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George Lucas Struggles to Reinvent Himself
GuyMannDude writes "Wired has a lengthy article about what lies ahead for George Lucas. Originally a member of a maverick group of young filmmakers who were at odds with the thinking and methods of the major studios, he has now become the most financially successful director in history by marketing the ultimate popcorn fodder. With the Star Wars saga ending, Lucas now struggles with how to reinvent himself." I imagine it will be hard to get away from Star Wars, given that he's producing television shows set in the fictional universe.
and He estimates that he gave two decades of solid work to Star Wars, not including a hiatus to raise three adopted kids as a single father.
Obviously the time has come for payback from his fans.
How many young Star Wars couples would be willing to raise their very own George Lucas Love Clone?
Come on, George. Donate some nuclei. Leave the midichlorian, er, mitochondrian DNA to the egg donor.
Face it -- its the right thing to do.
Bit serially, this guy has done a lot for digital cinema and his accumulated capital seems most appropriately put to use cultivating young talent. The academic cinema schools where he and his contemporaries got their start just aren't what they used to be but he could certainly help advance the state of the art in home "home schooled" digital movie production.
This would get kids in the hinterlands producing movies from their own myths, starting from the same age Spielberg was when he first got a hold of a movie camera.
Probably the best way to do it would be to get together with someone like John Carmack and define a series of prize awards for technologies that are critical to bringing the cost of movie production down.
Seastead this.
Now that his first group of fans has grown up, there is a whole new area of filmmaking that he hasn't explored yet: Star Wars porn. I mean who wouldn't pay good money to see a wookie getting it on with a bunch of ewoks?
I Am My Own Worst Enemy
Must ... Reinvent ... Self ... ;-)
Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
He should start his own space-flight company.
Have you read my blog lately?
He could always reinvent his movies.
Will the new George Lucas shoot first still? Or will he dodge and return fire?
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
"given that he's producing television shows set in the fictional universe."
GL is working for Fox News?!
Personally, I'm waiting for a sequel, video games, and action figues for American Graffiti.
Ceci n'est pas une signature.
Lucas should have stuck to what he was good at: having a fertile imagination, having the knack of transferring the detailed worlds he created to the big screen and being a very successfull business man in terms of negotiating with the big studios merchandising rights and so on.
Unfortunately he made the huge mistake of trying to be director again, instead of just a producer. IMHO, the best Star Wars movies where episodes V and VI, both of which he didn't direct.
Maybe he could come up with something totally new and awe inspiring with SOME story this time. Gone are the days where eye candy was enough to make a great hit.
Certainly in five or ten years we'll get new, blu-ray hi-def versions of I thru III, with Lucas saying in interviews "I added the new scenes to get the movie I really wanted, which I didn't get back then."
George Lucas sold out a long time ago in a Galaxy far away.
He isn't a great filmmaker. He isn't even a passable mass-market filmmaker. He's a guy who made a cult hit that happened to be a global hit.
And then he made a series with Spielberg.
My Photography - http://ian-x.com
The Deathlings (comic) - http://thedeathlings.com
For starters, he could make the fourth Indiana Jones movie that the fans have been waiting for years. And he doesn't have much time left, given Harrison Ford's age...
"With the Star Wars saga ending, Lucas now struggles with how to reinvent himself."
I wouldn't be suprised if we see Star Wars, the musical. Choreographed by Lucas himself. Except the actors will be droids and Lucas will command them from a mothership hovering over the stage.
... why hasn't Lucas cashed in on the current cultural hardon for fantasy with a cleaned up re-release of WILLOW?
Seriously. Take the pre-composite footage of the confrontation with Bavmorda (sp?), replace with current effects technology, re-release. Instant club hit.
That, or Lucas can do what he did with Star Wars (the best of which he didn't direct) - write and direct a shitty prequel that totally taints the setting?
Oh, wait. He screwed that one over with a sequel. In book form, anyway.
And what about that Princess Lay-Ya?
And I don't want to talk about Empress Amigdala. (You do kno where your amigdala is located, dontcha?)
Too bad Han's solo...
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
George Lucas is backing the development of a 350 million dollar studio that will combine the functionality of movie special effects with the equipment for video game animation and design features. By combining these two very closely related fields into one mega-location, G.L. is going to ultimately have an impact on entertainment that goes well beyond the scope of "Star Wars" - but even with that titanian accomplishment, there is little chance he will be remembered as such. Ultimately, the innovation that gave him his status is the same innovation that will be tagged to his name inside every electronic wikipedia of the future, and he can't do anything to change that. While many of us rightfully bashed Lucas' work on the first and second (fourth and fifth) Star Wars movies, myself included, he deserves the credit he has earned as a producer and financeer of special effects. Jar Jar sucks, but G.L. will always be a hero in my book for the contributions he has made to computer animation and special effects over the course of his career.
