Star Wars: Episode VII

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Bowie Fett, Feb 16, 2014.

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  1. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    If I got any points wrong, please, let me know. Or let it go... let it go... can't hold it back anymore... let it go... let it go... turn away and slam the door...

    Exactly. It's an interesting part of the business. If anything, I kind of feel sorry for the theater chains, because they get the short end of the stick on a lot of these deals. Quite a few American theater chains have declared bankruptcy over the last 5-6 years, and it's actually a pretty crappy business for them. The studios are kind of the 800-pound gorilla in those deals.
     
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  2. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
  3. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Some people definitely don't know when to.
     
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  4. Johnny66

    Johnny66 Laird of Boleskine

    Location:
    Australia.
    Man, it's been that way since the 1930s. Even with the antitrust divestment rulings of 1948, the studios have in the past 20 years attained a degree of control unimaginable to the historical movie moguls. Indeed, the concentration of cinema ownership in the West (in the most lucrative markets) is worse than during the studio era, and the emphasis on tent-pole blockbusters further undercuts the limited autonomy exhibitors may ever have had.

    The irony being that George 'I Hate The Studios' Lucas sold the biggest popular culture cash cow ever to Disney, the world's largest media conglomerate (in terms of revenue) - and Disney will happily wield that power over exhibitors and ancillary markets like a flippin' Death Star targeting a Jawa.
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2016
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  5. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    That is very true. Although... the studio that I think Lucas hated more than any other was Universal, where then-VP Ned Tanen initially pronounced American Graffiti as "unreleasable" and "underserving of the studio logo," which reportedly led executive producer Francis Coppola to almost smack the guy and offer to buy the movie outright (cash) from the studio. Tanen thought better of it and did release it, only to be stunned when it went on to make $140M... the biggest movie in Universal history prior to Jaws. Tanen also rejected Lucas' Star Wars script twice... and then the studio went on to make Battlestar:Galactica in the 1970s, basically a ripoff of his movie with John Dykstra again doing the visual effects.

    Famously, when Lucas was interviewed by Rolling Stone in the late 1970s and asked about how he had become so successful he was kind of becoming sort of a studio chief unto himself, Lucas basically said, "I'm never going to become part of the establishment like Ned Tanen at Universal." So I think guys like this represented everything that Lucas felt was wrong about Hollywood. And yet 30 years later, he sold out to Disney.
     
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  6. The Hermit

    The Hermit Wavin' that magick glowstick since 1976

    According to Kathleen Kennedy, in an interview in December, she said Lucas' scripts were only outline sketches and "nothing to hang a film on", she also was surprisingly frank in her statement that those outlines were, in her opinion, more about the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney; a tacit admission they were Lucas basically dangling bait in front of the Mouse House as leverage in the acquisition negotiations. If he was so set on those scripts being used, he would have undoubtedly pushed for it as terms of the contract, he wasn't so he didn't, but they certainly served a purpose.

    Say what you will about Lucas, but the guy was/is a brilliant businessman...
     
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  7. Larry Mc

    Larry Mc Forum Dude

    This is my last statement on this: I posted some articles from Mother Jones and Forbes magazines about how Disney was splitting the money up from the Star Wars movie that is out today.
    The articles were very similar in the numbers. I have a problem when someone jumps on my post and with nothing more than their opinion tell me that it's not that way.
    After a while it's like beating a dead horse. I told him I wanted to move on, he wouldn't let it go, after that I just didn't care.:shrug:
    I bought a 3D Panasonic Plasma, he gave me details on it's fallacies after I posted how much I liked it. Same with a 4K
    (which was the reason not to buy 3D by the way), after I posted my 4K news, he says they really aren't 4K. Give me a break.
    Well I guess I won't know that anymore. Can he still see my posts?
     
  8. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    4K is now old hat. Now you need to run out and buy UltraHD Premium:

    http://www.engadget.com/2016/01/04/uhd-alliance-reveals-its-specs-for-premium-4k-tvs/

    I did warn people that now was too early to buy 4K just yet.
     
  9. neo123

    neo123 Senior Member

    Location:
    Northern Kentucky
  10. Groovy

    Groovy Forum Resident

    I finally went to see it a couple of nights before it left my local theater. I and the 12 other people in there thoroughly and quietly enjoyed it.
     
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  11. HenryH

    HenryH Miserable Git

    Ah...finally got around to seeing this. Very good. Well done overall, satisfying, entertaining.

    Saw it in 3D IMAX. It was worth it for a handful of scenes, but overall not a big deal. I find the slight darkening of the picture from the glasses takes away a bit from the overall visual effects. But worth seeing at least once. Probably go again to catch a regular 2D screening.

