While that video is funny, it did help me realize the stormtrooper in the opening shot doesnt look like hes in a galaxy far far away or even a person who would live in a galaxy far far away. He looks like someone wandering around in the sahara with a Halloween costume. Hence why I initially thought I was watching a spoof of a teaser to come.
Lucas understood you had to make sure the audience knew this wasnt happening on Earth with all the CGI background noise, but he over did it. But I do think the opening sequence has a better impact with Lucas' 'style', even if it was over done. If you erase the CG animal in the foreground and the one nearest in the background, the scene is much better, as the CG adds to the location but its not in your face. You have to discover it on your own.
As it stands its just a guy in a halloween costume on a sand movie set.
While that video is funny, it did help me realize the stormtrooper in the opening shot doesnt look like hes in a galaxy far far away or even a person who would live in a galaxy far far away. He looks like someone wandering around in the sahara with a Halloween costume. Hence why I initially thought I was watching a spoof of a teaser to come.
Lucas understood you had to make sure the audience knew this wasnt happening on Earth with all the CGI background noise, but he over did it. But I do think the opening sequence has a better impact with Lucas' 'style', even if it was over done. If you erase the CG animal in the foreground and the one nearest in the background, the scene is much better, as the CG adds to the location but its not in your face. You have to discover it on your own.
As it stands its just a guy in a halloween costume on a sand movie set.
Actually, the last first shot with the Dewback's is really cool and the last shot with more TIE Fighters looks better, to be honest, especially the TIE coming up on the Falcon from behind.
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.
Natalie Portman looked flat out stoned. Now, people may not like her as an actress (not saying that you don't), or like her movies generally, but she does not usually look like someone gave her downers before walking onto a set.
And of course it can be a tough go for a kid. But heck, Elle Fanning seemed to be able to act when she was a kid. Osment did a good job. Etc. I think that Lucas didn't make a good choice, and that in general he has trouble directing actors to begin with.
While that video is funny, it did help me realize the stormtrooper in the opening shot doesnt look like hes in a galaxy far far away or even a person who would live in a galaxy far far away. He looks like someone wandering around in the sahara with a Halloween costume. Hence why I initially thought I was watching a spoof of a teaser to come.
Lucas understood you had to make sure the audience knew this wasnt happening on Earth with all the CGI background noise, but he over did it. But I do think the opening sequence has a better impact with Lucas' 'style', even if it was over done. If you erase the CG animal in the foreground and the one nearest in the background, the scene is much better, as the CG adds to the location but its not in your face. You have to discover it on your own.
As it stands its just a guy in a halloween costume on a sand movie set.
Perhaps it might be because it's out of context from the film.
And of course it can be a tough go for a kid. But heck, Elle Fanning seemed to be able to act when she was a kid. Osment did a good job. Etc. I think that Lucas didn't make a good choice, and that in general he has trouble directing actors to begin with.
You're kind of missing my point. Or maybe I wasn't clear enough. Yes, a performance is either good or it's not but the ones that aren't good aren't always on the actor.
I agree that Natalie Portman is a good actor. But she came off as dull and wooden and at times downright painful in the prequels. So did Samuel L Jackson and Jimmy Smits. Why? Largely because they were given terrible dialogue and poor direction. Their performances might not meet the 'a performance is either good or it isn't' test but I'm willing to give them a partial pass for that because of what they were given to work with.
But only a partial pass because other actors in the prequels - most notably Ian MacDiarmid, Ewan McGregor and Christopher Lee - were able to rise above the material and make their roles fun.
Which brings us to Jake Lloyd. The best kid actor in the world isn't going to be able to rise above terrible dialogue and poor directing. Maybe there were better kid actors available but you seriously think any of them could have sold 'Yippee' or that it Jake Lloyd's fault that having him accidentally blow up the control ship was a stupid way to end the movie?
And to be honest, when he wasn't in stupid situations he didn't devise or delivering groan-inducing dialogue he didn't write he wasn't really all that bad.
You're kind of missing my point. Or maybe I wasn't clear enough. Yes, a performance is either good or it's not but the ones that aren't good aren't always on the actor.
