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Post by Subtext Mining on May 8, 2022 11:05:45 GMT
The Phantom MenaceI was super heavy into Episode I and thought about it almost constantly for at least a year. In June of 1999 my favorite band Pavement released their 5th (and ultimately last) album Terror Twilight, which I listened to 3-5 times a day for a few months, then a few times a week for the ensuing year or two. Needless to say these two things became completely intermeshed in my mind to the Nth degree. Even to this day anytime I listen to this album or hear even one song, images and memories of TPM, and even Pod Racer on N64, and the spring/summer of '99 come flooding into my mind. I was also heavily into The Flaming Lips, and their album The Soft Bulletin came out in May '99. Though Terror Twilight seems to trigger memories of TPM more. I also saw both of these bands perform live that summer at The Crystal Ballroom in Portland.  Attack of the ClonesI was jazzed on Episode II as well. And in May of 2002 Weezer also released their album Maladroit, which inspired me to get back into their previous album (Green), and The Flaming Lips released their next album Yoshimi vs. the Pink Robots in July that summer, so of all things I'd say those trigger memories of AotC more than anything. Also Appleseed Cast's double album Low Level Owl for sure. I was also captivated by The Beach Boys' album Pet Sounds in the late '90s and early '00s, so I'd include this with Episodes I and II together. Revenge of the SithI've confessed before that I was a little miffed by Episode III, (I was not a bright 29 year-old). But even so, it was still on my mind a bit, and I'd have to say the thing that reminds me of that film and those times the most is Björk's album Medúlla and Sufjan Stevens' album Illinoise. And though this may be cheating, Clone Wars microseries, which I loved perhaps too much. 1997 Special EditionsI saw all of these in the theaters many times. ANH over 20 times. Anyways, I was already deep in the midst of the second-wave of my SW-fandom which coincided with my fandom of Pavement, They Might Be Giants, The Flaming Lips and The Beatles. So, while in my formative college years, all of these things congealed together almost inseparably in my mind. Return of the JediOther than Fraggle Rock and E.T., I was also pretty into music for a 7 year-old, and hugely into SW. So needless to say most well-known songs from 1982/83/84 particularly the ones I liked, tend to elicit memories of the other. Most notably: Anything by The Police Anything from Michael Jackson's album Thriller Men At Work The Cars The Eurythmics Weird Al
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Post by Samnz on May 10, 2022 6:52:22 GMT
For whatever reason, I do associate AOTC with summer. No idea why, but when it's warm and and sunny I am much more likely to get into AOTC mood.
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Post by stampidhd280pro on May 10, 2022 17:15:48 GMT
I was introduced to Star Wars by a '95 Xmastime broadcast of the OT on USA network, and mom had the foresight to have me tape it, so some of the commercials stick in my head. A Christmas-themed Folgers ad, and a really bizarre Sega commercial where someone says "When you go, to see the big, gold Buddha... AND YOU PICK THE LEAF, WITH THE VIRUS ON IT..." I also associate that VHS tape with Saved By the Bell, and Brady Bunch reruns. And those MicroMachine play sets with the heads that opened up to reveal locations from the OT. Which in turn reminds me of My Brother and Me.
In the summer of '99 I had only been listening to Oingo Boingo, as far as rock bands, and I was scouring MTV and VH1 for another band to get into. I decided to convince myself Aerosmith was a good choice, but it never really worked out. There was also Britney Spears and Ricky Martin in the air.
By AOTC, I was deep into music, and Japanese noise was my obsession. I went to see Ep II by myself after school, and it wasn't sold out. There were two long lines at the theater, one for SW, one for Spiderman. While waiting for the movie to start, that big hit song by Polyphonic Spree played, and I was annoyed. On the bus home, I listened to NIN's The Downward Spiral for the first time. A friend from high school lent it to me. It was good.
When ROTS was in theaters, I spent a couple weeks in Maui. On the plane I remember listening to Twiztid, Jandek, and a local synthpop group from Ohio called Gil Mantera's Party Dream. I also remember getting my first e-meter reading by the Scientologists on the streets on Time Square, after seeing ROTS for the third or fourth time.
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Post by Cryogenic on May 10, 2022 21:24:53 GMT
Things I associate Star Wars with?
