leelastarsky | SW DVD

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SW DVD

kaaaaaaaaaaaaay, I just watched the new Ep4 DVD......

Why is Luke's lightsabre GREEN on the Falcon??? It wasn't green in ObiWan's hut - I checked - it was still blue. Why'd it suddenly turn green on the Falcon?? *is bewildered*

Han and Greedo. *heavy sigh* Well, I think you all know my feelings on this. Stupid, dumb, unnecessary change. In the original version, Han shot Greedo under the table. It was cool cos Greedo was stupid for letting Han get his hands below the table - we all knew that, and it was FUNNY. Like Indy pulling out a gun and shooting the sword-master in Raiders is FUNNY.

Now it's not. And it looks awkward. Not as awkward and jumpy as it did when they changed it to Greedo shoots first, but still. I dunno...

And the Jabba scene still doesn't work for me. Jabba doesn't stick out like a sore thumb quite as much as he did in the SpEd, but... to quote my kids who sat and watched it with me tonight - he doesn't look like he's there. (and they are vicious critics when it comes to SFX, I can tell you! The two youngest laughed themselves sick over the chestburster scene in ALIEN) This is a Han scene - I want to like it, cos any extra Han has got to be good, right? But I can't deny it slows the film down. I can understand why it was originally cut.

I have to tell you, it was interesting watching it with my kids, who are sort of more familiar with the prequel films. When ObiWan spouts his 'story' about Vader to Luke the kids were all, "But Vader is his father, isn't he?" "Why is Ben lying?" And then there's that super-sinister look that Ben gives Vader, just before he sacrifices himself, that always makes me want to wack him. Manipulative SOB....

Got to watch it with the commentary now. Really looking forward to hearing what Carrie has to say.

Spent a lot of the film lamenting Hamill's loss of his nose. Damn he had a nice nose! In fact his whole face was rather lovely (as my 14yo self was well aware back in '77!), but he really did have a lovely shaped nose. :~(

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Well, you know where I stand.;) I think the change sucks.

Like Indy pulling out a gun and shooting the sword-master in Raiders is FUNNY.

Ah... I LOVE that scene. And that is a good comparison.

Regarding Jabba not looking like he's there: I get that feeling in AOTC too, right at the end when Obi-Wan is looking over the thousands upon thousands of stormtroopers, and they look so... Toy Story-ish. This is in contrast to the Empire's arrival at the new Death Star in ROTJ, when he descends the ramp and they are all lined up in the hanger. Sometimes the CGI effects just can't compare to 'real' flesh and blood.

Since I don't have the DVD's yet I think I'll have to watch one of my tapes today. Maybe even AOTC again...

And he did have a nice nose. He was officially my first crush (over Han), right up there with Bo Duke from the Dukes of Hazard.

Don't have SW icon, think of this as my 1970's icon, ok?

I haven't dared watch them yet - isn't that sad? Those films are more important to me than, well, underwear.

Han and Luke. Oh my goodness. I was 14, too. So you know exactly how I feel. I can't tell what I feel about the extra Jabba scene, as I know it isn't supposed to be there. Even the random creatures skittering around in Mos Eisley annoy me. I will have to watch my daughter watching it, and see if she notices anything odd. But why should she?

I can't stand the idea of her seeing 1,2,3,4,5,6. Remember how you felt when he said "I am your father?" Fuck. My daughter thinks he's quoting Toy Story 2!!!

Bo Duke! Psssh! Everyone knows that Ponch from 'CHiPs' was where it was at! ;-)

No, seriously. I did love him though.

Jabba in ANH is a complete distraction. Han looks hot. That's true. But even in this case, I would sacrifice Harrison Ford screen time just so I wouldn't have to stare at Obviously Fake Jabba anymore.

My daughter thinks he's quoting Toy Story 2!!!

WAH!!! ok, now that's just ... wah! :( Sad.

Han shot first, damnit. *mutters*

I adore that scene in TS2 - I cheered in the cinema when I first saw it.

But my kids saw that before SW - my fault I know - I am a bad mother - I don't want to force (!) SW on them, because you push against things your parents push on you. I am waiting for them to find it for themselves.

And daughter thinks Jar-Jar is so funny!!! *head desk*

"Everyone knows that Ponch from 'CHiPs' was where it was at! ;-)

I liked JOHN.

The fair-haired ones pretty much sum up my childhood crushes. Notice how our options were always in pairs of light and dark.

Chip: Ponch or John.

Dukes: Luke or Bo.

Star Wars: Luke or Han

Superfriends: Superman or Aquaman

Battlestar Gallactica: Apollo or Starbuck...

I had crushes on all the 'blonde' guys - 'cept maybe Apollo...

Noo, you're not a bad mom! Don't ever say that, you seem like you're a cool mom!!!

My neice thinks Jar Jar is funny too. *sighs*

Whoa....*mind blown*. You're sooo right.

I always went for the darker guy, myself. I've never been much for blondes. Except in the case of Dukes of Hazzard. The blonde guy was definitely cuter in that case.

