Earlier today I came across DavidWilm. This guy is downright amazing. He has made quite a few movies already, but here are his latest In this cut scene from Return of the Jedi, pilots Vincent Vega and Jules get their chat on during the battle over endor. Fart jokes always make me laugh.
May the schwartz be with you
There’s Something Not Quite Right About These Star Wars Action Figures
Back in 1977, Kenner Products made one of the most inspired rights acquisitions in the history of movie merchandise, taking advantage of Mego Corporations astounding decision to pass up on the rights to Star Wars, and releasing a line of action figures that are still worth their weight in gold to collectors. Mint, boxed Kenner figures fetch astonishing amounts of money if they’re of the rarer variety, and it has been said that the most avid of collectors would happily kill their grannies for the chance to pick up the Japanese variant Chewie with the originally intended cross-bow weapon (instead of the cheaper blaster that was included in Western editions). Something tells me they didn’t approve these Star Wars figures of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru though… Brilliant.
WhatCulture’s 52 Reasons Why Star Wars Is The Greatest Film Of All Time
This week has seen one of the most momentous events in the history of high-definition releases with the long-awaited release of the complete Star Wars Saga on blu-ray. And to celebrate, the net has gone wild with Star Wars activity, from deconstructions to flat-out criticisms, and one of the most comprehensively put together pieces came from WhatCulture, who offered 52 reasons why they think Star Wars: A New Hope just might be the greatest film of all time. You can see those reasons here, and whether you agree with them or not, the article stands as a wonderful celebration of the film and of the wider franchise. There are those who will immediately disagree, and suggest that The Empire Strikes Back is the superior of the two films, but A New Hope is a bona fide watershed moment in the history of sci-fi film making, and how ever you now…
Star Wars Fan Film: Chess Wars
You have to love Star Wars fan-film-makers: even when the Blu-ray collection has been released, they’re still plugging away making their own offerings to the wider franchise. This latest impressively high-quality addition comes from youtube users RespectThePact, who have replaced one strangely helmeted figure with another, slightly smaller foe with a light-saber… It’s a great one – to the extent that there have been rumours about it being a viral ad – but that wouldn’t discount it as a good Star Wars fan-film since intent shouldn’t really devalue any work of art.
Five Stages of Star Wars Revisionism Fan Grief
I wonder how much of this is age related. ROTJ came out when I was three, so for most of my childhood we kids still loved Star Wars, but adults, having lived through the hype of the late 70s and early 80s, were pretty much sick of it. From about 1985 until 1995 there wasn’t anything Star Wars in the stores at all. Nothing. I got my Star Wars fix off of old Star Wars Marvel comics in the 25 cent bin at the local comic shop, and a couple of video games. It came on TV once a year, but mostly it was kind of a cult thing like Pulp Fiction; a good movie but that’s about it. Certainly not a major cultural force anymore. I remember being amazed when they announced the Thrawn trilogy; for a lot of us this was as close as we ever figured we’d…
Landophiles Unite! Join The Fight For Justice
This year’s PAX (that’s the Penny Arcade Expo for the uninitiated) was overrun by a gaggle of devotees, hell-bent on highlighting a cause that they feel warrants world-wide, if not galaxy-wide coverage. These people, who are traditionally seen wearing blue capes and moustaches march under the banner of The Lando Society, and expouse better living by the teachings of Lando Calrissian, the coolest cat in the entire Star Wars universe. At PAX their devotion reared its head in a different way to usual, with the Society uniting to march on the Expo in order to protest that their hero – their swarthy, moustachioed messiah – has been cruelly left out of the SWTOR character list. Okay, so that’s not the whole truth, because Lando wasn’t born until 3500 years after the time of STWOR’s setting, but you can’t fault their commitment as they’re pushing to convince Bioware to include a…
The Best Worst Foreign Versions of Star Wars
Foreign variants are a wonderful thing: in the film world they invariably provide sarcastic writers like myself with ample ammunition for ripping the proverbial out of them. And today, thanks to The Swedish Bed, we have a collection of some of the best (for that read worst) foreign versions of Star Wars. The original article lists a number of reimaginings, but I’ve just chosen the four most entertaining (for the rest, head over to The Swedish Bed by following this link). Warning, they’re not exactly as well made as the original trilogy, but then not even George Lucas managed to recapture that quality with his own follow-up trilogy, so it’s probably to be expected… Brazilian Star Wars Not really a straight reimagining, but you’ll find that none below are either, but that villain is definitely familiar… Japanese Star Wars Commercial Something tells me this one slipped through the net of…
Let’s Blame Walt Disney For the Inferior Star Wars Prequel Trilogy!