If he wants to figure out how to branch out from his original world and set of characters, he should consult with other directors who have already done it.
Like *cough* Kevin Smith.
Saw him doing CGI, for a character that looked like mucas,
M-U-C-U-Mucus...
I saw the obese fuck in his valley of fog,
Asked him his name and in a raspy voice, he said "Lucas".
L-U-C-A-Lucas,
Lu-Lu-Lu-Lu Lucas...
Well I've been around, but I ain't never seen,
A guy who raped all our childhoods in a manner obscene,
Oh, George Lucas.
Lu-Lu-Lu-Lu Lucas...
And I'm not dumb, but I can't understand,
How Jar Jar and the Ewoks came from Emperor's Hand,
Oh, George Lucas.
Lu-Lu-Lu-Lu Lucas...
Well, I got hired just a week before,
And I've never ever been a marketing whore,
But Georgy-porgy set me straight with force,
Told me "do water specials, with MonCal boobs, of course!"
I know George Lucas has me really annoyed,
But remember, if you kill him then I'll be unemployed,
Oh, George Lucas.
Lu-Lu-Lu-Lu Lucas...
Episode 5's how I want it to stay,
But I need to feed my family, so to the Sith I will pray,
For George Lucas,
Lu-lu-lu-lu-Lucas...
(Thanks, Weird Al, for that second-last verse.)
I would just DIE to see a prequel of America Grafiti. Imagine a series about young Ron Howard and company.
Gator/Claria is Spyware.
when you live at SKYWALKER RANCH.
Anyway, I think Lucas does have a lot of strengths, it's just that coming up with an emotionally compelling story isn't one of them. What if he teamed up with existing sci fi writers and brought their stories to the screen? He would be a great producer, and then he could help find up-and-coming directors and authors.
Tristan Yates
I want a knights of the old republic movie,
and timothy zahn's ones with admiral thrawn..
but made by the people who did pitch black or soldier
"I've earned the right to fail, which means making what I think are really great movies that no one wants to see."
This is in contrast to his previous strategy of making really bad movies that everyone wants to see.
> Trust me George... you can only go up from here if you follow
> these simple instructions.
This is getting annoying.
George Lucas doesn't read Slashdot, and he probably never will.
We're all sorry he did not use your saliva-encrusted fan fiction as the basis for his script for Episodes I-III, but millions of people enjoyed the movies anyway.
Comments such as yours and of the two dozen other minority ranters on Slashdot are getting irritating to no end. If you don't like the movies, fine -- click on Preferences, then click on Homepage, and de-select Star Wars. There! wasn't that easy?
I hope George Lucas makes Jar-Jar a freakin' Jedi Master in Episode III just to piss off the "George Lucas killed my childhood" crowd.
Insert simplistic political, ideological, or personal proselytization here.
Everyone's so quick to bash Lucas, but seriously, have you people been paying any attention to his media campaign lately? He's really coming off like he's sorry for ep 1 & 2, and the whole special edition thing... I mean, ep is gonna be PG-13?!? He's said it'll be "Star Wars goes to Hell," for chissakes. That doesn't sound like the words of a man milking some cash-cow for all its worth... If it were, he'd be coming with more furry little ewaks.
Say what you want, but Lucas has always stuck to his guns over the years, creating HIS vision on the screen, not kowtowing what to a bunch of acned sci-fi dorks want to see. That takes integrity. Only time will tell if he can withstand the onslaught of attacks from lesser "fans" who probably never even filmed so much as a school play!
wow, slashdot has moved to a new level of nerdom when slave leia is left out and replaced with wookies and ewoks.
There's nothing Intelligent about Intelligent Design.
He could always reinvent his movies.
Looks like you'll get your wish! Greedo firing first in 3D! Maybe the new version will have Solo dodging the shot in Matrix-esque bullet time!
GMD
watch this
No, Lucas was a film-school hack who's never made a really imaginative movie. His one claim to serious filmmaking was American Grafitti, which has some technical highpoints, but made no real attempt to tell a story. Then Joseph Campbell taught him how mine the mythological tradition -- which in practice came down to finding cool movies and ripping off their better scenes. The result was Star Wars, which I've always seen as the cinematic equivalent of a theme park ride. Which a lot of people seem to like -- but it's not an achievement that qualifies you as a "Maverik Filmmaker".
Let him outline and storyboard - it's obvious the man has is capable of generating the occasional zinger, but if the most recent SW movies have proved anything, it's that depth isn't something he's capable of. Else the "itty bitty little thing blows up the HUGE MEGA STUPIDBAD THING" would have been used as the climax of ONE movie in the series, instead of THREE (possibly four, haven't seen ep3 yet and can honestly say I have lower expectations for it than I did for the third Matrix film, which was fucking DRAGONBALL Z with sunglasses).
