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The People vs. George Lucas To Premiere At SXSW
skatepark builder writes "David Prowse, the 74-year-old actor who has enjoyed a long and varied career filled with roles such as Darth Vader (Star Wars Episodes IV, V, and VI), is starting 2010 off with two major accomplishments. His victory over colon cancer earlier this month means he'll live to see his top billing in a film premiering next month at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The People vs. George Lucas is a documentary attempting a balanced examination of the love/hate relationship Star Wars fans have developed with the filmmaker and his work over the past three decades. Director Alexandre Philippe distances his film from the one-sided fan rage films that lambaste Lucas, even though the title would suggest otherwise. According to the trailer, The People vs.George Lucas exposes the full spectrum of opinions on Lucas, including those like Prowse, who still refers to him as a 'master.' Philippe captures these opinions through filmed interviews, but perhaps more interestingly, he crowdsourced the commentary by soliciting fan submissions over the internet. The clips seen in the trailer appear to be funny, highly inspired, and are probably more concise than the recently released 70-minute YouTube evisceration of Episode I."
"Wookiee" has been changed to "hair challenged animal" and that the entire cast has been digitally replaced by Ewoks.
Yes, quite possibly. More hilarious? No. Where are my pizza rolls?
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6024677.ece Pretty sad that they're even able to make that argument.
The franchise is dead. Lucas killed it. Not worth the emotional investment to lament or analyze.
Move on, people.
I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. For Entertainment Purposes Only.
I've never really understood the hatred of George Lucas. I was a Star Wars fan like most kids growing up in the late 70's had the action figures, the underoos, bed sheets, posters...all that crap and when the second trilogy was released I was excited about it. I took my kids to see the newer ones and they loved them like I loved the originals. I never expected the second series to have the same appeal because Lucas was farily consistant and aimed the new trilogy at the same age group he created the original for. The problem I saw was that many fans expected him to create new stories that were aimed at the now 30 year olds who watched the originals as children. I was still able to watch them and enjoy them just not with same wide eyed wonder, but then I wasnt supposed to, they werent made for me, they were made for my kids. What I really dont get is the hatred over the inclusion of jarjar as if Lucas had never stooped to funny critters to appeal to kids in the first trilogy, but I can remember by father rolling his eyes at Ewoks.
I will admit to being irritated by the policical correctness of Greedo shooting first, but welcomed most of the other enhancements of the special editions, the xwing segment in episode 4 was particularly satisfying. I was equally upset with the guns being edited out of ET but I figure it just a sign of the times and it will likley correct itself in the future.
On a side note Lucas has done something excellent for grown up's recently...check out the book Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success, its fantastic.
He had to rape Darth Vader too
It was awesome and accurate. Lucas blew it on the first 3 films.
..don't watch it. I don't like how people think they can call changes to SW eps 1-3. As soon as you start making changes(remove Jar Jar, etc) it ceases to become Lucas' artwork, and moreso a "design by committee". Sure, this happens in meetings for filmmakers all the time, but I don't see how the fans have a say in someone else's art.
Can't help noticing that the linked Express article says he has beaten prostate cancer, not colon cancer. For the anatomically challenged among you, it's the hole you pee through, not the one you sh1t through.
Just thought I'd mention it.
Every bloody emperor has his hand up history's skirt [Peter Hammill/VdGG]
Look, everyone agrees Lucas should have stopped after three films. The Star [Wars|Trek|Gate|Craft] franchises have been done to death. Now a rehash of "Dune" is in production. Please.
At least we have James Cameron's "Avatar". Cameron is a master of production value. He spends a lot of money, but it pays off. Unfortunately, everything he does looks too much like a "Terminator" movie.
A film based on David Weber's work might be an improvement. But Hollywood would go for "March Upcountry", not the Honor Harrington novels.
