George Lucas - make a rant here! :D

[KcMsterpce]

If you look at the General Discussion section, there are 3 active threads pertaining to the George Lucas, and people go on mini rants. I myself am guilty of ranting about him in these posts as well. I thought maybe people could rant about those three threads as one big rant against Lucas here.

THE TOPIC SUGGESTIONS FOR RANTING:

What is your opinion of delay of release for the Indiana Jones movies and/or tv series? Is he just keeping the fans waiting to piss them off and have them scramble for purchase during release? Is he going to make DVDs with extras that are better than what he's done so far?

What would you think if Lucas and Spielberg decided to 'enhance' the Indiana Jones series with CG effects like they did with Star Wars and ET?

What is your opinion of George Lucas as a DIRECTOR? What if there were other writers and directors for the prequals and Lucas just watched over the progress instead of him keeping his fat pudgy child-like fingers in everything like he's already done?

Do you think Lucas fucked up with the latest Star Wars episodes? If you do, what could he have done to make it better?


Rant about any of these subjects or something else entirely, I'm really curious to read opinions on this. Possitive OR negative would be fun to read.

Now... if you still feel like it, rant away my fellow schmoes.

[Beeblebrox]

Is he just keeping the fans waiting to piss them off and have them scramble for purchase during release?

Yes, obviously Lucas is acting maliciously on purpose, because he's got nothing better to do than torment the fans that helped make his franchises so popular.

Ultimately, they're his movies, he owns them, and he can do what he wants with them. If you don't like it, you don't have to watch.

[Buck Turgidson]

Y'know, B. no one is disputing that. It's ultimately Michael Jackson's face, also. He can do what ever he wants with it, but I'll be damned if I have say it looks good.

Those two have one important thing in common: early mega-success has effectively isolated them from reality. I guess Lucas doesn't sit naked on his bed watching TV and wobbling back and forth to the john on a trail of paper towels like Howard Hughes did at the end, but he's still pretty damn out of touch. Happens when you surround yourself w/ sycophants.

Expecting him to behave in a completely calculated and rational way is likely a mistake. Since he's proven (whether this was his intent or not, and for the record, I doubt it was), that a large legion of followers of him and his franchise will repeatedly eat shit and consider it chocolate, I doubt he has a whole lot of incentive to maximize the effect of his films. (I'm referring to the incessant reissuing of the original trilogy on VHS, a form obviously dying some time ago.)

If he were a more rational man, he'd set about making the best possible digital transfer of his original trilogy, and make them available in a couple of editions: a HQ regular one, loaded w/ extras, and an ultra-high end version, super loaded. Since he's a megalomaniac control freak, he's going to pretend to be Flaubert and sit up at his ranch, endlessly tinkering.

I loved his films, especially the first two of the trilogy when I was younger. I also was a total Disney fan. As I got older, and it became clear what a bunch of extraordinarily unplesant people ran the shows in those two empires, almost all of my love for the franchises fell away. I still have a residue of it, and a part of me will always be the ten-year old who saw Star Wars in the Summer of '77, but a lot of that is gone. Boo hoo, I know, but it still doesn't take away from the veracity of what I say.

[Beeblebrox]

Since he's a megalomaniac control freak, he's going to pretend to be Flaubert and sit up at his ranch, endlessly tinkering.

The problem here is that you are ascribing motivations to a man you've never met and a process you seem to be unfamiliar with.

I'm a filmmaker myself and I completely agree with the old saying, "movies are never completed, they are abandoned." Lucas is not alone in that philosophy.

Steven Spielberg felt that he made undesirable compromises for Close Encounters and used his considerable clout after the film came out to release a Special Edition. He also regretted some of the choices he made with ET. Robert Wise did the same with Star Trek the Motion Picture. There is not a single project I've done in which I wouldn't make changes if I were given the opportunity.

Director's look on their own work with a scrutiny you can't imagine. Every flaw, every possibility, some that would never be noticed by an audience, are magnified a thousand times. Most filmmakers, however, do not own the rights to the films they make. The studios do. And the studios typically do not want to fix what they feel isn't broken (like a big hit film), so unless the director has major clout, the changes won't happen.

