On a lighter note...We might see some GOOD new Star Wars films now

[evensgrey]

It is, apparently, for real:  George Lucas is selling Lucasfilm, including the Star Wars franchise, Skywalker Sound, ILM, the software development house, and Indiana Jones (which may not get used for new films, as Paramount owns the distribution rights).

http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/30/3577656/disney-buys-lucasfilm-plans-to-release-star-wars-episode-7-in-2015?=1

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/9644392/Disney-buys-Lucasfilm-for-4bn-and-will-release-new-Star-Wars-films.html

[MrBogosity]

That's Disney for you; they buy everything. I still don't understand how they can have the copyright to Winnie the Pooh, since Pooh was created in 1926 and anything created prior to 1927 is public domain in the US.

[evensgrey]

That's Disney for you; they buy everything. I still don't understand how they can have the copyright to Winnie the Pooh, since Pooh was created in 1926 and anything created prior to 1927 is public domain in the US.

They don't have copyright to all possible Winnie the Poohs, only to the one they created.  But try to interest a kid in anything other than the Disney version, despite the fact that the pictures make it quite clear Winnie is a black bear, just like the inspiration of the character.

[MrBogosity]

They don't have copyright to all possible Winnie the Poohs, only to the one they created.  But try to interest a kid in anything other than the Disney version, despite the fact that the pictures make it quite clear Winnie is a black bear, just like the inspiration of the character.

Classic Pooh was never colored as a black bear, but I don't know when they were colorized (I'm sure it predates Disney's 1961 movie, though). Christopher Robin Milne's actual stuffed toys that were the basis of the books show Pooh as a light brown bear:

[R.E.H.W.R.]

I'm kinda hoping that we see different kinds of Jedi. Maybe, like heretics, who aren't Sith, but, don't wanna follow The council's rules.  I mean come on, the Jedi have been around for thousands of years, but, there's no one who disagreed with them except the Sith. Only evil people reject the Jedi Council's rules.

[VectorM]

I'm kinda hoping that we see different kinds of Jedi. Maybe, like heretics, who aren't Sith, but, don't wanna follow The council's rules.  I mean come on, the Jedi have been around for thousands of years, but, there's no one who disagreed with them except the Sith. Only evil people reject the Jedi Council's rules.

It's nothing but Paragons and Renegades with Star Wars, isn't it?

[evensgrey]

Classic Pooh was never colored as a black bear, but I don't know when they were colorized (I'm sure it predates Disney's 1961 movie, though). Christopher Robin Milne's actual stuffed toys that were the basis of the books show Pooh as a light brown bear:

That's not the origin promoted for him here in Canada (and he's from Winnipeg, after all).  The story we're told up here is that Winnie was the mascot of one of our Regiments in WWI and was left in the London Zoo, which is where the Milnes saw him.  Christopher was so taken with the bear that he wanted to take him home, while his father proposed writing a book about him instead.  The original bear was definitely a black bear.  I notice that the toy bear doesn't really resemble the Disney version any more than any other teddy bear of the period that I've seen, despite it being pretty obvious that the Disney version is supposed to be a stuffed bear, with seems and everything.  It would be nice if the references explained whether the stuffed bear was usually called Winnie or Edward, and which name came first.

In any case, they certainly can hold the copyright on the specific derivative version they created, independently of the original being public domain.  They can hold proper copyrights on the actual stories as shown in the Disney films, because they substantially altered them (by including new, original characters and situations).  You don't find Rabbit in Milne's works.

Back on the original threat topic...I hope we're going to see some decent writing on these new films.  Lucas seems to have lost the ability to write a movie that makes the slightest bit of sense.  Disney seems to not have lost the basic thread of what film making is and what you need to do to get something watchable out of it.

[evensgrey]

It's nothing but Paragons and Renegades with Star Wars, isn't it?

It's Space Opera.  Archetypes are somewhat...exaggerated.

I'd like to see them hire the guy how designed the fights in Iron Monkey.  Those are the most Jedi-like fights I've ever seen.  They're better than the ones in any of the Star Wars films.

[Ibrahim90]

It's nothing but Paragons and Renegades with Star Wars, isn't it?

well, such an attitude is potential comedic gold--at least for ME:

[yt]7Y5-QrKPDac&feature=related[/yt]

[R.E.H.W.R.]

It's Space Opera.  Archetypes are somewhat...exaggerated.

I'd like to see them hire the guy how designed the fights in Iron Monkey.  Those are the most Jedi-like fights I've ever seen.  They're better than the ones in any of the Star Wars films.

I've seen a few Space Operas that didn't use a hammer. Off the top of my head, Gundam Seed could be pretty subtle, from what I've seen anyway.

[MrBogosity]

That's not the origin promoted for him here in Canada (and he's from Winnipeg, after all).  The story we're told up here is that Winnie was the mascot of one of our Regiments in WWI and was left in the London Zoo, which is where the Milnes saw him.

Sorry, no. They were Christopher Robin's play toys.

You don't find Rabbit in Milne's works.

Yes you bloody well will! Chapter 2 of Book 1, "In Which Pooh Goes Visiting and Gets Into a Tight Place," featured Pooh visiting Rabbit and eating so much honey he got stuck in the hole--which Disney adapted VERY closely for the movie.

Back on the original threat topic...I hope we're going to see some decent writing on these new films.  Lucas seems to have lost the ability to write a movie that makes the slightest bit of sense.  Disney seems to not have lost the basic thread of what film making is and what you need to do to get something watchable out of it.

I'd love to see Lasster or Andrew Stanton take a crack at it. They have a good idea of not only good moviemaking, but good science fiction as well.

[R.E.H.W.R.]

I'd like to see them hire the guy how designed the fights in Iron Monkey.  Those are the most Jedi-like fights I've ever seen.  They're better than the ones in any of the Star Wars films.

Maybe, a little Bob Anderson mixed in. Maybe that's just a fencing nut talking.

[Lord T Hawkeye]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/5357-The-Phantom-Menace-13-Years-Later  A rather nice alternate take on Phantom Menace that I personally share as well.

[evensgrey]

Maybe, a little Bob Anderson mixed in. Maybe that's just a fencing nut talking.

It's always seemed to me that lightsabre combat should differ from sword fencing in one rather large way:  No feints.  There are basically two types of opponents when it comes to lightsabre:  The kind against whom feints are not needed, and the kind against whom feints will not work.

[evensgrey]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/5357-The-Phantom-Menace-13-Years-Later  A rather nice alternate take on Phantom Menace that I personally share as well.

I think he completely glossed over the core flaw of the movie:  Nobody in the movie makes any choices that seem to make the slightest bit of sense.  It's like everyone is holding an idiot ball all the damn time.  The plot verges on an excuse plot to have lots of pretty visual effects.  George Lucas used to know better than that.