Memph, TN Star Wars Trilogy DVD discussion

Did someone call me?

 

It's.....tehdrama!

 

I managed to watch ESB tonight. It's been about a year since I last saw the films (at the Drive-In night last year actually), and probably even longer since I watched any of them all the way through, so the 1997/2004 changes didn't seem quite so gouge-your-eyes-out-with-a-blunt-spoon-dipped-in-vinegar horrendous. The lightsabres and sound seemed OK to me (although admittedly I don't scrutinise the films with a fine toothcomb for A/V flaws), although there was one moment where Chewie's roaring drowned out part of Leia's dialogue right after Lando takes Chewie's handcuffs off.

 

I am half-tempted to exchange my set. Rhonda is watching hers tonight, and will let me know if she has the same problems.

 

My ROTJ didn't skip. It doesn't appear quite as red either. I'll check the next movies sometime tonight or tomorrow.


A quote from a poster in 3SA -

Luke confronts Vader on endor: Vader and Luke are talking. Its probabably the biggest momment of all six episodes and I have to hear Ben Burtt talk about the decible levels of whisltes compared to decible levels of natrual and organtic sounds such as birds. Im making this up, but so could he for all I care.

As a matter of fact, every single momment on all three dvds where i say to myself oooh, id like to hear about this..we get burtt talking about something we can care less about.

Its like it was done on purpose.

 

Ok, I'm going to throw my 2 cents in for the moment. First, I haven't seen the new DVD's yet- waiting for the SMT Drive-In. But, as far as Lucas 'rushing' the DVD's and not having the time to put them out right...uh, hello- how long has DVD technology been around? How long have these films been out? How long have the 'Special Editions' been out on video? George has waited this long to do this, why not wait until he could do it right? He's George F'ing Lucas! Isn't that why he did the SEs- he wasn't happy with the way the OT looked and wanted to restore and save the negatives?

Why do a shoddy job on the transfers, updated scenes, and all if we're just going to have to buy another set after Ep3 comes out in May?

Wait...I think I just answered my own question!

 

The answer -


Fanboyz


Very impatient folks. Supposedly we weren't going to get them until next year with the release of ROTS DVD. Then along came OriginalTrilogy.com....


Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

 

Well so far all I've heard is bad stuff about the DVD set. No one I know has a good copy so its not just you Tim. I just bought Battlefront and now I'm hearing they are screwed up too. I hope mine works. I have not bought the DVD set yet.

Chuck
TK 1427

 

Just checked mine out. Beautful. Everything is fine, no skips, no red tint in ROTJ, and the sound and picture on my 42" widescreen HDTV with surround sound....well, I don't have to tell you that you can hear every bird chirp on Endor.

 

Hello, friends.

 

I'm tired of the Lucas bashing that has become all-too fashionable here at TFN and other boards like it. Folks are going to throw rocks at him no matter what he does. Maybe he should grab his copies of the "Original Trilogy" and transfer them onto DVD as they currently are, hair, dust, scratches, and all, along with the original Dolby Stereo track, and throw them at the fanboys at an amazing low price of $99.95 (with the condition that they sign a waiver first claiming that they can no longer whine about Star Wars under penalty of lawsuit in order to buy the set). Then they'll have the Original Trilogy as it originally was back in '77, '80, and '83- which is nothing close to the modern standards they've become spoiled by (which pretty much all of which are thanks to Uncle Georgie himself). If they want the Star Wars of their youth, then let them have it as it was back then.

They accuse him of not listening to the fans. No matter what he does, he's damned by those who call themselves fans. He rushes the process and gets these DVDs released, despite his previous publicly-stated misgivings about doing so, and, BANGO!, they scream about something else. He gives them what they ask for, and they grumble. It's amazing he even bothers with Star Wars anymore thanks to all of the whining, bitching, and moaning he hears from the fanboys who are too busy screaming that he raped their childhood. If I were him I'd have washed my hands of the whole franchise a loooong time ago instead of trying to keep a bunch of ingrates happy.

