Can you imagine a world without George Lucas? I imagine there are some people who try to envision that scenario every day, but it’s not easy. George Lucas has changed the face of cinema forever, and while it’s debatable whether we’re much better off for it, I think it’s important to acknowledge all that he’s done. American Graffiti, Star Wars, Indiana Jones… okay, that’s pretty much it, but Star Wars is big enough for 10 movies. His influence is undeniable in the annals of the modern day mainstream action or sci-fi film, and he’s world renowned for his innovations in make-up, special effects, and sound design. But long before any of that, Lucas was just a struggling nobody, looking to make a buck off one of the ideas he had in film school. THX 1138 is George Lucas’s debut as a filmmaker, and it showcases what might have been if he had directed more than 6 movies in a 40 year long career. It’s daring, insightful, and, for all it’s faults, it’s entertaining, the real mark of a Lucas film.

It’s, yet again, THE FUTURE!!! Man has screwed himself yet again by creating a society where emotions are strictly controlled and obstructive rules crush originality and individualism. Underground, they work and toil in total seclusion, away from the possibilities and wonder of nature and the beauty of the sun. One of these poor dopes of the future is named THX 1138, and he works in a nuclear production line of some sort, and his life is misery. He does the same thing day in and day out, and his entire life is controlled by the drugs he is indoctrinated into taking and the propaganda that plays on the overhead 24 hours a day. It’s a depressing outlook for him, and it seems he’ll spend the rest of his life in a boring jumpsuit doing the same activity over and over until he dies, until one day his female roommate decides to stop taking her meds. Her entire life changes, and she decides that THX needs to feel this as well, so she starts feeding him placebos to ween him off the emotion-dampening meds. When he finally awakens from his self-imposed coma, he begins to have real zest and desire again. He and his roommate begin talking of escaping the underground to go live away from the oppressive society, as well as their baser desires for one another (i.e. they have dirty 70s sex off-screen). But almost immediately after all this coitus and crazy talk, they’re arrested for their heinous crimes against the state. Thus begins THX’s breaking away from the status quo. After his arrest, he begins a transformation that will see him through the labyrinth of underground tunnels all the way to his escape. He cannot handle the underground society and needs freedom. But what will the government be willing to do to keep him from seeing that freedom he craves?

Robert Duvall IS THX 1138. What a total shift from everything he’s ever done. Take a moment to look at his filmography. Go ahead. No, seriously, go look.

Go.

Hmm…

You back yet? Okay, did you see any other sci-fi films? And those TV shows from the 60s don’t count! This is Duvall as you’ve never seen him before; he’s fit, he’s young, and he’s ready to stop taking his future meds!!! THX is Lucas’s ultimate symbol of artistic expression, and his vision of how the artist should react in modern Hollywood when demands are made of their work. Duvall slyly understands this, and makes the character something that anyone can relate to, by reminding American audiences of their innate desire for freedom. It’s a good move, and it works well in this case.

Lucas, on somewhat of a shoestring budget, crafts a rather terrifying future that we are forced to consider. It’s not overpowering, and it’s not even that original, but Lucas does one thing well despite it all, and that is make the movie look good. The effects have a lot of thought put into them, and they border on the disorienting. Lucas’s dystopia is filled with disembodied voices commanding many things from its inhabitants, so there is a lot of chatter in the air that you’ll have to get used to. The city looks pretty good for ‘71, and the sets are depressingly claustrophobic, which I’m sure was the desired effect. My favorite set piece though is the Sanctioned Deity. It’s Hans Memling’s Christ Giving His Blessing, and it’s had a particular resonance with me. Here’s the image:

Christ Giving His Blessing

Kinda freaky, huh? Jesus, Caucasian for some reason, staring at you like he wants to eat you. It weirds me out a little bit, I won’t lie.

So if you want to watch a movie with your family this Thanksgiving with Donald Pleasence as a vengeful techie reciting speeches from Richard Nixon, Robert Duvall as a guy who just wants to roll around in the grass and get laid, and George Lucas with a passion you’ve never seen him with before, THX 1138 is your best bet, you upstanding family man, you. It’s not very long, the message isn’t very crisp, and the final sequence can get a little repetitive, but it’s decent entertainment that has something to say, and there’s never really enough of that nowadays. It makes me want to see more of this guy’s filmography, but unfortunately I think I’ve seen the rest of his films about 5000 times over by now. Oh, well. Check this out if you want something new and technically innovative for its time. I give THX 1138 7 1/2 disarming Jesus portraits out of 10.

Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving! Give me a good recommendation, and I will watch it! Goregirl gave me a fantastic one, but I still need more movies to see before the end of the year!

Slideshow Collectibles presents C-3PO: Life-Size Figure.

Item Number: 2212
Manufactured by: Sideshow Collectibles
Price: US $5950.00
or FLEXPAY for as low as $1000.00 a month

Back Story

These ARE The Droids You’re Looking For…

Nearly 30 years ago, moviegoers were awed by the opening moments of Star Wars. After the immense Imperial Star Destroyer passed overhead in hot pursuit of the Rebel Blockade Runner, the audience was drawn inside the Tantive IV and introduced to two of the most memorable and beloved characters from the Star Wars universe, C-3PO. In George Lucas’ vision, droids can be heroes or villainous bounty hunters – but the galaxy holds as much promise for droids as it does for any other being, be they humanoid or Hutt. The adventures and antics of the fussy protocol droid and his stalwart astromech companion have inspired and entertained generations of Star Wars fans. C-3PO has forever changed popular culture.

Specs

• License:
  • Star Wars
• Product Type:
  • Life-Size Figure
• Product Size:
  • 66″ H (1676.4mm)
• Base Dimensions:
  • 5″ H (127mm) x 30″ W (762mm) x 30″ L (762mm)*
• Box Size:
  • 54.00″ H (1371.6mm) x 40.00″ W (1016mm) x 48.00″ L (1219.2mm)*
• Est. Shipping Weight:
  • 290.00 lbs (131.54 kg)*
• Artist:
  • Fred Barton Productions Inc.
• Manufactured by:
  • Sideshow Collectibles

Summary

Sideshow Collectibles’ C-3PO is the most authentic life-size reproductions ever available to private collectors. Available now for pre-order, these highly-anticipated collectibles will begin shipping in 3rd Quarter 2008. Crafted of fiberglass and various quality materials, this sought-after droid is sure to be the centerpieces of any Star Wars collection, perfect for your home, office, or theater room.

This figure will include light and sound function, for the most ‘real’ experience possible. The light and sound will be powered by the included power cord and U.S. plug, with International (EU) adapter also included. There is no battery option.

Each figure will include a display base, perfect for keeping your favorite droid in a comfortable standing position.

C-3PO will include a restraining bolt accessory, which you may attach via magnets imbedded in the figure.

About Fred Barton:

Fred Barton is the Robot Man. Captivated by characters like Gort and Robby the Robot, Fred discovered a unique talent for model building and the fabrication of robot parts. In 1996, he began creating robots for private collectors and museums. Sideshow Collectibles is proud to partner with Fred Barton to bring new life to C-3PO, employing Fred’s talents to create museum quality reproductions of the two most famous droids from the Star Wars galaxy.

View Site and purchase here: http://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&sku=2212

Slideshow Collectibles presents C-3PO: Life-Size Figure.

