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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 13, 2020 7:18:57 GMT
New episode tonight! They're really spoiling us with the lack of breaks in this season. I can't get over it!  I didn't at all mind last week's episode but I can see how some may have found the focus on its McGuffin rather silly in relation to the season opener's far more serious tone, epic scope and classic western spirit. Are they trying to line it up better with The Rise Of Skywalker? Haven't really dined out on this series yet, but your thread deserves a few contributors! And, okay, while this might be a form of shitposting, I was watching it earlier and wanted to add it: the hilarious "Deep Fake" Collider Lucas reacting to the big trailer, before the series aired. I think there are some gems here! You know, the original stormtrooper design came from, uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Tupperware. Huh-huh-huh-huh-huh. @ 0:20Every time the Lucasfilm logo shines, Watto gets his wings. @ 0:52Hopefully, Favreau doesn't f*ck it up. @ 1:55
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Post by Somny on Nov 13, 2020 20:07:43 GMT
Comedy gold! I love the GL deepfake videos! What an age we live in!  I believe the man responsible for the impressive impression is the same guy who plays GL in the following video:
GL reportedly loves these sorts of parodies and, according to J.W. Rinzler, often laughs louder than anyone watching them with him.
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Post by Somny on Nov 13, 2020 21:44:49 GMT
About the latest episode of TM, I felt a strange exhilaration watching intense laser shoot-outs in long corridors, which practically defined TCW and Rebels, play out in live-action. Very, very cool!
And while I can't recall the origin or particulars of the feud between the two Mandalore factions established in those earlier series and referenced in this episode, I certainly appreciated some of those characters and ideas being brought into the TM fold. It adds a welcome level of cohesion to everything.
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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 14, 2020 1:36:45 GMT
Comedy gold! I love the GL deepfake videos! What an age we live in! LOL! I love it. This roundtable is one of the best: Impressive! The guy has improved since then, or maybe the addition of the authentic George Walton Lucas visage does a lot! That's bloody awesome!!! I didn't know that. But it makes sense. Lucas has a pretty easy-going sense of humour. I'm sure he's slightly amazed that the Internet is this obsessed with him. Speaking of which... No Mandalorian thread could possibly be complete without being christened by the real George Lucas holding Baby Yoda! I'm sure we've all seen the picture, but it's one for all time:  |
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Post by Somny on Nov 14, 2020 6:28:26 GMT
LOL! I love it. This roundtable is one of the best:
Thanks for sharing! I just finished watching it for the first time. Even in parody, Lucas has far more interesting things to say than most. Sergei Eisenstein name drop FTW! That video warped my sense of reality to an almost concerning degree but what a riot! The Jeff Goldblum impersonation is also a sheer delight! Speaking of which... No Mandalorian thread could possibly be complete without being christened by the real George Lucas holding Baby Yoda! I'm sure we've all seen the picture, but it's one for all time:
That photo always warms my heart. A stately, wise and good-humored father figure with his progeny.
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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 15, 2020 5:26:33 GMT
LOL! I love it. This roundtable is one of the best:
Thanks for sharing! I just finished watching it for the first time. Even in parody, Lucas has far more interesting things to say than most. Sergei Eisenstein name drop FTW! That video warped my sense of reality to an almost concerning degree but what a riot! The Jeff Goldblum impersonation is also a sheer delight! LOL! It's bloody hilarious, isn't it? I could quote the whole thing! But it works better with their mannerisms, which are all perfectly nailed. That said, as fantastic as the Jeff Goldblum impression is, it kind of needs to be. It allows me to ignore the fact that Jeff would never be caught dead in that shirt-and-jacket combo! The most convincing impression is probably Tom Cruise. Dear God, every time he laughs! The weakest, I have to say, is Ewan. Poor Ewan. The proportions are all wrong (looks like an adult head on a child's body) and the accent is terrible. He sounds Irish! Robert Downey Jr's drollness freaks me out. Especially the part where he and Tom Cruise almost come to blows! And the way Tom goes from an angry face back to that wheezing laugh. I forget I'm watching impersonators! George does have some good lines (especially the Oscar line and "Jar Jar Binks Forever" snuck in at the end), and I like the crude running gag of George with gastric problems. Is that their way of poking fun at the "poop" humour in TPM? He's a little too snarky to pass as the real George Lucas, but that Eisenstein reference is magical. Speaking of magical things... Beautifully put! |
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Post by Pyrogenic on Nov 16, 2020 22:08:40 GMT
Free Verse
by Pyrogenic
...  Astral Belligerents
Star Wars
Top Campaigns Leading Crusades Best Battles Greatest Fights |
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Post by Ingram on Nov 17, 2020 4:07:05 GMT
Super-sized. I can't remember; I think Big Gulps are 20 oz ...Episode VII would be, like, 60 oz. Starkiller Gulp. And then there's TROS. 80 oz? maybe 90? JJ Abrams: the high-fructose corn syrup of Star Wars.
