That bitch Lucas announces Star wars on Blu Rayz

[Acid King]

I think Randal sums it up nicely here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_JNuIN33Wk

[Limbrooke]

Interesting indeed. I have no doubts it was probably crap in comparison.

PCEFX: I think the issue would be finding a 1980 print that was well taken care of at this point. I watched the original trilogy in the theatres as late as 1994, and they were in semi-bad shape at that point.

Good luck finding a clean and good condition early 80s release. Prolonged T&E will see that it's not easy to find, I can attest to that. As for mid 1990's SW, before SE, I didn't have any real issues. I wasn't under the impression it was cocked up too much, at least the 1995 VHS set can say so. It's clean, semi-modern and not hard to find. It's been a long time since I've seen the 80s tapes but no real complains on the 1995 set, so it's your best bet.

[CMoon]

Guarenteed if Lucas holds like he has been, they'll be bootleg HD versions from Hong Kong and Pirate Bay. This is one of the reasons I think Lucas has his head stuck up his ass. It isn't the 80's anymore; withholding super-popular media only nets you lost sales.

[neorichieb1971]

Guarenteed if Lucas holds like he has been, they'll be bootleg HD versions from Hong Kong and Pirate Bay. This is one of the reasons I think Lucas has his head stuck up his ass. It isn't the 80's anymore; withholding super-popular media only nets you lost sales.

Possibly. In America most people still buy though. In the UK we don't even have specialist DVD stores anymore, they are extinct.

[emphatic]

there are bootleg HD versions from Pirate Bay.

^^fixed. Episode IV and V fanedits in 1080p with all post '94 crap gone. No more "Greedo shoots first".

[CMoon]

Damn! Really?

In your face Lucas!

[Skykid]

there are bootleg HD versions from Pirate Bay.

^^fixed. Episode IV and V fanedits in 1080p with all post '94 crap gone. No more "Greedo shoots first".

I need these.

[GaijinPunch]

I need these.

Well get your boyfriend's cock out of your eyes and start searchin'.

[dan76]

So I take it that these Blu-ray disc's aren't the 3D versions are they? If not it means that bitch Lucas will be re-releasing them... again.

[Ed Oscuro]

I doubt Lucas has much to do these days, he spends more time coming to shmups to see what the latest giz is on the SW franchise

Tru dat. I think I can stick to the idea of him viewing the series as his own personal constructor set though.

By the way, somewhere along the line he's put out a history of the film biz called "Blockbusting." I've read a bit of it, seems thoroughly researched. Really, there's enough about the guy that I can forgive his dicking around with the franchise since the film originals are not at all lost. It's just a shame that he's treated it so poorly and hasn't really come to grips with it.

By the way, I also am not sure about the "Americans still buy most things" comment...I'm sure the MPAA would like it to be true though

[neorichieb1971]

I think in American cities broadband is super fast, but elsewhere its too slow. So Best Buy, Blockbusters are very popular.

In the UK we have so many legal services and illegal services of obtaining media we are down to one shop franchise left (HMV). The rest is made of super markets and online vendors. Plus in the UK people are starting to get conscious about buying tangible goods. If you go to the recycle centre here you will find a titanic load of VHS cassettes, CD's and even DVD's sometimes. People are throwing away so many things. There is a storage container full of CRT's. My friends ask me where I put all my Blu rays (I have over 200) and I must admit its taking up too much space.

As for Star Wars, I already bought the 90's DVD collection of 4,5,6. My ex has it in the USA so I haven't watched it in 4 years. The blu ray is still one year away, which is in a galaxy far far away to get excited about it right now.

I'd rather talk about Beauty and the Beast, Back to the Future, Alien Saga. All of which are 2010 releases.

[Ed Oscuro]

It's pretty darn fast out here in the former boonies. Most anywhere in the U.S. you ought to have enough speed to use Hulu, Megavideo etc. not to mention all the less-legal fileshares with ease. Hotels, you name it, it's probably fast enough. B&tB, BttF, Aliens movies, that's some good stuff right there. (I wonder if the Duck Tales movie is up for a Blu Ray release? That was trippy as hell, as a kid, but in an awesome way.)

[GaijinPunch]

I think in American cities broadband is super fast, but elsewhere its too slow. So Best Buy, Blockbusters are very popular.

America's broadband is a shining turd, unless you live on a University campus (at which point it's insane, and has been since the interwebs were invented). Asia for the win -- amazing things happen when everyone lives on top of each other.

As for Star Wars, I already bought the 90's DVD collection of 4,5,6. My ex has it in the USA so I haven't watched it in 4 years. The blu ray is still one year away, which is in a galaxy far far away to get excited about it right now.

I have the latest trilogy DVD I think.. sealed. I should just sell it.

[emphatic]

I have the latest trilogy DVD I think.. sealed. I should just sell it.

Same here. I keep 'em just because the funny Swedish cover has worded "druids" instead of "droids". I guess they tried to cash in on the LOTR success.

[Ex-Cyber]

I think in American cities broadband is super fast, but elsewhere its too slow. So Best Buy, Blockbusters are very popular.

America's broadband is a shining turd, unless you live on a University campus (at which point it's insane, and has been since the interwebs were invented). Asia for the win -- amazing things happen when everyone lives on top of each other.

The density argument is generally a weak excuse rather than a real explanation. Last time I checked, better broadband (at least for residential users) was available in a bunch of smaller cities in Utah than in most of NYC, because those cities decided they'd heard enough excuses and broken promises from Comcast and Qwest and built their own carrier-neutral FTTH network.