Item Number: 2212
Manufactured by: Sideshow Collectibles
Price: US $5950.00
or FLEXPAY for as low as $1000.00 a month

Back Story

These ARE The Droids You’re Looking For…

Nearly 30 years ago, moviegoers were awed by the opening moments of Star Wars. After the immense Imperial Star Destroyer passed overhead in hot pursuit of the Rebel Blockade Runner, the audience was drawn inside the Tantive IV and introduced to two of the most memorable and beloved characters from the Star Wars universe, C-3PO. In George Lucas’ vision, droids can be heroes or villainous bounty hunters – but the galaxy holds as much promise for droids as it does for any other being, be they humanoid or Hutt. The adventures and antics of the fussy protocol droid and his stalwart astromech companion have inspired and entertained generations of Star Wars fans. C-3PO has forever changed popular culture.

Specs

• License:
  • Star Wars
• Product Type:
  • Life-Size Figure
• Product Size:
  • 66″ H (1676.4mm)
• Base Dimensions:
  • 5″ H (127mm) x 30″ W (762mm) x 30″ L (762mm)*
• Box Size:
  • 54.00″ H (1371.6mm) x 40.00″ W (1016mm) x 48.00″ L (1219.2mm)*
• Est. Shipping Weight:
  • 290.00 lbs (131.54 kg)*
• Artist:
  • Fred Barton Productions Inc.
• Manufactured by:
  • Sideshow Collectibles

Summary

Sideshow Collectibles’ C-3PO is the most authentic life-size reproductions ever available to private collectors. Available now for pre-order, these highly-anticipated collectibles will begin shipping in 3rd Quarter 2008. Crafted of fiberglass and various quality materials, this sought-after droid is sure to be the centerpieces of any Star Wars collection, perfect for your home, office, or theater room.

This figure will include light and sound function, for the most ‘real’ experience possible. The light and sound will be powered by the included power cord and U.S. plug, with International (EU) adapter also included. There is no battery option.

Each figure will include a display base, perfect for keeping your favorite droid in a comfortable standing position.

C-3PO will include a restraining bolt accessory, which you may attach via magnets imbedded in the figure.

About Fred Barton:

Fred Barton is the Robot Man. Captivated by characters like Gort and Robby the Robot, Fred discovered a unique talent for model building and the fabrication of robot parts. In 1996, he began creating robots for private collectors and museums. Sideshow Collectibles is proud to partner with Fred Barton to bring new life to C-3PO, employing Fred’s talents to create museum quality reproductions of the two most famous droids from the Star Wars galaxy.

View Site and purchase here: http://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&sku=2212

Is finally released today in theatres! So make sure you go see the sequel to Blue Harvest.

]]> http://usingyourbrain.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/chewbacca-y-los-grandes-olvidados-de-la-saga/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:39:05 +0000 theboywithoutribs http://usingyourbrain.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/chewbacca-y-los-grandes-olvidados-de-la-saga/

El enorme y peludo tibocha era originario del planeta Kashyyyk. Luchó en las Guerras Clon junto con el Maestro Jedi Yoda y el dirigente militar Tarfful. Esa es la teoría, pero, la práctica es que es uno de los grandes desconocidos de la saga Star Wars junto a otros muchos.

Si te paras a pensar, hay muchas cosas que si les das más importancia de la que le dan en la saga, te darás cuenta que chewbacca no es solo el oso de peluche gigante amigo de Han Solo. A ver recapitulemos, si el halcón milenario funciona es gracias chewbacca, porque no será por Han, que está más pendiente de discutir y mirarle el culo a Leia. Y aún así con todas las trabas que su comunicación a base de gruñidos proporciona, el gran chewi se apaña para arreglar todos los estropicios que se generan por culpa de que ningún personaje sepa qué coño les dice. Un ejemplo es cuando la velocidad de la luz del halcón milenario no funciona y tienen que repararla, Chewi no hace más que gruñir y gruñir y Han hablando solo y complicándose la vida. Cuando realmente lo único que quiere Chewi es una llave inglesa para aporrear la consola. Y al final tiene que usar el puño peludo porque Han no hace más que inventarse la traducción de sus gruñidos.

Seamos sinceros, aquí Lucas se saca de la manga que por cojones, a Chewi se le entiende. Y otro caso parecido es R2D2 (arturito para nuestros vecinos de habla hispana). Mira, al pequeño R2 aún, porque puedes interpretar que es Morse o algo derivado. Pero sinceramente. El único que debería ser capaz de entenderlos es el gran C3PO (citripio para los amigos del otro lado del charco). C3PO sí que es un personaje poco valorado. Siempre el héroe es R2D2. Pero a ver, señores, a C3PO si se le hiciera más caso en la saga no tendrían ni la mitad de problemas que tienen. Además el tío ha sobrevivido a todo junto a R2D2, lo han desmontado y desmembrado, pringado de toda clase de sustancias, ha estado metido en guerras, en diplomacia y en mil historias. Y no solo eso C3PO aporta toques de humor satírico en casi todas sus frases. De todos los grandes desconocidos de la saga C3PO y Chewi serían los menos perjudicados.

A parte de Chewi y C3PO, que es de todos los grandes pilotos del episodio IV, que mueren para que Luke meta el proyectil en el agujerito. Ese gordito que aparece momentáneamente ¿nombre en clave porky? Ahora mismo no lo recuerdo. O el compañero de Lando en el Halcón en el episodio VI mientras Han baila con los pequeños Ewoks, si ese de los ojos saltones y también ininteligible al estilo Chewi. Y los músicos de la taberna, el único homenaje que tienen estos pobres músicos es la melodía polifónica de su tema principal. Y la esclava de Jabba de Hutt previa a Leia, 30 segundos y al estómago del bicho. Porque toda esta serie de personajes y muchísimos más son los grandes olvidados de esta gran saga. Soy un fan incondicional de Star Wars, de la primera trilogía. Y creo que se les debería hacer un homenaje a todos esos personajes olvidados, que no tienen muñecos ni merchandising. Porque a ver, si Jar Jar tiene muñeco, porque ellos no. Porque seamos sinceros, el personaje más odiado de star wars casi con toda seguridad sea Jar Jar.

Así que desde aquí pongo mi granito de arena para homenajear a todos esos personajes que son los grandes olvidados y que se ven ensombrecidos por los personajes principales.

After years of sitting on my bony duff, picking my nose and not watching Akira Kurosawa’s  The Hidden Fortress I decided it was high time I finally watched Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress whilst continuing to sit on my aforementioned bony duff with my finger still firmly jammed three knuckles deep into what over the years has become my favorite picking nostril, the right one. Why is this something that I make it sound like should have happened a long time ago? Two reasons:

1) Kurosawa is supposed to be some big shot, cracker jack, A-1 director whose work I’m a bit embarrassed about not being at all familiar with aside from that one time I sat through most of Seven Samurai’s 14 hours, only to fall asleep in the last ten minutes, therefore missing what the big deal about “Rosebud” was*

2) George Lucas cites it as a bit of an influence. Not so much on Howard the Duck, but kinda-sorta on Star Wars

Truth be told it took me two tries to watch the movie, though not at all because I didn’t like it. I really, really enjoyed it, but the first time I was bogged down by being a bit too tired and a bit too hung up on the Star Wars connection. Plus I fell asleep like halfway through it. But the second time, man, the second time I made it start to finish, just like a big boy! Score one for bucking the trend of a society whose attention span can hardly sustain it through an iPod commercial, nevermind a two and a half hour, black and white Japanese period piece from fifty years ago!

