is shot/reverse shot.  It's obviously not a good movie by any stretch, but it's not totally without merit.

Is there anyone who thinks Ep 1 is a good movie who didn't see it as a kid? I want to believe that nostalgia is the only possible reason anyone can find that to be an enjoyable movie.

I saw it as a kid, but the only thing I remember from then is the pod race scene.  At the time, Episode I was actually my least favorite, because ATOC has action and ROTS was dark.

Episode III is the one that confuses me the most in terms of fan perception.  It's the darkest movie, yes, but that darkness is so poorly handled that it's actually worse than the other two movies.  It sucks when Jar Jar steps in the poop, definitely.  But it's even worse when Anakin is explaining why he's chosen to completely betray who he is and says "IN MY POINT OF VIEW THE JEDI ARE EVIL!!!!!"

It will be interesting what the fanbase thinks about Ep VII. I'm hearing rumours that the rewrites to the script were to put the focus on the 3 returning characters for Ep VII, then hand it off to the new characters for the next movies, so with much stronger connections to the OT, I think people are going to be more strongly opinionated one way or another on the new movies.

I have no expectations.  These movies exist not because anyone wanted to tell this story, but because Disney wants to make money.  And JJ Abrams is directing.  His track record is anti-inspiring to me.

[tapsmiled]

Is there anyone who thinks Ep 1 is a good movie who didn't see it as a kid? I want to believe that nostalgia is the only possible reason anyone can find that to be an enjoyable movie.

At least it felt like a SW movie. Clones was a poor attempt at a noir detective flick crossed with a Japanese monster movie esthetic.

[Zook]

I was 13 and Jar Jar, Anakin, and those stupid droids were still annoying to me. I don't remember how much I enjoyed the pod race. Oh, and that stupid frog guy that kept shaking his face... Was Episode 1 a kids movie or what?

[BlobVanDam]

Is there anyone who thinks Ep 1 is a good movie who didn't see it as a kid? I want to believe that nostalgia is the only possible reason anyone can find that to be an enjoyable movie.

At least it felt like a SW movie. Clones was a poor attempt at a noir detective flick crossed with a Japanese monster movie esthetic.

Well Ep 3 easily felt the most like a SW movie, with Vader, and a lot more connections to the OT, but I found that a total chore to sit through. Whether or not the movies felt like SW didn't seem to be related to whether or not it was actually a good movie.

And I'm personally cautiously optimistic for the new one. It can't possibly be worse than the PT imo, and despite Disney wanting to push forward with their new cash cow at full speed, everyone involved with the movie seems to be pushing back hard to make this the best SW movie they can. I don't have a lot of faith in JJ after what he did to Trek, and I don't like any of his TV shows either, but he's a big SW fan, and I think he has the absolute best intentions with this movie. Whether or not that means the movie will end up good, we'll just have to wait and see.

[ReaPsTA]

Was Episode 1 a kids movie or what?

Not even Lucas knows.  He's publicly quoted as saying the Star Wars movies are kinds movies, but he also wrote and directed Episode III, which features Anakin's flesh graphically melting off, cold betrayal, and the murder of children.

[tapsmiled]

Episode III had SW elements, but I just don't think that any of them have lasting appeal. Sure there might be a few great scenes, like everything involving Darth Maul, but whenever the OT is on, I can't turn it off while I barely give the PT a passing glance.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Is there anyone who thinks Ep 1 is a good movie who didn't see it as a kid? I want to believe that nostalgia is the only possible reason anyone can find that to be an enjoyable movie.

Well, I did see it as a kid, so I suppose I'm not a very good control group.

However, there's all sorts of other stuff I liked as a kid that I don't anymore, so....

[Super Dude]

My brother - love him to death - but he has the most logic-defying taste in movies. He doesn't prefer the Prequels, but he does claim Episode III is the second-best Star Wars movie overall (thankfully, he has the good sense to rank Empire Strikes Back as #1). And not out of any sense of contrariness. No, he has oft argued to me in complete seriousness that the Anakin vs. Obi-Wan battle gives Ep. 3 the edge over the Originals "because of how much more emotion there is in the fight."

I shit you not.

[Zook]

Was Episode 1 a kids movie or what?

Not even Lucas knows.  He's publicly quoted as saying they are, but he also wrote and directed Episode III, which features Anakin's flesh graphically melting off, cold betrayal, and the murder of children.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is rated PG, but has lots of swearing, an off screen but graphic sex scene, and a shoe is brutally murdered.