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

[octagon]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Well, they're still using the A-10 Warthog, and it was introduced in the early 1970s.

It's not just the military. I think FedEx is still flying DC-10s.

And it's not like current models and their predecessors always look all that different. Form tends to follow function in these areas.

And they look cool so who really cares

[camper]

Originally Posted by Falaskan

I never liked the "OT is during the dark ages, so that's why everything looks so much more shiny in the PT" excuse. It was so lame.

Not me. Look at Beruit pictures from the 1950s, and they look like pictures from the US in the 1950s. Then look at pictures from Beruit from the 1970s on up.

Anyway, I really liked the trailer. I thought the lightsaber looked wicked, the new X-wings looked cool, and the voice over was nicely done.

I didn't care for the ball-droid personally, and I admit that I'm sick of Tatooine so seeing a big speeder on it and the storm trooper enter the field of view there didn't do much for me.

But that's relatively minor. I'm psyched, and I cannot wait. Felt very "Star Wars" to me, that's what I wanted and that's what I got.

Cannot wait.

[manunited1]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

To be quite honest, that makes absolutely no sense to me. I'm trying to imagine someone like Nolan or Joe Wright saying something like that.

"Well, so-and-so was the better actor and delivered her lines better than Keira, but Keira was just more natural."

Huh?

Yeah it was retarded. I gave seen the feature he is referring to and they also say jake had a sweeter side. The other kid totally seemed like he could be vader.

[metalsonic]

Originally Posted by spiderfan1985

The thing is he didn't "need" to do anything. He owned the movies, not us.

Well to be fair these are movies made for public viewing. It's not like he altered the movies with the intention of only screening them in his private theater.

[Aragorn the Elfstone]

Just glad that directors like Ridley Scott, Peter Jackson, etc. understand the value in releasing every cut of their film. Scott's Blu-ray release of Blade Runner is a textbook example of how it should be done.

At least it won't be an issue for future films in the franchise.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by octagon

It's not just the military. I think FedEx is still flying DC-10s.

And it's not like current models and their predecessors always look all that different. Form tends to follow function in these areas.

And they look cool so who really cares

Yep.

And I read that the A-10 may be in action as long as another decade, more or less, with some minor changes.

[Bluyoda]

Please, for the love of sanity, let's not get into another OOT, hating on GL, etc. discussion again!!!!

There are about a hundred threads full of that already.

[Tony208]

Gotta admit, the nerd in me woke pretty hard.

[SymbioticFunction]

Being honest, I actually prefer the special edition version of Empire Strikes Back. The only bit that slightly niggles is the replacement of Fett's voice and I can sure live with that tiny change. I didn't like the Luke Skywalker scream that was previously added to the '97 version but that was subsequently removed. Given a choice between either theatrical or the latest version of Empire in HD, I'd always choose the latest cut that is currently on blu-ray. Would be nice to have the actual choice though.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Bluyoda

The most likely in my opinion is: The fans want to see the same old stuff again, and desperately try to recapture that magic, even though what has changed is them, not the films. That's why we have the same old ships 30 years later. Lol

Originally Posted by Bluyoda

Please, for the love of sanity, let's not get into another OOT, hating on GL, etc. discussion again!!!!

Perhaps you could lead by example and drop the passive-aggressive potshots at other fans.

[aiman04]

Lego Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens Teaser Trailer - YouTube

[Bluyoda]

Originally Posted by octagon

Perhaps you could lead by example and drop the passive-aggressive potshots at other fans.

It's called being objective.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Bluyoda

Please, for the love of sanity, let's not get into another OOT, hating on GL, etc. discussion again!!!!

There are about a hundred threads full of that already.

Just finished reading everything from today Will read everything from day to day from this point forward.

Removed about 12 posts this morning & just one now. Not bad considering

[Packerfan75]

Originally Posted by Aragorn the Elfstone

I used to be much easier on JL and the casting of little Anakin in general, but after seeing the magnificent casting job done on the younger parts in HBO's Game of Thrones, it's painfully obvious how much of a misfire it was.

There are some great child actors out there, you just have to look for the right qualities (and not just "cute", as they went for with Lloyd).

