STAR WARS ON BLU-RAY - FALL 2011 (1 Viewer)

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by Brian Borst
And about Lucas' artistry, he's been going on about doing smaller, experimental films since Revenge of the Sith, but he keeps going on milking Star Wars and Indiana Jones. What does that say?

 

That he's more interested in the role of producer and technological advancer than filmmaker.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by TravisR





So what other opinions of Gary Kurtz are now fact?

Agreed. Gary has some good points, and while killing Han and having Luke walk off into the lone world having failed to defeat the Empire have more dramatic weight than what we get at the end of Return of the Jedi, I just don't see it being as satisfactory, or in all honesty all that true to the matinee serial template. He said it himself in that interview - in the third act you escape the burning tree; you don't burn to death.

 

[Bryan^H]

 

Originally Posted by RobertR
It's ironic that the once-promising young director who wanted to escape the confines of the studio system exhibits behavior indistinguishable from that of the ultraconservative corporate suits he used to despise (mass marketing toys, etc. to the nth degree, emphasis on FX over story, etc. etc.).

Lucas was never a promising director. He is an average director, and a very gifted writer.

I'm sure if he digs deep, he can write another great film that is truly original, and refreshingly different from his past projects.

 

[Tim Mauldin]

 

Originally Posted by RobertR


 


Lucas loves that these properties are reliable cash cows AND loves to maintain control over them. As I said, he likes it both ways. It's ironic that the once-promising young director who wanted to escape the confines of the studio system exhibits behavior indistinguishable from that of the ultraconservative corporate suits he used to despise (mass marketing toys, etc. to the nth degree, emphasis on FX over story, etc. etc.). In fact, he outdoes them all in terms of risk aversion. What other filmmaker (or studio, for that matter) can you name who has an almost 30 year stretch where he's essentially done nothing but sequels?

Most likely you're absolutely right. Success and greed will usually inflate someone's ego. It happens all the time. It seems like you personally hold a grudge against the man. That makes no sense. Did he fire you from a job or something? I've never met him, never will. He's never done anything to me personally. I certainly have no reason to hate him. Over a bunch of movies? Of course I don't hate any other filmmaker either.

 

[cafink]

I'm long past the point where I even care anymore. I still enjoy the original trilogy, and if it's ever released on Blu-ray, I'll buy it and have a great time watching it. But beyond that, I no longer have any interest in anything Star Wars.

 

[Yohan Pamudji]

Originally Posted by TravisR





So what other opinions of Gary Kurtz are now fact?

Just that one.

 

[Yohan Pamudji]

Originally Posted by Ricardo C

 

He owns his films and the infrastructure he uses to produce them, bows to no one (least of all fanboys), and makes exactly the product he wants to make. How is that not the realization of every indie filmmaker's dream?

 

Nobody (well, at least not me) is begrudging him financial success in and of itself. Saying so only serves to build up your straw man. It's when commercial concerns significantly impact the integrity of art that it starts getting icky. Feel free to debate where the line is there, but that's the point I'm trying to make.

 

And if simply being in control of his intellectual property was his ultimate goal from the early days then clearly I had him pegged wrong, but hey you could be right about that.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by Yohan Pamudji

And if simply being in control of his intellectual property was his ultimate goal from the early days then clearly I had him pegged wrong, but hey you could be right about that.

He's been pretty open about how the studio interference on THX 1138 really bothered him, enough for him to seek the control over his product that he has. So, it definitely was an early development.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Yohan Pamudji

Just that one.

Why, because you share the same opinion? Maybe he's right but his opinion is not a fact.

 

[oscar_merkx]

Starwars.com is really milking the Blu Ray announcement as they have footage of the Main Event.

 

 

[MielR]

Originally Posted by Neil Middlemiss 

Some of the cynicism in this thread is remarkable. My two cents is that I would prefer to be able to see the original versions, but I am generally okay with his special editions. 

Cynicism that did not exist 20 years ago. Back then, I, like most of the people who now have a beef with Lucas, admired the man and felt he could do no wrong. I've noticed that most of the people who defend Lucas' decisions today are the ones that are "okay" with the special editions. Great- enjoy the blu-rays. Could you cut a bit of slack to those whose tastes differ from yours? 

 

I have no quarrel with Lucas in terms of how much money he wants to make, or what kinds of films he does or doesn't direct, but in a sea of multi-version sets from peers such as Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott, George Lucas stands alone. 

 

Did WE do that? No, he did it to himself, and it could be remedied. 

 

[RobertR]

 

Originally Posted by Tim Mauldin



 



It seems like you personally hold a grudge against the man. That makes no sense. Did he fire you from a job or something?

It makes no more sense to ascribe criticism of Lucas to a "personal grudge" than it would be to ascribe praise for him to a personal "man crush" on him. For that matter, it doesn't make sense to talk about me at all instead of the subject at hand.

 

 

[Bryan^H]

The deleted scene from Return of the Jedi has been removed from Youtube.

 

Why watch 1!(ONE) cool deleted scene for free, when you can buy the set next year to watch that particular(ONE) scene? And maybe even a few more to boot!!!

 

Mr. Lucas, your generosity toward fans of the original films is so great that words fail me.

All I have to say about the BD set coming next year is:

"You want this don't you?"