*contemplates why she turned to Han*

It must have been ESB. I mean, the chemistry was so amazing between them. How could I not convert? And truly, I think I was an Apollo girl. I don't know what it was about Ponch. I just didn't go for him - not at all. And holy... John Schneider (Bo Duke) is still incredibly hot. He's a country singer.

Never got in to Dukes of Hazard or Chips. I was a Starsky and Hutch girl. :~P No prizes for who my favourite there was! XD
Did like Battlestar Galactica though, I'm embarrassed to say. And Starbuck was the most like Han, so I fancied him. :~D

Yeah, my youngest was about 4 when Ep1 came out, and thought JarJar was hysterical. Unfortunately, he fell ASLEEP in the film, so he missed a lot of him and wept about it afterwards. :~P
All my kids have gone through a stage where they've loved the Ewoks too. It was when son#2 was about 5 and all besotted by them that I realised the age group the film (Jedi) had been aimed towards. Needless to say, I was deeply offended. :~P

And Toy Story! I ADORE that film. Toy Story 2 even more. All the injokes were written for my generation. XD

"Spent a lot of the film lamenting Hamill's loss of his nose."

You and me both. Poor guy.

He was the best thing about Jedi, though. The duel with Vader near the end is one of the greatest things about the series.

I'm 32 and I like both Jar Jar and the Ewoks. My mom is 60 and she liked Jar Jar when I showed her TPM a couple of months ago.

There is much about ROTJ that isn't childish at all, so I really don't see how it was aimed at kids, at least not aimed at kids any more than the other SW movie. Since the beginning, Lucas has said kids were his target audience. SW was made so adults could enjoy it too, but it was always intended for kids.

I liked Mark's pre-accident nose too. And what's cool is that Natalie Portman has the same nose; I noticed when watching TPM how much her profile looked like Mark's.

I'm not saying that all of ROTJ was marketed for 5yr olds; it wasn't. But the Ewoks definately were.
You need to see it from the POV of those of us who waited the yrs between films the first time round - all the expectation and rumours. At the time the rumours said there would be a big battle in the 3rd film, set on the Wookiee planet. The Holiday Special *gag* was something of an appetiser. O.o So you can imagine the general disappointment when we got Ewoks. (although those singing Wookiees would have been quite devestating, I'm sure!! XD)
Imagine how you would feel if you went into Ep3 keyed up to watch the kick-ass battle between Anakin and ObiWan, and especially to watch ObiWan throw Anakin into the flaming pit (or whatever - a rumour that has been around since ANH came out), only to find out that the battle is at a different moment completely in the film and that Anakin actually falls into the pit by accident. (tripping over his robes! LOL!)
On first viewing, you'd walk out, vaguely disappointed, but assure yourself that you'd enjoyed the movie nonetheless. But, after a few more viewings, the disappointment would fester... and the cuddly teddy bears would pop up everywhere as unbearably cute kiddy toys... and, before you know it, you're 10yrs down the track and realise that you actually LOATHE the things. ;~P

Love, expectation...then disappointment. Much like Christmas really. ;~D

You need to see it from the POV of those of us who waited the yrs between films the first time round - all the expectation and rumours.

I am seeing it from that POV. I waited the years between the films the first time around too. I was dying with anticipation for ROTJ especially.

At the time the rumours said there would be a big battle in the 3rd film, set on the Wookiee planet. The Holiday Special *gag* was something of an appetiser. O.o So you can imagine the general disappointment when we got Ewoks.

Oh, I don't know. I remember quite a bit of enthusiasm for the Ewoks, from adults as well as kids. My Sunday school teacher adored the fuzzballs. When I went to sixth-grade camp, we were divided up into tribes and given Native American names. One tribe was called the Miwoks. They wanted to re-name themselves the Ewoks, and though they weren't allowed to officially, that's what they called themselves.

(although those singing Wookiees would have been quite devestating, I'm sure!! XD)

Imagine how you would feel if you went into Ep3 keyed up to watch the kick-ass battle between Anakin and ObiWan, and especially to watch ObiWan throw Anakin into the flaming pit (or whatever - a rumour that has been around since ANH came out), only to find out that the battle is at a different moment completely in the film and that Anakin actually falls into the pit by accident. (tripping over his robes! LOL!)

Yeah, that would suck.

On first viewing, you'd walk out, vaguely disappointed, but assure yourself that you'd enjoyed the movie nonetheless. But, after a few more viewings, the disappointment would fester... and the cuddly teddy bears would pop up everywhere as unbearably cute kiddy toys...

Lucas himself pointed out: "Why market a teddy bear? They're already around." And there's not much in any of the SW movies that isn't toy-friendly. I was watching ROTJ and I found I really enjoyed the Endor battle. Also, the SE of ROTJ should actually be pleasing to Ewok-haters -- it cuts out some Ewok footage in favor of the galactic celebration. ;-P

and, before you know it, you're 10yrs down the track and realise that you actually LOATHE the things. ;~P

Love, expectation...then disappointment. Much like Christmas really. ;~D

I suppose so. But would it be so hard to focus on the good aspects?

