Likes: We just launched a couple of Star Wars episodes on our podcast if you want to hear four screenwriting nerds / Star Wars geeks discuss all things saga-related:
Episode 24: Star Wars — The Original Trilogy
Episode 25: Star Wars — The Prequel Trilogy
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Active Member
We just launched a couple of Star Wars episodes on our podcast if you want to hear four screenwriting nerds / Star Wars geeks discuss all things saga-related:
Episode 24: Star Wars — The Original Trilogy
Episode 25: Star Wars — The Prequel Trilogy
she/her/hers
we just re-watched the original trilogy with my parents in 4K on my dad's fancy new TV (but for some reason the disney+ app built in to 4K tvs won't output surround sound, and it's not a brand-specific issue, so we sadly watched them in stereo...anyway) and even though they're the special editions (don't even get me started on the subtitle change...i wouldn't shut up about how mad i was and my whole family was just like WHO CARES) they look great. well, the original film elements look great. the CG stuff they added back in 97 looks absolutely HORRIBLE because you can't upconvert it...you'd have to re-render it, and they clearly didn't do that, so it sticks out even more than it did before. but i also noticed a few other cool things, namely that there are a lot more people of color in the star wars universe than i ever realized. though almost all of them are background characters...it was still nice to see/notice some more diversity than i had previously.
Behold the morning star
The app is still broken. Hdr isn’t even hdr ( it’s only outputting at 200 knits).
she/her/hers
um, has anyone else watched all the deleted scenes they put on there as extras? we just watched all of them for the OT tonight and there's some really good stuff in there. a bunch more women(!!!) in various parts, some hilarious ad-libs by a pilot in RotJ, and some hilariously clunky wompas invading the base on hoth, among other things.Originally Posted by eversonpoe
BADGERS
Agreed the low res digital effects have aged poorly, but OT looks terrific. Although another upscale will likely reveal a bit too much of the practical elements now lol.
I'm struck at the end of Empire how much more emotional and intense the lightsaber fight is. The stakes are high and they are well known by the audience. Luke is in over his head. They put is energetic determination against the brick wall that is Darth Vader's power. It might be the best duel in the series.
The sense of scale in ot and at is also very different than the prequels which try to leap across quite a lot more territory than the others, and because of that I think the characters feel much more real and vivid and consistent.
BADGERS
I'm on to sequel trilogy now...
Episode VII has aged well on my third watch through. I really only still find the whole super weapon plot to be it major flaw. It comes out of now where and it feels way, way less consequential than it should. However most of the characters it introduces are charming and interesting and overall I think it's great.
The Last Jedi makes me sad. This is only my second time watching the Last Jedi, because I've found the conversation around it so frustrating. However.... It is the star wars movie with the most to say. It has a very defined purpose that colors every single seen, pretty remarkably once you understand it. It's a constant crusade against tradition and expectation And against nepotism. It does a very good job of this. From the destruction of Poe's rogue disobedience, to the disdain Luke carries for the Jedi legacy. I find it so sad this movie has so many outspoken opponents, a risk may never be taken with this franchise again. If put this one in the top 3.
Active Member
Looking back I actually enjoyed the Last Jedi in cinemas for what it was, a nice bombastic flick with some stupid action interveined and some great set pieces as well as interesting choices. My own major gripe is still how carelessly this trilogy has been handled. I wish I didn't read that much about it, but the turmoil behind the scenes and the fan backlash really leave a bad taste in my mouth for all three movies without having seen RoS yet.
It seems totally mindless to me to just bombard these movies with the highest of all budgets and don't care about a plot outline, writing scripts on the go and leaving the directors with full creative power. This screams arrogance from the executives thinking that fans will buy into it either way. What's the use for quality stories anway if people buy the product by the millions? I'm guilty as charged, but I indeed feel a little bit mistaken for a fool. Whereas the original trilogy and heck, even the prequels seem like alot of creativity and soul has been put into them, the new trilogy just looks good, is full of fan service but ultimately rushed while a confusing movie like the Last Jedi could be regarded as risky and unexpected storytelling. I would love to believe that, but I fear it's the result of the people over at whatever company is now in charge not giving a real shit about a good and quality story.