It seems we have Walt Disney, or more appropriate his corporation to blame for the relative poorness of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy thanks to their forceful backing of a 1998 change in copyrighting law that saw the period of copyright protection extended to “the lifetime of the author plus 70 years” (having originally been just 28 years). Because of that change, George Lucas was able to continue his vice like grip on the Star Wars universe, like a beardy Darth Vader, only with more success in the taking-over-the-galaxy stakes. According to the excellent, enigmatic CP Grey: George Lucas was completely within his rights to make those movies into the sterile, toy-marketing vehicles they were. He owned Darth Vader and could tell the origin story as he wished – and that’s the only version you’ll ever get to see. He goes on to muse about what fantasy world delights would…
More Star Wars Blu-Ray Content Revealed
With the September 12th UK release date creeping upon us quickly, we have some more details of what will be included as Extra material in the most anticipated blu-ray release of the past few years. We already had a vague idea of what the nine disc spectacular would include, but now Star Wars Aficionado and TheForce.Net have cleared away some of the mystery by listing some of the features in further detail, the lovely clever devils that they are. First up is the list of Extras according to TFN, which has apparently been confirmed by Lucasfilm’s Chris Argyropoulos as “accurate but incomplete.” Here goes: DISC SEVEN – PREQUEL TRILOGY Episode I Archives Fly-Through Naboo: Interviews: Naboo Overview / Liam Neeson Interview Deleted/Extended Scenes: Trash-Talking Droids / The Battle Is Over / Anakin’s Return The Collection: 360° Turnarounds / Video Commentaries Concept Art Gallery Tatooine: Interviews: Tatooine Overview / Rick McCallum…
Star Wars Shirts That Will Bring You To the Dark Side
This is a Guest post by Matt Johnson. Matt lives in the Tampa area and runs an indie clothing line called Seventh.Ink Shirts and Apparel. Seventh.Ink has designs ranging from humorous to pop culture to illustrative, leaving something in there for everyone. It’s no surprise that I’m a huge Star Wars fan. Ever since I was little I have collected Star Wars memorabilia including action figures, books, cards, and artwork. Like most artistic Star Wars fans, I’ve always looked for a great way to tie art and my love of Star Wars together. This is where Seventh.Ink comes into frame. Running an indie clothing line gives me a chance to really be creative in a field that has plenty of room for new ideas. Although spoofing Star Wars shirts is not a new idea, I find that making new connections between my brand and one of the best film franchises…
Collectors Rejoice! South Pacific Island Set To Release Star Wars Coins
Even the Queen loves Star Wars. Well, sort of anyway – because The Telegraph are reporting that she is set to share space on a set of coins with the cast of the franchise. According to the British newspaper, characters including Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Yoda and a cast of other heroes and villains from a galaxy far, far away, will feature alongside our own beloved Queen on a set of 40 coins issued by the South Pacific island state of Niue. The remote Polynesian state – population 1,400 people – normally uses New Zealand currency, but they’re bound to be the envy of the Star Wars loving world when the coins are eventually released. The coin sets are aimed at collectors and investors around the world in a bid to boost Niue’s comparatively grim economy – if only every other government was that logical and proactive! The price for…
Ridiculously Awesome Star Wars Sushi
Sushi art is something I have enormous respect for. Mostly because I envy anyone who can spend so long working on food without eating it (I know, I have a problem), and thanks to the great team over at Obvious Winner I can share exactly why I admire the high-end skills so much. Japanese sushi chef, Okitsugu Kado – an avid Star Wars fan (who calls himself a Jedi) – has been busy with his carving tools producing some frankly startingly Star Wars sushi art, some of which you can see below. The pieces take hours to make, and unsurprisingly aren’t available to consumption (though they do look delicious), instead taking their place on display, presumably until they start to smell. Here are the picks of the bunch… And here is a video of the man at work. Incredible stuff.
