View From the Phlipside - Star Wars in 3D

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.

There's word in the movie world that two of my least favorite things may all be colliding.  Sadly they will not be mutually destroyed in the process.  These things are the latest 3D fad and the eternal attempt by the movie studios and others to try and milk the very last cent out of a movie.  This usually involves creating new and useless "special editions" of the movie in the hope that the fans will race right out to buy the fourth, fifth or sixth version of the movie.

I said before that while I found Avatar really impressive and Inception pretty good the whole 3D thing just doesn't fly for me.  Far too often still they suffer from what one friend of mine refers to as the "jumpy out" parts.  I'm unconvinced that it generally adds anything to the story telling process.  It's just one more kind of flashy special effect.

I'm also tired of the latest and greatest version of movies.  Collectors editions, which usually means they've added some useless filler material.  Commentary tracks by whoever they could drag back in, most of which are mind numbingly boring.  Or they include the trailer.  Or a documentary on the making of the movie which  generally looks like it was done by an amateur.  Worst of all are  the "Director's Cuts".  This is a clear indicator that the movie is now significantly longer and more pretentious.  Spare me.

So would someone go slap George Lucas upside the head for me?  Yes, George is releasing a new version of the Star Wars movies and yes, it's going to be in 3-D.  Why?  I can answer that question and it has nothing to do with making the movies better.  It's a way to make a little more money from the franchise.  For me the proof of that is that he will release the new 3-D versions in chronological order.  That's right you will have to suffer through the release of the lesser second three movies in order to get to the decidedly superior original three.  Because if he did it the other way around no one would buy the second trilogy.

Let me put it to you this way - Jar Jar Binks in 3D.
If that isn't the dark side of the Force, I don't know what is.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY.  You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2011