Is the OT a cinematic masterpiece? I have no idea, but at least it sparked what we know today as Star Wars. The movies live on, while I don't know if the new trilogy ever will... at least the prequels found their way into meme culture and sparked things like Rebels and the Clone Wars which many people seem to enjoy a great deal.
This Cannot Continue
We are getting slightly off topic by going into the newer films, i will always appreciate how with TLJ they tried something new for the films, but i do see how for many this would not be for them. There are legitimate criticisms for the movie, but the argument always just falls into "RJ sucks he ruined Star Wars", that makes me pretty sad
Back on track, is there anyway to watch the OT without the extra stuff they added? Did Disney add those as options to Disney +? I did own the OT pre effects, but those were on VHS and aren't in the best condition anymore...
Active Member
The point that many have brought up is that TLJ did absolutely nothing for the films. It does subvert expectations but does so in a manner that seems like a bad joke. Everything new or interesting established in VII (not that there's much given that it's just a IV retread for the most part) was thrown away. The entire plot revolves around a boring, slow chase. There's a casino planet in the middle that does nothing except tell us that the main characters are unbelievably stupid. By the end of the film, the status quo is essentially the same as what it was at the beginning. Zero character development across the board. There are plenty of specific examples I could give explaining my points, but I don't really want to spoil it for anyone who still hasn't seen it, and these points can be found anywhere online.i will always appreciate how with TLJ they tried something new for the films. There are legitimate criticisms for the movie, but the argument always just falls into "RJ sucks he ruined Star Wars", that makes me pretty sad
I don't think RJ ruined Star Wars. He certainly did it no favours. He didn't attempt to create something great by building on top of JJ Wars, he just tore it all down and didn't add much to the mix. It feels like JJ Abrams made a mediocre, acceptable cake, RJ was asked to decorate it but came along and pushed his face into it instead just because he could, and now what the fuck is anyone going to do with that?
The thing that bugs me the most is that this is a $65 billion franchise, and the writers couldn't be bothered to sit in a room and plan out the narrative arc for the new trilogy from the beginning. They're just making it up as they go along, which is pretty insulting for the fans. Hell, I'm so glad I'm not a Star Wars fan right now!
Star Wars hasn't been good since Empire. It should have ended there. Once the prequels started, it's just been bad movie after bad movie. Rogue One was all right. At this point, I feel that the franchise only exists to make money from nostalgia and toys.
Active Member
Even John Boyega was disappointed with Finn's development...so I'm not completely crazy.
https://hypebeast.com/2019/12/john-b...nterview-cover
she/her/hers
look for harmy's despecialized editions. and if you can't find them, i might be able to help you out...
Throbbing Member
To be fair, I don't think anything can spark the kind of pop legacy the original trilogy did, not anymore. These are different times, the tv, movie and gaming industries are positively saturated with spectacular and expensive productions of all kinds of fantasy, sci-fi and/or superhero stories to cater to any possible niche. Both story-wise and effects-wise nothing is unprecedented anymore. People still consume it happily of course, but it's more like picking things out of a menu now. Any hype and excitement explodes so quickly over the internet, any story is so picked apart and overanalysed, that there is almost no room to slowly digest something, no delay of gratification.
xScott
So I started going down the rabbit hole of fan made remasters last night, and I'm specifically interested in the Grindhouse 35mm scans, the Team Negative1 4K77/80/83 versions, and of course the Despecialized Editions.
Can someone help me out? Or at least point me in a non-torrent direction?
RA-MEN ROPPAI
One of the preservation rules, for all of these edits, is that they are not to be posted to any streaming sites in-full. There are MEGA links available if you search Google, if that's what you meant by non-torrent.
Throbbing Member
4K77 and 4K83 have been released, but 4K80 is still in progress, they were released on newsgroups.
If you're familiar, you can probably download a trial of Newsbin Pro, try to get access to some newsgroup servers, and you should find them in the alt.bin.starwars group.
Alternatively, if you have an FTP server setup on your side, I could send them to you. It'd take a while though, as the files are quite large.
Behold the morning star
I got the nonDNR of the 4k's. They look great. Cant wait for empire.
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