Star Wars was/is a great idea, but the Empire Strikes Back was the best movie of the series in my opinion. It was directed by Irvin Kershner, screenplay written with Lawrence Kasdan and produced by Gary Kurtz, Lucas had a lot of creative help in making that film which turned out to be wonderful.
To reinvent oneself, you have to create yourself in the first place. Star Wars was a culmination of his story ideas with actors and movie techniques that have never been seen before. This is the key to its success.
Unfortunately, time and time again when directors/actors/musicians get older and have kids, their creativity is geared toward kid-friendly productions that their own kids can watch or sing along with them. This G-rated kid-friendly mindset sometimes kills creativity. He needs to get back to his 1970s mindset where he had to create something that has never been seen/done/heard of before - and not worry about what his audience thinks. (easier said than done) The upcoming 3D Star Wars is a start, but it is still cashing in on an old idea. Anyway, good luck George!
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
Howard the Duck II, Revenge of the Fowl
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
I mean, how many of his movies have not been digitally remasterized?
That oughta keep him busy for some time!
A computer makes it possible to do, in half an hour, tasks which were completely unnecessary to do before.
Not if you love your job.
Now, the one you propose is what i call a poor life.
WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
A nice, Star Wars themed funeral, possibly attended by thousands of fans dressed up as Darth Vaders, Obi Wan Kenobis and the like. Afterwards, a Star Wars themed grave or mausoleum to which aforementioned fans would organize pilgrimages.
Nothing I wanna see. YUCK!!!
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
He just needs to digitally remaster himself, that's the key to the future right there
Comments such as yours are even more irritating. Just because someone has a negative opinion doesn't mean they should not post. The poster clearly has an interest in Star Wars, I don't think he seriously expected Lucas to read it, he simply wanted to express how he felt about his latest works. Cripes, dissent is half of nerd commentary, give the man a break.
Originally a member of a maverick group of young filmmakers who were at odds with the thinking and methods of the major studios, he has now become the most financially successful director in history by marketing the ultimate popcorn fodder.
isn't this just the way it goes?
the counter-culture becomes the over-the-counter culture.
Maybe we could get those hinterland kids to produce Jar-Jar cups for taco bell, or Obiwan Bobble heads for your car..
Starsucks
I'm still waiting for Howard the Duck 2!
I support the Center for Consumer Freedom
Quote from the article:
"I've earned the right to fail, which means making what I think are really great movies that no one wants to see."
He actually decided to start doing this a few years ago...
Choice quote from TFA: "I've earned the right to fail, which means making what I think are really great movies that no one wants to see."
So yeah, I guess that's not going to happen anytime soon, if I had to make a guess. His denial is as deep as a root canal.
"Quoting famous computer scientists out of context is the root of all evil (or at least most of it) in programming." - K
Maybe Lucas could refocus his energies on becoming a universal first poster to Slashdot forums.
M
Cartoon Network has a new starwars CGI film coming out called Revenge of the Brick. Its all lego based and seems very surreal. I think Lego gave Lucas a ton of money for this to be made. Just wondering if anyone else has heard of it?
In 20 years they will be re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-releasing the platinum version where we find out those stupid teddy bears on Endor were really made out of chocolate.
During his interview with 60 Minutes a couple weeks or so ago, he flat out said that he would not be making 7,8, & 9. Not only that, he doesn't see anyone carrying that torch either.
You may claim you can take it or leave it, but you really do project a sort of disappointed wistfulness about the subject. Maybe you just expected too much?
As far as his vanishing goes - all in good time. To my knowledge, we all die sometime. Till then, we may as well have some options. New talent will emerge with the usual noise to signal ratio.
Please mod this post only if you think others should/n't read this. I have enough ego^H^H^Hkarma. Thanks!
but it's not an achievement that qualifies you as a "Maverik Filmmaker".
The real maverick filmmakers are folks like Terrence Malick, Todd Solondz, and Paul Thomas Anderson. Lucas was, and will always be, a shoddy filmmaker. *sigh* IMO the best Hollywood SF film from the 70s was Alien, not Star Wars. Not even close. --M
blah blah blah, Lucas ruined my childhood, blah blah blah Episode 1 sucked, blah blah blah more money for his Yachts blah blah blah.
Meanwhile, your hypocritical asses are the FIRST ONES IN LINE to shell out $$ to see the new movies... and you do it multiple times.
We have secretly replaced these Slashdot mods' sense of humor with a rusty nail. Let's see if they notice!!
Thus making your comments the worst of all! How can you complain about someone complaining about a complaint about star wars? The parent of your post clearly has an interest in star wars, he simply wanted to express how he felt about its non suckingness.
