How many times can you reinvent the wookiee?

TimB says:

02:47pm | 08/03/11

AUGH!

Fairsfair, why do you do this to me?

Seriously, Lightsabres. That’s all you need to know. There is no cooler weapon in existence.

(X-wings are kinda awesome too. Wedge Antilles FTW)

Chris L says:

03:31pm | 08/03/11

Fairsfair is a chick Tim. Chicks’ ability to appreciate Star Wars is up their with their ability to catch a ball, with the odd, notable exception. Just something I’ve observed, I don’t seek to cause offence.

(you are a chick aren’t you Fairsfair? I’ll apologise if I’m wrong about that)

TimB says:

04:46pm | 08/03/11

Yes I know she is a chick Chris

But they should try, honestly

fairsfair says:

06:45pm | 08/03/11

Firstly, I am glad you didn’t say lady - because I may have had to deny deny deny

I dunno, I just don’t get it. I am a manbird too in terms of mechanical stuff, getting my hands dirty and drinking beer - but then again I have never met any beer swilling burly burly manly men that a fully like OMG, lets have a simulated lightsabre fight….

Ah, you boys… you will have your ways about you. I shall simply never understand.

St. Michael says:

10:15pm | 08/03/11

Fairsfair, in order to answer the question, I’d have to refer you to “The Hero With A Thousand Faces” first.  Right?  Off you go.  See you when you’re back.

Back? Okay, now we can talk about it in a suitably pseudo-intellectual way. 

Basically, Star Wars is modern mythology.  Mythology is meant to touch some of the deepest places in us, because it tells stories that we’ve heard so many times before they’re almost genetic parts of us.  Star Wars has a very large male fanbase because its story is, pretty much entirely, a Male Messiah story.

The cultural thing is also important.  It turned up at the end of the seventies, after the sixties had been well and truly worn out and turned into a theme park, after Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jonestown and “Midnight Cowboy” and half a hundred other films that proclaimed The World Sucks (And Not Because Of Gravity).  And all of a sudden you had unashamed good over evil up there on the silver screen, in a genre which had, since the fifties or so, been sniggered at by Hollywood: science fiction.

Best of all, it wasn’t being *treated* like chintzy Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon: the effects were lightyears more convincing and more determined to be real than most movies that preceded it.  The starfighter duels are straight out of World War 2 footage, for example.  And somehow, George Lucas managed, like the best stage illusionists, to have our imaginations fill the spaces *beyond* the celluloid: he created a bar filled with fifty different alien species, and the casual way in which it was done convinced you that, yes, there was a galaxy out there where travelling faster than the speed of light was commonplace, even pedestrian.  Part of it was that Lucas kept the models (of all kinds) dirty: no gleaming, burnished steel here, it’s all grease-stained starships and lowlifes piloting starships around.

I think much of its appeal is because it touches deeply on boys’ relationships with their fathers.  Luke Skywalker’s task is ultimately to know his father; it occupies three films.  In the first, it’s because Luke wants to be like his father.  In the second, it’s finding out who his father is.  In the third, it’s understanding and loving his father.  I suspect many boys didn’t really know their fathers even if they lived with them.  Star Wars gives that desire to know your father an outlet.

Let’s not gild the lily, of course: it was also a double fluke by Lucas.  Star Wars’s success ensured a sequel would be made, but Empire Strikes Back guaranteed it would be six movies…eventually.  Not many filmmakers catch lightning in a bottle twice.  ROTJ dragged, and the prequels tanked mostly because Lucas is magnificent at vision, but sucks as a writer.  In the first film he had Harrison Ford (!) to fix his shitty dialogue on the run, and in the second he had Lawrence Kasdan writing a gripping script.  Vision and just being in the galaxy far, far away doesn’t carry a film; a cracking story does.

iMitchy says:

10:40am | 09/03/11

omg, fairsfair is a chick?!
Sorry, I honestly never knew….

fairsfair says:

11:20am | 09/03/11

fear not iMitchy , that is ok. Thankfully the same issue does not happen in real life, I would be worried then

Thanks St.Michael, I appreciate the insight there. It makes it a bit clearer. I guess it was a timing and originality thing. It now makes me worry that in thirty years women of my generation (well maybe the ones just a couple years younger) will see “Twilight” as the same thing. Oh god, pretend I didn’t even say that, what a nightmareish prospect.

