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I still DO like Star Wars

post #1 of 1634
10/6/09 at 11:02pm
Thread Starter 
Let me throw down the scenario.

Yeah I'm watching Episodes 4-6 again for the first time in a while (a least 2 years). So basically I'm not a huge fan, or have a childhood raping to repress. I like the movies just enough.

I'm just gonna say that I'm having a blast returning to these movies. Just finished Empire, and loved every minute of it (well maybe since its the SE the whole splicing of Vader going to the star destroyer was stupid).

The reveal for some reason still works. The shock isn't there, but damn its a great emotional moment. I for some reason took the time to notice Han putting his hand over C-3P0s mouth.

Return of the Jedi, a film I've particularly not liked back in the day is getting the spin in a few days.
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post #2 of 1634
10/6/09 at 11:11pm
The Empire Strikes Back is up there with The Searchers as one of the great character pieces in American cinema. It's a weird film, because it is the only sequel I am aware of that is heads and shoulders above its predecessor in terms of quality. It is just pound for pound a better film than Star Wars. Lucas' negative reaction to that jump in quality is kind of weird.

I wish we could get a Criterion treatment of the original release of at least ESB. Something tells me the reason we've only got a shitty transfer for such a release is that Lucas didn't bother to generate a non-SE set of the films when he "restored" the original prints.
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post #3 of 1634
10/6/09 at 11:30pm
Star Wars is the...Greatest Saga in the history of film. I cannot count how many times I watched it, even The Phantom Menace. TPM is the only one with enough flaws to be a...B-. The other 5 are a delight to watch.
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post #4 of 1634
10/6/09 at 11:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cuchulain View Post
[I]Lucas' negative reaction to that jump in quality is kind of weird.
It's not weird if you know what kind of taste he has.

Quote:
Something tells me the reason we've only got a shitty transfer for such a release is that Lucas didn't bother to generate a non-SE set of the films when he "restored" the original prints.
The OT dvd set you're talking about was made from the same master used for the 1993 definitive collection THX laserdiscs. Those were not anamorphic masters...they were D1 laserdisc masters.

I believe the only anamorphic (and therefore superior) masters were struck for the special edition dvd release in 2004. The 1997 special editions were never released on dvd...those were re-done 2K HD for the 2004 dvd set with many more cosmetic changes.

I believe when Lucas struck his 2K HD masters for the entire saga, he never did it for the OT for obvious reasons. I'm pretty sure there are still 35mm and 70mm prints of them in the Lucasfilm vaults.

So the original prints were never really restored...there really was no reason to, because by the time they were re-released, they weren't the originals anyway. They were theatrically re-released in 1982 and 1985, but I don't know whether or not those prints were remastered...I seriously doubt it.
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post #5 of 1634
10/7/09 at 3:58am
As much as I try to tell myself I'm completely done with Star Wars, I'm sure I'll pony up the cash once again once the 3Dification of the movies comes out.
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post #6 of 1634
10/7/09 at 4:01am
I haven't watched any of these movies in a year. There was a time when I wouldn't go a weekend without watching at least Empire. It feels...odd.
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post #7 of 1634
10/7/09 at 4:09am
Most people don't deny Empire it's standing, I think the only film there's even a question about nowadays is Star Wars. Personally I still find it charming and fun. I like the pace, the editing, and the characters. It really hasn't lost anything over the years for me. Star Wars still has that "it" quality that makes it stand above other fun pulpy/genre films.
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post #8 of 1634
10/7/09 at 8:46am
Watching Star Wars makes me nostalgic for the time when it was the only film.
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post #9 of 1634
10/7/09 at 9:03am
I don't think you ever fall out of love with Star Wars, I think you just need some time apart now and then.
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post #10 of 1634
10/7/09 at 9:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Savage View Post
I don't think you ever fall out of love with Star Wars, I think you just need some time apart now and then.
After episode 3 came out I took a 7-8 year break from all things Star Wars. I revisited the originals about a month ago. It was nice coming back even if the SE stuff made it bitter sweet. Time really does heal all wounds... even wounds created by George Lucas' green screened dick.
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post #11 of 1634
10/7/09 at 9:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Clark View Post
I haven't watched any of these movies in a year. There was a time when I wouldn't go a weekend without watching at least Empire. It feels...odd.
Maybe watching the same film 52 times a year might have burnt you out?
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post #12 of 1634
10/7/09 at 9:41am
I normally don't agree with Spike for reasons too numerous to mention, but holy shit, Greg. I mean seriously, holy shit.
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post #13 of 1634
10/7/09 at 9:48am
Enter...The Hater!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cuchulain View Post
The Empire Strikes Back is up there with The Searchers as one of the great character pieces in American cinema.
I ain't got the words.

Quote:
It's a weird film, because it is the only sequel I am aware of that is heads and shoulders above its predecessor in terms of quality.
That makes it a weird film? I think it makes you a forgetful film viewer. I'll start at Bride of Frankenstein and let others add their own.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Millette View Post
I normally don't agree with Spike for reasons too numerous to mention, but holy shit, Greg. I mean seriously, holy shit.
Holy shit cubed. I'm terrified to ask your viewing schedule of Ghostbusters.