    The story itself...plot, characters, script...held up nicely. I never caught myself feeling annoyed or bothered by anything silly or contrived. Basically a good adventure with some genuinely funny and heartfelt moments. The only real disappointment was the last third of the movie which fell back to a safe and familiar concept. I was hoping for something a bit more fresh. When it was over I didn't think it really held up as a stand alone film like IV, V, and VI do. It came off more as a blatant intro to the inevitable series; so, maybe some might find that to be a good thing, but I would have preferred a more concise storyline.
     
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  12. lightbulb

    lightbulb Not the Brightest of the Bunch

    Location:
    Smogville CA USA
    OK. I finally saw it.
    Sorry, I haven't read any of this thread fearing Spoilers.
    So I may be repeating what dozens gave said before...

    I enjoyed it. It was well done. No major complaints. Paced well.

    SPOILER ALERT !!!!
    Many portions of the film seemed familiar, though.
    It seemed as if JJAbrams played it safe, binge watched #s 4, 5, and 6 and furiously took crib notes of Which Elements Worked, and incorporated them throughout this segment.
    After all, why fix it if it ain't broken, right? Whatever works...

    For Example:
    Rey's flashback of her childhood was reminiscent of Luke's Dagobah encounter with Vader, when Yoda was training him.
    Obvious Death Star reboot.
    Obvious Cantina music scene.
    Plus others....

    It makes sense.
    This IS the new Star Wars, for a new generation.
    I'm sure others truly loved it.
    Longtime fans embraced the familiar echoes of their favorite scenes.
    Many were relieved that Disney did not mandate a neo Ewok scene, or worse a Jar Jar Binks type character.

    I just wasn't too riveted. I felt like I was looking in the rearview mirror.

    Next question - having regurgitated those crucial, critical, classic elements... What's left to use for #8 and #9?
    Perhaps some new innovative concepts and characters not Xeroxed from the Lucas play book?
     
  13. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    Plenty left for 8. A whole universe in fact. But...will they be creative and more original and expand this sequelogy...? We will see.
     
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  14. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    I went to see it a second time with someone who hadn't seen it yet. I was sort of reluctant to go, internally anyway, but went. I enjoyed it the first time, but I thought if I saw it again I'd realize that I was sort of duped by Abrams retro-nostalgic approach in the first viewing, and that I'd see all the shortcomings my brother has expressed about this film.

    Anyway, I enjoyed it more the second time! To me, unlike Lucas' prequels, this is a Star Wars film. It has that pedigree. I guess the reuse of some plot devices (yet another Death Star, for example) should really bother me, but they don't at all. My brother says the prequels are far more original, and he may be right, but those movies, to me, are not good in any respect--massive failures of production and acting abound in those as far as I'm concerned. And I'll never forgive Lucas for putting thrusters on R2D2 so he can fly around, not to mention all his revisions to the original three.

    Yeah, Disney is Disney, and Abrams is Abrams, but they've given the franchise a welcomed new life. Kudos.
     
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  15. MekkaGodzilla

    MekkaGodzilla Forum Resident

    Location:
    Westerville, Ohio
  16. thegage

    thegage Forum Currency Nerd

    That seems to be a common reaction. It was certainly true for me.

    John K.
     
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  17. dewey02

    dewey02 Forum Resident

    Location:
    The mid-South.
    My wife and I went to see it finally tonight.
    We both thought it was just fair. Best character was Rey.
    I thought Carrie Fisher probably had the right amount of screen time and was right for her role.
    Han Solo had WAY too much time in the movie and his part should have been cut back.
    Far too much retread of the original movie. They need to find a plot line that doesn't involve blowing up the death star/death planet.
     
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  18. neo123

    neo123 Senior Member

    Location:
    Northern Kentucky
  19. Song4U

    Song4U Senior Member

    Location:
    South Florida
  20. Encuentro

    Encuentro Forum Resident

  21. Jeff Kent

    Jeff Kent Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Kisco, NY
    I saw it on day of release and went again yesterday. It was just as good the second time.
     
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  22. Bryan

    Bryan Starman Jr.

    Location:
    Berkeley, CA
    I'm kind of (pleasantly) surprised they're announcing this only a month in advance and not hyping it for like two or three months.
     
  23. Jerryb

    Jerryb Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    What is this?
     
  24. bferr1

    bferr1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    It's a Photoshop fake "family" portrait of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Adam Driver.
     
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  25. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    A family that certainly puts the "function" in "dysfunctional"...
     
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