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Star Wars TV Commercials

Boy its Star Wars Hype Monday here as Jim Hall writes "I found the Star Wars Ep. 1 TV commercials They are spoiler-free! But they are very cool. " VH1 is supposedly gonna air Duel of the Fates (the Star Wars video) 6 consecutive times at 6pm EST, so get your VCR ready. I'ce heard the track already- its not the best track on the soundtrack, but its pretty sweet.

126 comments

  1. QuickTime 4 really rocks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow. The video quality of these trailers is awesome. It's amazing what the Sorenson codec can do.

    I can't wait to see the movie. I'll be lined up for tickets.

    1. Re:QuickTime 4 really rocks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorenson sucks
      its no better than 2mbps Mpeg2, and today, any one can encode mpeg2, source is free at mpeg.org

      If Sorenson can do what 2mbps mpeg2 can do at 300kbps then ill like it. But for now, its just another 5% better propriotry crap

    2. Re:QuickTime 4 really rocks by suprax · · Score: 1

      I had problems with Quicktime 4. I painfully decided to switch to windows to try and watch trailer one a while ago, and I had to download Quicktime 4, but it like opens and freezes. So that was enough of windows for a while. I found the .mpg on a website somewhere and linux can now happily play videos and saves me a reboot. :)

  2. What did they do to Natalie Portman's voice? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It sounded much deeper than on the quicktime/cinema trailers, why mess with perfection?

    1. Re:What did they do to Natalie Portman's voice? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They say that she rerecorded all of her dialog because her voice changed slightly during filming. I guess the trailer had the original dialogue.

    2. Re:What did they do to Natalie Portman's voice? by gavinhall · · Score: 1

      Posted by LazarusLong:

      Don't ask, its a spoiler.

    3. Re:What did they do to Natalie Portman's voice? by angelo · · Score: 1

      "Natalie Portman as HAL 9000"

  3. Re:MPEG for crying out loud?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have done this in a reasonable codec that works under xanim, but the result was so poor. I guess sorenson spoiled me, but I did not convert any more because they weren't worth watching, and they were twice as big.

  4. Re:VH1. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Looks interesting, even know VH1 isn't exactly the hipest channel out there. :)

    hey now, what do you mean it aint the hippest chanel out there? how can you just not love those 80's weekends they have every so often? :)

  5. Re:I agree! Proprietary QT files suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    waaah.

  6. Re:MPEG for crying out loud?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    VBR mpeg2 is the way to go, even 2mbps mpeg1 is decent, hell seriously, even 1mbps mpeg1 is ok

  7. Re:The QT4 commercials are excellent. What's da fu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    laptops use 16bit video, not 24bit, so it looks like crud! nothing like true 24 bit to look good

  8. Re:The QT4 commercials are excellent. What's da fu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    maybe in some other laptop world, but the g3 books have the Rage Pro's in them... yeah.

    Not to mention I'm getting consistent 150k/sec download times off of apple's OS X server... how sweet it is.

  9. How to view in Linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So how do I view these in Linux? The copy of xanim I have can't handle it...

    If I can't, is that a _valid_ reason why I could say that Apple, as a company, "sucks"?

    1. Re:How to view in Linux? by Perrin-GoldenEyes · · Score: 1

      Actually, IMO, it's neither. It's too bad that Apple didn't release a Linux version of Quicktime. Does the java one work? But it's not really a reason to say that either sucks.


      Cheers,
      Perrin.

      --
      -Perrin.
      Now I want you to go in that bag and find my lightsaber. It's the one that says bad mother-fscker on it.
  10. Re: Quicktime4 looks fine.. again, stop trippin! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe he was talking in regard to the fact that LCD monitors have a LONG way to go before they can display anything approaching 24bit color, much less realistic color. Apple's included.

  11. I can dig it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Right on, my brother!

  12. Re:I'm not as excited as everyone else. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    how the hell can you compare Star Wars with stallone.

    loser

  13. Just get QuickTime for Java by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    It will allow you to play any QuickTIme file on any OS that has a decent Java VM. Download it free from Apple.

    I don't know much about Linux... it does have a Java VM, doesn't it?

    1. Re:Just get QuickTime for Java by Eupolis · · Score: 1

      From http://www.apple.com/quicktime/developers/qtjava/s dk/index.html :

      "In order to use the QuickTime for Java libraries, you must have both QuickTime 3 (including QuickTime for Java) and a Java Runtime Environment installed."

      So, QT for Java requires QuickTime. No dice.

  14. Where can I download this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    link please

  15. attention mongers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why do chicks always have to be the center of attention? They need to learn a little humility.

  16. Carrie Fisher's voice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ever notice how Leia's voice got all raspy in the sequels? She sounded like a chain smoker -- like Marge Simpson's sisters.

  17. Natalie looks funny in some scenes... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    she has something on her lip. Can't believe Lucas missed that.

  18. 43 megs is ridiculous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Spend the $30 on QuickTime Pro so you can get some decent compression ratios, fer chrissake.

    1. Re:43 megs is ridiculous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah it looks piss poor in quality using a sub-vcd bitrate. I could pull a better mpeg out of my ass. In fact i will, with hookers and blackjack and ......

  19. I loved the Ewok celebration! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Very festive. You left the theater on an up note.