W-W-W-What was your viewing schedule of G-G-G-G-Ghostbusters?
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post #14 of 1634
10/7/09 at 9:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timothy Q View Post
After episode 3 came out I took a 7-8 year break from all things Star Wars.
Er, what?
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post #15 of 1634
10/7/09 at 9:54am
I mean, I consider it kind of excessive if I watch a movie that I particularly like, or even love, more than twice a year.
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post #16 of 1634
10/7/09 at 9:59am
TRUE FACT! My favorite movie of the decade is very likely The Assassination of Jesse James.., and I've yet to watch it a second time.

Greg, when you say you watched it every weekend, do you mean, like, sat and stared at the screen, or "watched" it Tati-style, where you were online and did chores and shit while it was on?
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post #17 of 1634
10/7/09 at 9:59am
He could be talking about Betamax childhood era, when everyone only had one or 2 flicks on home video. My brother watched PETE'S DRAGON every day at the age of 3. I remember popping in BATMAN '89 VHS once a week or so when I was a kid.
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post #18 of 1634
10/7/09 at 10:39am
One summer in college, my buddy and I watched "Motley Crue Uncensored" at LEAST once a day, every day of the summer.

My interest in Star Wars was renewed when my son got old enough to see the movies. He's endlessly infatuated with everything SW now, including the Clone Wars cartoon series, which he reminded me endlessly that it started up again this past week, to make sure I was recording it. As a matter of fact, I bought him a bobblehead Boba Fett yesterday to sit on his computer monitor, which he loved.
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post #19 of 1634
10/7/09 at 10:42am
I won't even watch the special editions anymore. I'd rather watch the crappy transfers of the original cuts on the bonus DVD than the nice shiny special edition transfers.

And my prequel DVDs haven't been opened since the day I bought them. I don't think I even finished watching Sith.
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post #20 of 1634
10/7/09 at 10:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timothy Q View Post
After episode 3 came out I took a 7-8 year break from all things Star Wars.
Pssst... it's only been 4 years...
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post #21 of 1634
10/7/09 at 10:57am
I caught all three of the new pieces of shit when I was trapped in a Hotel in Hoi An during a Typhoon; hated them so much I swore never to watch another entry into the series, like, ever. Last weekend couldn't be bothered stopping my housemate from putting Empire on when we had all gathered in the lounge for Saturday Night Pizza: enjoyed watching it so much we went straight into Jedi after. Watched the Special Editions so the only downer of the whole night was when Fuckball turned up as Ghost Darth Vader at the end of Jedi. Boo.
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post #22 of 1634
10/7/09 at 11:04am
I killed the original trilogy a few years ago. Over familiarity with them has rendered them totally unwatchable, which is a real shame. I still love these with all of my heart.

The prequel trilogy is unwatchable for other reasons. I own the DVDs, but I'm pretty sure that AOTC and ROTS have never even been opened.
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post #23 of 1634
10/7/09 at 11:34am
Still love Star Wars ONE (New Hope) and Empire. Like parts of ROTJ, mostly the battle scenes as re-vamped for the special editions. The Prequels function as wallpaper while I'm doing something else...no emotional resonance at all there. The soundtracks are great though: Williams poured his heart out for the prequels once he knew how bad they were.
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post #24 of 1634
10/7/09 at 11:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
TRUE FACT! My favorite movie of the decade is very likely The Assassination of Jesse James.., and I've yet to watch it a second time.

Greg, when you say you watched it every weekend, do you mean, like, sat and stared at the screen, or "watched" it Tati-style, where you were online and did chores and shit while it was on?
I'm a busy man!
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post #25 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
Holy shit cubed. I'm terrified to ask your viewing schedule of Ghostbusters.

W-W-W-What was your viewing schedule of G-G-G-G-Ghostbusters?
Ha! Ok, that might've been a slight exaggeration, but when I was a kid they were in constant rotation on the weekends/during summer breaks. I lived out in the country, was allergic to everything outside, so pretty much all I did was read books and watch movies. Lots and lots of movies. As I grew older the repeats became less constant (mainly due to the lack of them on DVD), until not too long after Episode III where I just...stopped. I think I caught the last 15 minutes of New Hope back in March, but that's it.

I'm not gonna tell you what my viewing schedule of Ghostbusters used to be. You'd all look at me funny.
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post #26 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:28pm
Other than the latter two prequels, which I've seen twice each I think, I haven't seen a Star Wars film since early 2002. The white noise of tedious fanboy bullshit that surrounds the series to this day basically forced me to distance myself from the whole phenomenon for the sake of my own sanity.

