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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
At least they all get slaughtered within half a second. http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,4-2001601540,00 .html
Who would you rather see die by the hands of Jango Fett or the Sith....Jar Jar, or any member of N'Sync?
turn into a 13 year old girl who actually likes n'sync prior to seeing Star Wars Episode 2
What good is a used up world, and how could it be worth having? --Sting
after all, those of us who grew up loving star wars saw them originally as children.
The movie is titled 'Attack of the Clones.' The film would not be complete without 'NSync. I'm just disappointed that Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, and 98 Degrees will not have cameos.
It's the New Year and God still hates me.
***
Put all the talentless boy bands (redundant, I know) in the movie. As long as:
a) They don't talk, or "sing."
b) They get killed off post-haste.
Given these two rules, it would be quite enjoyable.
SIGFEH
how much worse does it have to get before I'm sorry I ever saw the first movies.
Hmm. Are you sure it wasn't NSYNC who sold out?
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I see that it's time to put all of that first-person shooter training to work and invade Skywalker ranch. An unopened original Bubba Fett action figure to whoever brings me Lucas's head on a pike!
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
Okay, my last comment, "Now you know why Episode II is called Attack of the Clones" was beaten to the punch by fifteen seconds. Durn. But it took me less time to change my mind about the whole thing.
I hate boy bands as much as the next guy. But 'NSYNC was darn funny in their Simpsons episode. They spent the whole 18 minutes making fun of themselves after all. They can't be ALL bad.
*beep* *beep*
Oh no! Our clothing is out of style by 15 minutes! Quickly, to bananna republic!
Ynav eht Nioj!
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!
This isn't exactly a big departure from Lucas's stable...
Hamill wasn't exactly a Royal Shakespearean himself...
89. "Eight Is Enough" (1977) TV Series - David Bradford (1977)
90. City, The (1977) (TV) - Eugene Banks
91. Mallory: Circumstantial Evidence (1976) (TV) - Joe Celi
92. Eric (1975) (TV) - Paul Swensen
93. Delancey Street: The Crisis Within (1975) (TV) - Philip Donaldson
94. Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975) (TV) - Ken Newkirk
95. "Texas Wheelers, The" (1974) TV Series - Doobie Wheeler
96. "Jeannie" (1973) TV Series (voice) - Corey Anders
97. "General Hospital" (1963) TV Series - Kent Murray
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
listen, complain as much as you like, but it doesn't change the fact that you would get yourself casted in starwars, even for a brief cameo, if you had the power.
so use the force or something. i never saw the movies.
"when life gets complicated, I like to take a nap in a tree and wait for dinner" - Hobbes.
The only upside to anything positive happening to N'Sync is that the Backstreet Boys have to be really pissed off that N'Sync is getting props instead of them.
- Dan I.
I heard Peter Jackson is giving Al Gore a cameo in the Two Towers. He plays one of the Ents.
I hope its like the N'Sync Simpsons cameo:
Justin Timberlake: "WORRRD!!!"
:)
"Yvan eht nioj" - Now that's catchy
Hey, does this mean that along with the 35 year old virgins living in their parents' basement, there will be screaming teenage girls camped out in front of the movie theater on opening night?
This would cause a mass confusion in the crowd as Star Wars geeks meet these strange creatures called "girls". I just wonder what happens if one of the geeks asks a teenie bopper if she wants to see his "light saber".
Vader - "Come, and we will rule the Empire as father and son."
Luke - "I don't want to be a fool for you. Just another player in your game for two. You may hate me but it ain't no lie. Bye, bye, bye."
Make sure to get the soundtrack with hidden track 0 where the boys hum the Star Wars theme a capella (sp).
Seriously, I hope the Clone Edit (please let there be one) has Bye Bye Bye playing as they get killed.
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.
I see this thought all the time but I can't agree with it. The first two episodes appealed to adults. They were geared towards a broad demographic but they certainly appealed to adults. They were movie classics.