I haven't started the 2nd season of The Mandalorian yet. I'm either working up the enthusiasm or waiting for some dead time to fill. I still kinda wish I was watching Lucas' "Underworld" series instead, but alas...
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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 17, 2020 6:01:48 GMT
Super-sized. I can't remember; I think Big Gulps are 20 oz ...Episode VII would be, like, 60 oz. Starkiller Gulp. And then there's TROS. 80 oz? maybe 90? JJ Abrams: the high-fructose corn syrup of Star Wars. LOL! Literally in the case of TFA? The Starkiller Laser is like fractioning streams of Kool-Aid. Too much sugar is bad for you, kids. It can even destroy your New Republic. Hey! You'll eat up that Disney crap and you'll like it! What choice you got? There's always Caravan Of Courage, but you're Ingram. You've seen that sh*t a thousand times already, and even made your own version in your backyard, right? |
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Post by Ingram on Nov 17, 2020 23:02:46 GMT
Hey! You'll eat up that Disney crap and you'll like it! What choice you got? There's always Caravan Of Courage, but you're Ingram. You've seen that sh*t a thousand times already, and even made your own version in your backyard, right? I actually give The Battle for Endor the slight edge because it has Wilford Brimley in it. Wilford Brimley was in a Star Wars movie. People need to understand that. Have you entertained The Mandalorian, Cryo? I take it the answer is no. What it is it the Aboriginies believe, that taking their photo steals a part of their soul? I'd equate a similar outcome with a Disney+ subscription. Myself, I thought Season 1 was, eh, handsome for a TV show. And mostly boring. |
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Post by Somny on Nov 18, 2020 0:04:46 GMT
Myself, I thought Season 1 was, eh, handsome for a TV show. And mostly boring. For all my love of the series, I'll admit that TM suffers from one aspect that usually shines in the SW canon - intercutting! In TM, we're invariably following one character's story for entire episodes at a time. Very little deviation or respite from a singular quest. No cadre of heroes that allow us to jump around the galaxy throughout an installment or enable those energized, multi-threaded climaxes that define the best of the canon. I can see this facet lending to a more "boring" experience than the films or other SW series. But in my view, it redeems itself in other ways.
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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 18, 2020 2:08:50 GMT
Hey! You'll eat up that Disney crap and you'll like it! What choice you got? There's always Caravan Of Courage, but you're Ingram. You've seen that sh*t a thousand times already, and even made your own version in your backyard, right? I actually give The Battle for Endor the slight edge because it has Wilford Brimley in it. Wilford Brimley was in a Star Wars movie. People need to understand that. I like the way you logic! Good guess -- I've not. Handsome and boring. Way to trigger a guy, Ingram! I'm handsome and damn exciting, thank ye. Seriously, though: your words just struck fear into my fan heart. That's not the review I was looking for. Cripes. I hate it when another fan, so often on a similar wavelength, cogently encapsulates my own response (in my case: to the trailers and TV spots). I mean, Baby Yoda looks entertaining 'n' all, but yeah... I really don't want to muck up Somny's thread! Myself, I thought Season 1 was, eh, handsome for a TV show. And mostly boring. For all my love of the series, I'll admit that TM suffers from one aspect that usually shines in the SW canon - intercutting! In TM, we're invariably following one character's story for entire episodes at a time. Very little deviation or respite from a singular quest. No cadre of heroes that allow us to jump around the galaxy throughout an installment or enable those energized, multi-threaded climaxes that define the best of the canon. I can see this facet lending to a more "boring" experience than the films or other SW series. But in my view, it redeems itself in other ways.