The only slightly sci-fi movie I have ever enjoyed is Avatar (non 3d). I recently saw Gnomeo in Juliette in 3D and it really hurt my eyes (it offended many other senses also). I am sure my inability to tollerate science fiction has stopped me from “heeding the message”.

I might give it a whirl now I have my new TV

TimB says:

12:04pm | 09/03/11

Ah Fairsfair, you have redeemed yourself (somewhat) with your hatred of Twilight. I approve.

Anyone who thinks Twilight has *any* redeeming value is not someone who should be taken seriously in any context.

Elphaba says:

12:54pm | 09/03/11

The only decent thing about the Twilight movies was the gorgeous scenery of the Pacific Northwest (NOT the actors - the foresty-misty stuff) - I’m not hankering to visit the US, but that region certainly looks like a beautiful part of the world.

Other than that - my goodness, it was woeful.

Fairsfair, I imagine the SW movies will look cracking on your new TV.

fairsfair says:

01:00pm | 09/03/11

lightsabre to my throat though TimB, I’m team Jacob

I am with you. I have watched them all (under duress), but I am certainly not on the bandwagon. Don’t get me started on the whole concept of Bieber.

It is kind of sad to think that these are the things that our generation will be remembered for (you mentioned you are 26, I am a year younger (and I have a bigger tv than you, it must suck) so I can now confirm that we are the same gen).

In spite of not enjoying Star Wars or Trek - it is a far better/less cringeworthy historical marker than “Baby, Baby, Baby Oh”.

iMitchy says:

01:22pm | 09/03/11

I don’t like Bieber or his music but I can’t deny the kid is incredibly talented and good with the media/public. I thought he was going to be another Aaron Carter or Jesse McCartney (or some other two hit wonder kid) when he came out but then I saw him playing a bunch of different instruments - well, namely drums.
I think that kid will be around for a while and change his style with the times as have other pop stars which have been around for years.

Twilight is poo. Had a friend send me a photo of a licence plate the other day that said “TEAMMITCH” and I thought that was pretty clever cos everyone would get the reference, but other than that, Twilight is poo.

TimB says:

01:55pm | 09/03/11

Oh sweet merciful christ Fairsfair, whyyyyyy?!

Don’t worry about Trek though. I’m not a fan either. I think Star Wars has much more widespread appeal than Trek ever did. Probably the whole epic blockbuster movie thing as opposed to being mostly associated with a TV series.
I must admit the new Trek movie was pretty good though. And I’ll always watch First Contact when it’s on free-to air.

Bieber just annoys me profoundly though. I have a co-worker who is a fan. Awful stuff.

fairsfair says:

02:10pm | 09/03/11

I’ll pay that iMitchy, but it is the machine by which he is being generated that I don’t get. I don’t get his hair either, or the fact he looks younger than he actually is. Like, the other day I found out that the actor that plays Hannah Montana’s brother in the show is actually like 34. I feel violated.

I think the “team” thing first started with “Team Ange” and “Team Jen”. How rediculous. I am going to get a “Team Punch” shirt printed up. People need to know where my allegiances lie (and where they can read my senseless drivil on the daily).

Elphaba says:

03:03pm | 09/03/11

@fairsfair, I would wear a Team Punch shirt.

Memo to mods - merchandise!  In the fitted girly style please, with a V-neck.  Black, if you’ve got it.  Ta.

St. Michael says:

10:20pm | 08/03/11

To be fair, George Lucas doesn’t explicitly acknowledge the EU.  He says it’s in some alternate universe to his own stuff.  Just as well given what the Fandalorians have done to that franchise.

Nonetheless: we feel your pain.  Killing off Boba Fett on film by having him fall victim to pratfalls and go to his death screaming like Shemp from the Three Stooges was unforgivable.  Want to know what would’ve been an awesome special addition? A postcredit shot of him crawling out of the Sarlacc’s mouth, that’s what.