    1. Re:I loved the Ewok celebration! by jandrese · · Score: 2

      Until you realized that having the DeathStar explode in orbit doomed the sanctuary moon to an ecological disaster. The Ewoks are in for a good strong (many year long) winter, not to mention the tremendious amount of junk that will be falling out of the sky all over the place. Not to mention the large amount of stuff (like the reactor core) that will likely be highly radioactive. How's that for an up note?

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
  20. Just get QuickTime for Java by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    It will allow you to play any QuickTIme file on any OS that has a decent Java VM. Download it free from Apple.

    I don't know much about Linux... it does have a Java VM, doesn't it?

  21. Re:Is the music video downloadable anywhere? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://starwars.com/episode-i/news/trailer/music/

    streaming QT4

  22. Video is now available at starwars.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://starwars.com/episode-i/news/trailer/music/



    streaming QT4

  23. A note about the quality of this stream by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It sucks. But that's to be expected as the server is currently slashdotted. When QT4 first came out, the quality of the BBC, Bloomberg TV, and HBO streams (found on apple.com/quicktime) also sucked, but now that demand has died down their quality is much better.

  24. Here they are with a href=" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Well, the highest-quality ones anyway.

    amidala

    qui-gon

    anakin

    shmi

    1. Re:Here they are with a href=" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What about a direct link to the musicvideo file?

  25. MUSIC VIDEO IN MPEG by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I happen to have a copy of the music video in MPEG, and it's posted on the site:

    http://www.slinker.com

    Have fun,

    - Josh

  26. Re:Get it here. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can grab a copy here:

    http://www.slinker.com

    - Freako

  27. Another Link to the Music Video by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In case you havn't got it yet, here is another link to the Star Wars Music Video:

    http://www.slinker.com

    You will need Rar, or Winrar to extract it.

    Format: MPEG-1, Stereo.

  28. Re:Star Wars and Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why did this comment get censored? It might be true for all we know. Stupid Linux zealots.

  29. Re:I am. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mm, yes, well, you must realize that the movie was more or less a _parody_ of the book. You know, "ha-ha". You're _supposed_ to laugh at Doogie Howser. You're _supposed_ to think the news clips are cheesy. That's the _point_. Why am I using so many _underscores_?

  30. Re:Direct download links to all 16 different files by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Howdy - when you access the movie html page I noticed that the right-most button on the Quicktime panel lets you configure the settings. I checked the box marked 'Save movies in disk cache' - then once it finished download, I played the movie then opened windows (eeek can i say that?) explorer and copied the file from my netscape cache directory, renamed it and then ran it again just to make sure it worked with the quicktime player... bingo!

  31. Re:Space Opera by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It isn't even space opera. Star Wars is fantasy, science fiction trappings regardless. I would seriously doubt that Lucas ever intended it to be anything approaching science fiction- myth, definitely (and judging by how it fits campbell so well and how it affects people I'd say he pulled it off very well) but not SF.

  32. Re:Direct download links to all 16 different files by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    you were only an idiot if you use mie. otherwise u can admit to using windows. it can be written of as something like my situation. i'm at school and need to have it running, so i was forced to use windows all year since my computer arrived late.

  33. MPEG for crying out loud?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Why are those starwars morons using QuickTime? I wouldn't be so mad if I could play them under xanim. Could somone PLEASE convert these to MPEG?

    1. Re:MPEG for crying out loud?! by jpgrimes · · Score: 1

      I like quicktime better than mpeg but if you can figure out how to play a quicktime movie with the sorenson codec on my linux box I would much appreciate it. Anyone know somewhere where these have been converted to mpeg.

  34. Star Bores by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Do any Sci-Fi fans like Star Wars? I guess it is ok as entertainment. But does it qualify as science fiction? It is so ironic that as technology is increasing, good science fiction is decreasing. Don't flame me, it is just my personal opinion, but Star Wars seems to me to be just a Cowboy and Indians movie with different uniforms (... ok, different cows too!).

    1. Re:Star Bores by ToastyKen · · Score: 2

      I'm a big science fiction fan who also loves Star Wars, and also think it's more than mere entertainment.
      It is simply a different form of fiction.. I don't think Star Wars qualifies so much as science fiction as it does space fantasy.

      But the thing is.. Why is it BAD just because it isn't science fiction? Sure, it IS a Cowboy and Indians adventure movie.. but why is it "just" that? Star Wars has garnered a mythical value in our modern culture, and I think its power and value are something to be appreciated.

      Who cares if it's not hard s.f.?

      See my earlier post regarding this:
      http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=99/05/03/13823 8&cid=449

    2. Re:Star Bores by mgscheue · · Score: 1

      As a science fiction fan, I too am frustrated that good SF movies are so rare. 2001, Blade Runner, Contact, and that's about it for the last 30 years. Star Wars is fun, though, and I'm looking forward to the movie. The commercials give me hope.

      I went to Borders last night and noticed that the novelization is out. I can't imagine wanting to read the book before seeing the movie.

  35. Re:Direct download links to all 16 different files by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    I had already d/led them myself, but a little ol' "a href=" would've made your post a lot easier.

  36. MPEG available... by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 1
    ftp://155.33.67.209 l/p "mp3"

    I'll leave it up until I get home from Moxy Fruvous; whoever gets it, gets it.

    It's 43 megs. Hope you've got a T3. :)

    - A.P.
    --


    "One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
    1. Re:MPEG available... by jairish · · Score: 1

      oh yes. Moxy früvous.
      I can't wait till they do something with the Starwars whoo wa.