The three most recent movies were for kids. I want a Star Wars movie that appeals to me but I'd settle for one that appealed to the original demographic. The taget did move. It happened in the 80's with the damn ewoks were given a starring role.
That which does not kill me only makes me whinier
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.
I think the target demographic for these films has changed a little since the original trilogy.
A New Hope didn't have a target demographic. Not at 600k budget.
The Empire Strikes Back tried the late teens target demographics. It didn't gross out as much as they had anticipated at the time. It caught on later in time.
The Return Of The Jedi targeted kids and up, in attempt to widen the audience. By that time, episode 5 had become a classic, and it caught on.
That's the "magic" formula that was used for episode 1, and don't expect anything for the next two episodes.
I don't understand why people are so upset by this new fact. We were told before episode 1 that the new trilogy would be for Lucas's kids. I understood when people were amazed that the first episode was aimed at such a young target audience, but now that we were told, how can anyone really think that the movies won't be aimed at CHILDREN.
This new travesty is a horrible perversion of what should be a beautiful thing, but at least it's in charachter. He told us what he wanted to do. He's doing it. Quit complaining that "the target demographic for these films has changed a little since the original trilogy," because at this point, you shouldn't expect anything less from the producer of Episode 1.
I'm a concientious
From The Sun
"The boys got involved because producer GEORGE LUCAS's 13-year-old daughter Katie is a fan of the band and badgered her dad to give them a role."
Man, I wish MY dad would let me name movies and pick the cast!
This Summer, from Metro Home Video: Christina Ricci and Janeane Garofalo in "Hotter than Natalie with twice the hot grits"
www.matthewmiller.net
"Live Free or Die." Don't like it? Then keep out of the USA
Dude, it's the Clone War. For the most part, everyone already knows what happens in this movie, because 90% of it is events that were mentioned in the original trilogy. Between Obi-Wan talking about the Clone Wars and Vader's past being slowly pieced together throughout the original trilogy, the fans already know the plot of this movie in specific detail.
All five members of the group appear in a battle scene in Episode II: Attack Of The Clones.
But unfortunately for fans they are all bumped off within seconds by savage androids.
Well, I'd pay just to see that part! Sell out? More like savior! He knows what WE want to see!
Don't trust a bull's horn, a doberman's tooth, a runaway horse or me.
It's time to organize for a planned flop. No more Star Wars. This crap is ruining my image of the ORIGINAL movies. No more t-shirts, no more action figures, no more posters.
None, nada, nil!
Lucas didn't sell out... NSYNC did.
It used to be about the music, man!
I object to that article, and to the next reply.
That trailer actually gave me shivers in ways that NOTHING about the previous film was even remotely able.
To be honest, I have high hopes for this film. --We might actually see some good messages. How passion of any type can lead to the dark side. And, anyway, there's nothing quite like a good romance story when it's well told.
Weird about the boy-band members having cameos, although I'd venture to guess that this is a sly attempt to capture the female viewership fully and completely. Interesting ploy.
We'll have to see. I do sort of worry, though, that the new film might serve primarily to reinforce certain messed up societal ideals, a la "Titanic". --Including, of course, that the perfect boyfriend must now die of hypothermia in the North Atlantic in order to be properly acceptable to a girl.
Ah well. We'll just have to see, won't we.
Fingers crossed!
--Fantastic Lad
Well what do you know they actually do look cute with the Jedi customs...
[alk]
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...I was about 12 or 13 when I first saw Star Wars.
I don't think the demographic has changed, in fact, I think its still the same.
I gave myself to Jesus, but now he never calls
While Lucas is at it, Natalie Portman could use some petrification.
-- ;-)
Kuro5hin.org: where the good times never end.
Proof positive that if Lucas has too much creative control over his movies, he'll screw them up big time. The movies he does get creative control over get all sorts of weird midgets, furry creatures, or fart jokes.