Star Wars XXX: A Porn Parody Teaser
Generally speaking, the idea of a teaser trailer for a porn film quite frankly occurs to me as something like putting wheels on an ice-cream. Entirely unnecessary. Because all you need to push in order to sell delicious filth to me is the fact that there’s boobs in it. There, simple, Sold! But with Star Wars XXX: A Porn Parody those rules are there to be bent, because even without the Q&A, that film is an event in itself. Made by Axel Braun, who has some serious geek credentials behind him by the look of this teaser and what we’ve heard so far on the project, it is an affectionate porn parody like nothing that has come before. Pun completely intended. So here it is, a month before release – the official teaser trailer… Rember also to check out the interview we did with Grand Moff Tarkin aka Eli Cross
Star Wars Episode VII: Battle of The Old Dudes
Ever since someone got the bright idea of animating a light-saber into that fat jedi kid video the trend has established itself as something of a regular feature on the video sharing site. If we’re perfectly honest, the situation has got a little out of hand lately, and its been fairly done to death. But perseverance is a wonderful thing, and just when you think you’ve enjoyed your last light-saber duel, something like this pops up to side-swipe you and reinvigorate the sub-genre again. It all seems to have escalated from a road rage incidence in rural France, with a fairly drunk looking tractor driver taking out his aggression first on his enemy’s car and then on his body. What ensures, with a little animation magic, is a beautiful thing…
The Fastest and Funniest LEGO Star Wars Stories Ever Told…
Lego Star Wars has a lot to answer for when it comes to fan-made Star Wars films. Thanks to the accessibility of the medium, and the fact that the internet has somewhat unfortunately made everyone with a camera believe they’re an auteur, there are roughly a million youtube videos featuring the iconic plastic toys, and about 98% of them are unwatchable trash. Praise be to Jabba’s Belly then for those members of that sorry 2% who make it through the net and into my lap, because they can be genuinely brilliant pieces of work, like the following two films, posted by Dzine123, which offer an irreverent and hyper-speed version of both Star Wars trilogies to date. They’ve been around for a while now, but they’re still just about the most awesome thing I’ve seen in a while. And then there’s the Prequels… Dzine123 is already something of a legend in…
Star Wars Classic Movie Mash-Up Posters
More impressive poster based shenanigans have come to my attention from Design You Trust, who have posted (via artist Matt Ranzetta) three mash-up posters melding classic movies with a Star Wars flavour. The posters, based on three of the most iconic films of modern cinematic history are each an accomplishment of simplicity and observation, and the artist deserves a hearty pat on the back for pulling them out of his clever head. Ranzetta actually released the posters, including the two further additions I have included below back in 2010 to huge acclaim, and thanks to the response, actually released both prints and T-shirts based on all five designs. Do yourself a favour, try and get your hands on at least a couple. As promised, here are the other two posters that make up the series…
Joe Johnston Wants a Boba Fett Movie
Not content with bringing one iconic hero of American cinema, Captain America director Joe Johnston has his eye set on another, even more awesome figure for another upcoming project. Boba Fett. That’s if he can convince George Lucas to get on board. I’ll let that sink in. Boba Fett. Just imagine for one minute the possibility of a spin-off of arguably the cult character of the entire franchise (alongside Darth Maul perhaps), playing out like a sort of Die Hard meets Dog The Bounty Hunter. And while I don’t have great faith in Johnston’s directorial abilities (aside from his early work on Jumanji and The Page Master) – he made The Wolfman remember – he does already have experience directing jet-packed superheroey type folk thanks to his time helming 1991’s overlooked gem Rocketeer. In conversation with ScreenRant, Johnston admitted his intentions: “”I’m trying to get George to make a feature…
WTF: The Dark Side of Love
Alessandra Torresani is insanely hot. This much is certain. Today, I’m also a little more convinced that she is actually also straight up insane, thanks to the video below. Featuring full frontal Sith Lord tonguing action, a Darth toddler and some wonderfully off-kilter humour, the video charts Torresani’s relationship with Darth Vader from the heady highs to the neck-crushing lows. It’s odd, but it’s our kind of odd. I’m pretty sure that putting an oversized Darth Vader helmet on an infant verges on child abuse, but it looks pretty bloody funny. And if it’s done in the name of entertainment, Social Services presumably have to be more lenient. Otherwise those little hairy children they put in Ewok costumes would never have been granted permission to work…
CTRL+ALT+DEL’s SWTOR Beta Test Comic “Exclusive”
The team at CTRL+ALT+DEL have consistently turned their very talented gaze to the world of gaming since way back in 2002, producing stand out comics dedicated to the funnier side of nerdery. And now, praise Chewy, the funny guys have produced one dedicated to the minefield that is the world of SWTOR Beta Invites… Brilliant work. And methinks more than a little true. Do yourself a favour, check out some more of CAD’s stuff if you haven’t already.
