Friday Off to work. Nope. Up to 1:30a last night, er, this morning, writing scope docs. Change that to “Sleep in until 8, then read e-mail from office giving me…
Friday
You know, it’s pretty sad when all your plans change before you can even write them down.
Saturday
Sunday
Here’s an interesting article about George Lucas, which blames his success-enabled isolation and unwillingness to collaborate for why the last two Star Wars movies sucked. I’m always a little leery…
Here’s an interesting article about George Lucas, which blames his success-enabled isolation and unwillingness to collaborate for why the last two Star Wars movies sucked.
I’m always a little leery of these sorts of psychoanalysis-in-six-column-inch packets, but it sure sounds plausible to me.
(Also via Quiddity)
David Prowse, who played the guy inside the black armor in Star Wars Episodes IV-VI, weighs in on Episodes I-II. He has some good comments. “Some of the acting was…
David Prowse, who played the guy inside the black armor in Star Wars Episodes IV-VI, weighs in on Episodes I-II. He has some good comments.
“Some of the acting was quite banal,” Prowse told The Examiner from his Croydon home, just outside of London. “I think that’s what you get when there is too much blue-screen filming.
“I think Star Wars was initially a really basic story — good over evil, relationships, a terrible villain. And people always referred to the characters as Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, not by Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher or Mark Hamill. Now, it’s more about Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson. It’s become earth-related and has lost the magic of the first three (films).”
He also hates Jar Jar, which puts him on the side of the majority of humans on the planet.
On the other hand, despite not having talked with Lucas since 1983, and not privy to what Episode III will end up having in it, he’s angling to reprise his armored role.
“I think the fans will object if it’s not me,” he said. “They’ll revolt. I’ve got a huge following over the years, and people are always saying they hope I’ll appear in Episode Three.”
Unfortunately, that’s the same tune voiced by a lot of actors when their roles are reprised by others. Fact is, there’s little to require that Prowse be the man inside the armor. Of course, there’s little that would prevent him from doing it (and the fans probably would be happy), but using a “revolt by the fans” as a threat is probably not going to be productive in negotiations …
(I just flashed on the closing scene of Ep. III, after all the “What happened to Padme and the kids?” is all answered. Anakin, having undergone still further injuries and cybernetization, is on the operating table, as the familiar black helm is locked down into place, and Darth Vader, the transformation complete, arises, the Emperor standing by, beaming in that wicked way he has at his new creation … Cue the DV Theme, and roll credits …)
(Via Quiddity)
Cool. Accusations of racism continue to surface regarding the Star Wars saga, including about the latest installment. Jango Fett, the evil bounty hunter? “He looked totally Latino,” says Martina Guzman,…
Cool. Accusations of racism continue to surface regarding the Star Wars saga, including about the latest installment.
Jango Fett, the evil bounty hunter?
“He looked totally Latino,” says Martina Guzman, a Detroiter who’s managing a State House election campaign.
“And his kid,” says Wayne State history professor Jose Cuello, referring to the young Boba Fett, “looked even more Latino.”
They bring up that breeding a clone army that marches in lockstep off to conquer the galaxy is just playing to Anglo fears of hordes of undocumented workers flooding into the US. They point to the clone breeding planet, Kamino, as proof (since “camino,” in Spanish, means “road”).
But wait! Fett isn’t a Latino stereotype! It’s a far more subtle matter than that!
If the planet name “Kamino” caught some Latinos’ attention, three Arab-Americans on The News’ panel seized on the fact that Jango’s son calls him “Baba.”
“I frankly think the bounty hunter is Arab,” says college counselor Imad Nouri of Royal Oak.
“He’s basically a terrorist,” explains Nouri, “and ‘baba’ is Arabic for ‘father.’ ”
For the record, of course, Temuera Morrison, who plays Jango Fett, is from New Zealand, and is of Maori descent.
And, of course, the clone breeders on Kamino are not only aliens, but extremely white aliens.
No word on how those two elements fit into the mythology being produced.
Accusations of racism have abounded since the original Star Wars debuted with a white cast — except for Darth Vader, who was clothed in black and had a black actor providing his voice.
Never mind, of course, that the evil Imperial Stormtroopers wore white armor. Or that the evil Imperial Officers on the Death Star were all Anglo (both figuratively and literally), too. (Never mind, as well, that Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker turns out to be white as well.)
In retrospect, of course, Lucas might have cast more folks of other races into his original film. That was a “problem” he tried to fix later on.