- Little green fire-fly like dots right through Mimic, plus an obvious cut/break/repair in the film.
- Cyclic digital distortion of the sound right through Hollow Man.
- Given wrong tickets and pointed to wrong theatre for Thir13en Ghosts (movie titles are no longer on cinema doors). Mistake not noticed until 15 minutes after correct movie started.
- Purchased discount pack of "Cinema Cash" only to find that the expiry date had been shortened to six months and for one of those months a normal ticket was cheaper.
- Projector setup incorrectly such that subtitles at the beginning of Replacement Killers were cut off so completely that the audience didn't notice there were any until one spanning two lines half-popped up.
- Waiting in theatre for The Mummy Returns to start and Tomb Raider begins -- this time I was in the right theatre.
That's all I can remember for now, but I'd say a good 60% of the movies I've seen in the last year or two have been screwed up by the cinema. If only the movies were actually good enough to be worth coping with the crap.This is so profoundly retarded that I'm having trouble, for one in my life, expressing my true feelings.
So, I called up the NIST and asked them to create a unit of measurement that accurately describes the ratio between retarded things and lame things. I proposed that 1.0 would be the standard ratio for something that would be equally retarded and lame, and suggested Episode II, George Lucas, and N'Sync might be good benchmarks from which to gauge this new standard. They agreed, with one stipulation. They wanted to put "mebi" on it somewhere, because there was a sale on "mebi"s this week..They overestimated public demand for them and had a whole bunch lying around they needed to get rid of.
Without further adue, Star Wars's ratio of lameness to retardedness will be measured in Mebijarjars, and more specifically, Episode II will be exactly 1.0 Mebijarjars if N'Sync happens to be in it. Ten bucks says Episode III will feature nothing but chimpanzee actors wearing garbage can lids on their heads beepy-boopy sounds dubbed over a laugh track supplied by the surviving members of Menudo.
Cheers, its meant to make you laugh,
Bowie J. Poag
You rock!
:) )
(PS- sounds like me and my younger sis when we were kids
Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
I sometimes get bewildered that people try to equate the star wars movies or storyline with anything resembling great cinema.... George Lucas and Co. are intent on creating.. err.. recreating mythology and plotlines that are universal.. when you hear that word.. universal, you should run.. the stories and character development take a back seat to effects and gimmicks.
Was I the only one who thought that Episode 4 (IV) sucked? At the time, it was amazing effects and a well thought out story, but the acting was sub-par at best, and the directing and cinematography were atrocious... Carrie Fisher (Remember Princess Leia??? - She wrote an Oscar winning film, Postcards from the edge, it got some sort of Oscar) - Her take on Lucas's Directing Skills - his range of direction was from "Faster!" to "More!".
Of course I am a fan, of course I had all the action figures, I was 8 years old. But that doesn't mean it was good... It was a good attempt.
When I hear people talking about the SW movies as a "franchise" or with some sort of reverence, I laugh out loud.. it was trash, and Episode one was trash. My wife bought me the DVD for Episode one, and I can't sit through it again, I either fall asleep because everyone has a stick up their butt and they are saying their lines as if they were reading them from cue-cards, or I get so disgusted with the shitty plot and the contrived gimmicks (R2-D2 owned by Anakin, C3PO built by Anakin? give me an EFFFING break!) and the inconsistancies with the original ethos... If you are going to make up the laws of a made-up universe, don't change them because it fits with the story... Don't even get me started about the Gungans.. Jar-Jar actually wasn't that bad, but can anyone explain to me why the Jedi didn't just go to the city first? what was with the 20 minute ride through the planet core?
Send in the Clowns is going to suck too, but I will buy my ticket like a good fan boy and sit and cheer when he gets the girl, and when the bad guys die, and when he becomes darth vader...
</rant>
I had a sig, but
How about making a mod pack for something like Quake that lets you do the fragging yourself?
You're using her as bait, Master!
