Friday, January 29, 2016

Star Wars Fan Films

I've seen some no-so-great Star Wars fan fiction. This, is not that!

Collider Jedi Council - Boba Fett Movie On Hold?

Star Wars re-remastered to high quality 1977 version!


Star Wars re-remastered to high quality 1977... by debunkerbuster

by Tracey Jaquith

Star Wars re - remastered!

Here's the problem:
- you love Star Wars
- you like high quality restored video and audio
- you are a purist and didn't like the added computer graphics (CG) junk to the 2004 DVD box set version
- you want the cleaned up video and audio, but without the baggage of those changes!
(See the changes in the film side-by-side in HD (about 15 minutes, no sound))

Some examples:
You've probably heard that in the Greedo vs. Han showdown, it was edited to make "Greedo shoot first".
But did you know *Greedo never shot*?! 8-)
All shots of the Jawa sandcrawler in full-view were changed.
Many dogfight or other model scenes were completely remade in CG.
There are even some subtle, "um wtf, george?" moments

If you are like me, and have the 2004 DVD box set version (or the 2 version limited edition DVD release with 1977 and 2004 versions) *and* have the 1977 version of the film DVD -- then this is for you! (The 1977 DVD version was dingy colors, poor quality (non-anamorphic) encoding, and stereo basic dingy sound -- it seemed a bit of a eff you to the fans. Why not release it an anamorphic DVD *at least*, if not the same start point (cleaned audio and video from the celluloid film) that the 2004 remaster began with?)

I took the two DVDs and merged them.

I managed to do so without altering/recompressing a single remastered video frame! (I just removed if it was an added scene like Jabba the Hut; or replaced with 1977 version of video when the 2004 switched the video (for example, landspeeding into Mos Eisley spaceport were all sorts of changes). (I used a great tool "avidemux" for frame-level MPEG2/VOB editing and made all my cuts with regard to I, B, and P frames to make sure all frame sequences were left pristine).

I was able to keep the 5.1 Dolby Digital (AC-3) audio soundtrack intact!

There are about 36 scene removals or replacements.

This item shows comparison of the two films next to each other to get a sense of the changes and "fixes". High Quality / HD version.

You can see the list of changes here.

If you have both DVDs, you can follow my steps and re-cut the same version of the film.
That's right, for only $16 and some setup/configuration, you can make this same nearly ideal 1977 version of the film in the highest quality video and audio, too!
You need some A/V tools but all of them can be found on linux, windoze, or mac. (I did all this on my Mac).
See my maker script here. All the files I used as well as the edit lists can be found in this item's dir. The edited DVD is created via one script that runs on the command line. So you need:
to have command line shell/terminal (add cygwin to windows; use existing terminal for mac; use existing terminal shell for linux for the 5.1 channel surround sound, just slightly harder to setup: "aften" and "audio_combine" (instructions in "README.txt").

Think I'm crazy/obsessed? This version is huge improvement to the 1977 DVD release, being faithful to the 1977 version in theatres. I spent a week moonlighting on this project; ILM/Lucas spent reportedly $10M for the remaster and changes.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Star Wars Elements in the X-Files