Though, on the other hand, it's not like Lloyd was alone in giving a lackluster performance in the PT.

That's always been my gripe with choosing JL for the role. There's been so many great child actors that there must've been better ones available. Lines are lines but the delivery sorely lacked in many places. "My names Anakin and I'm a person". *cringe *
Also considering that he had done Jingle All the Way before PM, it should've been evident that he didn't have the necessary acting chops. I thought he was awful in that too.

[SymbioticFunction]

Hmmm. Only my opinion but I think prequel critique actually goes a bit too far when it condemns a young child's acting abilities. Most children do tend to give fairly risible performances in motion pictures, especially if given a fair amount of scripted dialogue.

[EvaDK]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

I've seen interviews with Lucas where he seemed totally disgusted by the fan reactions to the prequels and his changes to the OT. In addition, he's now 70 years old and he probably figured that making another Star Wars movie might kill him. Even if he didn't direct, he's a very hands-on producer and it's said he likes to be involved with everything - he's a control freak.

There's also the matter of timing. If he didn't sell now, he probably would have had to sell within 5 to 10 years anyway, but if he didn't produce a new Star Wars film in the meanwhile, the franchise would have been worth far less. Lucas got $4 billion for the company. Best deal he ever made in his life. It will be many years before Disney recoups that investment. Although they haven't done all that well with the Muppets acquisition, they only paid around $200 million for that. Disney also paid around $4 billion for Marvel and look how many successful films that is generating - far more than Star Wars ever will, even if they release a SW film every year (I think it's currently planned to release a sequel every two years and a stand-alone film every two years in the alternate years.)

That $4 billion dollar price tag was the bargain of a lifetime imo. It's not just the SW film rights/existing films Disney acquired; it's all the merchandise revenue as well, which I would expect to be at least $250 million per year and that's a rather conservative estimate. Add to that the Skywalker Ranch facilities and not least, Lucasfilm's rights for the Indiana Jones property as well.

I reckon he asked his oldest daughter if she wanted to take over the company after him and she declined. After all, her father making these films probably caused her parents to break up and all other sorts of problems you get into when your dad or mom are very busy with work and managing a company as CEO. So, he went for Plan B and handed it over to Disney and will probably use most of the payment for philanthropy.

[manunited1]

Originally Posted by Packerfan75

That's always been my gripe with choosing JL for the role. There's been so many great child actors that there must've been better ones available. Lines are lines but the delivery sorely lacked in many places. "My names Anakin and I'm a person". *cringe *
Also considering that he had done Jingle All the Way before PM, it should've been evident that he didn't have the necessary acting chops. I thought he was awful in that too.

I blame directing honestly. Portman can act her tail off and she was so meh in THe first two.

I love all the movies anyways, but I won't blame the actors. A good director can make anyone work.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by SymbioticFunction

Hmmm. Only my opinion but I think prequel critique actually goes a bit too far when it condemns a young child's acting abilities. Most children do tend to give fairly risible performances in motion pictures, especially if given a fair amount of scripted dialogue.

Look, either the performance was good or not. It doesn't matter to me how old the actor was. And as others have pointed out, there have been some quality performances by youngsters over the years.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Look, either the performance was good or not. It doesn't matter to me how old the actor was. And as others have pointed out, there have been some quality performances by youngsters over the years.

The age difference does matter though.

You can't expect a little kid to read a script and think 'oh man, this is shit' or to tell a director 'you can type this stuff but you can't say it'. A lot goes into a good performance and only part of that is on the actor.

Sure, good actors can rise above bad direction and/or bad material. And sure, by the same token, good actors may be held accountable for bad performances that aren't totally their fault. For instance, I don't give Natalie Portman and Sam Jackson totally free passes for their turns in the PT.

I'm more inclined to give JL a pass because you can't expect a kid to rise above bad material or tell a director his directions don't make sense. You just can't hold a kid to that same 'well, a good actor finds a way' standard.

[SymbioticFunction]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Look, either the performance was good or not. It doesn't matter to me how old the actor was. And as others have pointed out, there have been some quality performances by youngsters over the years.

"some" is the key word.