Tuesday 31 May 2011

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY! PART TWO


Super league STAR WARS fan Matthieu Bonenfant has kindly been in touch with AFICIONADO once again to inform us of a new batch of press clippings from the Original and Prequel Trilogies that he's compiled over the years and now put up on FLICKR for all to see. There's some excellent reading on there and some very rare items (like the above HOLIDAY SPECIAL newspaper feature from 1978).

Here's the link: Star Wars Newspapers - a set on Flickr

Cheers, Matthieu!

Check out more great nostalgia clippings from the US here: 1970s and 80s Newspaper Movie Clippings: January 2012

Monday 30 May 2011

CARTOON NETWORK UK'S "SECRETS REVEALED" CONTINUE...


UK fans of THE CLONE WARS missing their fix of Season Three on SKY MOVIES PREMIERE can now enjoy that entertaining season in repeats on CARTOON NETWORK UK, weekdays 10am and 5pm, as well as on the VIRGIN MEDIA digital platform where selected season two episodes are now being shown as part of their popular TV CHOICE ON DEMAND service.

The Saga is definitely continuing.....

Sunday 29 May 2011

CLASSIC IMAGE: HELP FROM AN OLD FRIEND...


Here's some great EMPIRE 1978/79 storyboards from artist unknown (possibly the UK's Ivor Beddoes?) showing Luke's capture by the Wampa and his first attempt to retrieve his fallen lightsaber. Click the pic to see a larger version. Note that, in the original sequence as stated on the board, Luke was to have heard Obi-Wan Kenobi's voice telling him to concentrate and use the Force.

With thanks to Ian Trussler for the image.

Saturday 28 May 2011

SCENES WE WANT ON BLU-RAY 2: ANAKIN'S JEALOUSY


Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's subtle but deadly turning of Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side of the Force was originally even more multi-layered than what was eventually seen in REVENGE OF THE SITH. Darth Sidious's use of jealousy, like Iago's deliberate and vicious fracturing of Othello and Desdemona's tragic love in William Shakespeare's classic play, was expected to be one of the main dramatic elements to have been seen in EPISODE III. Indeed, a similar sub plot was filmed in which Anakin, meeting Palpatine on the landing pad outside the senate building, is told by his respected father figure leader that Obi-Wan's decisions are being influenced by a "female senator" (whom an anxious Anakin realises is Padme Amidala). An earlier scripted element of jealousy by Anakin was cut from a prior scene in the film just before Padme tells him that she is pregnant. Sadly, though this Palpatine/Anakin scene can be found in script form in J.W. Rinzler's ART OF EPISODE III book, the actual shot scene, which also featured a brief "Hello" cameo from Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks, never made it to the finished movie, though I'm sure we'd all like it to appear on the Blu-ray!

The cut scene continues into the main hall, where Anakin and Palpatine see Jar Jar.


UPDATE: 2/2012. Ahmed Best talks about Jar Jar in this scene, here: 'Star Wars': 'Revenge of the Sith' deleted scene reveals Jar Jar's fate | Inside Movies | EW.com

Friday 27 May 2011

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: BANTHA TREK!


Our celebration of great scenes/imagery from THE SPECIAL EDITIONs continues with this fun shot from RETURN OF THE JEDI showing a Bantha herd in its natural habitat within the Dune Sea prior to Jabba's Sail Barge being seen heading to the Pit of Carkoon. It's a lovely little moment/add on to the film which shows us a bit more of these intriguing creatures, often used for transport by Sandpeople, as well as adding another bit of evocative mystery and beauty to the landscape of Tatooine.

AFICIONADO REVIEW: FATE OF THE JEDI - CONVICTION


The FATE OF THE JEDI saga is rushing towards its conclusion, as father and son Skywalker's continue their pursuit of the powerful Abeloth creature.

Check out our review of Book Seven, CONVICTION, by Aaron Allston and published in the UK by CENTURY, here: FATE OF THE JEDI BOOK SEVEN: CONVICTION

Thursday 26 May 2011

CLASSIC IMAGE: POD RACE PREPARATIONS!