  37. Darth Maul sounds like a suburban shopping center. by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 1
    15 miles northeast of Minneapolis, gaze in awe and wonder at the fabulous new three-story air-conditioned shoppers' paradise, the East Darth Maul! Filled to the brim with useless crap and the odd knickknack or two, the Darth Maul is a veritable cornucopia of bargains galore! Pick up that new bathing suit you purged all winter to fit into, or that new pair of $90 Nikes to win the love of your despondant 15-year-old daughter! Take the kids and make a day of it; we have a food galleria filled with all the trendy cholesterol-filled grub you know everyone loves! The Darth Maul, exit 15 off I-90, take a left at the homeless man selling oranges!

    - A.P.
    --


    "One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
  38. 2 things: by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 1
    First, I didn't compress it.

    Second, and more importantly, when Apple releases a Quicktime encoder for Linux, I'll get in line with my 30 bucks.

    - A.P.
    --


    "One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
  39. Info for Western Canada viewers by Alan · · Score: 1

    Much music says they'll be airing the Dual of the Fates video at 8:30 EST, so everyone out here better set their vcrs to record at 5:30 (well, actually I'm recording from 5:20 to 6, but I digress....)

    :)

  40. more behind-the-scenes by dmd · · Score: 1

    I suppose we'll see more behind-the-scenes stuff once the movie is actually out. I found that the most interesting part of this.


    --

  41. Re:I'm as excited as everyone else, but... by Jordy · · Score: 1

    My thoughts exactly.

    --

    --
    The world is neither black nor white nor good nor evil, only many shades of CowboyNeal.
  42. One interesting thing... by Eccles · · Score: 3

    With these movies coming out so much time after the originals, they're coming out when many of us who saw it as kids now have kids of our own to take to it. (My boy is just a little young for it right now, but by the time Eps 2 & 3 roll around, I should be able to take him.) So while I hate the overhyping, I've got to admit, there's a certain amount of hope that he'll find it enjoyable enough that it will be sort of a vicarious shared experience between us.

    As is, it feels kind of strange realizing I'm part of the last generation of first world humanity (barring catastrophe) not to grow up with computers -- at least, not until I was 15 or 16 -- VCRs, cable TV, etc. Heck, I probably would have had a younger sibling if medical technology had been just a couple of years more advanced. (My dad was RH+, my mom RH-.)

    --
    Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a real useful invention.
  43. Re:Even if Episode:1 Sucks . . . by questor · · Score: 2

    > In high school I once wrote that "it is possible that George Washington existed, the revolutionary war could have really been faught, but Yoda IS real, and Star Wars DID happen."

    "Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot." - Morpheus, as written by Neil Gaiman, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", _Sandman_ issue 19.

    --
    Mashed potatoes can be your friends!
  44. This is silly ... In a cool sort of way ... by seth · · Score: 1

    So I think the concept of the behind the scenes stuff is cool, I've always tuned into those silly HBO behind the scenes specials and unmuted when someone besides the actor is talking ...

    Therefore, I think that putting in music video, without some dumb actor hyping in the foreground, behind the scene shots is really cool.

    However, the concept of VH-1 having the video on autorepeat for a half hour straight (we're in the second showing now) is both very cool and very silly all at the same time.

  45. However ... by seth · · Score: 1

    The VH-1 announcer is really freaking annoying. "Join Yoda and Obi Wan and the whole Jedi crew ..." Sigh ...

    I need to get my laptop IRDA port to speak TV remote so I can get to the mute button in time ...

  46. Is the music video downloadable anywhere? by Brian+Kendig · · Score: 1

    Stupid me, I was so busy building the Ep1 Lego sets I got at midnight, that I missed the Star Wars music video on TV. The site above which has it in MPEG format has been slashdotted already. Does anyone else have it up on the net, or do you know when either MTV or VH1 will broadcast it again?

  47. VH1. by suprax · · Score: 1

    I thought I would also mention that VH1 is also showing behind-the-scenes stuff from the movie @ 6. Looks interesting, even know VH1 isn't exactly the hipest channel out there. :)

    1. Re:VH1. by suprax · · Score: 1

      Hehe, that's right. Silly me! :)

    2. Re:VH1. by Zalini · · Score: 1

      VH1 is pretty cool. They added it to our cable system here at school this year, and is one of my favorite channels. MTV is the one that sucks - they rarely play music (although we have M2 now, which is cool too). I like watching the specials on the bands of the 80's and seeing how screwed up they were/are, and what happened to them. Interesting stuff.

  48. Re:One interesting thing... TAKE HIM WITH YOU. by Plutor · · Score: 2
    i bet that would have been a great retort if he wasnt talking about the original guy's son. LEARN TO READ.

    Log

  49. It is within the realm of possibility... by ploeg · · Score: 1

    that "other people" may include yourself.

    Well, enough with the speculation; we'll know for certain soon enough.

  50. Re:I'm as excited as everyone else, but... by shango+dee · · Score: 1

    If it's great, all the fanatics will love it. If it sucks, all the fanatics will force themselves to love it. Hell, if I waited in line for a month, obsessed over costume designs, was at toys r' us at midnight last night, watched the prequil 500 times on my computer, video taped every second of the film shown on TV, and spent over 3 hours a day on starwars.com or the countdown site, I'd make sure I loved that goddamn movie. I'd hate to think of the mental stress this will put on all the phycho obsessives if it sucks.

