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Attack of the Clones
ramakant writes: "It looks like George Lucas has really sold out this time. If you thought Jar-Jar Binks was bad, MTV.com is running a story that a few members of 'NSYNC will be making cameos in Episode II. I think the target demographic for these films has changed a little since the original trilogy. Oh well, at least LOTR rocked." The MTV article says that NSYNC asked for the part; an article in a UK tabloid says Lucas asked them.
Who can tell one extra from another?
What we call folk wisdom is often no more than a kind of expedient stupidity.-Edward Abbey
after all, those of us who grew up loving star wars saw them originally as children.
About three years ago, I sat in a theater that was about to show "Wing Commander." Why? Because they were going to show the "Star Wars" trailer. As the lights darkened and the projector fired up, the words "Lucasfilms" showed up on the screen. That was all it took to get the entire crowd to erupt in a tremendous cheer.
Then, Ep I came out.
Recently, I sat in a theater awaiting LOTR. "Lucasfilms" showed up on the screen. The audience collectively yawned. We've already been burned once by Lucas; we're pretty sure that AOTC is going to suck. Jar Jar, a lame-ass title, and now N'Sync pretty much confirm that.
The article says a few seconds in a scene with a lot of extras...
Get a grip... nobody will notice unless you freeze frame the future dvd and then who really cares...
If you want to make an opinion of the film before seeing it (which is kind of dumb) then at least do something like watch the trailers... which in my opinion are quite good!
I wonder if the movie has any HOT GAY POOPSEX
Lucas has always said that Star Wars is a modern-day fairy tale. Great love stories intertwined in a universe of Good vs. Evil where the Good Guys win. It's the stuff great kiddie stories are made of.
:)
I mean, hey, let's look at that first triology for a second. We've got a love story between a princess and an outlaw (whose best friend, by the way, is a large, loveable hairy guy). That's classic fairy tale stuff. Then we've got the tale of a confused and tortured young man struggling to become a champion of good whilst laboring in the shadow of his evil father who, as it turns out, is still a pretty good guy himself.
I can't tell if this is a fairy tale or a soap opera. Frankly, there isn't much difference.
The point is, Lucas made a film that adults can - more or less - enjoy, but it's always been heavy on the childish side of things. The story and characters are easy to digest. It doesn't take a literary genius to understand that the Emporer was an evil mad man and Luke was the proverbial White Knight. The story is cut and dry.
But I will admit that including a boy band like NSync in the movie, even for a cameo, is bowing to market influence in a major way. Oh wait...there was Jar Jar and that whole "Pod Race To Sell Toys" scene in Episode I.
My sigs always suck.
Lucas diserved the money he made from the 3 first star wars, in that repect, I support him in every trademark dispute, piracy attacks, and anything that might go against his master piece of work and innovation(tm).
But one thing is for sure, he lost *ALL* my respect with Episode 1, This was clearly a "coup de cash" against his loyal fans. Not only he deceived us, it's not like if he was under-funded or he had to make tough choices (jarjar is the "living proof of poor judgment). Now, he's in it ONLY for the money, he lost his soul and his artistic taste for the movies the same way metallica lost it's artistic side for money in heavy metal music. He had all the time in the world to make a masterpiece, he had all the funding available, he had all the talent, he had enough people around him to tell him what was a good and a bad idea, I guess fans sometimes are really harsh but there's no forgiving for such blattant mistakes and misjudgement; he knew what his fans were expecting and he betted only on the CGI technical skills side (like most hollywood producers) to save the day.
You didn't see me crying when DiVX of his mastercrap went around the net, actually it even did some good; Remember when he commented on the editor that removed *EVERY* scenes where jarjar was? that it was illegal etc etc? Well, on a moral standpoint and to defend the same Trademark that Lucas is tarnishing by himself, I think it was the best thing that the internet and p2p technology could do to save the little content of the movie that wasn't half bad. It's still illegal though, but for someone who saw it at the theatre and gave in money like I did, I would have prefered paying an extra buck to see such a version.
At first, my thought was, maybe I was expecting too much, maybe I've lost that amazement feeling you get when you're younger and seeing something truely fantastic, but LOTR proved to me that it wasn't gone, and SWEP1 should have given me that same feeling if not better. I didn't have such a harsh judgment before seeing LOTR, but what I saw is that you CAN match a buttload of CGI, a good story and good acting and still amaze people... and that my friends, at any age.
Having NSYNC in there just shows the commercial side of lucas that has overtaken his artistic soul. What is it going to be? Big sync dance of Yoda and all his family? oh god, I can see riverdance comming for episode 3 and have a bunch of JarJar lapdansing for 10 minutes... oh and have him signing on top of that, and oh I can see vador joining the club and using the force to lift everybody in the air and and&#*H@IkKn3,22214m3,4
NO CARRIER
--- Metamoderating abusive downgraders since my 300th post.