Political agendas, woke propaganda, hyper commercialism, fanboy ravings, MA-REY-SUEs...
Sorry, let's try that again:
Youth, childhood, growing up, earnestness, toys, money-making and branding, cultural penetration, the 1990s, the 1970s, the 1980s, the 2000s (in sort of that order), video games, going to the movies, candy, the sexiness of Natalie Portman, Jar Jar, Ewoks, British thespians, San Francisco, Japan, Pinewood Studios, the 1930s and 1940s, family, message board forums, and last but not least: Elvis.
Oh, and of course: Adam Driver.
Beyond that, it would have to be some uber-essay. Because there's probably a billion things I associate with it, to some degree or another. Including it eating my own life. Yay!
One of the earliest memories I have of a thing called STAR WARS is seeing C-3PO on the cover of, I think, a computing/gaming magazine. This would have to be in the mid-to-late 90s, when the Special Editions were about to come out. I don't recall having any particular knowledge or inkling of Star Wars before then.
If that sounds strange (I was born in 1983), it may just speak to the fragility of memory. But what I think a lot of people don't realise, these days, is Star Wars wasn't absolutely everywhere in the 1990s. Until the hype got going on the pending release of Episode I, it was a touch more rarefied than it is today -- largely, I would guess, because we have the Internet and geek culture now. Back then, Star Wars still just about had a touch of innocence and mild obscurity about it. To those who didn't see the films on release, that is.
I don't make as many musical associations as some of you guys evidently do. I was never really swept up in any particular music craze, nor did I explore a ton of music growing up -- nor even now, really. Which is a tad peculiar. But then: I'm peculiar. But still less peculiar than I'd like to be.
Thinking a bit more about it, I probably do associate late-90s to early-2000s culture with Star Wars quite strongly. Because that's when the prequels happened and I transitioned from school, to college, to university, and to the dreaded work. Those are precious years you can never get back. Beyond that, I suppose I largely see Star Wars as synonymous with the summer, as Samnz said of AOTC. It's funny. The Disney films coming out in winter is fine as a thing, but Star Wars will always be a summer phenomenon to me. It also feels like spring/summer in the movie, especially when Anakin and Padme go to Naboo. I mean, they're in a brightly-lit field, and they're falling in love! What's more spring/summer as an idealised form of youthful/sexual awakening than that?
Oh, did I say computer games? Yes, yes I did. But Subtext mentioned the N64. And I probably associate Star Wars with that. Not the "Podracer" game in my case, but "Shadows Of The Empire". Also "Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight" on the PC. Heck, I think I even associate the colours of the N64 controller pad with Star Wars. Everything has kinda gone to shit since then. *shouts at cloud*
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Post by smittysgelato on May 10, 2022 21:42:00 GMT
I associate Star Wars with all of the other major movie trilogies that I watched growing up. I was 9 years old in 1999 and 15 in 2005, so I was at the perfect age for the Prequels, and all of the other major trilogies that came out during that time frame: The Matrix Trilogy, The X-Men Trilogy, LOTR, The Spider-Man Trilogy (especially the first Spider-Man, which came out the same summer as AOTC. These two movies are two of my favorite memories at the theatre), The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy, The Bourne Trilogy, etc.
We can also throw E.T., Hook, Superman: The Movie, Jaws, and Indiana Jones into the mix, probably because of John Williams.
Also LOST, which is heavily influenced by Star Wars via JJ Abrams.
And even Ben-hur, which was very influential on Lucas.
