Recentemente, obtive, joguei e terminei um dos jogos da franquia Star Wars mais esperados dos últimos anos. Produzido, como de costume, pela LucasArts (pertencente ao grupo da Lucasfilms e, por extensão final, ao Papai Papudo George Lucas) e lançado em setembro de 2008, The Force Unleashed causou um certo furor por alguns certos motivos. O game chegou para o PC com seu conteúdo expandido, intitulado Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition apenas em novembro de 2009.

Parte do frisson supramencionado vem do dito revolucionário engine do jogo. Aliado ao Havok, que relaciona peso e integridade dos objetos, tem-se o sistema Euphoria, responsável pela reação dos personagens não-jogadores ao serem arremessados, eletrocutados ou o que seja, e também o sistema DMM (sigla para Digital Molecular Matter), que simula o material do qual são feitos os objetos e como reagem a ações contra eles. Por exemplo, um vidro estilhaça como um vidro, e um metal amassa como metal, com a aplicação da mesma força sobre eles. Desenvolvido pela empresa Pixelux, o sistema DMM já está sendo adotado por uma infinidade de jogos eletrônicos.

Com essa engine curiosa e inovadora, o mote do jogo entra no cenário: teoricamente, seria “a Força como nunca se viu antes” ou coisa do gênero; correlativo, evidentemente, ao próprio nome, The Force Unleashed, “A Força Livre” ou, mais literalmente, “Livre de Grilhões”. Só isso já atraiu os olhos sedentos de uma legião de gamers ao redor do globo, que queriam ver a “Força com força total”, com cenários e personagens reagindo à dita cuja. Enfim, para atrair os fãs de Star Wars houve o toque final: o enredo do jogo é canônico de acordo com George Lucas, e vale para a história da Saga.

O jogo tem como aspecto principal uma aventura em terceira pessoa, situada entre os episódios III (A Vingança dos Sith – o final da nova trilogia) e IV (Uma Nova Esperança – o começo da trilogia clássica). Você assume o controle de Starkiller, o aprendiz secreto de Darth Vader e assassino/espião sith do Império. Após uma missão de caça a um Jedi em Kashyyyk, Lorde Vader encontra um Starkiller ainda pequeno – filho do Jedi que acabou de eliminar – mas sente a Força poderosa nele, e o toma sob sua tutela. Crescido e treinado para usar o Lado Negro, Starkiller torna-se parte de uma conspiração que envolverá o Imperador em pessoa e a formação concreta da Aliança Rebelde.

Tecnicamente, o game marca presença por exuberância gráfica. A recriação de personagens e os cenários que acabam mesclando estéticas de ambas trilogias cinematográficas são de deixar boquiaberto qualquer bom apreciador da arte de se fazer jogos, e com certeza contribuem para o feeling de Star Wars que todo bom jogo da franquia deveria ter. O personagem principal muda de roupa a cada missão, e todas elas tem uma aparência interessante, que também mistura aspectos novos e velhos. A ambientação e imersão são auxiliadas por efeitos sonoros excelentes e uma trilha sonora incrível, que sempre remete aos temas clássicos que todos conhecem.

O uso dos poderes da Força, para um videogame, é bastante fascinante. E graças aos engines utilizados na programação, eles sozinhos já proporcionam um espetáculo visual. Contudo, o jogo peca com uma dificuldade irregular e com uma câmera que muitas vezes atrapalha a movimentação e jogabilidade, principalmente nas batalhas contra os chefes de fases. Durante o desenvolvimento da história existem alguns quebra-cabeças bastante fáceis de resolver, contudo, mesmo indo não muito além do “matar, pilhar e destruir”, ainda mais com uma razoável gama de poderes, o jogo é divertido e pode garantir algumas horas de distração.

Todavia, o problema entra nos termos do enredo (prepare-se, eu não vou controlar a exposição de spoilers). A história do game em si não é ruim – apesar de poder ter sido bem melhor – mas ela infere no cerne da trilogia clássica de Star Wars e acaba alterando, em muitas vezes para pior, alguns conceitos que tínhamos como certos. E, mesmo sendo Universo Expandido, o fato de ser legitimado pelo próprio George Lucas nos obriga, em tese, a rever uma porção de coisas a respeito da amada saga. Coisas que, muitas vezes, é melhor que se deixem intocadas. E os probleminhas de desenvolvimento vão todos remeter a isso: ao fato da história agora ser canônica e que algumas coisas não devem ser alteradas.

Para começo de conversa, o personagem principal, Starkiller, é excessivamente poderoso. Mesmo. Seu domínio da Força é tão grande e absoluto que ele mescla combos de sabre-de-luz com telecinésia e consegue “carregar” a lâmina luminosa com a “eletricidade da Força”. Ele também é capaz de destruir cenários inteiros com um simples empurrão em todas as direções, amassar AT-STs como se fossem isopor, arremessar Tie Fighters como bolinhas de tênis e até mesmo derrubar um Imperial Star Destroyer usando apenas a Força. Mesmo outros jogos da franquia Star Wars, como Jedi Knight, Jedi Outcast e Jedi Academy, que tinham claras demonstrações do uso da Força, não foram tão exagerados.

Evidentemente, como eu disse ali em cima, em um jogo isso funciona. Bem demais, até. Essa sensação de poder dificilmente ficaria chata enquanto jogamos. Mas o problema começa ao colidir com a Força como nós a víamos antes. Em momento algum vemos qualquer personagem fazer algo minimamente parecido com as façanhas de Starkiller. Nem representantes que sabemos ter um conhecimento e domínio da Força ridiculamente alto; superior ao de Starkiller, inclusive, como Yoda, e ainda que o Lado Negro seja mais… “purpurinado”, nunca vimos o Imperador Palpatine atuar de tal forma, também.

Isso atrapalha na própria conceituação da Força. Ela deixa de ser algo místico e misterioso, que remete ao entendimento da vida e da morte e de algo intangível, uma filosofia e uma fé, e torna-se uma demonstração inconseqüente de superpoderes. Levamo-nos a questionar como é possível que os Jedi tenham sido exterminados por meros clones, quando na realidade são supersoldados capazes de feitos absolutamente sobre-humanos. É um exemplo da supremacia do Yoda piruletante com um sabre-de-luz à mão a um Yoda calmo, reflexivo e sábio. Culpa, em parte, de George Lucas e seus malditos midichlorians.

