Avarice Junkie

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

IF ONLY people would listen to this. I don’t know where people go to smoke whatever it is they are smoking to think that remakes are a good idea.

As a whole, I think that certain classic and legendary films should be left alone. Lately though, Hollywood can do no better than to attempt to remake movies that would stand the test of time and remain forever as brilliant films.

But then we have this:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/darth-vaders-no-just-one-changes-blu-ray-122600555.html

Where in the WORLD did George Lucas go that he fell and bumped his head (yet again) and decided that this was a good idea?? Did he take his billions of dollars and hire a hooker to asphyxiate him while sitting on his bed made of Star Wars bed sheets while wearing nothing but Jabba the Hutt underwear? Did these thoughts occur to him then?? 

The Star Wars saga is going to be on Blu-Ray. Well, that is exciting for those who have it. But now its reported that Lucas is adding more and more to these films for the Blu-Ray release. In particular the scene from the film “Return of the Jedi” where the Emperor is about to finish off Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader has a change of heart and saves Luke by throwing the Emperor into oblivion. Yet for the Blu-Ray version of this film, Lucas is going to add the screams of “NO!!!!!!” from Darth Vader.

Umm, what? You mean even though we can clearly see that Vader changes his mind about the fate of Luke and saves him, Lucas is going to turn this bad ass villain into a whining little tart with emotions?? COME ON!!!

But honestly, this isn’t what gets to me. Whether or not he is trying to make Darth Vader more heroic and less of a villain is not the problem. Although I would say leave the character as dark and as evil as he was.

What really is burning a hole in my brain is the fact that these particular changes are only going to be on Blu-Ray. (At least for now.) How fair is this to the people who enjoy the standard DVD or do not have Blu-Ray??

Star Wars began in May of 1977 with Episode IV “A New Hope”. Everybody in the world knows it as “Star Wars”. For whatever reason, Lucas decided to start with that and it ended with Episode VI “Return of the Jedi” in May of 1983. Then several years later, Lucas went back to the beginning and gave us Episodes I-III. 

The six part series made George Lucas so much cash! In theatrical releases (included the dreaded RE-release), the total that he made was over $4.41 BILLION. That is more money than the average human being can even fathom. Granted it is not the highest grossing movie series of all time, but it’s up there.

And then what did he decide to do? With his re-releases, he added lots of exciting graphics and special effects and images. He even came out with a trilogy of movies that added scenes to the film that were for some reason or another, removed from the original prints.

The Star Wars faithful: I feel for you.

Billions of fans worldwide dedicated to this film series, and so obsessed with collections that every time George Lucas has to sneeze, another version of the trilogies is released.

Nevermind that there are a ton of piece of memorabilia out there, and the marketing for Star Wars seems endless. Theme parks and other television programs and collectibles, all for the Star Wars faithful to consume and purchase and enjoy. And now this.

Yet another consumer product for them to spend their money on, and for George Lucas to line his already enormous bank accounts with.

Now I will say that I applaud him for coming up with an original idea. That idea worked in his favor as it became very popular and has remained so for the past 30+ years. So in that sense, he did a great thing and it worked for him.

Even I was totally stunned and overwhelmed with awe when I went and visited the  John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science in Houston with Jessica and her family last weekend. I had a wonderful time seeing everything that they had, including movie props from all six films.

But to already have the knowledge that he is the “fat cat” of southern California, and for him to pour out more and more and more of the same stuff, just tweaking it a little, so he can make more profit? He may be a genius but he is also a jerk. And you best believe that is the four-letter word I am thinking of to describe. 

You do not have to speak any foreign language at all. But if you say “Star Wars”, the WORLD knows what you are talking about!! 

So now the Star Wars faithful will either have to just collect the Blu-Ray series and enjoy the fact that they have it, or go and spend their money on the series AND purchase something that will play it so that they can enjoy the new editions to the films, whatever they may be.

Ridiculous! Greedy Bastard!!

I’m done. Rant over.

 

Sinking the Titanic Again

“God, Himself could not sink this ship!”~ Capt. E.J. Smith.

Oh yeah? Well, neither can Hollywood apparently!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must share this web article with you. It just totally blows my mind.

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/movies/titanic_gets_release_date_AL3yaJAfiaU8zzC8IcofYM

That’s right! The movie by James Cameron, “Titanic” (original release date: 1997) is going to be re-released… in 3-D!!!!! The release date will be in April 2012. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read from a Belgian website that it was possible. But now the New York Post reported about a month ago, that it is fact and not rumor. Its release date comes just days before the actual 100th anniversary of the vessel’s demise.