Lucas does own the rights to Star Wars. He was never satisfied, even before the advent of digital technology, with many of the compromises he made. In fact, part of the reason Jabba the Hutt has a lair full of colorful aliens is to make up for the Cantina scene in Star Wars.

Are the changes for the better? Lucas thinks so, and they're his movies. He's going to do what any other filmmaker would do in his place and make the best film he can. Then he'll put it out there and hope the audience goes for it.

Like I said, if you don't think it's good enough, then don't watch. Even Lucas realizes that no fans can be taken for granted, as we saw with the vicious lashing that The Phantom Menace received from many of them.

[Buck Turgidson]

I don't have any real quibble w/ any of that. One thing, though: I don't have to be personally acquainted with Lucas to see that he's a megalomaniac. That's painfully obvious to anyone who pays five seconds of attention to him. If we're adopting a rule that we have to know the people we slam, we're all going to be reading a lot from Grebdron and staying quiet ourselves.

If Star Wars fans enjoy being treated like this, that's their prerogative. In the end, I don't give a shit. I find his whole universe silly and trite. I like Ralph McQuarrie's painting and a lot of the technical aspects of the ships and other accoutrements interest me, but not much else. I watched The Phantom Menace more out of a sense of obligation than anything. I regretted it, and I won't pay to see anymore in the series. Doesn't mean I have to hold my tongue about what an ass Lucas is, though.

[Beeblebrox]

If we're adopting a rule that we have to know the people we slam, we're all going to be reading a lot from Grebdron and staying quiet ourselves.

You don't have to know the guy to comment on his work, but you should certainly know what you're talking about before presuming to know why he makes the decisions he makes. I doubt his own kids know that, much less a Shmoe on this message board.

[Buck Turgidson]

No presumption, just honest opinions, which could always be mistaken. The fact of the matter is, as you say, nobody knows what he's doing or why. He could be a wonderful artist, benignly trying to enrich the world, or he could be the selfish jerk I believe him to be. It's all a matter of how you look at and interpret the facts. Lucas supporters have no more real evidence than his detractors.

To reiterate: I really don't care.

[studlyhorrorbuf]

Originally posted by Beeblebrox

Director's look on their own work with a scrutiny you can't imagine. Every flaw, every possibility, some that would never be noticed by an audience, are magnified a thousand times.

If that is the case, then Lucas's concern for flaws in his scripts for the last two "Star Wars" films weren't that great. He is a lazy ass director when it comes to directing the actors to act. I read that he did not do that many takes for the dramamtic scenes with the actors of "Attack of the Clones." It seems all his films are all about style and hardly at all on substance. The recent episode it seemed had no soul in it. Looks to me like he did not look over his work with such scrutiny. I still can't believe he thought that Jar Jar Binks was going to be hilarious. Man, what the heck was Lucas thinking? Lucas has made a mockery of my capitalist country. The fundamentals that say if you work hard and put out a quality product you should be rewarded. Anything less and you won't. Well that bastard, Lucas, has gotten around that through the use of flashy gimmicks. Such as sets, special effects, costumes, and action sequences and that is it. I really do not think that he should be lauded as a great filmmaker. Especailly when all his recent "Star Wars" entries are getting two stars. hahahaha A freaking billionaire who finances his own films and all they can get are two strs. What a fucking pussy! I am still pissed off it is o.k. for Lucas to be lazy but not me. Fuck Lucas! Hey Buck Turgidson, have you seen or read any interviews of Lucas where he comes off as a total asshole. I want to know about them.

[Beeblebrox]

He is a lazy ass director when it comes to directing the actors to act. It seems all his films are all about style and hardly at all on substance. The recent episode it seemed had no soul in it. Looks to me like he did not look over his work with such scrutiny.

Being wrong about his choices and not caring are two different things. He can make a movie that you don't like or believe has bad acting, but that doesn't mean Lucas didn't care about what he was doing.

No, he doesn't like working with actors. That's not lazy. He believes that you hire actors to act and they should do their job without you having to hold their hands through the process. I don't agree with him, but that doesn't make him lazy or incompetent.