Ainda, o enredo do jogo introduz novas idéias à história que foram feitas de maneira descuidada. Ele credita a criação da Aliança Rebelde como uma manipulação do Império para tentar abater todos os seus inimigos de uma só vez. Apesar do conceito em si não ser de todo mal, a sua execução poderia ter sido melhor. A reunião de todos os futuros líderes da Aliança fica em cargo de um já conflituoso Starkiller, que numa rara interessante reviravolta do enredo e numa reversão ao lugar-comum, está “caindo para o Lado da Luz”.

Enganado por Vader e pelo Imperador, que capturam a futura liderança da Aliança – nomes como Mon Mothma, Bail Organa e a princesa Léia fulguram entre os coadjuvantes – o vingativo Starkiller persegue seus antigos mestres até a quase completa e em fase de testes Estrela da Morte (numa missão decepcionante, devo acrescentar). É ali que se tem o desafio final: salvar seus novos amiguinhos. Você confronta Vader e, após uma longa batalha, derruba – usando a Força, claro – uma infinidade de artefatos mecânicos da Estrela da Morte sobre o Lorde Sith.

Neste ponto, você pode escolher entre o final core, canônico e bonitinho ou o final motherfucker e alternativo. No final alternativo, você segue o confronto com Vader e o destrói. No CG que se segue, o Imperador o parabeniza e ordena que execute o Mestre Kota, um Jedi sobrevivente à Ordem 66 e que faz parte, segundo o jogo, da futura liderança da Aliança. Ao invés disso, Starkiller tenta atacar o Imperador, apenas para ser rechaçado e ter seu corpo quase inteiramente destruído. O CG segue com Starkiller sendo reerguido como uma espécie de “Vader 2.0 Diplomata Turbo”, e com o Imperador dizendo que agora você está sob seu comando, e quando o momento chegar, você será substituído. É com este Starkiller que você executa duas das missões adicionais que a Ultimate Sith Edition traz: Tatooine e Hoth (que são bem legais, até).

No final canônico você precisa enfrentar o Imperador em pessoa, e após uma batalha decepcionante (chefes de missões anteriores eram muito mais desafiadores), segue o CG do sacrifício de Starkiller para salvar Mon Mothma, Bail Organa e afins. Reclusos, eles decidem “continuar o que Starkiller começou” [!!!!], leia-se a Aliança Rebelde, e adotam como estandarte o símbolo heráldico da família do falecido.

Mesmo o enredo não sendo tão ruim assim – é até bacana creditar a formação da Aliança a um Jedi – acrescentar estas coisas na história acabam sendo um tiro no pé. Faria sentido Starkiller ser um personagem que ninguém conhecesse se ele continuasse como assassino sith e aprendiz secreto de Vader e morresse assassino sith e aprendiz secreto de Vader.

Contudo, a partir do momento em que ele exerce um papel tão fundamental na formação da Aliança Rebelde – ao ponto do símbolo de sua família ser o estandarte da coligação – entra o questionamento: por que nunca ninguém ouviu falar nesse cara? Temos aí um Jedi, um cara que cacetou o Vader, que tinha um domínio ridiculamente incomum sobre a Força e que foi o responsável pela formação da facção que derrubou o Império e restaurou a República Galática. Ele seria um grande herói para a Nova República e mereceria, no mínimo, uma nota de rodapé pelos seus feitos. Ele é o primeiro mártir da Aliança. E então, cadê ele?

No final das contas, The Force Unleashed é o domínio do estilo sobre o conteúdo, da demonstração da tecnologia sobre o enredo e sobre a falta de cuidado do Universo Expandido, e do próprio George Lucas, em acrescentar novas idéias à história dos filmes que começaram tudo em primeiro lugar. Um problema que ocorre muito mais freqüentemente após a nova trilogia – Episódios I, II e III – que demonstraram pouco cuidado do próprio criador da franquia em enriquecer a história. Como jogo, realmente, funciona, entretanto, exemplos como Dark Forces, jogo lançado em 1995, mostram claramente que é possível combinar boa jogabilidade com um enredo bem encaixado e interessante, sem destituir Star Wars de conceitos que a transformaram numa das mais bem-sucedidas franquias multimídia de todos os tempos.

Marcus Vinicius Pilleggi

Imagem de Cabeçalho: Lorde Vader, por Eric Poulton

Officers quarters at Presidio, fog covered Golden Gate bridge in the backround

For me, San Francisco is a pretty city with great food. But, the traffic gets on my nerves. Before our household got a GPS assistant, going to the city invariably meant an argument – about taking the one way only turn, and not finding a parking that cost less than the meal. Now, at least we avoid taking the wrong turn and if we do, we are not pathetically lost.

Presidio, the birthplace of San Francisco, is an escape from bickering and chaos associated with navigation and parking while preserving the beauty of the city. It is no hot spot for food or people watching. Even on a busy weekend, there aren’t many people. Although I did once notice a red leather clad woman in high heels, walking down the empty streets of Presidio – a sight that elicits a response like “jello on springs”. But that was a rare apparition. In general, you will enjoy a walk by yourself among old military relics.

Old building not yet renovated

The old officers quarters are being renovated and turned into office spaces. So, there is an odd assortment of tenants here, mostly non-profits and charitable trusts. Lucasfilm of “Star Wars” fame is headquartered in a new building near Letterman hospital complex. Even George has designed his building to blend in with the old architecture. Walking by, you may even miss his famous Letterman Digital Arts Center were it not for the statue of Yoda.

Palace of Fine Arts as seen from Lucasfilm Center

The landscape is also being modernized. In 1800s, the military had set about converting the sand dunes of Presidio into its current forests – “evenly-aged” marching trees dominated by eucalyptus. A more thoughtful revitalization of the old forests is now taking place – with an idea towards sustainable, “unevenly-aged” healthier forest while preserving the military character of tree alignment.

Ce soir, petite soirée Star Wars avec mon tit Frere adoré! Alors forcement ,puisque je suis Fan depuis l enfance, y a le crayon qui derive

Ce fut une tres bonne soirée!