Of course, the fundamental trouble with space opera is that it's no longer a plausible future. Space travel hasn't improved much in 40 years.
because even if he made 20 movies after star wars and every single one were the most puerile piece of uwe boll crap... he still made star wars, and therefore still deserves your admiration
if einstein became a creationist after his exposition of relativity, does that detract from his earlier genius?
if edmund hilary fell down a flight of stairs, does that detreact from the fact he climbed mount everest?
i don't understand a way of evaluating people that somehow their accomplishments are diminished by later missteps
as if we only get better with every year, as if no one ever makes mistakes
"what have you done for me lately" is a pretty selfish crude shortsighted and hypocritical way to evaluate people
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
ever trying to give people what they want
Trailer = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkxQ6HYDwIA
For people interested in the larger implications of Star Wars including the role of fans and other issues such as whether Star Wars has literary merit, and whether the philosophy is intellectually coherent or morally defensibl, I strongly recommend "Star Wars on Trial" edited by David Brin and Matthew Stover. The book is a series of essays by sci-fi authors, literature professors, and others discussing Star Wars in detail. The boo is tied together with an overarching narrative with Brin as the chief prosecutor and Stover as the chief defense attorney in a trial of Star Wars as a whole. Quite fun and and surprisingly stimulating.
It's about ruining the first trilogy with idiotic premises and horrible acting among other things.
The first group of movies was enjoyable by children and adults alike. Granted Jedi pandered to children with the whole Ewok thing but by and large the stories had universal appeal.
The second set of movies I've seen children fall asleep in. I took my then child cousins to the first movie because they'd never been to the cinemas and they said "Next time can we watch a good movie". One of them fell asleep in the second half. This is from children who'd never been to the cinema!!!
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
If only he had stayed away from Indy: http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/187269
Episode 1 is now 11 years old, meaning your kids should be teens by now. Do they quote the movies? Has it seeped into every part of culture? Is it everywhere you can look?
The toys you remember did NOT come out directly after the first movie, a lot of the merchandising you dismiss so easily came out DECADES later and was gobbled up. It is what makes Star Wars still the biggest earner out there.
The entire proof that the prequels sucked can be found in the fact that TWO MMO's have skipped the era. Bioware wanted to do Star Wars, but were so desperate to stay away from the fall out that they invented an entire new era set so far apart (thousands of years) that they could completly distance themselves from it.
If you study movies, Star Wars: A New Hope, must be included. It MIGHT be a simple story but its impact on society was enormous. If it had not been for Star Wars we would never have had Star Trek: The Motion Picture, but rather a new series. (Okay, so that is another thing we can blame lucas for).
Kids now quote the Matrix, Lord of the Rings, etc. Episode 1 was just another blockbuster, made a lot of money but it has no lasting impact. It is the difference between Michael Jackson and McHammer... who?
I enjoyed the blackhole as a kid too, but for the life of me I could not quote anything from it or even name the characters.
My mom took me to see the first movies and she enjoyed them herself. Did you enjoy them? Really? The bit with the small droids on the fighter aircraft? Then there is no hope for you.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
The title of the movie made me think, "At last, we'll get a Supreme Court ruling over whether or not Han shot first."
Because this would NOT be like Einstein becoming a creationist. This would be like seeing Einstein decades later doing an experiment on his own and making a complete and utter mess of it and then people slowly realizing that his original work was not his own work at all but that of the people around him.
If you are willing to read into the development behind the original movie, then you notice that Lucas had far less to do with that movie and had more people around him who were willing to oppose him, who he was willing to listen to and frankly Lucas knowing he could NOT do everything.
For instance it is recognized that a lot of the writing was in fact done by his then wife. That does not say that was Lucas did with A New Hope was not amazing, it was, but the amazing thing he really did was get a team together, lead them and then allowed them produce this movie that had such an imprint on society that it has become part of western culture.
With the prequels, he took far more control and surrounded himself by a 2 yes men. You can see it in the documentaries, you can see nobody willing to say "this doesn't work" even when Lucas himself is clearly uncomfortable with the results.
And so, we do NOT say "oh he sucks because of those prequel movies" but "he sucks because it turned out it was the team that made the original movies and now he is a big shot and can do it all himself, he blows chunks".
In a way, the fans may be to blame. How many times have we called out to Lucas as this great filmmaker and given him an ego, rather then saying "wow, all those people that worked on it, made a fantasic movie of which Lucas was the producer?". The fans and George Lucas have come to believe that he could make a movie all alone. He can't.