I’d hate to say it, but “I told you so!”. Some way, some how I just knew that this was going to happen around the centennial anniversary. The thing that shocks me is the fact that it is going to be in 3-D.

The movie by itself is a monstrosity. It made over $1.2 BILLION worldwide. And who knows how much in video & DVD sales, and other merchandise that went along with it when this was all that people were talking about.

It literally turned into a massive cash cow for James Cameron, that we can no longer call him “James Cameron”, but now we must call him “Pimp Daddy J”.

Needless to say that it greatly soared the musical career of Canadian singer, Céline Dion, into diva status. It was a very smart decision on her part to jump in on this project to sing, “My Heart Will Go On”.

And so I have strong and mixed feelings about it all. The film kind of took a toll on me personally when it was in the theaters. It stayed so long that there is not another film that I can think of that has stayed in theaters for showing any longer than this one.

It is a good movie.  But during the long period of time that it was in the theaters, I got so burned out on it. The multi-award winning film is 194 minutes long. And I understand that they wanted the part of the movie where the ship sinks to be almost in time with what happened in real historic time.

I have to admit that I have seen all Hollywood films, with the exception of one, that was centered around the story of the ill-fated ship that ever was released. As time went by, they would prove to be inaccurate. But at that particular point in time, they were believed to be true. Until science proved them all wrong.

And I must note to history buffs: Captain E.J. Smith’s quote about “God not sinking this ship”? It had NOTHING to do with the Titanic! He was talking about another ship, called the Adriatic, which made its maiden voyage in 1907. Five years before Titanic.

But in this version we must also realize, it is a work of fiction as we journey through the short lived tryst of Jack & Rose while on the ship until the bitter end. So it is not going to be 100% accurate either.  

I think that everyone in the world by now has seen this movie. If you haven’t, you either have been living under a rock, reside in a place where the movie is banned, or born a short time after its original release.

I personally cannot say at this time whether or not I plan on watching this movie in 3-D. I’ve seen it so many times when it was in theaters the first time. In all, I have seen it 44 times. The first time by myself, the second time with my best friends about a week later, and then fourty-two times of repeating showings by either dates with women or friends who just thought the movie was so awesome, that it was worth seeing again.

That means I have spent over 142 hours (nearly six full days) of my life sitting in a theater watching the same damned movie over and over and over again. Up until a few years ago I even had each and every ticket stub to prove it. Although I am sure that ziploc bag has been discarded by now.

So yeah, of course I am going to be burned out by this film. I really don’t have anything against it other than my unfortunate will to go through it time and time and time again. To which I should have had some serious misgivings. All I knew back then was that women LOVED the movie. And so I went along with it.

But in talking with people today, they absolutely hate the film that Cameron put out. Mainly because of more “historical inaccuracies”. One person’s opinion was that there was not enough of the story told of Molly Brown. And that they got her character all wrong. To each their own, I suppose.

I’m not really sure if watching this film in 3-D is going to change things much. It is possible, but I do not see how. The ship will sail, and the ship will sink. And more than two and a half hours in between that, there will be a love story.

I am curious to say in the least how much it will make worldwide when it is re-released in 2012. I am doubting the $1.2 billion mark… so how wrong can I possibly be proven?

The production of 3-D films are rare now. Does anyone remember the onslaught of horror films that came out in 3-D?? Quite often, they were the product of a third sequel to that particular movie, and so the third part just had to be in 3-D. I can think of a few. But they stopped making them because it was so expensive.

“Titanic” has already been made. But I guess through 21st Century technology, they are re-creating this monster to adapt to the 3-D process. I don’t know how it is being done, but it is.

I think that this film though really takes the cake on any and all film productiong dealing with this historical event. I believe that this version will always be the comparative, should anyone else try to make another. Whether it be a documentary, or a theatrical release like this one. I highly doubt that this film will ever be knocked out of its throne, so to speak.

But I wonder if this idea of coming out with a 3-D version of this timeless hit is going to be a good idea. I am not saying that I WANT it to fail… I just don’t know how well it is going to do. Time will tell.

Should it be just as successful as it was in 1997, I think that the music industry should also try to find a way to make “My Heart Will Go On” another smash sensation. After all, you can’t have one without the other. Neither can you think of one without thinking about the other. So let’s see record producers mash it up and release some funky, groovy mix to Céline Dion’s #1 hit. Because it is just about as big of a monstrosity as the film.