To no avail, of course. Lots of people lambasted him for Jar-Jar Binks, claiming that the doofus critter was clearly a “Steppin-Fetchit”/Rastafarian/black stereotype through and through. Never mind that the equally dim-witted Gungan leader Boss Nass was voiced by Brian Blessed, a white British actor. Or, from the other side of things, that Mace Windu, one of the top leaders of the Jedi, was played by black actor Samuel L. Jackson. Or that Queen Amidala’s head of security was black …
And Attack of the Clones? Mace gets at least as much screen time as Yoda. Amidala’s security chief is a Samoan actor. Bayle Organa is played by Jimmie Smits, a poster boy for Hispanic actors — and if he has few lines this time out, the character is certainly a critical one for Episode III.
And then there’s that Maori guy, of course.
And, when you get down to it, there isn’t much more room for anyone else, since most of the other characters are aliens.
Just to show how it’s a damned-if-you-do/don’t thing, imagine the accusations that would fly if Jango Fett were black. Imagine the other accusations that would fly if he were white.
The problem is that, once race becomes an issue in the casting, it’s subject to wild over-analysis. A white character? Well, why wasn’t s/he a minority?! A minority character? Well, why does s/he act so stupid/arrogant/evil/ineffectual/token?
Episode I also came under fire when it first came out when it featured, as bad guys, some representatives of the Trade Federation that some folks thought sounded like bad Japanese actors. I think they sound more like Dexter from Dexter’s Lab, but, not surprisingly, there have been criticisms that they appear, unchanged, in Episode II. (Of course, to have changed their voices would have been to admit wrongdoing, and drawn more attention to the question.)
The best case I’ve heard for a stupid stereotype isn’t even touched on in this article. It’s that Watto, the Tyderian Junk Dealer, who struck me at first viewing in Episode I as, well, something of a stereotype of an extremely sharp and, ah, rather Semitic trader. In Episode II, he’s picked up a beard and brimmed hat that makes him look, well, a bit Hassidic.
Of course, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
So last night I decided, after waxing lyrical about Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope (a/k/a the original 1977 Star Wars flick) the other day, to actually watch it….
So last night I decided, after waxing lyrical about Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope (a/k/a the original 1977 Star Wars flick) the other day, to actually watch it.
I’ll drop all of this into the MORE… section, since there are, possibly, some Episode II spoilers. Or because there are, possibly, some of you who couldn’t care less …
It’s time for the Tuesday Things. 1. What do you wish you could have the credit for inventing? Hmmm. Is this something that I actually could have invented? Probably something…
It’s time for the Tuesday Things.
1. What do you wish you could have the credit for inventing?
Hmmm. Is this something that I actually could have invented? Probably something in RPG design, had I stuck with writing my own rules …
2. What’s that over there?
Oh, I’m watching Star Wars, instead of cleaning up the house for my folks’ visit.
3. If you could go back and do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I think I’d try to follow all my major decisions the same way, if possible, because I really like where my life has led so far. There are a few wincingly embarrassing moments that I wouldn’t mind not reliving, though.
4. When you were young, what did you want to be when you grow up?
A teacher. Or a computer programmer. Or a scientist. Or maybe a lawyer.
I managed two of those. Not bad, that.
5. What is your greatest achievement?
My family. But I can’t take full credit for that. Sometimes, when I see Margie and Katherine smile, I don’t think I can take any credit for it …
I’m sure there are plenty of other pages like this out there, but here are a few hidden visual gems from Episode II. (Note that some of these are not…
I’m sure there are plenty of other pages like this out there, but here are a few hidden visual gems from Episode II.
(Note that some of these are not really “hidden, funny things,” but there are a few of those hidden in the article.)
(Via usr/bin/girl)
Because I don’t have enough else to do (just kidding), it’s the Monday Mission 2.20: 1. When was the last time you went out with a true love of yours?…
Because I don’t have enough else to do (just kidding), it’s the Monday Mission 2.20:
1. When was the last time you went out with a true love of yours? What did you two do that made it so special?
Not counting going out to Spider-Man or Star Wars in the past week, it would be for our anniversary, I think. We went to Le Central and had a wonderful, romantic dinner, just the two of us. That’s all it takes to make it special.
2. Which far-away friend would you most like to see again?
Bunker, Miller, Kurt & Marina, all “live” friends from the past I’d like to see again. A handful of folks from high school that I lost touch with.
