Star Wars: The Thread Strikes Back

[Reply #240 on:]

Looper was an interesting and very tightly written sci-fi flick, and he's further shown his excellent directing skills on some of the best Breaking Bad episodes.

Looper is one of my favourite films, Brick is also a great movie. His work on Breaking Bad was also amazing, but most people hate his first episode, "Fly".

[Reply #241 on:]

I thought Fly might be one of the best bottle episodes ever

[Reply #242 on:]

First of all, if you didn't like Fly, you're stupid. Second, he didn't write that episode, so even if you didn't like it you can't deny that it was at least well-directed.

[Reply #243 on:]

I watched the entire series of Breaking Bad before seeking the internet's opinion. I was shocked to see that Fly is one of the least popular episodes. It's Hitchcock-esque with its tension building.

[Reply #244 on:]

Yeah, it's a disease on the Discovery Channel where all your intestines sort of just slip right out of your butt.

[Reply #245 on:]

At least disney isnt tying all 3 movies to JJ ..

i mean, we still dont know if VII will be any good (i want to believe in JJ, but Star Trek sucked badly .. could be more a script thing as visually and acting directing seemed good) but many big movie or franchise make the mistake of allready tying many movies to the same guy from the start without even checking if its going to work the first time..

still it seems a bit rushed ... i mean ep VII is still in production ... we still have a year and a half before knowing if it will work or not.. why allready look for the next director? they didnt needed to do that until ep VII launches ..

maybe JJ wasnt avalaible for the ep VIII so they could look for someone now...  but even so ep VIII wont release until 2018/19.. thats 4 years and a half from now ..

Also positive is that the guy is relativy unknown... at least not a superstar "of the moment" director  (like JJ).. neither Irvin Keshner or Richard Marquand were famouse back then (Keshner was Lucas's old teacher at california)

[Reply #246 on:]

Having watched Star Trek and Star Trek into the Darkness, it seems largely to be a script thing than directional.

Visually, there are a lot of neat little moments both to old Star Trek fans and to other keen observers.  Unfortunately, the plot itself is basically just some space adventure, where the Star Trek name is badly applied.  They feel like Star Wars films.  And that gives me hope.

It's clear that Paramount was trying to save a crappy script by getting a good director on the films.  Disney isn't messing about with the script writers either.

The direction gets the Star Trek characters right, even when working against a shitty script.  I am confident JJ will deliver.

Also, to answer your question:  Why change director?  Well, Disney pretty much stated that when they decided to do three new films.  They wanted a different director for each of them.  The idea is to release VII in 2015, VIII in 2016 and IX in 2017.  At least, that's what I read.  They wanted to pump them out like Hobbit films.

[Reply #247 on:]

I actually thought the script for the first Star Trek reboot wasn't bad. Nothing amazing, for sure, but the story had momentum and wrapped up nicely. That said, I say that from the point of view of someone who isn't a classic Star Trek fan. I thought it was a good movie on its own, though it may not have necessarily done justice to the franchise.

Into Darkness, on the other hand, felt like it barely had any plot at all, and the whole movie struggled to string action scenes together while finding any excuse for fanservice possible. In my opinion it failed not just as a continuation of the franchise but also a movie as a whole.

As far as Episode VII goes, I don't know what to expect script-wise. My guess is even if it doesn't break any ground with the story, Abrams' dedication to bringing back the aesthetic of the original trilogy will at least yield an interesting and nostalgic viewing experience.

[Reply #248 on:]

Also, to answer your question:  Why change director?  Well, Disney pretty much stated that when they decided to do three new films.  They wanted a different director for each of them.  The idea is to release VII in 2015, VIII in 2016 and IX in 2017.  At least, that's what I read.  They wanted to pump them out like Hobbit films.

Ep VIII seems to be programmed for december 2017.. thats 2 years after ep VII..

still it would be 2 years.... the original 6 movies came with a 3 year gap between them..

[Reply #249 on:]

Also, to answer your question:  Why change director?  Well, Disney pretty much stated that when they decided to do three new films.  They wanted a different director for each of them.  The idea is to release VII in 2015, VIII in 2016 and IX in 2017.  At least, that's what I read.  They wanted to pump them out like Hobbit films.

Ep VIII seems to be programmed for december 2017.. thats 2 years after ep VII..

still it would be 2 years.... the original 6 movies came with a 3 year gap between them..

Generally speaking. There was that 16 year gap between the 3rd and 4th release. Or the negative 28 year wait between episodes 3 and 4. Depends how you look at it.

16 years between ROTJ and TPM still makes me shudder, cause it's been nearly that long since TPM came out. And I saw ROTJ at the cinema. Time goes too fast.

[Reply #250 on:]

Wait, negative 28 years? Wouldn't it be 22, or are you referring to something other than what I think?

[Reply #251 on:]

Episode 3 released 2005? Episode 4 released 1977. 1977 - 2005 = -28

That was my logic.

[Reply #252 on:]

Boy am I getting stupider. I was for some reason using the date for episode 6 instead of 3.

[Reply #253 on:]

http://guardianlv.com/2014/06/tom-cruise-in-and-harrison-ford-out-of-star-wars-episode-vii/

Interesting, if true

[Reply #254 on:]

As long as they digitally composite Ford's face onto Cruise and use Ford's voice, no one is likely to mind...

[Reply #255 on:]

As long as they digitally composite Ford's face onto Cruise and use Ford's voice, no one is likely to mind...

Following Lucas logic of editing stuff (specially with Ford in it) had he continued screwing modifing the movies im sure Alderaan would have shoted first

[Reply #256 on:]

I'm. Just. Dying!