I guess they're trying a different approach. I hear that even their implementation of the dreaded "greenscreen" is innovative. Sorry: "virtual sets": They truly are out there in a desert: a real virtual desert.Star Wars does seem to work best when storylines and side quests are being intercut. Indeed, that's really the magic of the series, isn't it? Variety, discursiveness, digression: one thing colouring, enriching, and consequentialling another. Not a word? It is now. I'm prepared to give the show a shake at some point. My sister loves it. My mom wants to watch it. But we don't have Disney+ here. Limited funds and I'd rather put the money toward Netflix or Amazon Prime. Plus, as Ingram said: subscribing means giving up a piece of your soul. |
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Post by Ingram on Nov 18, 2020 4:27:57 GMT
Myself, I thought Season 1 was, eh, handsome for a TV show. And mostly boring. For all my love of the series, I'll admit that TM suffers from one aspect that usually shines in the SW canon - intercutting! In TM, we're invariably following one character's story for entire episodes at a time. Very little deviation or respite from a singular quest. No cadre of heroes that allow us to jump around the galaxy throughout an installment or enable those energized, multi-threaded climaxes that define the best of the canon. I can see this facet lending to a more "boring" experience than the films or other SW series. But in my view, it redeems itself in other ways.
There's possibilities in said absence. When the show intermittently hits its stride there has about it a singular, stalwart physical narrative wherein Mando must negotiate not just danger but quirky oddity; to a degree sight-gag à la Ewoks or Jar Jar while still ultimately musing in its own deadpan direction in-step with the titular character. I wish the show would barrel down more on such abstract-yet-physical storytelling instead of the generic plotting towards generic dramatic beats we're stuck with. But the potential is there; even if never realized, I suppose the show is still diverting enough for Star Wars fans like myself to riff from its better episodes our own ideas. And, again, it's time-filler if nothing else. November has kicked in, days are shortening and the weather out here among the high desert western states is proving her usual harsh mistress, replete with bitchy chilled winds and the threat of inversion. So it's nice to come in out of the cold during the holiday season and snuggle up to some Star Wars content binging for whatever its worth—I'll indulge my viewing of 2nd Season once it has run it's air-date course, amounting to one episode per night.
I guess they're trying a different approach. I hear that even their implementation of the dreaded "greenscreen" is innovative. Sorry: "virtual sets": They truly are out there in a desert: a real virtual desert.I've been following this tech for a while now. I've long since maintained the unique textural depth of front-projection work that James Cameron put to select use in Aliens and Terminator 2; FF Coppola in Bram Stoker's Dracula. I remember reading some time back about the eventual, logical marriage of both premises: digital environs nonetheless wrapped in-camera. Like the rest of us, however, I couldn't have imagined the level of delicacy in precision background staging that it now affords. Admittedly, the cinematography-nympho inside of me is markedly aroused. Oh, what Lucas might have done with this... still, it's nice to see him there to some capacity, looking over the shoulders of Favreau and Filoni, as well as seeing Star Wars in general think outside the box, even if that motto now comes with a bit of irony, for they are now literally filming inside a box of screens.
It's like poetry, it's so dense.
I'm prepared to give the show a shake at some point. My sister loves it. My mom wants to watch it. But we don't have Disney+ here. Limited funds and I'd rather put the money toward Netflix or Amazon Prime. Plus, as Ingram said: subscribing means giving up a piece of your soul. Just do what I did, ritualistically sacrifice a small animal (squirrel, goldfish, pokémon etc.) immediately before or after subscribing. My soul's good.
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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 18, 2020 5:16:38 GMT
For all my love of the series, I'll admit that TM suffers from one aspect that usually shines in the SW canon - intercutting! In TM, we're invariably following one character's story for entire episodes at a time. Very little deviation or respite from a singular quest. No cadre of heroes that allow us to jump around the galaxy throughout an installment or enable those energized, multi-threaded climaxes that define the best of the canon. I can see this facet lending to a more "boring" experience than the films or other SW series. But in my view, it redeems itself in other ways.