Heck, I can even see seeing my ex, Cheryl, some time — talk about old times and new times. I still consider her my friend, despite the, ah, strain in a relationship that divorce can entail. I have, needless to say, no romantic interest in her, and I don’t see making a habit of reunions or anything like that. But since I spent about fifteen years knowing, going with, or married to her, it’s not like I can just excise the whole relationship. And she seems to be doing a lot better, lately …
3. Any high or low points about this past weekend? What went on?
Actually, the weekend went quite in line with plans. The high points were probably seeing AotC, going to the church picnic, and getting plants planted in the yard. Low point was probably the stresses and strain of doing the Star Wars game where I was the only pre-AotC person who cared about staying “unspoiled.”
4. I’ve been thinking about getting a buzz-cut for the summer, a big change for me. Have you ever made any drastic changes to your appearance?
Probably the most drastic was getting my hair cut quite short last year. Haven’t regretted it since.
5. How long do you think a couple should date before they get married? Or if you are married, do you think you should have waited longer to get hitched?
Margie and I knew each other 15 years, and dated for a few before we married. I don’t think we rushed into anything.
My opinion? Anything under a two year courtship is rushing things.
6. I just found out my long-time friend does not like Star Wars (!) and has only seen the original 1977 movie! Have you ever discovered anything new or shocking about a long-time friend you thought you knew everything about?
Yes.
But I’m not going to discuss it here …
7. Well we had a nice picnic and saw the sunset, but now it’s dark and I think we should liven things up. Let’s call some of your friends and go out. Who do you want to invite and where should we all go?
Hey, I’d love to see Lord of the Rings again. Let’s call Jackie and Doyce. Maybe Randy and Rey & Jules, too. Then we can go to Red Robin and eat fries and drink vanilla cokes. Woo-hoo! Live it up! What a party animal!
BONUS: Why can’t ya be good to me?
Because you’ve been bad. Very, very bad. And now I must spank you …
This has evidently been making its rounds around the Net for a week or two, but I’ve studiously avoided it until now. An Episode II script. There are a few…
This has evidently been making its rounds around the Net for a week or two, but I’ve studiously avoided it until now. An Episode II script. There are a few differences, a few missing pages, a number of (mostly unfortunately) clipped scenes, and some scenes that were clearly added afterwards (not surprisingly), but it’s basically there. Enjoy.
UPDATE: Discussion in more (SPOILERS!) detail below …
An amusing article on SlashDot, reprinted from the Imperial times on Coruscant: CORUSCANT — Presiding over a memorial service commemorating the victims of the attack on the Death Star, the…
An amusing article on SlashDot, reprinted from the Imperial times on Coruscant:
CORUSCANT — Presiding over a memorial service commemorating the victims of the attack on the Death Star, the Emperor declared that while recent victories over the Rebel Alliance were “encouraging, the War on Terror is not over yet.”
“We will continue to fight these terrorists, and the rogue governments who harbor them, until the universe is safe, once and for all, and the security of the Neo-New Cosmik Order ensured.”
“I lost hundreds of buddies that day,” said one teary-eyed Stormtrooper. “Guys whose only crime was trying make the Universe a safer place.”
Although the day was colored by sadness, the mourners found some relief in the news of a decisive victory over the Rebels.
In an attack led by Darth Vader, Empire forces were able to rout hundreds of Rebels from a network of caves underneath the surface of the planet Hoth. “We’re not sure we got them all,” says a Vader spokesman. “There are a lot of places to hide in those caves. But we’ve delivered powerful blow to the terrorist’s infrastructure, that’s for sure. Today, the Empire has struck back.”
(Via Trance Gemini)
Steven Den Beste discusses some missed opportunities for AotC, and roasts Jedi (and Republic and Imperial) battle tactics. Instead, from the TV ads, what we get is a massive battle…
Steven Den Beste discusses some missed opportunities for AotC, and roasts Jedi (and Republic and Imperial) battle tactics.
Instead, from the TV ads, what we get is a massive battle on a featureless plain, fought with space age weapons and Babylonian tactics. Napoleon could beat these idiots; they’re not even smart enough to go prone to fire their weapons. I don’t care how good you are with a light saber; you’re not going to stop canister fire, or deflect a 12-pound cannon ball.
A rather thoughtful (though somewhat tongue-in-cheek) analysis as to why, in the Star Wars universe, the Empire isn’t all that bad. It echoes a few of my thoughts about AotC….
A rather thoughtful (though somewhat tongue-in-cheek) analysis as to why, in the Star Wars universe, the Empire isn’t all that bad. It echoes a few of my thoughts about AotC.