And part may also be tech limits. I get the feeling that if Lucas had had the budget and credit, he would have made A New Hope in the same way, with a leaping Obi-Wan and a flying Artoo and god knows what more.
Ultimately, A New Hope might just have been an accident. A producer new enough to still listen, actors willing to risk talking back because they weren't to much in awe of either the man or the money. Tech which prevented to much slapstick in the mids of combat and a wife would could actually write. And that is a pretty sad conclusion, because there really hasn't been anything close to Star Wars. Well, the Lord of the Rings, but that was based on an existing book. Were is the next George Lucas who can have an entire audience love a simple fairytale for decades?
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
the full spectrum of opinions on Lucas, including those like Prowse, who still refers to him as a 'master.'
So the retired Darth Vader refers to him as 'master'... can there be any further doubt that he's evil?
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
You're welcome.
The film looks good, but Patton Oswalt best sums up the feeling of almost every single jaded Star Wars fan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDCjIjsZp_Y
Freedom is drinking a beer in the park when you're supposed to be at work.
Just looking at that wiki article you posted I saw the reaction that the author of Forrest Gump had. He wouldn't give the rights to the sequel since he "cannot in good conscience allow money to be wasted on a failure". (Guess the film company kind of shot themselves in the foot over that one.)
Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
I mean the first time they had guys running around in sand wearing wet suits. The SciFi redo had the Arabian Ninjas so I can't imagine what this remake will have. (I guess they come out dressed up like clowns.)
Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
Of Anakin Vs. Obi Wan. I mean when I was watching it the first time I figured he was going to have an allusion to Othello or something. (Ben tricking what's her face to bring him to Anakin. Anakin loses because he goes batshit crazy at what he thinks is the betrayal of his wife by his best friend which is just the last step in a long line of things that tried to manipulate him. Later Ben realizes the folly of blindly following the light side of the force since his actions were ok as far as the light was concerned yet gets one person killed and twists another into an agent of the dark.) Nope, we get that stupid thing "Oh I'm 2 feet higher so I win" nonsense. (And Darth feeling bad right afterwards.) A decent writer could have done that scene far better than Lucas.
Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
I mean in RotS. In that last fight Ben says he wins because he's higher but it made no sense that it would make that much of a difference. (Especially given how much they're flipping around and everything.) I'd expect being higher makes a difference with distance weapons. (Since you'd be able to shoot farther.) Also if reality is anything like a FPS it's easier to hide if you're above your opponent for sniper shots. Finally I could seen that with a weapon with weight being above would have gravity help drive your weapon through your opponent. Unfortunately none of those were true and I'd think the fact Ben would have to reach down to get to Anakin's head yet Ben's legs were rather vulnerable would mean you're better of being low in that case.
Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
It's a metaphor for being more righteous. He has the higher ground, because he is following the Jedi teachings, whereas Anakin is an apostate.
That being said, it's still totally retarded.
I don't believe in time. It's a grand conspiracy designed to sell watches.
It's recovery from prostate cancer, not colon cancer. Read the article.
i was indifferent about star wars growing up until i read dune. and then after thinking about it, realized that george lucas had ripped off a lot of his ideas from frank herbert. now i can't really enjoy the films at all. i wonder if there will be any commentary in the movie about that?
To you know leave people in slavery let alone having no problem with anybody creating a race of slaves, intentionally tricking civilians into a war zone, judging people in large part on accidents of birth and on top of this their opinion that feelings aren't worth the trouble? (Ok, so I thought Lucas made the light side seem coldly brutal at times but I don't think that was his intention since he's not that good of a writer.)
Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
great website for the film actually. the anti-flash bitches seem to have quite their whining for the time being!
Hello, writing to let you know about another Star Wars documentary which focuses on the recorded perception (by anyone corporate or individual) of the Star Wars phenomenon at the time of the release of Revenge of the Sith, which will turn 5 this May.