At Mos Espa, one of the rarely seen Boonta Eve pod race pilots gets ready to fly in this fun image from EPISODE ONE: THE PHANTOM MENACE, returning to cinema screens where it belongs, and in 3-D, too, next year.

Wednesday 25 May 2011

CLASSIC IMAGE: CAD'S CUNNING ESCAPE!


The daring ingenuity of the despicable Durosian bounty hunter Cad Bane shines once more when, disguised as a Clone Trooper, he escapes from under the noses of Republic forces and Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano in THE CLONE WARS Season Two episode, Children of the Force.


Tuesday 24 May 2011

CLASSIC IMAGE: A WORLD OF ARTOO'S!



Highly regarded UK Special Effects boss Brian Johnson has a little sit down with the wide variety of Artoo Detoo's constructed for studio floor filming use in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Also pictured inside one of the shells is that cheeky droid operator himself, Kenny Baker.

Check out a great interview by Brandon Alinger with Johnson on the making of the film, and other career greats including ALIEN, here: Interview With Brian Johnson, Special Effects Artist (Special to the OPB) : The Original Prop Blog – Jason DeBord's TV and Movie Prop Memorabilia Resource

Monday 23 May 2011

SCENES WE WANT ON BLU-RAY: FIGHTER PILOT TALK


It'd be great if we could finally see on Blu-ray the complete version of the pre-Death Star battle talk between Luke, Biggs and Red Leader (as played by Drewe Henley), where the latter mentions having previously flown with Luke's father- a line of dialogue omitted by a sneaky Rebel trooper walk past edit in THE SPECIAL EDITION of STAR WARS in 1997 (but available to read in its entirety in the MARVEL comic of 1977) presumably so as not to contradict anything that might have been coming up concerning Anakin Skywalker in the then to be filmed Prequels. As we now know, the line didn't clash at all- Red Leader, who's in his early forties at least, could have been a young pilot fighting in the Clone Wars near the end of the conflict somewhere in the galaxy, so I say it should be re-instated in full!

Filming the scene at Shepperton Studios in Summer 1976.

Let's also hope that, with the newly revised version of the original film, that they can at least bother to get Drewe Henley and Denis Lawson's names spelt correctly this time on the end credits-a mistake that has endured on the film since 1977!

UPDATE 16/9/2011. This scene finally made it intact on to the Blu-ray! Sadly, LUCASFILM still didn't correct the cast credits. 


Check out British journalist Ben Falk's enjoyable deleted scenes feature relating to Biggs, plus a great interview with the actor who played him, Garrick Hagon, here: Star Wars on Blu-ray…Plus Biggs Darklighter Speaks! (y’know, that guy with a ‘tache who gets shot down at the end) | BEN FALK

Sunday 22 May 2011

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: JOE JOHNSTON'S FALCON


Here's some intriguing Joe Johnson sketches from September 1978 of the Millennium Falcon interior, and showing where everything was in relation to one another, when the vessel was to be re-built in 1979 on the ELSTREE Studios sound stages in London for the upcoming THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

A very nice piece of design history...

UPDATE 7/2013: The recent J.W. Rinzler STAR WARS: BLUEPRINTS book revealed that these pieces were for a planned but cancelled merchandise project (likely an early cross-section type book/portfolio linked to the original STAR WARS).


Saturday 21 May 2011

CLASSIC IMAGE: JABBA IN DA HOUSE!


Here's another classic B/W image sent by LUCASFILM to KENNER for reference use in 1982/83, this time of Jabba and friends from RETURN OF THE JEDI, inside the palace throne room on Tatooine. If ever there was a great image that should be released via OFFICIAL PIXS, this is certainly one worthy for consideration.

C'mon, OP, release more rare JEDI pics please!

And, check out this great and highly informative web feature from John Coppinger going behind the scenes at Jabba's creation : Star Wars - Passion4Makeup Magazine

With thanks to Chris Baker for the image.


