Star Wars Ep. 9 Thread

[Mike S]

Things are getting nasty...
View attachment 434851

But enough about 'Cats'. Let's get back to Star Wars...

Still seeing Cats. Very big part of my childhood.

The people behind Marvel directing a Star Wars project sounds absolutely horrible.

It might actually be enjoyable. Not to mention it’ll have the right kind of fan service.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I think it time we revisit.....or watch for the first time. “The Assassination of Luke Skywalker”

 

[Mike S]

I’m about to go to sleep. The next time I go to sleep I will have seen the movie. I really don’t feel anything about that. Earlier this year I was losing my freaking mind in a similar situation but now it’s just hollow disappointment due to what I already know because I really didn’t care about reading the leaks. All that’s left is to see it actually unfold.

I miss that excitement I felt two years ago. I really do. There is always The Mandalorian but it’s not the same. Star Wars movies should be special.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I’m about to go to sleep. The next time I go to sleep I will have seen the movie. I really don’t feel anything about that. Earlier this year I was losing my freaking mind in a similar situation but now it’s just hollow disappointment due to what I already know because I really didn’t care about reading the leaks. All that’s left is to see it actually unfold.

I miss that excitement I felt two years ago. I really do. There is always The Mandalorian but it’s not the same. Star Wars movies should be special.

May The Force Be With You (not this force..but the real FORCE)....thanks Rian.

 

[Joesixtoe]

At

I’m about to go to sleep. The next time I go to sleep I will have seen the movie. I really don’t feel anything about that. Earlier this year I was losing my freaking mind in a similar situation but now it’s just hollow disappointment due to what I already know because I really didn’t care about reading the leaks. All that’s left is to see it actually unfold.

I miss that excitement I felt two years ago. I really do. There is always The Mandalorian but it’s not the same. Star Wars movies should be special.

Least with Mandalorian we could possibly get the big 3 cameos.... yeah I miss the excitement as well.. nite, let us know what u think

 

[Stripes]

I’m about to go to sleep. The next time I go to sleep I will have seen the movie. I really don’t feel anything about that. Earlier this year I was losing my freaking mind in a similar situation but now it’s just hollow disappointment due to what I already know because I really didn’t care about reading the leaks. All that’s left is to see it actually unfold.

I miss that excitement I felt two years ago. I really do. There is always The Mandalorian but it’s not the same. Star Wars movies should be special.

The quality of TV today is so good. Honestly, TV is often not very far behind movies when it comes to production quality these days, which is just incredible and speaks volumes about the level of competition there is in that space.

I can’t wait for more Disney+ original series.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I loved your summation, @The Empress Lilly

The most disappointing thing about this whole thing is Disney did not bother to understand what they were getting into. They just didn’t. They treated this franchise like transformers...when the fans made it 100% unique. You can’t fight them and win. Disney looks to have lost. There is only one thing called “Star Wars”...and if you don’t understand why it’s popular...:don’t touch it.

The mountains of reviews/comments leaves me with two impressions:
1. It became a petty story fight between J.J. Abrams and the Johnson. Which I’m sorry - both proved to be wholly inadequate to do this within the mandates laid down by Disney (who we will find out will be the real phantom menace)
2. They remade return of the Jedi - only inferior.
ROJ is my favorite movie ever...it will never be eclipsed. I never wanted a doppelgänger...
How incredibly cynical to try and do 2 out of 3 reboots? And whatever that was in the middle?

Colin treverrow - another flaming piece of poo from this director generation - will one day provide amazing insight into exactly how screwed up this all was. My prediction.

Disney failed here...the fact there has been so much dissention on either side of the argument is just a huge fail. I don’t know how that can even happen?

Somehow it did. Any idea that Kennedy doesn’t deserve to be fired now can be met with nothing but a head shake. Consequences to failure.

 

[Rich Brownn]

So - critics loved TLJ. But no one pays attention to critics and they are overrated. They don't represent the fans. Kathleen Kennedy should be fired.

Now, critics hate RoS. Now the critics hate it because too much fan service, they course corrected from TLJ. Critics are right, Kathleen Kennedy should be fired.

Someone explain this to me please?

For those who think the public knows quality films, I remind you the most popular film of 1970 is the now-unwatchable Love Story

 

[Rich Brownn]

It's a shame Disney didn't use George Lucas's 50 page treatment for the new trilogy. They had those ideas to flesh out since 2012.

Lucas changes his mind on what the films were supposed to be every 10 minutes it seems. He originally said the final trilogy would be a TV series because it would be "all politics of the new Republic and no space battles". Even his original quote that he planned 9 films was untrue. When Star Wars came out in 1977, he didn't know where the next story would go, or even if there was one. (Thats pretty obvious from the Luke/Leia borderline incest in the first film). Heck, in the original version, Luke was a girl, Leia was a guy, Obi-Wan lived and Darth Vader died!