    --
    --[shangodee]
  51. Soundtrack! by squarooticus · · Score: 1

    Just got the soundtrack to episode at Tower. Pretty sweet so far, though I'm not even half way through it. Definitely orth venturing out in the rain for. =)
    --
    Kyle R. Rose, MIT LCS

    --
    [ home ]
  52. Space Opera by squarooticus · · Score: 2

    Yeah, so, Star Wars isn't science fiction. You're absolutely right. It's a space opera. The distinction, at least for me, is that science is not central to the plotline of Star Wars, where it is for movies like Contact, the Terminator, and Blade Runner; Star Wars is simply executed in space, but isn't _about_ science, nor is science important to the execution of the story.
    --
    Kyle R. Rose, MIT LCS

    --
    [ home ]
  53. I know I shouldn't feed the troll... by unitron · · Score: 1

    I know I shouldn't feed the troll, but the Research Triangle Park area is home to RedHat and the former sunsite.unc.edu so I'm sure there are a few people up there who've heard of Linux, not to mention all those students from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Duke University, North Carolina Central University, Peace College, St. Mary's College, Meredith College, Wake Tech, Durham Tech, and The North Carolina High School of Science and Mathematics who may not have all heard of Linux but have all heard of Star Wars.

    --

    I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

  54. Anyone have a video encoder? by MartinD · · Score: 1

    If there is someone out there who can convert/
    encode a 30fps 8bit stereo AVI
    of rather LARGE (650meg) size to mpeg
    or quicktime? I have a recording of
    the Duel of the Fates Video that I video
    captured last night. My server cannot
    handle large amounts of traffic so I would
    rather just send the link to one person who
    could compress it and spread the joy. If
    it's even possible that is.
    email me at msimmons@uvic.ca

  55. Star Wars:TPM commercials and Video by MartinD · · Score: 2

    The four commercials are really quite nice to watch, but I must say the soundtrack Video was
    stunning. It was a mixture of Trailer A voices
    ("hate leads to suffering.."), the Duel of the
    Fates music track, and scenes from every bit of
    video yet released, the trailers, the "Lynn's
    Journal" videos, scenes of the orchestra and
    choir and new bits. I am so skipping work May
    19th....

  56. VH-1 by Dance+Macabre · · Score: 1

    Just saw the Video, it did have more behind the camera footage in the video. I hope the movie can live up to all the promotion that it is receiving.

  57. Re:Eh,..agreed by JB · · Score: 1

    Yeah, I totally agree. I watched them all, and was very underwhelmed. The voice over totally ruined the otherwise beautiful cinematography. That Anakin one was particularly bad. I can't help but think that if you splice all of the footage from the trailers and commercials you can probably see about 25% of the movie. :)

  58. Re:Direct download links to all 16 different files by hawkfish · · Score: 1

    These give me server errors, but I can view the QT just fine in a browser. Anyone else manage to do this?

    --
    You will not drink with us, but you would taste our steel? - Walter Matthau, The Pirates
  59. OK, calm down Mark Hamill by thermo · · Score: 1

    and no your kid can not be in the movie....

    --
    later, thermo
  60. Re:Direct download links to all 16 different files by Neuracnu+Coyote · · Score: 1

    Jeez.. I've gotta do something to weed out all the non-eleet people, don't I?

    *bleeeeeding scarcasm*
    --
    --
  61. Direct download links to all 16 different files. by Neuracnu+Coyote · · Score: 5

    Everybody hates how starwars.com embeds the movs into their pages. Well, here's direct links to all 16 of 'em. Fetch.

    Queen Amidala: One Will
    QT4, 480x260, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/48 0_qt4/amidala_480_qt4.mov
    QT4, 240x132, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/24 0_qt4/amidala_240_qt4.mov
    QT3, 480x260, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/48 0_qt3/amidala_480_qt3.mov
    QT4, 240x132, mono - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/24 0_qt3/amidala_240_qt3.mov

    Qui-Gon Jinn: One Destiny
    QT4, 480x260, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/48 0_qt4/qui-gon_480_qt4.mov
    QT4, 240x132, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/24 0_qt4/qui-gon_240_qt4.mov
    QT3, 480x260, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/48 0_qt3/qui-gon_480_qt3.mov
    QT4, 240x132, mono - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/24 0_qt3/qui-gon_240_qt3.mov

    Anakin Skywalker: One Dream
    QT4, 480x260, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/48 0_qt4/anakin_480_qt4.mov
    QT4, 240x132, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/24 0_qt4/anakin_240_qt4.mov
    QT3, 480x260, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/48 0_qt3/anakin_480_qt3.mov
    QT4, 240x132, mono - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/24 0_qt3/anakin_240_qt3.mov

    Shmi Skywalker: One Love
    QT4, 480x260, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/48 0_qt4/shmi_480_qt4.mov
    QT4, 240x132, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/24 0_qt4/shmi_240_qt4.mov
    QT3, 480x260, stereo - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/48 0_qt3/shmi_480_qt3.mov
    QT4, 240x132, mono - http://www.apple.com/main/media/lucasfilm/poems/24 0_qt3/shmi_240_qt3.mov


    --
    --
  62. Is this needed? by cody · · Score: 1
    Do they really need to advertise this movie? It's not like people are going to be kicking themselves next year for not seeing the movie just because they heard nothing at all about about it.