And, linked to JEDI, check out this rare interview material (including Richard Marquand conversation)/behind the scenes footage that has returned to YOUTUBE about the making of JEDI, and most importantly, the creation of Jabba's Palace creatures/ Sail Barge.

YouTube - mrjohnavery's Channel
YouTube - ROTJ Richard Marquand, Anthony Daniels

With thanks to the YOUTUBE posters for these great TV finds.

Friday 20 May 2011

"RED TAILS" - BEHIND THE SCENES AND FIRST TRAILER FOR 2012

Sky-born! The American fighter wing of RED TAILS.

It seems like forever since the announcement of Lucas and Rick McCallum's feature film of the true life story of the Tuskegee African-American airmen of World War II, but it looks like RED TAILS, with Samuel L. Jackson and Terrence Howard, is finally nearing cinema release.

Here's a recent link to some new intriguing behind the scenes images and info on the digitally shot adventure story: http://geektyrant.com/news/2010/5/8/official-set-photos-from-lucasfilms-wwii-film-red-tails.html

The brave airmen/protectors of RED TAILS.

UPDATE: 1/8/2011. Here's the first action packed trailer for the film, out in cinmas January 2012: ‪ Red Tails (2012) HD Movie Trailer - Lucasfilm Official Trailer‬‏ - YouTube

CLASSIC IMAGE: COLLISION!


Racing past in their Jedi Starfighters to rescue Chancellor Palpatine, Anakin and Obi-Wan don't have time to witness the warfare going on around them-in this case an under fire Republic cruiser crashing into a Separatist ship, in this superb effects shot image seen only in the briefest of seconds during the incredible visual feast that is the opening battle of EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH.

Thursday 19 May 2011

CLASSIC IMAGE: ESCAPE FLIGHT!


Making last minute adjustments to his beloved Millennium Falcon, currently berthed in Docking Bay 94, Han Solo is soon perturbed by a squadron of attacking Stormtroopers.

Check out below the STAR WARS AFICIONADO magazine lead-in to Han's adventure:

NICK GILLARD COMBAT CON UPDATE (19/5)

Swordsman extraordinaire Nick Gillard as EPISODE III's Jedi Knight, Cin Drallig. 

More great news in on the Nick Gillard lightsaber class at the upcoming US Combat Con. 


This from Jared Kirby:


It looks like everything is set for registration to open tomorrow (May 19th) at 9am PST for Nick Gillard's Jedi Fighting class at Combat Con.  Prices and times have been updated on the page at http://thecombatcon.com/jedi-fighting.
 
Please extend an offer to your readers to register for Nick's class before it's open to the public.  All they have to do is register for Combat Con (http://thecombatcon.com/register) right away and then we'll send them a link to the private page for pre-registration.  From the amount of emails I have gotten regarding the class I can tell you that it will fill up very quickly.


Finally, fans will be able to learn from The Master of lightsaber swordplay! Accept no imitations!

Wednesday 18 May 2011

CLASSIC ART: WHEN VILLAINS MEET!


Here's another great piece of Hildebrandt brothers art from SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE- a classic scene where the mighty Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, meets his new rival in the hunt for Luke Skywalker: the reptilian Prince Xizor of the galaxy spanning criminal empire, BLACK SUN.

Tuesday 17 May 2011

CLASSIC IMAGE: REBEL ESCAPE- STAGE ONE


As the Imperial Death Fleet begins to blockade their Rebel hideaway on the planet Hoth, Princess Leia Organa and General Rieekan, working quickly within their command centre: Echo Base, initiate a daring escape plan for their forces.

Monday 16 May 2011

CLASSIC IMAGE: CLONE TOUR


Within Tipoca city, on the secret storm laden world of Kamino, Prime Minister Lama Su proudly takes Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi on a tour of its highly successful cloning facilities. The Republics pre-order of Clone Trooper armies is well underway and on target for delivery in this all-important scene from EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES, which celebrates it's ninth birthday this week.