I agree that Natalie Portman is a good actor. But she came off as dull and wooden and at times downright painful in the prequels. So did Samuel L Jackson and Jimmy Smits. Why? Largely because they were given terrible dialogue and poor direction. Their performances might not meet the 'a performance is either good or it isn't' test but I'm willing to give them a partial pass for that because of what they were given to work with.
But only a partial pass because other actors in the prequels - most notably Ian MacDiarmid, Ewan McGregor and Christopher Lee - were able to rise above the material and make their roles fun.
Which brings us to Jake Lloyd. The best kid actor in the world isn't going to be able to rise above terrible dialogue and poor directing. Maybe there were better kid actors available but you seriously think any of them could have sold 'Yippee' or that it Jake Lloyd's fault that having him accidentally blow up the control ship was a stupid way to end the movie?
And to be honest, when he wasn't in stupid situations he didn't devise or delivering groan-inducing dialogue he didn't write he wasn't really all that bad.
You may be right. I really don't know. All I ever saw was The Phantom Menace. I gave up right there.
And yes, it's true, you could have freakin' Richard Burton and if the dialogue and the direction is awful, there's not much you're going to get out of it. I agree.
We've already had people dissecting every frame of the Episode VII trailer, looking for nits to pick but what about when people were doing the same thing with the teaser for Episode I?
Here are some ridiculously positive reactions to STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE Teaser Trailer.
Quote:
At an afternoon screening of "Meet Joe Black" yesterday at the Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park, fans -- mostly male -- sat in anticipation, reading comic books and scholarly texts about cinema. But at least a dozen people left before the film started. It wasn't the thought of three hours of Brad Pitt as Death that scared them away: They had come just for the trailer.
"Unbelievable," said a visibly elated Rob McNeese, 24, an Arlington college student. "I consider myself a harsh critic, but after the trailer I was applauding."
"It's going to be incredible," said Jim Herr, 31, after quietly escaping from "Meet Joe Black." Herr, who predicts the film will knock "Titanic" off its No. 1 worldwide box office perch, heard about the advance screening at a funeral.
Quote:
From the moment the "Lucasfilm Ltd." logo appeared, the crowd was cheering. From the serene, opening shots of (presumably) Naboo, Tatooine, and Coruscant to the action shots from all over, we were glued. As this is one of probably 8 thousand reviews to be posted in the last 24 hours, I'll stick to the highlights:
- A lot of Japanese influence with Coruscant and the young Queen's (Natalie Portman) costume and make-up.
- Darth Maul is one incredible looking villian. Dressed all in black, his head is coverend in a demonic red and and black pattern and he fights with a short staff with a light saber at either end.
- There's a shot of R2D2 and C3PO together where C3PO has no outer shell.
- Jar Jar Binks, the all CGI sidekick looks pretty cool.
- The folks at Kenner will be busy as we see a whole bunch of future action figures and ships.
- Yoda's still a muppet, but a younger, more cherubic one. (Isn't he only around 40 years younger than in "Empire" here? He's supposed to live for centuries so should he look that different?)
- Thankfully, we don't see much of the actual plot.
So, does it appear to live up to our expectations? Yup. As "Jedi" was an indication Lucas was burned out on the whole thing, he seems to have spent a great deal of time considering why "Star Wars" worked as well as it did. I think he figured it out. "Episode I" feels like "A New Hope", only on a grander scale. While there are some comic relief CGI characters on display, it doesn't appear anything like "Jedi: the Muppet Movie", and while "Empire Strikes Back" is a fine film with more character depth, you can't get lost in it like the first one. That's what I see the man in the back of the theater going for, right here. I can't wait to see it. I hope he went home to the ranch a happy man, tonight. His job is done.
This is the best one:
Quote:
All around me, there were actual tears of joy. There was excited hollering. There were hugs, people laughing uncontrollably. As the haze passed and I realized there was a movie playing, one thing kept going through my head.
