Legacy #5 and review of "Anticipation"
Nov. 5th, 2006 04:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lazypadawanIt's back to the ongoing story and Jan Duursema's art. Yay! This issue features lots of shooting and lightsaber action as the gang run into more Jedi and a Sith. Cade whoops some Sith-wannabe butt, and he's almost recognized by one of the Jedi. The blue Twi'lek chick stupidly trusts the guy who runs the "Imperial Mission" (wth is that anyway?). She also happens to be the twin sister of one of the Jedi (naturally, a Twi'lek). There's also a great scene where Darth Krayt makes a trip to Korriban to discover some Sithly secrets from holocrons. He calls up Darths Bane, Nihilus, and (?) to ask their advice. They basically tell him, "FOAD, you faker." Bane tells Krayt he's a moron for changing the Rule of Two. Krayt's response to the dead Sith is, "Fine, be that way!" and he stomps off in a huff. Heh heh.
"Anticipation: The Real Life Story Of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" by Jonathan L. Bowen
This is a fan-written book about the phenomenon that was TPM, covering everything from casting up through the DVD debut of the film in 2001. The author began writing it when he was 16 and finished it 6 years later. For the most part it is a trip down memory lane. Even I'd forgotten about some of the events described in the book, like the 50-day countdown to the film's release in USA Today (but the author forgot about the 80-odd day countdown on Access Hollywood). It's in many ways a look back at the crazed carnival surrounding the film. The best part of the book though is how it chronicles TPM's incredible run at the box office and the successes it had on the home video market. It does describe the rash of negative and often inaccurate stories in the media but it's a book more about pre-release hype and TPM's accomplishments rather than about the backlash against it. The Oscars' shafting of the film isn't even mentioned.
The book's downside is that you can tell it was written by someone who's articulate but not terribly experienced. The book's bibliography shows the author did a lot of research but there are no footnotes anywhere in the text. Unless he's directly quoting a source, you have no idea where he got his stats. The division of the chapters and even the narrative is a bit disjointed at times. For instance, he puts a chapter about the film's critical reviews before a chapter about the marathon line-ups. He also feels the need to include even the most trivial factoid, which makes the book a bit pedantic at times. Yet he misses some things that would bolster his case, such as at TPM winning a couple of awards at the 2000 Saturns. And he's way too nice to TFN ;).
Still, it's the only book to date that has covered the craziness that preceded and continued after TPM's release. It presents a good argument why TPM is one of, if not the most important and influential films to come out in the past 10 years. It also makes it crystal clear that despite what Darth Media and the internet echo chamber would have you believe, AUDIENCES LIKED THE MOVIE!! Despite "Anticipation"'s imperfections, it's also a wealth of information. Let's see if a better and more experienced writer can take on the topic sometime.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-11-05 09:43 pm (UTC)I've heard a little about that book, and even looked up its amazon.com entry once. In a way, I'm impressed by how young the author is, although it sounds as if he could have used an editor. Of course, I might be more interested in what defence of TPM the book makes than in a rundown of the runup to it. Even at the time, I was trying to keep my distance from it in a (somewhat unsuccesful) attempt to avoid spoilers and from the uneasy feeling that letting anticipation run away on me was a short trip to ending up unsatisfied. (I could have done without the apparent proof of that, too... although I did a bit better at avoiding learning about the surprises of AotC and Rots.) Still, I think the argument that the movie did very well for itself, and that "fandom" can indeed lose track of enjoying the things it's supposed to be interested in, should be made... although I can't escape thoughts of the final counterargument, "If the masses enjoy something, then obviously it has to be pitched at the lowest common denominator!" After that, what can you say?
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 03:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 10:36 am (UTC)Sshh, ssshhh, you're not supposed to say that!! Certain pseudo-hip, pseudo-cynical, pseudo-intellectual members of your f-list may disapprove and sneer at you as a conspiracy theorist...
