Mickey Mouse - Jedi Knight!

So George Lucas has sold Star Wars (or more accurately Lucasfilm) to the house of mouse! I have to admit I didn't see this coming at all. As a lifelong Star Wars fanatic, I have to say that this news has excited me greatly, particularly the revelation that Disney will produce 3 new Star Wars feature films with Episode 7 due for release in 2015.

What has however disappointed me, is the general cynicism and snobbery from my own generation at this news. I'm referring of course to the purists, the prequel bashers, to whom Star Wars isn't Star Wars unless it's the original trilogy, and in its unaltered (non special edition) format. Now, everyone has a right to their own opinion of course, but the arguments of these protesters are starting to feel a little lazy, repetitive, tired, outdated, unimaginative, and quite frankly irrelevant!

Like it or not, time moves on, things change and it's not 1983 anymore and never will be. New generations have become Star Wars fans, and shock, horror, many of them love the prequels just as much as the originals. My eldest son George is one of them. It could be argued that he prefers the prequels actually as he asks to watch them more often than the original trilogy. Does this invalidate him as a Star Wars fan? I don't think so. I personally don't care too much for the computer generated Clone Wars series, but that is simply a reflection of my own preference of live action over any sort of animation. George quite enjoys the Clone Wars himself and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that in my opinion.

Now, I'm not about to start arguing specifics in terms of why the prequels have their rightful place in the saga. I'd be on all day if I tried to do that. The point I am trying to make is that my generation cannot claim exclusive ownership of the Star Wars franchise just because we were kids when it first came out. We have no sort of moral high ground to dictate what is Star Wars and what isn't. Ultimately, it was George Lucas' story and he delivered it in the way he saw fit. What I will say is that all six of the Star Wars films have examples of questionable acting and dialogue, but at the end of the day they are pure entertainment movies aimed toward children. Why not just try to enjoy them rather than pick them apart?

No single generation can claim ownership of Star Wars. It belongs to everyone, and will continue to do so for generations to come. That is why I think there is a place for new Star Wars feature films, and it is totally counter-productive to dismiss them out hand when no one knows yet what they are going to be like. So I say booooo to the cynics and naysayers. Embrace more Star Wars. Have a little faith, and remember that even if you don't enjoy it, your kids just might!

Peter

Love Film, Hate Hollywood Greed?

Louise and I went to see The Dark Knight Rises at the weekend.  In short, I loved it, she hated it (apart from the last 10 minutes).  Regardless of how we felt about the film however, it was that anti piracy advert that they shove down your throat every time you see a movie that really made my blood boil!

I'm getting a bit tired of Hollywood dictating how and when I am allowed to see a movie.  Times have changed, but Hollywood it seems, doesn't want to.  They are making 21st Century films, but they are firmly and stubbornly stuck in the 20th century in terms of how they deliver these films to the public.

An important point to make first of all is that I am more than happy to pay a reasonable price to see a film.  I don't have a problem with that, and I think in general most people are the same.  It's just that in this day and age, with the technology that is available, I want to watch a film where I want, on the device I want, and in the format I want.  I don't really think that is an unreasonable expectation in the year 2012!

As parents, it's not always easy for us to get to the cinema, so why shouldn't I have been able to pay to watch The Dark Knight Rises in the comfort of my own home instead of having to get the children looked after and then heading to the cinema?  The technology is certainly there now that's for sure.  I have an Apple TV with Netflix and iTunes content available to me.  Why can't brand new films be part of what is available?

I guess it's for a couple of reasons.  First of all, I'm guessing that Hollywood takes a cut of all the sales of popcorn and hot dogs and the like, and secondly Sky Movies want to ensure that they get to show new movies on TV before anyone else does.  This really stinks and it's an illustration of pure greed being elevated above consumer convenience!

Sometimes I just want to watch a new movie in my home, and I don't want to wait six months for it to come out on DVD or appear in the iTunes store.  Even then there are annoyances.  Some movies on iTunes are only available in HD format to rent - you can only buy them in Standard Definition.  Why is that?

In addition to this, every time the format changes, I am forced to pay more money.  Why should I have to shell out to buy The Star Wars Trilogy on Blu-Ray when I already paid for it on VHS, and then DVD.  If I buy it on Blu-Ray it will probably just be released in the iTunes store (which is where I really want it).  The point is though, I feel that when I bought the Star Wars Trilogy on VHS all those years ago, I should have been buying a licence to acquire those films in whatever format they are subsequently released in. Why should I have to pay for them again and again?

Hollywood just doesn't get it.  No wonder piracy exists, no wonder people look for torrents.  There must be a better way, but until the movie studios realize that people want choice and convenience, and they actually don't mind paying for it, then the problem of piracy simply isn't going to go away!

Lego is taking over the world (and my house)!

Have you noticed how there is a lego version of almost everything these days? Those crafty little brick makers have their fingers in so many pies that they must be nearly as rich as Apple by now!

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the vast array of games console movie tie-ins that are now available. It all started in our house when we got the Star Wars Lego Saga Wii console game for our 5 year old Son George.

To say that he devoured this game would be an understatement. He immersed himself in it and was not happy until he had completed all the levels and collected all the characters. He is truly amazing at it too. When I have a go I can't do half the things that he seems to do so instinctively.

So it's no surprise that more such games followed and we now have Star Wars - The Clone Wars, Harry Potter, Batman (1 & 2), Indiana Jones, and most recently Pirates of the Caribbean!

Now I am not typically a "games person", but I have to admit that I am very very impressed with what Lego have done across multiple genres. Their attention to detail is amazing, and some of my favourite characters and set pieces from movies look absolutely tremendous having been "brickified"!

The games are available across multiple platforms including Wii and Xbox, and Harry Potter is even available as an iPhone/iPad version which is absolutely amazing and very reasonably priced in the App Store.

So hats off to Lego. They really know their stuff and I think these games will be a familiar feature in our house for some time to come yet. Indeed, I noticed an advert for Lord of the Rings Lego toys on TV the other day - so no doubt a game will be on the way as well.

Long Live Lego!

Share and Enjoy!
Peter