Bought the Spider Droid today.  Pretty cool!

Updated as of 06.05.05

Whole lot of good those posts did me today.  I just got back from Philly a little while ago.  However, I'm thinking of going to Wizard World in Chicago and may be able to help up some of the She Hulk fans there.

Check it.



Anyone game?

Haven't been able to find those in the US yet.  I'm a big Converse fan, and I've got a number of places that I use to get Chuck Taylor's...these are nowhere to be found yet.

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I think Lucas is actually looking at things from a somewhat unique POV in the movie industry.  He's actually willing to go back and fix things and not leave some screwups out there for all eternity.  I think it's almost like a software company sending out updates for a program.  They recognize the imperfections and fix them.  So does Lucas.  He has the will and the means to fix his mistakes.  I can't fault him for going back and making the best movie that he can, even after the theatrical release.

From Valin Kenobi

I see what you're saying, but the original versions of SW occupy such a unique position in cinematic history that I believe they should be preserved for their historical value (artistic debates being an entirely separate issue). I don't see the harm in having the originals available, if for no other reason than as a basis for comparison with the updated versions.

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I agree with the historial argument and sentiment.  I also think that in all actuality there is an archived version of the 1977 release in a vault, somewhere.  I don't think anyone is trying to destroy the film as it was originally presented.  Film preservation is actually a fairly signifigant issue in the movie industry.  A great deal of old films have been lost due to poor storage of the original negatives and deterioration of that stock.

But I think Lucas has taken this public stance that "the original films don't exist" so that he can avoid the debate about what should be out and what shouldn't.  I think there is tremendous potential for that issue to become totally unruly, since many a fanboy fancies themself an uber film critic.  Why not cut that kind of nonsense off at the pass?

I think ultimately, as far as what is on the market, the ball is in George Lucas's court.  He is going to want the version he likes out on the commercial market.  He's the owner of this intellectual property and it's his right to exercise his artistic control over the movies.  If a fan is so intent on having the theatrical release, or the '96 release, they can always have their VHS versions burned to DVD so that they last longer in better condition.  Lord knows there are enough bootlegs of them out there that you can buy DVD versions of the various releases if you want them.

Earning my living as a television editor and an independent record producer, let me side with Lucas on this.  When you put together a tv show, a CD or a movie, there are going to be compromises with the finished product.  There are going to be points that you as a creator are going to find objectionable, but you're facing a deadline, budget constraints, uncooperative/unavailable talent or inferior technology, and they're keeping you from getting things the way you envisioned them.  It's because of these outside forces having their way with a project that Lucas has said in the past that "movies aren't finished, they're abandoned".

What adds insult to injury for the creator is that every time you see the finished work, you see or hear every imperfection.  With every record I've ever produced, as much as I notice the good aspects, I know where every fault lies.  You know where each imperfection is and it makes you wince.  I bet to this day, even with the DVD version of A New Hope, Lucas winces every time he watches the TIE Fighter's flying around the Millenium Falcon and sees the matte lines around the solar panels.  I noticed them years ago and they're frankly kind of distracting.  I imagine that particular item may be fixed by the time a 6 DVD box set comes out with the entire Saga, but I would bet good money that Lucas is still unhappy with those shots.

On the issue of things that he's gone back and fixed, is anyone really bothered by the fact that he moved the rank insignia on Admiral Piett's uniform to it's correct position at the end of TESB?  Don't think so.  Do people like the way that the cgi Jabba looks in the DVD version of ANH?  Hell yeah!  It's looks much better than the inflated orange garbage bag that looked like Jabba in the '96 special edition.  How about the windows in the Cloud City corridors that we saw in the special edition as opposed to the plain white walls that were in the 1980  theatrical version of TESB?

I think Lucas is actually looking at things from a somewhat unique POV in the movie industry.  He's actually willing to go back and fix things and not leave some screwups out there for all eternity.  I think it's almost like a software company sending out updates for a program.  They recognize the imperfections and fix them.  So does Lucas.  He has the will and the means to fix his mistakes.  I can't fault him for going back and making the best movie that he can, even after the theatrical release.

I actually saw some of the NBA Legends figures tonight.  They look cool, but I'm not enough of a fan to buy all of these figures.

I found a Gamling the other day.  How weird is that?