Please remember that Lucas works in the movie INDUSTRY. That means he is trying to make money. I do believe he's doing a damn good job of it. I've been sitting here reading everyone's comments and I've come to the conclusion that most readers of this article have forgotten that Lucas isn't making movies for you. He isn't making Star Wars so that the 35 year old guys still living with their parents get a thril from his "epic" film. There is a definite difference between a film and a movie. A film tends to be more artistic and usually is trying to convey a message (a perfect example is Copola's Apocalypse Now). Movies, on the other hand, are here to entertain us and to make money. Star Wars is a series of movies. If you want something epic with real meaning why don't you go read a book. I'm sick of whiny fanboys bitching about what Lucas is doing to their "precious" Star Wars. If you don't like it then you don't have to go watch it. No one is forcing you. When you create a movie franchise and make millions of dollars you can do whatever the hell you want. But last I checked most /. readers probably don't own the rights to successful movie franchises. This reminds me of a story (that I heard on 60 Minutes the other night) about when Richard Harris went to Jack Warner to voice a complaint about Warner making his movie version of Camelot more sexy than was originally intened. Warner took Harris to the front of the studio and asked him what it said on the sign. Harris said "Warner Brothers". Jack said, "Right. And until it says 'Harris Brothers' you'll do what I say." Ok, I've said my piece. Mod me down if you want but I had to get this off my chest.
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.
Loved the first, was crushed by the next, never bothered with the third.
Boy bands getting pasted... well its a good start. Maybee they could toss that Crusher kid from that other space show and let the bots (slowly) work him over too...
+++ UGUCAUCGUAUUUCU
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
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOO!!!!
insert random stuff here to defeat the rassum-fassum-mumble-grumble lameness filter...
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
...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...
They could give Britteny Spears a role as an alien too. They'd only have to add a little more rubber.
-
- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
Not unless he has one of the Hutt holding the boy band members on leashes while they wear the male version of the bronze bikini Carrie Fisher wore for the slavering Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi...
Star Whores is more like it. Feh.
Friends help you move... Real friends help you move bodies...
N'Synch shows up at which time Samuel L cuts loose with his light saber and gives further reason for a shrine devoted to his bad ass.
I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
Sure, Lucas is breaking no law in becoming a total whore and letting some marketing committe script his movies. In the same way, a politician breaks no laws if he sells out his principles and does exactly what some tobacco company tells him to do. Breaking a trust which is not backed up by a contract is something anyone technically has a right to do. And just like no one is forcing you to buy any specific movie ticket, no one forces you to re-elect the backstabbing politician. Does that make this sort of behavior is alright?
Lucas, like some corporate-tool-politician, has shat on the heads of the very people who made him what he is. But it's worse than that in his case. You see, only Lucas can legally make the remaining movies in the Star Wars epic because he owns every last bit of Star Wars IP. There are plenty of directors out there who would be willing and able to finish the series well. Unfortunately, their doing so would be illegal. If LOTR had been made badly, I could have tried to make it again, though better. The future Star Wars movies will be made badly, but we have no recourse. We just have to take it, even if they're opportunistic, poll-driven, stroryless product placement ads (which they will be).
The Lucas of today makes me feel dirty for ever having liked Star Wars and for having spent every cent of my childhood allowance on those overpriced action figures. I imagine some people who voted for Nixon felt betrayed in the same way. Fine... I was a tool, a means to an end for some greedy bastard in whom I once had faith. Excuse me if I'm a little mad about that, but maybe being indignant about this sort of thing is a necessary part of self-respect.
Since we've established that the movie's target audience misses the Slashdot demographics by a mile, maybe it would be good judgement on the part of /. editors to not make a major story out of every stupid Star Wars rumor. They should seriously consider treating it the franchise more like they Dumbo and Barney (with a nostalgic and heavy heart for what the Star Wars prequels could have been). Slashdot is full of former Star Wars fans. With enough /. hype, there will surely be hundreds of readers who pay Lucas for a seat "just to see how bad it really is." And we don't owe him that. We may owe him a bit of ridicule, but more than that, we owe him some indifference. Since the commentators here seem to agree, I hope the editors are wise enough to show some restraint. "Star Wars sucks now" is no longer "News for Nerds."
