View From the Phlipside Radio - Lucas Redux

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.

So here’s our question for today - What is wrong with George Lucas?  George Lucas the man who brought us the iconic movies/series American Graffiti, Star Wars and Indiana Jones.   It would seem he had a grip on the movie making process.  But apparently not.

Here’s the bit he seems to have forgotten.  Once you have created an iconic image or story or whatever you LEAVE IT ALONE!  But not our George.

Earlier this year I discussed the announced Star Wars 3D version scheduled to be inflicted on the movie watching world starting early next year.  I’m still in the 3D is a passing fad (again) camp.  I’ve seen it used really well a couple times and with no particular distinction a couple more.  

But just in case the folks at LucasFilm haven't alienated enough of the Star Wars faithful they’ve now announced that for the upcoming Blu-Ray boxed set they are making more changes to the original material.   This isn’t new, George has done it before.  He’s used improved CGI technology to change things in previous releases.  Now he’s  fiddling around even more.  The change getting the most attention is adding a long Noooooo to Darth Vader’s dialogue when he saves Luke from destruction by the Emperor.  Think Capt Kirk in The Wrath of Khan.  The other is changing the sound Obi Wan uses to scare away the Sand People.  Both sound silly and out of place to my ear.

The reality is that most of the changes are small and only the dedicated fan base will even notice them.  But the other side of the coin is that you don’t fiddle with an icon.  Lucas seemed to realize this when he said that the original DVD releases would be the definitive version.  That was back in 1997!  When you keep fiddling with an icon you’re telling all the fans that they have idolized a lesser creation.  Any artist will tell you that eventually you have to say “OK, I’m done now” and let the work have its own life.  To be constantly adjusting and fiddling and changing says that it’s all about you.  At this point George Lucas needs to step away his movies and stop letting his ego call him to the Dark Side.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

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

Just a fanboy at heart

Really nice mash up of Star Wars and Star Trek. And yes, I'd pay to see this movie. Over and over. h/t to Matthew McNutt, my fellow Star Wars/Star Trek geek.

A total geek intersection of my life

I've just been feeling guilty about not posting anything other than the radio scripts here and I promise to amend my ways very soon.  But as soon as I saw this I KNEW I was posting it on the blog.

The intersection of my love of movies and theater:



 Love it!  The reactions are great too.  Especially the couple people who start looking worried when the Storm Troopers arrive. 

h/t to Chris at Youth Ministry Geek