Criminie! you type of dissent is at least 2/3rds of all the pseduo intelectual nerd commentary on this site! (the last 1/3 is for repetition), why dont you give the parent a break?
Then he has already reinvented himself. In 1980, the little flannelled one said the opposite in Time Magazine.
...he'll do what he did with all his other characters. Replace himself with a CG model.
"This is how I always intended to look, but I didn't have the technology back then to make myself 7ft tall and partially translucent."
I was checking out the imdb.com post of George Lucas. And all you see are Star Wars and related ( Video games etc ... ). The Star Wars universe is cool and all that but that doesn't make it sustainable.
George Lucas and Steven Spielberg got together and created Indiana Jones.
Then there is also Howard the Duck, we will not go there.
I think George Lucas should try to make an experimental movie not about technology, future or space. Just a movie about nothing with no storyline. That is what makes a good director. But Lucas has pretty much squeezed or rather dried the last couple of drops out of the Star Wars bottle of ideas.
But maybe he doesn't want to create just wants to amass more wealth and then justify it buying new toys.
What ever it maybe George Lucas is the person who opened one of the doors ... As he says .. " ... if you can tune into the fantasy of a 11 year old girl, you can make a fortune in the buisness."
Maybe he is more of a buisness man than anything else...
George Lucas has already made millions. Let someone else have a shot at it. There are already comics, books, games, etc. So let some other directors come in and make Star Wars movies. Think of the potential: someone could do a rough R-rated trilogy, someone else could make an alternate universe, some could be even greater action while others focus on characters, etc. The point is, there are a lot of ideas out there. And if Lucas wants more money, then he could ask for a couple percent of the sales for handing over the rights. Let's get those fresh ideas.
Step Four: Stop tweaking every movie that you've already made. We don't need a remastered ultimate dvd director's cut special edition of everything you've done.
I think the official Star Wars version is going to be what's on store shelves when they nail shut his coffin, and not what was released in 1973.
In several interviews, although strangely not really mentioned by the Wired reporter, he says he has several ideas for small independant films. Not in the Woody Allen sense indy, but REALLY indy, like a guy with a camera and a couple actors go out and do stuff on budgets of under $1M.
These would unlikely be sci-fci (his words not mine) and likely be dramas and, again in his own words, have exactly zero mass appeal. So, really niche films that are very unpopular or have radical thoughts or ideas wrapped into the narrative.
I don't know why he's chosen to do this. Unlike Speilberg and Schindler's List, he has no political or epic historical story to tell. I would say Schnidler's List is not exactly a mass market movie either.
If small indy film is where he wants to go back to, I think he should do it. He should become a professor at USC's film school. That is really what I think would give him the most happiness. Imagine the wait list for that course.
A huge pile of Jar-Jar Binks merchandise feeding the flames?
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
How could I forget Altman? His stuff from the 70s is mindblowingly original. Have you seen 3 Women? Or McCabe and Mrs. Miller? And even the lessor known The Long Goodbye? Fuck, his stuff is brilliant. --M
For one breif, breif second, I read the title as "George Lucas Struggles to Releave Himself".
My impetus to read the article decreased after I realized my error.
- Sometimes you're the pidgeon, sometimes you're the statue.
One really interesting part of the article in Wired was the mention of another release of the 6 movies - this time in 3-D. Someone want to guess what he will add/subtract from the movies this time?
Recursive pot, meet recursive kettle!
Well, he's been doing mostly Star Wars for the last decade or so. But before that he helped write Indiana Jones, and a lot of people thought that was pretty good. He also did the story for Willow, which a lot of people liked.
And as another poster mentioned American Graffiti was quite good, with the very, very young Harrison Ford. Maybe what he needs to do is rewatch American Graffiti, which is a very different movie from everything else he's done. That's a whole non-scifi/fantasy career track he abanandoned 30+ years ago he could revisit. Perhaps he should stop trying to tell big stories and tell little ones instead.
Heck, even Quentin Tarantino isn't as cutting-edge as he once was.
I didn't really like them, but the Kill Bill pair didn't qualify for cutting-edge in your book?
500GB of disk, 5TB of transfer, $5.95/mo
Just what the Catholic Church needs ... ewok porn.
Kris Kerwin kkerwin@insi__REMOVE_ME__ghtbb.com
I suggest to Lucas that he target the Slashdot audience directly by making Natalie Portman naked on screen. That is if they can still stomach her after she turns evil.
-Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase temporary safety deserve neither. -Ben Franklin
He could fall into some lava and then come back as a mask-wearing, rich and powerful overlord who used to be noble but now only does things for his own personal gain.
Well, at least the MASK would be new.
There are 2 kinds of people in this world. Those that can keep their train of thought,
He's going to make episodes 7, 8 and 9. Yeah yeah, he said he wouldn't, but when has anyone in Hollywood ever left a franchise to rot on the vine when there's a dollar left to be squeezed out of it?