As I prepare to sleep now, visions of the prequel dance behind my eyes. I am exhausted, but I know sleep won't come easy. Now that the worst wait is over, the final stretch begins. Six months. I could do that standing on my head. Whatever we're going to see in those theaters next May, it's going to be something special. More importantly, the experience of seeing it with all of you will make it even more special. I am thankful I saw it with that crowd tonight. There was love pouring out of everyone in that theater. There was joy, pure and simple, over the viewing of the footage. I felt like I was among family.
It was a wonderful, magical night, the kind that keeps me going to the movies, and all I can say to sum it up is what I said before.
Thank you, George. Thank you, George. Thank you, George
SCRIPT REVIEW
On the story as a whole:
Quote:
You can't possibly know how textured and wonderful the story Lucas has to tell is going to be. The thing that makes THE PHANTOM MENACE possibly my favorite STAR WARS story so far (on paper, mind you) is the details. The time off has done something unexpected to Lucas as a storyteller -- it made him better. Considering how he's always doubted himself as a writer, I think it showed remarkable confidence in not putting this script through another writer, someone who might have diluted our return to this place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
On Jar Jar Binks:
Quote:
This script balances the humor with honest, direct writing that gives Jar Jar (dare I say?) a soul. He may be a sidekick, but here's betting that Jar Jar Binks becomes one of the biggest EPISODE I stars once audiences get their real introduction.
On Anakin Skywalker:
Quote:
God, I love this kid. It makes me feel sick from grief when I realize that he's going to be Darth Vader someday, hated, feared, a symbol of evil. This kid is a good, pure spirit, beloved by the people around him. ...If he works, this will be one of the most textured kids roles in history.
On the ending:
Quote:
The new technology is nice, but these films feel more like your average indie than a studio action blockbuster.
Rewatching the OT right now - is Luke Skywalker the only Jedi that learned everything the fastest? He has a couple minutes training with Kenobi in A New Hope, a couple hours with Yoda on Dabogah. Im assuming Luke does most of his training between the three movies. The longest amount of time would be between the events of New Hope and Empire, but as we see with his training with Yoda, he doesnt have mad skills. And if ROTJ is a direct continuation of Empire, how much time did Lando, Luke and Leah spend planning the "save Han" scheme? So during that time Luke became a jedi master?
I dont like or support the prequels, but I do get a sense that Anakin had a lot of training to become a jedi.
A whole tv series spinoff could be about how Lando joined Jabba's crew.
Rewatching the OT right now - is Luke Skywalker the only Jedi that learned everything the fastest? He has a couple minutes training with Kenobi in A New Hope, a couple hours with Yoda on Dabogah. Im assuming Luke does most of his training between the three movies. The longest amount of time would be between the events of New Hope and Empire, but as we see with his training with Yoda, he doesnt have mad skills. And if ROTJ is a direct continuation of Empire, how much time did Lando, Luke and Leah spend planning the "save Han" scheme? So during that time Luke became a jedi master?
I dont like or support the prequels, but I do get a sense that Anakin had a lot of training to become a jedi.
A whole tv series spinoff could be about how Lando joined Jabba's crew.
I always had the impression that time goes by much faster on Dagobah than on Bespin. Han and co. are literally hiding for a day (max.). So a day on Bespin may by a couple of weeks, maybe even months on Dagobah.
I always had the impression that time goes by much faster on Dagobah than on Bespin. Han and co. are literally hiding for a day (max.). So a day on Bespin may by a couple of weeks, maybe even months on Dagobah.
Those are the same files, name and all, that I downloaded from trailers.apple.com. They generally mirror the files from other sites and make it easy to get them with little effort.
But nope, Yoda clearly says he's not going to teach Luke anymore today. So he is at least a couple of days on Dagobah. Han and company are probaly hiding a few hours in that "cave" and spend maybe a day in Bespin. Maybe this was just a screwup in the writing deparment. But it never really bothered me.
Exactly how I feel. Star Trek: Nemesis is much worse than anything Abrams did. I like what he did with the series, and in my opinion, he saved it from total devastation.
Trek was totally on life support until the new films. Without jj it was just going to be a distant memory. No more shows, no anything. So Trekkies can enjoy the past and should be happy new generations have it in their life.
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