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Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 7, 2015 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Let’s put aside for the moment that you still can’t buy the original, unaltered versions of the classic Star Wars movies. The movies were also traditionally tied to home video, with no way to legally buy them on digital platforms in an increasingly digital world. That changes on April 10, when The Star Wars Digital Movie Collection is released on digital platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, and Xbox Video. You can get all six movies for $99.99, or individual movies for $19.99 each. Each movie includes bonus features, and on some platforms, additional bonuses like an R2-D2 avatar accessory. Sadly, these are still the Lucas-modified versions, but hey, at least you can get Star Wars on your iPad now. Read more…
Tags: Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 25, 2015 in Animation, Fandom, Star Wars 
Look, Star Wars: Rebels is alright, but they could be doing something so much more stylized and interesting with the franchise, like Genndy Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: Clone Wars. They should be doing, say, a Star Wars cartoon that looks like a late-80s sci-fi anime, with detailed ships and dramatic shading. That’s what animator Paul Johnson has been working on for the last four years of weekends, and now he has finished his seven-minute short. Star Wars: Tie Fighter takes inspiration from the 1994 PC game of the same name and captures that dark, cool look of some classic anime like Gunbuster. Watch it and be amazed! Read more…
Tags: Star Wars, TIE Fighter
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 17, 2015 in Cinema, Star Wars 
In what may sound like sacrilege, one of the upcoming Star Wars movies will be the first Star Wars movie to not be scored by John Williams. Gareth Edwards’s Rogue One will instead be scored by Alexandre Desplat, which may not be as familiar a name to some of you. But the score is left in capable hands, as Desplat is fresh off winning an Oscar for The Grand Budapest Hotel‘s soundtrack. Desplat recently worked with Edwards on Godzilla, and his past work is impressive: The Imitation Game, Moonrise Kingdom, Argo, The King’s Speech, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Zero Dark Thirty, to name just a few. Since Rogue One is a spin-off and not part of the new trilogy, maybe this will help the movie stand out even further. Read more…
Tags: Gareth Edwards, Rogue One, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 4, 2015 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Fans are still salivating over Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens coming out at the end of the year. But don’t forget, Disney wants Star Wars to become an annual thing, similar to how their subsidiary Marvel is constantly putting out something. There have been at least two stand-alone movies mentioned, the first of which will be directed by Gareth Edwards. Though it still doesn’t have a name, it just got its star: Felicity Jones. The actress is currently Oscar-nominated for Best Actress for playing Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything, so that’s a good pick. Meanwhile, Chris Weitz has taken over writing duties from Gary Whitta, who wrote the first draft. Now we just need to, you know, find out what the movie is about. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 21, 2015 in Star Wars, Videogames 
Disney isn’t just sitting on the games made by LucasArts as many feared when they bought LucasFilm. They’ve made a deal with GOG.com to sell six old Star Wars games, three of which aren’t available on Steam. Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance, and Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds are now available to buy, while Star Wars Battlefront II, Star Wars: Dark Forces, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords have been brought from Steam. These follow a few even older Star Wars games being rereleased last fall. And enticingly, GOG is promising another six LucasArts games over the next ten days. Maybe a few non-Star Wars games, please? Read more…
Tags: LucasArts, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 14, 2015 in Cinema, Star Wars
After watching the Star Wars prequels, I think everyone agrees that the new Star Wars trilogy is safer in any hands but those of George Lucas. And yet, if things had happened differently, we could now be anticipating/dreading Lucas’s version of Star Wars Episode VII (now Star Wars: The Force Awakens). Lucas confirmed he had begun planning the next three Star Wars films, but that he only planned to direct the first one. Episode VII would have been released in May 2015, then he would have sold Lucasfilm, perhaps so he wouldn’t feel tempted to direct. But Lucas realized this trilogy would be another ten-year commitment, which is admittedly a ton of work. Disney entered the picture at the right time, and Lucas realized it would be better for him not to develop the new trilogy at all, leaving it completely to others. Of course, Lucas remains a consultant on the movie, but maybe that’s how it should be: offering some new ideas or reference that the actual creative team can choose to use or ignore as they please. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Episode VII, George Lucas, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 10, 2015 in Cinema 