    I stick firm to my prediction that this movie will earn hundreds and hundreds of dollars.


    Cody

    http://www.howstrange.org

    1. Re:Is this needed? by angelo · · Score: 1

      I'd take the bet, but what's the spread :)

  63. Yes, indeed by pluteus_larva · · Score: 1

    What a bunch of crap. "Don't look back. When you leave." Makes me want to toss my cookies. I just hope whoever put them together was some marketing drone who had nothing to do with the movie. With the way GL has been micromanaging everything, it's hard to imagine that he wasn't involved in them.

  64. People complaining about the hype are wrong by pluteus_larva · · Score: 2
    The hype *is* the point. I'm just having fun getting excited and checking out Web sites and downloading previews and all that good stuff.



    It'll probably be months before I can actally get into the theatre to *see* the damn thing, so I figure I might as well enjoy the hype while its around.



    Nevertheless, these new commercials are *terrible*.

  65. Re:I am. by Quikah · · Score: 1

    Wait, Starship Troopers had a "deep philosophical point about war"? When was this? I must have missed it between the cheesy love triangle, the "dark and mysterious" Doogie Howser, those insanely annoying news bites and that lame ass revelation about the aliens at the end; Ooo, they're afraid...whatever.

    --
    Q.
  66. Even if Episode:1 Sucks . . . by pwb · · Score: 1

    Even if Episode 1 is the worst movie of the year, it will still be the top grossing movie of the decade. My freinds think of me as a StarWars fan, but compared to REAL fans, I'm just a guy that enjoyed the movies. (In high school I once wrote that "it is possible that George Washington existed, the revolutionary war could have really been faught, but Yoda IS real, and Star Wars DID happen.")
    I really expect Episode 1 to SUCK badly. But I still will see it even if its the only movie I see for the rest of the year. And even if I'm right, and people all go around talking about how bad the movie is, and there is as much "anti-hype" as there has been hype, this movie will still sale more tickets than anything before it. Titanic had an incredible draw. I remember seeing people sitting on the floor when I saw it 2 months after it came out. But Titanic will look small compared to E1. Bank on it, George is...

    1. Re:Even if Episode:1 Sucks . . . by angelo · · Score: 1

      Good 'ol morpheus... I much prefer death myself :)

      'ol morph looks too much like the un-named one when he wears his helmet.

  67. Re:John Williams on MTV? by Bobo+Kaput · · Score: 1

    ALL music videos are commercials.

    --
    The music is not in the piano -Clement Mok
  68. There are names for people like you by Bobo+Kaput · · Score: 1

    But I'll settle for Anonymous Coward :0)

    --
    The music is not in the piano -Clement Mok
  69. Re:Starship troopers by Fvision · · Score: 1

    Try reading the book 'Starship Troopers'. Then, having got the philosophy out of the way, watch the completely unrelated film of the same title.

  70. Eh, by webslacker · · Score: 1

    These commercials are kind of a disappointment. The narration was so cheesy! I think if it was simply music without dialogue it would have been much better.

    1. Re:Eh, by vitaflo · · Score: 1

      The narration was so cheesy!

      My guess is that these commercials aren't for the die hard Star Wars fan, but rather, for the every day American. The Qui-Gon one is probably most suited to Sci-Fi fans. The Anikin one was suited to the kids, and the Shmi one to all the soccer-moms. I can see the Shmi one being played durring Oprah. I'd bet they're trying to reach the biggest audience, and I'd bet the shows that you'd see these commecials with would reflect that.

    2. Re:Eh, by m3000 · · Score: 1

      Yea, I was thinking that too. The Qui-Gon one would also be perfect for action shows and movies. And the Anikin one I wouldn't be suprised to see on Nickelodeon. I'm not quite sure which one the Amidala would pertain to though, maybe soccer-mom's also?

  71. Star Wars and Linux by Fizgig · · Score: 3

    A slight update for you people who are going to Linux expo:

    The Raleigh Grand Cinema has said it's going to start selling tickets 3pm May 12th for the shows on the 19th. They are listed at moviefone, so I would try that a little before then.

    Of course, you're competing with the IBMers and Redhaters in the Triangle, who are on their home turf and are more organized. Best of luck. I'll be home, in Mississippi, by then, for better or for worse.

  72. Why so hostile? by Anonymous+Shepherd · · Score: 2

    Gosh, what do you have against Star Wars?

    Titanic may have been able to draw the women...

    But Star Wars has universal appeal across all race, gender, ethnic, and social boundaries. You make it seem as all the geeks are pre-teens.

    Quite a few of us are probably college and post college, who were born just shy of being able to enjoy the original Star Wars phenomena and want to indulge ourselves in every possible way in the new Star Wars movie.

    Myself, I'll be waiting a while since I can't just ditch school, much as I like to, in order to see it.

    My friends? They'll be skipping school multiple times to see it, probably.

    Ya know, Star Wars is a life, to some people out here; is it any less important than flavor of OS, than favorite sports team, than must see rock idol?

    Relax a little, or you'll give yourself a hernia =)

    --

    -AS
    *Pikachu*
  73. I liked them! by Anonymous+Shepherd · · Score: 2

    They are listed as 'poetry', or something like that, if you see the Apple download listing...

