Messages

14626

Entertainment / Re: Star Wars Blu Ray is out!

« on: September 20, 2011, 07:51:59 AM »

They replaced puppet Yoda in TPM with a CG render, and judging by the render's quality, I suspect that they've had the render sitting around for a long time.  Granted, compared to ESB Yoda, the puppet Yoda in TPM wasn't that good in quality, but I still prefer puppetry over CGI.  For one, puppet Yoda was real.  He was a real, tangible character that the actors could interact with.

Now, if only they had spent some more time on and put some more effort into building puppet TPM Yoda, they wouldn't have felt the need to replace him with even worse CGI...  But, that's another rant concerning Lucas's love affair with 3DSMax entirely.

When actors lack something tangible to interact with, they need to fake it.  And the audience notices that.

14627

Off The Wall / Re: The 'How Was Your Day' Thread

« on: September 20, 2011, 06:21:44 AM »

I packed boxes.  Most of the day.  Man, I need better things to do.

Like drawing porn.

14628

Entertainment / Re: Star Wars Blu Ray is out!

« on: September 20, 2011, 05:45:34 AM »

Yeah, the cinematography in the Prequels suffered, as did the fight scenes.  Flourishing may look pretty on camera, but that's really all that it is.  In a fight, it leaves you wide open, it wastes time, and while you're spinning around and trying to look all slick, your fight-dirty opponent has stabbed you in the flank.  And the usage of all digital scenes, characters, and such just leaves the acting sterile.  The scenes lack substance, there isn't any real danger as the characters are miming moves that they practiced against a guy in a blue unitard.

When the Tusken Raider attacked Luke in ANH, that scene had far more urgency, far more realism than the Yoda/Dooku duel because it was real.  There was a real threat.  Yes, that real threat was the rag-swaddled stunt coordinator with a glorified crobar, but he was still a real threat!  He was a real, tangible threat!  And that prop would hurt if he hit you with it!

CGI would only hurt if you threw a CPU at someone.

14629

Forum Games / Re: CTRL+V

« on: September 19, 2011, 10:18:04 AM »

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/4288/p0906110155.jpg

Still that.

Posted on: September 07, 2011, 10:16:23 AM    "Marcopius had been a loyal retainer of Her Excellency's, a good pilot, and, as far as Threepio was capable of judging, an admirable young man. Though Threepio personally saw no reason why human remains should not simply be jettisoned, burned, or for that matter stewed and eaten by other humans in an emergency (provided they were certified free of harmful bacteria first and, if possible, aesthetically prepared), he was acutely aware that neither Her Excellency, the young man's family, nor the deceased himself would have considered this send-off at all respectful."
    ―C-3PO, musing on funeral arrangements in Planet of Twilight[src]


Serious about recycling?  Eat the dead.  Threepio endorses it.

14630

Forum Games / Re: What did you learn today?

« on: September 19, 2011, 09:02:12 AM »

I learned that the local military surplus store sells some very nice winter coats.  I have every intention of purchasing a wool coat for the winter and getting patches for it.  I should get a German coat...

14631

Off The Wall / Re: See ya later!/Welcome back!

« on: September 19, 2011, 08:53:29 AM »

Very soon I'm going to be moving to a new place.  I'm not sure when I'll get a permanent Internet connection, so at the very least, I'll attempt to drop by every weekend when I "borrow" the net at my grandma's.  So, when I vanish for a while and only show up once or twice a week, that's why.

14632

Off The Wall / Re: The 'How Was Your Day' Thread

« on: September 19, 2011, 06:42:57 AM »

I put flea drops on the cats.  Then, I went into town and stopped at the military surplus store.  I got some woodland camo pants (size extra-small to go with my size extra-small jacket), a hat, and a big laundry bag.  Then, I went to Wal-mart when they were doing inventory and took boxes.  Lots and lots of boxes.

14633

Entertainment / Re: Star Wars Blu Ray is out!

« on: September 19, 2011, 06:40:41 AM »

Sadly.  Lucas knows he has a cash cow and he's not afraid to milk it.  Quite shrewd, I'll admit, but it's still disheartening.

14634

Entertainment / Re: Star Wars Blu Ray is out!

« on: September 19, 2011, 06:10:26 AM »

I saw the OT when I was four and understood it fine.  The PT took some after-movie discussion, if I recall.

Oh, when I was scouring Wal-mart for boxes (they were doing inventory and restocking, so I was helping myself to the discarded boxes), I saw their display for the BluRays.  Pretty spiffy.  I should steal that cardboard AT-AT and give its damage some duck tape love.

Then I saw a SW keg of popcorn and died inside a little.

14635

Fan Creations / Re: welcome to my art can....yes art....

« on: September 19, 2011, 05:26:45 AM »

A basic three-act plot structure is this:

Set-up:  That's where you set the stage, introduce the characters, and begin to introduce the conflict.

Conflict:  The conflict is brought in and the characters must now deal with it.

Resolution:  The characters have triumphed over adversity, and now you make sure to get everyone off the stage as soon as possible.

