The Official MovieSet Blog
Posts Tagged ‘star wars’
Original Star Wars trilogy as silent short
Thursday, December 18, 2008
I found this rather amusing video at realitymag.com:
What an excellent recut of the first three (and in my opinion only three) Star Wars films to create a short just over a minute long that really captures the feel of the whole franchise in a nutshell. Whoever did this deserves a pat on the back. Funny stuff.
Posted at 10:27AM by Mike
Luke’s lightsaber sold for out-of-this-world price
Friday, December 12, 2008
Remember that auction for all those wonderful, one-of-a-kind items from dozens and dozens of Hollywood movies from the past 80 years? It took place yesterday and several of the lots that went up for bid actually went for quite a bit more than what was estimated, like that little doohickey from a galaxy far, far away. How much did the hero prop of Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber from the original 1977 Star Wars movie go for? It wasn’t for $180,000 which is what the high estimate was.
Try $240,000.
Who says that there’s a recession going on? Continue reading…
Posted at 4:36PM by Patrick
Star Trek vs. Star Wars mashup
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
I know some of you have seen this before, but it came to our attention today and we thought it was worth another look:
[source geekologie and Dan]
Picard and Vader sharing the screen? Wow!
Fairly well done and funny to boot.
Were these two worlds ever to truly collide there would be an explosive nerd climax of epic proportions. However, I think I’ll listen to Patrick drone on and on about why this would be impossible and would never actually take place.
I really believe some people know far too much about this stuff.
Posted at 2:51PM by Mike
Original Star Wars storyboards
Friday, November 07, 2008
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the old storyboards from Star Wars IV - A New Hope. Dan here at MovieSet sent me a link to a flickr set of tons of Star Wars content and those 31+ year old gems were among them.
Posted at 12:19PM by Mike
Fanboys trailer hits (cyber)space
Monday, November 03, 2008
If you haven’t heard of an upcoming film called Fanboys, that’s understandable. The Weinstein Company, the film’s owners and distributors, have reshuffled the release of the film more times than George Lucas has retconned the Star Wars universe. The film’s logline is this: it’s 1998 and four friends make a pact to infiltrate Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch to watch an early cut of Episode I: The Phantom Menace. What the trailer doesn’t communicate is that the reason why these guys are going to see the movie is because one of them is dying from cancer and so can’t wait until May 1999 to see the movie in theaters.
Here’s the trailer. Watch it and then after you clean up come back for my rant. Continue reading…
Posted at 4:20PM by Patrick
Star Wars Cantina song
Friday, October 24, 2008
Perhaps the funniest, and the saddest, thing I’ve seen today not including another nose dive in the stock market this morning, of course:
Richard Cheese sings the wonderful ditty that some other basement dwelling nerd (I know. It takes one to know one) created a video done in MS Paint for. I think the apocalypse really is around the corner.
Posted at 6:50PM by admin
Could there be a movie based on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed?
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
If you’re not into the world of video games there’s still a chance that you’ve seen a commercial or two for Lucasarts’ Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, their new Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/Nintendo Wii console game set in George Lucas’ Star Wars universe. Set between Revenge of the Sith and the original Star Wars (A New Hope), the game follows Darth Vader’s secret apprentice as he goes around whacking the surviving Jedi Knights. The game sold a million copies in just its first five days of release and now there’s buzz that it could — underline could — make the transition between video game to full-fledged film.
“It’s not impossible,” said the game’s project leader, Hayden Blackman, to the Los Angeles Times newspaper. “Never say never. George [Lucas] has looked to tell new Star Wars stories through the games and with the entire Star Wars expanded universe, and then he has also shown a willingness to let the characters come into the films. Look at Aayla Secura, a creation in the [Dark Horse] comic books who became part of the theatrical film.”
Now I’ve bought The Force Unleashed and finished it. I think that it would make for a fantastic Star Wars movie, certainly one that would be better than the three dreadful prequels that Lucas made. The character design, the planet design, the storyline, all are superior and feel like they have more in common with the three original Star Wars films than the more recent ones. But if I can make an observation here, it’s looking pretty doubtful that Lucas would let someone else go make a movie in his universe. The Force Unleashed isn’t the first story not developed by Lucas set in Star Wars mythology; there are dozens of books set before and after the original trilogy as well as comic books and other video games. The only things that I can recall Lucas taking and incorporating into his own movies was the Jedi character of Aayla Secura and the name of the seat of the Galactic Senate, Coruscant. Lucas has had loads of opportunity to allow other writers and idea to enter his Star Wars canon and chose not to use them. That’s why I’m doubtful that we’ll ever see a Force Unleashed movie but I won’t say that it would never happen. Maybe Lucas has learned something from the tepid reviews of his Clone Wars cartoon movie and the less-than-stellar acceptance of the prequel trilogy of films amonst old school (and admittantly bitter) Star Wars fans like myself. This time I’d like to be proven wrong and a decent Star Wars movie decides to come our way.
