| ED [06-04-2010 08:19] | |
| Petrey, I'm a Star Wars fan but your opinions don't make me dislike you. It sounds more to me like you should have a column of your own. Your certainly have a unique perspective of movie going to share with us. |
| Probably unlikeable by Lucas fans Petrey [06-04-2010 07:19] | |
STAR WARS played at our local Mafioso theatre for just over a full year. They even threw a birthday party for the damned thing complete with cake, ha ha!
I just thank God LOGANS RUN and TAXI DRIVER did play a year before because I'm not so sure they would have had received the release they had from MGM and Columbia Pictures respectively after the success of SW.
I was proud to run TAXI DRIVER back in '08 up in cinema 8. Bernard Herrmann's final score and pre-Disney New York with Travis Bickle is something I could watch once a year. Star Wars? Once a decade. Sorry.
Flame away, it's not to late. To whip it, whip it good, ha!
|
| Petrey [06-04-2010 07:01] | |
C) I hope this isn't offending any die hard fans but what I witnessed in my opinion was the death of real cinema. Of course at that age I didn't feel that or figure it out but like Guliani Mickey Mousing the look and feel of Times Square that's how I feel about Lucas bringing the sterilization of cinema to my home away from home.
In other words, up until STAR WARS many PG rated films had nudity, hillbillies or country films were more prevalent. People were not checking to see what films made at the box office weekly until then. It's just that I felt like Georgie had made movies into a big business instead of a more fun, laid back atmosphere. It's hard to put into words what I'm trying to get across.
People started becoming more technical minded regarding Dolby (groan) Stereo and what stereo channels meant. Westerns started drying up. Even James Bond's THE SPY WHO LOVED ME had MOONRAKER as a sequel because of the huge space interest. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY was supposed to foll |
| Petrey [06-04-2010 06:47] | |
Lisa - Thanks. For some reason I thought she had a botched facelift that was eye opening for her 5 or 6 yrs. ago.
Re:Star Wars - I never was a fan of sci-fi that was pure fluff like Lucas introduced the mainstream ticket buyers to in May 1977. I was always the sci-fi nut who loved dark themes to go with it. LOGANS RUN came out a year before and I plucked my dollar down 5 times in a week because of our more liberal rating system back then, i. e. nudity in PG films was the norm.
Seeing STAR WARS on the big screen when it was new was interesting because I had just witnessed :
A) My first Dolby Surround film
B) A Scope presentation that was flawed beyond belief (and we're talking about a major chain too **NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS**) where the edges was bent up or down. Looking back a lense problem no doubt.
C) Six of my friends were with me and were blown away while I asked myself "What the Hell was that mess all about?" |
| aaaaahnold [05-04-2010 18:50] | |
| dat mus mean that ture lies had a hidden gay message, with arnold turned on my a woman who was a man. |
| Brandon [05-04-2010 18:29] | |
| Happy Birthday Roger Corman |
| Lisa Lisa [05-04-2010 16:28] | |
| I don't believe the rumor either, BTW. (Just in case that wasn't clear.) |
| Steve Beasley [05-04-2010 16:28] |  |
I was 20 when I saw Star Wars at the cinema when it was first released. This was in 1977 at a cinema in Rantoul, Illinois, just outside the airbase (Chanute AFB).
When my fellow airman and I left the cinema, we were slack-jawed at what we had just witnessed. The cinematography was very impressive and we'd never before seen a robot lile C3PO. Prior to him, they were either like Robbie the Robot or Bob May's 'Robot'. He (C3PO) was more humanoid-ish...like a Lt. Cmdr. Data prototype. Darth Vader was equally impressive as the villian...and don't get me started on Princess Leia, my hormones were in overdrive when she came onscreen! |
| It\'s a woman! [05-04-2010 16:13] | |
| Seeing JLC onscreen with Brosnan in "The Tailor Of Panama", it is obvious that she is 200% woman. Don't believe rumors or urban legend. Richard Gere had to put up with some weird rumor, too. |
| \"Nancy Drew\" Lisa [05-04-2010 15:58] | |
Mike -- Yep, I came across lots of stuff on the internet about JLC being a hermaphrodite -- all of which was just people asking the question of is she or isn't she. There's a lot of speculation that she has some chromosomal defect (not hermaphroditism) and is genetically male. Her angular, "masculine" look, her unisex name and her kids' adoptions are usually cited as potential evidence. There doesn't seem to be actual proof anywhere, however....just the rumor and then the debunking of the rumor, and then the rumor... Supposedly her mom has denied it and JLC herself has never addressed it one way or another.
