Star Wars Discussion Thread v. Rogue One

[orcus116]

And one art critic recently went as far as to say that the final half hour is the greatest single piece of art (not just film) in the past thirty years. 

I need to see this in print. Not that I don't believe you, I'm just really curious about their reasoning.

[tapsmiled]

And one art critic recently went as far as to say that the final half hour is the greatest single piece of art (not just film) in the past thirty years. 

I need to see this in print. Not that I don't believe you, I'm just really curious about their reasoning.

And probably because you want to know which articles to never spend your time reading.

[orcus116]

The more you know.

[zepp-head]

...but still, the point remains that most of the negativity stems from Internet discussion and things like that, not from professional criticism or even general viewership.

I'm not sure where you get that from, but that does NOT seem to be the case at all.  At best, I think you can say that opinions among both professional critics and general viewership vary wildly.  Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, there is a LOT of negativity out there about the prequels.

I don't necessarily disagree, but I would change your "at best", to "at worst".  As far as where I get it from, as I mentioned before, film sites, dvd and blu ray sales, box office performance (even for the 3D re-release is one of the more successful ones, and tied Jurassic Parks re-release numbers despite the blu-ray coming out just a few months earlier), tv ratings, etc.  I'm not a huge fan of rotten tomatoes, but they fared pretty well on there (compared to what one may think).  I prefer metacritic overall, where they were given harsher scores, but as far as the lowest scoring Star Wars title, it is actually a tie between The Phantom Menace and Return of the Jedi. Audible gasp?  Maybe.

And one art critic recently went as far as to say that the final half hour is the greatest single piece of art (not just film) in the past thirty years. 

I need to see this in print. Not that I don't believe you, I'm just really curious about their reasoning.

It's from a book. https://www.amazon.com/Glittering-Images-Journey-Through-Egypt/dp/0375424601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390263484&sr=8-1&keywords=camille+paglia+george+lucas

If you get the time, she talks about it later in this video I found.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBaahsD9qIA

[The King in Crimson]

God, she talks like a squirrel on meth. 

Barelystoppingtopausebetweenwordsandgoingonandonandon.

[tapsmiled]

At the 8:30 mark is when she talks about SW. In a sense, I can somewhat see her point; she doesn't necessarily have all the baggage that the lifelong fans have. So, she might not notice the intricate little things that grind our gears.

I still don't agree with her though.

[tapsmiled]

Just read a rumor on Ain't it Cool that Judi Dench could be playing Mon Mothma.  Very interesting if true.

[jingle.boy]

Just read a rumor on Ain't it Cool that Judi Dench could be playing Mon Mothma.  Very interesting if true.

That would be some quality casting.

[zepp-head]

It would, though she seems like a big name for such a small part (making assumptions of course).  I avoid AICN like the plague anymore.

[tapsmiled]

AICN is miserably behind a lot of the time, but old habits die hard.  The point about Dench playing a smaller role is somewhat of an assumption, though it's likely accurate, since we don't know the direction of the new movies.  Peter Cushing had a relatively minor role, but the weight of his performance made the character stand out. Dench definitely has the chops to make even a cameo seem like an event.

[zepp-head]

Right.  I'm really only basing this on the fact that Mon Mothma was only in one scene so far, not counting the two that got cut from Episode III.

[zepp-head]

Oh my, what could that be in the background?   

[yorost]

Lava lamp, they've been around for awhile.

[Orbert]

"...and the last thing going through Han's mind, right before he's frozen, possibly forever, is Leia, in that white top..."

[Xanthul]

"I really like when two strippers are standing together and I grab one breast of each, like this, so I can imagine it's actually one really wide chick"

[hefdaddy42]

 

[nicmos]

Oh my, what could that be in the background?   

Forgive me since I don't know.  It looks like Kathleen Kennedy, and maybe John Knoll on the right, but I don't know who the guy in the center with the glasses is.  That's not Abrams.  What is this picture of?

[zepp-head]

Abrahms is the back of the head we see there.  You're right, Kennedy and Knoll are there.  The others are Rick Carter (production designer, "boob hands"),  Jason McGatlin,  and Kim Libreri.

It's a picture of a roundtable.  Apparently I'm the only one excited about the new pictures of the Millennium Falcon in the background.  There are shots from the other movies though as well, Empire and Clones.

[MetalJunkie]

What I would give to be a fly on the wall in that room.

[RaiseTheKnife]

I'm a fly on one of the Ep VII walls, and it is fascinating and an honor.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

The guy in the red shirt thinks either: I'll think I have pizza for lunch today or heavily imagine Princess Leia in a skirt....only a skirt.

[Orbert]

  Yeah, he's definitely not as focused on the discussion as the others.

[Jaq]

"Did I leave the iron on?"

[nicmos]

Apparently I'm the only one excited about the new pictures of the Millennium Falcon in the background.  There are shots from the other movies though as well, Empire and Clones.

Actually I wasn't looking that closely.  Now that you've pointed that out, it is cool.