Anyway! The movie was surprisingly funny. As I said, I really don’t know anything about Kurosawa aside from his reputation and that one time I saw (almost all of) Seven Samurai. While I do remember some occasional lighter moments from Seven Samurai, the peasants were quite funny at the fittingly unfitted participants of two warring, medieval Japanese clans. It was also a wonderful film visually and having seen it I can now identify its influence on Star Wars first hand as opposed to taking the internet’s word for it. It also needs to be said that Toshiro Mifune’s spear duel was pretty badass, especially given how goofy spears are when compared to samurai swords.

So how about the Star Wars connections? They’re everywhere. I already mentioned that visually Lucas lifted some neato tricks from it–a lot of far away shots of characters with their surroundings in full view then bringing it up close while things happen around them. A lot of those shots made me think of the droids’ arrival on Tatooine, particularly Artoo making his way through the canyon and Threepio waving down the Sandcrawler, which is hardly a coincidence since the droids are very much based off of the peasants Tahei and Matashichi. In a featurette on the DVD, Lucas discusses how he liked the the way Kurosawa showed the story of a war through the eyes of the two lowest characters on the totem pole, an explanation towards the prominent roles he gave the droids play in the Saga.

There are various other references, namely a princess trying to get through enemy lines with something important while being aided by an older general. In Hidden Fortress the princess and a samurai are trying to smuggle gold over the border to rebuild her clan. You can probably figure out where to swap in Jedi, Death Star plans and aid a rebellion for freedom in that sentence.

Above all else, the most obvious element Lucas borrowed here is the scene fade. Anyone familiar with Star Wars can see it right away. The first time a scene changed with the assistance of a slow moving, right to left fade I totally LOL’d. By the tenth time I was at least thankful that, over the course of six movies, George decided to mix it up and go left to right, top to bottom and occasional rock the diagonal.

So yes, better late than never on this one. As I said, I really liked it, but to be honest there’s probably nothing I can really say about it that a lot of other people haven’t already said a lot better than I can. As a raging fanboy it was particularly awesome to watch, to sort of see what George Lucas was seeing while Star Wars was still in it’s infancy.

Word,

Tony

*I’m totally kidding

Earlier tonight, I devoted some time to figuring out this Polyvore shenanigans which my online shopping and fashion design-freak friends have been linking me to lately. Turns out, you use images and articles online to assemble collections and sets of items that you feel have a common theme or unified look. Like an artistic, interactive shopping or wish list. Right off the bat, I set out with a mission:

Princess Leia Organa in Empire Strikes Back by ekitty.

I asked myself, “How can I look as much like Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back (specifically in the scenes on Hoth when she rocks the sick dutch braids and white sporty jumpsuit with the ivory vest) as possible without being one of those really strict cosplay assholes?”

The very first thing I decided to do was put together a collage of things you could buy that would make you look like Leia on Hoth, but not zealously or religiously so. If you click the image above, it will take you to a larger version, with notes and links to places you can get that stuff. I went whole hog. Purses, bitchin’ gloves, chokers, and lingerie (naturally) even.

I never, ever, even once claimed to be cool. I hope you are not let down by me!

November 23, 2009

“What kind of software do you use?” is the most frequently asked question and possibly the stupidest one that I’ve ever heard!  Software doesn’t write your story, you do. – - from The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide Part One

That one should pretty much explain itself, shouldn’t it?

Also … Stop watching movies!  You can only learn so much from movies.  Read books to learn how to tell stories!  Visit museums and look at paintings if you want to learn composition and lighting!   And Live Life!!!  We don’t need anymore lame ass movies about making movies, THEY’VE BEEN DONE TO DEATH!  We also don’t need another Spielberg, Lucas, Cameron, Bay or Tarantino.  We are still stuck with the originals and their stuff is boring!  And no more Young Hot Vampire Shit either!  It’s boring.

I have been home for a couple weeks and have been doing some gigs at the local schools here which has been nice.  I’ve also been working on a few things on my editing system, you’ll know about those soon enough.

I have been showing up on blogs and podcasts so I haven’t been totally out of the loop.

I just picked up a great quote from a fellow I admire and respect, here it is.

“Read this book and you will not only SURVIVE but you will SUCCEED. One of the best books on making your way through the independent filmmaking jungle with justifiably-angry filmmaker Kelley Baker as your top-notch guide: Funny, profane and committed to telling the unblemished truth. Don’t make your next movie until you’ve read this terrific book.”

John Gaspard
Author, “Digital Filmmaking 101,” “Fast, Cheap and Under Control,” and “Fast, Cheap and Written That Way.”

So what else is in my damn book!

1.  The Independent Film world is full of liars.

3.     Important Law in the Hollywood Film Business:  No one ever gets fired for saying “NO!”  They only get fired for saying “yes” and costing the company money

The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide Part One: Making The Extreme No Budget Film.  It’s full of things to help you make your film.  So why haven’t you bought it!

Go to my site, (www.angryfilmmaker.com) and buy it for a mere $16.95 + $3 S&H.

So buy it already.

I would really appreciate it if people who have purchased my book could go to Amazon.com and write a review.  Please tell your friends about the book, but don’t let them buy it on Amazon, send them to my site.  I make more money that way.

On to other stuff.

Don’t forget to check out my tour sponsors, Show Biz Software, (www.showbizsoftware.com), Pollard Design (www.pollarddesign.com), Zoom Creates (www.zoomcreates.com), and Cheezy Flicks (www.cheezyflicks.com ).  If you haven’t checked out their sites and their services, you better.

And I’m welcoming a new Sponsor, Film Slug, (www.filmslug.com) but more about them later…

As always, feel free to link to my site and you can subscribe to my blog.  So what are you waiting for?

Talk later.

Kelley

www.angryfilmmaker.com

Star Wars Movie Poster

Today there is only one first run movie theatre chain in the whole of Canada, so even the most successful movies only play for a matter of weeks.

But back in the 1970’s there was still competition among Canadian movie theatres so Star Wars actually played on Canadian movie screens for over a year. When the first Star Wars movie was released I was so caught up in it that I ended up going out to see it in a variety of movie theatres thirteen times during that first year.

I am a huge Star Wars fan.

I bought all the Star Wars merchandise that I could afford. In those days there were no DVDs or downloads. VCRs had just come on the market and they were prohibitively expensive.

So at first those of us who were not indescribably wealthy had to content ourselves with purchasing vinyl record albums that ran at 33 1/3rd rpm on an old fashioned machine called a record player. I bought the music in the form of the John Williams Star Wars soundtrack album, as well as a record called “The Story of Star Wars”, a synopsis of the story narrated by C3PO with audio clips from the film. To this day any time I hear the 20th Century Fox music tag I flash on the “real” Star Wars opening.

And today the George Lucas’s Star Wars empire continues to make money in new ways. I don’t have a problem with that. It is a business after all.

I still love Star Wars, particularly the first one. And this article in no way intends any disrespect. I’m telling you about my connection with Star Wars because the incredible success that Star Wars had makes it a good example. That, and because Star Wars was the very first videotape movie I saw played on a VCR in a private home.

What I really want to do today (besides procrastinate from working on my NaNoWriMo novel) is to look at personal use copying as a copyright infringement issue.