The destruction of Alderaan is often cited as ipso facto proof of the Empire’s “evilness” because it seems like mass murder–planeticide, even. As Tarkin prepares to fire the Death Star, Princess Leia implores him to spare the planet, saying, “Alderaan is peaceful. We have no weapons.” Her plea is important, if true.
But the audience has no reason to believe that Leia is telling the truth. In Episode IV, every bit of information she gives the Empire is willfully untrue. In the opening, she tells Darth Vader that she is on a diplomatic mission of mercy, when in fact she is on a spy mission, trying to deliver schematics of the Death Star to the Rebel Alliance. When asked where the Alliance is headquartered, she lies again.
Leia’s lies are perfectly defensible–she thinks she’s serving the greater good–but they make her wholly unreliable on the question of whether or not Alderaan really is peaceful and defenseless. If anything, since Leia is a high-ranking member of the rebellion and the princess of Alderaan, it would be reasonable to suspect that Alderaan is a front for Rebel activity or at least home to many more spies and insurgents like Leia.
I don’t buy all of Last’s arguments, and I’m not sure he does, either, but it’s interesting. A lot of it centers around politics — but since Lucas brought that whole subject up, it’s fair game.
(Via InstaPundit)
I’m writing all of this before reading anyone else’s reviews, and I’m still just getting my arms around Attack of the Clones, figuring out what I did and didn’t like…
I’m writing all of this before reading anyone else’s reviews, and I’m still just getting my arms around Attack of the Clones, figuring out what I did and didn’t like about it.
And that’s probably a bad sign.
(WARNING – MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW)
Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones I was quite entertained. There were way too many characters to cut back and forth to. There is enough frame-by-frame geeky goodness…
Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones
I was quite entertained.
There were way too many characters to cut back and forth to.
There is enough frame-by-frame geeky goodness during the last half hour to keep the fan-boys wearing out their DVD players for years.
George Lucas is straining way too hard to fulfill all the prophecies and hinted backstory from the original trilogy.
The Jedi leadership is a bunch of ineffectual idiots. I include Mace Windu and Yoda in that sweeping categorization.
I can’t wait for the next episode.
More to follow once I sleep on it.
Despite being in a crowd of rabid Star Wars viewers, playing a Star Wars RPG, which has just come out with a new rule book full of pictures and spoilers…
Despite being in a crowd of rabid Star Wars viewers, playing a Star Wars RPG, which has just come out with a new rule book full of pictures and spoilers for Episode II, I managed to escape last night relatively unscathed in my knowledge of What Happens in the Movie.
This was, perhaps, assisted by my being the last person to the game, so all of the others were already gathered in the basement, waxing lyrical about the thing. “GO AWAY!” they chorused.
So I went upstairs to let them get it out of their system. And they did. Kind of.
Of course, the evening was full of dialog like this.
DAVE G.: Doyce, did you see page 45 of the new rules?
REY: Oh, yeah. New feat: Jedi Pastry Chef.
DOYCE: [Glancing nervously over at me.] Guys! Ixnay on the Astrypay …
JULI: That was so cool …
ME: [Warningly] Guys!
REY: Like when Obi-Wan … you know.
DOYCE: [Chuckling with recollected joy, in spite of himself.]
ME: Guys! I don’t want to hear it …
REY: Hey! It flashed up there in the third preview they released for a full quarter of a second. It’s not a spoiler!
JULI: [Chuckling] That was so cool …
DAVE G.: And you get an extra +4 on Cooking Skills if you’re a Dark Side Jedi.
RANDY: [Smiles knowingly.]
LORI: I have the Pastry Scene trading card already.
REY: All the trading cards are reprinted here in this magazine, along with the recipes.
DAVE G.: But Jedi Pastry Chef has no synergy bonus with Seduction for either Rhodians or non-humans shorter than 4 feet tall.
DOYCE: What? That doesn’t make any sense. Show me.
REY: Yeah, because when Yoda —
DOYCE: [Abruptly alarmed again, glancing over at me again.] GUYS!
JULI: That was so cool …
REY: It’s not a spoiler! See, when Amidala wakes up in bed with Mace, and he serves her breakfast pastries he’s made himself, you can see —
ME: [Sticking fingers in ears] LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-I-CAN’T-HEAR-YOU-LA-LA-LA …
It’s the fresh, vibrant, new, improved Friday Five! 1. What shampoo do you use? Whatever’s on sale that doesn’t cause Margie to break out in a rash. That means it’s…
It’s the fresh, vibrant, new, improved Friday Five!