TimB says:

07:08am | 09/03/11

He should acknowledge it. He was the one that gave it the go-ahead after all. And like I said he *is* reaping the benefits.

The whole universe is managed by Lucasfilm employees. They put in massive ammounts of effort into making sure continuity is maintained. The fact that Lucas, with a sweep of his arm can render years of their work pointless must be incredibly demoralising.

I was actually a big fan of the direction Karen Traviss took the Mandalorians, paticularly in the Republic Commando novels. She was rather pissed at what Lucas’s callous retcon did to her work, and I don’t blame her.

And no I dont subscribe to that alternate universe crap. That’s why I don’t get into comic book sort of things. Too many versions, remakes, and re-imaginings. It annoys me.

Shifter says:

12:06pm | 09/03/11

“callous retcon” ?

Turning Boba Fett into a kiwi was bad enough bro.

St. Michael says:

11:05pm | 09/03/11

Temuera Morrison as Bubba Fitt I actually liked.

TimB says:

08:44pm | 08/03/11

Oh please. One T-65 X-wing with proton torps.

Pop goes the Death Star.

Luke says:

12:32am | 09/03/11

You have to target it properly though… right down the right trench… and into the right exhaust port… it will be ray shielded…

TimB says:

05:31am | 09/03/11

Use the Force, Luke.

...Your comment *had* to be a total set-up right?:)

St. Michael says:

10:16pm | 08/03/11

John Williams is made of awesome.  When Steven Spielberg came to him asking him to do the soundtrack to “Schindler’s List”, Williams tried to beg off, saying he wasn’t good enough.  Spielberg’s reply? “Anyone who was better is dead.”

Dan says:

07:36pm | 08/03/11

Nonsence. Mass realease films are just as much art as films which nobody want to see. Any type of film/book/album/play etc… can be art, if one were to define art qualitively. What matters is how it does what it does, not what it does.

stephen says:

07:52pm | 08/03/11

Art by accident ? Probably true at all times except for Art that is for the Church. Eons ago.
Accidental Art is a good leveller : it defies history, motive and the market.
(And Ivan Reitman, where for him everything is an accident.)

MrEd says:

12:34am | 09/03/11

Only if he knew the power of the dark side would he have done that for sure…

Shifter says:

12:14pm | 09/03/11

Han shot first.

Actually speaking of updates, has anyone caught the fan edits of the prequels that were doing the rounds. Turns out they were decent movies, just edited poorly.

St. Michael says:

11:07pm | 09/03/11

That would be “The Phantom Edit”, which apparently is the best one of the lot.

The urban myth goes that people were out in video stores replacing the George Lucas version of the film with the Phantom Edit instead.

Matt says:

09:14am | 09/03/11

Win! I was hoping someone would notice the quote!

stephen says:

01:23pm | 09/03/11

What quote ?

TimB says:

02:01pm | 09/03/11

“the line must be drawn here, this time but no further!!”

Original quote was actually “The line must be drawn here, this far and no further”, but close enough.

I’ll confess I didn’t actually notice it untill Temerarious pointed it out. But like I said above, despite enoying First Contact, I’m not really a Trek fan.

I’ll quote stuff like “It’s a trap!”, and “I find your lack of faith….disturbing” all day though.

St. Michael, Jedi Master says:

11:14pm | 09/03/11

For your continuing Page 2 of The Punch entertainment, I now present: the top ten sexually tilted lines of the Star Wars trilogy!

1.  “There’s an awful lot of moisture in here…”
2.  “Get in there! Get in there, ya big furry oaf! I don’t care what you smell!”
3.  “Come! Good food, come!”
4.  “Control, control, you must learn controoooll!”
5.  “It’s possible he came in through the south entrance.”
6.  “Luke, at that speed, will you be able to pull out in time?”
7.  “Lost Tiree, lost Dutch! They came ... from ... BEHIND!”
8.  “Hurry it up, golden-rod…”
9.  “She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid.”
10.  “I have *felt* him, my master.”

(The last line gets even funnier when you remember the next line is “Strange that I have not.”)