The Copyright Lobby makes no distinction between commercial bootleggers who distribute illegal copies for profit and legal purchasers who seek to make a back-up copy or digital format shift for personal use. Because they insist it is all the same thing, the Copyright Lobby has been pressuring governments the world over in an attempt to criminalize personal use copying.

I think there is a problem with the terminology here because calling both things by the same name is horribly misleading. Both activities involve digital copying, but that is where the similarity ends. Just as apples and oranges are both fruit but they are really not the same at all.

apples and oranges

One thing the Copyright Lobby calls “piracy” would be more accurately called “Bootlegging”. Bootleg music recordings have been around as long as audio recording technology has existed. People have smuggled recording devices into concerts and made copies which they have then sold around the world. There have also been professional bootleggers who have copied recorded music and repackaged it to sell illegally. These activities have resulted in lost revenue for music distributors, and in fact should be illegal.

The other thing the Copyright Lobby calls “piracy” is what I call “Personal use copying”. This covers a much wider range of activities, but the chief defining factor of personal use copying is the fact that this digital copying is not for profit. Rather than resulting in lost revenue for distributors, personal use copying relieves the burden of format shifting from the manufacturer to the consumer. When shared through p2p networks personal use copying serves as a means of promoting these commercial products in the same way that radio and television broadcasts have done under the traditional business model. This type of copying should be legal.

The Copyright Lobby’s effort to criminalize this type of copying simply alienates the customer base. Like DRM or SOC methods, it does absolutely nothing to stem the flow of bootlegging.

When did the idea of ownership change?

It used to be that when you bought something you owned it. You were free to do with it what you liked. Even if it was something covered under copyright law… like a book, you were entitled to read that book as many times as you wanted to.

• You could loan it to a friend.
• You could quote from it in an essay
• You could read it aloud to your blind grandmother.

And at the end of the day it was still your book. Unless you decided you no longer wanted it, at which time you could legally sell it to a used book store.

Now lets look at what’s been happening so far in the information age. Manufacturers of recorded music and movies have their materials covered under copyright. They want us to not make copies for our own personal use, even though we have paid them the price they ask.

Personal use copying is not the same thing as bootlegging for commercial gain.

The Problem

Original Star Wars Betamax videotape

If you purchased Star Wars in the Sony Betamax version back then, you would have found yourself out of luck a few short years later when Sony stopped making Betamax VCRs. When your Betamax machine became inoperable, you could no longer buy a new one, which of course rendered the tape you purchased in good faith unplayable. No one warned the unfortunate consumers that invested in Betamax tapes and Betamax equipment. I never heard of anyone getting refunds from the movie companies. Or the MPAA. Or Sony. Etc.

Star Wars on VHS

But.

Now you can’t. So what do you do if you really loved Star Wars?

You go out and buy it again. This time on VHS.

The rest of your life, eh? I know that’s what I thought. Didn’t you?

Did Twentieth Century Fox ever offer to reimburse you for the useless hunk of plastic and tape (that you have now purchased twice for your own use) that is now deteriorating? And suddenly it’s near impossible to buy a new VHS machine because there is yet another new technology– now movies are on DVD. Even if you can find a new VHS machine, we’ve all learned that a VCR will be lucky to last for five years anyway. And of course the VCRs you can find now are far more expensive than DVD players. So what’s a fan to do. Oh right.

You go out and buy Star Wars again on DVD.

Star Wars on DVD

[Of course, this particular example is extra irritating because George Lucas hasn't stopped tinkering with the thing, and since he's vowed to never release the REAL version (the one that actually played in theatres in 1977) on DVD, so I will never have the version I want no matter how many times I've paid for it. *sigh*]

But you’re a fan.

So you go out and buy the movie AGAIN on DVD.

At least you have it in a form that will last.

Now HD is gone too.

Or not.

Because then along came HD DVD.  The media manufacturers were a little surprised that we didn’t all rush out and buy HD machines.

Replacing our entire video library. AGAIN.

Oh… you were one of those suckers who got conned into converting to bought into HD? Ooooops!  Didn’t anyone tell you that the technology you were supposed to back was Blu-Ray?

I could go through the same process to look at the parallels in the music industry: piano rolls, gramophone cylinders, ’78’s, LPs, 8 track tapes, cassette tapes and CDS… all over the course of a single century.

Funny, I have a working gramophone older than I am which will play ’78’s. Yet our modern day electronic equipment will be doing well to work after a decade.

I don’t know about you but I am tired of buying the same movies over and over again.

Copyright is an agreement between the creator/manufacturer and the consumer.

The media distributors have NOT kept their part of the bargain, expecting consumers to pay for the same material over and over again. It should be legal to be able to watch the movie you have purchased in good faith as many times as we want to, for the rest of our lives.

Consumers have not been given any protection by governments the world over.

At the very minimum customers need to be given the right to copy the products they have purchased onto the piece of technology needed to play it.

We believe we own what we have purchased.
They want us to believe that we don’t.

Fortunately our government representatives are in an excellent position to look out for the Canadian consumer interests as they redraft our copyright law for the benefit of Canadians.

I attended the “Seerah: The Sheperd’s Path” course these past two weekends, from Al-Maghrib Instiute taught by Shaykh Abdul-Bary Yahya.

One of the best fun facts (I guess it could be a GEM (Genuinely Enlightenng Moment)) that I’d learned this weekend deals with Star Wars.

In the battle of Badr, in the Seerah (life of the Prophet Muhammad salallahu ‘alayhi wasallam (upon him be peace)), there were about 300 Muslims against 1,000 of the Makkans that expelled them. The Muslims had two horses, while the non-Muslims had hundreds of them. The odds were obviously against the Muslims.

However, in these battles, Allah would send the angels to help, in the same numbers as the non-Muslims, so He sent 1,000 angels to help the Muslims. So, no matter what, the Muslims are never outnumbered (with the exception of Uhud). The angels fought, even though no one could see them. A Muslim man would raise his sword, and find the enemy already defeated, because the angel had already done it.

They even, after the battle, could tell who was killed by an angel, and who was killed by a human. The people killed by angels had a very, very clean cut, and a little burn mark left.

Years and years later, the Shaykh said he saw a documentary of the director of Star Wars. The director, when developing the concept of the movie, turned to many different religious sources for ideas (Buddhism, Scientology, Christianity, Islam, etc.). He read about these angels that aided the Muslims. And he decided that he wants to make a sword like the swords of these angels of Allah, the clean, clean cut sword that would sometimes burn people. Thus, the light saber was created.

(By the way, don’t take any of this out of context, there were reasons and causes of war during the Prophet’s time, do NOT take my post as a fully sound source, because it’s not. A recommended book to learn more about the Seerah is Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum, The Sealed Nectar).

So, naturally I became interested. (When I hear that a feature film which has gone through so much success is getting ideas from Islam, I want to know more!)

Basically, I found a great article, written by a Muslim, that cites a lot of sources on the role of Islam in the movie. Even the Jedi’s lifestyle is very similar to Islam. (I mean, long beards and thawbs with hoods, what do you expect?).

SHOCKING EXCERPT:

…it was reported in a National Australian magazine that more than 70,000 Australians identified their religion as Jedi, Jedi-Knight, or Jedi-related in the country’s 2001 national census! Don’t these people realize that the “Jedi” are make-believe? There may be some truth in fiction, but instead of looking for the truth, people get caught up with the fiction. In this paper I hope to reveal where some of the truth of the “Jedi” and “Star Wars” comes from: Islam.