He'll do the six film set and I'll buy it in a heartbeat. I don't care if friggin Greedo shoots first and twice, if a CGI Jabba dances the Watusi, and if he replaces Sy Snootles with Barry F-ing Manilow, because when it all boils down to what's important, I know a few things for fact: 1) It's just a movie and it's just for entertainment. 2) The main storyline will still be the same and its mythical elements will still be intact, and that is why I love these films. 3) George owns all of this, and I'm fortunate to have been exposed to his vision. 4) 1977 is gone and I'll never be six again. Despite what some folks think, my mind has been shaped by a lifetime of experiences that had nothing to do with Star Wars, yet these experiences have shaped my modern perception of the Saga. If these folks think they can perceive it in the same way they did originally, then they are sadly mistaken. And if they've lacked life experiences that did have nothing to do with Star Wars, then I feel truly sorry for them. 5)That Barry Manilow is a bad mofo. 6) No matter what George Lucas does, someone is going to complain, whether it be Hollywood, the media, or those who, for some strange reason, call themselves fans. 7) If you want something truly awful to complain about, I'm sure there are boards dedicated to movies like Glitter and Showgirls.

And it's those whining and moping so-called fans to whom I say this: If all you can do is complain about Star Wars, then stop calling yourself a fan, stop buying the toys, books, and movies, and move on with your lives instead of coming around me and ruining something I look to for enjoyment, escape, and entertainment. I come here to get away from the real world and the crap I deal with on a daily basis. It's escapism- meaning that I want to get away from daily angst and drama, not walk into a vat of it when I come here. If Star Wars makes you that miserable, then go the hell away, find something else that makes you happy, and leave me alone with what I love and enjoy. And if you are incapable of doing that, then please seek psychiatric help immediately, because there is something wrong with you if you want to be miserable and jaded.

I mean, Jeezy Creezy- I hate Peter Jackson's crappy LOTR movies with a passion, but you don't see me hanging out at TheOneRing.net to bitch about it endlessly! If the folks I've heard here on TFN hate Lucas so vehemently, then why in the hell are they wasting their lives on a site dedicated

 

Chuck: Yep, I've got a dud. I've never had it happen to me before, but I guess there's first time for everything. I'll have to dig up my receipt and take it back to Wallyworld tomorrow.

 

Tim -

Are you crossposting this to the other boards?

-Joe (who, y'know, loves those LotR movies, but respects other peoples' rights to loathe them)

 

Nope. I'd probably get myself banned there, Joe, especially since I'm in a mood right now. Thanks for your support!

-Tim (Who, to be honest, liked the first LOTR movie, but was completely turned off by the second and third installments.)

 

Nope. I'd probably get myself banned there, Joe, especially since I'm in a mood right now. Thanks for your support!

Yeah, probably.

-Tim (Who, to be honest, liked the first LOTR movie, but was completely turned off by the second and third installments.)

Love the first one. Liked the second one. Disappointed by the third one (waiting for the Ext Edition to see if it fixes some of the problems we had - but knowing that it won't fix all of them). But, 1) I realize it's not for everyone and b) I don't hang out at theonering.net

-Joe

 

I can't see why everyone raves about the LOTR films myself, and the constant "Peter Jackson is the greatest thing since sliced bread" fawning is baffling.

The first film was OK, the second I was indifferent to, and for the last one I must have been looking at my watch every thirty seconds to see if it was over yet.

 

QGT: *standing ovation*

 

I can't see why everyone raves about the LOTR films myself, and the constant "Peter Jackson is the greatest thing since sliced bread" fawning is baffling.

Well, I'm assuming you've read enough of other peoples' thoughts on this, so I won't insult you by trying to explain it in detail, or trying to "convert" you, as I've seen other people try to do (of course, I've see it w/ Star Wars, and Star Trek and B5, etc. too). I'll just say that, like George Lucas did in my youth, Peter Jackson effectively transported me to a fantasy world. And, for me, the stakes were a lot higher, since I'm older and cynical and already knew the material.

The first film was OK, the second I was indifferent to, and for the last one I must have been looking at my watch every thirty seconds to see if it was over yet.

Well, it wasn't that bad with me. My main problem was waiting so long to get to the Giant Spider (TM).

Anyway, I've been a fan of Peter Jackson since Dead Alive, and, much like with Sam Raimi, it gives me a kick to see my low-budget horror movie director icons getting a chance to do big budget fantasy and succeeding at it.

-Joe
(my LotR reviews for Ink 19 magazine - just more fawning over Peter Jackson, feel free to ignore
Fellowship
Two Towers
Return of the King )

 

Actually, I love the LOTR novels. Technically, Jackson did a good job with them, and I don't suppose that a better job could have been done.

But they just didn't do anything at all for me. With ESB, the Matrix, Excalibur, whatever, there's something about them that draws me in. There's none of that in LOTR for me. I don't dislike the films, I just find myself very uninterested in them.