    If nothing else, it let me know what these people sounded like.

    I so much wish they had done one with Obi-Wan... He's the one I want to hear!

    Years of critical analysis in my English classes can't help but applying foreshadowing and contextual analysis to the commercials... and I come up with some really bad feelings...

    I've got a bad feeling about this.

    --

    -AS
    *Pikachu*
  74. These adds are gay by Scudsucker · · Score: 0

    I think this must be some secret plot by old George to lower our expectations of the movie. Why else would they suck so bad?

    "There are things I cannot do" blah blah blah "It will be a hard life" blah blah blah "Don't look back" blah blah blah........

    Okay Lucas, you had us fooled. Now bring out that kickass movie. =:-)

  75. Where's Darth? by Otto · · Score: 1

    Jedinet reported these a few days ago, before they were released. They also reported that there would be a 60 second long "Darth Maul" one too. In fact, they even had the narration for all of them. But no Darth Maul?

    Even the music video thingy has a bit of the Darth Maul commerical, narration and all, so we know it exists...

    --
    - Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
  76. Re:Music Video MPEG by rebrane · · Score: 2
    Stupid question, maybe, but I can't get xanim to play this MPEG (or many other mpegs like it). I get thousands of errors:
    MPG_UNK CODE: e0
    and when it finally plays there's no sound and it goes at 1 or 2 fps. Do I have the wrong version? Need flags? Can't play this kind of MPEG? what?

    --neil
  77. I'm as excited as everyone else, but... by Mr_44 · · Score: 4

    It seems like a bad idea to go this overboard with the hype.

    I know nobody wants to think of Star Wars and Waterworld in the same sentence, but I can't help but compare them.

    Because of all the hype, it will be extremely difficult not to judge Episode:1 very harshly. No matter how decent it is, there are going to be many people who come out of the theater complaining about it until they run out of breath.

    If there wasn't so much of a hooplah about it, we'd all go in expecting to have a good time, and probably be satisfied. Marketing it as the Second Coming: A Messianic Experience for All Ages, is just asking for scrutiny and criticism.

    1. Re:I'm as excited as everyone else, but... by Praxxus · · Score: 1

      "Judge, shmudge! I want lightsabers and eyecandy! I want droids and blasters! If it has a semblance of a plot at all, the critics can bite me! This is Star Wars, and the first person that even _mentions_ 'believability' is getting their butt kicked."

      ...says Ed, who just spent the last half hour watching VH1, drooling all the while.

      --

      --
      Okay, I got Linux installed. So where's the free beer everyone keeps talking about??
    2. Re:I'm as excited as everyone else, but... by Moofie · · Score: 1

      I couldn't care less about the hype. It's not in my way, it's not going to take away from my enjoyment of the movie, and if having Star Wars Lego sets constitutes hype, then HYPE AWAY. I've already conceded that unless the movie is HORRIBLE, I'm going to LOVE it, if for no other reasons than that it puts me back in touch with some happy childhood memories. That's worth the price of a ticket to ME, thanks.

      All the critics and naysayers and killjoys are welcome to their opinion. I just kinda feel sorry for them.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    3. Re:I'm as excited as everyone else, but... by Rombuu · · Score: 2

      No matter how decent it is, there are going to be many people who come out of the theater complaining about it until they run out of breath.

      And I should care what other people think why?

      --

      DrLunch.com The site that tells you what's for lunch!
    4. Re:I'm as excited as everyone else, but... by remande · · Score: 1

      I don't expect SW:E1 to be bad. However, if it is, even the die-hard fans will stay away from it in droves. The precedent for this is Highlander 2: The Sickening (There Should have been Only One).

      --

      --The basis of all love is respect

  78. I'm not as excited as everyone else. by glen · · Score: 1

    I'm sorry but Star Wars is a B movie full of cheesie one liners. I don't get the appeal. I went to the theatre when it was re-released and I remembered seeing it as a kid but I never remembered it being that lame.

    I may go to see episode 1 but only on a tuesday afternoon after it's been out for 3 or 4 weeks. And even then only because it will be years before it makes it on to superchannel.

    I'm just generally tired of this whole pop culture mass media over the top money machine.

    Even Sly Stallone only puked out 5 Rockies.

  79. I am. by the_tsi · · Score: 2

    Hi, I'm one of the biggest star wars fans I know. Even as such, I agree with you completely.

    ANH is cheezy. It was poorly casted, acted, shot, and written. ESB and ROJ only slightly less so.

    HOWEVER, no movie will ever be more fun than Star Wars. It's like a wooden rollercoaster at the amusement park. Sure, there are faster, loopier steel rides, but you don't get to feel the damn thing shake you. Star Wars is the same way. Starship Troopers may have lots of eye candy and deep philosophical points about war, but Star Wars is an adventure that every kid imagines at some point. George Lucas is just the kid who got to make a movie about it and share it with everyone else, and it hit close to home.

    Or something like that.

    -Chris

    1. Re:I am. by for(;;); · · Score: 1

      I also thought Starship Troopers was bland Hollywood action-movie crap when I first saw it. A friend of mine then pointed out some of the satirical elements to it. The movie is subtly sympathetic to the bugs. There's one scene with (approximately) the dialogue:

      Reporter guy: "Some people say that the bugs are only defending their territory, that they only started attacking people when people colonized their home world."