Liam Neeson has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance as an action hero thanks to Taken and other similar films — especially since he seems to start in two or more every year. The latest one of these is Run All Night, in which Neeson plays a mob hitman who must protect his son from waves of violent gangsters after he witnessed something he wasn’t supposed to see. Drama! The idea that it takes place over one night could be enough of a hook, though. Also in Neeson news: he says he wants to play Qui-Gon Jinn again! “I don’t know [how he would return], unless you went back in time or he becomes a hologram or something. He’s a Jedi, anything could happen, it’s Star Wars world!” Yes, Mr. Neeson, it is Star Wars world. How about a movie where Qui-Gon needs to rescue his family from Coruscant mobsters? Hmm? Read more…
Tags: Liam Neeson, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 29, 2014 in Star Wars, Videogames 
Playing old PC games is much more complicated than old console games. Console games are standardized, so something like Uncharted will play on any PS3, provided you have a PS3. Old PC games, however, require lots of tinkering, often installing fan-created mods to play them on your current system. So it’s great to have a storefront like Good Old Games that sells old games that will work on modern PCs. GOG has just put up Star Wars: X-Wing and Star Wars: TIE Fighter, which haven’t been rereleased in years. Both games are special editions that include slightly better audio and video, as well as their expansions. They’re both available now for only $10 each, so go grab them! Read more…
Tags: Star Wars, x-wing
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 14, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Maybe you’ve heard of Star Wars Uncut, the 2012 project that split the movie up into 15-second clips, allowed fans to pick a clip to remake however they liked, and then cut it back together into a full-length movie. Disjointed? Yes. Fun? Totally. Well, Star Wars is well and good, but every true fan knows that The Empire Strikes Back is where it’s at. Hence, the team has finally released Empire Uncut, using the same premise as the first movie. 480 fans worked on this two hour movie, which you can watch below. But if you don’t have the time, at least check out the trailer to see what they were going for. Read more…
Tags: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 5, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections 
Unofficially, mind you. Images of Lego’s upcoming autumn Star Wars UCS model have leaked, and the rumors were true: it’s Boba Fett’s Slave I. Since it hasn’t been officially announced yet, the price and release date are unknown, but we can gather plenty of info from the images released. It’ll feature 1996 pieces, 5 minifigures (Boba Fett, Han Solo, Han in carbonite, a Bespin guard, and a Stormtrooper), and plenty of little hidden features. Given the piece count and previous UCS model pricing, most fans are guessing this will run around $200. So get those wallets ready! The set will arrive this fall. More images below. Read more…
Tags: Boba Fett, Lego, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 22, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
The contest to be in Star Wars Episode VII — a fundraiser for the Force for Change charity — is still continuing, with people from around the world sending in a ton of entries. J.J. Abrams is reminding fans to get their entries in, but what’s more important immediately are the teases Abrams has had in his clips: trickles of information to whet your appetite for Star Wars. The latest is an X-Wing from the movie, and it’s looking good. There’s now one big engine on each wing that looks like it splits with the wings, while the design is sleeker. And unlike the prequels, this ship looks worn down and used, like it actually exists in the world. Good news, right? Read more…
Tags: J.J. Abrams, Star Wars, x-wing
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 24, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
It sounds like Harrison Ford’s recent injury may be worse than initially reported. The man who plays Han Solo was injured by a hydraulic door over a week ago while shooting Star Wars Episode VII. While initial reports stated it was a sprained ankle, it turns out that his leg was broken. That’s bad news, considering the actor is rumored to be the main lead in Episode VII, or at least to play a major part. Now rumors are swirling at Pinewood Studios of an emergency meeting to discuss what to do with a film that is due for release on December 18, 2015. Reportedly, the options being considered are rewriting Ford’s scenes, rewriting the whole script to reduce his role, or delaying the film. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Episode VII, Han Solo, Harrison Ford, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 17, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
