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Topic:
So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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Princess_Tina
Registered:
May '01
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Date Posted:
6/19 2:27pm
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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GhostbusterGuy posted:
I can't wait. I mean if there's one thing Lucas is known for, it's his ability to create movies that are soley driven by deep, meaningful, character interactions and not special effects....
hehehe I kiiiiid I kiiiiid. Don't shoot me, just couldn't resist making that comment.
I actually think American Graffitti is a terrific example of a movie inspired mostly by real-life characters and interactions, with no special effects to speak of (OK maybe one CGI background inserted a few years ago). My personal opinion is that many folks might have been surprised to see the kind of movies GL might have made if Star Wars had not been such a success. He'd probably have avoided making any more sci-fi or fantasy movies. But that's just wild speculation on my part. 
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drg4
Registered:
Jul '05
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Date Posted:
6/20 7:56pm
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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DRush76 posted:
The thing about Lucas is that even with past successes like STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES, he doesn't simply rehash what was successful in the past (except with two movies - ROTJ and LAST CRUSADE). Instead, he puts a new spin on it or does something completely different. Only, many fans tend to get upset when he doesn't rehash his old succeses and accuse him of selling out. I sometimes get the feeling that they don't want something new, but just a repeat of the old.
Good point. It wasn't until watching the well-crafted but utterly undemanding Clone Wars series that I acquired the respect I presently have for Lucas. Whatever his shortcomings, I find something laudable and delightful in the convolutions he put his characters through, the manner in which he managed to upend narrative expectations. That the Jedi fought beside the Clones for the Sith is, really, more clever than this series deserved. At the end of the day, the prequels are too provocative and bizarre to be hackwork.
Coincidentally, DRush, I consider ROTJ and Last Crusade the worst installments of their respective series precisely because of the degree to which they cannibalize the source material. (I have yet to see Crystal Skulls.) A daffy Lucas is still preferable to a desperate one.
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ShaneP
Registered:
Mar '01
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Date Posted:
6/25 10:14am
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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Looking at what Lucas might do with these smaller experimental films, it might be worth looking at the types of films he's liked and sponsored over the last few decades.
I also think Lucas' tastes in films might be a clue. He loved Master and Commander, the TV show Rome, and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation.
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the_immolated_one
Registered:
Sep '06
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Date Posted:
7/8 11:44am
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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I just found this but I don't know if it's legit and I don't know if anyone else posted it but I just thought I would post this because it pretty much confirms that Lucas, via Lucas, is doing his arthouse movies:
ComingSoon.net had a very rare once-in-a-lifetime chance to sit down with Mr. George Lucas after the Warner Bros. presentation and we talked to him about the animated feature, the series and the future of "Star Wars." As a brief taster for that interview, we found out how things were going on Red Tails, the film he's producing about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all African-American pilot squad during World War II. With all the work that Mr. Lucas has been doing on his two upcoming television shows, we wondered about his future working in film and if he still had time to work on the war epic written by John Ridley.
"As a matter of fact, I'm working on it tomorrow," he told us, much to our surprise. "We're getting towards a script, and probably start shooting before the end of the year, and it should come out next year, maybe. That's probably going to be the last movie I do, apart from my own movies, but my own movies are going to be more esoteric and probably will come and go in a week and be in one or two arthouses. It's basically the same as what Francis (Ford Coppola) is doing."
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/showestnews.php?id=42955
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zombie
Registered:
Aug '99
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Date Posted:
7/9 8:33am
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
- Date Edited:
7/9 8:34am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
zombie
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I think thats from March actually. Its about Red Tails--the "work" he's done is script conferencing or something, so even that project is still ephemeral. Its legit, but its been around for a while.
Actually, I probably should have highlighted this earlier but I just never got around to it:
New interview with Lucas about his "personal" films.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/movies/29itzk.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2#
Of course he does the same old song and dance. But I think to me this interview hints that this is all just smoke and mirrors and that he might never actually go through with it. Like most instances it seems, Coppola actually did what Lucas has been claiming to want to do for the last thirty-five years--he took his savings, made a really personal, uncommercial film for himself, had total control over it, released it in about six theaters (literally), it made no money (about $250,000). And no doubt Coppola is proud of himself, as he should be--Youth Without Youth is a remarkable little film and deserves the accolades its gotten. When the interviewer brings this to Lucas attention, Lucas' response is pessimistically: "Did you see it?” Mr. Lucas asked rhetorically. “Uh, no. Did you even know it came out?”
This comes after pages of talk about the new CG Clone War series and its lucrative Toys R US deals and primetime network slot. What the hell happened to making a personal film for himself that no one wants to see and fails at the box office? The ones he claims even a few paragraphs before that: "Maybe it ends up in a festival somewhere,” he said. “Maybe it ends up in half a dozen theaters around the country for a couple weeks.”