 

[Rich Brownn]

You know, that’s why I didn’t hate TLJ on my first viewing. It was the second one that made me realize it didn’t fit into anything, and the time wasted on the casino planet was a huge hole, and Snoke was meaningless, and...well, that’s when I decided it was a bad movie and never watched it again. But I liked it enough the first time to go back the very next day.

As for critics, the loudest voices supporting TLJ praised it for breaking away from the SW template, and the loudest ones hating ROS are damning it for trying to return to the tone of TFA. Some writers (LA Times, Slash Film, Vox) are trashing the film based on political opinions about casting and fascism-vs-socialism. That has nothing to do with the quality of the movie itself. When a critic reviews a movie based on personal political tastes, I ignore that critic.

This leads me to believe the proper opinion is probably more like the reviews from Variety and Richard Roeper: it’s just okay. Not great, not terrible, but okay.

Nothing to do with political. Reviewers liked TLJ because it gave them something unexpected, and for good or bad, fresh ideas. They dislike ROS because it simply rewound back to safe, tired territory and became formula again. Star Wars fans like their movies to be predictable, like comfort food.

 

[Rich Brownn]

I‘m with you. Fire can only burn so bright for so long. Lucas was on fire in the 80’s...but never the same after the divorce.
Brian Wilson is still writing music but he isn’t creating the next Smile album anymore.

Lucas was still making some solid choices with hiring guys like Dave Filoni, bringing to life the Clone Wars animation, working on the Underworld series that eventually spawned Solo, Rogue one, Mandarlorian.
He also did the 50 page sequel treatment with Michael Arendt.
Gave the keys to the kingdom to K. Kennedy. I thought that was a great move at the time, have to see how that plays out.

Lucas obviously still had a passion for Star Wars and where he wanted Star Wars to go in to the future, why he sold I’ll never know. He didn’t need the money and he has lost forever the keys to the Star Wars Sandbox. He will never be able to play in that universe again. Sad, look back and he was the driving force.
I believe Lucas will be missed but maybe Filoni is the guy who should be next in line.
we shall see

The truth is Lucas' reputation as a director rested one one film - American Graffitti. Its well-known Star Wars had serious problems before his wife re-edited the film. In many ways, Lucas is like Walt Disney - great at ideas, and getting the right people in the right roles to make a film. But as a director, he's pretty terrible. Once had no one to tell him no (the prequels) it was obvious.

 

[Rich Brownn]

And now, the really sad part, is this is John Williams' last score. It brings to an end the 'Big 4 J's' that dominated Hollywood with fantastic films scores - John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, John Barry and James Horner. There's no one I can think of right now that has such a great track record in recent films score. These guys were the Max Steiner/Bernard Hermann of our times.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

And now, the really sad part, is this is John Williams' last score. It brings to an end the 'Big 4 J's' that dominated Hollywood with fantastic films scores - John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, John Barry and James Horner. There's no one I can think of right now that has such a great track record in recent films score. These guys were the Max Steiner/Bernard Hermann of our times.

Williams has always been the secret ingredient of SW. His score uplifted the fairly mundane 70s TV show story line of a farmer boy leaving home to win the big race in the city into something lyrical. Turned the junk 40s Flash Gordon sci-fi into something epic. Turned the stilted text into the libretto of an opera, where the words too can suffice to merely bombastically carry the plot along.

SW provides an wholly unexpected means for unashamed bombast and lyricism. Anywhere else the music would sound misplaced and even suspect. This side of Wagner the music would be rejected by the listener as over the top, for effect. Yet it all comes together beautifully, the music and movie both being each other's lifeblood, each owing their greatness and even very existence to the other.

 

[CinematicFusion]

The truth is Lucas' reputation as a director rested one one film - American Graffitti. Its well-known Star Wars had serious problems before his wife re-edited the film. In many ways, Lucas is like Walt Disney - great at ideas, and getting the right people in the right roles to make a film. But as a director, he's pretty terrible. Once had no one to tell him no (the prequels) it was obvious.

“It should go without saying that George Lucas supervised, approved, and even contributed to all of these editorial changes.”

Lucas was Oscar nominated for best original screenplay and for Best Director in 1977.
He was also nominated for Best Director for American Graffiti.

George Lucas was awesome at world building and creating concepts. Hiring the right people, creating Lucasfilm and steering the story and production in the correct way.

Everything Hirsh, Marcia (Editors) did was with Lucas’s approval. You always hire the correct talent around you to get your vision to the screen.

It was no small task to create Star Wars and get it off the ground.

Paul Hirsh and Marcia Lucas were instrumental at editing Star Wars.