Im sitting watching probably my favorite Tv series of all time, after Seinfeld ofcourse
‘Young Indiana Jones Chronicles‘

It is a series telling the story of how Indiana Jones became the man we know from the movies, how he grew from a boy into a young man.
The main story surrounds the 1st world war, and how indy partakes both on the dreadful trenches of hell and also asa diplomat and spy.
All along the way he gets into strange, thrilling and fun situations, and always seems to be into some new girl.

I love this tv series because of its historical aspect; how it depicts the war, but also how all the different countries looked like during this period.
It is really quite interesting and entertaining!
Also, Sean Patrick Flanery who plays Teen-young man Indy is just great, his performance is worth an oscar
He is so charming, ti hi^^

It is really a series I recommend, each episode is about like a small movie, aprox 1hr and 30 mins, and there are22 episodes in total so it is a great thing to keep you occupied, having fun and at the same time learning about history.
Plus they are created, developed and produced by none other than George Lucas and Rick Mccallum!

For some reason, Sean Patrick reminds me of a young version of english actor Rik Mayall, haha.

If you dont know who Rik mayall is; shame on you.

Great english actor/comedian; best known for his performance in the Tv series Bottom and The young ones.
I suggest you check those series out too, if you know whats good for ya…

Speaking of hot girls, anybody remember Cheryl Tweedy?
Better known as Cheryl Cole, after marrying footballer Ashely Cole, and no; Ashely Cole is no woman, but haha funny name for a man ~~
Cheryl “tweedy” Cole is also known for singing in the girlband Girls Aloud…miaow, anyways shes pretty ^^

Plus I love her accent, so charming Newcastle^^
Can be heard here where she sounds so cute, kawaiii!!!
-British girls; gotta love em!

Lucasfilms twitterte laut StarWarsUnion.de eine Ankündigung für “tolle Nachrichten”, die am Montag kommen werden. Da steigt die Vorfreude immens.

Wir werden am Montag tolle Nachrichten für Euch haben! Ich bin total aufgeregt! Ihr habt keine Ahnung, wie schwer es ist, nicht einfach alles aus sich heraus zu schreien.

Ich will Euch ja nicht ärgern, aber es ist so schwer Euch nichts zu sagen! Aber ich mag noch in Versuchung sein. Muss über das Wochenende darüber nachdenken.

Okay, ich gebe Hinweise. Es sind richtig tolle Nachrichten für Fans der alten Schule (mehr kann ich nicht sagen, oder aber ich bekomme Ärger).

Bereits am Montag Morgen. Ich denke, wenn der Präsident der Firma mir die Info gibt, dass ich es bekanntgeben darf, dann würde ich es tun. Bis dahin kann ich nur ein bisschen sticheln. Tut mir leid.

Ich hoffe, ich enttäusche Euch nicht. Ich weiß, dass das hier etwas ist, nach dem ich mich gesehnt habe, als ich noch nicht einmal bei LucasArts gearbeitet habe.

 

Was es wohl sein mag? Um die Realserie mag es sich ja wohl kaum handeln (“Fans der alten Schule”). Holiday Special auf DVD? So toll wär das auch nicht. So bleibt uns nur das Spekulieren, bis am Montag die Bombe platzt.

Droidmaker: George Lucas and the Digital Revolution, a history of Lucasfilm’s Computer Group - more popularly known as the “Droid Works” - is a painstakingly researched chronicle of how George Lucas and his motion-picture production company, Lucasfilm, became pioneers in computer graphics. Along the way, one is introduced to several of these brilliant, often eccentric, and uniformly driven computer scientists. These men and women (virtually all were men) applied their talents to push the limitations of late 1970s and early 1980s computer technology to new heights.

In the early chapters, Rubin focuses on Lucas’ collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope studios in the late 1960s – the goal being an experimental approach that would apply new technologies to traditional filmmaking. Coppola, who personally was highly technologically savvy, appears frequently throughout this book – particularly when cross-pollination between Lucas’ and Coppola’s employees is discussed.

Rubin, a neuroscientist and Brown University graduate, got his own start with Droid Works, and so it seems logical that many of the considerable number of people he interviewed for this book were also alumni. In this sense, Rubin’s access serves to credibly peel back the secretive veneer of the company – which originally consisted of a number of non-descript warehouses in San Rafael, California. Employees were sworn to secrecy about Lucasfilm’s location – a task which was enjoyed bythose on the inside, but which became increasingly difficult with every successive “Star Wars” hit.

Along the way, Lucasfilm becomes involved in the development of digital editing, video games, computer-animated films, high-definition television, THX sound, and other important high-tech innovations. It was out of this quest for innovations that Pixar Studios came about (started by Alvy Ray Smith, David Lasseter and Ed Catmull) - which now produces the world’s most successful animated films.

Digital Equipment Corporation (D.E.C.), Sun Microsystems, and other notable hardware and software pioneers played important roles in the metamorphosis of the Computer Graphics Division – with Digital’s VAX computer being the original means of “rendering”: the process of generating an image from a model by means of computer programs. As computer software capabilities approached the creative pace of Lucasfilm’s engineers, the means of improving and accelerating the division’s output was also realized.

Along the way, one sees Lucasfilm evolving from a smaller, more informal and collegial environment, to a more corporate one. As George Lucas’ personal and professional interests became more diversified, he relied increasingly on MBA-degreed managers who had little or no experience in high-tech. This served to create tensions between them and the long-time staff, who often felt their efforts were being thwarted – whether for cost or other inconceivable reasons.

Rubin’s accomplishments here are several: you get to know the principal players very well; there are insets throughout that detail concepts the lay-reader might not be familiar with, and his prose is highly readable and engrossing. For a computer history, that’s no mean feat. And when considering such a wide variety of people, companies and institutions such as Walt Disney, The Grateful Dead, Akira Kurosawa, Ross Perot, Steve Jobs, The Doors, Steven Soderbergh, U.S.C., M.I.T., Atari, Pixar, Jurassic Park, etc., etc., putting a coherent story together might appear daunting. But Rubin succeeds with an aplomb that confirms the passion he holds for the subject.

One of the early principals in Lucasfilm confessed to me that Droidmaker was “another good (accurate) book” of Lucasfilm’s Computer Graphics group and its outgrowth, Pixar Studios – another being David Price’s Pixar Touch, which I will also discuss in a future entry.

