Attack Of The Clones

Got my tickets for Thursday and await it patiently.

Raspberry?

My theory about the way Lucas directs his actors is that if you're handy enough to handle minimal direction, you'll find your own spin on things to bring the character more to life (thus the various subtleties Liam Neeson brought to his part, say, or how Harrison Ford steps up in the original Star Wars so easily). I'm guessing Christensen needs more active direction than Lucas normally applies (ever since the first trailers I've had my doubts about the performance), so I'm coming in with that frame of mind.

Six hours to go! I've heard that neither a Two Towers nor new Star Trek trailer is attached to the copy at the theater I'm going to, which puzzles me greatly. Apparently I'll get the Matrix teaser, the new James Bond, Minority Report, couple of others.

My biggest concern was Christensen, so I was keeping a very careful eye and ear on him throughout (whereas I knew Ewan would do a fine job straight up, and did). There are one or two sequences I would rewrite if I had the chance (I was seriously thinking the fireside romance side would have Anakin admitting all the overheated prose was his clumsy attempt at expressing himself, which would have a little more human), but you know, he did a pretty damn good job. Importantly, I think, scenes that in the various trailers seemed forced or halting actually made much more sense in the finished film, in terms of explaining his reactions. No, no Oscars, but no raspberries either...if anything, he helped make Darth Vader that much more of a human character in retrospect. Let's see if he can really shine in III with more experience under his belt.

The hints of the 'future' throughout were at times amusing, at times creepy and chilling. The obvious homage to Blade Runner throughout the Coruscant sequence worked well, the machinations of Palpatine perversely elegant up to the concluding moments. What happened to C3P0 in the final battle sequence was an amusing touch, and Yoda, well...it's clear what he can do now. :-) It ended on just the right note of hesistancy (and credit to John Williams, the main love theme sounds perfect as a balance of romance and mourning). I approve, I do. :-)

What do you think of George Lucas's justification for crappo acting and dialogue? Kind of interesting, I thought.

Two words: Wookie porn.

Here's a good page for more info -- and plenty of screenshots!

Overall I found it more funny than painful so I am not going to whinge about spending money to see it. Besides it was hilarious watching the shortland st actors in there. Is there no escape?

Fave bits/thoughts:

i) The advertising, clubs and diner. I was pleased to see this attention to detail, as I have often wondered about the things other than the war and politics.
ii) The C-3PO/ battle droid.
iii) Yoda!
iv) Anakin being well on his way to the darkside
v) Dying in unfortunate ways runs in the Fett family. Mace Windu better watch his back in episode 3.
vi) Ewan was quite good!
vii) Natalie Portman, cool outfits! The kids in the cinema were getting bored at all the love stuff.
viii) The Jedi ain't really that good at seeing the future or sensing the darkside.

Can't wait to see it again!

'Attack of the Clones' is a cinematic turd. A quick inspection of it and you can tell what films Lucas has been studying for inspiration. Gladiator, Titanic(witness Lucas and pals discussing the boat movie's success in awed tones on the Episode 1 documentary 'The Beginning'), and was the (pretty rubbish) droid factory sequence really inspired by 'Chicken Run'? Looked like it.

Still, bloody great fun. Ace battles and space ships and lots of really great noises.
Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, sorry Count Duckula, sorry Count Dooku was cool. Tone darker. Yoda... was it David Fincher who said that the series was having to be carried by a muppet? Well, Yopda's no muppet now. I still can't figure out just how they made that scene work. Ewan's hair an improvement (that bit where he was hanging onto the little flying droid though was just daft). Father and son Fett were (properly) wicked. Fat cafe owner creature was brilliant, one of the truly great CG aliens that have a real presence and life, like Watoo and, now, Yoda. Oh, and Portman's spray-on outfits as well. I liked.

but I don't know, I mean I REALLY liked The Phantom Menace but in some non specific way this one hasn't done it for me in the same way.

At the Lars', when r2 plays back the message from Kenobi, I really wanted dialogue to follow like anakin saying "Who is he, he's gorgeous". message, what message? etc i think the trigger was 3p0's "He says he has a message from one Obi Wan Kenobi" or something equivalent and I fell about.

I agree with whoever it was who said that this film cribbed heavily from Gladiator--not just the sequence in the arena, but the spectacle of Anakin ranting about Obi-Wan supposedly holding him back reminded me of the previous film's portrayal of Commodus as a whiny Gen-X stereotype. And the Jedi fight scenes were Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with light sabers.

(I suppose Joseph Campbell and other Star Wars mystics have already noted the Oedipus motif in Luke eventually having to battle his father?)

There's supposedly a bootleg edit of The Phantom Menace that heavily cuts out Jar Jar and otherwise tightens up that film. I'd like to see an edit of AotC that reduces to a minimum the relationship scenes between Padme and Anakin. Okay, their love is forbidden by Jedi code and their offspring are presumably foreordained as part of the "bring balance to the Force" prophesy. But I think those sequences would have been improved if Britney Spears and a random boy band member had been playing the roles. Is there any chance that the direction of the third film could be taken out of Lucas' hands, on the grounds that an influential cultural legacy is at risk?

I'm not that zealous a Star Wars fan, but I expect to see the third film when it comes out. However, if TPM and AotC is what Lucas can do with millions of dollars, state-of-the-art special effects, and presumably any writers and actors he wants, it's probably for the best if he doesn't make episodes 7-9.

A mock petition has been circulating for some time that urges him to hand the reins over to Peter Jackson. ;-)

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Hey, France - Uruguay is starting.

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Nicole, stop describing Ned.

This past week I have told countless people to put away their drink, turn off their damn cell phones, to try and put things away correctly and in general stop acting like STUPID GODDAMN FUCKUPS when it comes to studying for finals. Right now I'm on the side of the stereotypes, woo-hoo! ;-)

But Nicole does have a point. She is, after all, friendly, helpful and cool, and not a stereotype. :-)

I kept wanting to heckle the screen but the theater we were in was deathly quiet and almost empty. the only time the audience really seemed to react was once c3po showed up, and the people I was with admitted that his jokes seemed more corny and forced than normal.

I'm not opposed to the whole serialistic space opera writ large project, but he's just doing it really fucking badly. his writing for characters in the high end of society is an enormous weakness - senators, jedi, royalty, etc., and they did most of the talking in this one.

Caught it again last week on the local digital theater, to see if the image quality is all it's meant to be (and indeed, it is). Also had fun catching some of the small touches and mistakes people had mentioned -- Jango Fett's helmet being dented a bit when he runs into his ship, the Coke can by Christensen's feet at the end of the lakeside/balcony sequence, Liam Neeson's voice after Anakin starts killing the sandpeople.

That said, where I was absolutely impassioned enough to see Fellowship something like seven times during its theatrical run, I'll probably only see it once more in theaters with a friend who has been waiting to catch it herself.

Hmm...I dunno, that's the kind of thing that seems a lot easier to do with music, say (quick download, three minutes listening, can do at home). But I admire yer dedication. :-)

Putting slangy dialogue in McGregor's mouth when he's doing a Guinness impression, tho, aiiiiieeeeeee! Esp when he stops in at Mel's Diner.

Count Dookie shoulda done better