Muse: The High Aesthetic Line
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What I love is the criticism as adults, movies that are really aimed at kids. We all loved the first series – we were young. Then we became old and the second series sucked. I go back to Craig’s earlier comment about entertainment and the second series, for all their flaws entertained.
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You people are making it very difficult for me to maintain the illusion that I live in a universe where the prequels were never made. Lalalalalalala can't heeeeerrrreeeeee yooooooooouu.
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Sacha, in reply to
Star Wars targeted at children? I thought wide age appeal is one reason it made so much money
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Ngaire BookieMonster, in reply to
Humans. Just when you think we can't get more awesome.
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Ngaire BookieMonster, in reply to
ZOMG Bea Arthur was in it!!
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recordari, in reply to
The workers who would liberate us all from our sexual repressions and life denying neurosis in the works of Lawrence and Forster should be considered as human Higgs bosons – their existence is entirely theoretical, but they explain absolutely everything. More or less.
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom? Oh, sorry, wrong Lawrence.
As Frank Laurence Lucas (just to tie it all together) said of missive writing;
A man can make himself put down what comes, even if it seems nauseating nonsense; tomorrow some of it may not seem wholly nonsense at all.
We live in hope.
PS. Am I trying too hard? Where CR’s High Aesthetic is concerned, is that even possible?
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I have never seen any of the SW prequels and, short of it becoming a prerequisite for receiving a vital organ transplant, I can say with a certain assuredness that I never will.
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Danielle, in reply to
the second series, for all their flaws entertained
I... do not believe that to be a defensible assessment. (Except for that one part where Yoda kicked some ass. I'll give you that.)
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friend's theory is that despite the patent silliness of the first three movies, the actors played it straight
Despite at least one of them being high as a kite at the time.
I was 5 when Star Wars came out and it totally blew me away. 5-year-olds impress easily, and I'd certainly seen nothing like it before. I mean, it sure wasn't Mary Poppins.
And re-viewing Star Wars years later, it was still good fun. I think those original movies worked because they didn't take themselves so seriously, and they didn't try to do tragedy. The whole Anakin-turns-evil and Padme-dies-of-shame or whatever it was, frankly works better as back-story than something you actually have to sit through in all its embarrassing detail.
As Lucy says, though, it's a story about boyz. If you're a girl playing Star Wars, there is only Leia. I don't think Star Wars would pass the Bechdel Test.
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Robyn Gallagher, in reply to
Steve is very well read, so he likely has, and knows all about the author.
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Oh and I liked the book of Nights in the Gardens of Spain, but I'm unfamiliar with its literary precedents/antecedents. I see the tv adaptation is there On Demand, just off to watch that now....
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Oh and I meant to say, yay for your new column Craig! And yay for more arty-farty-ness on PA! :-)
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Steve Parks, in reply to
Not as farcical as Ewoks, mind.
Ah, the Ewoks: the Scrappy-Doo of the Star Wars franchise.
Even as a kid watching Return of the Jedi I saw the flaws in the whole Ewok thing. I mean, we were meant to see it as a big deal that one Ewok got killed in the “big battle” that served as the climax to the this epic saga. Yet, in turn they had defeated the mighty, feared troops of the Empire and killed many/most of the Stormtroopers.
What annoys me is I learned that Lucas was originally planning to have Wookies play that role. Now that would have made more sense, and it would just have been AWESOME. And that’s my inner child talking.
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As Lucy says, though, it's a story about boyz. If you're a girl playing Star Wars, there is only Leia. I don't think Star Wars would pass the Bechdel Test.
I think Episode I would come closest - at least we have Amidala and her decoy. But not a pass, I don't remember them conversing. First time I've really thought about it, but the Jedi seemed extremely short on females - I can think of one outside of the younglings - a blue one who is shot in the back during Order 66.
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Steve Parks, in reply to
I think those original movies worked because they didn’t take themselves so seriously, and they didn’t try to do tragedy.
I'll give you the first part, but they did do tragedy. Just as they did comedy, and action, and adventure, humour, coming of age drama, revenge, buddy movie, family intrigue, sweeping saga...
You get the picture: the emphasis was mostly on action and adventure, but it was all there. All done with a lightness of touch. But there was still angst & tragedy. They were just quickly moved on from. (It was great for a child's attention span.)
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BenWilson, in reply to
Happens in Episode III. The Wookie battle is actually quite cool.
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Sigh. With contentment. I'm delighted that you will be posting here, Craig.
I was 11 in 1977, and the thrilling, rumbling awe produced by the battle cruiser flying over my head still stounds me. It was absolutely marvellous, and nothing in movie special effects has matched it since. It was the shock wave of an entirely new approach to making movies.
Hyperbole, I suppose. But it's hard to capture just how remarkable that first sequence in Starwars IV was. You young fullas have grown up with special effects, but for those of us who have four or more decades under our expanding belts, it was a revelation.
Wednesday’s post is a joint review of The King’s Speech
You will report on whether any shirts are removed, or decorative ponds swum through in frustration?
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Great to see you have a new spot, Craig. But where is David H these days?
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Have you ever seen Craig and David in the same room? No? Me neither. Clearly this is very suspicious.
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Sacha, in reply to
the thrilling, rumbling awe produced by the battle cruiser flying over my head still stounds me. It was absolutely marvellous, and nothing in movie special effects has matched it since. It was the shock wave of an entirely new approach to making movies.
Hyperbole, I suppose. But it's hard to capture just how remarkable that first sequence in Starwars IV was.
+1
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Great to see you have a new spot, Craig. But where is David H these days?
I suspect wee Bob has him pinned in a corner. :)
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
You will report on whether any shirts are removed, or decorative ponds swum through in frustration?
Putting aside his rather unfortunate foray into comic pseudo-science, Colin Firth is a rather interesting actor who isn’t afraid to under-play. And who would have guessed Helena Bonham-Carter’s Elizabeth is tender and rather moving – notes she’s not called on to hit very often. There’s a rather lovely small scene with her and Jennifer Ehle (almost unrecognisable as Myrtle Logue): The men mug, bluster and carry on. The women, as usual, just have to get on with it.
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Lucy Stewart, in reply to
I think this is a key part of the explanation; the actors were better in the first trilogy.
This reminds me of what happened to Coupling when they took it to America; nearly the exact same scripts, different actors, total failure. It's really, really easy to underestimate how important good actors are to a film or TV program's success; the writing is important, but really good actors can take a basically mediocre script beyond itself. And, similarly, mediocre actors can make a very good script sag.
If Anakin had been 20 at the time of Ep I, and 40ish around the time of Ep III, the actors playing him and Padme could have really mined the depths of the drama inherent in their relationship from the perspective of two adults whose relationship has crumbled under the strain of their conflicting roles in a dynamic political environment, instead of a highly unconvincing tanty by a teeenager with a metal hand.
I like this, a lot. One suspects Lucas forgot that his target audience wasn't five anymore (or, really, that children are quite capable of enjoying and relating to stories about adults.)
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Megan Wegan, in reply to
You will report on whether any shirts are removed, or decorative ponds swum through in frustration?
Please do, or there'll be no point me seeing it.
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Amy Gale, in reply to
YEah, but the weird thing is that Naboo has an elected monarchy -- with term-limits, no less.
Darths and Droids provides a plausible explanation for this, and much else besides.
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