[Reply #257 on:]

That's pretty funny, but, in retrospect, I'm actually a bit amazed that the scene in Empire where Han unloads at Vader didn't have a quick cut of Boba Fett shooting at Han first.  It would have been so much easier to integrate.  Ultimately, it would have been far more damaging to Han's character than the Greedo debacle, though, so maybe it wasn't an oversight.

[Reply #258 on:]

That's pretty funny, but, in retrospect, I'm actually a bit amazed that the scene in Empire where Han unloads at Vader didn't have a quick cut of Boba Fett shooting at Han first.  It would have been so much easier to integrate.  Ultimately, it would have been far more damaging to Han's character than the Greedo debacle, though, so maybe it wasn't an oversight.

Because of you im now im imagining a badly digitally cutted Han solo moving sideways in that scene to dodge the shot before firing at Vader

[Reply #259 on:]

New longer trailer of StarWars Rebels

[Reply #260 on:]

Lookin good to me.

[Reply #261 on:]

Not something you see every day:  Darth Vader's lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back.  I've already had two requests on FB to abscond with it

[Reply #262 on:]

Cool!  How did you happen to come across it?

[Reply #263 on:]

Well, there was this fellow on the corner selling guaranteed genuine movie props...

Actually, this was in the Icons of Science Fiction wing of the Experience Music Project in Seattle, through which Aslate and I were wandering on Monday.

[Reply #264 on:]

I'm not quite sure I see how Icons of Science Fiction is an appropriate subdivision of Experiencing Music.

[Reply #265 on:]

If I understand correctly, they used to be two separate museums sharing the same (oddly-shaped) building.  Given that so many geeks were visiting both, they connected them physically and combined the admission fees to streamline the logistics.  Combined to a near ludicrous level, in my opinion, but it is convenient.

[Reply #266 on:]

Are These Star Wars Episode VII's New Stormtroopers? [UPDATED]

[Reply #267 on:]

7m preview of Rebels (7 first minutes of the series?)

[Reply #268 on:]

Did the whole slavery thing ever get abolished in the prequels?  I can't remember, and I admittedly skipped good portions of the ends of Episodes II and III.  I don't know why I was thinking of this, but it occurred to me that the entire actual trilogy might have had slavery in it and I just never realized it.  

[Reply #269 on:]

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Slavery

[Reply #270 on:]

I'm not reading all that expanded universe hokum.  Someone summarize the canon-relevant bits in one sentence or image macro.

[Reply #271 on:]

After seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, I now believe it is possible for a new Star Wars movie not to suck under the Disney umbrella.

[Reply #272 on:]

Did the whole slavery thing ever get abolished in the prequels?  I can't remember, and I admittedly skipped good portions of the ends of Episodes II and III. 

Acording to the few we see in episodes I and II slavery is banned in the republic... but Tatooine is not a world under the republic .. its Hutt territory..  also states that the republic , at least at that point didnt cared much for distant worlds .. specially under certain organizations control..

Hutts use slavery.. so there are slaves in Tatooine..
after the raise of the empire and not using EU sources is anyone's guess .. at no point in the original trilogy slaves are mentioned or seen

[Reply #273 on:]

What!  Wasn't Leia a slave for a short bit?

[Reply #274 on:]

But Jabba was a crime worm who fed people to cosmic monstrosities.  I imagine slaveholding was one of the least of his many grievous transgressions.  It just seems like slavery as a widespread, economic institution would not be viable in an area whose major industries include spaceport services, crime, podraces, scavenging, and moisture farms.  And it's especially hard to understand with the presence of droids.  If it was the case that droids could not function on Tatooine because of all the sand, that'd be one thing, but there are droids all over the place.  I get that the Hutts hold slaves, but it makes sense as a tool for demonstrating their domination and for their own titillation.  For anyone who is trying to derive money from their slaves, it makes little sense.  I guess they could be kept as prostitutes, which is feasible but makes things a bit creepy.

The whole aspect of non-gold bikini slavery actually leads me to think that George Lucas either forgot why he put it in the story or just saw it as a cheap way of establishing Anakin as an underdog.  Why not start his fall with the Emperor putting Anakin in charge of the Outer Rim to clean up the slavers?  That would be both a good segue into the whole power/corruption thing and might give him a good excuse to start hiding his identity.  At least being a vassal of the Emperor in an official capacity would make everyone calling him "Lord" a bit more sensible.  Also, the freeing of a large body of able-bodied males who are grateful to the Emperor (and can't shoot) could be used to explain the proliferation of Stormtroopers available to him instead of the phony-baloney cloney nonsense.

[Reply #275 on:]

What!  Wasn't Leia a slave for a short bit?

That could be take as slavery or simply as Jabba having his pets captured .. he was a gangster who controled the planet (or most of it) after all.. he would do as he pleased and is easy to see that if the republic took little to no interest in Tatooine before the empire would care even less..

One would think that the empire would try to take any rival power down.. but after all this is all Lucas works... Lucas did a simple good vs evil , black/white history.. i wouldnt be surprised if in Lucas mind since the empire is evil and the Hutts are evil both are automatically allies

[Reply #276 on:]

There was Clone Wars episode about slavery:


One of the slaver races was a snake-like species... subtle.

[Reply #277 on:]

longer Rebels trailer (edited)

[Reply #278 on:]

This might be promising, especially since it includes the possibility of crossing over with the OT

[Reply #279 on:]

So, has Harrison Ford's ankle been fixed yet?...