Every director has his priorities. For some, like Fincher, it's the shot composition and the photography. For others, like Burton, it's the production design. For still others, it's the actors. And for some it's the writing. We all focus on different aspects because it's almost impossible to handle all of them equally well (Spielberg is the only one I can think of).

This is a guy who held off on making the prequels to one of the most successful franchises of all time until he knew the technology would let him realize the stories the way he wanted them. He's also advanced the state of the art in film over the past 25 years almost single-handedly. It is his demands that fuel the forward progress of filmmaking technology.

[electriclite]

Personally I can live without the Star Wars films. They were fun when I was young, but they've lost their luster in my eyes.

My real gripe with with Lucas, besides his obvious lack of talent recently writing the screenplays to Episodes 1 and 2, is his overbearing hold over the franchise.

Now I'm not against him protecting his story, characters and ideas from being ripped off by some hack who wants to make dishonest money off them, but Lucas has clearly gone off the deep end when it comes to protecting his stuff.

For instance: No one can use the title "empire" in any film in the Sci-fi genre, a medical company named a surgical laser (something that helps people!) a "lightsaber" and was immediately served with papers threatening to sue that company unless they changed the name. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Watch Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I'm sure Kevin Smith meticulously went over every word and action in the script to make sure he didn't incur the wrath of the Terrible Lucas.


George needs to loosen himself up a bit, and learn to get a sense of humor.

[Beeblebrox]

Lucas has clearly gone off the deep end when it comes to protecting his stuff.

Do you know what happens to intellectual property when you don't protect your rights? You lose those rights under common law. All studios and production companies do the same thing. Remember the controversy over Paramount and Star Trek fan sites?

Jay and Silent Bob escaped scrutiny because it is a parody and parody is protected.

[electriclite]

Like I said, I know you have to protect your stuff, but in my view Lucas goes waaaaaaaay beyond what is considered legally reasonable.

And no, parodies are not even safe from the Almighty Lucas. If they were Smith wouldn't have been so worried about making certain things in the movie.

[Beeblebrox]

Originally posted by electriclite
Like I said, I know you have to protect your stuff, but in my view Lucas goes waaaaaaaay beyond what is considered legally reasonable.

That's absurd. What does "legally reasonable" even mean? Paramount shut down fan sites. Lucas hasn't done that. And he didn't do anything to Kevin Smith for Jay and Silent Bob. In fact, I heard he was rather amused by it.

However, calling a COMMERCIAL product that you manufacture a "lightsaber" is a pretty clear trademark and copyright infringement and Lucas was well within his right to issue a cease and desist.

BTW, a cease and desist is NOT a legal action but a request to cease and desist what the copyright holder considers an intellectual property infringement. Most of the time, the violator is unaware that they are infringing.

[Irene Manor]

I look at Lucas like I look at Mr. T - Love the guy, but he has only one jig, and he is content on taking it all the way to the bank. Star Wars is a great series, IMHO, but the guy knows he does one thing really well, and we should all respect that. Everyone bitches about him selling them too many things -- You know what version of the trilogy I own? The VHS copies with the original poster art - the ones that aren't digitally remastered. He lost my money as soon as he changed the cover art, and now I'm sure that I made the right choice there, and wasn't being too nostalgic. Maybe one day I'll replace them, but until I do, count me out.

All of the Star Wars are good. I think standards nowadays are much higher. Not too many people can say with a straight face that the dialogue in Star Wars was as good as other films of that period. ("Look, kid....") I was especially disappointed to see so many people chastizing him for his recent award for technological advancement. Attack of the Clones looked great. Sure, I can point out a few parts that were rough, but this man has pioneered and fostered some of the largest leaps in digital technology. Props to him. The man is not scared to try something new, and that is the one thing he hasn't turned his back on.

He took a chance with Jar Jar Binks and people slammed his head into the wall for it. Big deal! Don't watch the movie. The chance he took with Jar Jar is the same chance he took with "A New Hope". If he had ever listened to "you people" than that movie would have never gotten made. It's also pretty sad to see so many people dissing Lucas for Jar Jar, but then talking Oscar for the similarly annoying character in the new Harry Potter movie. Get real.