Mulder, Scully...and Chris Carter
Hey! This part of the site needs no explanation, does it? If you want to contribute something you've noticed, be sure to send it to MaritaSRSG@aol.com, with the subject as "Star Wars in X-Files," or fill out this form. And without further ado, here's the list:
  • I can't help but think of Obi-wan saying "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine" when the first elder or whom ever [CSM, WMM both do] says "Kill Mulder and you risk turning one man's quest into a crusade." I know it's a strech, but hey, it's me! Also, have you noticed that Mulder is Force sensitive. I mean he's always going on feellings, and he's always right! Oh, and if you've read Antibodies by Kevin J. Anderson, you'll remember that the boys dog was named Vader.
[submitted by Spooky Jaina Solo of Coruscant]
  • After seeing the movie and being an avid SW fan, I immediately jumped on several elements in the movie, which my best friend heartily denies. Did you notice the relationships between Kurtzweil and Mulder and between Strughold and Mulder--another Obiwan/Luke dynamic. Also several scenes including the opening one (heavy snow, monster in a cave elements), Mulder spying on the Antarctica complex (white shirt, vest, hood-just like Han Solo in Empire). The desert scene-where is it located?-Foum Tatouine, Tunisia [which, as I wrote Michael, is a true tribute to Star Wars, as indicated in magazine articles]. Also Scully is frozen ala Han Solo [and saved by who other than her Mulder?]. And has in Empire is there not an interrupted kiss? Although Mulder's and Scully's lips don't touch, I think everyone knows they would have gotten it on if not for the bee. And FEMA- the secret govt. sounds a lot like prequel lore--a republic being overthrown in a state of emergency and replaced by martial law.
[submitted by Michael Lawler.]
  • "The Erlenmeyer Flask"--Mulder tells Deep Throat to "cut the Obi-Wan Kenobi crap." Deep Throat is killed in the same episode, attempting to save Mulder, who is returned to safety. Compare: Obi-Wan sacrificed his life for Luke's escape from the Death Star. Both Obi-Wan and Deep Throat return to Mulder and Luke in apparition form (X-Files "The Blessing Way"). And when Mulder gets pissed off at Deep Throat for lying to him ("E.B.E"), it reminds me how Luke got worked up when he found out that Obi-Wan had lied to him about Darth Vader.
  • "Small Potatoes"--Who could forget? Amanda Nelligan, a fervent Star Wars fan, claims she was impregnated by Luke Skywalker!
  • Jodo_Kast: In "Small Potatoes", I think we are missing the best quote . "I think there's more going on here then Luke and his Lightsaber" --Mulder.
  • "Jose Chung's From Outer Space"--StupidMarcus (Visit URL): Remember the opening sequence? We first see the night sky and that Roky's working platform descending from above, that is an exact duplicate from the beginning of the Star Wars movie when we see an enormous Star Destroyer appearing from the top of the screen. Marita: Which reminds me, Blaine Faulkner has a model of theMillennium Falcon in his room.
  • "Kitsunegari"--Linda Bowman turns out to be Robert Modell's twin sister. And both possess a power included in the Force, though much stronger in a concentrated area (mind control, alter). And they would probably be on the Dark Side. Though Leia's Force powers are strongly suggested in the movie trilogy, more of that is explored in the novels. And Kevin J. Anderson writes books for both the X-Files and Star Wars.
  • Well, CSM could be Mulder's father. And Spender (though male) could be his brother... maybe even his twin ("The Red and the Black"--CSM writes "twin war gods"). CSM seems to be a major enemy at first, but we can see him protecting Mulder when meeting with the Council... almost like Vader protecting Luke from the Emperor. And CSM offers Mulder a job with him ("Redux II"), like Darth Vader offers Luke to join the Dark Side. And how about how CSM told Spender, "I am your father" ("The End")!
  • This is a farther stretch...but Marita Covarrubias and Alex Krycek remind me of Leia and Han in "The Empire Strikes Back." They seem to talk roughly to each other at first, then are seen later in "The Red and the Black" to be kissing passioniately. Even later, like poor Han who is frozen in carbonite, Marita contracts the Black Oil Thing. Too bad it wasn't Alex who saved her directly...but he was the one with the antidote, no? Although really, Han and Leia don't break up so soon over some betrayal, I suppose.
  • The whole clone thing. Though in Star Wars, the clone thing is merely suggested and will probably be explored more in Episodes II or III.

Source:

http://www.oocities.org/area51/shadowlands/4951/swxf.html

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Thursday, January 21, 2016

John Boyega Gets the Short End of the Stick on Star Wars 'Entertainment Weekly' Cover


Everybody is poised and posed, except for sweaty and scared Boyega.


Click Pic to Enlarge

Star Wars Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base - SNL

SUPER STAR WARS - PLAY FREE ONLINE


Super Star Wars is a 1992 video game for the Super NES based on the 1977 film Star Wars and re-released on the Virtual Console in 2009. It is the SNES equivalent of the Star Wars NES game. Super Star Wars features mostly run and gun gameplay, although it has stages which feature other challenges, such as driving a landspeeder or piloting an X-wing. It also features multiple playable characters with different abilities. The game was followed by two sequels based on the subsequent Star Wars films, Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

http://super-nintendo-emulator.com/shooter/Super_Star_Wars

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Alex Jones's Interview of Donald Trump is Going Well

I liked the interview, but that's pretty funny. :)


Alex Jones's interview of Donald Trump is going well.