If you haven’t seen the 2010 documentary The People vs. George Lucas and are a Star Wars fan, you’re missing out on a great examination of the lack of relationship between George Lucas and his fans. I thought it covered its bases pretty well, but apparently the filmmakers think there’s more to say, so they’ve announced The People vs. George Lucas Episode II and scheduled its release for December 2015, just in time for Star Wars Episode VII. In this documentary, they hope to examine further developments in the relationship between George Lucas and his fans, including the sale of Star Wars and Lucasfilm to Disney, as well as the future of the franchise without George Lucas. Read more…
Tags: Disney, documentary, George Lucas, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Jun 6, 2014 in Star Wars 
After the success of Chronicle, Josh Trank has gone on to get signed to the Fantastic Four reboot, which was a big step up. Now, Disney is courting him too, and have signed him to direct a Star Wars spin off film. He’s another example of Disney’s strategy: find young up-and-coming directors to make Star Wars spin off films for cheap! Once again, there’s no word on what the story or script will focus on, but that’s to be expected when we’re this early in the game. Until then, he’s working on The Fantastic Four. How that film turns out will probably determine whether I get excited for this one! Read more…
Tags: Josh Trank, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 5, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Someone has managed to sort all of Star Wars alphabetically. No, it’s not a wiki or database of some kind, and we’re talking about Star Wars the first movie, not Star Wars the franchise. This guy has alphabetically sorted every word spoken in the film and cut a video of the words in order. The original film is 121 minutes, while this edit runs for a mere 43 minutes. The most common word is naturally “the,” but interestingly enough, the word “lightsaber” is only uttered once in the entire film. Strange, huh? Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on May 22, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
One of the best parts of the original Star Wars trilogy were all the practical effects, mixed with worn elements to give the impression of a realistic, lived-in world. One of the biggest failings of the prequel trilogy was tossing that out the window in favor of clean cities and cartoon aliens, all rendered in fake-tacular CGI. Director J.J. Abrams has previously expressed his plan to use practical effects in Star Wars Episode VII (as well as shoot on film). In a video today, we got our first peak at a new alien — and he’s a puppet! Read more…
Tags: Disney, Episode VII, J.J. Abrams, Puppets, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 30, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
After much speculation, we now know the stars who will be warring in Star Wars Episode VII. As expected, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Kenny Baker (R2-D2) all return. The newcomers are John Boyega (Moses, Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (an unknown), Adam Driver (Adam Sackler, Girls), Oscar Isaac (Llewyn Davis, Inside Llewyn Davis), Andy Serkis (Gollum, The Lord of the Rings), Domhnall Gleeson (Bill Weasley, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), and Max von Sydow (who’s been in tons of stuff). Read more…
Tags: Disney, Episode VII, J.J. Abrams, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 27, 2014 in Cinema 
Slow down there, and make sure you read that whole headline, because when I was told this news, I thought Disney was going to bring Darth Vader back to life in Star Wars Episode VII. But thankfully, that’s not the case. Apparently Adam Driver, who appears on HBO’s Girls, is currently the top choice to play a Vader-like antagonist in the next Star Wars film. It’s not clear yet if this means his character will ape Vader’s “human being kept alive with technology” angle, or if it means his rank and powers, or if it is referring to his iconic nature and importance to the story — or maybe a bit of all of these. If he’s meant to be this important, perhaps he’ll appear in other Star Wars films too. But for now, we’ll have to wait to see if he is even confirmed in the role, due to his schedule on Girls. I don’t watch Girls (and I have to imagine many Star Wars fans don’t either), so I can’t comment on his acting. I’m having a little time imagining him in Star Wars due to his hair style, beard, and clothes, so this might be the sort of thing where I wait for a trailer to see him in action. Read more…
Tags: Darth Vader, Disney, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 25, 2014 in Star Wars, Television 