Click here to read the full article.

So, Islam is truly the best way of life, for all times, and all peoples. It’s all around us, even when we don’t know. So, when we learn more about Islam, we look at things in a different way, from an Islamic perspective. Alhamdulillah (All praise is due to Allah) for that.

For some more GEMs from this Seerah seminar taken, visit the thread on the Al-Maghrib Banu Noor Forums!

-a Muslim jedi, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.

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Como amenacé en el post anterior, dejo el video, que no tiene desperdicio, del Capitán Kirk de la serie original, cantando (o recitando, lo que convirtió en un sello personal), para George Lucas, el tema “I did it my way” (A mi manera), que anteriormente hubieran cantado Frank sinatra y Elvis Presley.

El suceso tuvo lugar en el festival “AFI Life Achievement Award” que vendría a ser como un Premio a la Trayectoria, en su versión del 2005. No tiene subtítulos, los que sabemos algo de inglés lo entendemos bien, y los que no, se van a divertir igual, ya que hay coreografía y todo.

Me mata la frase “Long life and prosper” del personaje de Spock, cuando los Stormtroopers se lo llevan al final.

“Dig, Dug, Damn!” is a series of posts where I talk about things I like, love, and enjoy more than anything else in the world.  It’s pretty much a top list for my life.  Note: Everything listed is really, really great.

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Playboy magazine

I like to read the articles.  Seriously.  No, not in that crazy moon language on the cover of the one pictured, but in English.  It’s painfully well written and is, in my humble opinion, the best written periodical in the world.  It’s varied coverage and from-the-left-but-kind-to-the-right reporting is addictive and unarguably intelligent.  I understand the stigma people have with it being a fantasy magazine and such, but I don’t see what one thing has to do with one another.  It’s bunk I can’t read a copy openly in public, which is why I came up with the idea of Playboy Lite, the articles-only version.  Putting this out would allow people to not have to wait until they get home to grab their copy from under the mattress where it stays hidden from the wife, and increase the public opinion of what the publication is really all about and earn it sophistication points.  Brilliant, right?  I know.  Really, though, I love Playboy and reading about breasts the world at large. (playboy.com)

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Howard T. Duck

A personal hero of mine.  First of all, the film Howard the Duck was incredible and if you disagree you are dead wrong.  It is the best production ever touched by George Lucas (better even than Star Bores), and is the Citizen Kane of Jeffery Jones vehicles (better even than the damn fine Beetlejuice).  The incredibly sexy Lea Thompson was killer in it, and the laughs were a plenty.  I love it so much I have it on my Samsung Eternity.  Live action aside, his comics are some of the best action-comedy ever written.  I mean, it’s such a jovial, if dark, and silly property and Marvel can’t find more use for Ducky and Bev?  A new on-going should be started, with portions being given to different artists and writers, a way for them to recharge their batteries and have fun with something bizzare that isn’t as constrained by continuity complications like every other title out there.  Do you hear me, Joe Quesada?  Take notes.  Furthermore, Howard and Beverly are a real inspiration when it comes to breaking down the walls of hatred and bigotry in the world and where were they in all the chaos of Obama’s election and his subsequent appearances in titles across the comic shop wall?  They could have really taught us all a kick-ass lesson with the new President in tow, but they weren’t allowed a voice and that is so sad to me.  Like, I want to cry, because I’m a huge baby, but also because getting a new fix for my Howard addiction is as rare as me not being awesome.  Please provide me with more stories.  I’ll be your best friend, Joe.  I’ll do whatever you request of me.

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Demetria Devonne Lovato

This may take some explaining.  Okay, here goes- I plain think she’s awesome.  Of course there is the fact that she is both adorable and gorgeous, sometimes simultaneously, but I genuinely enjoy Sonny With A Chance, happily admit her two albums have some real jams on them, and even got a creepy kick when Robert Knepper was getting inappropriate with her on Prison Break.  She seems intelligent and earnest, and a person as devoted to their best friend as she is can’t be all bad.  Heck, I even like Selena’s Wizards of Waverly Place, and what started as a curiosity as to what all the hoopla was about Disney properties has turned to fandom for the young ladies, esp. Demi.  And while it may seem weird to like a girl that is currently 17, I was once 17 and things I once liked I still like on a certain level.  That is true for everyone on Earth and if you claim otherwise you are a liar with pants aflame.  (demilovato.com)

Remember Grand Puba 2000′s inside painting ?

Reflection Eternal’s cover ?

Jérôme Lagarrigue talks about his supreme clientele
… and the day Death pointed the finger at him.

Miután George Lucas – látva a Clone Wars-széria nem túl meggyőző bevétei adatait – úgy döntött, hogy elkészíti a harmadik trilógiát, bejelentette, hogy a triumvirátus nyitó filmjét Magyarországon forgatják. Bothan kémünk jelentése szerint az egyik lehetséges célpont a miskolci Avas-kilátó, amelyet a poraiból feltámadó Birodalom új szuperfegyvereként igyekeznek beállítani a készítők.

It’s here.  I got it.  Went out and bought Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 1 just like I said I was gonna.  I am proud to say that I love it.  I love it so much I thought I’d put it on my Ipod.  Unfortunately, getting a protected DVD onto your Ipod ain’t that easy.  First of all, there still seems to be dispute about whether or not it is legal or illegal to copy a commercial DVD as a backup for your own personal use.  From what I can gather it is okay to copy for personal use, provided you don’t override any digital rights management (DRM)copy protection such as the Content Scramble System (CSS).  In other words, you’re not supposed to copy DVDs that are copy protected, and according to one poster even copying unprotected DVD’s and change the file format qualifies as copyright infringement.  Well, you can rest assured that Lucas and company have copy protected their DVDs,  and even though that means it can’t be copied legally, I don’t have a problem with them doing so.  I am all for copyright protection.  I am not in the business of pirating movies or music.  I use to be, but that was before I understood that it takes away from the artists and the creators rather than the multi-million dollar companies that produce them.  That was also before I came to understand how little most artists make, even the good ones.  Unless you’re selling multipaltinum records, you’re barely making a living and paying off what it cost to make your record in the first place.  I other words, I used to pirate music and movies before I realized that I’m taking the money away from the people I’d want to be friends with if I knew them.

Will Hoge: LIVE • 2009 • 04/23/09 • Evening Muse • Charlotte, NC

So, as I was saying, I don’t have problem with Lucas and friends protecting their investments and their creative outlets.  I just wish they’d grant me the rights to put it on my effen Ipod.  I downloaded several DVD backup programs, none of which could copy protected DVD’s.  I can’t even transfer the DVD directly to my harddrive anymore.  I gotta admit, that’s a little upsetting.  On top of that, no conversion program that might even possibly convert a DVD to Ipod format can convert protected DVD’s either.  Consequently, if I want to put this on my Ipod, I’m going to have to resort to using heavy duty pirating software, which I don’t trust or like to be involved with.  Or, I may even have to resort to torrenting, something else I’m not too keen on.  Not into the I’m-sharing-bits-and-pieces-of-my-files-with-a-whole-bunch-of-random-people-thing.  And I don’t like taking from those people and then saying, thanks, but I’m not sharing it back with other people.  Even then, the movie itself is tainted.  I will never really know if it has some kind of tracking or spywhere.  Sure, my internet security software SAYS everything is okay, but is it really?  Is that why my computer slows down, because everything is okay?