As far as I know, anyway. I didn't do much searching on that topic, but just skimmed the urban legend stuff whenever it popped up while I was looking up something else. |
| Michael [05-04-2010 14:15] | |
Lisa, in your research on JLC did you read anything about her being a hermaphrodite? I mentioned it jokingly earlier in the weekend but I also remembered reading something about it on line:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/jamielee curtis/a/jamieleecurtis.htm
The fact that her children are adopted (which I didn't know until I read your piece) makes me wonder. Not that I find her any less attractive.
I know all there is to know about the Crying Game! :-) |
| Darth Lisa [05-04-2010 13:26] | |
Andy -- So much of what you said describes my feelings too. Star Wars was never my thing either. I respect the admiration/obsession/devotion others have for it, of course (and I feel that way about other movies/etc), but for whatever reason Star Wars never really appealed to me. BTW I'm also kinda lukewarm on Annie Hall and Taxi Driver.
And like you, my movie memories are of theaters in shopping centers. I think that might be more of a location thing than a generational thing. I'm way older than you, but I'd never set foot in a non-AMC theater until I moved to Tampa in my late 20s! |
| Google User Lisa [05-04-2010 12:58] | |
Thanks for the feedback, everyone, as always.
Petrey -- I don't think Jamie Lee Curtis had plastic surgery. She's spoken out against it publicly a few times. Over the last few years -- coinciding with turning 50 a couple of years ago -- she's been very vocal about aging gracefully but naturally, accepting herself, letting her hair go gray, etc. She's also talked alot in interviews about the intense pressures and the false expectations of Hollywood (relating to looks and aging, in particular for women). She's commented on how beautiful her mom Janet Leigh was and how she (Janet) tried unsuccessfully to maintain that. (That's who most likely had the plastic surgery gone wrong.) |
| Lonnie [05-04-2010 12:51] | |
| To John Miller.Happy to see someone who hated Hollywood Video.I got a few of their VHS Tapes.I would rather go to Goodwill Industries. |
| Andy [04-04-2010 19:06] | |
Maybe it's because I wasn't around for the hype surrounding the initial releae of Star Wars, but the movie doesn't do much for me. I mean, I like the bar scene as much as the next guy, but I've seen Star Wars once, maybe twice and that's enough for me.
On the other hand, I love both Annie Hall and Taxi Driver. Just throwing my voice in the mix. I don't hate Star Wars by any stretch, it just isn't my thing.
On a side note, I was up around Enterprise, Alabama yesterday and I saw a good number of two-,three-,four-screen theaters. Reminded me of the movie houses of my youth. Funny, my memories are based on theaters in shopping centers whereas someone a few years older would reminisce over stately movie palaces in some downtown. |
| Simon Lynx [04-04-2010 17:50] | |
| Happy Easter everyone.... |
| ED [04-04-2010 11:42] | |
| We lived in a very different reality in 1978 than kids did even a deacde later when home video was widespread and you could watch your favorite films any time you wanted. There had also been vast improvements in special effects in the years following Star Wars, much of which it pioneered, and a slew of knock offs, cash ins, and immitators that helped dilute the thrill we had of seeing the film when it was fresh. To use an old adage - you shouldda been there! |
| ED [04-04-2010 11:37] | |
| Chris and John, I think this debate about Star Wars brings up an important aspect of fandom. People who saw Star Wars in the theaters when it was first released had a very different reaction to the film than those who saw it years later, escpecially on home video for the first time. When Star Wars was released in 1978, I was 12 years old and I was absolutely blown away when I walked out of that theater. Part of it was youth but it was also ground breaking terms of special effects and presented a number of likable and easily identifiable characters. Children of that time were obsessed with Star Wars for years to come and we couldn't watch it over and over again at our convenience on home video until we were sick of it. I believe this anticipation helped fuel our mania. Remember there were frequent rereleases in the first few years at it was a status symbol to be able to say you had seen the film 10-12 times. |
| J.MILLER [04-04-2010 11:05] | |
Chris - Im not debating Star Wars appeal to an older audience who witnessed it first hand...
My first viewing of Star Wars came when I was like...18 or something...I had seen both Return Of The Jedi and Empire in the theaters when they were re-released with the new and improved FX (barf!) and thought they were ok...Its just...Considering the hype built around that movie it was somewhat disappointing when I finally saw it...I'll always blame Lucas for being the godfather of modern crappy movies...Or atleast the guy who hooked it on steroids...