If he wants to enhance the Indiana Jones pictures, let him go for it. If it sucks it sucks. Oh well. Personally, I could have done without the added footage in the original trilogy, but, hey, it really didn't ruin the movie.

As far as filing suit against a parody -

_
Lucasfilm sues porno producer
By Lew Irwin, Studio Briefings

HOLLYWOOD,_ November_ 2,_2001_--_Lucasfilm has sued the producers of a porno spoof of Star Wars, maintaining that consumers could be led to believe that Lucasfilm sponsored or produced it. The Associated Press reported Thursday that the copyright suit was filed in federal court in San Francisco on Oct. 26. It quoted Linda Wildblood, a partner at Media Market Group, the New York producers of Star Ballz, as saying, "Just like Scary Movie is a spoof of horror movies, Star Ballz parodies many different movies and themes. ... No one in their right mind could look at it and say this is Star Wars."


Star Ballz.... hehehehe

[KcMsterpce]

Quote From Beeblebrox:
Every director has his priorities. For some, like Fincher, it's the shot composition and the photography. For others, like Burton, it's the production design. For still others, it's the actors. And for some it's the writing. We all focus on different aspects because it's almost impossible to handle all of them equally well.

There are many many directors out there who aren't skilled enough to oversee everything in the moviemaking process. That leads to certain elements within the movie that become weak, such as the acting, cinematography, etc... The smart directors REALIZE this and get people who are skilled in these weaknesses to stand by his/her side and fix these problems, or at least IMPROVE them. Some directors are very skilled in every part of a movie and make sure that the film he/she makes is precisely what they want it to be. Stanley Kubrick, Robert Rodriguez, David Lean, Peter Jackson, Sergio Leone, Martin Scorcese, Steven Soderbergh, James Cameron, David Cronenberg, Terry Gilliam, John Carpenter, you get the gist... There are MASS amounts of directors who can spill out solid movies based on what their vision entails.

George Lucas is not smart, IMO because he doesn't get a clue. I happen to love Burton films in almost every aspect. I see very solid performances from the actors in his movies, even more so from Fincher; you are right about the things in these movies that adds to their trademark directing skill, but you didn't add that these directors usually also end up with a solid movie from many different angles - unlike the prequals that Lucas won't let anyone else touch.

I'm sorry for Lucas for not being a better filmmaker for his fans. I'm sorry I'm still probably going to see the third one when it comes out, knowing 98% that it's gonna suck donkey balls.
It's too bad that he won't open his eyes and ears and notice that he blew his chance to turn a great story from a mediocre visual feast into an epic masterpiece.

In the end, I'm with Buck Turgidson. I really don't care.

I see bad movies all the time, but usually they're bad movies beyond saving. Too bad "Star Wars" had a chance at redemption in someone else's hands.
I'll see "Star Wars III" if it's a slow week, or the few weeks after that is slow... But I don't care in the end, because there are OTHER directors who make good choices and can make an excellent movie regardless of their strengths or weaknesses.

[Buck Turgidson]

He's also a colossal ripoff artist. The fact that he's hyper-litigious, (as if he's James Joyce or something, blazing a highly original New Trail), is laughable and downright insulting.

[electriclite]

Originally posted by Beeblebrox
"movies are never completed, they are abandoned."

There is not a single project I've done in which I wouldn't make changes if I were given the opportunity.

Director's look on their own work with a scrutiny you can't imagine. Every flaw, every possibility, some that would never be noticed by an audience, are magnified a thousand times.




And this is what makes or breaks a film. When the creator tinkers with it too much.

At some point a director has to just walk away because his persepctive is soooo narrow that he can no longer see the film on a whole and may harm the film more than help it. This is why a director has people down his back to keep chiming in that OH SO necessary SECOND OPINION.

I can't tell you how many pictures I've screwed up because I didn't know when to stop, or I didn't have anyone else telling me "Its fine. Leave it alone."

And this is one of the reasons Lucas is a megalomanic. He refuses to give into what is essentially beneficial to an artist. He believes he can get over it and all will be wonderful, when in fact, going against it only certifies the work will be far less than wonderful.

