tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post4723345016814434975..comments2024-01-21T11:18:54.087-05:00Comments on Lost in the Movies: The Force Awakens: thoughts on the phenomenon (& film)Joel Bockohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-90818326949222066052016-01-12T01:24:06.302-05:002016-01-12T01:24:06.302-05:00As for the CGI - the first time I watched (on an H...As for the CGI - the first time I watched (on an HD TV screen), it really took me out of the movie, the second time (on a computer monitor) I found it less distracting. It occurred to me that Revenge of the Sith is at heart an animated film, not live-action. Its worst moments are probably due to this attempt to shove real actors into situations and dialogue that would go down better in more stylized form of filmmaking, less anchored in reality. One almost wonders why Lucas didn't just go out and MAKE an animated film full-stop instead of clinging to a few live-action elements. Or maybe he kinda did...from what I hear, The Clone Wars is actually the best piece of media set in the prequel universe.<br /><br />I would also say that just as it kind of bugs me at times that the prequels make no real attempt to fit in with the original trilogy, it annoys me that The Force Awakens seems to ignore the prequel universe almost completely (the only exception I can think of is that apparently McGregor's voice appears on the soundtrack in Rey's vision). I'm hoping Rian Johnson makes more of an effort to incorporate some motifs from the prequels and also to move the universe forward more than TFA did. We're, what, 20-30 years post-ROTJ and we're still essentially dealing with the Rebel-Empire conflict? C'mon, you could do better, guys. This time around I actually quite enjoyed (at least in Sith - haven't watched the other 2 yet) the political intrigue and sense of a big civilization falling apart. I'd like to see more of that albeit maybe in the opposite direction, in Ep. 8.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-53417276035587437462016-01-12T01:16:57.939-05:002016-01-12T01:16:57.939-05:00Just re-watched Sith - twice actually (I'm fin...Just re-watched Sith - twice actually (I'm finishing up a short video essay on it right now) and to my surprise, the film left me with almost the same exact impression it did five years ago! I'm fascinated by many details and love particular moments, but the dialogue and line delivery sink a lot of really crucial moments. In the end I find it to be pretty much the polar opposite of The Force Awakens. One is very uneven but contains a lot of arresting and fascinating moments, and it tends to stick in my memory; the other is very consistent and satisfying entertainment with very few truly standout moments (I would highlight the images of the sand-submerged ships and AT-AT on Jakku, and probably Han's death) with little to hold onto after it's over. Together the two films exhibit all the risks and rewards of both auteurship and committee filmmaking.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-81779687357314319202016-01-04T15:55:21.787-05:002016-01-04T15:55:21.787-05:00I agree about CGI characters being the biggest iss...I agree about CGI characters being the biggest issue, and that Revenge of the Sith us by far the best of the prequels. I think that most people were so disappointed with the earlier films that by the time that came out they had already made their minds up or didn't bother watching at all.<br />It's a shame because I think it's a good movie and even some of the problems with the earlier films, like Ewen McGregor's uninspiring performances, had corrected themselves as he started to put in a proper shift.<br />Enjoy watching it again.Stephen Morgannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-7012170556771765452016-01-04T10:40:24.936-05:002016-01-04T10:40:24.936-05:00Thanks! I am looking forward to watching them agai...Thanks! I am looking forward to watching them again this week. I think for me the biggest sticking point may be the CGI, especially for characters. It just isn't my aesthetic at all. Nonetheless, prequel images and moments have been playing out in my head since seeing a Star Wars fil in the big screen again and I don't think I've ever been so eager to watch the films. I'm sure I'll share my thoughts here and elsewhere. Even last time, I liked Sith the most by far & that's the one I'm going to start with.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-36388422254912604582016-01-04T07:41:02.394-05:002016-01-04T07:41:02.394-05:00I am on Twitter and yours is about the best accoun...I am on Twitter and yours is about the best account I follow! Thanks for the links to your prequel rewatches, I suspect you would be more generous in your praise now.<br />Having read the "Star Wars Ring Theory" and your thoughts, I accept that the prequels were an unusual, strange and ambitious personal vision, which as you have been saying is very rare these days.<br />Unfortunately, the positives and ambitious scale of the movies were buried by the incredibly poor execution. I need to watch them again but I suspect as much as I will admire what was being attempted I will still be appalled by elements of the script, acting, casting and distracting and crowded overreliance on CGI.Stephen Morgannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-23403912538487238362016-01-02T10:16:53.425-05:002016-01-02T10:16:53.425-05:00That should say "rewatching," not "...That should say "rewatching," not "rewarding"!Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-66979768177423145582016-01-02T10:15:57.820-05:002016-01-02T10:15:57.820-05:00I will be rewarding them in the coming week and pr...I will be rewarding them in the coming week and probably publishing a video review of Revenge of the Sith. I did offer a written revisit of them 5 1/2 years ago: http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2010/07/notes-on-star-wars-saga.html so I probably won't do another, but I suspect I may be more positive on them now.<br /><br />At the very least, whatever the flaws of the individual films. I'm much more taken with their project now than I was in the past. The idea of Lucas taking his beloved trilogy and turning it into something he wanted to express and fans were not inclined to see seems extremely bold in light of today's excessively play-it-safe franchise environment in which fans dictate the terms and corporations rather than artists act as overseers to ensure there's enough fanservice to keep the money rolling in. Against such a backdrop, the prequels look downright subversive.<br /><br />Not sure of you're on Twitter but I ended up tweeting about this quite a bit last night.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-18018977640251913702016-01-02T04:45:24.446-05:002016-01-02T04:45:24.446-05:00As usual a very entertaining and thought-provoking...As usual a very entertaining and thought-provoking article. I think it would be fascinating for you to revisit the prequels and publish your thoughts. I have been critical of them over the years but the way they are written off now is ludicrous. For what it's worth, as I was walking out of the cinema after seeing the new movie I was ranking all the Star Wars films and I was struggling to seperate The Force Awakens from the overrated Return of the Jedi and underrated Revenge of the Sith.Stephen Morgannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-86964440490654963422015-12-30T19:32:07.578-05:002015-12-30T19:32:07.578-05:00Ha! I've heard pretty bad things about the sec...Ha! I've heard pretty bad things about the second, though the first seemed to have a mixed response. They played a preview for the third one before Force Awakens and the crowd seemed pretty severely underwhelmed (ditto for Batman vs Superman and WoW trailers - maybe we're reaching fanboy burnout finally).Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-27093876300569280582015-12-30T16:20:42.334-05:002015-12-30T16:20:42.334-05:00Thanks for a great read, and for a fair and honest...Thanks for a great read, and for a fair and honest review. I can't believe though that you have not watched yet the two Star Trek films that were directed by J.J. Abrams! Well, good for you, and I hope you never have to watch them! Vassosnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-21371538370945959802015-12-30T01:42:12.692-05:002015-12-30T01:42:12.692-05:00Sadly, the title may be overly optimistic. I'm...Sadly, the title may be overly optimistic. I'm holding out some hope for Ep. 8 (which, in the fashion of Evangelion 3.33 to the previous Rebuild films, could even make Ep. 7 look more substantial and necessary in retrospect) but even if it's great, it's always kinda gonna be a bummer knowing they are doing it without the creator at the helm.<br /><br />I like to think the Force has migrated elsewhere - hopefully we'll find it again someday (but probably not in a Star Wars film).Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-32583037522556727132015-12-30T01:17:27.276-05:002015-12-30T01:17:27.276-05:00The Force is gone, not merely sleeping. Nice artic...The Force is gone, not merely sleeping. Nice article.<br />antiplatonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04479409872074040000noreply@blogger.com