The Star Wars we all remember was mostly about telling the story. It was captivating and definently interesting. Sure, there was a bit of 'side story', but the movies were always about the end theme. (If you don't know, well, too bad).
The new movies don't seem focused on the story line. I mean, what have pod racers to do with Vaders character developement? Anyone see him race pods later in life? No? No duh.
Including the droids was a mistake. Later in life, did the just forget to mention what they knew about Vader? Duh. Lame.
It should come as no surprise that the next movie is a rental. If you go to the theater, don't complain here. IT WILL SUCK!
You have been warned.
Here before all but 8486 of you.
I saw an EP2 trailer at Lord of the Rings and it was enough to make me want to reach across the aisle and throttle someone. The only people in the theatre at the time who even enjoyed the trailer were the teenage girls, and the collective simper was horrifying. I can understand modifying the Star Wars we've all known and loved to sell it to the modern demographic, since 20 years does tend to demand certain variations in the theme to capture the interests of the same target. Yet the wholesale bastardization of a concept to attempt to make it appeal to all demographics is a work of marketry and not artistry. It's a damned foolish thing to do and a sign that Lucas has become nothing more than a sellout.
I'd been rallying for another Indiana Jones movie for a few years now. This is the moment when I stop. As much respect as I have for the past accomplishments of Lucas and Co., I couldn't possibly tolerate the desecration of another franchise.
Pax Digitalia
Unfortunately, the target demographic has not changed, as you say. But kids have grown less and less adult-like -- they've gotten dumbed down and will grow up immune to any aesthetic quality. Not that this is any problem to the studios... costs less to pay a writer who isn't as good.
It's either that, or the target demographic has narrowed. Star Wars was clearly marketed towards children AND adults, the former of whom will be entertained by ANYTHING with fur or robotic parts. Case in point is the Muppet Movie, which had furry muppets that kids could enjoy, while adults had fun with the witty dialogue. Newer movies leave the adults out of the equation, reasoning that the kids won't "get" the movie. But they're not there for the storyline -- they just want to see fur and robots (and if at all possible, furry robots!)
So for God's sake, market all you want towards the children, but at least give the adults a darn script that's worth listening to. Kids grow to understand it as they get older. That's how you MAKE a classic for christsake.
Um, some guy makes a couple of films you like a lot. A while later he makes some more films that you don't like very much.
At what point in this story do you figure at all? Don't bother saying anything about giving him your money, 'cause that was your choice. You don't want, you don't buy. Maybe if he came to your house and pointed a gun at your head to buy the DVD...
Why does Lucas have some kind of "commitment" to you, rather than say Tom Clancy or Michael Chrichton (sp?)? They all produce a product, yet where is the outrage that Timeline made obsolutely zero sense?! (Ok read, but bugger the science!)
"He's making the films for his kids! Burn him!" What, making a film for a bunch of whiny ass-monkeys would be a better choice? Sure, they are the luckiest kids on the planet, but still, I can't think of many motivations better than doing something for you kids.
If you don't like what he's doing, sure complain about how it could be better (I sure did), but don't get so excited about how "he owes us more" or "it doesn't match my vision" or "a dog could do it better". He doesn't owe you jack and if you think you can do better, go prove it.
End of long, dumb rant, but I'm kinda sick of people bitching like Star Wars was their exclusive birthright.
Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
The damage done by having a boy band or any recognizable figure in a movie based around a universe, as Star Wars is, is that recognizing them draws you out of that universe and back into the real world. This would be true whether the reaction you have toward the person is negative or positive. As an example, I found it quite bothersome to see the "E.T.'s" in the Senate scene of Ep 1. I liked ET as a child, but it took my mind out of the Star Wars plane that it was dwelling in at the time.
"Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality." -- Dalai Lama
...IN THE BACKGROUND.
Sheesh, grow up. You guys all make it sound like there's going to be some big fuss about it. Hell, 99%+ of you won't even notice it when you watch the damn flick, even when you're LOOKING for them.
They're extras, and not only will you not hear them, you'll probably barely get more than a few frames of SEEING them as it is.
But if you want to all bitch about it like "Lucas fucking sucks, that sellout now makes movies for KIDS" or "goddamn, films are not pop culture" should just grow the hell up.
Besides, if you were N'Sync (or any other boy band), wouldn't YOU fight like hell to just have a walk-on in any Star Wars movie? Oh wait, I forgot. This is slashdot, and its practically a requirement to be biased against anything that isn't free or open source...
Isn't that what MTV's Celebrity DeathMatch is all about?
I'm happiest when a movie doesn't have any huge names at all you usually get a more enjoyable experience because the actors don't carry the baggage that someone you've seen in a number of movies does.
Um...you don't see a contradiction here? If they're saying "who?" then there's no baggage.
I agree with Conan O'Brien: Lucas did it "to make C3PO look less gay."