      Rico: "Yeah? Well, I'm from Buenos Aires. And I say, kill 'em all!"

      This is the sort of "kill them all and let God sort them out" logic that fascist nations like Hitler's Germany and the current U.S. use to justify war.

      The "they're afraid" stuff at the end was double-edged too. The bugs are scared of dying, that's why they're fighting. Militaristic propaganda works by taking the self-defensive actions of others and exaggerating it, making it seem threatening. Leaving the bugs alone would have ended the war -- the bugs were only fighting out of fear. In a fascist society, however, any fighting at all is seen as a dire threat to the society as a whole.

      If Starship Troopers seems totally simplistic, I think that was intentional. The overly bright, almost pastel, colors, the abrasively cheerful news bites, the totally idiotic love triangle, etc., are supposed to be satiristic.

      --

      "Whatever happened to fair use?"
      -- Duff-Man
  80. Starship Troopers by AT · · Score: 1

    That would be fairly ironic, given that the book had the exact opposite message. That is, the book said that military service - and possibly sacrificing your life - is the highest calling of human society. The book was completely clear about the bugs desire to destroy the human race.

    I think the movie tried to follow the book; just not very well. Instead of an excellent philosophical movie we got a good action flick. Oh well.

    BTW, I highly recommend the book (Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein).

    1. Re:Starship Troopers by for(;;); · · Score: 1

      The characters in the movie also contended that military service was a grand calling; the futuristic society only granted citizenship to veterans. But what the characters in the book believe is not the same thing as the message of the book -- just because the bureaucrats in 1984 love the principles of Ingsoc doesn't mean George Orwell was trying to promote totalitarianism.

      Some of the other posters in this thread claimed that the movie is a parody of the book. Perhaps I'll take your advice and read it one of these days.

      --

      "Whatever happened to fair use?"
      -- Duff-Man
  81. Re:Direct download links to all 16 different files by Johnny+O · · Score: 1

    Thank you very much for the URLS!!!

  82. VH1 and EST by caphil · · Score: 1

    I'm on the west coast, does anyone know if this will be tape delayed so it will show at 6pm on the west coast too? It wasn't on at 3pm PST which translates to 6pm EST... and BTW, aren't we on daylight savings time now, PDT and EDT?

  83. Music Video MPEG by NetGuruFL · · Score: 1

    http://www.galaxy47.com/

  84. Re:One interesting thing... TAKE HIM WITH YOU. by goomba · · Score: 1

    I went to Star Wars when I was only 3, and I remember parts of it, most notibly the trench scene and the part with the interrogation bot. I'm so happy I remember just those fragments and that I was actually a part of the original Star Wars 'thing' .. ! If nothing else, take him and he'll be able to brag to friends later on in life. ;)

    Yeah, i know, thats coming off a bit lame, but I get all tingly knowing ive seen all 3 movies in the theater. Maybe it was because I shouldnt have
    seen the first one because I was so young.. Either way, it cant hurt!

    Oh yah, on a side note, my parents also took me to see Alien when I was 5 (I think it was 1979?) and I came out screaming and crying, and now its my FAVORITE MOVIE because nothing has scared me so much, and I completely love the creepyness to the entire movie (as well as Aliens, which made me unable to sleep right for 2 weeks!). SCARE THE CRAP OUTTA YOUR KID! Its great!

  85. Far less optimistic about Episode I now by IntelliTubbie · · Score: 0

    What the hell is with the TV commercials? They're horrible. The preachy narration sounds like a cross between a self-motivation cassette and bad amateur poetry.

    Frankly, it looks like Episode I has the potential to be so cheesy that the dreaded Ewok dance in Jedi will look tame by comparison.

    --

    Power corrupts. PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.

  86. NEW STAR WARS THEME COMPOSED ON THE TOILET by Basturdo · · Score: 1

    from http://www.drudgereport.com/matt.htm

    X X X X X

    NEW STAR WARS THEME COMPOSED ON THE TOILET

    Holy Planet Tatooine! Film composer JOHN WILLIAMS wrote portions of the
    soundtrack for the new STAR WARS prequel EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE on
    the toilet, according to wire reports out of England.

    The celebrated music man is quoted on the WENN wire late Tuesday night: "I
    remember writing ANAKIN'S THEME. I was sitting on the toilet, watching
    GENERAL HOSPITAL, when all of a sudden the water plopped and brought
    together a syncopated harmony that I found to be perfect for the theme of
    the boy who will one day become DARTH VADER."

    X X X X X

    :)

  87. The whole soundtrack? by Fong+Sai+Yuk · · Score: 1

    Maybe I missed it, but is the soundtrack out today? If so, it'll be a quick run by the mall tomorrow morning.

  88. Thanks! by Vrallis · · Score: 2

    The moment I read this (in Texas, 7:30 CST), I rushed to my DSS and flipped to Much music...the second it started. Thanks for the info, Alan!

    I can see making Natalie Portman's voice deeper to make her seem older, perhaps, but they made it TOO deep. And while the new footage was wonderful, there was much too little of it =)

    As for the music? I heard it a while back (one of the lucky few whose hunt of the 'net was successful), and while I love it, it will take some getting used to. I've always been a big fan of John William. But this video butchered it.

    The trailers had a definite flow to them, making them seem very fluid. This video just jumbled miscellaneous bits of footage and slapped them together. I really wonder if any of Lucas' people had anything to do with making this video, as it is of rather substandard quality for them.