– Christopher Hartman

Welcome to the beginning of something that I’ve been cooking up in my brain for some time now. I’ve read a vast majority of the Star Wars related books available, both fictional, and technical. I read Star Wars comics, play any Star Wars video game I can get my hands on. I visit a lot of Star Wars related sites on the internet, and basically live at Wookieepedia. Hell, I play the Star Wars Roleplaying game. When I dream, I dream in Star Wars. It’s an understatement to say that I have a lot of Star Wars knowledge.

For years and years, I’ve wondered how I could use this knowledge for the betterment of mankind. Recently, it came to me. While there are literally a TON of other sites out there, there is no real universal hub for all Star Wars information. When I’m on a mission to look for something Star Wars related, I have to go to a different website for whatever it is I’m looking for. Video game, book information, comics, the RPG. There’s great sites out there that provide this information, but there is no central hub to unify all of these sources together.

I’m currently in the process of designing and creating a website to serve such a purpose. I’m planning on providing reviews, links, commentary, and any Star Wars related news. Once the website has been officially released, I’ll be able to integrate this blog into the site.

In the meantime, I will be posting links to interesting articles and websites, as well as my own commentary, and maybe a little bit of fiction as well. Keep your eyes peeled, and you may just find something that’s right up your alley.

A few years back, I oversaw the publication of Alvy Ray Smith’s family history, Dr. John Durand of Derby, Connecticut, and His Family, for a small press in Boston. I met him through a mutual acquaintance, and found him to be very funny, engaging, and intensely interested in his family connections. Little did I know at the time that he had an illustrious background in high-tech, as the first head of computer graphics at Lucasfilm, a co-founder of Pixar animation, and a founder of Altamira, which was purchased by Microsoft in 1994.

I recently contacted him via email, and mentioned that I had picked up The Pixar Touch, a history of the founding of Pixar, and noticed in there that it was while he was at Lucasfilm that he and his colleagues had originally used Digital Equipment Corp.’s VAX computers. Designed by Gordon Bell for DEC, the VAX was significant because of its capacity for editing computer graphics. Appearing in 1978, the VAX is considered by many to be the most successful microcomputer in history.

In an email he recently sent me, Smith recalled an interesting anecdote from his days at NYIT’s (New York Institute of Technology) computer lab: “Yes, the VAX was very important to us. We had serial no. 1 (actually there were two serial no. 1!) because CMU (Carnegie Mellon Univ.) traditionally gets serial no. 1, but ours was ready before theirs, so both were made serial no. 1). And serial no. 1 was amost dropped off the end of the delivery truck at delivery to NYIT. I happened to emerge from the computer graphics lab building just in time to see the receiving truck (a NYIT vehicle) moving slowly away from the Digital truck, with nobody aboard, and the VAX poised between the two, held up by both. The truck’s door was open, however, so I ran as fast as I could and leapt into the cab, stomping strongly on the brake. This saved the day! If not the lab. (The NYIT group became the Lucasfilm group, became the Pixar group).”

– Christopher Hartman

I just came back from watching Star Wars The Clone Wars at the local United Artist movie theater.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Movie Poster

Although the reviews by today’s movie critics did not seem to like this installment of the  Star Wars franchise, I found the movie interesting enough to provide the additional details of the Clone Wars.  I enjoy it because I enjoy following the continuing adventures of Star Wars universe

So, typically I ignored movie critics such as Roger Elbert who give us a brief review such as this:

“…basically just a 98-minute trailer for the autumn launch of a new series on the Cartoon Network.”

Makes you wonder what do they know?  In the end, if Mr Elbert dislikes a movie, it is probably something one should watch.  But, there are exceptions to this rule.

But, back to the review this animation movie.  Like the novel, The Clone Wars by Karen Traviss, we follow Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi on their next mission between Episode II and Episode III movies.  The mission is simple, rescue a kidnap child.  But, it is not an ordinary child, it is son of Jabba the Hutt.  At stake is the space lanes in Hutt space.  To make this mission more challenging, Anakin is given a new Pawadan learner, Ahsoka.  Together they must rescue the hutlett and return it to Jabba.  But, they are not the only ones after the hutlett, Count Dooku and his agents are also after the hutlett and obtain the space lanes for themselves.

The animators of the movie, and soon to be TV series, present us with different animation view.  Somewhat 3-Dish, but with more edges.  The battles are intense and look real.  This is probably one of the reasons that many of the critics dislike this movie.  Another reason may be the weak story line and how their notion that George Lucas is ruining the Star Wars franchise with this release.  But, if you are Star Wars fan, you would look beyond these distractions to enjoy the movie.

In the end, I would recommend seeing it at a matinee.  Today’s matinee cost me $7.25 in the Indianapolis area.  [ On personal side note, obtaining three Arizona quarters was fine reward in seeing the movie today. ]

After you do see the movie, I suggest reading the novel.  I found the novel a good read and provides the additional details about the story not shown in the movie.

One other note I would mention was the previews shown prior to the main attraction.  One of these previews was the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie.  I had seen this preview on the Internet prior to today and noticed the words, “November”, at the end.  I have to report that the date of its release is now incorrect.  According to FoxNews this morning, Warner Brother has push it to a July 2009 summer release.

This video is awesome and if you don’t agree… get the F*** off my blog.

Partiendo de la payasada del canciller García Belaúnde* sobre no ver Indiana Jones y el Reino de la Calavera de Cristal, me queda en duda si decirle a la gente que jode con el tema que vean la película (fijo más de la mitad no distinguen a henry Jones Jr. de Rick O’Connel) o que sólo no la vean, se desentiendan del tema y santo remedio. Ojo que esta solución es peligrosa: en términos del llano es como que te digan que Perú va al mundial, pero como no la hace mejor no veas los partidos.

SPOILERS A RAYMUNDO Y TODOMUNDO ON

La vi y no me importó. No me importó que un refrigerador convenientemente revestido de plomo fuera un refugio seguro contra ataques nucleares y que un cincuentón haya volado, ¿100 metros? ¿200? Y a pesar de estar resguardado de la radiación, no se haya reventado los pulmones, el cerebro, el corazón o algún hueso contra las paredes de la refri.

