Star Wars: The Force Awakens (12/18/15)

[Khev]

Even with TFA being one of the major events of my adult life lol) I can already say that after two viewings I rate RO higher as well. That 3rd act had like a dozen Falcon moments. I thought it had a perfect balance of excitement, tension, and emotion. TFA of course had Han's final scene and Rey catching the saber, two great moments as well. A great time to be a SW fan.

I see that the first RO teaser hit on April 7th, I assume that's around when we'll get our first look at Episode VIII as well. I wonder if Disney will just continue to surprise and impress.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

Rogue One certainly seemed to silence the "give it back to Lucas" crowd.

I don't want Lucas near SW unless he's just giving ideas, not directing or writing the script. He's a good idea guy, even if most of his ideas are based on other people's work...*cough* Jack Kirby's work....he knows how to use those ideas, even with the prequels. Just get a competent writer and director to make the films.

 

[Jbeltram4]

Are these still canon:

God I miss Toy Fare. Didn't they have like all those Mego skits in a collected edition or something?

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

God I miss Toy Fare. Didn't they have like all those Mego skits in a collected edition or something?

There are 11 volumes. Amazon sells them.

 

[Khev]

Just imagine what Toyfare would do with the DCEU.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

Just imagine what Toyfare would do with the DCEU.

Isn't the Robot Chicken show made by the same people who created the Twisted Toyfare Theatre? They use the same type of toys and dolls.

 

[matticus]

I don't want Lucas near SW unless he's just giving ideas, not directing or writing the script. He's a good idea guy, even if most of his ideas are based on other people's work...*cough* Jack Kirby's work....he knows how to use those ideas, even with the prequels. Just get a competent writer and director to make the films.

Seems like that's been the problem. Reshooting 40% of a movie is not good.

 

[Khev]

Yeah I only like movies where every scene was shot in one take and in sequential order as to how they'd appear on screen.

 

[matticus]

Yeah I only like movies where every scene was shot in one take and in sequential order as to how they'd appear on screen.

I'm just saying if you have good leaders in place that make a good story, you shouldn't have to redo half of a movie, nor show a trailer which none of it actually happens in the movie.

 

[Khev]

I'm just saying if you have good leaders in place that make a good story, you shouldn't have to redo half of a movie, nor show a trailer which none of it actually happens in the movie.

The leader's job is to make sure the end result is good. How they get there is ultimately irrelevant. Kirshner knew that Han's response to Leia in the Carbon Freezing Chamber wasn't working so he kept just filming take after take, trying different lines until he just told Ford "just say whatever comes to your mind. Say what Han would say." And the 10th time they did the scene they struck gold. That's filmmaking.

 

[jye4ever]

RO could've had 90% reshot, doesn't matter because the movie still delivered the goods.

Thank the maker the trailer had different scenes and lines, made seeing the movie that much better not knowing everything.

Trailer did its job, got us excited without ruining anything.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

I'm just saying if you have good leaders in place that make a good story, you shouldn't have to redo half of a movie, nor show a trailer which none of it actually happens in the movie.

I agree, but **** happens. Look at Back to the Future, they had to replace the main actor after a month of filming. The film turn out pretty good. Casablanca is one of the greatest films of all time and it has more catchphrases and famous quotes than any other film and they started filming without a complete script, thus they were literally writing the film and making changes as they were filming it. Now, R1 is no BTTF or Casablanca, but it was ok, considering the reshoots.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Han Solo was murdered by his own son.

Still shocking after all he went through.

 

[jye4ever]

Clown, your list can be 100 pages deep.

Every movie we love have had reshoots, disagreements, mistakes that yielded good results, last minute changes etc etc.

To make a movie is to understand first and foremost that it is a take no prisoners clash of artistic and corporate ideas crashing head on full force into each other.

 

[Khev]

I agree, but **** happens. Look at Back to the Future, they had to replace the main actor after a month of filming.

Yep, a good director will course correct when necessary. James Cameron replaced James Remar with Michael Biehn in ALIENS after filming began, as did Peter Jackson with regard to Stuart Townsend as Aragorn and very few people would ever make the claim that Cameron and Jackson were bad "leaders" (especially on those particular films!)

Gotta give props to Edwards, in the end he delivered.

 

[matticus]

The leader's job is to make sure the end result is good. How they get there is ultimately irrelevant. Kirshner knew that Han's response to Leia in the Carbon Freezing Chamber wasn't working so he kept just filming take after take, trying different lines until he just told Ford "just say whatever comes to your mind. Say what Han would say." And the 10th time they did the scene they struck gold. That's filmmaking.

Well that's more in the moment that made the scene better. I'm talking big picture. The structure of a film with a script. Really that is where it should start and end. I know James Gunn and the Russo Bros. do such a good job at making sure the structure and storyboards are in place, that you know what you are getting.

Point is, don't do the movie unless the script and structure is to the decision-makers liking. Obviously, that didn't happen with neither R1 nor TFA, and R1 is the 4th best SW movie. Ben Affleck has been saying for months, if he doesn't like the new Batman script, he's not doing it. TFA I feel was pushed too quick with no good working script and they rushed it. Only reason SW films are in December now is because Abrams had to ask for an extension.

 

[Khev]

Point is, don't do the movie unless the script and structure is to the decision-makers liking.

But that's the thing. A movie's script and structure *can* seem great on paper, and then when the rough cut is assembled have a whole different feel. Remember that famous footage of George Lucas watching the finale of The Phantom Menace for the first time? Even he didn't realize what a mess it was until he saw it all play out on screen. But then he just gave up and left it that way, he did nothing to fix it.

Even the original Star Wars was reportedly a mess until it was saved in the editing room.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

Yep, a good director will course correct when necessary. James Cameron replaced James Remar with Michael Biehn in ALIENS after filming began, as did Peter Jackson with regard to Stuart Townsend as Aragorn and very few people would ever make the claim that Cameron and Jackson were bad "leaders" (especially on those particular films!)

Gotta give props to Edwards, in the end he delivered.

Yup, Mickey Rooney was originally going to play Yoda, but Irvin Kershner replaced him with a puppet.

 

[jye4ever]

Yep, a good director will course correct when necessary. James Cameron replaced James Remar with Michael Biehn in ALIENS after filming began, as did Peter Jackson with regard to Stuart Townsend as Aragorn and very few people would ever make the claim that Cameron and Jackson were bad "leaders" (especially on those particular films!)

Gotta give props to Edwards, in the end he delivered.

I said during the reshoots that it was always going to be a win/win for him as long as he didn't do a Trank and he's way too intelligent to do that anyways.

Movie is good he receives all the praise regardless of the reshoot drama.

Movie sucked he can point towards the reshoots as his way out, not my fault.

I'm glad that it was the former lol.

 

[matticus]

But that's the thing. A movie's script and structure *can* seem great on paper, and then when the rough cut is assembled have a whole different feel. Remember that famous footage of George Lucas watching the finale of The Phantom Menace for the first time? Even he didn't realize what a mess it was until he saw it all play out on screen. But then he just gave up and left it that way, he did nothing to fix it.

Even the original Star Wars was reportedly a mess until it was saved in the editing room.

I think in totality, Lucas was just a bad director and script writer. He is an amazing idea and conceptualist, but he simply did not do good script wise nor structure wise. Perhaps it was a good thing that he stepped back and had other people help assemble the movies. We did see what happened with the PT. Of course you need to improvise at times. That's filmmaking. But you can tell when there is a lot of disruption when editing and story plot holes become an issue.