 

They accuse him of not listening to the fans. No matter what he does, he's damned by those who call themselves fans. He rushes the process and gets these DVDs released, despite his previous publicly-stated misgivings about doing so, and, BANGO!, they scream about something else. He gives them what they ask for, and they grumble. It's amazing he even bothers with Star Wars anymore thanks to all of the whining, bitching, and moaning he hears from the fanboys who are too busy screaming that he raped their childhood. If I were him I'd have washed my hands of the whole franchise a loooong time ago instead of trying to keep a bunch of ingrates happy.



You should send this in to the main page as an editorial. Seriously.

What is even sadder than what you refenced above is there are fans in places like the Basher's Sanctuary who are calling George Lucas evil and proclaiming to hate him. They didn't always hate him until the DVD release. You hate people like Hitler. Hitler, Stalin, the warlords in Kenya and Zimbabwe, these people are evil. A man who makes his own movies out of his pocket and is doing nothing but dissapointing a movie experience you are having, is not EVIL. For God's sake people, get some PERSPECTIVE.

 

But they just didn't do anything at all for me. With ESB, the Matrix, Excalibur, whatever, there's something about them that draws me in. There's none of that in LOTR for me. I don't dislike the films, I just find myself very uninterested in them.

And that's totally cool. I understand it and feel the same way about other movies/TV. Stargate was a real disapointment to me. The Matrix sequels left me feeling "eh". And, conversely, there are some really crappy movies out there, that don't transport me anywhere, but I just enjoy them.

As for the technical aspects and the adaptation, John Ostrander (SW comic book writer) had a great post on his board about the changes Jackson had made after RotK came out, but since there's no archive function there, I can't share it with you. His main point was that, it really was "Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings" and we could argue and quibble for years over it, but like with most adaptations, it ends up having to follow the vision of someone who wasn't the original creator, and we all bring something different with us to our interpretation of the original material. My wife also loves the films, but since she had read the books right before seeing the films, she was having many more cringing moments of "That's not right!" than I, who had not re-read the books in a few years.

But enough about those films. Back to the important stuff about Sept 21 - so, how's that Dark Tower VII?

-Joe (who has the first three DT books here somewhere and plans to start reading them now that the saga is finally all in print)

 

You should send this in to the main page as an editorial. Seriously.

Agreed. Or at least send it to Scott Kurtz at PvP. He'd probably post it in his rants.

What is even sadder than what you refenced above is there are fans in places like the Basher's Sanctuary...<snip> For God's sake people, get some PERSPECTIVE.

I know nothing should surprise me anymore but, sheesh. We've got serial killers, child molesters, warlords, terrorists, the list goes on, and they have time to waste calling a filmmaker evil? Sure, call him a money-grubbing capitalist swine who will soak his fans for their last penny. But EVIL??? ugh.

-Joe

 

I GOT IT!

Ordered from Amazon Sunday morning, and have it loaded in my 3-disc DVD changer right now. My wife is watching while I go back to work. Couldn't resist loading it up to watch the opening scene, at least.

Well, I'm never paying for shipping from Amazon again. I ordered a few trade paperbacks before this year's Planet Comicon and paid for expedited shipping since it was only a week before the show, and the package doesn't show until we are gone the weekend of the show. I order this Sunday morning, using free supersaver shipping, and get it today.

-Joe

 

Dork Tower, Thursday Sept 23

Oh.My.God.

This guy must post here!!!!!



This is from a link on the main page.

 

Yep, he must post here. That was freaking hilarious. Probably pretty close to how Lucas feels, too. He does have enough money to do a Jay & Silent Bob treatment to every jaded, doofus fanboy in existence to ever insult his good name, you know. I wouldn't blame him one bit, either.

Sounds like a great idea for a fanfilm.

"George Lucas....UNLEASHED!!!!

BTW, where was everyone when Spielberg changed ET for its SE Anniversary edition? I don't remember anyone screaming that he raped their precious childhood. Be thankful we don't have to endure some Kevin Kostner-style, 3-freakin--unnecessaryyears-of-additional-footage, Director's cut. There can be too much of a good thing sometimes. (And there's always too much of a bad thing, especially when it comes to DVD. I swear they take those extra couple of gigs as dare sometimes.)

NOTE: Exchanged my DVD set, and this one is fine....

especially after I tried it in a different player!!

Cheapo DVD players and SW on DVD do not mix. Especially Mintek. How I miss my old Toshiba! Everything looks fine on this one, and the discs perform very well. I'm playing them on the Oritron we use for our Drive-In nights and everything is fine.