The Darth Jar Jar/Jar Jar Sith Lord Theory Explained in Detail

This is hands down the most comprehensive and well-argued case for this theory.



I've seen a lot of material on this theory, but have yet to see anybody cite this good piece of evidence.
"The Gungan General" is the twelfth episode in Season One of theStar Wars: The Clone Wars television series. 
Commander Stone sends Jar Jar to "negotiate", knowing that the Gungan's ineptitude will be useful. As the pirates take him hostage, Jar Jar accidentally rams one tank into another and subsequently shuts down the power grid. The Weequays attempt to kill him, only for the clones to hold them at gunpoint.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Gungan_General

Jar Jars supposed bumbling antics in this episode is also arguably responsible for the death of the Senator that puts Binks in charge of the Clones Troopers.


Star Wars - Hardware Wars (Special-Edition)


Star Wars - Hardware Wars (Special-Edition) by JuleToler

Cello Wars


"Cello Wars" Is The Best Star Wars Parody That... by Randomkittenbox

Original Vs Special Edition Vs Blu Ray

These changes are most triumphant.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Star Wars Episode 8: Previews, Predictions, Rumors & Why It Could Very Well Be Better Than Force Awakens

Posted 12/2415 Updated 1/11/16



Episode 7 Spoiler Warning! I'll start off with my prediction for Episode 8. As has been noted by many a reviewer, Force Awakens mirrored plot points from A New Hope. This was also done to some extent in the prequels. If Episode 8 uses the same mold, then a big reveal akin to Luke Skywalker learning his father is Darth Vader is in store and Rey as the female Luke character being revealed as Luke's daughter does not fit the bill. For one, it is widely believed already that this is the case and would not be enough of a surprise. Furthermore, it would not be a revelation of being the seed of evil as was the case for Luke in Empire. Since Rey is a female, Captain Phasma being outed as her mother would make a lot of sense and further explain why Luke became a recluse.


What does it feel like to be Captain Phasma in... by CNET
As to why there is good reason to believe Episode 8 could very well be better than Force Awakens... For one thing, JJ Abrams will return in an executive producer role. Kathleen Kennedy will be a producer and was a producer on the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the Jurassic Park franchise.

The writer and director, Rian Johnson, was the recipient of the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. He is known for writing and directing the award winning and critically acclaimed films Looper and Brick. Ram Bergman, a producer for Looper, is also on board. Johnson also directed 3 episodes of the smash hit show Breaking Bad, for which he was awarded a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing. 

Another producer for Episode 8, Simon Kinberg, is known for his work on widely popular X-Men films. And to top it all off, Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey in Force Awakens, has stated that she read the Episode 8 script and that "it's very good; very good."


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Unlikely but Fun Kylo Ren Theories

Friday, January 8, 2016

Defending The Prequels with Joseph Scrimshaw! - Jedi Alliance - Episode #22

Star Wars - Behind Blue Eyes

Pawn Stars S12E20 - Season 12 Episode 20 Full Episode - The Pawn Awakens

Pawn Stars - 2015 - Special - The Star Wars Vault

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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Star Wars Deleted Scenes

Seth MacFarlane Interviews George Lucas

7 Changes George Lucas Made to Star Wars That Actually Made Sense – Rebel Base

All Changes Original Star Wars Trilogy Comparison Videos



Related:

All Yoda Scenes Comparison - The Phantom Menace [1080p HD]

All Yoda Scenes Comparison - The Phantom Menace [1080p HD]



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All Changes Original Star Wars Trilogy Comparison Videos

Things the Prequels did BETTER than the Originals - Star Geek


Things the Prequels did BETTER than the... by CornelGeno

7 Things You May Not Know About Han Solo


7 Things You May Not Know About Han Solo by ClevverMovies

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9 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Luke Skywalker

9 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Luke Skywalker


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7 Things You May Not Know About Han Solo

Every Jedi Ever

All 7 Star Wars Movies In 1 Trailer (Star Wars: The Phantom Clones Revenge A New Empire Of The Jedi Force Awakens)

Now you can finally experience all seven Star Wars movies in one convenient movie trailer also known as "Star Wars: The Phantom Clones Revenge A New Empire Of The Jedi Force Awakens."
 

