The incoherent bloggings of a die-hard Star Wars fan.
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Weird Al Yankovic - Yoda
And so begins my 20th year of life.
The Star Wars DVD's have been out for more than a week now. Accept it or not, George Lucas has changed the trilogy yet again. Regardless, the DVD set is selling like hotcakes. You have to hand it to Lowry Digital for their unbelievable restoration of the films, especially A New Hope, the grittiest and grainiest of the three. I can tell you with no ego that the movie looks like it was filmed yesterday.
Moreover, Green Day's American Idiot has also been out for more than a week. I've been holding my review of the album as my opinions on it have greatly evolved with subsequent... listenings.
I will tell you that my first impression was basically, "This sucks. It's Shenanigans 2, plus 'American Idiot.'" I gave the album another couple tries, and I started to realize that some of the other songs weren't bad (namely "Jesus of Suburbia," "Holiday," "Whatshername"), it's just not classic Green Day. Now when I listen to the album, I realize overall it's not a bad album, it's just not very compelling. Some of the songs are trite and boring lyric-wise, and the constant habit of referencing other songs in the same album was just weird, as if they only really had the creativity to write one song and base all the other songs off of it. Singing that little "nobody likes you" theme over and over throughout the album just got stupid. *sigh*
Apparently a shot of me at the Westwood line-up ended up on Fox News, and TechTV aired their interview with me as well as with Tim. Unfortunately, I don't have TechTV. :(
Artwork by Gabe and Tycho, creators of arguably the most popular webcomic in existence, Penny Arcade, updated roughly three times a week.
The Star Wars Trilogy is now out on DVD!!! It's already shattered all records for entertainment franchise spending in a single day and became the bestselling film collection ever released on DVD. The Star Wars Trilogy DVD's and Star Wars: Battlefront have together generated over $115 million just yesterday. If you don't already have it, then perhaps I can find new ways to motivate you... (hehe, little Darth Vader moment there, don't mind me)
The Star Wars Trilogy DVD Midnight Release Line-up
What began as an impulsive desire to wait in line an entire 24 hours for the most anticipated DVD release in history finally became a reality (and I got Chris to join me too!).
We arrived the Westwood Best Buy, one of only nine midnight release locations for the DVD's, at midnight Monday morning to discover we were the first in line. We pitched our chairs and read books to pass the time.
Later, after a few more Star Wars fans appeared to line up with us, the Best Buy managers relocated us away from the nextdoor Ralphs entrance and put up a sign to mark where the line would begin.
We made a lot of new friends waiting in line. Knowing alone that we were going to be first to (legally) get the DVD's was enough to keep us excited, but the hours passed by faster when we played games. Here, Chris, Rupert, Jody, Justin, and Art play a round of Epic Duels. We were getting away from the drudgery of our normal Monday life... spent playing Epic Duels at home! ;)
Tim, Caroline, and Rem arrived as the line began to grow pretty long. The guy who brought his home-made remote-control R2-D2 to Comic-Con brought it to the Westwood line-up too. Here, Tim and I pose with the famous Artoo. I think that's the NBC cameraman behind us.
As it neared 10:30 PM when Lucasfilm would begin the festivities (trivia contests, prize giveaways, etc.), it started getting a little crazy out there. The line grew to at least a hundred, and NBC, ABC, TechTV, and a handful of independent documentary filmmakers arrived and started filming everything (as I was first in line, they pretty much all interviewed me). When the members of the 501st arrived in costume, the crowd went nuts.
Very exciting, Darth Vader himself! He's here. All the other nerds tremble in his presence! :)
me: Which of these buttons calls your parents--
the scary nerd in the Vader suit: (sarcastically) Oh ha-ha...
As it neared midnight, there were several hundred Star Wars fans in line. The noise level was enormous. When they finally opened the doors, the 501st made an archway as we poured into the Best Buy. It was at that very moment that I knew being first in line was truly worth the wait. At long last, THE STAR WARS TRILOGY IS ON DVD!!! And here I am at Chris' house in my snazzy Battlefront T-shirt, given to the first fifty people in line.