I’m aware that Star Wars: The Clone Wars is set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, so it’s unavoidably tied to the prequels. But as this trailer for the sixth and final season shows, it’s clearly one of the best thing to come out of those movies, almost the point where I wish we could just forget the movies happened completely. Fans are lucky that this final season is coming out on March 7 on Netflix (along with all the previous episodes), but until then, this really cool trailer will have to tide them over. It seems that Star Wars: Rebels is going to have some giant shoes to fill. Read more…
Tags: Netflix, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 23, 2014 in Star Wars 
Disney isn’t just doing a new Star Wars trilogy. No, they’re mixing in lots of individual side movies, sort of taking a page from Marvel. Considering that there are at least two such movies being considered, this next bit of news is surprising, but not that surprising. Latino Review reports that Pixar, an animation studio within Disney, will supposedly get their hands on the license and make a movie. There’s no clue as to what the movie will be like — if it’s a full side story like the extra live-action movies, or if it’s targeting kids, or if it’s a collection of shorter stories like other animated tie-in films — but I could see it working. Of course, the definitive animated Star Wars experience so far is Genndy Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: Clone Wars, and even without Tartakovsky involved, I think traditional 2D animation suits Star Wars‘ visual design much better. But even if Pixar aren’t as infallible as they used to be, I think they could make a good product. I’d expect to see much more of this kind of thing in the future, as Disney fully utilizes that expensive Star Wars license. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Pixar, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 4, 2014 in Comic Books, Star Wars 
Farewell, Dark Horse! You’ve been a lovely friend for Star Wars all these years — over 20, actually. But given that Disney owns both Marvel and Lucasfilm, it was only a matter of time until the comics were brought under the same roof. Marvel will be taking over publishing of all Star Wars comics in 2015. Whether they’ll continue currently running series or halt them remains to be seen. I imagine at the very least they have plenty of plans for comics that’ll support the new films that begin in 2015. What’ll happen next? And what will Dark Horse do to fill the gaps? Read more…
Tags: Dark Horse, Marvel, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 7, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars 
If you have the cash, that is. An auction is currently going on in which you can bid on the original blaster used by Harrison Ford during the filming of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Granted, the starting bid is $200,000, so this probably relegates it to the realm of hardcore and wealthy fans, but it is still an impressive piece of movie history to see. The auction description notes that this was probably the blaster used in the scene in which Vader force-pulls Solo’s blaster out of his hand, due to it being the lighter resin model and not the heavier live-fire gun used for close-ups. It’s got signs of wear from being used heavily in filming, but isn’t the lived-in aesthetic that made things feel much more real in the original trilogy, anyway? Check out the auction here and the images below. Read more…
Tags: Han Solo, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 13, 2013 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Who would have thought that response to an open casting call for Star Wars Episode VII would have garnered a ridiculous response? That’s what happened in UK and Ireland, where thousands showed up in places like Bristol for a shot at two roles. Now you can submit your reel online with Cast It Talent for a chance to be in Disney’s continuation of the Star Wars franchise. You have until December 3 to get your entry in, so make it good and keep in mind that you’re potentially competing against the entire world! You can check out the descriptions of the two roles, Rachel and Thomas, below, though there’s a strong possibility that these are placeholder names. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 5, 2013 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Did you see the recently released Star Wars blooper reel? I’m not just talking general Star Wars, I’m talking the original film. Well, Slackatory took those bloopers and mixed them into the original trailer to create a “Derp Edition.” With shots of Han Solo munching on his mic and Stormtroopers sliding around, I’d say this gives the Special Edition a run for its money. Actually, if Lucas was still in charge of the franchise, I wouldn’t be surprised if he made a new cut with all the outtakes and called it his even truer vision. It’s no less strange than the fact that he had his team purposely animate Jar Jar stepping in poop. Read more…
Tags: Star Wars
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