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Post by Cryogenic on May 10, 2022 22:01:50 GMT
I associate Star Wars with all of the other major movie trilogies that I watched growing up. I was 9 years old in 1999 and 15 in 2005, so I was at the perfect age for the Prequels, and all of the other major trilogies that came out during that time frame: The Matrix Trilogy, The X-Men Trilogy, LOTR, The Spider-Man Trilogy (especially the first Spider-Man, which came out the same summer as AOTC. These two movies are two of my favorite memories at the theatre), The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy, The Bourne Trilogy, etc. It was the era of trilogies, wasn't it? Only, none of those were really designed as trilogies, except the PT: The Matrix Trilogy? Get bent. The X-Men Trilogy? Pah! LOTR? Five books, fook off. The Spider-Man Trilogy? Nee-yeah, okay, maybe this one sorta works. The Pirates of the Caribbean? OH DEAR JESUS NO. The Bourne Trilogy? *tumbleweed* BTW: I was sixteen when I saw TPM. (Half of the Internet: No, really, Cryo? You've only mentioned that 600 times before). So close to the target age, if maybe on the outskirts. But this also meant I was Anakin's age in AOTC and ROTS. Also a cool age-range for the PT, if you ask me! Oh, yes. We should never forget how indebted the brilliance of all these films is to Johnny Williams! "Superman" remains my favourite. Nothing of its like would be made anymore. We could be a while with that game. Try this site for some of the more basic ones: www.moongadget.com/origins/Some overlooked films from back then would be the Disney animated features ("The Little Mermaid", "Beauty And The Beast", "Aladdin", "The Lion King", "Pocahontas", "Hercules", "Mulan"). Just the other night, I was also re-watching the third Pierce Brosnan Bond flick, "The World Is Not Enough", released 1999. There's this plot hook of M using Elektra, the femme fatale of the movie (as if she could be anything else with a name like that), as "bait". Bond even accuses her of this early on and M is stood against a window when he speaks the line. Couldn't help think of Obi-Wan castigating Anakin at the start of AOTC: "You're using her as bait?" Lucas was likely influenced by a ludicrous wealth of sources when assembling the prequels. |
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Post by smittysgelato on May 10, 2022 22:12:47 GMT
Funny you should say that. My mom loves Superman: The Movie, so we re-watched it a couple of days ago for Mother's Day. She made an apt observation about Superman: "He's so polite." Yeah, a polite hero is kind of a rarity now. The hero has to be a badass, smartass, or have some kind of attitude these days. I don't even think Captain America was always polite, for that matter! Also funny that you should bring up Aladdin. Here's a relevant Instagram post I made about Aladdin and Star Wars: http://instagram.com/p/Ca2-LF_P_90 |
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Post by Cryogenic on May 10, 2022 22:28:04 GMT
Funny you should say that. My mom loves Superman: The Movie, so we re-watched it a couple of days ago for Mother's Day. She made an apt observation about Superman: "He's so polite." Yeah, a polite hero is kind of a rarity now. The hero has to be a badass, smartass, or have some kind of attitude these days. I don't even think Captain America was always polite, for that matter! Funny you should mention that! Sweet that you watched it with your mother, by the way.  I was only re-watching this bit on YouTube the other day and browsing the comments. Your mother's observation chimes nicely with these ones: Dave Mustaine, 2 years ago
The way he flew was elegant, graceful and majestic. His lines and the way he spoke was polite, soft, confident and gentleman like. The way he behaved and acted showed superiority without even trying hard. He showed a character that had strength and confidence, that people could rely on him. He showed a character that was fearless although there were dangers all around him. Christopher Reeves created his own persona of Superman which we all fell in love with.
Those are some of the traits which made made him the best Superman.
John Bertrand, 2 years ago
Loved Reeve as Superman. Thought he went a bit over the top in the nerdy part as Clark Kent, but perfectly captures Superman's nobility and humanity. Has a deft comic touch too.
Kagereneko, 1 year ago
I just love how cheery and polite he is
Ovskii, 1 year ago
I love how chill and friendly he is towards criminals while catching them.
mngentry, 3 years ago
He actually stops to shake an officers hand and learn his name...
Let’s take a moment to appreciate that.
MrMoorkey, 10 months ago
The way he went from busting criminals, to helping a cat as he passed by...an innocence and brilliance you won't see in superhero movies again.------------------------------------ Reeve was a very affable superhero and "Superman: The Movie" is a one-in-a-million film, to echo that last comment, we won't see again. |
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Post by smittysgelato on May 10, 2022 22:32:54 GMT
I couldn't help but notice a touch of Jar-Jarian energy in Reeves' Clark Kent. The unappreciated clutz with amazing gifts that go ignored and unappreciated!
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Post by ArchdukeOfNaboo on May 11, 2022 0:04:47 GMT
When I want to remind myself of the prequel era, I turn to music. Our OP has the right idea. Oh, how the visceral memories come flooding back...
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Post by Ingram on May 11, 2022 8:49:47 GMT
Five for Five.