Kaley Cuoco’s Slave Girl Leia PSA
Compelled by what is clearly a pressing issue – Slave Leia fatigue – director Zachary Levi has posted this informative PSA starring Big Bang Theory’s nerd-pin-up supreme Kaley Cuoco, advising cosplay girls of a better way. The video comes under the banner of the painfully funny team at BreakOriginals. According to the video, with so many choices available to cosplay girls, there’s no reason everyone needs to be Slave Leia. By acting now, we can save Slave Leia for when we really need her. Incidentally, my own cosplay is a little more off-kilter. I go as an XBox Live user who has recently encountered a girl gamer on the forums. I turn up wearing only my underwear, so when anyone asks what I’m meant to be I can say “I’ve just come in my pants.” I’m here all week. By the way, if you’re numb-skulled like me, and it’s…
Greenpeace: VW Are The Dark Side
In response to one of the greatest advertising campaigns ever to hit TV by VW, Greenpeace have put out their own Star Wars themed ad, suggesting that the German car manufacturer are affiliated to the Dark Side even more than the little Darth Vader advert originally suggested. Aping the original ad, in which a diminutive Darth adorably struggles to use the force, Greenpeace have introduced a whole raft of Rebellion characters, who confront Darth (who the ad positions as VW’s spokesman of sorts). It’s all terribly clever, though it somewhat devalues the Dark Side by suggesting the grand plan was to destroy Earth via a cunningly conceived opposition to CO2 emission cuts. Terrifying. Anyway, the video is great (hence the rise of some 60,000 views in a single day!!!): They’ve also released a follow-up – titles Episode II surprisingly – which is altogether more light-hearted, and features a frankly creepy…
What If Those Scanner Guys Weren’t Such Wimps?
Ever since the internet allowed fans to start sharing their own takes on scenes from their favorite movies, a number of fan re-edits have appeared to various successes. The most infamous example of course was The Phantom Edit, in which some Mike J Nichols re-jigged The Phantom Menace, “fixing” scenes featuring Jar-Jar Binks, removing the Battle Droid dialogue and generally recutting the film to match the style of the original trilogy, to resounding success. But there are others, ranging from full recuts to humorously re-edited single scenes like the one below. YouTuber OneMinuteGalactica – who also edited the Existential Star Wars clip we brought you a while back – has this time turned his attention towards the Imperial scanning crew sent onto the Millennium Falcon to search for anything untoward. Obviously in the film, they last roughly ten seconds before tasting Wookie knuckles, but OneMinuteGalactica’s cut ask an important question: what…
How To Turn To The Dark Side
Ever wanted to follow in the footsteps of Darths Maul and Vader? Ever had a hankering to liquidate a whole community of Jedis? Well do we have the instructional video for you?!! Thanks to the guys over at Howcast (who posted this brilliant video on their YouTube channel), we can now bring you this enlightening public interest film on how to master the skills needed to become a bona fide Sith legend in double-quick time. Feast your eyes on this, just make sure your boss isn’t looking over your shoulder – I’m pretty sure a desire to wipe out all the goodness in the world is classed as gross misconduct these days. Bloody bureaucrats.
Awesome Star Wars/Batman Mash-Ups From Draw2D2
Ah, the mash-up – that gloriously geeky medium that allows creative fans to show new levels of appreciation for multiple projects by marrying them together in genius combinations to create something all together more beautiful than the sum of its parts. The new kings of this world are undoubtedly Draw2D2, a collective of artists who post a series of mash-ups every two weeks devoted to two “Geeky References”, and who definitely deserve more attention for their exploits. So far the artists have mashed our beloved Star Wars up with Pirates of the Caribbean, and more recently Batman (a geek marriage made in Heaven), and the results have been uniformly exceptional. For me, the pick of the bunch, in terms of the Star Wars material is this retro-flavoured poster of R2D2 and C3PO as Batman and Robin swinging through the night sky, byAdam Carlson. The word genius is bandied around a…