Sunday 15 May 2011

AFICIONADO REVIEW: "CLONE WARS GAMBIT - SIEGE"


Anakin and Obi-Wan's secret mission on Lanteeb has been shot to hell. They're injured, exhausted, and on the run, as time is running out to stop the development of the Separatist's deadly new biological weapon. Can a small village of enslaved miners help the Jedi stage a miraculous fight back against their enemies?

Check our our review of the second and final part of Karen Miller's CLONE WARS GAMBIT novel SIEGE (released in the UK from 26th May in paperback from ARROW books) here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: CLASSIC REVIEW: 'CLONE WARS GAMBIT - SIEGE' NOVEL

Saturday 14 May 2011

Tuesday 10 May 2011

REVIEW: THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST STUNTMAN

If adventure has a name, it has to be Vic Armstrong! Images: Vic Armstrong/TITAN BOOKS

THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST STUNTMAN

(My life as Indiana Jones, James Bond, Superman and many other movie heroes)

By Vic Armstrong 

(with Robert Sellers)


Published by TITAN BOOKS



Reviewed by Scott Weller



I think adventure was implanted into Vic Armstrong’s unique DNA cell structure from birth; a man who would quickly prove himself as a one of a kind master of his particular craft, and widely regarded as perhaps the finest Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director in the world by his peers within the elite British and Hollywood film industries in general, of whose projects have all greatly benefited from his talents.

He's also one of the very elite few to have jumped from a horse onto a tank, led a huge cavalry charge, dropped from a collapsing rope bridge, thrown himself off of a helicopter onto a mountain peak, gone up, up and away as the ultimate purveyor of Truth, Justice and the American Way, and slid downwards into a volcanic rocket base hideaway! Its all been a regular days work for this particular action hero gentleman over the years, working with the best of the business in the stunt field. You may not know his name straight off the bat, but anyone who’s seen a great movie or DVD will quickly be in awe of him and his back and present catalogue of definitive work on some of the greatest and most exciting action films and movies of the last forty plus years, where it's also become a family inheritance/tradition, too, not just with his brother (Andy, who’s also a director) and wife, Wendy Leech-an acclaimed Stunt woman in her own right, often working with him, but also with his grown-up children.

A voracious horse rider at an early age within his family, whose instinctive skills in that area would lead to a fine entrance within the mysterious, globe trotting world of the Stuntman, his diverse love of the film and TV industry-of which his CV is a packed load of classic credits too many to mention- holds supremely to this day, all the while still retaining a youthful and positive outlook on his life and career, and having always sought out the best opportunities to advance himself, in the most positive light, within his career, additionally learning/creating new skills to make the best better. It would be this adaptability and entrenched faith in himself, his professionalism and abilities, that would soon hold him in good stead as he perfected his eminent position, giving back to the industry with his talents and soon travelling the world-one of his greatest passions alongside his industry work (I bet the hallway of his house is permanently packed with a giant travel bag ready to go at a moments notice!) - and keenly spotting new talent in the action world whom he would enjoy bringing to the commercial fore.

Judging from this enjoyable book, there’s no airs and graces to the author. Clearly a professional with attention to detail and research who likes working on big and small films, and working with raw and iconic visualists, he's one of the lads, too, and someone who clearly works well as a team player, bringing a good sense of camaraderie, humour, practicality and pragmatism to his life and career, whilst also working hard in a highly dangerous business's that’s also both elitist and competitive, where you have to make a mark to survive and prosper. It’s not always been a perfect ride, though, and there's also been the odd blunder or two along the way, where Vic’s got the injuries to prove how risky his chosen career can be. And don’t try and beat him in a battle scars contest (a la Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss in JAWS)-you’ll lose every time!

Assisted by Robert Sellers, this incredible film history of adrenaline is presented by Vic in a fun, easy to read and very personable style, and is a fascinating and informative look at the wild, crazy, adrenaline rush universe of the Stuntman and director of mega-budget action, and, to its credit, also charts the success and failures you can have in the job, and how luck- of being in the right time and the right place- would play a great part within his career, especially in his early years within the always struggling British film industry of the early seventies.