Call me skeptical though.  I love some of JJ's work on TV (mostly the first two seasons of Alias), but I don't think his Star Treks have been remarkable.  I feel like they've been mishmashed and feel rushed and unemotional.  They do have about the right amount of humor though.

I'm worried all the elements will be there, but somehow it will feel lacking.  I guess having Kasdan co-write the screenplay is a huge plus.

Now, when the first trailer comes out, I'll be reduced to a pile of drooling mush.

[Cool Chris]

I'm worried all the elements will be there, but somehow it will feel lacking. 

That's essentially how I feel about the new Trek films.

Have not been following this at all, which is strange coming from a die hard SW fam like myself. Did not even know Kasdan was working on script. Cool. Like you, I imagine once a trailer is released and the hype ball really begins to roll, I will be pumped.

I never watched any of Abrams' TV work, so my wonderment at those who worship at his alter is colored by my ignorance of his filmography.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Fringe is amazing, and I love Lost (though I think he didn't actually have much to do with that?), but I can't say anything about the rest of his TV work.

[zepp-head]

Apparently I'm the only one excited about the new pictures of the Millennium Falcon in the background.  There are shots from the other movies though as well, Empire and Clones.

Actually I wasn't looking that closely.  Now that you've pointed that out, it is cool.

Call me skeptical though.  I love some of JJ's work on TV (mostly the first two seasons of Alias), but I don't think his Star Treks have been remarkable.  I feel like they've been mishmashed and feel rushed and unemotional.  They do have about the right amount of humor though.

I'm worried all the elements will be there, but somehow it will feel lacking.  I guess having Kasdan co-write the screenplay is a huge plus.

Now, when the first trailer comes out, I'll be reduced to a pile of drooling mush.

Yeah, JJ is a mixed bag for me.  I'm sure he will release a film with fewer obvious flaws than the prequels, but I would be surprised if I like it as much, or have as much going for it beneath the surface. Personally my biggest gripe so far is that I don't see any relevance in doing anything that takes place after Return of the Jedi.  That's pretty much where the line is drawn and all story lines are tied together.  Anything beyond that seems like "the continued adventures of (insert nonsense here)".  All the villains are dead, and no I don't care about unnamed and unmentioned Imperial soldiers.  Bringing back the Sith would be lame and null the ending of Return of the Jedi (Vader's sacrifice).  But then you can't have Star Wars without lightsaber battles. Could some other faction unrelated to those two pose a realistic threat to the New Republic?  There are a lot of issues there for me that I hope get a reasonable answer.

[MetalJunkie]

I wonder if the sudden realization and pressure has smacked JJ like a ton of bricks yet. Just laying in bed one night and all of a sudden: "Holy fuck. I'm doing Star Wars."

[Cool Chris]

Good points

Good points made here. Also important will be characterization. What happens to the characters is only as important as how we feel about them. The stories for Eps 1-3 were not well written, because the characters were not well-written. The characters in Knights of the Old Republic were more interesting.

I also recall Ford saying (alebit years ago) he didn’t see anywhere to go with the Han Solo character, so never thought he would play him again. Dude doesn’t need the cash or ego boost, so hopefully it was the lure of a good story that changed his mind.

[CrimsonSunrise]

Can't wait for the new movies!!!  I love what JJ did for ST.  Also, I'm probably less critical than most of the prequels.  I loved  II-III.


My rankings.....

1.  A New Hope - Saw it in '77 at the age of 13 in the theaters....  while now it's not my fav, I appreciate how spectacular and innovative it was at the time.
2.  Revenge of the Sith
3.  Attack of the Clones
4.  Empire Strikes Back
5.  Return of the Jedi
6.  Phantom Menace

[zepp-head]

I ordered this book: https://www.amazon.com/The-Star-Wars-Heresies-Interpreting/dp/0786471816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393461948&sr=8-1&keywords=star+wars+heresies

and I really dig it.  Very insightful.

In bigger news, it looks like the Episode VII villain has been cast.  Adam Driver.  It's not "official" yet, but Variety is reporting it so it's pretty much in the bank.

[Kotowboy]

Can't wait for the new movies!!!  I love what JJ did for ST.  Also, I'm probably less critical than most of the prequels.  I loved  II-III.


My rankings.....

1.  A New Hope - Saw it in '77 at the age of 13 in the theaters....  while now it's not my fav, I appreciate how spectacular and innovative it was at the time.
2.  Revenge of the Sith
3.  Attack of the Clones
4.  Empire Strikes Back
5.  Return of the Jedi
6.  Phantom Menace

what is this I cant even

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

[nicmos]

In bigger news, it looks like the Episode VII villain has been cast.  Adam Driver.  It's not "official" yet, but Variety is reporting it so it's pretty much in the bank.

He looks like he'll make quite a good villain just based on his appearance I think.  I looked for some clips on Youtube as well, and he seems like a good fit for a villain role.  This is positive news to me!

[The King in Crimson]

In bigger news, it looks like the Episode VII villain has been cast.  Adam Driver.  It's not "official" yet, but Variety is reporting it so it's pretty much in the bank.

I'm assuming, based upon his role in Girls, he's going to play Darth Shirtless?