All 7 Star Wars Movies In 1 Trailer (Star Wars... by worldwideinterweb

Why Kylo Ren’s Lightsaber Design Makes Total Sense



Unlikely but Fun Kylo Ren Theories



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Star Wars Episode 8: Previews, Predictions, Rumors & Why It Could Very Well Be Better Than Force Awakens

'Star Wars: Episodes I-III' Explained in 3 Minutes


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The Films That Inspired the Star Wars Franchise


The Films That Inspired the Star Wars Franchise by FastCompany

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Star Wars 'Rogue One' Fan Art


Star Wars 'Rogue One' Fan Art by debunkerbuster

Image Sources: 

http://starwarsparodyhub.blogspot.com/2016/01/star-wars-rogue-one-fan-posters.html 

http://www.deviantart.com/tag/starwarsrogueone 

http://kyle-culver.deviantart.com/art/Star-Wars-Rogue-One-Fan-Art-522702119 

http://bisulcisdrawblog.tumblr.com/post/118060641647/swrom4 

http://andrewss7.deviantart.com/art/Rogue-One-A-Star-Wars-Story-570602149 

http://www.3djuegos.com/comunidad-foros/tema/37762204/0/mas-rumores-sobre-de-la-trama-de-star-wars-rogue-one/ 

https://www.google.com/search?q=rogue+one+fan+art&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=879&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj1vYurr47KAhXKkx4KHZRdA2AQ_AUIBigB&dpr=1#imgrc=KuJed46gMFzLaM%3A 

https://www.google.com/search?q=rogue+one+fan+art&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=879&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj1vYurr47KAhXKkx4KHZRdA2AQ_AUIBigB&dpr=1#imgrc=kF9DPJPyks_TXM%3A 

http://danielamaro.deviantart.com/art/Rogue-One-579383823 

Music: 