Myself, I am not crazy about some of the changes. However, overall I am blown away by the DVDs. The picture is beautiful (it must've cost a fortune to clean up the prints, but it was worth every penny -- and it's a nice, if ironic, benefit of the cleanup that you can see the intentional grunginess and lived-in look that Lucas insisted on giving the sets and props), the sound is great. If not for the late-70s and early-80s hairdos, I would think that these movies were made last year, not decades ago. The "Empire of Dreams" documentary is great. And it's a treat to see filmmakers ranging from John Singleton to James Cameron to Peter Jackson to Ridley Scott (who's my favorite director) give Lucas props and talk about how SW influenced them.

would it be so hard to focus on the good aspects?

I do focus on the good parts - Han and Leia! XD

As for the cleanup on the DVDs - I'd have been extatic if that was all he'd done. Cleaned up the sound, colour and some of the SFX. I'd have been in geek heaven! It was when he started cutting and pasting that I got upset. Even then I probably wouldn't have been as upset if he'd brought out the original versions as well. But, as it stands, I've had to resort to pirate versions of those. (from the laser discs)

70s and 80s hairdos- well, those are back in fashion, aren't they?! ;~P :~D

And, what I've seen of the "Empire of Dreams" special is very good.

btw - do you know why Luke's lightsabre was green on the Falcon instead of blue? I haven't watched the new ESB yet... is Luke's lightsabre blue in that?? *worries*

It was his film, definitely. :~)

I finally screwed up the courage to watch Ep4 tonight and noticed a number of enhancements that weren't even there on the Special Edition, some for the good, and some totally unnecessary.

Greedo shooting first!!! I don't know why he (GL) did that. The original was so much better. And if I'm going to be really nit-picky about all the changes Mr. Lucas implemented, then why didn't he change that scene in the Mos Eisley Cantina when Obi Wan cut off the Andorrian's arm? The lightsaber cauterizes a wound instantly, so there shouldn't have been all that blood. Besides, the arm still looked hollow.

Jabba confronting Han in the docking bay was cleaned up so that the slug didn't look so Kermit-like, but he still doesn't look like he's really there! It just seemed like a bad photoshop job to me. Also, why is there a Greedo look-alike in the background? Anyone who's read the books knows that Greedo's jacket was stolen off of someone, so the other Rodian shouldn't look exactly like him!

Luke's lightsaber is the wrong color, but only after they get on the Falcon. What's up with that???

I watched "Empire of Dreams" tonight as well. It's almost four hours long! The back history of how the movies were made was really good so time flew a lot faster than I thought it would. Also, the commentary by Carrie, Harrison and Mark added flavor to what could have been a staid documentary. Despite my irritation at GL for changing the movies from the ones we knew and loved, I admire him for his drive and determination to tell the stories he created.

Eventually, I'll build up the courage to watch ESB and RoTJ...

I do focus on the good parts - Han and Leia! XD

Oh come now. Surely they weren't the only things you liked about the movies? ;-)

As for the cleanup on the DVDs - I'd have been extatic if that was all he'd done. Cleaned up the sound, colour and some of the SFX. I'd have been in geek heaven! It was when he started cutting and pasting that I got upset. Even then I probably wouldn't have been as upset if he'd brought out the original versions as well.

I agree it would've been good had he put out the pre-SE versions (because "originals" is a misnomer; the versions that have been out on tape and laserdisc for years aren't really the originals). But he didn't, and I can live with that. And while I'm not crazy about some of the changes, I can live with them too. I have seen people say that they ruin the trilogy. Well, then it must not have been that much of a trilogy to begin with. Future generations won't even know there were changes, just like the present generation doesn't know that Tolkien severely changed "The Hobbit" after its publication to fit in better with "Lord of the Rings."

But, as it stands, I've had to resort to pirate versions of those. (from the laser discs)

*shrug* OK.

70s and 80s hairdos- well, those are back in fashion, aren't they?! ;~P :~D

Yep, fashion is cyclical. :-D

btw - do you know why Luke's lightsabre was green on the Falcon instead of blue? I haven't watched the new ESB yet... is Luke's lightsabre blue in that?? *worries*

Yes, it's blue. Don't worry.

And if I'm going to be really nit-picky about all the changes Mr. Lucas implemented, then why didn't he change that scene in the Mos Eisley Cantina when Obi Wan cut off the Andorrian's arm? The lightsaber cauterizes a wound instantly, so there shouldn't have been all that blood. Besides, the arm still looked hollow.

So you're angry at Lucas for changing the movies, but then you describe a change you want to see made?

Anyone who's read the books knows that Greedo's jacket was stolen off of someone, so the other Rodian shouldn't look exactly like him!

Lucas doesn't go by what the books say. Thank goodness.

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