I suppose if I wanted to do the completely legal thing, I could go to Itunes and purchase the season all over again for $34.99.  Are you kidding me?  78 bucks just so I can watch the damn thing on TV or my Ipod?  Not only that, but for forty bucks, I don’t even get the featurettes or the production journal that come with the DVD set.

When I bought the Clone Wars movie, it came with a code for downloading the digital copy to my computer.  Only thing is, when I went to download it, the code had expired.  I’d only bought the thing that day.  What kind of a deal is that.  You can have the digital copy for your ipod, but ONLY IF you manage to buy it and register it with the first few weeks of release?  Twenty years from now when my DVDs start to corrode, I’m going to be pissed if I have to buy another set.  What if it’s out of print, or worse, locked up in the vault?

The whole thing is infuriating.  Should I not have the right to at least protect my investments and watch it either in a DVD format or in an Ipod format?  Sure I understand how difficult it may be to police this, but if you can give me a code so I can go online and download it, then why can’t that be available to everyone all the time?

I think, anytime you purchase a DVD, you ought to be able to go somewhere online, Itunes, or whatever, type in a code similar to a UPC code, but not visible on the outside of the packaging, and with that code you acquire one-time rights to a digital copy of the material on the DVD.  Let there even be a choice of the file format you wish, but you only get one copy and maybe put limits on how it is transferable.  Itunes is already pretty solid in how it protects music and other purchses through the Itunes store. I see no reason why this couldn’t be carried over to DVD digital rights.

So those are my thoughts on the issue.  I find it ironic that when I started this article, I didn’t even realize that it was such a hot issue.  I thought I was being original.  Oh well, it just means there’s more of us out ther ready to Fight for your DVD Digital Rights!  Let the war for my Ipod begin!

¿Qué va a sorprender y qué pueden esperar los espectadores de la segunda temporada de The Clone Wars?

George Lucas: La primera temporada fue similar al Episodio IV, en el que predominaba la luz y había muchos conflictos. Con la segunda temporada, vamos a profundizar en las historias. La diferencia es muy similar a la que hay entre La guerra de las galaxias y El imperio contraataca.

Dave Filoni: Nuestros héroes están en el medio de una guerra y las cosas no van bien para ellos. Todo se complica. Los Jedi no son soldados, pero han sido obligados a realizar un tipo de funciones que les afectará. El enemigo tiene nuevos trucos para poner las cosas más difíciles a los Jedi y los clones. Hasta ahora, hemos visto una guerra bastante estándar, con los dos bandos enfrentados entre sí. Pero vamos a ver a un tipo diferente de adversario, una amenaza diferente. La guerra es el germen de un nuevo tipo de villano. Son cazadores de recompensas y mercenarios que se aprovechan de la confusión para recoger un gran botín. Al final de la primera temporada vimos a Cad Bane, pero vamos a ver mucho más de él. Tiene recursos para acabar con los Jedi, a los que se les va a poner las cosas muy feas.

¿Entonces veremos más de Cad Bane?

Dave Filoni: Sí, definitivamente. No ha visto lo último de él. Va a ser un gran problema para la República. Cad Bane es realmente un regreso a las películas originales de Star Wars. Los he visto descrito como en un western y Cad encaja perfectamente en ese molde. Es oscuro y misterioso y bastante poco escrupuloso. Lo hemos creado como Lee Van Cleef después de ‘El bueno, el feo y el malo’.

George Lucas: El concepto en realidad se remonta hasta el final a la primera película, que inspiró a todo tipo de géneros, incluidos los westerns. Cuando llegó el momento de introducir la idea de un despiadado cazador de recompensas de la serie, fue un paso natural. Es un clásico pistolero, misterioso y desalmado. Ha sido una parte de la temática de Star Wars desde el principio.

Dave Filoni: Y si lo miras de cerca, en realidad la especie a la que pertenece Cad aparece en la escena de la cantina del Episodio IV. La galaxia es bastante amplia y eso no significa que no debas conocer a otras nuevas especies y personajes porque no tienes que juzgar a una especie entera sobre la base de uno o dos ejemplos.

¿Qué ha logrado hacer esta temporada que no pudo en la primera?

George Lucas: En la primera temporada, fuimos forjando un nuevo camino. Éramos un estudio de animación haciendo algo que realmente no había sido hecho antes. Era ambicioso, pero estábamos preparado para el desafío. Sin embargo, había espacio para crecer y, en la segunda temporada, se podrá ver realmente el crecimiento.

Dave Filoni: Todo es mejor en la segunda temporada. Hemos mejorado nuestra hilo conductor, por lo que podemos hacer más. Más personajes. Más acción. Es un paisaje mucho más amplio, en general. Cuando miro hacia atrás en algunos de nuestros trabajos de la primera temporada, es difícil para mí creer que es incluso de la misma serie y el mismo equipo de producción. Realmente estamos ahora en otra galaxia, desde el punto de vista de producción. Y eso se nota. Nuestra segunda temporada se parece a nada que se haya visto hasta ahora en The Clone Wars, y como nada que se haya visto en la televisión.

George Lucas: A pesar de que estamos en una serie semanal, no la trato como tal y prefiero hacerlo como a mis películas. Mi proceso no cambia porque estamos en un medio diferente. Dibujamos inspirados en las películas originales, como el arte conceptual de Ralph McQuarrie, y estamos mirando las cosas que influyeron en los largometrajes. Integramos diferentes géneros, desde los westerns, a las películas de guerra y al cine japonés para incorporar esas estéticas diferentes en las Guerras Clon.

¿Qué puede esperar el público sobre grandes tramas que se mantienen a lo largo de la historia? ¿Vamos hacia los acontecimientos del Episodio III?

Dave Filoni: En la primera temporada, hemos tenido un montón de episodios de una sola vez, en gran parte determinada por nuestra línea interno de trabajo. A medida que avanzábamos en la segunda temporada, sin embargo, hemos ganado confianza desde la perspectiva de producción. Además, la trayectoria natural de nuestros personajes y el conflicto ha requerido una especie de mirada más cercana, más profunda. Por otra parte, es difícil planificar nuestro juego final, sin saber exactamente cuánto tiempo durará la serie. Bromeamos con que la serie MASH duró más que la guerra de Corea y si seguimos haciéndolo bien, podría ser el caso de las Guerras Clon. Y eso es un buen problema, pero también es un delicado equilibrio. A medida que avancemos, conseguiremos desprender las capas de los conflictos y los personajes. Todos sabemos cómo termina la guerra, pero lo que estamos explorando son los aspectos que no han sido revelados hasta ahora.

Star Wars ha tocado a muchas generaciones de fans, pero The Clone Wars parece estar forjando nuevos aficionados independientes de los largometrajes. ¿Por qué crees que es?

George Lucas: Star Wars siempre se ha basado en los arquetipos clásicos. Con las películas originales, los arquetipos fueron empaquetados de tal manera que hizo un llamamiento a las audiencias en el tiempo y he tenido la suerte que siguió resonando durante muchos años. Con The Clone Wars, los mensajes y los arquetipos son similares, pero estamos apelando a una nueva generación.