"OK, after episode 1, no one can pretend that Star Wars hasn't basically turned into children's entertainment."
Uh.
The INS has no controll over where you go, you'll have no trouble getting in. Just ask John Walker.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
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."
Cinema as anything other than elongated MTV is dead; marketing to kids is all that matters.
I went to see LotR on New Years Day and it stunk - badly written, very badly directed, with ZERO characterisation. Yet kids in the cinema were applauding at the end. People on /. rave about it and the IMDB has it as the best film of all time. Why? Because it had very good special effects.
So, keep all your crap about Lucas selling out, he's only going where the audience are leading.
TWW
"Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"
How many of you will vote with your pocket book, and mindshare by not seeing it (including in the theater, pirating it, renting it on video, etc)...
:)).
Wouldn't it be a lot more quiet in here if all the rest of you would shut up?
I'll go see it. It'll have cool FX, lots of stuff will go boom, and I can pretend I'm a 12 yr old. Heck, at my age even a couple of hours of being a 12 yr old again will be worth it.
Do what I did next time, watch Ep 4. Watch it honestly, not in nostaliga mode. It's predictable, and geared for 12 yr olds. Gee, I seem to recall seeing commercials for Star Wars toys playing when I was 12, in between the cartoons. Maybe, just maybe, the movies aren't getting dumber, maybe we're getting older and have different tastes (I wouldn't say we're getting any smarter
Just some food for thought.
Minupla
On the whole, I find that I prefer Slashdot posts to twitter ones because I don't get limited to 140 chars before
Giving them a prop would be good. Spinning. Very fast.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
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
A tabloid or the shiny things network? I'm inclined to go with the tabloid - at least their fans are semi-literate. :-)
I'm the stranger...posting to
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
...do you really trust him to exercise that sort of discretion?
I'm the stranger...posting to
Empire Strikes Back has been hailed as the better of the original trilogy but didn't Lucas put in Billy Dee Williams for a similar reason he is using 'NSync?
For crying out loud, just because someone is appearing in the movie doesn't change the tone or nature of the movie. They aren't going to be a Boy Band of Jedi Knights. They get to be background actors who get fried by Battle Droids.
This is not the way to build a lasting empire.
It gets better. They also only appear for a split second on the DVD release.
Like sex? Read and write about it! Indecent Blogging
So's their music.
*ba-dum*
Incidently, while Hamill is notorious for making crappy, crappy movies, he does really great voiceover work in animation - as the Joker in the Batman animated show on the WB, and several other things I can't think of now and can't be bothered to find.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
> How is this informative? all he did was quote from the article.
Well, since nobody on Slashdot reads the articles before commenting on them...
Virg
Another great director turned whore.
Hollywood, how we do love thee and thy destructive ways.
Some do, certainly. So did some kids' movies from the 1970s. But it's far from universal. In fact, 2001 saw not one but two "kids'" movies which are enjoyable for adults as well: Shrek and Monsters, Inc. (I highly recommend both--and I'm 30 years old and don't have children.)
Never take moderation advice from sigs, including this one.
The unknown actors were fairly evenly divided between good and bad. For every Mark Hamill overexpression there was a Harrison Ford smirk (remember, he wasn't a big name back then). For all of Carrie Fisher's swooning there was Anthony Daniels's angst, which he could express even without showing a human facial expression.
Virg
Don't diss Dumbo. It's a very good story. I don't think Disney could make something as good as Dumbo today.
--
E_NOSIG
George Lucas can kiss his credibility "bye-bye-bye" (as if!?)
E.
Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
Look for stupid hair-styles. All boy bands are required by law to have at least one member with stupid-looking hair; you just have to associate hair-style with band name.