Sobre la geografía: que se jodan. Se han pasado medio siglo promocionando a Machu Picchu(r in Picchur) como robots y ahora se quejan de que todo el mundo cree que el Perú no pasa de Cuzco. ¿Que la rayita roja no llega a Nazca? Se han zurrado en toda ruta de viaje coherente para decir “Indy va de Donde-quede-el-Barnett-College hasta Perú”. Por último, es LucasFilms, no PromPerú.

Me salto lo de las cataratas y las pirámides para integrarlo al tema histórico. No me acuerdo de casi ni jota de lo que fueron las tres grandes culturas prehispánicas. Pero sí sé mucho de películas sobre hombrecitos verdes de marte. Es un lugar común sugerir que las escrituras y construcciones antiguas (mayas, egipcios, navajos si vamos a X-Files) tienen influencia extraterrestre. Y es simpático, porque ayuda a mover la historia en lugares gringamente exóticos y más interesantes. Y como buenos demiurgos, los marcianitos borran sus rastros, en medio de la selva, hace 50 años, incluyendo una pirámide que alguien había puesto encima de su nave (como cuadrar en doble fila al lado de un Monster Truck). Que podría o no ser maya, porque recuerdo que la escritura lo era, pero nadie dijo nada sobre las construcciones.

Aparte, Pancho Villa no hablaba quechua según la película. Era su gente. ¿No pudimos haber tenido compatriotas apoyando la revolución allá en el norte?

SPOILERS A RAYMUNDO Y TODOMUNDO OFF

Lo que nunca supe fue por qué la producción de Spielberg y Lucas nunca atracó con grabar acá, tal como pasó con la peli de Bond que también nos choteó. Son cosas de la vida, los grados de inversión y las estrategias de marca país cada día más cojudas que el anterior. Ese es un raje para otra ocasión.

Y si alguien quiere una versión geográfica e históricamente exacta, que Spielbergo haga el remake.

Más sobre Joselo, Indy y lo demás en:
Morsa, Útero, Cinencuentro, Tercer Piso, Reportero y Borrador.

* ¿Se han dado cuenta de que hay apellidos que aparecen hasta bajo las piedras en Palacio?

Magische Artfakte:
Indiana Jones und das Königreich des Kristallschädels.

Wer sich noch gut daran erinnern kann, wann er das letzte Mal mit kindlicher Begeisterung dem Kinostart eines Films entgegengefiebert, alle Vorberichte gierig verschlungen, dann mit zitternden Händen endlich die Eintrittskarte zum Abriss bereitgehalten hat und schließlich die letzten Meter zum Vorführsaal mit einem wilden Rudel Schmetterlingen im Bauch entlanggeeilt ist, um schnell noch den bestmöglichen Sitzplatz zu ergattern, bevor die Lichter ausgingen und der Projektor endlich, endlich zu rattern begann, der hat entweder ein lebhaftes Erinnerungsvermögen, das problemlos Erfahrungen wiederbeleben kann, die schon mehrere Jahrzehnte zurückliegen, oder aber er gehört zu jener fragwürdigen Spezies, der die Leinwand ein echtes Ersatzleben bietet. Mit dem großen Ereignischarakter ist es im Gegenwartskino nämlich leider nicht weit her. Der mediale Overkill von Werbekampagnen, die gerne mal die 200 Millionen-Dollar-Marke knacken, gibt sich zwar alle Mühe, selbst mittelmäßige Produktionen zu vermeintlichen Sensationen aufzublasen, den Adrenalinanteil beim Publikum können sie jedoch nur geringfügig ankurbeln, und das Zeitfenster zur DVD-Auswertung ist in den meisten Fällen ohnehin allerhöchstens nur noch ein Bullauge. Wer allerdings daraus schließen will, dass sich das Publikum und seine Bedürfnisse eben verändert hätten (und nicht etwa in erster Linie eine pappsatte Industrie schuld ist), der muss sich gehörig darüber wundern, wie groß die Sehnsucht nach Anachronismen werden kann, wenn nur das richtige Angebot da ist. Dass dazu eine altbewährte Formel und ein Filzhut schon ausreichen können, wer hätte das ernsthaft bezweifeln können? Welcome back, Dr. Jones, good to have you around again.

Nicht, dass die Rückkehr des Mannes, der sich selbst unter heißester Wüstensonne nicht von seiner Lederjacke trennt, ohne omnipräsenten Werbeaufwand vonstatten gegangen wäre – im Gegenteil natürlich (und zwar mit einem Budget von mindestens 150 Millionen US-Dollar). Den Sensationscharakter allerdings bringt die bloße Existenz des Films bereits ganz von selbst mit sich und reicht zurück bis in den peruanischen Dschungel von 1936 oder einen Nachtclub in Shanghai im Jahr zuvor. Wie auch immer man sich da entscheiden mag, spätestens beim Öffnen der Bundeslade jedenfalls war das Schicksal des unkonventionellen Archäologieprofessors mit krankhafter Schlangenphobie und ausgeprägtem Vaterkomplex (von dem damals allerdings noch niemand wusste) bereits besiegelt. So wie seine kreativen Wegbegleiter sich in der vielleicht berühmtesten Überblendung der Filmgeschichte das Paramount-Logo einfach mal schnell zueigen gemacht hatten, war Indiana Jones 1981 unumkehrbar in das kollektive Bewusstsein westlicher Popkultur eingetaucht.

Doch dabei ging es nicht um die bloße Figur alleine, sondern vielmehr um ein ganzes Stil- und Erzählkonzept mit klaren und unumstößlichen Koordinaten, von denen her sich der Wiedererkennungswert eines Phänomens definierte, das auch nach 27 Jahren ganz offensichtlich immer noch keinen einzigen Funken seiner Faszination eingebüßt hat. 1989 hatte Henry Jones jr. zwar bereits sein (vermeintlich) letztes Leinwandabenteuer bestanden, doch weder in den Köpfen und Träumen seiner Fans noch den Bilanzbüchern seiner Lizenznehmer war er tatsächlich für immer in den Sonnenuntergang geritten. In einer Flut aus Comics, Romanen, Videospielen, Themenparks und der endlosen Palette von Merchandising lebte das Prinzip Indy weiter und sorgte beständig dafür, auf keinen Fall in Vergessenheit zu geraten. Selbst das eher verhalten entgegengenommene TV-Spinoff „The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles“ mit ganzen drei Indy-Versionen in verschiedenen Altersstufen (und sogar einem winzigen Gastauftritt von Harrison Ford selber) konnte die Figur nicht entzaubern. Warum also sollte eine Rückkehr auf die große Leinwand fast zwei Jahrzehnte später etwas anderes sein als die logische Konsequenz aus echter Unkaputtbarkeit?