Dave Filoni: Bueno, es una frase común usada por aquí: Star Wars es para siempre.

FUENTE: PIZQUITA.COM

Bound to happen sooner or later. Pimp your iPod, Star Wars style for $30 this December.

Source: http://shop.starwars.com/catalog/product.xml?topcatID=1300264;product_id=1317538

I found this quite interesting, so I though I would pass it along.

James Cameron’s “Avatar” is getting so much hype that George Lucas is now actually considering making an entirely new “Star Wars” trilogy in 3D. We already talked about Lucas converting his old “Star Wars” film to 3D for a theatrical re-release, but this news is not about that. This is about a completely new trilogy.

According to MarketSaw, which claims that this information is from an extremely reliable and connected source, Lucas will not be directing the new films, only producing. Instead, he is trying to get his buddies Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola to take over the helming duties.

After hearing of this rumor, AICN went straight to Lucasfilm, and here is the answer their received: “Lucasfilm is not currently working on a 3D version of the Star Wars movies.“

That answer doesn’t surprise me, since a studio will never announce anything until they are certain that it will happen. MarketSaw claims that at this point, the new “Star Wars” trilogy is simply being discussed at Lucasfilm. Stay tuned.

Source

I’ll update this as more news comes in.

As always, follow me on twitter

Como complemento a la autobiografía de Kurosawa que desde hace ya varios años tenemos a nuestro alcance en su traducción al español, nada mejor que echarle un vistazo a este extenso documental, dirigido por Adam Low, que nos acerca aún más la vida y las películas de quien es considerado, junto a Mizoguchi, Ozu y Naruse, uno de los cuatro grandes del cine japonés, y el más accesible a la mirada occidental.

        A través de la narración de Sam Shepard y los testimonios del propio cineasta, su familia, y varios de sus colaboradores, las imágenes nos muestran los momentos más decisivos de la vida de Kurosawa -la estricta educación recibida, el suicidio de su hermano, la crisis tras el fracaso de su propia productora al estrenar Dodes´ka-Den (1970), que le lleva a no encontrar financiación en su propio país y a un intento de suicidio, etc- y de su trayectoria como director, desde sus inicios como guionista en films propagandísticos y los primeros trabajos como realizador durante la guerra y la ocupación estadounidense, pasando por sus grandes obras maestras -que descubren el cine japonés a gran parte de la crítica europea y que son, algunas de ellas, objeto de remakes-, hasta sus últimos films producidos en el extranjero, con capital soviético Dersu Uzala (1975) y con capital norteamericano (Lucas, Coppola y Spielberg) desde Kagemusha (1980) hasta Madadayo (1993), su testamento cinematográfico.

           Editado en DVD por Filmax.

The computer graphics for the first Star Wars film was created by Larry Cuba in the 1970s at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) (at the time known as the Circle Graphics Habitat) at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Here is how they did it.

Source: /Film

Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese (born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. He is the founder of the World Cinema Foundation, a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema and has won awards from the Oscars, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Directors Guild of America. Scorsese is president of the Film Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to film preservation and the prevention of the decaying of motion picture film stock.

Scorsese’s body of work addresses such themes as Italian American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, machismo, and violence. Scorsese is widely considered to be one of the most significant and influential American filmmakers of his era, directing landmark films such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas; all of which he collaborated on with actor Robert De Niro. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed and earned an MFA in film directing from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Trivia:

Listed as one of 50 people barred from entering Tibet. Disney clashed with Chinese officials over the film Kundun (1997), which Scorsese directed. [19 December 1996]

Awarded third annual John Huston Award for Artists Rights by the Artists Rights Foundation. [1995]

Presented with a special tribute at the 1976 Telluride Film Festival. It was presented by Michael Powell. [1976]

He is a longtime friend and was once a housemate of The Band’s Robbie Robertson. He directed The Last Waltz (1978), the documentary of their supposedly last gig which Robertson produced. Robertson later produced the soundtrack for Scorsese’s The Color of Money (1986).

Good friends with editor Thelma Schoonmaker & cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. Scorsese introduced Thelma to her husband Michael Powell and he often quotes Powell as an influence.

His name is pronounced “Scor-sez-see”.

He directed Michael Jackson’s Bad (1987) (V) music video. The full length video runs 16 minutes and is in both black & white and color. It is usually shortened down to just the color segment for television.

He appears as attached to his pet white Bichon Frise Zoe as he was to his beloved parents – except Zoe is right beside Marty every day in the office.

Daughter Francesca Scorsese born. [16 November 1999]

John Woo dedicated his action film Dip huet seung hung (1989) (“The Killer”) to Scorsese on a commentary he did for the movie’s DVD.

Daughter Domenica Cameron-Scorsese with Julia Cameron.

Taught both Oliver Stone and Spike Lee at NYU.

Was at one point going to make a movie about the life of comedian Richard Pryor.

He was an altar boy at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was used in his early films I Call First (1967) and Mean Streets (1973). Old St. Patrick’s is also where the baptism scene in The Godfather (1972) took place.

Was at one point slated to direct Clockers (1995), but for reasons that are not entirely clear, handed the directing chores to his onetime NYU student Spike Lee, while staying on as producer. He was also at one point going to direct Little Shop of Horrors (1986) for David Geffen, with Steven Spielberg as the executive producer. He was ultimately uninvolved, but claims that he wanted to shoot the movie in 3-D. It no doubt would have been a loving homage to Roger Corman, for whom he directed Boxcar Bertha (1972).

He took a cameo in his film Taxi Driver (1976) (as a man about to kill his wife) only because the actor who was supposed to play the role was sick on the day the scene was to be shot. Says he is generally uncomfortable in front of the camera.

Has a dog named Silas.

Is the subject of the song “Martin Scorsese” by alternative band King Missile.

Father of actress Cathy Scorsese from his first marriage.

Is of Italian-Sicilian descent.

Has asthma.

Of the three films he’s been trying to make since the mid-1970s, he has done two: The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gangs of New York (2002). The third film, a biopic of Dean Martin called “Dino”, has been on hiatus at Warner Brothers since the late 1990s. Scorsese has a very specific all A-list cast in mind, probably why it has yet to be produced. He wants Tom Hanks to star as Martin, Jim Carrey to play Jerry Lewis, John Travolta to play Frank Sinatra, Hugh Grant to play Peter Lawford, and Adam Sandler to play Joey Bishop.

Was voted the 4th greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly, making him the only living person in the top 5 and the only working film director in the top 10 (Ingmar Bergman being retired as a filmmaker).

Appeared on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2000) as a shrill version of himself who comes to regret his decision to cast Larry David as a violent gangster in a movie after David repeatedly ruins the suit he needs to wear as the character.

Several characters in his films refer to the legendary (noir) actor John Garfield, star of the original The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), which is also mentioned.

He was one of three major directors to have been offered the opportunity to direct Schindler’s List (1993) by producer Steven Spielberg, the other two being Roman Polanski and Billy Wilder. Scorsese thought a Jewish filmmaker should direct it; Polanski wasn’t yet ready to deal with the painful subject (having lost his mother in the Holocaust); and Wilder (who was retired and who lost his mother and grandmother in the Holocaust) finally told Spielberg that he should do it himself.

Because so many of his actors win or are nominated for awards, actors are dying to work with him. The film With Friends Like These… (1998) pokes fun at this very real desire.