Dunno how many people remember, but when the first Star Wars films were fresh from the theater, Lucas allowed R2D2 and C3PO to show up in several Sesame Street episodes, right along-side Big Bird and crew.
He's *always* been a proponent of connecting the films to popular culture at the time of their release, in an attempt to gain more fans.
Nowdays, kids are more likely to watch the cartoons on Nickelodeon (Spongebob, Rugrats, etc.), and/or be into the latest boy/girl band crazes.
Why bother? They already sound like that anyhow.
I will certainly NEVER see this one. I waited for Ep1 to come out on video before I sprang for that one. Wont do it for Ep2.
Since the obvious audience for the latest incarnations, even starting back with Ep4 and those goddamn-stupid-awful muppet-like Ewoks, is the diaper-wearing set.
Jar-Jar, Ewoks, a thumbsucking-aged Anakin/Darth who DRAG RACES(He should be yanked from his parents by social services since they had no problems with endangering the life of a frickin' infant), NSYNC... Damn diaper-wearering kiss-assing. Damn Lucas and his declining mental acuity and emotional regression.
It IS possible to make an excellent movie, tell a cool story, that both adults and children can enjoy without dumbing it down to the lowest-common-denominator by sticking muppets and other cartoonish, ridiculous super-infants into it (see LOTR...even Harry Potter had a more mature focus than Lucas' Star Wars as it plods on).
In Bushworld, they struggle to keep church and state separate in Iraq as they increasingly merge the two in America.
Yeah, that Alec Guinness guy screwed the whole thing up for me. The whole time I was watching I couldn't help but see Doctor Zhivago. And don't even get me started about Peter "This is a horror film?!?" Cushing. (End Sarcasm)
The point is that even a big name actor can act well enough to make you forget who he/she is, if he/she acts well enough. They fail with disturbing regularity, but they can also succeed.
That said, I don't think the boys from N'Sync are up to the task.
Virg
StarWars ep4 was NOT FOR KIDS!
sheesh. it was for adults. I remember the hyps, the acadamy awards, the adults all talking about it. I was 12 when it came out, I remember more adults in line then kids. I remeber adults takng there kids to driveens to watch it while there kids slept.
I know of nodody who saw this movie multiple time in the theater.I'm sure some did, but none of my friends or there kids did, all of whom are SW fans.
Yes Lucas managed to market the action figures, but they caught on far faster then anybody expeted. The Kid factor was a huge surprise, which began to have a serious impact on what goes in the movie buy ep6. i.e ewoks.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I remember the ewoks. they where lame, and unbelievable. come on, a stick takes out a Guy in armor? they should have either been wookies, or have found a weapons depot and raided it.
of course the scence wo the ewoks fighting where pretty cool, and the conflict between Vador on Luke was very good, good enough for me to disregard the ewoks, but in ep1 the core of the movie was "be cutsy".
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
No, a cameo is just the term the industry uses for "bit part" when said part goes to a well-known person. It's basically to avoid insulting a big name celebrity. For example, when Christian Slater appeared for ten seconds as a captain's lackey on "Star Trek VI: The Undiscoverd Country" it was labelled a cameo.
Virg
Well, I can see why Britney Spears belongs in "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones" but there's only one Ron Jeremy.
Virg
I'd say the cinema (or cinemas) in your area suck. I've been to a theatre that I really enjoy (good sound system, stadium seats that recline, big cupholders, free drink refills even on the way out, etc.) many times over three years, and the only technical flaw I encountered was a blown bulb that stopped the projector for a mere ten seconds.
In short, go find a decent cinema. You're right to say that the crap is unacceptable.
Virg
the movie of by sacrificing JAR-JAR to some heinously evil force...Man that would have been good:) Philip K Dick could have done justice to the plot as well...
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
In the original theatrical release, Greedo didn't shoot at all. That was the part where you started seeing Han Solo as a darker character, and in the remake Lucas decided to present him as more of a "white hat" hero.
