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Post by tanzanlinnear on Nov 6, 2005 15:02:18 GMT -5
Lucas is a far better visionary than he is a director. I agree with you 100% there. When I heard he was getting a Lifetime Achievement Award, I was pretty disturbed, but when I found out it was for his contributions to the film industry like creating ILM and THX, I didn't mind so much. Those are innovations that he came upwith, and benefit everyone. Until TPM came out, he'd only directed 3 movies his entire life... (THX 1138, American Grafiti and Star Wars) Ridley Scott did Black Hawk Down, Gladiator and Hannibal in the space of a year or so, and they were all fantastic... That's the kind of standard a good director should be aiming for
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Post by Ani-Chay Pinn on Nov 6, 2005 18:21:20 GMT -5
Aaaahhh, < cough, cough >. Now Blackhawk Down was terrfic. But Gladiator?? Ewwwwwwww. I don't see why it was deserving of anything other than the technical awards it got; it was definitely "B" quality historical melodrama. Haven't seen Hannibal. Not after Gladiator. Might rent Kingdom of Heaven, but only because Liam Neeson was in it. And Hannibal did have Gary Oldman in it, so that's rentable, too.
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Post by himiko sabbrawrra on Nov 7, 2005 3:02:58 GMT -5
hmmm... we getting a little off topic here! XD
Kingdome of Heaven was good but Liam isn't in it very long at all. I was rather disapointed in that.
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Post by tanzanlinnear on Nov 8, 2005 11:28:57 GMT -5
Aaaahhh, < cough, cough >. Now Blackhawk Down was terrfic. But Gladiator?? Ewwwwwwww. I don't see why it was deserving of anything other than the technical awards it got; it was definitely "B" quality historical melodrama. Haven't seen Hannibal. Not after Gladiator. Might rent Kingdom of Heaven, but only because Liam Neeson was in it. And Hannibal did have Gary Oldman in it, so that's rentable, too.
I admit, Gladiator was hardly the best movie ever made, but it's certainly better directed than anything Lucas has ever done, and I think that any one of the main characters had more depth than any of the characters in any Star Wars film (if that SW film was viewed as a stand alone film, rather than part of a double trilogy where history and backstory are established.) The point I was trying to make, was that Scott put out those films virtually back to back, not to consider all the other films he's directed in his entire career, but it takes Lucas decades to do as many films that Scott can in a couple of years. Then there's Lucas' actual lack of directing ability... Any 'wooden acting', he just calls 'homage' to old style serial drama. Sorry, George, but I don't buy it any more... Everything he does is simply copying from others, but he calls it 'an homage', and people let it slide, rather than him being innovative as a film maker. I have much more respect for a director that can inspire a fantastic performance from his actors rather than simply immitating previous (and abandoned) styles of film-making. James Burrows, for example,while admitedly not a film director, got much better performances out of every actor that he's worked on every episode of TV he's directed than Lucas ever has with any actor. To get back on track... Anything in a Star Wars movie that is noticeably wrong, is simply down to Lucas being a poor director. The stuff ILM put in as jokes, people have to actually look for. Lucas' errors are glaringly obvious ones
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Post by Ani-Chay Pinn on Nov 8, 2005 22:24:43 GMT -5
We're just going to have to disagree on the quality of Lucas' directing. And Gladiator.
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Post by himiko sabbrawrra on Nov 9, 2005 3:12:45 GMT -5
No kidding..
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Post by tanzanlinnear on Nov 9, 2005 4:14:57 GMT -5
We're just going to have to disagree on the quality of Lucas' directing. And Gladiator.
Now Gladiator, fair enough, but I don't see how Lucas can be viewed as a good director. I admit, the Star Wars films are highly enjoyable, but, from a technical point of view, there are mistakes in them that film students would not be able to get away with. A perfect example is in TPM, during the re-take of the castle, and when Natalie Portman walks around the thrown with her blaster, her foor slips. It's standard practice in the film industry to shoot a scene several times, at least on a three to one ratio (Three takes for one useable take) Now, for some reason, that slip made it onto the dvd, which means that Lucas either never re-took the scene, or he didn't notice in the final edit, neither of which would be acceptable of a director at any film school, but he has been allowed to get away with it, because no one will stand up to him. Don't get me wrong, I love the Star Wars movies, but, that doesn't mean Lucas is a great director. From what I hear, the favorite of the OT is Empire Strikes Back, and that was directed by Irvin Kershner, not Lucas...
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Post by himiko sabbrawrra on Nov 9, 2005 12:46:36 GMT -5
Hmmm I guess I missed that. Well who really could stand up to Lucas? I mean it's his story so why bother? I too enjoy the films. But he didn't even fix all the problems and mistakes from them. in ANH where Luke is scanning the area looking for R2 in the evening.. Theres a droid that is on the bottom of the screen and it's pulled by a rope! I would have thought that would hace been one of the areas fixed.