I have the same reaction to Halloween also...Love virtually everything Carpenter touches...But cant get into Halloween for whatever reason... |
| Chris Woods [04-04-2010 09:36] | |
| You can all say what you want about Star Wars, but to me it was my whole world when I was a kid. When it came out I was 4 years old and I was hooked on it. Star Wars is the reason I'm a fanboy. After seeing it I got into other sci-fi and fantasy films and it helped inspire me to write my own stories which lead to filmmaking latter on. |
| Michael [03-04-2010 20:08] | |
| P.J.Soles........mmmmmmmmmmmm. What a great double feature of her in "Carrie" and "Halloween." Sadly, she hasn't aged well. Very wrinkly. But still....She also gets points for popping out of the cedar chest in "Stripes." Can you believe Dennis Quaid gave that up for Meg Ryan???? Only to lose her to Russell Crowe for about a week. |
| Gawk [03-04-2010 16:53] | |
| I agree with Miller. Star Wars is over-rated, and it is a gimmick movie. Lucas does not have an original idea in the movie, or in the series. I grew up with Star Wars, though, so it is a part of my youth, and that is why I love it, despite its flaws. Star Wars, not counting effects, would not do well if it were released today. |
| matthew [03-04-2010 16:25] | |
was jamie lee curtis in Halloween?
i only remember P J Soles. |
| Michael [03-04-2010 12:58] | |
"Star Wars" did not win best picture because, as much as I enjoy it, it wasn't the best picture of 1977. The following films WEREN'T nominated for best picture that year: "Close Encounters," "Saturday Night Fever," "The Late Show" and the underated "Sorcerer." Of course, neither was "Smokey and the Bandit." Lucas used the popularity of "American Graffiti" to bankroll "Star Wars," which just happened to hit a nerve in moviegoers, much like the lamentable series of vampire romance movies are hitting now. My choice that year of ALL films would have been "Close Encounters." Of the nominated films I would have chosen "The Goodbye Girl" over "Annie Hall" with "Star Wars" third.
T, "Taxi Driver" lost the year before to "Rocky."
I think Jamie Lee Curtis has aged well and seems comfortable with herself and her appearance. I do know that I was MOCKED by my friends (and you know who you are) when I found her attractive in "Halloween" and they all went |
| Terence [03-04-2010 12:40] | |
| I think the firs Star Wars wasnt made in mind as a marketing tool. in fact it was so low budgeted that the studio nor the actors had much faith in it. was it a gimmick? in a way. Lucas basically couldnt get Lord Of The Rings or Flash Gordon (or was it Buck Rogers?) off the ground and i think he knew that his claim to fame was American Graffitti. so what did he do? easy make an old fashioned sci-fi film that was one part Lord of the Rings (Obi Wans fate at the hands of Darth Vader at the loading bay and Gandalfs demise at the hands of the Balrog at the exit or Moria are exact.) and one part the sci-fi space operas like Flash Gordon that the American Graffitti loving Baby Boomers used to watch. that equals a hit. and it was. so maybe it was a gimmivk but to me it was more of a calculated career move by Lucas. |
| Simon Lynx [03-04-2010 12:19] | |
| R.I.P. Chris Kanyon |
| J.MILLER [03-04-2010 10:43] | |
I'll never understand the appeal of Star Wars beyond Lucas's ability to sell the hell out of his brand for every last penny...
I dont know who was up for what that year but if Tez says Taxi Driver then umm...Its a no brainer...Taxi Driver smashes both Star Wars and Annie Hall and holds up in the present day better then either of them...
The world would be a better place had Star Wars never been made...In my opinion its a gimmick movie but thats just my opinion... |
| Terence [03-04-2010 09:44] | |
| nah Taxi Driver shouldve won. |
| Petrey [03-04-2010 09:32] | |
| You guys are kidding, right? Star Wars was up for an Oscar? Best Picture or other? |
| Chris Woods [03-04-2010 08:34] | |
| Brandon - Yes, Star Wars got robbed. I can't believe a film like Annie Hall beat an epic film like Star Wars. But, who cares about the Oscars. Star Wars will live on forever. |
| ED [03-04-2010 05:00] | |
| Brandon - and of course, all these years later, no one remembers Star Wars but Annie Hall has gone on to become a cultural icon that has entertained generation after generation! Just another reason I don't watch the Oscars. |
| Brandon [03-04-2010 04:23] | |
| April 3 1978 - Star Wars does NOT win Best Picture, losing to Annie Hall. It was the first time I ever watched any portion of the Oscars. Years later, after watching Annie Hall, I simply felt: "Good movie, but I still feel robbed" |
| matthew [03-04-2010 04:17] | |
the Rondo awards end tonite (Saturday night) at midnight.
don't delay!!! cast your vote!!
go to the message board for the link or google Rondo Award and you can find it. |
| Petrey [03-04-2010 01:25] | |
| Just for clarification Lisa, I meant that I myself wasn't going to look at Google. I wasn't being a smart ass ;) |
| Petrey [02-04-2010 23:50] | |
Lisa, liked the write-up on Jamie. She used to be a fox to me back in the late 70's to early 80's. TERROR TRAIN is one of my favorites. It must have run on The Movie Channel about everyday.