At this point I'm probably far enough removed from the whole thing to be able to watch the whole series with fresh eyes, but am in no particular hurry to do so. I might leave it until ten years after my last viewing and watch all six in order to see how it all holds up.
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post #27 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Clark View Post
I'm not gonna tell you what my viewing schedule of Ghostbusters used to be. You'd all look at me funny.
Fine. Let this be on your head...
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post #28 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post

I ain't got the words.
It's okay, there are some things we must pass over in silence.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
That makes it a weird film? I think it makes you a forgetful film viewer. I'll start at Bride of Frankenstein and let others add their own.
G-G-G-G-Ghostbusters?
No. I'm sorry, nobody watches The Bride of Frankenstein and has their expectations from Frankenstein not only met but completely blown away. While BoF is a good movie, maybe technically better than the first film, you know what to expect when you go into it.

With ESB, it's kind of hard to reconcile that that film is the follow up to something that was simply a Saturday morning serial with a budget and some imagery from Ford and Kurosawa and thematic elements from Campbell's take on storytelling thrown in.

Not even Godfather, Part II manages to do that. It is undeniably better than the first film but it isn't a revelation when compared to the first film.
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post #29 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:48pm
Christ, Bride of Frankenstein is a brilliant, classic, subversive film. Empire Strikes Back has a cool snow planet and a giant space worm.
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post #30 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:50pm
The only one that I dislike is AOTC. I pretty much dig the rest, flaws and all. I also watch the Clone Wars every week with my kid. Brings everything into perspective watching it with a child. It's nice to shed the cynicism and watch it from his perspective.

Fuck off haters. I've gotten miles out of the movies and extra stuff. I think the only ones who got butt hurt are those who took it too serious to begin with. The rest of the world really doesn't care.
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post #31 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cuchulain View Post
While BoF is a good movie, maybe technically better than the first film, you know what to expect when you go into it.
Really?

"My experiments did not turn out quite like yours, Henry..."

NOBODY expects Homunculi, Cuch. Not ever.
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post #32 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:50pm
Oh shit, I just realized, this is a Star Wars thread on the internet, and I've fallen for the trap.
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post #33 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:52pm
To recap: cigar-smoking monster and homunculi = more unexpected than Boba Fett and Lando betrayal.
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post #34 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:52pm
Phil, I think if we work together, we can escape from this sticky honey-pot before the pitcher plant digests us both.
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post #35 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:54pm
Throw me the whi-argggggjohgodohgodohgodohgod
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post #36 of 1634
10/7/09 at 12:57pm
Phil! PHIL! SNAAAAAAAAAAAAKE! I mean PHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIL!
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post #37 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:05pm
I find it so hard to understand Curchuouschucihan's posts.
Is he actually saying ESB is a better sequel than Bride of Frankenstein and Godfather 2?
I'll go as far as to say Empire and Bride are equally superior to their respective originals (even though Bride is still better because of all the subtext Wale smuggled into the script).
But Godfather 2 < ESB? Really?!
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post #38 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Millette View Post
Phil, I think if we work together, we can escape from this sticky honey-pot before the pitcher plant digests us both.
Forget it, Brad. It's Tattooine.
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post #39 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Millette View Post
Oh shit, I just realized, this is a Star Wars thread on the internet, and I've fallen for the trap.
itsatrap.gif
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post #40 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobClark View Post
I find it so hard to understand Curchuouschucihan's posts.
Maybe because you never actually read them, you just skim them and then draw wild conclusions. Also, cute mangling of the handle.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BobClark View Post
But Godfather 2 < ESB? Really?!
Yes. Really. Godfather and Godfather II are each on most people's list of the greatest films of all time. Star Wars? Not so much. It holds interest mainly because it helped usher in the blockbuster with Jaws. Empire Strikes Back, however, is one of the best films of all time. If The Godfather had been a straight adaptation of the book, maybe the difference in quality would be similar, but it wasn't. They're both masterpieces.
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post #41 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:16pm
Holy shit, that literally makes no sense. You might as well say "My last meal gave me food poisoning, but this one tasted fine. Therefore, this is the best meal I've ever had in my life."
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post #42 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:18pm
I'd say it was surprising that Empire was as good and different as it was, since at the time, most sequels were simply pale retreads designed grab some quick cash. It certainly exceeded expectations, and ending on the cliffhanger was certainly a risky proposition.

But the rest of what Cuchulain is saying is pure hyperbole.
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post #43 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:18pm
So it's not just me, right?
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post #44 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Millette View Post
Holy shit, that literally makes no sense. You might as well say "My last meal gave me food poisoning, but this one tasted fine. Therefore, this is the best meal I've ever had in my life."
Nice straw man, Brad. That's not the kind of argument I'm making and I think you know it.
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post #45 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:19pm
No, this guy's either nuts, or in desperate need of some broadened horizons.
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post #46 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:21pm
Jar Jar Binks is hilarious.
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post #47 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:21pm
Thanks, Luca. Always a pleasure.
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post #48 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:23pm
And yet Luca's post makes more sense.

And I think you know it, Brad.
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post #49 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Millette View Post
No, this guy's either nuts, or in desperate need of some broadened horizons.
Or there is that insane possibility that we just have different appraisals of the merits of the film.
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post #50 of 1634
10/7/09 at 1:23pm
I was being serious, Bob. It's always a pleasure to see Luca's boundless enthusiasm.
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