To me this all just seems very hypocritical. He said after ROTS he was going to do these films. But then he just made some idiotic Star Wars kids cartoon. And then Indy IV. And then another Star Wars series (around 2010). And maybe if he's lucky a World War II fighter pilot movie. And probably another Star Wars SE around the same time. It seems that by the time Lucas can actually make these he'll be 70, and Lucas doesn't strike me as a guy who would want to direct movies after 70, he seems to be more interested in making money off of these huge mainstream titles.
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I'll swallow your soul! --------------------------------- If you're gonna die, die with your boots on! -------------------------------- author of The Secret History of Star Wars http://secrethistoryofstarwars.com
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the_immolated_one
Registered:
Sep '06
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Date Posted:
7/9 11:47am
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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^^^
There has been talk of "Red Tails" since before "Revenge of the Sith" came out and Indy 4 has been talked about since the late 90's. From what I've seen Lucas doesn't really have a lot to do with "The Clone Wars". He just kinda works with them a little on the story.
The thing is: Coppola doesn't run a multi-billion dollar industry like Lucas. Lucas has many employees to think about. The man is obviously driven by a sense of duty to his fellow man or else he wouldn't have philanthropic endeavors like Edutopia. Before the PT was completed, Lucas said he was doing "Red Tails" and "Indy 4" and one got made and the other is being made so I'm not really understanding your stance on this. But we'll just have to wait and see. I sure wouldn't bet against a guy who has made all the movies he set out to make. Just look at "Radioland Murders". If I'm not mistaken, that thing was on the shelf for almost 20 years before it was made.
But what can I say, I would rather watch "Red Tails" than an art house movie because I would love to see some P51 Mustangs, Supermarine Spitfires and the Bf 109 in some European air battles done with the latest CGI. Ooo, a cameo by a Me 262. That would be way cool.
Coppola just got a head start on Lucas by a few years but remember Coppola is five years older. Making these personal movies is like Coppola's retirement. Instead of playing golf, he's making movies. Maybe Lucas isn't ready for retirement.
You know, I never really got the whole Coppola thing anyway. I thought "No Country for Old Men" was better than "Apocalypse Now" for the whole journey-into-the-heart-of-darkness thing. Maybe I'll give "Rumble Fish" another try.
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zombie
Registered:
Aug '99
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Date Posted:
7/9 12:10pm
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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the_immolated_one posted:
^^^
There has been talk of "Red Tails" since before "Revenge of the Sith" came out and Indy 4 has been talked about since the late 90's. From what I've seen Lucas doesn't really have a lot to do with "The Clone Wars". He just kinda works with them a little on the story.
The thing is: Coppola doesn't run a multi-billion dollar industry like Lucas.Lucas has many employees to think about.
He has a multi-million dollar vineyard which he owns and which is his primary source of income, with many employees. Lucas doesn't actually run anything, he stepped down as CEO years and years ago, he just goes to a meeting once a day and signs some papers--he literally does not do business work, and most of the "approvals" actually come from other people above Lucas, the people that actually run the company and make the business decisions. Lucas was semi-retired before the PT, and now he's mostly-retired. Its not like he's that busy. If Lucas wanted to he could make room for a personal film, so the fact that they are unmade is not due to time, and its definitely not due to funds.
Immolated_One posted:
The man is obviously driven by a sense of duty to his fellow man or else he wouldn't have philanthropic endeavors like Edutopia.
Indeed, Lucas has frequently been generous with his wealth. But what BILLION-dollar company doesn't do this? You'd have to be a monster not to give some of it away. In fact, for tax purposes you do have to, Lucasfilm has annually made charitable donations to various venues and there's no reason to believe its not due to the standard business practice that any billion-dollar empire run by top businessmen like Lucasfilm is. Not to take away from anything. And even Coppola has been very, very generous with money when he had it.
immolated_one posted:
Coppola just got a head start on Lucas by a few years but remember Coppola is five years older. Making these personal movies is like Coppola's retirement. Instead of playing golf, he's making movies. Maybe Lucas isn't ready for retirement.
No, Coppola did it now because this is his first opportunity--he literally did not have the money at any time prior. He is not a multi-billionaire, and he is not a multi-millionaire. He was in financial dire straits in the early 1990's, then Dracula and Godfather III made him some cash so he wisely invested in a vineyard and slowly he has accumulated a few million dollars in personal funds over the years, which he finally had enough of in the last few years to do this film. Otherwise he would have been doing it all along--he WAS doing it all along, the only reason he stopped was because One From the Heart made him bankrupt and he never recovered until now. I don't know how many of these he can make--basically Youth Without Youth was money spent, not invested, so it'll probably take him a few years to save up again.
