I'm completely out of touch with the latest news on the upcoming TV shows, other than reading somewhere that Rick Fantastic knows they'll be fantastic, and they'll totally blow my mind because George is such a fantastic storyteller blah, blah, blah, but that's it. As with the new Indy, I'm so fearful they'll suck so hard that I'd prefer just not to know. At least then I can still pretend that Boba will be redeemed from the soulless, derivative joke he's become.
But let's not dwell on the dark, let's turn towards the light and enjoy the serendipity of discovering a new range of Star Wars key chain thingos at the local servo as I was paying for my petrol this morning. They even had a Boba...
...and most pleasing of all, no Jango. :)
UPDATE: Nicely timed: John Gruber visits Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination and flickrs his photos for us.
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No one is amused by my 'may the 4th be with you' comments.. I got that from you.. do you mind if I return it for a refund?
ReplyDeleteDid you keep your receipt?
ReplyDeleteYes, sometimes it's not easy being a Star Wars fan, CK. There's persecution, ridicule, ostracism... but you simply need to have faith, knowing that one day the Great Flannelled One will make all things right. And if he doesn't get it right the first time, you know he'll try again. And again. And oh my Great Grandfather, he's gonna try again!
And yes, I likewise discovered that no one was amused by my SW(tm)D spam, and that's why I stopped sending emails and just posted here on my blog. I have built it, they will (occasionally) come.
Lot of Star Wars at the moment. Episode III on Sun night, keychains at servos and my latest blog, which may have started the whole thing off! The force works in mysterious ways indeed! www.regulatorsbasketball.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteMaster Jedi Apostropher, do tell me what servo you obtained the mystic figurine keychain?
The truly depressing thing about the whole Star Wars TV project is that there is so much good SF out there.
ReplyDeleteThe series is going to be judged against the best of what's already there - and unless it is a quantum leap better than the prequels, it's going to look really really bad stacked up against stuff like Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Firefly, Lost, Buffy and Angel.
I went to the wikipedia page for the series hoping to see names like "Zahn" or "Stackpole".
I didn't imagine I'd see names like "Minnear", "Whedon", "Straczynski" or "Moore"; but I could hope. ("Abrams" would have been nice, too, but I already knew he was busy on the... other.. "Star" franchise.)
Fat chance. The only names I recognised were "Lucas" and "McCallum". Bugger.
What Star Wars needs is what that other franchise is getting; a completely new creative team headed by a producer with a strong genre track record.
Of course, the other franchise was created and run by its creator for 13 years. After that, the studio pensioned him off and replaced him with a new producer, and they have tended to replace the producers at least every seven years or so since.
Not only has Lucas been the Star Wars showrunner for 31 years, but he *is* the studio. And he won't be sacking himself.
I have a bad feeling that there will be no decent Star Wars movies or TV series until he's six feet under.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I have some hope for. Just as long as it's directed by Steven Spielberg, director of Catch Me If You Can and Saving Private Ryan; rather than Steven Spielberg, director of Munich and Jurassic Park 2.
(Perversely, I'm taking the fact that Lucas is trying to play down the film as a good sign. If someone that oblivious to what makes a good film thinks it's bad, then it might just be good. The David Stratton of Marin County, if you will.)
"Lot of Star Wars at the moment. Episode III on Sun night..."
ReplyDeleteDid you know Episode III was the the "BIGGEST MOST ANTICIPATED PREMIERE EVENT OF THE YEAR" or something? Channel 10 doing their hyperbolic best to convince the people who hadn't seen it enough in the cinema or on DVD that they'd be missing out if they didn't tune in. "INCLUDES NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN ADVERTISEMENTS THEY COULDN'T SHOW YOU AT THE MOVIES!" was a phrase oddly absent.
"...and my latest blog, which may have started the whole thing off!"
I did read your blog, Dillion, and was surprised to find a mouth so dirty on one so young. Does your Dad know you write like that? :)
"Do tell me what servo you obtained the mystic figurine keychain?"
It was a Shell servo. JJ tells me they're also available from Coles or Myer or something? Which ever brand owns Shell. Or is under the Shell umbrella. Or whatever. Anyway, they're around. And sadly, he also tells me, so is Jango, who was hanging around the collection that he saw. Sigh. Boba can't even get his own range of key chains without Jango showing up and muscling in. Get your own gig, Jango.
"Fat chance. The only names I recognised were "Lucas" and "McCallum". Bugger."
