Jim Brennan
VHS Member Old Skool
Yep, for better or worse.
George Lucas faces the consequences of upsetting his fans...
- Thread starter Batutta
- Start date
Yep, for better or worse.
Jared Meyer
Veteran
Have you read Droidmaker, Batutta? Seems like you might have, but if not, I think you'd really enjoy it.
Jim Brennan
VHS Member Old Skool
Good read. It needs a flow chart to remember all the names though.
Jared Meyer
Veteran
Yeah seriously. I just started it a few days ago. Good stuff.
ilauzirika
Boring Senior Member
Didn't know that.... True, they are everywhere....
Jim Brennan
VHS Member Old Skool
I think I posted my thoughts on Droid Maker in the Book Club thread, but it was very enlightening from a historical perspective. Plus it helped me understand things like frame buffers and pull down better because it talks about how they were developed. It started to lose me at the end when it was more about mergers than anything else. But I do recommend it.
Anhar_Miah
Veteran
I'm not too sure that tree is a good representation for direct crediting, e.g. saying that it’s ALL due to Lucas. Sure they may be connected to him.
But connected and being responsible for something are two different things.
Like sure I know my milkman (so I'm connected to him) that doesn't mean I'm responsible for all the milk that got delivered by him!
Anhar,
But connected and being responsible for something are two different things.
Like sure I know my milkman (so I'm connected to him) that doesn't mean I'm responsible for all the milk that got delivered by him!
Anhar,
puredrifting
Major Contributor
American Graffitii is such a great film. I can't believe that the same mind that directed that came up with the dreck that is Star Wars. Sucessful films financially, yep, can't argue. Great art? Oh please. I was one of the few 13 year olds that sat in the theater watching it and then walked out because I thought Star Wars was lame.
OTOH, to this day, every time I watch America Graffiti, I think to myself the films that George could have made if he would have not been sidetracked with SW.
Call me in the minority,
Dan
OTOH, to this day, every time I watch America Graffiti, I think to myself the films that George could have made if he would have not been sidetracked with SW.
Call me in the minority,
Dan
Nathyn
Low Budget Ninja
Aside from Jar Jar I don't know why everyone hates the prequels aside from the age old reason: they're new. And I think Darth freaking Maul easily makes up for Jar Jar and finally seeing Yoda actually take someone on with a lightsaber (and whoop their butt I might add) was worth my $8.00 and I'm not even a huge Star Wars fan. (As a kid did love sword fighting and robots so the lightsabers and R2D2 did attract me to the film).
Not to mention those films started a whole new way of doing films. Think about Sin City. Now that Lucas innovated (all blue screen all the time) it allowed for others (RR also being an indy guy, imagine that) become more innovative. Lucas pushes the envelope on innovation. As far as I'm concerned he's the father of modern day effects. And frankly Lucas has created the most profitable duds ever.
For three films that sucked they made billions of freaking bucks. We're talking not 1, 2 or even 3 but 4.3 BILLION over six films. What? And if I have to have a dud want those kinds of duds. The irony is the people who say they hate these films are the ones that make them the money. And right now (from what I hear) Darth Vader and the "Apprentice" are owning Soul Calibur 4 24/7 on Sony.
-Nate
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MattinSTL
Sound Modulator
I shudder at how wasteful they were long ago in that galaxy far away... that's probably what did them in... why not have chalk-outline shaped carbonite trays? Jeez... think of the shipping.
Tip... if you ever get encased in carbonite try not to reach your hands out towards the blast gun in a panic... you don't want to get a finger snapped off in transit.
Tip... if you ever get encased in carbonite try not to reach your hands out towards the blast gun in a panic... you don't want to get a finger snapped off in transit.
MattinSTL
Sound Modulator
I wonder if they ever get pissed because the truck is full and the arms reaching out won't let 'em stack up tight?
"Look at all that space between 'em! Dammit! We gotta' reanimate a couple of these dudes and get 'em to put their arms down..."