The Jones boys: Vic and Harrison Ford.

And its all pretty much thanks to Bond…James Bond that Armstrong gets that memorable first foothold into the entertainment business, starting off on the classic Sean Connery vehicle YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, playing a Ninja, which would eventually lead to an even more successful road directing explosion strewn action and physical character drama in three further bonds, culminating (so far) in the equally big league DIE ANOTHER DAY in 2002, for Pierce Brosnan’s own popular interpretation of the British super-spy. Its with this type of large scale adventuring that Armstrong’s physical work will be forever remembered by the fans, and he is surely grateful to have launched his career in not just one of the most successful action franchises in the world, but later two more, firstly in the late seventies doubling up for his good friend, the late Christopher Reeve, as the Man of Steel in the revolutionary first two SUPERMAN movies, and then, followed in the early eighties, by the world beloved classic INDIANA JONES trilogy, where his talents shone through as the perfect stunt double for Harrison Ford (the pair having a brilliant off-screen relationship that has many fun moments in the book) and as an inventive action creator/spotter for Steven Spielberg (who provides the books affectionate foreword) on RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK onwards (intriguingly, with regards to the classic Indy shooting the swordsman scene in this breakthrough movie, Vic reveals a slightly different version of events as to how that sequence actually happened, in comparison to what has been historically said by Spielberg and Ford over the years). He’d also then save the day several years later when the gang were all-reunited on THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, rescuing the film from a possible shut-down, and the loss of time and money, when star Ford had a serious back operation that had to be quickly sorted out. All of these great memories are, for me personally, the best sections of the book as he covers his one-of-a-kind experiences working on the epic franchise movies, with Armstrong surely being a critical talent to their success with regards to the believable filmic reality of the action/adventure scenes. With Indy, it's truly a shame that Vic wasn't able to work on the eventually made fourth installment- I’m really curious about what the original plans he was involved in for the film with creator George Lucas, that were then subsequently changed or didn’t happen, resulting in his departure from the project in its early stages.

Vic in a costume test for his stunt work on the first two SUPERMAN movies starring Christopher Reeve.

Beyond the blockbusters, the rest of Vic’s career is equally packed with great incidents and memorable life and death challenges- I think he's lived about three or four lifetimes more than the average reader ever will! - which are well described (some of these incredible tales/anecdotes are so amazing you just couldn't make them up!). Alongside all that there’s also special reminisces on top league directors and actors too, including geniuses like Spielberg and Lucas, taskmasters/perfectionists like David Lean, and James Cameron, and total eccentrics like Stanley Kubrick.

There’s candour, good and bad, about the final realized movies and TV series he’s worked on, as well as its stars and behind the scenes talents, and, even more intriguingly, some fascinating mentions of the projects that either got or away from him or were never completed or abandoned, like the intriguing plans for the big budget Paul Verhoeven/ Arnold Schwarzenegger nineties epic CRUSADE and the original version of Tom Cruise’s MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III.

The aforementioned competitive nature of the stunt industry in general and all the usual eccentricities, superstitions (don’t give Vic anything that’s green, and be wary of helicopters!), quirks of serendipity and fate that go with it to make or break careers within the weird and wonderful behind the scenes digital and celluloid world are also charted, as is his warm salutes to many of the great past, present and future action technicians he has had the tremendous opportunities to work with, such as Roy Alon and Alf Joint.

Some 900 terrific rare photos from Vic’s private collection have been well assembled within the book, showing many of the classic stunts he has performed or been linked to, as well as with the stars and his family, accompanied by further mega league remembrances and tributes from the likes of Harrison Ford, Angelina Jolie, and Christopher Lee.