That is, if he did it at all. I suspect the newspaper stories were sourced (uncredited) from ananova, which credits a fan site. Any Kubrick fans here? Do you remember the outrageous rumors about the plot of Eyes Wide Shut? There has not yet been any official source on this.
I survived the Dick Cheney Presidency 7 to 9 AM 7-21-07
Lucas is, quite simply, out of touch with his own vision. No one argues that Star Wars is a fairy tale, and a damn good one at that. But look at what makes good fairy tales! Harry Potter is a prime example of a modern day fairy tale that has won the hearts of millions of fanatics of ALL AGES, much the way Star Wars did years ago. Toy Story is another example, where everyone loves it, kids and adults. LOTR is doing it in theaters right this very moment, some half century after its original writing.
The fact is, Lucas did something once upon a time that was magic by creating something for people of all ages to love. You can't really say that about the new movies, something is missing. I think what's missing is both in Lucas and everyone else.
The target demographic of the original movies was not really children, but everyone. Kids don't understand the concept of a Republic vs. an Empire and what that means, or the sexual tension between Han and Leia. That stuff is in there for adults too. And don't forget the violence (which is present in all fairy tales by the way, pick up the Grimms if you don't believe me) which is relatively absent from episode 1. No dead gungans lying around, they're too fucking marketable! Even the Ewoks were slaughtered en masse. These "adult" concepts are things that are very real, that reach out to us and touch us from inside and connect us to the story long after the fantasy has faded away. Harry Potter does this. LOTR does this. Why not episode 1?
I wish I had an answer to these questions, but the fact is that Lucas is simply not targeting his demographic anymore. When he made the first movie, his priority was simply getting it made because he couldn't worry about anything else. Make the movie, and people will come. His demographic was the project itself. Now his demographic is what he thinks audiences will want from him, and he's bending things to this vision. He's not serving the story anymore, he's trying to serve us all, and in doing so he's cheating everyone of something that should have been great.
"I may not have morals, but I have standards."
What the hell is this troll? You're saying because Lucas signed an unknown actor for his low budget unknown science fiction film in the late 70's, that having what is right now the world's largest, most visible, and most marketable band show up in what is likely the most visible franchise film series the past decades is even comparable?
"I may not have morals, but I have standards."
Look at the face of this issue again.
It seems the alarum was sounded because he's (*gasp*) signing pop stars with little acting experience into what many people seem to think is an unassailable classic series. In fact, Mark Hamill has a singularly undistinguished acting career except for the three SW movies. Even he knows it and parodies himself a lot. Jay & Silent Bob, numerous TV walk-ons, etc.
Corvette Summer? Shoot me now.
Star Wars stopped being about the mythology a long time ago - the 9 scripts were outlined ages ago, and he's painting himself into smaller and smaller corners by having to make everything work out according to what we all know happened in the original. We should all be able to recite the screen play for III by thte time we walk out of II.
But look at Titanic - we all know the outcome, three hours long, nails-on-the-blackboard performances, but put the right pop-idol's name on the marquee and call it an epic, and you get a license to print money.
So, at least in the studio's eyes, all that's left is to hang onto those frames whatever it takes to get people to sit in theatres for the remainder. I could watch any of these movies until my eyes popped out, but let's be honest - high art they ain't.
And it's easy to get wrapped up: when a sci-fi wonk claims - with a straight face - the term 'blockbuster' was invented for one of the SW premieres, we all need to take a moment.
And consider the converse - casting two highly regarded nearly-shakespearean actors didn't save Phantom from the wailing and rending of cloth by die-hard SW standard-bearers.
So in the scheme of things, boy-band extras is hardly a big deal, is SOP on some level, and guess what - Lucas is not immune.
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
Maybe Lucas was more objective with himself in Star Wars 4: A New Hope. He was new (only one major film out, American Graffiti), and under a tight budget. His other film in the genre, THX1138 was well thought of but not widely distributed.
If somone wants to be an extra and be shot at, I don't care. It is if they actually have lines then I start to get concerned.
See my journal, I write things there
They were rated PG, and certainly appealed to kids, but there were elements that really were targeted at adults. I'd call them family films in the truest sense of the phrase - films everyone in the family can enjoy, as opposed to the pasturized crap they call "Family Films" now.
I'm the stranger...posting to
Sure, but I don't believe that you're addressing the issue:
We already don't like 'NSYNC. But now we're also (more) disappointed with Lucas.
Sure, if I were 'NSYNC, I would try to get myself a cameo. But if I were Lucas, I would tell 'NSYNC to go F themselves.
Does Lucas really need more money? I think the main disappointment with Lucas is that few artists have the financial opportunity to create what they really want because they need the cash. Lucas has this opportunity, but he has sold out in the past, and this bit of news sure makes it sound like he's not about to change.
"The only rights you have are the rights you are willing to fight for."