Ahh!! Technology in film, a corporate exercise at attracting consumers to cinema screens. For two and a half years, I have been pulled right in front of a cinema screen and had some or most of cinematic experiences ruined by vast capitalist corparations earning money through the use of the most criminal crime ever introduced to Cinema, 3-D. That's right 3-D, a horrible, indulgent and consumerist idea that somehow if we have objects or people popping out of our screens, we will somehow say "oohh that's so clever, that's so brilliant and creative and we must do this more often". Well you know what, I think it can go to hell as far as I'm concerned because of the sole reason that it does not work. A few years ago I went to a see a new art house blcokbuster known as Avatar (2009). Now back then everyone was nagging about how Cinema has been the same thing all the time, just a normal screen with THX surround sound with no actual excitment. So after that Avatar became all the rave after jumpstarting 3-D which had only been mildly used in the mid 2000's. Now funny thing is when I saw Avatar (Brilliant film by the way), I commented on the 3-D by saying to my friend, "Is that it, Is that all it was". I have no distaste for 1080p use of camera in a cinema, but 3-D is a fraud and must be stopped. Ever since Avatar has been released, directors of mainstream blockbuster films have foolishly put 3-D into good films such as Captain America: The First Avenger and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Both 2011). It has been lambasted by critics and small audiences around the world but there are some who feel more excited with its use, but it will hopefully in time, cease to exist.
Thank you and stay tuned.
The Count
Saturday, 22 October 2011
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
During the 1970's, a lot of depression and sadness was among general public around the world. Ongoing conflicts like the Vietnam War and political woes like the Watergate Scandal were the downside and cause of this apparent sadness. However with cinema goers, this was the dawn of the modern blockbuster films. Films like Jaws (1975) and The Towering Inferno (1974), had been huge and unpredicted successful blockbusters and those who went to see these new types of films were eager to have something out of this world thrown right in their face.
In 1974, a young and aspiring filmmaker named George Lucas, was writing a film named "The Star Wars". He sold the rights of the film to 20th Century Fox and they trusted him to create this new vision of groundbreaking special effects and science fiction. After being behind schedule because of the effects involved, Lucas released the film named Star Wars in May 1977 with the understanding that the film would be a box office bomb and a critical failure. On the contrary, the film would turn out to be one of the most financially successful films of all time and it certainly gave cinema goers something that they had never even dreamed for.
Star Wars takes place in a galaxy far, far away as it is described in the film. The opening shot happens to be one of my personal favorite openings to a film that I have ever seen as it so simply described and it is not complicated for the average viewer. An opening crawl of words describes the galaxy in a period of civil war and that a Rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire, has stolen secret plans leading the key to the destruction of an imperial space station which has enough power to destroy an entire planet. Princess Leia of the planet Alderaan has stolen these plans and is currently on her space ship escaping imperial cruisers. We get a shot of that Imperial Cruiser firing at her ship which begins the story. In the Princess's ship, two robots named C-3P0 and R2-D2 escape the Imperial Stormtroopers in an escape pod and crash land on a desert planet named Tatooine where they end up in the care of a young farm boy named Luke Skywalker who lives with his aunt and uncle. Luke finds the message left by Princess Leia to someone named Obi-Wan Kenobi but the only Kenobi Luke knows of, is Ben Kenobi a hermit who lives on the outskirts of a local town. When Luke meets Ben Kenobi again, he tells him that he is Obi-Wan Kenobi and he was part of a order called the Jedi. Kenobi explains that Luke's father was a Jedi and a close friend of Kenobi's until he was murdered by a pupil named Darth Vader who eventually helped the Empire hunt down and murder the Jedi. Kenobi explains that Luke and him should head to the planet Alderaan so that Luke can learn the ways of the Jedi's power, the Force. They try to find someone who will fly them there and they end up being flown by a smuggler named Han Solo and his first mate Chewbacca an tall furry bear like creature. When they find that Alderaan has been destroyed by the Empire, they accidently end up on the Empire's space station, the Death Star. They soon learn that Princess Leia is onboard in a cell and after finding and getting back to the ship, Kenobi lets himself be killed by Darth Vader to buy them time. They escape and land in Rebellion's base. The plans that were stolen turn out to be video of the Death Star's weak spot which is a hole in a trench leading to main reactors which if a rebel ship could fire through, it would be destroyed. A Rebel fleet is sent including Luke but not Han as he needs to get back to Tatooine. The fleet suffers heavy losses in the space battle but Luke manages to destroy the Death Star after Han buys him time. The End.
If you were living in the 1970's and were a film fan, trying to imagine that on the big screen would be virtually impossible. These days, the world of visual effects has moved into computer generated effects and the new use of motion capture technology. Back then, it would have been models and blue screen shots to have completed a effects scene. For sheer inventiveness,determination to get his film completed and courage against the financial troubles of the studio, George Lucas deserves a medal for Star Wars. What I like however, most about Star Wars is not the Visual Effects or the action sequences. It is the simplicity of the story line which is very much so a simple fairy tale in space which not only relates to adults, but to children as well and if you could achieve that you would a hugely positive audience. I also like the acting of this film with faces like Harrison Ford from Indiana Jones and Mark Hamil from hmmm....nothing I suppose. But the real scene stealer, is British actor Sir Alec Guinness who as Obi-Wan Kenobi brings warmth and sheer professionalism to the film which is perfectly executed. The character devoloping is great and whats more, the story never gets complicated.