Project can be viewed at:
http://www.noneinc.com/tBSWM/tBSWM_Video.html
Full FAQ:
http://www.noneinc.com/tBSWM/tBSWM_FAQ.html
More historical in nature, this documediamentary focuses on the themes and memes of what the people who talked about the Star Wars phenomenon were otherwise talking about. So there are chapters which show that people liked to talk not just Star Wars topics (like waiting in line, Chewbacca or the opening scene of ANH) but also other societal issues. (sex, piracy, drugs & alcohol, politics)
I recommend gradual digestion. The online presentation is divided into chapters which makes the 3.5hrs easier to comprehend. The full DVD has additional material, audio commentary, multiple subtitles, bonus features, which provide additional insight into what happened in those fateful 4 months when the hype and frenzy felt palpable.
The destination of this project is to show that a presentation of this type (goal oriented clip show) could be produced on any topic by a online search engine query. Society has made large online video repositories, it's time we put them to work.
Sorry if this was a confusing introduction, i'm rather lost the projects inner workings.
Questions and comments welcomed.
thanks
%20
Like I wrote before those same righteous teachings that let them do all those wonderful things. (Slavery, judging people by birth right, yadda yadda yadda.)
Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
You could have been responsible for mine, or maybe not. I have a friend who is a scrupulous anti-pirate. I actually brought him a copy of the latest Nine Inch Nails album (one of his favorite bands) before release, and he refused to listen to it until he could get the CD in his hands. That said, he got himself bootleg copies of the original Star Wars movies, just like I did. I said, "Isn't it great to see them the way they were meant to be seen?" He said, "Yeah, way better than watching the stupid special editions. Except for the part where the screen goes blue when they change the laserdisc sides. That's pretty lame." I said, "What? Mine don't do that." He said, "Yeah, but mine were made by guys who worked at Lucasfilm, so they're the best they can possibly be." I said, "Yeah. Well tell you what, if you want a copy of the ones I picked up in Malaysia..." He said, "Fuck that, man. You know how I feel about that piracy shit."
Breakfast served all day!
David Prowse, the 74-year-old actor who has enjoyed a long and varied career filled with roles such as Darth Vader (Star Wars Episodes IV, V, and VI)
Does anyone else find it funny that the example given for his long and varied career is that he played Darth Vader in 3 different movies?
"Director Alexandre Philippe distances his film from the one-sided fan rage films that lambaste Lucas, even though the title would suggest otherwise."
I suggest subbie take a course in reading comprehension.
"The People vs George Lucas" suggests that Lucas is going on trial, and arguments for and against his prosecution will be presented.
or booth an actor doesn't matter, since neither endeavours are the most momentous things they ever did
star wars is the most momentous thing lucas ever did
hitler would be remembered as a painter, if he did nothing else of interest or moment after being a painter
meanwhile, i thought it was funny to see an ad for "pirhanha 3D" before watching avatar. why? because cameron started his career with the "piranha ii" movie. if cameron got hit by a car or decided to become a painter in 1982, "piranha ii" would be the movie he would be remembered by. not terminator. not titanic. not avatar. but since terminator, titanic, and now avatar are far more impressive than piranha ii, we forget all about piranha ii. and in 50 years, cameron will be known primarily as the guy who directed "avatar", and even terminator and titanic will fade in relevance to that, UNLESS cameron directs a move even more impressive than avatar, then he'll be remembered for whatever that movie is
get it? its the MOST IMPRESSIVE thing you do in life you are remembered for. that really is the truth
which nullifies your comment completely about hitler and booth, and reinforces my comment about eintstein and hilary, and lucas, and cameron
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
box returns are the only determinant of any real world value
box returns are the only quantitative way we can evaluate how good or bad a movie was. every other determinant is subjective and therefore pointless and without merit. there's plenty of movies i think are far better than anything james cameron ever did, but made less than a million at the box office. and in my own personal hagiography, indeed, terminator is better than avatar, as you would agree. but the world doesn't give a shit about our fanboy lives. the only valid defensible measure is box returns. and based on that, avatar is better than terminator
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Some of the best stories ever written involve "design by committee". Why, this one time were were playing this game involving lots of dice and dwarves and Elves, and I'm sure we all sat around and had this adventure and in the end it became a story...