Lucas met Marcia in the editing both. They were both solid editors. She also contributed to Raiders.
After viewing the film's rough cut, Lucas's then-wife and frequent collaborator Marcia Lucas opined that there was no emotional closure, because Marion did not appear at the ending. Marcia is not credited in the film, her suggestion led to Spielberg reshooting the final exterior sequence on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, which Karen Allen called Indy and Marion's "Casablancamoment".[46][47]
Lucas edited the Ark scene at the end with the flying ghost.

 

[CinematicFusion]

Lucas changes his mind on what the films were supposed to be every 10 minutes it seems. He originally said the final trilogy would be a TV series because it would be "all politics of the new Republic and no space battles". Even his original quote that he planned 9 films was untrue. When Star Wars came out in 1977, he didn't know where the next story would go, or even if there was one. (Thats pretty obvious from the Luke/Leia borderline incest in the first film). Heck, in the original version, Luke was a girl, Leia was a guy, Obi-Wan lived and Darth Vader died!

Of course you do, that’s how you create a story.
But Lucas did craft a story and did bring Empire, Return of the Jedi to the screen. His vision with the help of very talented people.
Lucas and Ardnt spent a year working on the treatments for the new trilogy. Again, Lucas using a talented writer to help flesh out his ideas. Lucas helped usher in The Clone Wars, hired Dave Filoni, worked on The underworld that led to the Mandalorian, Solo, Rogue One.
Lucas was the driving force behind Star Wars.
For Disney, It would have helped to have a direction with the story... that is very very clear now with this new trilogy. Might be why they have brought in the Marvel Team. Has become obvious, this isn’t K. Kennedy’s strong suit.
My opinion it was a huge mistake not using those Lucas treatments or at the very least sticking with J.J.’s treatments. Have an overall game plan.

 

[Rich Brownn]

Williams has always been the secret ingredient of SW. His score uplifted the fairly mundane 70s TV show story line of a farmer boy leaving home to win the big race in the city into something lyrical. Turned the junk 40s Flash Gordon sci-fi into something epic. Turned the stilted text into the libretto of an opera, where the words too can suffice to merely bombastically carry the plot along.

SW provides an wholly unexpected means for unashamed bombast and lyricism. Anywhere else the music would sound misplaced and even suspect. This side of Wagner the music would be rejected by the listener as over the top, for effect. Yet it all comes together beautifully, the music and movie both being each other's lifeblood, each owing their greatness and even very existence to the other.

William's range was awesome. Besides all those blockbusters whose themes everyone knows (Superman, Jurassic Park...) He also did NBC News theme, Olympic fanfare, several well-know TV show theme ("Lost In Space" for one) -- even the fanfare music for the Universal Pictures logo.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

For those who think the public knows quality films, I remind you the most popular film of 1970 is the now-unwatchable Love Story

There are many different types of films

Blockbusters are perhaps the ones the public is MOST right on...however. It if makes you happy - generally speaking - it’s “good”

If it’s a head scratcher - it’s generally “bad”

Disney has ended up at door #2


Love story is crap...the English patient is crap...some times critics are too stupid for their own good - as is the public.

IF a significant number of people walk out of the laughing, shaking their head or confused...it’s a fail.
Not a hard formula here

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

William's range was awesome. Besides all those blockbusters whose themes everyone knows (Superman, Jurassic Park...) He also did NBC News theme, Olympic fanfare, several well-know TV show theme ("Lost In Space" for one) -- even the fanfare music for the Universal Pictures logo.

Williams is a music genius...in many ways a da vinci of his craft.

It’s sad that he is now done as well...I think he’s 88.

For the record: the raiders fanfare is better that Star Wars - in my opinion. And his very best is Superman. Amazing march.

You also pointed out Bugler’s Dream - what we all know as the Olympics Fanfare.


His ability to drive the story with music is unmatched. The best examples are “losing a hand/escape from cloud city/hyperspace” from empire and “into the trap” from Jedi.

Now I’m bummed again ☹

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Nothing to do with political. Reviewers liked TLJ because it gave them something unexpected, and for good or bad, fresh ideas. They dislike ROS because it simply rewound back to safe, tired territory and became formula again. Star Wars fans like their movies to be predictable, like comfort food.

Even the Star Wars/SciFi bloggers who gush at this type of stuff can’t force themselves to like it

I watched the Stuckman review...and he can’t. That guy is not a “troll”
By any means...fairly reasonable

 

[CinematicFusion]

And now, the really sad part, is this is John Williams' last score. It brings to an end the 'Big 4 J's' that dominated Hollywood with fantastic films scores - John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, John Barry and James Horner. There's no one I can think of right now that has such a great track record in recent films score. These guys were the Max Steiner/Bernard Hermann of our times.

I agree with you there.