Still a force to be reckoned with, Armstrong’s GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS breaking career remains as strong as ever, with film companies fighting to have him work on their projects (taking us right up to the filming of the new SPIDER-MAN movie starring Andrew Garfield) and with this book you'll certainly find out why he's so highly regarded in the “smoke and mirrors” business, successfully managing to ride the crest of the highest wave and still remaining atop of it!

Film and TV fans will thoroughly enjoy immersing themselves into this exciting and often very dangerous world that belongs to Vic Armstrong. Its a life experience packed career of living on the edge so as to entertain millions of viewers worldwide on the big screen, and now he’s doing the same thing in recalling those amazing feats for readers of the printed page!

RATING: 4.5 out of 5



Vic Armstrong will also be doing a signing of the book at London’s FORBIDDEN PLANET Megastore (179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H) on Thursday 19th May between 6-7pm.




Saturday 7 May 2011

OUT NOW! STAR WARS AFICIONADO: THE BEST OF ISSUES 1-4

Just in time to celebrate the upcoming Blu-rays, check out our latest edition- a compilation PDF magazine of numbers 1- 4, featuring the best articles, some of them slightly revised with additional material and photos, from our previously sold out printed editions of 2002 -2004.

BACK ISSUE PDF CATALOG

BEST OF ISSUES 1-4 INFO

Friday 6 May 2011

IN CLASS WITH THE LIGHTSABER MASTER!


Kyle Rowling puts Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen through their paces for the lightsaber duels of EPISODE III.

Fans of the superb lightsaber choreography created by Nick Gillard for the STAR WARS Prequels will soon have their dreams come true and be able to participate in such action themselves with this great news from Jared Kirby at the US COMBAT CON event, taking place this Summer in Las Vegas.

Here’s the info:
Master of the craft. Stunt co-ordinator/director Nick Gillard will reveal all about his superb Prequel Trilogy lightsaber duels.

Nick Gillard (assisted by Kyle Rowling) will teach a lightsaber master class at Combat Con in Las Vegas June 24th, 2011 (http://thecombatcon.com/jedi-fighting). For the first time ever, you will have an opportunity to learn lightsaber fighting from the man who created it for Star Wars I, II and III.

In this master class Nick will teach a complicated run from Revenge Of The Sith which covers all of the Jedi moves while explaining the rules involved in Jedi fighting.  He will also teach how to write it yourself. This World Premiere master class will be the first time it's been taught since Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen learn it! 

This special master class will be a separate charge (TBD), but only participants registered for Combat Con will be able to attend so register now (http://thecombatcon.com/register).  Space is very limited to make sure participants get a lot of individual attention.  It will fill up quickly so don't miss this rare opportunity to be trained by the man who created all the fights for Star Wars I, II and III!

And, if you haven't already seen our terrific, and highly comprehensive, interview with Nick Gillard, check it out here: NICK GILLARD INTERVIEW

Thursday 5 May 2011

CLASSIC IMAGE: TIE COCKPIT


An interesting close-in shot of a TIE fighter cockpit (I'm not sure if it's an original model or a replica). I always loved these Classic Trilogy fighters, and their fearsome battle cry tearing through space, but what I really wanted to have seen more use of in the later films was Darth Vader's own unique prototype ship (imagine if it had been in proper combat against the Millennium Falcon. Now that would have been a battle!), and it rarely appeared in the MARVEL comics, which was a bit of a shame...

Wednesday 4 May 2011

STAR WARS ON BLU-RAY. THE FIRST INFO ON THE DISCS...