 

"You will pay the price for your lack of vision"

 

 

 

 

[Tim Glover]

Originally Posted by Greg_S_H /forum/thread/299868/star-wars-on-blu-ray-in-october-2011/180#post_3720167

 

[Tim Mauldin]

Originally Posted by RobertR


 

It makes no more sense to ascribe criticism of Lucas to a "personal grudge" than it would be to ascribe praise for him to a personal "man crush" on him. For that matter, it doesn't make sense to talk about me at all instead of the subject at hand.

 

I have seen enough of your posts to know that it is more than critcism, you have an agenda, and you hate the guy. Also, there is a big difference between having a "man crush" and getting tired of seeing the bullshit that you spew on every single Star Wars thread that makes it's way on this board.
 

If the original, unaltered, never changed, Han Solo shot first Super-Ultimate in 1080p with perfect color clarity and amazing 7.1 DTS surround sound Blu-Ray box set loaded with extras came out tomorrow you would still bitch about something. You would find some other reason to whine, complain and hate. I picture you as one those snotty, film student, Roger Ebert wannabe types that are never entertained. If I'm making this about you instead of the topic at hand, so what. Give yourself a big pat on the back.
 

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by MielR

Could you cut a bit of slack to those whose tastes differ from yours?

Respect for a difference in opinion is a two way street though. It's not like the original trilogy-only fans are always angels and vice versa.

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

Originally Posted by MielR




Cynicism that did not exist 20 years ago. Back then, I, like most of the people who now have a beef with Lucas, admired the man and felt he could do no wrong. I've noticed that most of the people who defend Lucas' decisions today are the ones that are "okay" with the special editions. Great- enjoy the blu-rays. Could you cut a bit of slack to those whose tastes differ from yours? 

 

I have no quarrel with Lucas in terms of how much money he wants to make, or what kinds of films he does or doesn't direct, but in a sea of multi-version sets from peers such as Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott, George Lucas stands alone. 

 

Did WE do that? No, he did it to himself, and it could be remedied. 

No argument is offered so no slack is required. I simply took someone to task for misinformation and offered my opinion.

I fully respect those who do not care for the special editions or other elements of the state of Star Wars, but I do not care for the tone, tenor, and language used at times. But my biggest issue is with people offering as fact that which is not certain to be fact. The poster earlier who suggested Gary Kurtz recent statements were indeed fact ( which they may or may not be, but we cannot know that without corroboration) highlights the issue.

 

[Douglas Monce]

 

Originally Posted by Edwin-S




Since I suscribe to a customer-driven business model and not an owner-driven model, your response means absolutely squat. My post clearly describes which needs should be the driver in a customer/seller relationship and the owner's wants come dead last to the wants of his or her customers, but you seem to have ignored that fact and are stating something that I have already indicated I don't believe in or even consider as a legitimate consideration. If the owner's wants are more important than customers then don't enter the business of selling wares. As soon as you put your wares up for sale, the wants and needs of your customers come first, not your own.
 

 

But that’s just it, it IS a customer driven business model. My understanding is that the DVD release of the special edition cuts of these films were some of the biggest selling releases in the history of the format. This means that the vast majority of the audience for these films really doesn’t care if they have the 1977 cut of Star Wars or not.

 

Lucas is giving the audience exactly what they are telling him (with their wallets) they want. Spending millions of dollars to please a very small, but vocal group of people, may not seem like a smart business choice to him. Particularly for a version of the film that he personally doesn’t like.

 

At this point I have some empathy for Lucas. I’m in the process of completing a feature film that was made on a VERY low budget. That budget forced me to make huge compromises from what I had originally planned, and had written in the script. There are shots and whole scenes that I had wanted to film, that I simply couldn’t do because of lack of money and time.
 

Now I have no illusions of a massively successful film, however if it does get a release and makes some money, I might very well want to take some of that money and finish the film the way it was intended from the start, including recording an all new music score and some additional shots to open up the scope of the film.

 

Now will I piss off someone who has become familiar with the cut of the film that I’m not 100% happy with, because I’ve made changes? Changes that bring the film closer to what I had originally intended when I wrote the script? Probably, but as a film maker I can really only please myself, and hope the audience likes what I have done.

 

Doug

 

[Douglas Monce]

 

Originally Posted by Edwin-S





George Lucas wouldn't know art if it came up and kicked him in the ass. If Lucas was concerned with artistic integrity, he wouldn't have turned his creation into a "money spinner" in the form of an empire of toy sales and plastic landfill in the form of fast food giveaways. Bill Watterson of "Calvin and Hobbes" fame is a guy who respected his art. Lucas is nothing more than a businessman and always has been. The growth of his "Star Wars" empire was and is based on the generation of enormous quantities of revenue through licensing. I'm sure Lucas was thinking how artful it would be to have Darth Vader's likeness on kid's pajamas and cheap plastic cups while a phalanx of his droids were negotiating money making licensing deals. If Lucas tried to use "artistic" considerations as a reason to suppress the original versions of these films, they would be even more hollow and pathetic than his excuse that it costs too much money to restore the films. Even Lucas realizes how ridiculous it would sound to stand on artistic integrity which is why he is attempting to use a financial angle. In fact, his use of a financial angle only proves that he is approaching the whole issue from the point of view of a businessman with a top down mentality, not an artist. The only reason he gets away with his behavior is because he can be entirely assured that, no matter how he disses them, his fanbase will always lap up whatever crap he dishes out and pay him handsomely for it.

Well to be fair, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi would not have been possible with out the sales of all those toys.

 

Doug

 

[RobertR]

 

Originally Posted by Tim Mauldin




I have seen enough of your posts


 

Your personal attack only demonstrates how bereft you are of anything substantive to say.