The Phantom Menace
- late '90s dial-up - senior year project - Barns & Noble being a stone's throw away from the theater camp-out - the PS1 game of the same title
- Spring-into-Summer
Attack of the Clones
- my job doing salmon habitat restoration and cutting trails - rec center computer room (rewatching trailers ad nauseam) - driving the I-5 freeway (3-hour trip to Sacramento's IMAX) - Minority Report
- Spring-into-Summer Revenge of the Sith
- a girlfriend-with-benefits at the time - working at Yellowstone
- fixing my Jeep
- War of the Worlds
- Spring-into-Summer 1997 Special Editions - afterhours MTV
- landscaping for money - disc golf - the R2-D2 cutout inside Circuit City
- Winter matinee showings
The Original Trilogy - pan 'n' scan
- Star Wars RPG books - clouds
- playing in the woods of NorCal - pre-divorced parents
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Post by Alexrd on May 11, 2022 10:10:55 GMT
Five for Five.
The Phantom Menace- the PS1 game of the same title
The Phantom Menace was probably the first movie where I took the multimedia experience to heart. I saw the movie, had the game, the novel, the visual guides, the soundtrack, the merchandise, etc. That game (I played the PC version) was a big part of why I liked the movie so much at the time. You mean I get to take a look at where that corridor leads to in the Trade Federation cruiser? You mean I get to explore all of the Mos Espa spaceport? You mean I get to help the civilians of Theed (including the one and only Sean Connery)? |
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Post by smittysgelato on May 11, 2022 19:25:50 GMT
I associate The Phantom Menace with the videogame to a lesser degree. My friend had a copy, I watched him play it once. I thought it was cool that a game existed where you could actually drive the podracer. However, I didn't own a console myself, so I wasn't very good at games so I'd die pretty much immediately when trying to play anything. As a result, my friends being impatient children, wouldn't let me play for very long. Kids are impatient that way.
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Post by Alexrd on May 11, 2022 20:19:30 GMT
Oh, that's Star Wars: Racer (a great game too). I was referring to the actual TPM game, where you play through the story of the movie:  |
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Post by Ingram on May 11, 2022 20:38:53 GMT
I'm still curious about your Sean Connery mention. Was he in that game? I can't remember. Granted, I haven't played it since last millennia.
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Post by Gen on May 11, 2022 21:41:48 GMT
- Barns & Noble being a stone's throw away from the theater camp-out
Oh hell yeah. Ours still is. I want to make a proper post later but for now, the first thing that comes to mind is sitting in the local combination Taco Bell/Pizza Hutt staring at the giant render of Jar Jar affixed to the door with a kind of mixture of excitement, awe, and fear (I was 4.) |
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Post by smittysgelato on May 11, 2022 21:57:39 GMT
- Barns & Noble being a stone's throw away from the theater camp-out
Oh hell yeah. Ours still is. I want to make a proper post later but for now, the first thing that comes to mind is sitting in the local combination Taco Bell/Pizza Hutt staring at the giant render of Jar Jar affixed to the door with a kind of mixture of excitement, awe, and fear (I was 4.)This is adorable and the highlight of my day. Thank you. |
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Post by Ingram on May 11, 2022 22:00:08 GMT
The Ingram version: I want to make a proper post later but for now, the first thing that comes to mind is sitting in the local combination Taco Bell/Pizza Hutt staring at the giant render of Jar Jar affixed to the door with a kind of mixture of excitement, awe, and fear (I was 4... that's where my parents abandoned me)
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Post by Cryogenic on May 11, 2022 22:01:25 GMT
Revenge of the Sith- a girlfriend-with-benefits at the time Hmm, triggered. Cryo during TPM:- sexless, no-girlfriend Star Wars nerd Cryo during AOTC:- sexless, no-girlfriend Star Wars nerd Cryo during ROTS:- sexless, no-girlfriend Star Wars nerd Go prequels? You've led a colourful life, Ingram -- no wonder you're the beat poet of the Star Wars message board world! My brain primarily took from that: Sex, salmon, clouds, trees, dial-up, dirt. |
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Post by smittysgelato on May 11, 2022 22:03:04 GMT
I always have been and am still a sexless, no-girlfriend Star Wars nerd. Hahahaha. Beat that, Cryo!
Unless we count my marriage to Audrey Hepburn...
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