-1 Uncomfortable Truth
"I've earned the right to fail, which means making what I think are really great movies that no one wants to see."
Does this bother anyone else? If _no one_ wants to watch the movie, how can it be said to be great? Who cares if he thinks it's great?
I've seen people with really bad ideas who insist that they're great. It doesn't make them right.
Well then this seems to be a good starting point.
I don't expect you to answer this here but the question becomes, "What are the common characteristics of these 'details' that suck up the most time and energy?"
Computers are good at being indefatigable -- so where can they help with detail work? It seems they could help a lot if you could better characterize it.
Seastead this.
You know, before I answer any more questions there's something I wanted to say. Having read all your posts over the years, and... I've spoken to many of you, and some of you have traveled... y'know... hundreds of miles to be here, I'd just like to say... GET A LIFE, will you people? I mean, for crying out loud, it's just a movie!
I mean, look at you, look at the way you're dressed! You've turned an enjoyable little job, that Lucas did as a lark for a few years, into a COLOSSAL WASTE OF TIME! I mean, how old are you people? What have you done with yourselves?
You, you must be almost 30... have you ever kissed a girl? I didn't think so! There's a whole world out there! When I was your age, I didn't watch movies! I LIVED! So... move out of your parent's basements! And get your own apartments and GROW THE HELL UP! I mean, it's just a movie dammit, IT'S JUST A MOVIE!
I think that sums it up.
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
Find 5 people total who liked either episode 1 or 2, they don't even have to like both. I challenge you.
I liked them both. Then again, I am not a starwars zealot. They were cheesy sci-fi. LIKE THE FIRST 3.
Lucas made the original starwars to be cowboys in space. It is cock smokers like you who have turned it into a religion.
He needs to do more things like the incredible Star Wars: Revelations
Kevin
"It's not the cough that carries you off, it's the coffin they carry you off in" O. Nash
His galaxy is "far away", but the universe may well be ours -- the one and only...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
Live action Monkey Island or how about Maniac Mansion? Dig deep into the Lucas archive.
I loved both movies, very entertaining.
I belive his Karma must be low enough already... LOL!
Theres enough fanbase on Starwars to make as many sequels as you possibly can before you die. It doesn't matter that its the same Universe, theres enough aliens, weaponry, unseen jedi abilities, and intrigue to milk it til you die. Its like telling Gene Roddenberry to reinvent himself. If he was alive, most trekkies would want him to be churning out more Star Trek.
God spoke to me.
Have YOU been paying attention. By my count, there were 2 good Star Wars movies, and 3 bad ones (so far). Return of the Jedi was Lucas turning to the dark side, if you will. However, he was excused for it because the first two movies were great. It was the "2 out of 3 ain't bad" argument. But since that time, he has produced 2 more insufferable movies. ROTJ fits more in the category of EPI and II than IV and V. So even if EPIII is great, he will be at 50%, which in my book is a failing grade.
He has said that EPI and II were his visions, and created the way he wanted to do the originals. That just proves that he has no talent. The first two movies are widely agreed to be the best - yet they aren't what Lucas wanted. He is a hack, who got lucky with the first two movies, and perhaps BECAUSE they weren't up to his "standards" is why they were good. He cannot redeem himself. Even if EPIII is good, in the grand scheme of things Lucas has shown his true colors.
Unlike Darth Vader, he can't turn over a new leaf in the final movie in an attempt to erase the dark side from his past.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
P.S.: What Scorsese movie was spun-off as a sitcom?
ANSWER: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
-mkb
We're all sorry he did not use your saliva-encrusted fan fiction as the basis for his script for Episodes I-III, but millions of people enjoyed the movies anyway.
Yeah, and millions of people voted for George W. Bush. I guess that means we can't criticize him either.
Comments such as yours and of the two dozen other minority ranters on Slashdot are getting irritating to no end. If you don't like the movies, fine -- click on Preferences, then click on Homepage, and de-select Star Wars. There! wasn't that easy?
Yeah, luckily you can still (so far) voice your opinion on the internet whether you are in the majority or the minority.
Nothing worse than someone bitching about another person voicing their opinion. I mean, feel free to disagree, but don't bitch at people just for having an opinion...
Unfortunately, Lucasarts is just more proof of how berift of creativity or interest in anything but technological progress the franchise is as a whole at present.
Yes, Sam and Max was good.
But linking to that list will only remind us that Lucasarts cancelled the latest Sam and Max game to make a Christmas release and grab holiday sales.
