Showing posts with label George Lucas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label George Lucas. Show all posts

June 23, 2011

Everything is a Remix...

Kirby Ferguson has so far produced 3 x 10 minute parts to his Everything is a Remix series. Part one: The Song Remains the Same, deals with music and bands and according to Ferguson the inevitably copying or stealing from others. Part two: Remix Inc. looks at the big business of using popular pulp in Hollywood film making and Part 3: The Elements of Creativity touches on the shared general knowledge and building blocks of industrial design.

All of Ferguson's films are well written and slick in execution, they do however feel like a trailer for a more heavy weight and in depth documentary series which I fear will never manifest. I also can't help think that he sometimes takes it too far, or in some cases, misses the point of the homage or reference altogether.

In Part 2: Remix Inc. Ferguson looks at the films of Quentin Tarantino, mainly Kill Bill part 1 and 2, revealing and comparing where he suspects Tarantino has borrowed/referenced a style from other movies. In Tarantino's case this is probably done quite deliberately, not in some attempt to enhance or better his work in a cheating fashion, but as a homage, a subtle celebration of the films that he loves.

Ferguson also compares Star Wars to WW2 dogfights and a handful of old samurai films where Lucas may have borrowed some plot points. He also points out that many scenes in Star Wars take direction directly from the early the Flash Gorden TV show's, not surprising as I remember reading that Lucas embarked his Star Wars project because he wanted to make Flash Gorden but rumor had it Dino de Laurentiis had already bought rights.

Ferguson's films are engaging enough, but I do feel that he is quick to accuse creative talent of homage or borrowing, sometimes these similarity's could be down to fashions or just using the language of film to put across an idea...



Check out the others here. Here's more Tarantino references.

November 13, 2010

Of course it was your fault...

If you watch TV or look around when you're outside I'm sure you would have seen the Currys and PC World Star Wars ad's...

Compared to all the other stuff released by Lucas Film in the last say 10 years, this is actually quite charming, with R2 and Threepio playing to their strengths...

June 16, 2010

They're digging in the wrong place. Again!

So the rumour mill surrounding Indiana Jones 5 keeps on grinding despite key players (Ford, Spielberg, LaBeouf) being skeptical. Indeed the only person who seems blindly optimistic is the man who caused all of the damage on Indy 4, George "creator and destructor of childhood dreams" Lucas. What has this mill spat out? Indiana Jones and the Bermuda Triangle... I shit you not.

As I say this is all, it would seem, just rumours so let's hope somebody smashes Big George's typewriter before he smashes any more dreams shall we?

Let everyone's favorite archeologist hang up his hat and whip with what little dignity he has left.

January 28, 2010

Musical fairies...?

Lucas related but not Star Wars related: George may be taking a trip out of the far away galaxy to pursue a CGI musical about fairies...

Check the post on Heat Vision, sounds nuts. Teaming up with Kevin Munroe of recent CGI TMNT fame and David Berenbaum writer of Elf and The Spiderwick Chronicles, and *cough* The Haunted Mansion. *cough*.
Anyhoo, might be interesting, might not. What is interesting though is that Mel Smith, from Smith & Jones once worked with Lucas on Radioland Murders back in the mid 90's, with Ned Beatty and Christopher Lloyd. Small strange world...

August 4, 2009

LISTEN! You smell something?

I however did play Ghostbusters the video game and I can say that overall it is refreshing to see such a popular franchise treated with the care and devotion it deserves. Even though this is a video game a certain Mr Lucas would do well to sit up and take notes on how NOT to butcher an existing series.

Anyway, the review: As with all things in life there are good elements and bad ones. Let's get the bad ones out of the way so we can end positively. First and foremost the cut-scene graphics are badly out of sync in parts which takes away from the brilliance of having the original cast reunited for and new script. Also the graphics in these scenes feel too clean and sharpened, it would have been nicer if some of that 80's film grit had been applied in order to make it more in-keeping. For me that was mainly it on the bad front. On to the good.

What can I say? It has been a loooong time coming and it is great that the team have resisted for so long (nobody mention the 80's Spectrum or Commodore 64 version) on the video game front. It becomes apparent that although obviously the cast are a lot older their love for these characters is still rife. No one sounds labored or bored with any of their lines. The script is fresh and clever in it's inclusion and explanation of revisiting old favorites in a new story, The Sedgewick hotel for example. Even when the Stay Puft marsh-mellow man rears his soft delicious head for a second time the script makes it believable and funny.

The great thing is that you play as a new recruit, a weapons specialist whose job it is to help the guys get more bang for their buck, and it works. All of this is topped off with an over all story that encompasses Ghostbusters 1 and 2 and in many ways ties them together in a neat trilogy. I would even go so far as to say that it adds strength to the weaker second film. The original score is there, the PKE meters are there, Ecto 1 is there, the fire-station (in which you can interact with objects before heading out on missions - fire pole anyone?) is there. It all adds up to a thoroughly enjoyable gaming experience...

What about the packs? Oh yes of course. There is a genius use of pack combination. I mean that you have multiple weapons in one pack, slime etc. It works very well and each weapon has it's own uses. In order to get better upgrades you must also hunt down cursed items some of which are truly inspired and for each that you find you get a description of how it came to be. I can't give away too much more needless to say if you are a fan you will love it, if you are not you will love it. If the rumor that the popularity of this game will dictate whether a third FILM will be made is true is anyone's guess, but if it is all signs look good to have the boys in grey back busting ghosts soon.

July 4, 2009

It's just another part of me...

Francis Ford Coppola directed this weird Disney movie and at a cost of about one million dollars per minute of film. When Captain EO was released in 1986, minute for minute this was the most expensive motion picture of all time. It featured as a 3-D attraction at Disney resorts. Ridiculous. Like a trip into MJ's crazy mind. Written by George Lucas based on an idea by Walt Disney Imagineering, whatever that is. Check out the Star Wars/ILM styling.


February 5, 2009

November 13, 2008

LET'S GEEEET READY TO RRRRRRRUUUUUMBLE...

Howdy folks
Just a very quick heads up!!! Dreamworks animation department (bless them) are once again trying to compete with the mighty Pixar. Not only is their new project "MONSTERS VS ALIENS" high concept they have even made the ultimate animated smack down available in True3D. Something that we will all be seeing a lot more of from the likes of James Cameron's Avatar, Steven Spielberg Tintin and George Lucas (A RUMORED STAR WARS EP IV 3D RELEASE).