...even though the far more outlandish conspiracy theories of PT-bashers ("Lucas bribed such-and-such publication to give such-and-such prequel a positive review"; "Lucas waited so long to put the OT on DVD because he hoped Irvin Kershner would die and thus be unable to provide director's commentary for ESB"), voiced at the SW message boards that they (poorly) moderate don't offend them in the slightest.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 11:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 01:20 am (UTC)I once asked them how come it was, then, that "The Dark Crystal," which was produced by the gutsy tough-talking "no childish stuff or lowbrow humor" Kurtz, not only had a toy-ready character who rivals any Ewok in terms of sheer cuteness (Fizzgig, the ball of fluff that follows Jen and Kira around), but also featured an entire, extraneous scene where the Skeksis burp, pick their teeth, and generally engage in more lowbrow humor than is in all the SW movies combined. The best reply they could come up with was, "Well, maybe Kurtz thought that that stuff was appropriate because it was a muppet movie."
One of the most bizarre basher conspiracy theories I saw was that Lucas was deliberately running SW into the ground by "ruining" the OT with the SE changes, and by putting out prequels that "everyone hates." His reason, according to the basher conspiracy theorist? Sheer childish spite. You see, "everyone" likes ESB the best and he didn't direct or write it, so he's ruining SW, and his own reputation, to get back at fans. Er...yeah. Seems to me that if Lucas wanted to self-destruct, he could find an easier, less time-consuming, and certainly cheaper way to go about it than spending 10 years of his life and upwards of $300 million of his own money, to make the prequels.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 01:44 am (UTC)I really, really hate the fan-elitism that comes with the "everyone loves ESB the best" viewpoint. I also hate to bring up TF.net again, but there is a user with a signature that says "If ANH and ESB aren't your favorite SW movies, then I can honestly say that the only thing that sells you are action and special effects" Now, everyone who posts on that board knows about the "films vs. the fans rule" however, I have yet to see anyone call him out on it.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 02:41 am (UTC)True. And if Kurtz really was the shadow director and DePalma the shadow scriptwriter, wouldn't we have heard as much from Mark, or Carrie, or the famously blunt-spoken Harrison?
I really, really hate the fan-elitism that comes with the "everyone loves ESB the best" viewpoint.
I call them ESB supremacists. Ironically, ESB is in fact my favorite of the movies. However, I get tired of the fan-elitism, as you call it, and the way it's treated as if it's sacred and holy, and literally attack you if you dare imply otherwise.
I remember on one message board I used to go to, someone started up a poll about which was the most overrated SW movie. ESB won by a wide margin, and some little ESB supremacist got angry, voting for TPM out of spite. People asked her how she could claim TPM was overrated since it gets thrashed so much, and she blustered about it being "overrated among her friends," or something. She then snarled, "ESB is not overrated. It deserves every bit of praise it gets," then stomped off in a huff.
I also hate to bring up TF.net again, but there is a user with a signature that says "If ANH and ESB aren't your favorite SW movies, then I can honestly say that the only thing that sells you are action and special effects" Now, everyone who posts on that board knows about the "films vs. the fans rule" however, I have yet to see anyone call him out on it.
Typical for that board. I've seen many bashers openly insult fans of the prequels and get clean away with it. Back when I posted there, one basher admitted, to a moderator no less, that he was baiting me because he wanted to get me in trouble. He was not banned. I, however, was.
Who is this, by the way?
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 04:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 04:44 am (UTC)No, I mean, who are you?
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 07:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 07:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 07:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 03:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 09:26 pm (UTC)I am pretty sure the two Jedi recognized Cade immediately, and he them. They were none of them blurting anything out, that's all. I think the Imperial Mission is something like the GFFA Salvation Army. And the head of it is an obvious mealymouth Quisling. Now cometh the big Showdown on Vendaxa. Both sides are calling for reinforcements, and the good guys can't run because their only ship needs repairing. Suspense keeps ramping up.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 03:42 am (UTC)