Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (USE SPOILER TAGS!)

[Beast]

Somewhat off topic.... but this thread tends to lean that way on occassion:

Did you guys see the awesome sauce 6" Star Wars figures news from USA Today yesterday?



http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/m...-toys/1872035/

$20 Each. 2 Waves in 2013. 1st in August. Wave 1: Luke (X-Wing), R2-D2, Darth Maul, and Sandtrooper.

I phased out collecting Star Wars 3 3/4" a couple years after RotS. But these have me excited again.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by blonde_devil

but aren't Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen like the only American actors in those movies?

Way more than just those two!

Samuel Jackson
Jake Lloyd (young Anakin)
Ric Ollie
Jimmy Smitts
"Clieg Lars" (forgot his real name)
Young Owen Lars

I'm sure there are others that I'm not thinking of.

[MCT]

Originally Posted by Buddy Ackerman

Christopher Lee had absolutely no problem with the directing. In fact, he said after Episode II came out that he preferred Lucas' style to that of Jackson's on LOTR.

Links or it didnt happen.

[blonde_devil]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

Way more than just those two!

Samuel Jackson
Jake Lloyd (young Anakin)
Ric Ollie
Jimmy Smitts
"Clieg Lars" (forgot his real name)
Young Owen Lars

I'm sure there are others that I'm not thinking of.

oops, forgot about Sam Jackson. he is going to use the force to kick my ass now. but even with him and Jake Lloyd, that only makes like 3 in the main cast in any movie who are American versus tons who aren't. actually, that isn't too different from the original trilogy. maybe Lucas just communicates better with non-American actors.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Buddy Ackerman

Christopher Lee had absolutely no problem with the directing. In fact, he said after Episode II came out that he preferred Lucas' style to that of Jackson's on LOTR.

Jackson gave him line readings, i.e. told what words he wanted emphasized, which for some actors, can be a bit insulting. Directors - unless they're really pressed for time - try to season a performance with inspiration and see what the actor does with it, rather than tell an actor how to say his lines. Conversely, Ian Holm gave a different reading on every take, allowing Jackson to choose from (as McKellan called it) a "kaleidoscope of Bilbo" during the editing process. What I take from this is that Lee's choices weren't gelling with what Jackson wanted, leading Jackson to tell him "I want this word up and that word down" etc.

I don't see Lucas doing that, really. "Faster, more intense" remember?

[Aerodude73]

Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy on 'Star Wars,' 'Lincoln' and Secret J.J. Abrams Meetings (Exclusive).

kathleen_kennedy_cover.jpg

In her first in-depth profile, Kennedy reveals how she landed Abrams to direct "Episode VII" as THR talks to Steven Spielberg, David Fincher and producer husband Frank Marshall, who remembers meeting her: "There was no way I was going to screw this up by hitting on Steven's assistant."

This story first appeared in the Feb. 8 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

[Kirk Out]

Originally Posted by Aerodude73

Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy on 'Star Wars,' 'Lincoln' and Secret J.J. Abrams Meetings (Exclusive).

Attachment 58717

im going to have to check this out.

[tigertron]

Originally Posted by blonde_devil

but aren't Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen like the only American actors in those movies?

Canadian and Israeli.

Whilst we're on the subject of acting, this article popped up today.

Yahoo!

Terence Stamp had an awful time working on ‘Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace’ and didn’t get on with director George Lucas.

Speaking in the latest issue of Empire, the actor - who played Chancellor Valorum - said he initially didn't want the part but was persuaded by his agent and his admiration of an up-and-coming young actress.

"I came all the way back from Australia to do it," Stamp said. "I didn't want to but my agent leaned on me and I wanted to meet Natalie Portman because I'd seen her in 'The Professional' [aka 'Léon']. And I did meet her and she was absolutely enchanting."

However disappointment was to follow, "On the day I'm supposed to do my scene with her, for which I'd travelled halfway around the world, I say, 'Where's Natalie?' And George [Lucas] says, 'That's Natalie,' and points at a bit of paper on the wall. It was just boring."
Stamp also spoke about his brief time with George Lucas, and what he thought of the 'Star Wars' creator.

"We didn't get on at all. I didn't feel like he was a director of actors; he was more interested in stuff and effects. He didn't interest me and I wouldn't think I interested him."

The full career-spanning interview can be found in the March issue of Empire.

[legendarymatt92]

Originally Posted by tigertron

Canadian and Israeli.

Whilst we're on the subject of acting, this article popped up today.

That's exactly the article I read that I then confused with Alec Guiness! Thank you for clearing it up, and putting an end to my doubt.

I don't agree that Stamp should hinge all of the blame of Lucas - it's not his fault that you did it mainly to meet Portman and your filming schedules didn't match up - but Lucas as not a very personal director seems to be a major sticking point with some actors.

[blonde_devil]

[QUOTE=tigertron;7074384]Canadian and Israeli.
QUOTE]

damn it, i am Canadian and i forgot. Portman kind of counts since she was raised in the States and lives there. otherwise, all we really have us Sam Jackson and his purple lightsaber. and you can't knock that

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by tigertron

Canadian and Israeli. .

CLOSE ENOUGH DAMNIT!!

I'm not sure if I would really consider Portman "Israeli" seeing as how she was raised in the States. Jewish, yes. Israeli, eh not so much.

[Buddy Ackerman]

Originally Posted by MCT

Links or it didnt happen.

I don't have a link, it was an interview from over a decade ago in a magazine. But look at my avatar - if I was going to make something up my bias wouldn't be *against* Jackson.