[GaijinPunch]

The density argument is generally a weak excuse rather than a real explanation.

Perhaps not now, but initially, it was a very valid excuse. I had 100 Mb fiber in my house (w/ 5 global IPs even) in 2002. That cable was prohibitively expensive if a set amount didn't reach many users.

[CMoon]

OK, so I finally watched the final cut of Blade Runner and I bring it up here because until I watched the special on it, I wasn't aware how much touching up and in places out right modification was made to the film. I mention this because with the final cut, these changes are welcome but also unobtrusive. I really wouldn't even suggest this for many films, but I suspect it is the sort of thing Lucas had in mind--unfortunately he achieved exactly the opposite!

This whole business is rather unfortunate, but now I'm convinced that it is possible with care and talent to do incredible restorations to these films and even tweak some things after-the-fact; on the other hand it is also clear that the team involved had no interest in performing the wholesale revisionism we see in the SW films. Hmmm.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

From a techical restoration standpoint, it took a whopping seven years to do each frame-by-frame restoration of Blade Runner: Final Cut version. Makes me wonder just how much $$$ was budgeted to make it happen. Even the famous film continuity error of the Asian stunt woman crashing through the thick plated glass was fixed as director Scott wanted it thorugh the utilization of digital imagery magic.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Ed Oscuro]

I read somewhere or other that Joanna Cassidy was brought onboard to refilm that scene...she was also able to precisely duplicate the movements of the double and was also happy indeed to discover that the suit still fit her. That's what I call the definition of a MILF

[dan76]

OK, so I finally watched the final cut of Blade Runner and I bring it up here because until I watched the special on it, I wasn't aware how much touching up and in places out right modification was made to the film. I mention this because with the final cut, these changes are welcome but also unobtrusive. I really wouldn't even suggest this for many films, but I suspect it is the sort of thing Lucas had in mind--unfortunately he achieved exactly the opposite!

This whole business is rather unfortunate, but now I'm convinced that it is possible with care and talent to do incredible restorations to these films and even tweak some things after-the-fact; on the other hand it is also clear that the team involved had no interest in performing the wholesale revisionism we see in the SW films. Hmmm.

Same thing with Star Trek the slow-motion picture. They restored it with Robert Wise overseeing the work. On one of the extras some fella says that they only wanted to clean up or produce effects that were possible at the time of the original release. You could tell where that comment was aimed. It's no great film... and I don't particularly like Star Trek, but they did a pretty good job on it. I actually thought it was the original version I was watching because my flat mates had put it on and I missed the first 10 mins.

[CMoon]

That's what I call the definition of a MILF

I was amazed by this too. She's definitely aged gracefully.

Anyway, the third disc though definitely sets the standard for what Lucas should be doing with Star Wars--using seamless branching material to make multiple versions of one movie available on one disc. Doing this would be simple, and I doubt even terribly expensive. Lucas just doesn't wanna.

[GaijinPunch]

You could maybe forgive him if he was spending his time being a good writer or director, but he's kinda lousy at both.

[Acid King]

You could maybe forgive him if he was spending his time being a good writer or director, but he's kinda lousy at both.

If you were to look up "resting on your laurels" there'd be a picture of Lucas. He's only directed 4 Star Wars movies and outside of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, both of which he created decades ago, he's done dick.

[CMoon]

Don't forget, those Indiana Jones movies are as much Spielberg's doings. Lucas can't take all the credit for those.

[Ed Oscuro]

He does a hell of a lot though. Director, not so much (only six theatrical films, and three of those are the new trilogy), but look at all the stuff he's written:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lucas_filmography

Reminds me, I need to watch Willow and The Radioland Murders.

[Acid King]

He does a hell of a lot though. Director, not so much (only six theatrical films, and three of those are the new trilogy), but look at all the stuff he's written:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lucas_filmography

Reminds me, I need to watch Willow and The Radioland Murders.

If you look at his IMDB entry, you'll see that all he's mostly credited as a story writer and other people wrote the actual screenplays. Almost all of it is either related to Star Wars or Indiana Jones which just furthers the point that he's a 2 trick pony.

[Ed Oscuro]

Ugh, I guess you're right. There's a hell of a lot of material in the original Star Wars script, though, so it's taken a while to churn through it all..."Now to add some political commentary aaand done!"

Actually, on that point, I can comment a bit further. George Lucas is probably singlehandedly responsible for the survival of the theories of Joseph Campbell, author of "The Hero with A Thousand Faces." I seem to recall Wikipedia having some discussion of criticism of his loony idea of "universal" myths - the "monomyth" - count yourself lucky if you haven't been preached to by some know-it-all about the "universality" of the Great Flood myth - but it appears to be whitewashed now. His other major idea seems to have been "follow your bliss."

Lucas hasn't been shy in admitting that he took a great deal of influence from Campbell, but it's not flattering to Lucas as a creative force because basically it breaks down stories into easy-to-digest (and thus easy-to-ape) sections. If you care to see all your favorite plot tropes outlined in brutally simplistic terms, you can look here. Holy heck, Wikipedians have too much time on their hands.

[CMoon]

Reminds me, I need to watch Willow

No you don't.

[Ed Oscuro]

Reminds me, I need to watch Willow

No you don't.

Well, maybe The Black Cauldron next, huh?

[CMoon]

I don't think there's much requiring you to see EITHER of those movies, but yes, Black Cauldron has some pretty animation in it, I'd go with that.

Seriously, I still don't get why some people remember Willow fondly, but you know, some people remember the Ewoks fondly...