  89. Re:Behind the scenes by Omar+Djabji · · Score: 1

    I like behind the scenes shows, but only AFTER I have seen the movie. Spoilers suck, and you can't do a good behind the scenes show without tons 'o spoilers.

  90. Re:Sorry retard... by virid · · Score: 1

    *sigh* why does everyone have this stupid idea that the only people who are into starwars are "pimply faced nerds and losers"? i know all sorts of people who dig starwars: skaters, homies, even preps. what the hell makes you think that only geeks would like starwars? pick up a dictionary and look up demographics...

    --
    "The world only exists in your eyes. You can make it as big or as small as you want." - F Scott Fitzgerald
  91. I Just Had Too... by Racher · · Score: 1

    I saw something on MTV around 4:00 CST but it was not the music video it was a music video promo thing but I'll be watching.

    Code On, Racher

  92. Commercials by laard · · Score: 1

    I've heard rumors of a Darth Maul commercial similar to the ones found on star war's web site

    (http://www.starwars.com/episode-i/news/trailer/ commercials/)

    anyone have an info on the existance of the darth maul commercial and if so when it will be released, etc???

    --
    --- If we knew half the things we shouldn't we'd stop wishing we knew it all
  93. RE: Quicktime4 looks fine.. again, stop trippin! by 47Ronin · · Score: 0

    In reply to the anonymous coward who thinks laptop video is 16-bit..
    No sir, my laptop's video is 24-bit. I'm not sure.. maybe you're referring to those IBM Stinkpads or some other Wintel laptops. What I'm talking about is an Apple Powerbook G3/266 hooked up to a widescreen Toshiba TV using the S-Video port in the back at 1024x768. The built-in ATI Rage Pro 4MB chip drives the graphics and the laptop is also feeding the audio through a surround sound system at 44KHz. The QT4 commercials are smooth as silk and have a poetic monologue feel to them. Nice. Then again, I'm beginning to believe that the all these trailers show about 75% of the movie's real content and the rest is crap. Hopefully not.

    --
    Those who laugh at you for you having a Mac.. are the people who constantly call you to fix their PC.
  94. The music video streamed was AWESOME!! by 47Ronin · · Score: 1

    I just went to the starwars site and viewed the streaming QT4 video ..not bad. So I got into the http source and found the MOV file and pasted its URL into the Quicktime Player. Since I own the Pro version, I was able to select Present Movie > Current (Full Screen) and voila!! Full screen T1 music video streaming to my PowerMac 7600/120 (upgraded to a G3/305 of course). It's amazing what hardware scaling can do. Too bad RealVideo is shackled to that postage-stamp size. If anyone can post a screenshot please do. The shareware Snapz Pro v1.1.1 got the whole screen but the window for the video was black. hmmm.... oh well! Now I'm almost positive that the only other scenes we're gonna see in the real movie are the credz --what a bummer.

    --
    Those who laugh at you for you having a Mac.. are the people who constantly call you to fix their PC.
  95. The QT4 commercials are excellent. What's da fuss? by 47Ronin · · Score: 2

    I downloaded the files directly from the Star Wars site after clicking each preview movie (the larger resolution ones). They're awesome.. I don't know what everyone is trippin' about. Maybe some people have too much garbage screwing up their computers. My trusty Powerbook G3/266 had the commercials presented full screen in all its 44KHz stereo glory. No frame skips, nothing. All that quality for an average of 4.5MB. Maybe the whiners should clear out their system folder of extraneous interface hacks, screensavers, Norton junk, and Microsoft extensions. There's nothing like a full-screen 1024x768 30fps Quicktime 4 movie blaring out of surround sound speakers hooked up to a laptop.

    --
    Those who laugh at you for you having a Mac.. are the people who constantly call you to fix their PC.
  96. music video by CaptainAbstraction · · Score: 1

    I just happened to turn the TV on, which was on
    MTV, and caught the middle of the the Star Wars
    music video at around 6pm Eastern!! Did anyone happen to tape it and encode it into an mpeg
    movie?

    I'm sure they'll be playing the video a few more
    times before the movie comes out... :)

    Captain Abstraction

    1. Re:music video by erios23 · · Score: 1

      yeah, i caught the VH1 showing at my girlfriends house. it was cool. course she wasn't too happy with me for watching it 3 times through with rapt attention....




      Happiness is mandatory. Are you happy?

  97. I liked the voice over... by LordRathma · · Score: 1

    I thought the voice overs were very moving.

    Of course, I'm not a jaded, cynical person that most here seem to be. I enjoy things for what they are and guess what, I end up enjoying life far more!

    But I guess I'm a dying breed.

    --
    --- "It's not enough that I succeed...everyone else must fail."
  98. John Williams on MTV? by Solipsist_Nation · · Score: 1

    Is this video supposed to be an actual music video or a free commercial? Nice marketing George.

  99. Minor Coruscant dichotomy in "amidala..." by weatherboy · · Score: 2

    Did anyone notice that the Coruscant building displayed in the moonlight waterfall scene appears rounded, yet in the characters perched-on-a-ledge scene it appears to have a flat surface?

    Granted that the first is a 3d model and the second is a matte painting. But still, shouldn't the ILM modelers have caught this?

    Okay, film's ruined, let's all boycott it, eh?