The second worst punishment to being encased in carbonite is being filled by dolemite... everybody makes the exact same face.
"Look at all that space between 'em! Dammit! We gotta' reanimate a couple of these dudes and get 'em to put their arms down..."
The second worst punishment to being encased in carbonite is being filled by dolemite... everybody makes the exact same face.
J.R. Hudson
Spirit Animal
Disagree. I think everyone hates the new ones because they suck. They're forgettable, poorly made and uninspiring. Unless one is a JEDI GEEK, who really likes these films ?
The blue screen method was developed in the 1930s; to say Lucas innovated this is incorrect. The technology has been used for years and years. The Old Man and the Sea was shot entirely with this method.
Incidentally, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004), the first film entirely shot on blue screens.
I find this to be one of the problems withthe new films, they feel plasticy, too slick. Whereas the orginals were living and breathing worlds. They were dirty and dusty.
As far as BOX OFFICE determining whether or nto a film is good or not ? I think we can all come up with a laundry list of box office successes that leave us scratching our heads.
Thanks to the previous films legend and a million Jedi Wannabes.
Anhar_Miah
Veteran
father of VFX? I think thats a very big claim!
I can go even further than John, try 1902 "A trip to the Moon"
Nathyn
Low Budget Ninja
Star Wars is a fantasy film and you don't sound like the type who would enjoy it. I'm not a huge fan of it but I can at least say it had artistic merit.
I new someone was going to bring this up. LOL. Okay fine. I'll never forget that freaking rocket in the eye thing.
Again I was never a fan of Star Wars outside of the toys and lightsabers but I enjoyed the story and had fun at the film. I think it's cool to hate Lucas because he's super successful. In 20 years somebody's going to be saying the same thing after watching the prequels of the prequels and how Darth Becky pales in comparison to Darth Maul. And how Jar Jar shot first or whatever.
To be clear I wasn't saying Lucas invented blue screening.
You got me there, and I didn't see Sky Captain but wanted to.
That's not just a problem with the films that's a problem with the technology. We've grown and have advanced. I love the DVX but I'm ready for HD now. The looks are similar but different. The old films were nice but it's a new day. I'll admit didn't like some of the transitions in the new flicks though. I thought they were cheesy.
It's not like Lucas made one film and it was a one hit wonder, he made six.
So thanks to the fans he's successful? Isn't that who normally makes films and sequels sale?
-Nate
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puredrifting
Major Contributor
But my favorite film of all time is Blade Runner, closely followed by Brazil so I am the kind of viewer who loves to lose himself in a fantasy film world. I just had a problem with the space fairy tale aspects. The Star Wars movies were technically very advanced for their time, I just found the whole concept too simplistic and dumb.
Of course, in the early 80s, I was a Circuit City store manager. Staring at walls made up of 300 tvs, day in and day out playing Return of the Jedi over and over on endless loop may have helped to reinforce my intense hatred for those films.
YMMV, of course. But American Graffitti and THX are both films that showed off George's talents as a director much better IMHO. I interviewed him last year so I was able to speak with him and pick his brain a bit about these two films and yes, he is obsessed with the Star Wars world much more than his earlier, superior work. Money trumps art every time. Hollywood is so much like the Bruce Willis film thread in "The Player" that I don't even consider that film satire, Altman nailed the reality pretty well.
Dan
Nathyn
Low Budget Ninja
You know I'm not a big space junkie myself (yet I do get into some Trek and Dr. Who so I do have some sci-fi leanings) but I think Lucas described Star Wars as a space western. That may has something to do with it. The concept was very simplistic, not that that's bad in itself.
Work at the Disney store. You can anger several of my friends by simply humming the first few bars of "It's a Small World".
I don't know if it's all about money (but I know it's a big part of it) but as a creator of fantasy I know what it is to create a world and love that creation. I don't know how I would feel if I had millions of fans who felt they should dictate how my world should be.
The player was an awesome flick by the way.
-Nate