In restrospect, the line-up was a blast, I met a lot of cool new people while waiting, I got to be interviewed for Access Hollywood (thought it appears they played no footage of it), TechTV (have yet to see if they play anything), and whole bunch of independent documentaries. The director of the highly acclaimed Starwoids (a documentary on the fans lining up for Episode I, which I own on DVD), Dennis Pryzwara, was there and he interviewed me twice, before and after I got the DVD. He gave me his card, told me to email him, and said he'd email me when screenings of the much-anticipated Starwoids 2 would be. SWEET!!!
Off to Westwood with Chris to wait an entire day, obliterate a paycheck, and then run the marathon. But I do it because I love Star Wars. :)
As far as I know, Chris is doing it because he's got nothing better to do. In the meantime, here's Sam in my bed:
2 days until The Star Wars Trilogy releases on DVD!!!
Got my first ticket today. Wheee...
Yeah, this morning I parked my car alongside the student-reserved spots on Darby Avenue and went to class. I came back to discover a parking ticket, because apparently my car, along with all the other cars parked there, were in the way of the street sweeper. The fine is $45.
Now apparently (according to Mike) they routinely sweep the area every Thursday. However there is no sign on Darby Avenue indicating that we are not allowed to park there on Thursdays or that it's even sweeped at all. There are a couple signs alongside the student spaces that simply say that you need a CSUN parking permit to park there. Apparently there are signs on Nordhoff, but not on Darby. So how the hell was I (and all the other people who parked there today, of which there were plenty) supposed to know I wasn't allowed to park there? Tomorrow I'm calling the number on the ticket to bitch about it, because frankly I think it's unfair.
Amidst the hype and anticipation of the most requested DVD release in history, I actually forgot I turn 19 in a week.
Why I still have this is beyond me. Very very few of you even know what this is, lol.
5 days until The Star Wars Trilogy releases on DVD!!!
Congratulations Genndy Tartakovsky and the team behind Cartoon Network's Star Wars: Clone Wars on the Emmy award for Outstanding Animated Program!
Dude, have any of you gone to Best Buy recently and seen the 4-minute trailer for the Star Wars DVD's? Lowry Digital's unbelievably pristine restoration of the films is mindblowing on a 52" high definition screen. The sheer amount of detail in every shot gave me the chills.
Frigg'n people in New York with access to shady DVD stores who are ok with giving out DVD's early. The Star Wars Trilogy DVD set is already in the hands of some civilians. Yeeargh! *cry of jealousy*
THX 1138: The George Lucas Director's Cut is out on DVD! Here's my own copy, featured among two of the exclusive opening weekend posters.
10.) Bad Religion - The Empire Strikes First
One week until The Star Wars Trilogy releases on DVD!!!
Actual conversation from work, verbatim:
Dustin: You're pretty white-washed.
me: Yeah, I'm a Twinkie; yellow on the outside, white on the inside.
Dustin: What about Ronald? He's Korean, but he acts black.
me: But there really isn't anything that's yellow on the outside and black on the inside...
Dustin: He's Krack! *giggles like a little girl*
THX 1138, George Lucas' first feature-length film released in 1971, is back in theaters in an extremely limited engagement. Released yesterday in only 21 theaters, this restored and enhanced director's cut of the influential film, a metaphor for the way people lived in 1970, rings true even today in the 21st century.
I got to see it for the first time yesterday at the ArcLight Hollywood. And I must say, I was pretty empressed. The pristine restoration of the film on the big screen was stunning. For the first time I got to see a movie projected digitally, and let me tell you, it makes a huge difference in visual quality, even for such an old film.
The movie, which takes place in a distant future where an underground colony of humans is forced to take medication and live under the oppression of the very things they create, is hard to follow at first as it is told from the perspective of a sedated and apathetic character. And as nearly all of the scenes serve as some sort of metaphor for an aspect of modern American society, the plot is rather loose and at times confusing. But looking back on the story, I can see how everything fits into place. It's George Lucas at his prime, even before Star Wars; definitely check it out, either in its limited theatrical release or when it hits DVD this Tuesday.
