Is this sort of thing funny, sad or tragic.

[taksraven]

Given some of the heated SW discussions that we have had here, I thought that this was worth a look. Check out the trailer......

http://www.movie-list.com/trailers.php?id=...levsgeorgelucas

Any thoughts??

Taksraven

[sketchley]

As a documentary, the film looks like an interesting examination of a social phenomena.

However, those in the "anti-" column are disturbing, in the worst way. The best line in the preview comes in French, and it just highlights how sad the fans are in that the only way they can express their love of Star Wars is with negativity and insults of the creator of it... <shakes head>

[eugimon]

It's interesting in the larger social context of people who feel that the object of their admiration/devotion somehow owes their success to them on a personal level but I'm filled with "meh" over watching watching fanboys dress up and cry over how Lucas simultaneously gave their sad lives meaning and structure and then somehow stripped it from them a couple decades later.

[miriya]

Pretty lame thesis here. George Lucas did not Rape anyone. Kids were not forced to watch star wars, they chose to watch it. Sure it is a cultural phenomena but for people to participate and then claim that they were violated is just insane.

[VFTF1]

Yawn. This is not very creative...

It's like... hey... I'm working on this movie that's going to be a democratic internet documentary where people will talk about how they feel raped by Yamato for totally messing up their beloved valkyrie, and other people will, like, you know, talk smack about Bandai for turtle bendy laser Ozma. And like, it'll totally be not the same as reading a topic at Macrossworld, but instead it'll be totally amazing.

Pete

[Dynaman]

It's pathetic.

These people have to get a life. Only thing worse are the people who make Star Trek fan productions - use that talent to get a paying gig! (And I say this personally knowing a couple people that are involved in doing the Star Trek fan shows)

Yes George is a licensing nut, yes everything after Empire Strikes back stunk like fresh guano, and yes (never mind, the other two thoughts cover it all), but nobody is forcing people to watch any more Star Wars.

[eugimon]

What's incredibly stupid is that it was BECAUSE george was a licensing nut he got to make the sequels the way he wanted and it opened up a revenue door so that studios and film makers could make a more risky and diverse selection of movies. It's not george lucas' fault that studios and film makers decided to run in the opposite direction and produce mindless souless crap so they could sell toys and happy meals.

[Gubaba]

I find the victimization and sense of entitlement inherent in this a little weird.

[Guest sh002]

wait george lucas made howard the duck?

[eugimon]

I find the victimization and sense of entitlement inherent in this a little weird.

yeah, that's what's interesting about this phenomena. It actually reminds me of stalkers, in that the fanboys have basically constructed a fantasy world where they and lucsas (or whoever, kawamori) have some sort of personal relationship and the creator of some show or game or whatever, owes the fanboy on some sort of deeply personal level.

[Dynaman]

It's not george lucas' fault that studios and film makers decided to run in the opposite direction and produce mindless souless crap so they could sell toys and happy meals.

Unless I have my facts totally wrong, GL has so much money he had a free hand to make the prequals however he wanted. So he IS to blame for them being soulless crap. Sadly, George had great vision, but his ability to craft all the details was sorely lacking.

[Gubaba]

yeah, that's what's interesting about this phenomena. It actually reminds me of stalkers, in that the fanboys have basically constructed a fantasy world where they and lucsas (or whoever, kawamori) have some sort of personal relationship and the creator of some show or game or whatever, owes the fanboy on some sort of deeply personal level.

That's a big part of it, but (to me, at least) the weirdest thing is the "I paid to see our movie, so you MUST tell the stories I want to see in the ways that I want to see them!" sentiment, when most fanboys have no idea how to go about starting, developing, OR finishing a large creative work.

In a sense, yes, the filmmaker (or writer, or musician, or whoever) DOES owe his or her livelihood to the people who pay to experience their work, but that's expressed in monterary terms, not creative ones. I hated Transformers; I saw it once in the theater, I will never see it again, I bought none of the merchandise, and I won't see any of the sequels. THAT'S how I express my dissatisfaction.

And while I have a lot of ideas about why the movie didn't work work for me, I see no reason to expect that because I paid eleven bucks, Michael Bay should have to listen to my ideas.

It's the same with George Lucas. He made a few movies that I really enjoyed, and a bunch that I didn't. And that's fine by me. Now, if someone were to PAY me to write about about what went wrong with Star Wars, that'd be different...

[eugimon]

Unless I have my facts totally wrong, GL has so much money he had a free hand to make the prequals however he wanted. So he IS to blame for them being soulless crap. Sadly, George had great vision, but his ability to craft all the details was sorely lacking.

I was talking about other film makers who took Lucas' model and not the prequels themselves, referring specifically to a claim in the trailer that Lucas is at fault for the state of hollywood today. And I disagree that the prequels are soulless (they are crap though), it's just as you said in the later part of your post, his skills as a writer and director are just not up to snuff with his vision.

Edited February 15, 2009 by eugimon

[sucker4meltrans]

Those kind of people are sad. I can understand though. People were expecting some epic story telling but instead got popcorn movies.

[Dynaman]

I was talking about other film makers who took Lucas' model and not the prequels themselves, referring specifically to a claim in the trailer that Lucas is at fault for the state of hollywood today.