There's possibilities in said absence. When the show intermittently hits its stride there has about it a singular, stalwart physical narrative wherein Mando must negotiate not just danger but quirky oddity; to a degree sight-gag à la Ewoks or Jar Jar while still ultimately musing in its own deadpan direction in-step with the titular character. I saw a clip of the title character being harassed by Jawas. It was amusing. But I've only seen the odd fragment, and it didn't strike me as super-compelling stuff. Maybe a full watch of the unfolding series (especially if it gets a few more seasons under its Mandalorian belt -- meta!) will change my mind. That sounds like a very Ingram form of wishing! Let's all clutch our prequel pearls -- or big blue water balls -- and hope for better. Maybe, kind of like the Sequel Trilogy (here he goes again...), it'll go in a slightly more reckless and ambitious direction in another year or two. Assuming it isn't cancelled by SJW Covidism. I'm sorry... Mister Thoreau, keep going...!!! I'm sure an Ewok village would keep you warmer, but yeah -- I get your drift. Your cold, cold winter drift. Brrrr.... Ironically, it's fairly mild for November in the UK, right now. That'll probably change any moment. We had a sudden burst of savage hail the other day. Cryo-Ice. I know he's already done so much and basically led the digital revolution, but it's quite a shame that Lucas bailed when digital tech started getting really good. My dream was sort of, he'd get to work on the Sequel Trilogy now, or maybe a few years ago, with the announcement occurring on (or a bit before) Star Wars' 40th anniversary and the first film about to release (though we're now in the middle of a pandemic): a vision of Star Wars for the 2020s... and from a visionary. My cats brought another mouse back the other day. I think they've done the sacrificing for me. Done! But yeah, no -- still a bit reluctant at this point. Almost no Disney content interests me out of Star Wars. Sad. |
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Post by Somny on Nov 19, 2020 7:46:19 GMT
I wish the show would barrel down more on such abstract-yet-physical storytelling instead of the generic plotting towards generic dramatic beats we're stuck with. But the potential is there; even if never realized, I suppose the show is still diverting enough for Star Wars fans like myself to riff from its better episodes our own ideas. And, again, it's time-filler if nothing else. I sympathize with this view (housed in a delicious paragraph, by the way). The storytelling is fairly generic and reminiscent of so much fare from childhood Saturday mornings. The show's not breaking any molds in this regard - unsurprisingly. But it's serviceable.
That being said, I find that the aesthetic and technical qualities of the series are where the real heft of TM's appeal lies for me. The cinematography and editing are consistently exquisite with a restraint and formalism reminiscent of - and I risk a lot by saying this - the PT. And the above-discussed means by which they achieve certain shots and sequences are on the level of envelope-pushing we expect from anything bearing the Lucasfilm logo. Quite refreshing given how relatively unheralded the technologies behind the ST and the spin-offs were.
So yeah, unremarkable serial storytelling but made up for with inspired visual design choices and the makers' balls-to-bone interest in progressing digital production techniques. Works for me!  |
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Post by Somny on Nov 20, 2020 3:10:29 GMT
Get ready for the first live-action appearance of our favorite Togrutan Jedi in tonight's episode of TM!  |
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Post by Somny on Nov 20, 2020 8:46:21 GMT
Dank farrik. Looks like Snips shows up in a following episode.
Outside of that bit of disappointment, however, I found this chapter another enjoyable romp! No complaints.
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Post by Subtext Mining on Nov 23, 2020 22:56:38 GMT
Christmas is coming. Just saying.  |
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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 24, 2020 0:42:19 GMT
Christmas is coming. Just saying. Christmas is coming? As in: Winter is coming?  -- i.e., is this their version of Games Of Thrones' "coffee cup" controversy? |
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Post by Somny on Nov 24, 2020 6:01:12 GMT
"Mmm. Allowed a PA to enter frame, director Carl Weathers has. How embarrassing. How embarrassing."
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-- i.e., is this their version of Games Of Thrones' "coffee cup" controversy?