Oh, and on another note, why the hell are all these great movies coming out in select theaters?! I swear, I have to drive out to some distant city every time I want to see a movie that's actually worth watching. However, I can understand the limited release of THX 1138. Had they made this director's cut a wide release, we'd have dumb parents taking their little kids to this graphic and disturbing R-rated film saying, "Hey little Johnny, this is a movie made by the same guy who did Star Wars!" "Cooool!" :)
What really happened to American Airlines Flight 77? All this time that we focused our attentions on the WTC, could the FBI have duped us as to what really occurred at the Pentagon exactly three years ago on the morning of September 11, 2001? Take a look at this. A more extensive analysis can be found here.
While working at the arcades, I found a $1 bill in my apron that was being tracked at Where's George, so I went to the website and punched in the serial number. This bill started out in good condition almost three months ago in O'ahu, Hawaii and ended up in the hands of someone in Glendale who'd gone there on vacation over a month ago. And then somehow it ended up at Cash Control at Magic Mountain in ok condition (has a few creases). Now I need to go spend the bill and let it run its course.
I took a look at other bills at Where's George. The bill with the most hits from people willing enough to enter the serial number at the website has 15 hits from nine different states. Starting in Dayton, OH in March 2002, this bill ended up being someone's tip, traveled through five stores, two fast food places, a racetrack, a strip club, and was once found stuck to a bathroom urinal. It was last found in Kincheloe, MI last month.
Jersey Girl and the Clerks 10th Anniversary set came out on DVD today and are now in my hands. I also got Dogma, which I've been meaning to get for a while now. Viva Kevin Smith! :)
Artwork by Pocketmancer, creator of Pockethouse and the Gunbound webcomic, updated daily:
14 days until The Star Wars Trilogy releases on DVD!
So the RNC is over. The protesters have dissipated, and Bush's ratings have yet again inched upward. Democratic Senator Zell Miller's speech was a high point of the convention, but I couldn't help but find his arguments amusing. He pointed out that Senator Kerry had opposed the use of many of the weapons used in the War on Terror (or shall we call it the War on an Abstract Noun) and how Kerry has said he will only use military force if approved by the U.N., then Miller adds that "George Bush wants to grab terrorists by the throat and not let them go to get a better grip." Then what made me laugh is that in his very next paragraph he describes Bush's belief that "God is not indifferent to America" and finishes is speech with "God Bless this great country and God Bless George W. Bush."
Hmm...
What Would Jesus Do?
Certainly not "grab terrorists by the throat and not let them go to get a better grip." In the meantime, let's all vote for Bush so that we don't go to Hell. Kerry's passive nature speaks of the Devil! Blasphemy!
Hey Zell, ever read the Bible? It isn't about justifying war, it's about love and forgiveness. Try reading it sometime.
Hero was actually a lot more enjoyable seeing it a second time. Knowing what wasn't true and what wasn't a correctly-defined character made it more accessible and I had time to sit back and enjoy the story rather than figure out what was going on and who exactly the antagonists were. And I noticed a lot of little things, like the quick shot of the billowing green curtains as the King of Qin recalled how Falling Snow and Broken Sword had once stormed his palace, and how the candles behaved before you knew why they were doing that. If there's anything I didn't like about watching it the second time, it was the bastard lady who was bellowing laughter as Broken Sword and Nameless fought. You could feel everyone in the theater glower at her.
If you haven't seen Hero yet, you might want to consider going to the doctor.
Thanks to Jen for getting me an illegal (yes, I guess I'm not all about the legal music anymore, but never fear, I still pay for iTunes music) copy of the Garden State soundtrack. As for leaving my car keys in her car, I owe her an elephant off eBay. The shipping on elephants has to be killer.
Oh, and Jim Caviezel (Jesus in The Passion of the Christ) has apparently been chosen to follow in Christopher Reeves' footsteps and play the next Superman, hence the photoshopped image above.
24 hours, Westwood Best Buy midnight line, then the marathon! Who's coming? :)
16 days until The Star Wars Trilogy releases on DVD!