He is sort of at fault, but only since he showed the way forward in regards to how merchandising could make money. But I remember what Hollywood productions were like before Star Wars, and saying it was better then is really a case of wearing rose tinted glasses...

(not arguing with you, just with those that think Hollywood was corrupted by Lucas, it was corrupted long long long before him)

[eugimon]

He is sort of at fault, but only since he showed the way forward in regards to how merchandising could make money. But I remember what Hollywood productions were like before Star Wars, and saying it was better then is really a case of wearing rose tinted glasses...

(not arguing with you, just with those that think Hollywood was corrupted by Lucas, it was corrupted long long long before him)

yeah, that was what I was driving at but you got there faster

Spielberg and Lucas DID open audiences to a new style and studios to a new revenue stream but it was still up to them to decide where they would go from there.

[Roger]

Who is the bigger fool? The fool who makes a movie, or the one who makes a movie complaining about that movie?

The filmmakers should have seen this:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903849/

[Gubaba]

Who is the bigger fool? The fool who makes a movie, or the one who makes a movie complaining about that movie?

Answer: Ka-CHING!

[sketchley]

Who is the bigger fool? The fool who makes a movie, or the one who makes a movie complaining about that movie?

The ones who unwisely use their time to see both?

[Morpheus]

Isn't fun seeing a fan raped himself and then blaming it on the franchise.

[kung flu]

I was very disapointed with the new starwars movies, in fact i find all the SW movies a bit crap now except for empire. Its not because Lucas "raped my child hood" or anything, but because i'm older now. I don't expect franchises to last forever, like all franchises there will always be crap parts to it, like Aliens, Terminator, Star trek, Macross, Gundam .............etc. All i have to do is not watch the crap parts at all, its that simple, these people who go making documentries and songs about it are just sad, they should be thankful thats such movies/franchises were created.

[VFTF1]

Oh - I wouldn't be too hard on fanboys I think they're entertaining. I mean - look - lemme put it this way: people are just being theatrical. People really get into it and develop an emotional bond to the franchise. Is it irrational? Yes - but so is most everything involving art and culture. As long as they're not doing physical harm to Lucas they not only have the right to express their zainy fanboy opinions - but it's even remotely amusing to watch them do it - and sometimes somewhere in there there is a kernel of truth, enlightenment and amusement.

OF COURSE no body "expects" Michael Bay or George Lucas to listen to you just because you paid eleven bucks to see his movie. Michael Bay would reply "yeah? 11 bucks eh? Well I had to source 11 million just to make the scene where Sam falls off his bike in front of Burger King." That's not the point.

The point is whining Whining and bitching - which is exactly what fanboys should be doing.

Besides - I think that creative artists just have to accept that success also means developing a legion of slightly overweight people who live with their moms and think their greatest success at work was convincing their boss that it's ok for them to wear their Darth Vader helment in the dish room who will follow your work, comment on it and cry because things didn't happen the way they imagined it.

And why oh why did no body at Paramount take the time to read MY fanfic which showed how the relationship between Lea and Chewy should have looked?

Yeah yeah - it's pathetic and silly and retarded and nobody likes people with a sense of entitlemen - but again - it's amusing and theatrical and it's lively

I'm not all that bothered by it. I just think it's not as big a novelty as this film pretends to make it out to be.

Pete

[kung flu]

Also nobody is telling the fans to like or watch the movies, they don't have to. If they see Lucas or whoever as some kind of god then i think thats gone too far. Sure dressing up as characters is funny, but once they take it too serious and let it run their lives its very disturbing. I would say i'm a big Gundam fan but i don't see tomino as a god but a good director, the same should go for Lucas and co, except i think lucas is crap

[Einherjar]

Isn't this a problem most fandoms have whenever something becomes too popular and/or lasts a long time, or is Star Wars a special case? I've seen similar people on the Internet putting as intense focus on other interests.

[Agent ONE]

I have to admit I thought a tad ill of Lucas after episode 1 and the "special editions" of the orig movies, but I was neutral after episode 2.. Then of course, after episode 3 I think the man should be Sainted.

I certainly would never waste the time making a movie like this though.. If you don't like something, stop being a fan. I didn't loose my sh!t when they made Conan the Destroyer. It ruined MY favorite franchise.

[taksraven]

I know that this sort of nutty fandom is not just limited to SF however, (thank god). I have listened to enough commentaries on Simpsons episodes that a lot of OTT fans of that show really do annoy the production team at times via internet reviews, etc..... (Worst-Episode-Ever. You know the drill) The Simpsons makers are fortunate however, since they are able to address such issues in the show itself.

What astounds me with SW though, is how one-eyed a lot of the fans are. The way that they talk you would think that Jar-Jar was the only character in the Phantom Menace. They must have had their eyes shut during one of the best lightsaber duels I ever saw.

Taksraven

[SilentCrossHairs]

These folks needs a life seriously. They know if Lucas makes another Star Wars. They will be on line like every other Scifi loon. I'm waiting for the movie where Vader hunts the remaining Jedi. Thats a good two hour movie right there.