Star Wars would spawn an entire franchise of sequels and even prequels. The first sequel was titled Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back which would lead to confusion because of the inclusion of Episode V. This was because George Lucas intended there to be a prequel trilogy but he decided that technology in the 1980's had not caught up to what he had wanted. But when the groundbreaking use of Computer Generated Imagery was used in films like Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Jurassic Park (1993), Lucas decided to make his prequels in 1998. But before that in 1997, the original Star Wars films were re-released with new enhanced visual effects replacing scenes he couldn't get right the first time round. The Orignal trilogy films were now known as: Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983).
While the prequels were not as popular among fans, Lucas has enjoyed a life of luxury as a result of the success of the first films. A New Hope still remains for me a gem in filmmaking and an unforgettable experience.
I will give it 4/4 stars. Stay tuned for more next time.
In 1974, a young and aspiring filmmaker named George Lucas, was writing a film named "The Star Wars". He sold the rights of the film to 20th Century Fox and they trusted him to create this new vision of groundbreaking special effects and science fiction. After being behind schedule because of the effects involved, Lucas released the film named Star Wars in May 1977 with the understanding that the film would be a box office bomb and a critical failure. On the contrary, the film would turn out to be one of the most financially successful films of all time and it certainly gave cinema goers something that they had never even dreamed for.
Star Wars takes place in a galaxy far, far away as it is described in the film. The opening shot happens to be one of my personal favorite openings to a film that I have ever seen as it so simply described and it is not complicated for the average viewer. An opening crawl of words describes the galaxy in a period of civil war and that a Rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire, has stolen secret plans leading the key to the destruction of an imperial space station which has enough power to destroy an entire planet. Princess Leia of the planet Alderaan has stolen these plans and is currently on her space ship escaping imperial cruisers. We get a shot of that Imperial Cruiser firing at her ship which begins the story. In the Princess's ship, two robots named C-3P0 and R2-D2 escape the Imperial Stormtroopers in an escape pod and crash land on a desert planet named Tatooine where they end up in the care of a young farm boy named Luke Skywalker who lives with his aunt and uncle. Luke finds the message left by Princess Leia to someone named Obi-Wan Kenobi but the only Kenobi Luke knows of, is Ben Kenobi a hermit who lives on the outskirts of a local town. When Luke meets Ben Kenobi again, he tells him that he is Obi-Wan Kenobi and he was part of a order called the Jedi. Kenobi explains that Luke's father was a Jedi and a close friend of Kenobi's until he was murdered by a pupil named Darth Vader who eventually helped the Empire hunt down and murder the Jedi. Kenobi explains that Luke and him should head to the planet Alderaan so that Luke can learn the ways of the Jedi's power, the Force. They try to find someone who will fly them there and they end up being flown by a smuggler named Han Solo and his first mate Chewbacca an tall furry bear like creature. When they find that Alderaan has been destroyed by the Empire, they accidently end up on the Empire's space station, the Death Star. They soon learn that Princess Leia is onboard in a cell and after finding and getting back to the ship, Kenobi lets himself be killed by Darth Vader to buy them time. They escape and land in Rebellion's base. The plans that were stolen turn out to be video of the Death Star's weak spot which is a hole in a trench leading to main reactors which if a rebel ship could fire through, it would be destroyed. A Rebel fleet is sent including Luke but not Han as he needs to get back to Tatooine. The fleet suffers heavy losses in the space battle but Luke manages to destroy the Death Star after Han buys him time. The End.
If you were living in the 1970's and were a film fan, trying to imagine that on the big screen would be virtually impossible. These days, the world of visual effects has moved into computer generated effects and the new use of motion capture technology. Back then, it would have been models and blue screen shots to have completed a effects scene. For sheer inventiveness,determination to get his film completed and courage against the financial troubles of the studio, George Lucas deserves a medal for Star Wars. What I like however, most about Star Wars is not the Visual Effects or the action sequences. It is the simplicity of the story line which is very much so a simple fairy tale in space which not only relates to adults, but to children as well and if you could achieve that you would a hugely positive audience. I also like the acting of this film with faces like Harrison Ford from Indiana Jones and Mark Hamil from hmmm....nothing I suppose. But the real scene stealer, is British actor Sir Alec Guinness who as Obi-Wan Kenobi brings warmth and sheer professionalism to the film which is perfectly executed. The character devoloping is great and whats more, the story never gets complicated.
Star Wars would spawn an entire franchise of sequels and even prequels. The first sequel was titled Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back which would lead to confusion because of the inclusion of Episode V. This was because George Lucas intended there to be a prequel trilogy but he decided that technology in the 1980's had not caught up to what he had wanted. But when the groundbreaking use of Computer Generated Imagery was used in films like Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Jurassic Park (1993), Lucas decided to make his prequels in 1998. But before that in 1997, the original Star Wars films were re-released with new enhanced visual effects replacing scenes he couldn't get right the first time round. The Orignal trilogy films were now known as: Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983).
While the prequels were not as popular among fans, Lucas has enjoyed a life of luxury as a result of the success of the first films. A New Hope still remains for me a gem in filmmaking and an unforgettable experience.
I will give it 4/4 stars. Stay tuned for more next time.
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