Posted at 5:32PM by admin
The top 13 hottest female characters from the summer of 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
With the end of the summer movie season swiftly falling upon us this weekend let us reexamine what’s come our way these past four months — and really, what better way to pass judgment on the worthiness of a film than imposing one’s subjective perspective on who were the hottest female characters?
Now before my female readers go all Gloria Steinem and call me a pig-headed creep, let me offer this reasoning in my defense: beauty is entirely subjective. What you may find attractive may not what I consider attractive, and someone’s charisma may be amplified (or taken away) by other traits like their personality, clothing or the number of guns that they own. The bottom line is that when you read this list you should bear it in mind that none of these characters are real and so any offense you might take is also imaginary.
13. Asajj Ventress (from Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
So what if she’s evil? She’s also bald, can command the Force, has two red lightsabers and also happens to be a better character than any of the bad guys George Lucas showed us in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith (I’ll give George the upper-hand for the creation of Darth Maul in Phantom Menace.) You know what they say about bad girls being interesting, so if killing a few Jedi makes Asajj such a terrible love connection then I don’t want to be right. Plus, I was never into that whole slave Leia costume thing so let’s hope some female cosplayers get inspired to dress up as Asajj at the next Comic Con.
12. Agent Dana Scully (from The X-Files: I Want to Believe)
Six years after the TV show ended Gillian Anderson reprised her role as Special Agent Dana Scully in the second X-Files movie — and no one cared enough to go see the movie. Hell, I didn’t go see it…but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to believe Scully is still a hottie. Anderson proved that while no one cares about the X-Files anymore, that conservative business suit look still works for guys like me.
11. The women from Sex and the City
Look, I don’t even like Sex and the City but I’m not dumb enough to dismiss the power and appeal of it. While you couldn’t get me close enough to Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattral and that chick that plays Charlotte can go shopping with me for a new pair of Manolo Blaniks anytime. But what the Sex and the City movie did that I love is show stuffy Hollywood movie moguls that a large number of people will pay to see a movie with 40 and 50-something women dolled up and cougar prowling the Big Apple. If Helen Mirren were in a movie this summer she’d beat SJP but all we got were these spy photos of her in a bikini.
10. Betty Ross (The Incredible Hulk)
Ten years after Liv Tyler left her impression as Ben Affleck’s love interest in Armageddon we find Steven Tyler’s little girl still playing the doe-eyed girlfriend to a CG character. However, the cool thing about Betty Ross is that she stands by her man even though he turns into a rampaging green monster. Could you say that about any of the chicks from Sex in the City?
9. Trixie (Speed Racer)
Speed Racer proved to be one of the summer’s bombs but it did give us Christina Ricci’s performance as Speed’s rock solid girlfriend. She’s into cars, she loves Speed completely and she’s cool with his folks. How many of you would settle for just two outta those three? Plus she’s got her own pink helicopter to come pick you up in. That’s a win-win-win-win in my book of love.
8. The Joker as a nurse (The Dark Knight)
Don’t look at me that way. Go on, tell me that you never got a funny feeling as a kid when you saw Bugs Bunny dresssed up as a woman.
7. Donna Sheridan (Mamma Mia!)
Donna may be a mom and she may be played by Meryl Streep but damn if she doesn’t have the energy and spirit of a 20-year-old club chick. It doesn’t matter if Donna is having a fun moment with her two gal pals or feeling down in the dumps thinking about life as a single woman, she’s got a song in her heart for every situation and chances are you want to sing along too. Get Donna out of those denim dungarees and into a nice sundress, maybe get a bit of a tan and she’s suddenly she’s spending time with Carrie Bradshaw and her troop of Manhattan fashionistas.
6. Irena Spalko (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
The first female bad guy for Doctor Jones to face off against and she’s played by Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett. The movie may have sucked but for all those guys out there that dig their femme fatales in army clothing, Irena was their pin-up woman of the year. Give her Indy’s whip and let’s see how far we can go with this.
5. EVE - (Wall*E)
For the guys that love their iPhones or iPods more than their significant others there was Disney/Pixar’s EVE. She’s got the curves, the commanding voice and those arms that can atomize anything so to me she’s ’08’s version of Ripley from Aliens. She may have a tough exterior but as anyone that saw the movie will know, once EVE finds out how much of a softie Wall*E is she fell in love with the beat-up little robot — which only goes to prove that even robot nerds can hook up with robot hotties if they play their cards right.