http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=021&page=1

How Kylo Ren Got Darth Vader's Helmet - Star Wars Minute

Disney Infinity 3.0 Anakin vs Obi-Wan

Disney Infinity 3.0 Kylo Ren Vs Darth Vader

The Names Came From Earth

By ERIC P. NASH
Published: January 26, 1997

TWENTY YEARS AGO, the film maker George Lucas expanded everybody's notion of how fast a movie could really move with the first installment of his ''Star Wars'' trilogy. A new generation of moviegoers will be introduced to ''Star Wars'' on Friday, when the film returns to the big screen with a digitally remastered soundtrack, new scenes (including a meeting between Han Solo and the gelatinous Jabba the Hutt) and some visually enhanced effects.
Part of what makes the ''Star Wars'' universe such fun is that the characters seem to emerge from their own complex cultures. Then there is the ear-tickling felicity of the names. It's hard to resist saying Boba Fett, Bounty Hunter, out loud just to try it on the lips. Just where did George Lucas come up with all these weird names?
''Basically, I developed the names for the characters phonetically,'' Mr. Lucas said. ''I obviously wanted to telegraph a bit of the character in the name. The names needed to sound unusual but not spacey. I wanted to stay away from the kind of science fiction names like Zenon and Zorba. They had to sound indigenous and have consistency between their names and their culture.''
Much has been made of the director's use of world myths from Joseph Campbell's ''Hero With a Thousand Faces,'' but ''Star Wars'' is also a synthesis of the treasure trove of American pop culture -- everything from comic strips, pulp fiction and films ranging from John Ford's ''Searchers'' to Victor Fleming's ''Wizard of Oz'' to Akira Kurosawa's ''Hidden Fortress.''
''Star Wars'' in turn has spawned a galaxy of sub-industries -- more than two dozen novels, trading cards, action figures, role-playing games, scores of websites and guides specializing in intergalactic arcana -- many of which have been consulted in preparing this interstellar who's who.
Darth Vader: Mr. Lucas went back to the Dutch root for father to arrive at a name that approximates ''Dark Father.'' Vader's original name is Anakin Skywalker. Anakin is a variation on a race of giants in Genesis, and Skywalker is an appellation for Loki, the Norse god of fire and mischief. The inspiration for Vader's face mask was in all likelihood the grille of a '56 Chevy.
Luke Skywalker: The name of the character played by Mark Hamill derives from the Greek leukos, or light, an interesting contrast to Darth Vader. Luke of the Gospels was a gentile who converted to Christianity, an appropriate name for a boy who discovers the power of the Force.
Tatooine is the name of Luke's home planet, derived from the town of Tataouine in Tunisia, the country where the desert scenes in ''Star Wars'' were filmed. An early draft of the script was called ''The Adventures of Luke Starkiller.'' It's easy to read Luke S. as a stand-in for Lucas.
Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) has braids that resemble dinner rolls, but her name evokes the lovely Princess Dejah Thoris in the John Carter of Mars tales by Edgar Rice Burroughs, as well as Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''Lord of the Rings.'' The surname Organa reflects the conflict of nature and technology seen in the forest-dwelling heroes pitted against the machines of the Empire, according to Lucas's biographer, Dale Pollock.
The name Han Solo (Harrison Ford) capitalizes on the archaic sound of Han, a variation of John, to set us in a mythical world. The name Solo addresses his key character issue: Solo is a lone gun who must learn to trust others and identify with a greater cause. The swashbuckler's name also recalls one of the great pop culture adventurers, Napoleon Solo, ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' Napoleon Solo, by the way, first appeared as a minor hood in the James Bond novel ''Goldfinger.''
R2-D2 According to Mr. Lucas, the robot who resembles a whistling Hoover vacuum cleaner got his name from a sound editor's shorthand for ''Reel Two, Dialogue Two'' during the making of his earlier hit, 'American Graffiti.''
Chewbacca, the towering Wookiee, was a name inspired by Indiana, Mr. Lucas's rambunctious malamute. (The dog also lent his name to the hero of the film maker's Indiana Jones series.) Wookiee comes from an ad lib in ''THX 1138,'' the film maker's first feature film: ''I think I ran over a Wookiee back there.''
Jedi, the name of the ancient knighthood, is a tip of the hat to Burrough's Barsoom, where lords bear the title of Jed or Jeddak.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), also known as old Ben Kenobi, is revealed to us as a Jedi knight and introduces Luke to the power of the Force. Obi is the Japanese word for the sash used to tie a kimono; it may connote the Jedi knight's status as a martial arts master. Similarly, Wan sounds like the Japanese honorific suffix san. ''OB'' is also short for Old Ben, but there is chatter on the Internet that his name is really OB-1, a cryptic reference to Mr. Lucas's much anticipated history of the Clone Wars in future ''Star Wars'' installments.
Ewoks, those almost unbearably cute, highly marketable teddy-bear characters who saved the day in ''The Return of the Jedi'' inhabit the forest moon of Endor (the witch in the Book of Samuel hailed from a similarly named locale). Their name may sound like a variant of Wookiee, but is taken from Miwok, the Indian tribe indigenous to San Rafael, Calif., the location of Mr. Lucas's Skywalker Ranch.
Boba Fett, at least according to one fan on the World Wide Web, is a sly reference to another hotshot jockey, Bob Falfa, the drag racer played by none other than Mr. Ford in ''American Graffiti.''
Banthas, the shaggy, screw-horned mounts of the honking Sand People, are a variation on banth, a beast found on Barsoom. The Sand People bear similarities to nomadic tribes in the science fiction writer Frank Herbert's desert classic ''Dune.'' The diminutive Jawas, who chatter like the cartoon chipmunks Chip 'n Dale, call to mind Indonesian Islam. Their name is perhaps echoic of Moroccan Gnawa trance music.
Photos: In ''Star Wars,'' aboard the Millennium Falcon, the Wookiee Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), left, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) attempt to evade Imperial star fleet. (20th Century Fox) (pg. 11); Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), wielding his light saber. (20th Century Fox); Darth Vader, a lapsed Jedi knight, has embraced the Dark Side. (20th Century Fox) (pg. 22)

Related:

skywalker(Noun)