The reasons were close to what Ernest said - apparently Jackson knew what he wanted from the performance whereas Lucas gave a lot more leeway for the actors to interpret and go their own way of things, which Lee preferred. Considering he has nothing for platitudes for Jackson and LOTR (except his disappointment over being edited out of ROTK) and that he happily came back for The Hobbit it's not like he didn't enjoy his experience on LOTR or disliked Jackson (nor was he offended by the way he directed). Just that he preferred Lucas' style.

Of course, he gave a superior performance as Saruman than as Dooko (much as I enjoy him in Star Wars) but there's lots of factors there, not least of all the writing, source material and character.

[Cook]

Originally Posted by tigertron

This might be a stupid post, but I don't know why the Avengers 2 couldn't get moved? May is seen as Star Wars month, so I don't know why the Avengers is taking up that space.

Why should it move? Star Wars will have been out of the game for 10 years when it comes back. So a film that had a set release date 5 months ago gets bumped because a film has Star Wars in the title? The first avengers made over 1.5 Billion dollars. It's sequel has earned whatever release date it has.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by Cook

Why should it move? Star Wars will have been out of the game for 10 years when it comes back. So a film that had a set release date 5 months ago gets bumped because a film has Star Wars in the title? The first avengers made over 1.5 Billion dollars. It's sequel has earned whatever release date it has.

That same logic dictates it's strong enough to perform, at a high level, no matter when the release date.

[AmrlKJaneway]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

Way more than just those two!

Samuel Jackson
Jake Lloyd (young Anakin)
Ric Ollie
Jimmy Smitts
"Clieg Lars" (forgot his real name)
Young Owen Lars

I'm sure there are others that I'm not thinking of.

Young Owen Lars is an Aussie. He was on a popular soapie here; The Secret Life of Us.

[AmrlKJaneway]

Originally Posted by Buddy Ackerman

I don't have a link, it was an interview from over a decade ago in a magazine. But look at my avatar - if I was going to make something up my bias wouldn't be *against* Jackson.

The reasons were close to what Ernest said - apparently Jackson knew what he wanted from the performance whereas Lucas gave a lot more leeway for the actors to interpret and go their own way of things, which Lee preferred. Considering he has nothing for platitudes for Jackson and LOTR (except his disappointment over being edited out of ROTK) and that he happily came back for The Hobbit it's not like he didn't enjoy his experience on LOTR or disliked Jackson (nor was he offended by the way he directed). Just that he preferred Lucas' style.

Of course, he gave a superior performance as Saruman than as Dooko (much as I enjoy him in Star Wars) but there's lots of factors there, not least of all the writing, source material and character.

I don't recognize your avatar, lol!

Is that Smaug? I haven't seen it yet?

Green screens. They look fake sometimes. But sometimes there's no alternative (sometimes, not all the time). Actors should be able to act here, cause like someone else said, it's like rehearsal. More so, actors on the Avatar features disk said it felt like stage to them. Christian Bale going off his head 'cause he could see a sound guy is unacceptable (so is the cast firing crew). Think about the "distracting" shit an actor can see on stage, including the audience.

But that's not an excuse to film entire movies on green screens. Unless the fake look is what you're after (300, Sin City).

[Cook]

Originally Posted by AmrlKJaneway

Young Owen Lars is an Aussie. He was on a popular soapie here; The Secret Life of Us.

It's Joel Edgerton he was in Warrior, Zero Dark Thirty, The Thing remake, and other movies.

[joe_b]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

"Clieg Lars" (forgot his real name)

Jack Thompson, but he's an Aussie as well... and Ric Olié was played by an English guy.

[Delta09]

Originally Posted by Beast

Somewhat off topic.... but this thread tends to lean that way on occassion:

Did you guys see the awesome sauce 6" Star Wars figures news from USA Today yesterday?



http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/m...-toys/1872035/

$20 Each. 2 Waves in 2013. 1st in August. Wave 1: Luke (X-Wing), R2-D2, Darth Maul, and Sandtrooper.

I phased out collecting Star Wars 3 3/4" a couple years after RotS. But these have me excited again.

Awesome! I might have to start collecting Star Wars stuff again!

Originally Posted by Aerodude73

Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy on 'Star Wars,' 'Lincoln' and Secret J.J. Abrams Meetings (Exclusive).

Attachment 58717

This is going to be Sweet! J.J. will do an Awesome job!

[joe_b]

Originally Posted by Delta09

Awesome! I might have to start collecting Star Wars stuff again!

I've been out of the Star Wars collecting game for about a decade now. My attic has at least a dozen plastic tubs full of (mostly prequel era) action figures and vehicles. I loved collecting them as a kid, but I wish I could get even half of the money back that was spent on them. It was like the Beanie Baby craze -- I was just collecting to collect. Those figures have depreciated in value quite a bit (most under $5 on eBay) and I still see the same stuff being practically given away at every flea market in the country. I went overboard with it and still have buyer's remorse.

I've only just gotten back into buying movie figures, but only ones I really dig and that I'm proud to display (mostly horror stuff from NECA and Diamond). For me, the 7-inch scale is my favorite. Anything less looks too dinky on the shelf. It's also nice if they come with a cool display stand. I'm not sure about these new 6-inch SW figures, but I'll probably give them a passing glance whenever they are released. I'm surprised Hasbro is only just exploring this option. I will never again collect on the scale I used to, but I might pick up a couple of the core characters if they have quality scultps and are priced fairly.