The third act has slipped some writers up on occasion, as while their loose ends may be tied up and everything is resolved, their characters are still lingering around and meandering aimlessly.  The third act is when you clear the stage.  The simplest story structure is akin to a rollercoaster; you begin the big climb up the big hill, reach the summit, then WHEEEEE! Free-fall to the bottom and the ride is over.  Don't allow the ride to just coast along on a straightaway afterward unless you plan to put in more hills.

14636

Off The Wall / Re: Reposted Picture Thread (56K Warning)

« on: September 17, 2011, 05:53:50 AM »

I'll happily stick with my dumb phone.  At least I have more control over what I type.

14637

Entertainment / Re: Star Wars Blu Ray is out!

« on: September 17, 2011, 05:46:38 AM »

According to the BluRay tweak, it's the same exact time. 

14638

Entertainment / Re: Star Wars Blu Ray is out!

« on: September 17, 2011, 05:41:45 AM »

No, there's a ton of other piddly changes, most of which were already described above.  Such as the pointless Dug in Jabba's palace, complete with lousy pan-and-scan, some rocks added to Artoo's hiding place in ANH for whatever pointless reason (we'll ignore how the [tornado fang] he was able to get INTO that crevice), more tweaks to the Han and Greedo scene, tweaks to Obi-Wan's krayt dragon yell, the list goes on and on and on and on...

People are more up in arms about the "NOOOOO" added to when Vader chucked Palpatine down the shaft.

14639

Entertainment / Re: Star Wars Blu Ray is out!

« on: September 17, 2011, 05:25:19 AM »

One of these days, some fan is gonna be pushed too far and they'll go ballistic.

As for the Family Guy or Robot Chicken parodies; Lucas wouldn't touch those.  No, he's too content with reworking his own stuff over and over to meet this so-called "original vision" that he claims he has (which, he does not.  He's pulling [parasitic bomb] out of his ass now).  He'd much rather replace all the model and puppetry and good, tangible special effects with CGI, and add Vader's "NOOOOO!" to the ending of RotJ for whatever ass-[tornado fang] reason.

14640

Off The Wall / Re: Reposted Picture Thread (56K Warning)

« on: September 17, 2011, 04:28:39 AM »

Bad subtitles ahoy!

14641

Entertainment / Re: Star Wars Blu Ray is out!

« on: September 17, 2011, 04:18:23 AM »

You know how much of a killing he would make if he would just give us nice unaltered releases?  Fans are clamoring for it, give the fans what they want instead of having a love affair with AfterEffects!

14642

Entertainment / Re: Star Wars Blu Ray is out!

« on: September 17, 2011, 03:56:34 AM »

I know of the changes and I have no intention of buying the BluRays simply because I don't have a BluRay player.  Hell, most of Wookieepedia are vehemently opposed to the changes.  A few are buying the BluRays because we need screenshots and whatever information the extra features may hold, and if I had a BluRay player and an extra $80 to burn, I would consider buying them for that purpose, too.

I'm happy with my stereo-sound half-assed release of the theatrical versions.

14643

Forum Games / Re: "What Are You Thinking Now?"

« on: September 17, 2011, 03:25:44 AM »

Lucas should fund our prescriptions for Prilosec with all the money he makes from us.

14644

Off The Wall / Re: The 'How Was Your Day' Thread

« on: September 17, 2011, 03:01:09 AM »

I've been wearing a long-sleeve shirt all day, and earlier, I had my military jacket on.  Last evening, I wore my old, oversized buck sergeant jacket (it's a medium, I wear an extra-small).  This evening, when I head out for the weekend, I'll be wearing it again.

14645

Off The Wall / Re: The 'How Was Your Day' Thread

« on: September 16, 2011, 07:59:41 AM »

Today, it rained and it was nice and cool.  Tomorrow is to be nice and cool, too.  Tonight is nice and cool, as well.  I like it when it is nice and cool.  It's nice and cool when it's nice and cool.

14646

Forum Games / Re: What did you learn today?

« on: September 14, 2011, 10:22:24 AM »

I learned that "lul" is Dutch slang for "[ray splasher]." 

The more you know...

14647

Forum Games / Re: "What Are You Thinking Now?"

« on: September 14, 2011, 07:39:52 AM »

It's like they're saying "We don't actually feel like maintaining the stuff we create, so we'll just leave it to the fan base from now on, since they do a better job at maintaining and archiving it than we do."

On the plus side, we're now unofficially official.

14648

Forum Games / Re: "What Are You Thinking Now?"

« on: September 14, 2011, 06:37:43 AM »

This StarWars.Com site revamp, particularly the Wookieepedia links, has me a bit wary. 

14649

Forum Games / Re: "What Are You Thinking Now?"

« on: September 13, 2011, 09:46:14 AM »

And whose lunar observance hast been [tornado fang]'d?  It wouldst be thou.

14650

Off The Wall / Re: Reposted Picture Thread (56K Warning)

« on: September 13, 2011, 09:03:11 AM »

I have seen six of Neoscona crucifera in my grandma's back yard.

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