It looks like Gary Kurtz was absolutely right last year about what was going to be on the Blu-rays released this September...
Very disappointingly there's no new trailer for the release yet (they're saving it and other footage for Summer's SAN DIEGO COMIC CON), but here's the info from FOX/LUCASFILM, and the cover artwork:






STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA ON BLU-RAY is presented in widescreen with 6.1 DTS Surround Sound. Special features include:
DISC ONE – STAR WARS: EPISODE I THE PHANTOM MENACE
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
DISC TWO – STAR WARS: EPISODE II ATTACK OF THE CLONES
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
DISC THREE – STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, John Knoll and Roger Guyett
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
DISC FOUR – STAR WARS: EPISODE IV A NEW HOPE
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
DISC FIVE – STAR WARS: EPISODE V THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
DISC SIX – STAR WARS: EPISODE VI RETURN OF THE JEDI
Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
DISC SEVEN – NEW! STAR WARS ARCHIVES: EPISODES I-III
Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; matte paintings and concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; a flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives and more
DISC EIGHT – NEW! STAR WARS ARCHIVES: EPISODES IV-VI
Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; matte paintings and concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; and more
DISC NINE – THE STAR WARS DOCUMENTARIES
NEW! Star Warriors (2007, Color, Apx. 84 Minutes) – Some Star Wars fans want to collect action figures…these fans want to be action figures! A tribute to the 501st Legion, a global organization of Star Wars costume enthusiasts, this insightful documentary shows how the super-fan club promotes interest in the films through charity and volunteer work at fundraisers and high-profile special events around the world.
NEW! A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010, Color, Apx. 25 Minutes) – George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and John Williams look back on the making of The Empire Strikes Back in this in-depth retrospective from Lucasfilm created to help commemorate the 30th anniversary of the movie. The masters discuss and reminisce about one of the most beloved films of all time.
NEW! Star Wars Spoofs (2011, Color, Apx. 91 Minutes) – The farce is strong with this one! Enjoy a hilarious collection of Star Wars spoofs and parodies that have been created over the years, including outrageous clips from Family Guy, The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother and more — and don’t miss “Weird Al” Yankovic’s one-of-a-kind music video tribute to The Phantom Menace!
The Making of Star Wars (1977, Color, Apx. 49 Minutes) – Learn the incredible behind-the-scenes story of how the original Star Wars movie was brought to the big screen in this fascinating documentary hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2. Includes interviews with George Lucas and appearances by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
The Empire Strikes Back: SPFX (1980, Color, Apx. 48 Minutes) – Learn the secrets of making movies in a galaxy far, far away. Hosted by Mark Hamill, this revealing documentary offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the amazing special effects that transformed George Lucas’ vision for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back into reality!
Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983, Color, Apx. 48 Minutes) – Go behind the scenes — and into the costumes — as production footage from Return of the Jedi is interspersed with vintage monster movie clips in this in-depth exploration of the painstaking techniques utilized by George Lucas to create the classic creatures and characters seen in the film. Hosted and narrated by Carrie Fisher and Billie Dee Williams.
Anatomy of a Dewback (1997, Color, Apx. 26 Minutes) – See how some of the special effects in Star Wars became even more special two decades later! George Lucas explains and demonstrates how his team transformed the original dewback creatures from immovable rubber puppets (in the original 1977 release) to seemingly living, breathing creatures for the Star Wars 1997 Special Edition update.
Star Wars Tech (2007, Color, Apx. 46 Minutes) – Exploring the technical aspects of Star Wars vehicles, weapons and gadgetry, Star Wars Tech consults leading scientists in the fields of physics, prosthetics, lasers, engineering and astronomy to examine the plausibility of Star Wars technology based on science as we know it today.

Brief trailer from FOX posted yesterday:YouTube - tcfoxconnect's Channel


Here's the interactive FOX web site: Star Wars: The Complete Saga || May The 4th Be With You

Tuesday 3 May 2011

JEDI'S LOST MOMENTS...


As a hopefully nice little taster for tomorrow's exciting LUCASFILM announcement on the complete STAR WARS SAGA on Blu-ray, I thought readers might enjoy this fun little visual feature looking at the lost scenes/moments from REVENGE OF THE JEDI, as first seen in early trailers from 1982/83. Some of this footage, like the infamous Sandstorm, will hopefully make it into the new set....

Here's the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B80ITjM31EVRY0I2VHdWVUdoeWs/edit?usp=sharing


Star Wars: Revenge of the Jedi Trailer HD - YouTube