Both The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gangs of New York (2002) were personal passions of his that he had wanted to make since the 1970s. When he first starting considering them, Robert De Niro was in his mind to play the lead characters in both (Jesus Christ in “Temptation” and Bill Cutting in “Gangs”). De Niro ultimately turned down the part in “Temptation” and it was decided he was too old to play Cutting by the time that “Gangs” finally went into production.

He has famously collaborated with Robert De Niro in 8 films. Scorsese has said that his creative collaboration with De Niro is very deep and that they can often understand each other without even talking. Their collaboration has had many dry spells (including recently), but Scorsese says he shows almost every script he writes or considers directing to De Niro to see what the actor’s thoughts on them are even when De Niro ultimately has no involvement the film.

Appeared in an “American Express” ad where he goes to pick up photos of his nephew’s birthday party at a drug store, and then proceeds to nervously pick through what’s wrong with each picture while trying to get the clueless photo-lab clerk’s opinion on them. He proceeds to buy more film with an American Express card and calls the people on the pictures saying they need to reshoot. Scorsese says this funny ad is probably the closest he’s come to accurately “playing” himself.

Apart from his legendary work as a filmmaker, he has been a vocal supporter of film preservation for almost three decades. His efforts to create a strong public awareness for the work of film archives include The Film Foundation, a non-profit organisation which he started together with other filmmakers. The Film Foundation regularly partners with the American film archives on the restoration of “lost” or endangered films. With this background he has agreed to serve as Honorary President of the Austrian Film Museum in Vienna.

Personally spurns the notion of the “director’s cut” feeling that once a film has been completed, it should not be further altered in any way.

He lost three best director – and best picture – Oscars to leading-man actors turned directors: Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, and Clint Eastwood (Raging Bull (1980) lost to Redford’s Ordinary People (1980); Goodfellas (1990) to Costner’s Dances with Wolves (1990); The Aviator (2004) to Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby (2004)). On the only two occasions when he was Oscar-nominated as Best Director in years ending in zero, he was beaten by actors making their directorial debuts (Redford and Costner).

In 1975, he accepted the Oscar for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” on behalf of Ellen Burstyn, who wasn’t present at the awards ceremony. She won for her performance in Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

President of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998.

Has mentioned that he thought Robert De Niro’s best performance under his direction was as Rupert Pupkin in The King of Comedy (1982).

Ranked #3 in Empire (UK) magazine’s “The Greatest directors ever!” [2005]

His favorite films include: Citizen Kane (1941), The Red Shoes (1948) and Il gattopardo (1963) (“The Leopard”).

Was friend, protégé, and employee of actor-director John Cassavetes.

When asked where audiences would find the next Martin Scorsese, he said to look to Wes Anderson, the young director of Rushmore (1998).

Has directed, as of 2008, 6 biopics: Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), Kundun (1997) and The Aviator (2004).

He received a Degree ad honorem in “Cinema, TV and Multimedia Production” from the University of Bologna on 26 November 2005.

Served as mentor to Georgia Lee and invited her to apprentice for Gangs of New York (2002) in Europe.

The 1912 American Mutoscope & Biograph Company short The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) heavily influenced Scorsese in the making of his own gangster films Goodfellas (1990), and Gangs of New York (2002). The film was picked by Scorcese for his 2005 tribute at Beaubourg, centre d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou (1977) in Paris, France. Biograph is the oldest movie company in America and in existence today, headed by producer/director Thomas R. Bond II.

Scorsese and Taxi Driver (1976) are, among others, named as inspiration for the Massive Attack debut “Blue Lines”.

He signed a four-year, first-look deal to develop projects with studio executives of Paramount. [November 2006]

The Departed (2006) is the highest-grossing movie of his 40-year career ($132,373,442 (USA)).

The Aviator (2004) was his first movie to gross over $100 million in the U.S.

He has worked with big names of music business: Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, ‘Michael Jackson (I)’ and David Bowie.

Directed 17 different actors in Oscar nominated performances: Jodie Foster, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis , Cate Blanchett, Winona Ryder, Ellen Burstyn, Sharon Stone, Diane Ladd,Cathy Moriarty, Juliette Lewis, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Newman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Alan Alda and Mark Wahlberg. (Burstyn, De Niro, Newman, Pesci and Blanchett won Oscars for their roles in one of Scorsese’s movies).

When he won his Best Director Oscar for The Departed (2006), he received the award from legendary directors, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg. The four were part of the “New Hollywood” movement of the 1970s and combined have 9 Academy Awards and 38 Nominations.

As a teenager in the Bronx, Scorsese frequently rented Michael Powell’s The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) from a store that only had one copy of the reels. When it wasn’t available the owner told him, “that Romero kid has it,” referring to George A. Romero who was also a big fan of the film. Today, both directors cite the film as a major influence.

Says he was happy with the fact that it took so long for him to win Best Director, because if he had won it earlier, it would have affected his directing and films.

Recipient of the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients that year were Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Diana Ross, and Brian Wilson.

Says the only thing he regrets in his career is that he was only able to make The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) on a small budget although he imagined it to be a grand version.

Was originally going to direct The Honeymoon Killers (1969), but was replaced after a week of shooting.

Served as a guest critic on “Siskel & Ebert & the Movies” (1986) following the death of ‘Gene Siskel’. The episode was “The Best Films of the 90s” in which Roger Ebert cited Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990) as one of the best films of the 90s (#3). Scorsese’s full list of his favorite films of the 1990s: 10.) Tie: Malcolm X (1992) and Heat (1995), 9.) Fargo (1996), 8.) Crash (1996), 7.) Bottle Rocket (1994), 6.) Breaking the Waves (1996), 5.) Bad Lieutenant (1992), 4.) Eyes Wide Shut (1999), 3.) Duo sang (1994) (“A Borrowed Life”), 2.) The Thin Red Line (1998), 1.) Dao ma zei (1986) (“Horse Thief”).

He was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film culture.

Resides in New York City. His production offices are located on W. 57th Street in Manhattan.

Attended Cardinal Hayes high school in the Bronx as a young man. Fellow alumni included George Carlin, George Dzundza, Regis Philbin and Jamal Mashburn.

Is a fan of the British Hammer Films series.

A huge fan of Fawlty Towers (1975). He describes the episode “The Germans” as “so tasteless, its hilarious.”.

In the 5th edition of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (edited by Steven Jay Schneider), 7 of Scorsese’s films are listed: Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1982), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995) and The Departed (2006).

Haig Manoogian was Scorsese’s mentor at NYU. He eventually produced Scorsese’s first film (I Call First (1967)) and when he died in 1980, Scorsese dedicated Raging Bull (1980) to Manoogian.

Roger Ebert is a great admirer of Scorsese’s work. 14 of Scorsese’s films were given four stars by Ebert (Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), After Hours (1985), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995), Kundun (1997), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Shine a Light (2008)), seven of his films are in Ebert’s Great Movies list (“Mean Streets”, “Taxi Driver”, “Raging Bull”, “After Hours”, “The Last Temptation Of Christ”, “Goodfellas”, and “The Age of Innocence”), and Ebert has written an entire book of his reviews, interviews and essays on Scorsese’s work simply titled “Scorsese By Ebert”.

As of November 10th 2009, five of his films are on the IMDb’s Top 250 Films list: Goodfellas (1990), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The Departed (2006), and Casino (1995).

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