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Post by tanzanlinnear on Nov 9, 2005 14:51:35 GMT -5
Hmmm I guess I missed that. Well who really could stand up to Lucas? I mean it's his story so why bother? I too enjoy the films. But he didn't even fix all the problems and mistakes from them. in ANH where Luke is scanning the area looking for R2 in the evening.. Theres a droid that is on the bottom of the screen and it's pulled by a rope! I would have thought that would hace been one of the areas fixed. Exactly. One problem is that Lucas (for all his tinkering) simply doesn't have the attention to detail that any director should have, so he misses (or simply doesn't care about) mistakes, and thinks that no one else will notice. As you said, who could stand up to him? Well, on a normal film, the director has to answer to the producer and Executive producer. For example, Jerry Bruckheimer is only a producer rather than a director, but he works with directors who will make the film that he wants, with their own input, obviously, but ultimately, they shoot what he wants, not what they want... The problem with the PT, is that Lucas was not only director, but he was the Executive Producer as well, which meant that any errors Rick McCallum (as Producer) should point out to him as a director, he could simply ignore as Executive Producer. I think of everyone that worked on the PT, McCallum probably had the least contributions or authority, (and the most pointless job) because he was sandwhiched between the roles that Lucas had given himself. It's kind of the same reason that Kevin Costner's films are often unsuccessfull. He writes, directs, produces it all himself, so ultimately, he can do whatever he wants, because no-one is in a position to say otherwise. As I said before, Lucas feels that he doesn't have to try. He makes the films the way he wants for himself, he certainly doesn't care about what the fans of the saga actually think (as seen through some of the more inacurate merch that's been sold)
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Post by Ani-Chay Pinn on Nov 9, 2005 18:33:36 GMT -5
[/size][/quote] Now Gladiator, fair enough, but I don't see how Lucas can be viewed as a good director.......[/quote] Well, I can see it.
Y'know, the worst thing you can ever say about any artist isn't "good" or "bad", but "I don't remember what they did."
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Post by tanzanlinnear on Nov 9, 2005 18:53:35 GMT -5
Well, I can see it.
Y'know, the worst thing you can ever say about any artist isn't "good" or "bad", but "I don't remember what they did."
I'm sorry, but I don't see how you can say that he is a good director when his films a) have mistakes that a first year film student would be pulled on, and b) were made two decades apart, when his contemporaries like Scott and Speilberg have directed not only more films, but more films in the space of a few years than Lucas has in his entire career. I have a degree in film making. I know every aspect of how a film should be made, from storyboarding through to editing and sound recording, and quite frankly, if I'd shown my tutor a film with reversed negatives, an actress's foot slipping (When I should've filmed more than one take) and actors swapping props as a joke (which I'm sure Ewan and Hayden did) I'd've had my work given back to me and been told to re-shoot it because it simply wasn't a professional standard. If I'd've been a director working in the industry for a producer, when they saw the rushes (footage shot that day) I'd've been told to re-shoot, and if I'd've then handed in a finished film with errors like that, I'd probably be fired for it. But, because Lucas was the executive producer, no one would tell him the mistakes (that he should've seen himself) for fear of their jobs. He's said in interviews he feels he's earned the right to fail, which basically means he'll make a film exactly how he wants to, and he doesn't care about anyone else's opinion, least of all the audience (other than himself) I've never said anything about his work being forgotten, I'm well aware of the films he's made, inclucing the short films he did in the mid-sixties, but Lucas should best be considered an innovator in the film industry for the things he has actually done (creating ILM and THX systems) not be respected as some awesome director (which he's just simply not) just because his 'pet project' has become a global phenomenon. [edit for clarity]
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Post by Ani-Chay Pinn on Nov 10, 2005 17:03:09 GMT -5
I'm sorry, but I don't see how you can say that he is a good director when..... I can't figure out why you're worrying so much about whether or not someone else does think that Lucas is a good director.
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Post by tanzanlinnear on Nov 11, 2005 11:58:21 GMT -5
I'm sorry, but I don't see how you can say that he is a good director when..... I can't figure out why you're worrying so much about whether or not someone else does think that Lucas is a good director.
Because he isn't ;D
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Andle Di-Ranos
Message Board Member
YOU HAVE DONE THAT YOURSELF! - Obi-Wan E3
Posts: 509
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Post by Andle Di-Ranos on Nov 11, 2005 13:51:59 GMT -5
Tell you the truth i don't care if he's a good director or a bad one. I enjoy finding these little mishaps in movies. Besides if i had almost as much money as Lucas does id be happy to fail the rest of my life.
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Post by Holdese Hacar on Nov 11, 2005 14:09:52 GMT -5
It was part of the original script I believe. There was a part where Anakin somehow got Obi-Wan's saber because Obi hit Anakin's out of his hand or something. They decided not to shoot it all I guess. I can't remember where I read it.
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