1. What shampoo do you use?
Whatever’s on sale that doesn’t cause Margie to break out in a rash. That means it’s likely to be bulk, it’s likely to be lightly, if at all, scented, it’s likely to last us for a while, and it’s likely to be something different next time.
2. Do you use conditioner? What kind?
Yes, I do, though my hair is not exactly unmanageable at this point. As to what kind, see #1.
3. When was the last time you got your hair cut?
Probably four or five weeks ago, at Margie’s hands. I need to do it this weekend, since my folks are coming to visit next.
4. What styling products do you use?
Um … shampoo, conditioner, and hair cuts? Not much left to style after that … which is one reason I have it cut this short.
5. What’s your worst hair-related experience?
Its long, gradual, thinning-out on top?
Having to chop off my pony tail when I got married (Margie had some silly but irrefutable reasoning about “photographs” and “timeless appeal” and “you really don’t want folks laughing at our wedding snapshots in years to come)?
My hair has never been terribly easy to manage, and it’s not something I’ve been willing to dedicate my life to keeping under control, so back when I wore it longer it was prone to looking pretty shaggy. I do have a recollection of having to get a picture taken (driver’s license?) after it had been through a minor wind storm and was looking like I belonged down at the Mission …
6. BONUS UNSOLICITED QUESTION: What are you doing this weekend?
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Doyce has the first review of Attack of the Clones which I’ve dared read, since he’s very diligent about avoiding spoilers. Sounds like expectations were met: definite improvement on Phantom…
Doyce has the first review of Attack of the Clones which I’ve dared read, since he’s very diligent about avoiding spoilers.
Sounds like expectations were met: definite improvement on Phantom Menace, still not up to the best of the Original Trilogy, definitely worth seeing (or re-seeing).
Sunday seems so far away …
Tonight, Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones, opens in theaters nationwide. (Tonight, that is, as in right after Midnight.) Margie and I aren’t scheduled to see it until Sunday…
Tonight, Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones, opens in theaters nationwide. (Tonight, that is, as in right after Midnight.)
Margie and I aren’t scheduled to see it until Sunday evening.
And Friday evening I join a bunch of ubergeekfreunden to play … Star Wars.
What do you think the chances are that I will stay un-spoiled until I get a chance to see the freakin’ movie?
I’ve already turned away from two radio reviews, and I suspect that I’m going to have to serious reel in my blogosphere antennae, too, lest I inadvertently read someone’s gushing over the details — especially where couched in the middle of a post on something else: “So we ordered pizza tonight, but the guy brought pizza with anchovies on it, which was just as unwelcome a surprise as finding out that Princess Amidala was the one who killed Mace Windu …” or “Yassir Arafat is as much of an evil genius as Jar-Jar Binks, whose canny and unexpected ascent to the position of Emperor caught everyone by surprise in Episode II …”
So if you need to gush, please: spoiler warnings are always welcome, and Moveable Type, at least, has a very nice Extended Entry feature that lets you hide part of your post until someone clicks on the “More …” tag.
Please have respect, courtesy, politeness and restraint for those who haven’t seen the movie quite yet.
At least until Monday morning ….
An interesting article on the whole “Oh my God, Star Wars II is available on the Internet! It’s the end of the world as we know it!” sounds from Hollywood,…
An interesting article on the whole “Oh my God, Star Wars II is available on the Internet! It’s the end of the world as we know it!” sounds from Hollywood, and why they make no sense.
The most obvious of its arguments: the current push to control unauthorized copying of digital media would do nothing about this bootlegging, since it’s done by making videotaped copies of movie theater screenings.
The second-most straightforward of its arguments? Hollywood can’t make up it’s mind how to publicly characterized pirated prints.
This leads to schizophenria on the part of Hollywood, which has never been conducive to mental stability in the first place. For example, while Jack Valenti attacks the danger of digital copying for being pristine, he simultaneously claims (in the press release regarding the DVD burner raid) that digital copies “dupe consumers into purchasing a wholly inferior product.” Even when making videocassetes from a DVD, the result “rob[s] consumers of a quality viewing experience by offering an inferior product,” according to Ken Jacobsen, Senior Vice President and Director, Worldwide Anti-Piracy, MPA. But wait, in another press release, Valenti states that, “Unlike traditional analog video piracy, a pirate digital disc is as pristine and pure as the original, further blurring the lines of legitimate and pirate product in the eyes of the consumer.” Wholly inferior product or pristine and pure as the original? Hollywood can’t seem to make up its mind.
Good stuff.
(Via BoingBoing)
Which Classic Star Wars Character are You? (Via Blogatelle)…