Virg
Goddamn it, I'm not dissing Dumbo. But you don't see a Dumbo icon on /. and you can figure out why. Since Star Wars has turned into children's entertainment, I think it has as little place on Slashdot as Dumbo.
OK, then your complaint is not why he's doing it, but that he's doing it. In this case, though, I have to ask why having the members of N*Sync as four of the extras is any different than having four equipment riggers as the extras, in terms of artistic vision. To cite a different example, in the scene in "The Sound of Music" where Julie Andrews (as Maria) approaches the convent, the real Maria von Trapp is one of the extras walking on the street. There was no reason artistically why it had to be her on the street, but there she was, and it didn't do any damage to the movie's artism. Yes, there's no reason why N*Sync band members had to be there, but how does it damage the movie? If you didn't know it was them, would you have even noticed? Therefore, I can say (at least in this case), no harm, no foul. He's sold out in many ways, but this is a bad example.
Virg
If you have to populate the movie theatre with teenage girls to get the numbers you want then fine. If nsync is is in the movie, then every clone should be a member of nsync.
Tell me that wouldn't be ironic, funny and growing Darth Vader evil. The woodeness of their acting should be directly proportional to the number of clones killed. If it isn't funny enough than make more boy bands into clones and kill them. Nuke a whole planet if you have to. The teeny booper girls will be happy and the geeks/dweeb/fans_for_more_than_five_minutes will just have to laugh if you take it far enough.
Different people should get different things out of a good movie. I think episode 1 was a little too one size fits all. How many good kids cartoons have hidden adult humor or perversion.
thunder, Thunder, Thunder Cats HOOOOOOOO!!!
Hey Nsync, embrace the dark side, you will more powerfull than you could possibly imagine.
Novel theory: Modern Man evolved from psychopath
> I believe he is doing this to improve the marketabity of the film.
> That is what rubs me the wrong way. The fact that I believe he is adding
> something gratuitous to the film that I dislike.
Therein lies the rub, indeed. What you believe is coloring your view of what's happening. Your problem seems to stem from the idea of using celebrities (in this case, ones you feel are inappropriate) as extras. I disagree with your reasoning here, because using celebrities (or anyone in particular, for that matter) does not fall under the artistic intent of the film. It does not stand to reason that there is no neutrality in artistic intent. Your claim is that anything that does not improve the film necessarily hurts it. By this logic, since adding N*Sync members does not improve the film, it must hurt it. Adding them in this role is plot-neutral, and so no harm. You don't know for certain why he did it, so you can't claim that he's doing it solely to improve marketability. He likely realizes that it will help marketability, but might be doing it for personal or artistic or whatever reasons. Hell, he might actually like their music, for all anyone knows. So, no foul.
To give you food for thought, how do you think you (and many other Slashdotters who have complained) would have felt if he recruited extras from members of his family? Or to Star Trek cast members, or anyone you choose that doesn't annoy you? Be careful that it's not merely the fact that it's a band that appeals to teenage girls that annoys you.
Virg
what's the one thing star wars has always been good at? better than any other theatrical conveyance?
MERCHANDISING!!
One movie has done better, if only within the the movie itself...
Spaceballs! Yogurt knows everything about moichendising. Comeon, when was the last time you saw a StarWars themed flame thrower?
Yes! That guy!
What the hell are you talking about, The Princess Bride being a kids movie? The Princess Bride is a spoof on fairy tales, ala Shrek, though aimed at an older, more intelligent crowd, and IMHO far superior. The Princess Bride is a masterpiece of engaging story telling and genre twisting satire. Children may like the movie for a number of reasons, but certainly can't grasp the irony, satire, and deep humor in most of the dialogue.
If you doubt me, read Goldman's book by the same name. It's a surpringly different experience, and you'll clearly see that the seemingly sentimental emotions in the movie are far more adult-oriented than come across on screen.
The only certainty is entropy.