Für Lucasfilms und Paramount war dabei sicherlich vor allem die eine große Zahl ein ganz entscheidendes Argument: 1,2 Milliarden. So viele US-Dollar nämlich sollen „Raiders of the lost ark“, „Temple of doom“ und „Last Crusade“ angeblich bislang eingespielt haben, Lizenzrechte vermutlich nicht eingerechnet. Das ist eine Menge Holz (oder Papier), und so lag es eigentlich nur am Duett Lucas / Spielberg, das Prinzip Indiana Jones noch einmal dort auszuspielen, wo es ursprünglich hingehört – auf der großen Leinwand eben. Wie viele Storylines und Drehbuchversionen dabei entstanden sind, und wie viele Autoren verschlissen wurden, wissen wahrscheinlich nur die Buchhalter von der Skywalker Ranch. Der MacGuffin sei es gewesen, der Lucas über all die Jahre Kopfzerbrechen bereitet hätte, derjenige archäologische Plunder also (Bundeslade, Sankara Steine, heiliger Gral), der den Film zumindest auf der Oberfläche in Gang setzt. Nichts sei gut und groß genug gewesen, bis, tja, bis für Lucas die Erleuchtung in Gestalt eben jenes sagenumwobenen Kristallschädels kam, um den sich dann endlich eine echte Indy-Geschichte stricken ließ. Das mag man glauben oder auch nicht, die Erwartungshaltung schürt es aber allemal.

Mit dem unglaublichen Druck von 19 Jahren auf den Schultern also und einem Millionenpublikum, das die originalen drei Filme in- und auswendig kennt, genau weiß, wer, wie und was Indiana Jones ist, hat, darf und will, und das eine ebenso abstrakt-klare wie konkret-diffuse Vorstellung davon hat, wie die Rückkehr ihres Lieblingshelden auszusehen hat, und wie eben nicht, flimmerte schließlich am 18. Mai 2008 auf der ungemein werbewirksamen Plattform des 61. Filmfestivals von Cannes und begleitet von echter Vorabhysterie dasjenige zum ersten Mal über die Leinwand, worauf so viele so lange gewartet, und vor dem nicht wenige auch gehörige Angst hatten. Beunruhigendes gab es kurz zuvor bereits mit fragwürdiger Quellenlage im Netz zu lesen, und so war die Premierenpresse schon mal vorgewarnt. Ziemlich gemischt fielen demgemäss auch die ersten Reaktionen aus, und es war eingetreten, wofür Lucas bereits im Vorfeld aktive Schadensbegrenzung betrieben hatte: der Kritik gefiel sein Film nicht besonders. Zu bemüht, zu unoriginell, zu unzeitgemäß – so oder ähnlich war man sich weitestgehend einig, erst recht an der Croisette, wo Indy als alles überschattender Platzhirsch aufgetreten war, ohne überhaupt irgendetwas mit dem Wettbewerb selber zu tun zu haben. Das nahm man ihm selbstredend gerne übel.

Mit dem Film selber jedoch hat das alles herzlich wenig zu tun, und man würde einen entscheidenden Fehler begehen, ginge man davon aus, dass Indy 1981 von der professionellen Kritik merklich wärmer empfangen oder auch nur eines der vorherigen Sequels nicht gegen seine Vorgänger ausgespielt worden wäre (selten etwa wurde zum originalen „Raiders“ Unqualifizierteres gesagt als in jener legendären Kritik des damaligen Spiegel-Kulturchefs, die heute nur noch verständnisloses Kopfschütteln hervorrufen kann). Von einer Verbesserung der Bedingungen war also kaum auszugehen, und wie um alte Traditionen noch einmal aufleben zu lassen, war sich selbst der Archäologenverband nicht zu schade, dem Treiben des Mannes mit dem Faible für mythologisch vorbelastete Fundstücke allen Ernstes wieder einmal Rufschädigung vorzuwerfen – man kann es eben nicht allen recht machen. Und so waren es vor allem die Fans des Franchise, deren Zustimmung im Fokus der Macher lag. Die große Aufgabe des neuen Films müsste es schließlich sein, Tradition und Erneuerung unter einen (Fedora-) Hut zu bringen, und dabei dennoch nicht so zu tun, als sei die Filmgeschichte zwischenzeitlich stehen geblieben.

Vielleicht war es die klügste Entscheidung von allen, Indy etwas zu erlauben, was anderen Filmhelden im Normalfall eher den Hals brechen würde und deshalb meistens mehr oder weniger trickreich ausbleibt. Während der bekannteste Geheimagent seiner Majestät etwa alle paar Jahre einer Verjüngungskur unterzogen werden muss, um überleben zu können, ist Dr. Jones tatsächlich mit seinem Publikum gealtert – freilich ohne merkliche Anteile an Kondition und Schlagkraft einzubüßen (und das ganz ohne Martial Arts). Exakt 19 Jahre zeitliche Deckung erlaubt sich der Film, und so darf Harrison Ford zwar immer noch in derselben Montur, zugleich aber auch mit ehrenhaft ergrauter Mähne auftreten (wobei die Legende natürlich den Vortritt bekommt, und wohl deshalb die berühmte Silhouette das erste ist, was Indy als Indy identifiziert). Und weil Spielberg seit „Hook“ die ewige Kindheit gegen die Vaterschaft ausgetauscht und Lucas mittlerweile (für manchen Anhänger schmerzhaft) bewiesen hat, dass er den fiktionalen Generationswechsel für ein probates Mittel hält, um Altbewährtes fortzuführen, bekommt der (vermeintlich?) lebenslange Junggeselle Indy im Verlauf des Films tatsächlich einen unehelichen Sohn an die Seite gestellt. Die Funktion von Shia LaBeouf war zwar trotz akribischer Geheimniskrämerei frühzeitig, vielleicht aber auch ganz absichtlich durchgesickert, doch selbst der unbedarfte Zuschauer kann schon nach den ersten Minuten ohnehin ahnen, was da für ein Verhältnis vorliegt, wenn er Zeuge wird, wie Indy mit dem etwas ungestümen Mutt Williams (ein weiterer Beleg dafür, dass Lucas seine große Begabung für griffige Namen wirklich eingebüßt hat) mal im Wortgefecht liegt, mal eine gemeinsame Flucht auf dem Motorrad besteht (eine schöne Variante der umgekehrten Vater/Sohn-Konstellation aus „Last Crusade“). Und daran ändert sich auch solange nichts, bis es Gewissheit gibt und beide schließlich der Frau gegenüberstehen, die als einzige jemals ein ebenbürtiger Partner für den doch eher anti-emanzipatorischen Professor war: Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, die wie die meisten Spielberg-Frauendarstellerinnen keine nennenswerte Karriere aufbauen konnte), Indys weibliches Gegenstück aus „Raiders“ und der Zeit davor. Dass Mutt als wilde Mischung aus Brando und Errol Flynn das ungewollte Ergebnis einer gemeinsamen Liebesnacht ist (vermutlich jener einzigen, die es jemals in einem Indy-Film gegeben hat), muss man erst mal verdauen – aber warum eigentlich nicht? Marion jedenfalls ist damit endlich auch im Spielberg-Universum angekommen, in dem Frauen bekanntlich und ausnahmslos nur dann akzeptabel sind, wenn sie als Mütter fungieren – vermutlich also auch ein rückwirkendes Zugeständnis von George Lucas an die in Genderfragen geordnete Weltsicht seines Partners.