They've lately garnered no small amount of fan hatred, furthermore, for rushing KotOR 2 out the door before the product was complete, and ahead of the originally planned release date. Lucasarts, as a publisher, is at this point renowned for little other than their ridiculous 12-month conveyor belt dev schedules. When your intention as a publisher is to make as much money as possible developing generic crap, who needs a dev schedule with room for creativity?
Lucasarts is just more evidence of how dead of all things beyond eye-candy and the franchise name all things "Lucas" have become.
What does that leave? Producing. You give the cash and some ideas, let others do the work.
Actually, you've missed what he's really good at and what the article hints at - editing the film into something that is very watchable.
Lucas has an amazing ability as a visual and audible story teller. He has the ability to place the viewer in the middle of the scene and make them feel as if they are a part of it. It is important to note that he worries about the sound just as much as the picture and they do merge seamlessly together.
He's the anti-Kevin Smith. Lucas has saddled himself with a story that everybody knows how it is going to play itself out, but he has managed to create some visually entertaining pieces of film along the way. Smith is the opposite, when he's at the top of his game you don't know what to expect at the end, but you know you'll be entertained by the dialog and bored by static cameras four to six feet from the talent.
The idea of Lucas being the anti-Kevin Smith got me to wondering what you would get if they were to collaborate. Smith would provide the story, dialog and characters while Lucas would make the movie visually and aurally interesting.
Hmmm... Kevin, if you're reading this, have your people talk to my people and we'll talk.
myke
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
ok i do not know a hard core star war fans who really liked episode I or II AND ep III isnt out yet! not legally anyways.
George Lucas doesn't read Slashdot, and he probably never will.
and yes we all know chances are slim to none(never say never) georgie boy looks at slashdot but its a way for people to vent there frustrations in case you haven't noticed.
Best "Matrix: Revolutions" review 3var!!!
Also, did you notice that the shot of Neo being carried off by the machines was a frame-for-frame rip-off of the Ohm hoisting up Nausicaa in Miyazaki's vastly superior work, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind"?
Not to mention the final Neo vs. Smith showdown mirroring another superior film: "Dark City"... only without making sense in the context of the story.
Comment on Lucas to avoid the "offtopic" mods:
The man is a genius when it comes to the industrial side of film-making, but any artistic sense he ever had has clearly atrophied. Every frame of "Attack of the Clones" is a pig's breakfast of poor composition and brain-dead cinematography.
So thanks, George, for you and your people coming up with idead like robotic-controlled cameras and radically new methods of creating sound effects, but it's time for you to fade out. Be a producer for the great young minds of film on the rise. (I would love to see what Darren Aronofsky could do if he had access to Lucas-type resources.)
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
I think I remember reading in my Wired print rag yesterday that Eps 4-6 will be re-released in 3D as well in the near future.
Possibly even using that new 3D digital tech that him, Cameron, Rodroguiz, and others are harping about.
"Power corrupts. PowerPoint corrupts absolutely."
I kinda have an awe for the man, i mean i wish i had the power to brain wash people enough by making something they like and mile it to every .01 penny its worth, then tell them later on to "f off you got me here by wanting to see my movies, but i dont care about you anymore" and still have people defend me!
With those kind of bucks, why invent yourself: just buy yourself.
oh wait.
Mode (3) smart-aleck mode. Press * to return to main menu.
Yes.
Debut for Keitel, Foster, Laura Dern...
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Darth Vader Sex Machine
Inspired in large part by the lame and yet often pretty funny game "Star Warped" by Parroty Interactive (I think).
The only thing that'd make a lot of those games better would be JEJ doing the voice of Vader. "Use the pole, Luke!" (from Wack The Ewok)
Slashdot Patriotism: We Support our Dupes!
Original 9 books? There have been books, yes, but all either based on or an extension of the movies, not the other way around.
There is no 7-9.
When Lucas realized he can earn income by endlessly remixing his previous works. Really, once Harrison Ford is digitized, it's over. He's remaking EVERYTHING.
I don't even blame him. Are the Beatles any different? Did Jordan win in Washington? Royalties change people.
Quote from Roger Ebert, page 5 of the article: "Lucas is obviously great at science fiction, and he could combine his indie origins with his natural inclinations in smaller-scale sci-fi films," he says. "There's a lot of mind-bending speculative fiction by Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov that has never been filmed. A movie like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is science fiction, though it was never described that way." NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
I liked the whiz bang special effects. I just covered my eyes and babbled "lalalalalalalala" at the top of my lungs during the long dialog parts. Helped my enjoyment immensely.
Sometimes my arms bend back.
when you have the creative energy, it doesn't matter if you make no money or a ton of money. you still want to create art. that's why mega-rich bands still put out records, etc. because they still feel the need to use their creative energies. that's just part of being an artist/creative type.
I quote others only in order the better to express myself. -- Michel de Montaigne
Lucas now struggles with how to reinvent himself.