Just curious.
Without looking at Google for info. didn't Jamie have plastic surgery gone wrong and is accepting growing older with more ease now instead of going Botox crazy? I thought I remembered hearing this about her a few years back. |
| ED [02-04-2010 17:33] | |
| It just dawned on me - now Charlie is an angel! |
| Michael [02-04-2010 14:53] | |
And the fact that she is a hermaphrodite!
R.I.P. John Forsythe! |
| ED [02-04-2010 13:18] | |
| RIP - John Forsythe, he was 92. |
| Petrey [02-04-2010 10:39] | |
If I'm not mistaken Movie Gallery owned Hollywood or vice versa. The interesting thing about Movie Gallery up north in my neck of the woods is the fact that the local store carried hard core porn in a room with a blanket for a doorway in the back of the store.
Never could understand that mindset, I mean the little ones had to walk by the Horror section with it's hacked up limbs and guts spilling out to even get to the kids section in the 80's. Which category would mess their heads up more? Horror or Adult? Wait! No, don't answer that, ha! |
| ED [02-04-2010 10:38] | |
| Chris, not all of Independant International's films were patchworks but a lot of them were. You need to see Blood of Ghastly Horror. It uses a lot of the footage from Psycho-A-Go-Go but adds a whole new sub plot at the end. That is probably the most incoherant film they ever did! |
| Chris Woods [02-04-2010 09:56] | |
| ED - I liked your article on the soundtrack of Dracula vs. Frankenstein. Some great facts about the film and the score. I.I. always use scenes from two different movies and make them into one. Have you seen Psycho a Go-Go? That film is great in its original form. I know they renamed it in the 70's as Blood of Ghastly Horror and added others scenes to it. Never seen that version but wouldn't want to. I like the film the way it is. |
| Chris Woods [02-04-2010 08:18] | |
| Lisa - Enjoyed your article on Jamie Lee. She has always been a favorite of mine. She was always great in her movie roles, both horror and non-horror. |
| Andy [02-04-2010 07:25] | |
Funny, I was on 9th Street a few weekends ago and I took some pictures of that Hollywood Video:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ferret111/4 453880995/
It's not only Blockbuster and Hollywood that are dying, but Movie Gallery is, too. We don't have them in Tampa, but they're all over the place up in rural North Florida, reaching way up to West Virginia.
Regardless, these places aren't places that I'll likely get nostalgic over. Oh well. |
| Nicholas King (aka Nicholas Rex) [01-04-2010 20:19] | |
Allow me to part some words for John Miller about Hollywood Video. I once worked for that company for a period of 14 months. While I enjoyed my time there for the most part (it wasn't as soul killing a place as Panera Bread was) it was still a pretty crappy job.
The company was mismanaged and will probably fold because of it. The best part of my job was getting to talk movies with people. I was able to watch movies, for free from the store. The worst part was being stuck in a store by myself for an entire shift. |
| MAD MATT [01-04-2010 17:31] | |
Hi...
|
| ED [01-04-2010 15:37] | |
| Lisa, you neglected to mention Jamie Lee Curtis's most impressive acting role to date - spokesperson for Activia Yogurt! |
| ED [01-04-2010 15:35] | |
| John - the one I went into was down to $3.99 or less for all DVDs. I have seen them as low as $1.99 or less but they were pretty picked over by that point. |
| J.MILLER2 [01-04-2010 15:15] | |
Wow guys thanks for all the reactions!
Ed - I walked into a Blockbuster over in Tampa that was going out of business and the DVDs were excessively high...Hollywoods DVDs were a lil cheaper but still high...Even in death these places cant find it in their hearts to cut a deal...Now I dont even bother Id rather just go to Moviestop and save the hastle...
Petrey - Thanks man...Glad to be back...
Milo - If your referring to my article I mentioned Blockbusters vending machines not the stores themselves...Its crazy the Blockbuster machine at Publix behind the Hollywood video has more people lined up then the store does...