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Princess_Tina
Registered:
May '01
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Date Posted:
7/9 12:27pm
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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the_immolated_one posted:
You know, I never really got the whole Coppola thing anyway. I thought "No Country for Old Men" was better than "Apocalypse Now" for the whole journey-into-the-heart-of-darkness thing. Maybe I'll give "Rumble Fish" another try.
You never got the Godfather, either? 
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zombie
Registered:
Aug '99
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Date Posted:
7/9 1:39pm
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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Personally, I find Godfather a little overrated as well. Godfather II on the other hand...
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I'll swallow your soul! --------------------------------- If you're gonna die, die with your boots on! -------------------------------- author of The Secret History of Star Wars http://secrethistoryofstarwars.com
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Princess_Tina
Registered:
May '01
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Date Posted:
7/9 2:23pm
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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zombie posted:
Personally, I find Godfather a little overrated as well. Godfather II on the other hand...
Well, I don't dispute that Part II is the true masterpiece... just out of curiosity, in what year did you first watch The Godfather?
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zombie
Registered:
Aug '99
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Date Posted:
7/9 3:18pm
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
- Date Edited:
7/9 3:22pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
zombie
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2001 
I recognize its importance as a monumental step in the early American New Wave/New Hollywood movement and what its repercussions were, I just don't particularly enjoy it as much as some people. I don't think its just because its been ripped off so much though, because a lot of people find it "unoriginal" or whatever because its become a genre unto itself, its more the way the story itself unfolded, as Coppola himself said the film is "just a bunch of old men sitting around in dark rooms, talking." I'm not a big mafia guy though, I think thats why Goodfellas and Godfather II are my favorites in the genre, they're the least "mafia" based I guess is the way to put it. I think Godfather II feels a bit more personal to me, that whole Conversation-Godfather II-Apocalypse Now trio that Coppola did from 1975-78 is as good as I've seen the medium ever get.
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I'll swallow your soul! --------------------------------- If you're gonna die, die with your boots on! -------------------------------- author of The Secret History of Star Wars http://secrethistoryofstarwars.com
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Princess_Tina
Registered:
May '01
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Date Posted:
7/9 3:50pm
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
- Date Edited:
7/9 3:51pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Princess_Tina
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Well, obviously at its most superficial level the Godfather movies are about mobsters. But it's much deeper than that - go past the superficial reading of these movies and it's ultimately about capitalism and its effect on family unity. Looking at them from that point of view, the 2 movies are a remarkable indictment of American capitalism in the 20th century. I don't know to what extent it may have been obvious when the 1st one came out, but it's very clear by the 2nd movie that Coppola was able to develop a theme (family triumphing together in Vito's early days) and an opposing countertheme (a family torn apart by capitalism after Michael became head of the family). The way Part II is edited together makes it a masterful analysis of the conflicting ways in which families are pulled together, and also pulled apart, because of capitalism in America.
The key line in Part II is a mournful Michael telling his mother, "Tempi cambi" ("times change").
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the_immolated_one
Registered:
Sep '06
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Date Posted:
7/10 10:58am
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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zombie posted:
I don't know how many of these he can make--basically Youth Without Youth was money spent, not invested, so it'll probably take him a few years to save up again.
Here is an article I read a while back where the writer claims that Coppola says he can keep making films like "Youth Without Youth" indefinitely:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/10/DDD3TQA5I.DTL
But anyway what Coppola is doing is just what he always wanted to do back in the day.
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Princess_Tina
Registered:
May '01
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Date Posted:
7/10 11:10am
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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Indefinitely? Well, no disrespect to Coppola here, but I'll believe it when I see it.
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zombie
Registered:
Aug '99
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Date Posted:
7/11 11:31am
Subject:
RE: So now its over, who's looking forward to Lucas's "personal" movies?
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the_immolated_one posted:
zombie posted:
I don't know how many of these he can make--basically Youth Without Youth was money spent, not invested, so it'll probably take him a few years to save up again.
Here is an article I read a while back where the writer claims that Coppola says he can keep making films like "Youth Without Youth" indefinitely:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/10/DDD3TQA5I.DTL
True, maybe he has more money than he lets on. I think, though, that what he is implying is that his vineyard is a steady cash cow and at some point in the near future he will be able to make another film on his own pocketbook. I don't think he could just start shooting tommorrow though, at least not without compromising his finances to the point where he might not be able to make another film afterwards. It takes a while to do a script and put a film together though, so I'm sure that if he went into development tommorrow he would be doing okay by the time it actually came to go to camera. Actually, Youth Without Youth was a much more elaborate film than I had anticipated it would be. I guess he saved a bundle shooting in Europe with non-union crews, god knows if the film was a studio production it would be at least $30 million.
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