4. Rachel Dawes (The Dark Knight)
As played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rachel’s got it all: looks, gusto, an important job as a lawyer, a boyfriend who’s star is rising and she knows the secret identity of who Batman is. I thought that Gyllenhaal improved on Katie Holmes’ performance of the character so I’m excited to see where she takes Rachel in the inevitable sequel to The Dark Knight. Oh. That’s right, I forgot about that…thing that happened. Oh. Well…uhm…hey, wasn’t that redhaired wig on The Joker kind of sexy?
3. Agent 99 (Get Smart)
She’s the brains behind Maxwell Smart and she’s also better with a gun than the hero. Anne Hathaway did an awesome job stepping into the boots of Barbara Feldon and was able to be the straight man opposite Steve Carell. Plus, she’s hot. What’s with all of these actresses and their brunette bobbed hairdos this summer? Did Trixie, Spalko and Agent 99 have the same hairstylist?
2. Fox (Wanted)
She’s a trained assassin who wants to give private lessons to the film’s hero. She has scores of tattoos all over her back and arms. She can curve a bullet. She has a gun that can shoot around corners. And she’s played by the present supermom of the planet, Angelina Jolie. Fox (gee, I wonder why she was named that?) is the best action babe of the summer and Brad Pitt agrees with me 100%.
1. Pepper Potts (Iron Man)
I’ve never been that much of a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow except when she played a head in a box in Seven, but in Iron Man the mother of Apple does a first-rate job of playing this summer’s hottest female character. Pepper’s got nearly the full package: she’s got brains, she’s got talent, she’s got a killer sense of business attire, she keeps the schedule of her boss (billionaire Tony Stark) and it was her gift to him that saved Iron Man’s ass when it seemed he was down for the count. The only thing that Pepper lacks that some other ladies on the list have is armament; even Scully has a gun. But here’s the thing: Pepper’s boss is friggin’ Iron Man himself. Stark makes IM suits in less than 12 hours, so why can’t Pepper get to be Iron Woman in sequel #2 or #3? See, that’s where my mind is headed, hombre.
Plus, I think that Pepper and that SHIELD guy would make a cute couple.
So do you agree with my placement of the ladies in the list or think that I’m mentally unstable, sexist or downright creepy for placing The Joker on it? Sound off and tell me what you think in our comment section below. The more comments, the greater the chance that I may be fed by my corporate masters!
Posted at 10:53PM by admin
Witness an early sighting of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
If you’ve been waiting to see some new Star Wars action and have been counting down the days until the August 15th release of the new animated Star Wars feature The Clone Wars, I’ve got a shot of galactic expresso to tide you over for two weeks. How do you feel about getting a four minute preview of one of the new film’s action sequences sound to you?
The battle sequence has just gone up over on Yahoo Movies and shows an attack by droid forces against Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The clip also shows off the style of animation that Star Wars creator George Lucas developed for his new Clone Wars television series. If you haven’t heard the news yet, The Clone Wars feature film is really three episodes from the forthcoming animated series that have been edited into a feature. Still, judging from the fluid look of the animation that I saw this Clone Wars film will be high on delivering lots of action. Maybe the storyline will be better than the last live-action movie? I can hope, can’t I?
Go here to watch the video clip and don’t forget to visit the MovieSet homepage for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Posted at 12:16AM by admin
MovieSet blasts off with “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”
Friday, July 18, 2008
MovieSet’s latest page launch is for the animated science fiction/action adventure Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a feature length film that is set between the events chronicled in the live-action Star Wars movies Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
A creation of George Lucas’ newly formed animation house, The Clone Wars is a 3D animated foray into the dangerous times when the Republic’s armies of clone soldiers fought against the droid armies of Count Dooku’s Separatists. Assigned to rescue the son of crime lord Jabba the Hutt are Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker along with Anakin’s newly assigned padawan learner, Ahsoka. Together the three Jedi embark on their mission and face the forces of Dooku’s foot soldiers as well as the fury of the Sith apprentice Asajj Ventress who is hunting down Skywalker for her master.
The Clone Wars movie is actually the first three episodes in a forthcoming animated television series. The episodes have been edited to flow as one complete tale and to spark interest in the new show which will begin its syndication run this fall. Star Wars: The Clone Wars arrives in theaters on August 15 and to better your understanding of the way of the Jedi, MovieSet has now launched its page for the film which features the latest trailer as well as over a dozen stills from the flick.
Posted at 3:35AM by admin
