This Is Getting Ridiculous…

When people start posting they hate Star Wars now, it sucks, it’s a joke, etc., they’re accomplishing nothing but bringing negativity.  And honestly prequel fans should know better.

I’m thinking it’s time for a comment timeout and to start laying down the law.  New posts for the next few weeks will NOT have comments open.  On any previously open comments I want NO more bashing of any of the films or the saga as a whole.   Any such comments will be deleted.

If you have any questions or comments, e-mail is SWPASadmin@gmail.com.

 

Thoughts On TLJ (Spoilers, Duh)

TLJ is in my very soul tormenting me.

Spoilers, TLJ, & You

It’s that time again.

In the interest of keeping fans unspoiled for the movie please do not post any spoilers in comments until December 18.

As of now, I am leaning against doing an open thread as I’ve done before.  Why?  I think it’s becoming too contentious and as it is, I’m strongly considering shutting down comments for a while as of Jan. 1.

Come to think of it, don’t hijack other posts to rant on what you think either.

Violators will be banned.

Thanks.

 

So, What’s Been Going On?

As you may or may not have noticed, I haven’t been posting as much on SWPAS lately.  This is for many reasons.  Six or seven years ago, there was stuff going on all of the time largely due to Clone Wars.  Today it’s a little light in the prequels news department; some days there really isn’t much going on and I don’t feel like spending lots of time on minutia.  The good news is there are many more voices out there but I don’t have time to personally listen to every podcast or watch every video or post about every meme and fan art piece.  I’m not going to promote all of them either without knowing anything about them.

Other reasons include being busy, being unmotivated (there are several reasons for that too), and having a lot of problems with the state of fandom today.  I’ve never had an easy relationship with “fandom,” and I’m just beginning to understand why.  Furthermore, interacting with other SW fans on social media has become precarious within the past couple of years as people are mobbing up on other fans for reasons that have little or nothing to do with Star Wars at all.  Who wants to do or say anything in this kind of environment?

In short, I’m going to contemplate SWPAS’s future; right now that doesn’t mean shutting down but changing focus.  For now it’ll chug along as it has been until I figure out exactly what the new focus should be.

 

Buzzfeed’s “21 Photos That Prove 1999 Was The Greatest Year For Star Wars Fans”

Not that I think much of Buzzfeed or the dim bulbs who hang around there, but somebody posted a whole bunch of photos from the spring and summer of 1999 depicting the mania surrounding TPM’s release.  Of course the comments are full of bashers, so feel free to add balance to the Force.

By the way, I was acquainted with a number of people who were involved with the Uptown Theater line up.

Update:  Buzzfeed changed the title of the story a day later.  Losers.

 

Star Words AOTC Part 3

Martil posted the third part of her look at AOTC:

Anakin probably wants to crawl into a hole in the ground and never come out. So much for proving his maturity. Looks like he has always been and always will be a child in Padmé’s eyes. No wonder he’s so insistent afterwards on pledging to track down the assassin, against all his master’s disapproval — he’s desperate to win Padmé’s favor to make up for such a wrong-footed introduction. Alas, Obi-Wan’s chastisement only humiliates him further.

By the way, there is so much secondhand embarrassment in this scene, illustrated by way of cleverly-timed cuts to the onlookers’ faces. Typho, Dormé, Obi-Wan, even Jar Jar — they all notice it, and there is much hiding of smiles and darting of eyes. I love how editing can tell a story without a word of dialogue.

While you’re at it, check out her One Woman Star Wars: Episode II.

Pod racers Re-Imagined By Car Manufacturers

What if Ferrari, BMW, Dodge, Ford, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and Subaru made pod racers for various famous races?  ClickMechanic decided to find out. (H/T Naboo News).

For the record, I’ll take the Lamborghini.

Lucas Named 16th Best Screenwriter Ever

Vulture polled 40 screenwriters on the 100 best screenwriters of all time.  George Lucas ranked #16:

 In marrying the aesthetics of the pulp serials of his youth to formal lessons gleaned from Joseph Campbell, he quite literally created the template for 40-plus years of blockbusters. But his legacy isn’t limited to space operas. “Yes, the man created Star Wars, but want to see another side of his skills? Check out American Graffiti and weep because you’ll never be as talented as he is,” says Andrea Berloff.

How Queen Amidala Influenced Fashion

Vanity Fair posted on its web site how various films have influenced fashion.  Along with TFA is a nod to the prequels, especially Padmé Amidala’s influence on the runways of our galaxy:

Asian themes and dip-dyed fabrics were big on the runway and in street style in the early 2000s, and headdresses continued to appear on runways even as Amidala’s costumes became more toned-down in the sequels. Amidala–esque styles walked down the 1999 fall couture show for Dior, as well as the 1999 spring Comme des Garcons ready-to-wear show.”

Naboo News quoted the entire TPM part of the article here

Star Words AOTC Part 2

Matril’s look at AOTC’s memorable lines continues with another line early in the film:

Mace isn’t lying or hiding his true nature. Jedi really are peacekeepers; that is the foundation of their creed. Remember Yoda’s lesson to Luke in Episode V? “A Jedi uses his powers for knowledge and defense. Never for attack.” So when Mace and Yoda and all the other Jedi take on the role of soldiers, they are essentially betraying the essence of who the Jedi are. Their downfall is practically inevitable after that.