Will - Im honored you liked the column...I know you probably remember Gateway |
| William Moriaty [01-04-2010 14:39] | |
| John: Really enjoyed your Hollywood Video article! |
| Milo [01-04-2010 14:04] | |
| Oh, and Blockbuster did not put Hollywood out of business. Blockbuster is going bankrupt, too, and it's because of Net Flix and Redbox. Blockbuster and Hollywood are in the same situation (and I know this because I actually read business journals such as the Wall Street Journal). DVD vending is even worse than video store, too, imo. |
| Milo [01-04-2010 13:58] | |
| The cycle of life. Blockbuster killed local video stores, and then Net Flix and Redbook kill Blockbuster. Nothing lasts forever, but Netflix sucks if your goal is to collect movies and cherish them forever and ever. |
| Petrey [01-04-2010 10:33] | |
This comment box sure is picky. I reached the max and tried to correct it by removing a line and the damned thing erased all of my text.
So in short, welcome back John. I remember Pot'O Gold and our sister GCC Cinema, the Gateway twin.
Hollywood was spot on in your article although I would miss them over Blockbuster just for reasons to carry cult films over BB, at least in South Tampa. I'm waiting now for the mighty BB to fall and leave their video snowmen in their wake. Retribution for dumping tons of Karate films and Black films in the 90's thanks to P.C. mindsets.
Weird to see more selection at my house now over any store. Unique Video, O'Brother Where art Thou?!?! |
| ED [01-04-2010 08:10] | |
| John / Chris - the Blockbusters are dropping like flies in Jacksonville. The last one close to me just put up a going out of business sale sign and I have picked up a number of cheap used DVDs from them. A decade or so ago when they killed all the independant video stores, they sold off their VHS tapes the same way so it's a nice feeling of closure now. |
| Chris Woods [01-04-2010 07:56] | |
| John - Enjoyed your article on the rise and fall of Hollywood Video. Good thing about them now is you can buy all their DVDs because they're going out of business. Pot O' Gold Video sounds like a lot of places we use to have back in NY in the late 80's and early 90's. Cool Mom and Pop video stores that had great deals and great titles. I remember Blockbuster coming in to our town in the 90's and a lot of the Mom and Pop stores closed, which was a shame. |
| Michael [01-04-2010 04:46] | |
| I'm with you, Simon. And yes, the "Psycho" remake sucked. I almost feel like blaming home video for the abundance of remakes over the past 20 years. In my day (he says like an old man) the only way you saw a movie a few years after it was released was when it came back to the theatres as a re-issue or you caught it on television. I can remember playing "The French Connection," which came out in 1971, at Twin Bays in late 1977 (before it went to a dollar house). And we did business. To be honest, I'm surprised nobody has tried to remake it in today's Hollywood. |
| Simon Lynx [01-04-2010 04:41] | |
Mike - Your review just prooves a point I made a long time ago. Why do remakes when the original was epic or pioneering. I am actually interested in giving CLASH a chance. But I love the original so much.
Does everyone remember the remake of PSYCHO? It was almost the same exact movie but was horrible.... |
| Nolan [01-04-2010 03:08] | |
| John, it's not about the cheapness and convenience of new media vs old media, it's about getting a certain look. For some photographic textures that cannot be gotten any other way, Polaroid is unique. Even Super-8 film still has die-hard adherents and a sub-culture that supports it for the very same reasons. |
| Jason Fetters [31-03-2010 23:12] | |
| Simon- Yes I do like Japanese pro wrestling. Female wrestling is really popular. I should write a couple of articles on wrestiling. |
| Chris Woods [31-03-2010 21:51] | |
| New Schlock Review posted: DEVIL DOG: THE HOUND FROM HELL |
| SB [31-03-2010 21:25] | |
Nolan says: "Geez, people, is this the best you can do??"
My response: Well, I would have said that I'm going home as soon as they allow it, after my surgery...but that would have been boring and I was in the mood for a baseball analogy.
I can now understand that comedian oh-so-long-ago who said, "Marriage isn't an institution, it's a sentence!" |
| J.MILLER [31-03-2010 17:43] | |
Nole - I dont know much about cameras or photography...But hasnt that poloroid medium been replaced by the little home printing devices Kodak and other companies make to develop your digital photos?
I understand the practicality of those old school photos but they just dont seem that cool anymore now that better and cheaper formats have become available...Seems like a waste of time. |
| Simon Lynx [31-03-2010 11:07] | |
| Jason - always find your stuff interesting. Have you any interest in Japanese pro wrestling? Wrestling is huge in Japan. Guys like Great Muta, Liger, Chono, etc... Are like gods |
| Nolan [31-03-2010 08:39] | |
| Geez, people, is this the best you can do?? |
| Steve [30-03-2010 21:03] | |
| Rounding Third and...HOME SAFE! |
| Lonnie [30-03-2010 10:28] | |
| Second |
| Chris Woods [30-03-2010 08:54] | |
| First! |
| [31-12-1969 16:00] | |
|
"