He's struggling now? He should have started that struggle a long time ago, like before making Phantom Menace.
I thought the saga had 9 chapters. We saw 4,5,6,1,2 and soon we'll see 3. What about 7, 8, and 9?
Someone complaining about complaining about someone complaining about a complaint about Star Wars??
Inconcievable!
Hokey statistics and ancient misconceptions are no match for a good thought in your head, kid!
But I understand the studios dumped on (and just dumped) THX 1138. That taught him REALLY, REALLY good. Worst example of a hard-knocks lesson since, according to Reader's Digest, a black girl knocked little Karl Rove off his bicycle because he had a Nixon sticker on it.
But just _maybe_ if George could dig really, really deep he still has something saved up down there worth directing since he has been so engrossed in blockbusters the last decades. If he doesn't have the clout now to pull off something cool in sci fi that would still make money, who does? But in a funny way I don't think the guy believes in himself or the public.
It remains to be seen whether he (Lucas) will attempt to channel the wealth of printed, electronic, and other materials concerning the events following the Battle of Endor into a further series of films. The core Stars Wars market will still be around for the foreseeable future to support any further productions and there are new generations coming along that will expect fresh materials. The studios certainly wouldn't mind financing these projects because there is obviously a great deal of equity remaining in the franchise to be exploited. I doubt that episode III will be the last feature length foray into the Star Wars universe.
As Bubba Ho-Tep has shown, the rest home can be an excellent setting for a pulp adventure story.
Sometimes my arms bend back.
He's got the next 3 episodes to make, right?
I mean actors have been signed up etc.
Rumours are flying around....
Lets wait and see.
How about he reinvents himself as a director who can make good sequels? He still has episodes 7-9 to go....
Constitutionally Correct
All of those tools have room for improvements in usability and increases in Freedom.
For example, the other day I pirated a version of Flash because I figured it might be a good way to start a 12 year old programming. First, why did I have to pirate it or pay for it (and why didn't it run on Linux)? George should fund Free tools. Second, it was totally unusable and we gave up pretty quickly. George should fund better tools. Third, what would the kid have done with stuff he made? George should fund distribution and awards.
If he was going to do the 7,8,9 he should really do the Timothy Zahn books. I missed work over those books they were so good! Furthermore, they are canon, and they take place about 5-10 years after the end of Starwars 6. That leaves his own material for 10,11,12.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
I was lucky enough to make it to Star Wars Celebration 3 where Lucas confirmed that there will be a 1/2 hour Cartoon, and a live action series starting in a year for production. Lucas will be doing Star Wars for a long time. And he has the next Indy film to do. Photos from C3 http://starwars.movlug.com
A thousand thank you's for saying that. I get really tired of hearing the whining here about how Lucas is smashing their childhood memories. Wanna know the truth? If a New Hope came out today instead of 1977, Slashdot readers would mercilessly pan it as a piece of shit. Yes, the same ones that claim they loved it so much as children.
Some people just aren't happy unless they're bitching about something, and apparently a lot of them post on Slashdot.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
Dave Grohl is more than Foo Fighters. Dave Grohl was Scream. He was Nirvana. He is Queens of the Stone Age. He is Probot.
After all this material, he's still coming up with fresh ideas. I don't know of anyone else working in contemporary music who can claim this. Maybe Dr. Dre, I suppose. And a few other producers like him.
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
Well, I certainly don't want to be considered to be a troll, but here goes anyway.
...
The problem is we have a relatively small number of Star Wars/Lucas haters that speak very loudly on Slashdot and they speak out of proportion of the general population.
I'm assuming that they didn't like Episodes I and II for various reasons (some more emotional than anything else), and they are desperate to get others to feel the same way. Their fantasy is that if they say it enough, people will start to believe them and a whole movement will rise up and picket Star Wars movies or something. Ticket sales will drop and people will be burning Special Edition DVDs in the streets. Then George Lucas will fly the Star-Wars-hater who wrote the most vitriolic post on Slashdot first class to California to meet him at Skywalker Ranch, where he'll plea with them to write the new movies and beg for forgiveness for their perceived criticisms. The begging will give way to soft music and gentle romance
Or something like that.
Well, it isn't going to happen. The fact of the matter is the silent majority of people enjoyed the movies quite a bit. It's been said before the Episodes I and II are the same general quality as Episodes IV, V, and VI.
> Millions? Find 5 people total who liked either episode 1 or 2,
> they don't even have to like both. I challenge you.
I don't even have to do that. Look at Alexa.com. Star Wars.com is ranked 1,146th, while Slashdot (which, surprising at it seems, does have non-Star Wars-hating content, so it's still not a fair comparison) is 1,391th. So even if 50% of the stories on Slashdot were about how horrible Lucas is, you still have a lot more people who think a few people are blowing things out of proportion, and just want to enjoy a movie [1]. That is to say Star Wars.com has far more people visiting it (and I presume they're not visiting to keep their anger and hate fresh) than technology enthusiasts are currently visiting Slashdot, where only a small fraction of the stories are related to Star Wars.