ReplyDeleteWell, at least there was no "Anderson". Yet. Small mercies, small mercies.
"What Star Wars needs is what that other franchise is getting..."
Agreed.
"I have a bad feeling that there will be no decent Star Wars movies or TV series until he's six feet under."
Although I was encouraged by the comment I read somewhere that Lucas plans to start things off and then hand it over once it's under way. Maybe this time we'll get the crap out of the way at the start and will get onto the good stuff in the end.
"...rather than Steven Spielberg, director of Munich...
Oh, you've seen it now?! Good for you. Nothing more annoying than people condemning films they've never seen. You'd be amazed at the number of people who never even watched The Great Global-Warming Swindle. :)
"The David Stratton of Marin County, if you will.)
Ha, ha. Or the Jim Schembri. I love it that at the same time the Flannelled One is telling us to keep our expectations low, he's apparently ramping up one of the biggest marketing campaigns you'll see in years. Mix your messages much?
Also, I love it how George is now telling me I didn't like the Prequels — not because they were badly written, poorly acted and prioritised special effects over script development — but because my expectations were too high...
ReplyDelete"...rather than Steven Spielberg, director of Munich...
ReplyDeleteOh, you've seen it now?! Good for you. Nothing more annoying than people condemning films they've never seen. You'd be amazed at the number of people who never even watched The Great Global-Warming Swindle.. :)
No, but I'm not condemning it. In fact, I'm willing to stipulate - based on the combined opinions of people I trust - that, artistically speaking, it's a pretty good film.
I mentioned it there because, politically speaking - again, based on the opinions of people I trust (although not the same people) - it presents evil people working for an evil cause as the moral equivalents of characters serving in the armed forces of a democracy; and I would hate to see the Soviet regime be given the same kid-glove treatment in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
I don't feel the same need to experience propaganda before judging its politics as I do to experience art before judging the artistic merits thereof.
Although I did watch Super Size Me at your request, which I think I deserve some credit for. I only yelled at the TV once - or, maybe twice.
Also, I love it how George is now telling me I didn't like the Prequels — not because they were badly written, poorly acted and prioritised special effects over script development but because my expectations were too high...
"Oh why can't I find Amanda Hugankiss!"...
*Ahem*
Of course, if you lower your standards enough, anything will meet them...
Lucas is involved with Indy4.. it will be shite.. pretty much along the same lines as the SW Prequels..
ReplyDeleteeg
Speilberg: "Let's move that box behind Indy a little more to the left."
Lucas: "No wait! I can do that in CGI! Infact I could even put two boxes there, after we have finished filming.. and then for the Special Edition I could make the box...."
Good to see you're lowering your expectations, CK. You'll probably love it now.
ReplyDeleteSo far I think my greatest sense of unease concerning Indy IV comes from a) having seen Hollywood Homicide (if only the homicide had involved the two male leads) and b) the role of Shia LeBeoufhead, who (nothing personal) is giving off that non-comedic comedy-sidekick vibe that I recall so painfully from watching J Evan Bonifant in Blues Brothers 2000 and Rob Schneider in Judge Dredd. The horror.
I mentioned it there because ... based on the opinions of people I trust ... [Munich] presents evil people working for an evil cause as the moral equivalents of characters serving in the armed forces of a democracy; and I would hate to see the Soviet regime be given the same kid-glove treatment in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
ReplyDeleteI am somewhat assuaged on this score by this news story.
"Our movie-goers are teenagers who are completely unaware of what happened in 1957," St Peterburg Communist Party chief Sergei Malinkovich told Reuters.
If he says it's anti-communist, that's good enough for me.
Incidentally, I don't know what makes me smile more: the thought that if anyone really cared what Mr Malinkovich said, he would be the Leningrad Communist Party chief...
...or the observation that Reuters cannot spell the name of the second-largest city in the largest country in Europe.
Incidentally, I dropped into a Shell^WColes Express this evening and noticed that the keychain figurines have been reduced to 5 for $7.
ReplyDeleteSo, naturally, I just had to get Mace Windu, Darth Vader, Count Dooku, Boba Fett and, buried underneath a pile of battle droids, the last remaining Jango.
Before you question my taste, I will note that I already had Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Purchased at full price.
It's not the purchase of Jango that would make me question your taste, JJ. It's knowing how disappointed you would have been to find no Jar Jars... :)
ReplyDelete