Unabhängig von dieser zentralen Figurenkonstellation, die „Crystal Skull“ zum echten Familienfilm macht und dem Sohn über weite Strecken diejenigen Actionsequenzen zumutet, die früher der Vater selber abgeliefert hätte, ist der neue Film vor allem eine gutgelaunte Variationssammlung aller bewährten Indy-Ingredienzien rund um Skorpione und Schlangen, Treibsand und Tempelbauten, versteckte Geheimgänge und verdeckte Falltüren, wenn auch ohne die obligatorischen Nazis, dafür aber mit einer Abordnung nicht weniger allmachtbesessener Russen (an deren Spitze eine akzentsichere Cate Blanchett sichtliches Vergnügen am bösen Spiel zeigt), vor allem aber mit einem gehörigen Augenzwinkern angesichts auch der absurdesten Plotwendungen und der unübertrefflichen (oder ganz einfach: saugeilen) Coolness Harrison Fords, der endlich wieder dort ist, wo er hingehört (und so selbst das filmische Entsetzen von „Firewall“ vergessen lässt). Das ist alles nicht neu, aber das soll und darf es auch nicht. Indiana Jones ist Indiana Jones ist Indiana Jones, und damit die unendliche Variation eines fest abgesteckten Regelkanons, in dem man sich selbst nach zwei Jahrzehnten Funkstille jederzeit willkommen, geborgen und zuhause fühlen kann – und für 124 Minuten ein bisschen das Gefühl haben darf, dass die Indy-Filme vielleicht selber magische Artefakte sind, die es auf ganz unerklärliche Weise möglich machen, die Zeit doch tatsächlich für einen Augenblick zurückzudrehen.

Artikel © 2008 Thomas Lenz. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Filmplakat: Universal Pictures International Germany GmbH

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No, it’s not gonna be easy, because with movies like these, people’s expectations are huge. And too often, impossible to meet.

You think of movies like Ghostbusters, Back to the Future or [insert favorite movie here] and say, “Man, wouldn’t it be awesome if they made another one of those?” We want more, even though we know that sequels operate alongside a sort of law of diminishing returns, where the new can never really live up to the old. Sadly, the same is true of the latest Indy flick. Although the movie has a lot going for it, you’re going to have to eat your fair share of cheese to get to it.

When you think about it, there’s really a lot of material out there for new Indiana Jones stories. There’s Atlantis, or Excalibur, or the Book of Secrets (screw you National Treasure!). So it was strange to see this movie lean so much on science fiction. It was an interesting idea, and kind of cool to learn that Indy played a part in the Roswell crash, but it didn’t seem very consistent with the tone set by the previous films. The half-naked natives and snakes we can handle. The alien from The Arrival shooting laser beams into Cate Blanchett’s skull maybe not so much.

One thing I definitely could have done without was the overabundance of cutesy humor. There are moments that are genuinely funny, but after we see Shia LaBeouf swashbuckling with Cate Banchett while balancing on two jeeps speeding through the jungle, only to get caught in a tree and start swinging from vines with a group of monkeys, I kind of broke into a cold sweat. There was a five year old kid a few rows ahead of us who got a big kick out of it though. Seriously, he wouldn’t shut up about it.

On the technical side of things, I wasn’t a huge fan of the way the movie was shot. I felt that stylistically, it was too big a departure from the other Indy films. Although it wasn’t a green screen gang bang like the Star Wars prequels, there were too many scenes that oozed Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. My wife said that in some places it looked like they were filming a stage production. Some of the sets and costumes seemed too new, too clean. Not worn and lived in and authentic like the previous films.

Like I said before, the movie does have a lot going for it. Obviously some big names. It’s clean, which is a quality lacking in so many films today. And it is a lot of fun just to see Indiana Jones back on the big screen. Harrison Ford scores some points in his portrayal of an aging Dr. Jones. That whole aspect was handled very well, I thought.

In the end, the latest Indy installment will make hundreds of millions of dollars, and we’ll soon be hearing news of another sequel. George Lucas has already dropped hints of future Indiana films being handed over to Shia LaBeouf. Although if they’re released under the title, “Mutt Williams and Blah of the Blah Blah Blah”, I’ll never set foot inside a theater to see them.

Screw it. Go check this one out in the theaters. It’s a nice, clean, summer movie that’ll make you nostalgic for days past. And this movie is still way better than National Treasure. Keep your expectations reasonable (yeah, I know) and you’ll have a real good time.

6.7 (I’m so torn!) out of 10 stars

Se viene diciendo desde julio del año pasado que Shia LaBeouf firmó un contrato para volver a caracterizar a Mutt Williams en una serie de secuelas de Indiana Jones, lo cual LicasFilm rápidamente desmintió. Ahora George Lucas acaba de revelar que tiene ideado hacer más películas de Indiana Jones, pero con Mutt como personaje principal.