Another data point: Episodes I, II, IV, V, and VI have done about the same in box office dollars. So people aren't staying away in droves like the Star-Wars-haters would like to believe. Screaming "Greedo did NOT shoot first!" doesn't make you [2] sound any more intelligent.
Basically all the Star Wars-hating is a tempest in a tea cup. If you disagree, fine, but don't feel like you have to post your vitriol in every Star Wars story that gets posted on Slashdot. Remember, the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. So if Lucas has really ruined the franchise, you shouldn't care and you shouldn't be posting on a Slashdot Star Wars story anyway. Then you can ignore me.
Or mod me as a troll.
[1] I am of course not suggesting that just because millions of people enjoy Star Wars makes it a good series movies. I am saying that a dozen or so screaming Lucas-haters does not make it a bad set of movies.
[2] Obviously I'm using you in the plural sense meaning not just the poster, but the Star-Wars-haters in general.
Insert simplistic political, ideological, or personal proselytization here.
Feh. So he blew off the DGA because he didn't want front credits. His work is hackery. Call him a "maverick" if you like because of this, but his work certainly isn't anything special. JMO! --M
I can name 5 people who enjoyed episodes I and II, perhaps not as much as the originals, but they weren't really BAD films. Lucas is in the driver's seat, he can do whatever he wants to Star Wars. They featured epic battles with quality special effects, shadowy forces of evil against heroic Jedi, who are saved at the last minute when the tide somehow turns. It's the exact same thing, rehashed, in new locals, with new people. Why can you love the orignal trilogy and hate the new one is completely beyond me.
SAILING MISHAP
agree completely. star wars is a load of BS. guys in helmets fighting with tubelights and talking funny. agreed, that made tons of moolah. but not everything that's successful is also smart (best example: dubya). to me lucas' most significant contribution is ILM. and star wars is an escape for those whose real world is so insanely boring, they desperately need some fantasy to kill time
And then when Uma Thurman spanks the young Crazy 88 kid and sends him away, it was pretty funny. But the rest of that set was waaaaay to self-consciously "cool" (with the quotes).
Reservoir Dogs: awesome.
Pulp Fiction: classic.
The episode of ER he directed: great.
The writing in True Romance: excellent.
Sigh. Maybe I just got my hopes up too high. What do I know? I write haiku about movies I like and limericks about movies I don't.
The CB App. What's your 20?
D'oh.
The CB App. What's your 20?
but millions of people enjoyed the movies anyway.
Not me. I'm not a star wars zealot, I haven't seen any of the original films, nor the second one. The only one I've seen is the Phantom Whatever, and I can't say I'm too impressed. Not much of a plot, cartoonish-looking CGI, no tension, crap dialogue, no interesting characters, unsatisfying ending, I was left wondering what all the fuss was about.
I think it would have been better with a better script and a different director.
The idea of Lucas being the anti-Kevin Smith got me to wondering what you would get if they were to collaborate. Smith would provide the story, dialog and characters while Lucas would make the movie visually and aurally interesting.
You mean, like Tarantino?
Personally I didn't see anything special about "American Graffiti". It was just commercial pap.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
If Jar Jar becomes even a Jedi trainee in Episdoe 3, then we will get to see Darth Vader hunt him down and KILL him!
YESsss!
Be who you are and say what you feel, because the people who mind don't matter, and the people who matter don't mind.
I was under the impression that the star wars saga was a 9 movie sequenced in the order of 3,4,5,1,2,3,7,8,9. I guess the last three became victums of the editing room.
No, it depends on how you define life. If you define life as a short period of time where you get to exist, and you know about the existence of time before you were born, and you know they will be time after you are dead, and you won't exist at those times, you only have got a portion of that time, and still, you have an obligation with that past and with that future, to remember that past, and to leave a better world for those that will came after you, then you will understand just how important work is, whatever you do, it's what you will leave for the next generations. After that, your other purpose in life, is to ENJOY it. Life is wonderful, because it's the ONLY thing you will get to live ;-).
But many people are absolutely misleaded, and they instead live for religions, corporations, money, government, and other atrocities that this sick society has created.
WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
You're right, the kid doesn't have a lot of desire, but there's no way anyone will buy software that there's a good chance will just sit on the shelf.
I got paid to develop in Flash 4 and I found MX 2004 painful to use. Obsessive kids may be able to figure it out, but I could hardly encourage him to use it when I wasn't capable of answering any of his questions.
Well, at least the MASK would be new.
Er... I'm going to hazard that the lava would be new also.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.