“Todavía no le he dicho ni a Harrison ni a Steven [Spielberg] nada de esto, pues tengo ideado hacer que el personaje de Shia sea el protagonista en la próxima película, quizá con alguna aparición o reaparición de Harrison. Puede que funcione,” comentó Lucas a Fox News

LaBeouf parece estar contento con la por puesta, pues comenta que “Aunque creo que una película de Mutt no sería tan buena como una de Indiana Jones, tendré los dedos cruzados.”

Por su parte, Harriwon Ford platicó en Abril con USA Today, donde platicó que “También hay planes que consideran una quinta parte de Indiana Jones, aunque esperemos que no se tarden otros 20 años en completarla.”

“No creo que Harrison se vea tan viejo,” Admite Lucas. “No me malinterpreten, aunque tenga 65 años él hizo todas las escenas en la película. Todavía tiene ese encanto,  y eso no lo hace ver tan viejo. Es increíblemente ágil; se le ve aún mejor que hace veinte años, en mi opinión.”

Y para terminar de pasar revista, Steven Spielberg admitión hace unos años, cuando seguía trabajando en Indiana Jones 4, que no sabía su habría una quinta película. “Oh, en realidad no sé. Y aunque dije que la  tercera película sería la última, obviamente no fue así. Así que no puedo afirmar si la cuarta será la última o no. No es que intente algo como rediseñar la rueda, o algo así; simplemente quiero continuar esta saga.”

Y claro está, si esta cuarta película de Indy termina siendo tan buena, y refleja en la taquilla ese éxito, no veo por qué no se haga la película de Shia o incluso la quinta parte.

This week, Star Wars creator George Lucas commenced litigation in the UK against British movie prop designer Andrew Ainsworth, seeking to enforce a $20 million California judgment against Ainsworth for trademark and copyright infringement. Lucas’ claim of infringement centered on Ainworth’s unlicensed sale of Stormtrooper uniform and helmet reproductions on his personal design studio website.

Ainsworth is allegedly the original designer of the Stormtrooper uniforms featured in the 1977 sci-fi classic Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. He claims to have personally sculpted the molds from which the original helmets and body armor were constructed. The iconic Stormtrooper has since become a symbol of the Star Wars movie franchise:

Ainsworth’s molds for the Stormtrooper helmets and uniforms were first inspired by the conceptual drawings of Ralph McQuarrie. McQuarrie produced the conceptual art for all three original Star Wars movies.

Most important to the resolution of the Lucas-Ainsworth controversy will be the London High Court’s determination of who owns the intellectual property rights in the three-dimensional Stormtrooper outfit.

Questions relevant to the determination of authorship (and ownership) of the Stormtrooper copyrights (in the parlance of U.S. Copyright Act of 1976) are: whether Lucasfilms and Ainsworth were joint authors of the Stormtrooper uniform; whether Ainsworth was an employee or an independent contractor of Lucasfilms when he created the uniform; and thus whether the Stormtrooper uniform was a “work for hire”. Copyright law in the United Kingdom is similar enough to that of the United States such that the London court’s reasoning should closely follow the California decision.

(For more information about the Lucas-Ainsworth Stormtrooper controversy, please see CNN.com and The Original Prop Blog.)

— Austin Broussard

Additional Sources:
- CNN.com
- The Original Prop Blog

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May 22, a date that will live in… well, the Indiana Jones’ series history.

That is the release date of the much anticipated sequel to the Indiana Jones trilogy, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Like everyone else, I am a huge fan… but I have to add this asterisk.

I wrote my own Indiana Jones screenplay some time ago. I don’t know the premise of the new sequel, it doesn’t matter… this one would stand on it’s own.

Much of the Indiana Jones fervor had died down back when I contemplated my story and I thought I knew why. I had an idea that I wanted to submit to somebody, ANYBODY to keep the franchise going. Not that it needed my help, because fans of the hero have survived nearly two decades awaiting this upcoming adventure. But because I was so enthralled with the character that I didn’t want to see him fade into oblivion, I wrote mine.

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Try as I might I couldn’t get anywhere with my idea. Lucasfilms rejected me with the utmost courtesy because my request for a review came unsolicited. I can appreciate that. These days everybody has an idea, everybody has a screenplay and everybody thinks their idea has been plagiarized and wants to sue. I just wanted to give Indy a way out and I think I have succeeded.

I’m glad they finally agreed on a story, but I think mine would be better…

First, I would like to thank Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford for coming together once again for this next (last?) go round with the beloved character of Indiana Jones.

Second, I would like to apologize to Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford for what I am about to do, i.e. publish my own screenplay on this blog.

and now the disclaimer….

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THE FOLLOWING SCREENPLAY IS AN UNAUTHORIZED WORK. IT IS NOT SANCTIONED, APPROVED OR CONDONED BY LUCASFILMS, STEVEN SPIELBERG, GEORGE LUCAS OR HARRISON FORD. IT IS A WORK OF FICTION AND OFFERED FREELY AND WITHOUT COMPENSATION. IT IS INTENDED FOR THE PRIVATE USE OF THE READERS OF THIS BLOG AND ANY UNAUTHORIZED DUPLICATION IS PROHIBITED.

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That being said….

I offered the following as an introduction on my original screenplay.

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Introducing Indiana Jones and the Dance of Aldebaran.

This script and its inquiry were rejected by Lucasfilms 3 times without being read. I wrote it on a lark because I believed that the character deserved more than the “grow old and die” ending that was painted for him in the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Indy was a hero in a time when the world needed heroes, but that hour never seems to pass for his audience. Larger than life characters need more than to succumb to the frailties of mere mortals. We want them to always be there; ready to emerge once again whenever they are needed. It is my hope that this story will give fans of Indy’s the satisfaction of knowing that no matter what, heroes live on.

For continuity it would be helpful if the reader was familiar with the Indiana Jones trilogy as well as the characters from the book, “Lost Horizon” by James Hilton and/or the movie starring Ronald Colman.

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I will offer Part 1 on Wednesday the 20th (the date of the 20th has been good to me as of late ) and will continue on with the remainder of the story until it’s completion. If you are a fan of the franchise I hope you will feel I have done the character justice. If you are not, my readership has just been knocked down substantially… which usually happens when I do this sort of thing.

I just hope I don’t get sued.

peace.