He's so rich and soooo independent hardly anyone is brave enough to chime in some critical criticism on major points.

Pretty bad ingredients for a filmmaker who's talents have atrophied after a long hiatus from filmmaking.

[NotKeyserSoze]

Sorry, but there was a real magic in the original Star Wars trilogy - the cast had a comic electricity about them, Harrison Ford's career was born, and special effects took giant leaps... and it was all still entertaining. I was bored stiff by at least half of Episode II, and Episode I has become rant-fodder for movie-goers everywhere.
Both are without substance, utterly fans-only territory, with some of the most atrocious casting ever. Natalie Portman manages to be not-as-good as she was in Leon, Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christenson are both bloody awful as Anakin Skywalker (was this guy ever interesting before being Darth Vader??) and only Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor, who are both excluded for a lot of either movie, seem "right" for their parts.
Star Wars truly has become a money-obsessing exercise in special effects. The "romantic" sequences in Episode II just signpost George Lucas' hopeless inabilities at directing anything "real," and each movie so rigidly follows the Star Wars formula that we all know damned well what's going to happen before it does.
George Lucas is no longer a filmmaker at all. He makes special effects fests, with shaky plots and rotten acting sprinkled around. Even Kenny Baker's almost out of a job now, as R2-D2 has gone CGI. The sooner this bloody pointless trilogy is over, the better.

[robk]

Although American Graffiti gave Lucas the money he needed to make Star Wars, it was the great success of the 1st Star Wars Trilogy that gave him the God complex he now seems to possess.
I have yet to see any recents interviews with him where he doesn't mention how wonderful CGI & digital filmmaking are(or even one where he talks about the actors & the story[which he did when the 1st trilogy was first released]). Now, he seems almost determined that, come hell or high water, other filmmakers will have no choice but to shoot with digital film(I read this in a magazine recently).

I can just imagine how antsy he must get when filming live actors. As if he's saying, "Hurry the hell up & act so I can take this to the lab to do the fun CGI stuff!"

[KcMsterpce]

While reading your reply, Robk, I couldn't help but recall how sickened I was by the few extras I saw on the AOTC DVD that I borrowed from my roommate.

It was the tidbit extra about the making of the creatures in Ep. II that got to me the most, and the way Yoda was recreated digitally (which was the most impressive digital effect in the movie)...

There were like 50+ clay models of creatures, and 5 people sycophantically standing around Lucas as he looked at particular models of the aliens, deciding which one looked best.

Then there were highlights of the staging processes used to make the digital Yoda, and the whole time I felt sick to my stomach noticing how everybody pined over Lucas as if he was God. I'm sorry, but if I work for someone - no matter how much money I'm making - I'm not going to be a parasitic flatterer. I just felt embarassed for those sad people.

I guess that's why I'm not making millions now. I speak what I feel to anyone :P Well, SOME of my bosses have liked that about me.

That's another rant about Lucas. lol

[TheDeadWalk]

In my opinion Georgey Boy did a great job with American Graffiti, which I think is his best work. He did some other good works (The first two Indiana Jones', and Star Wars, Return of the Jedi, Empire Strikes back) But none of those I think compare to American Graffiti... close, but no cigaretto...

[Razorblade Smile]

I think George gets a bum rap sometimes.

Don't let the Darth Maul avatar fool you, I think he has many many many strikes against him, but a lot of people carry on as if he were the cinematic anti-christ.

In the eyes of the fans, Lucas is almost never recognized for his contributions to the film industry. Between Steven Spielberg and he, he created the concept of the summer blockbuster. He advanced Blue-Screen and Green-Screen technology to new levels. He created THX sound. He advanced computer generated effects and is the proponent for the use of digital filming. He's also responsible for two of the most enduring and recognizable film franchizes of all time. But the only thing he will ever be remembered for is Jar Jar Binks. :rolleyes: Jar Jar's not even credited for being an unbelievable technological achievment. He's only remembered for his toilet humor and pigeon dialect.

I applaud the fact that Lucas is so uncompromising in his vision. If this were any other director, fans would be praising them for being so steadfast and meticulous. Not so with George. No one criticizes Stanley Kubrick for being a rabid perfectionist. And he's had just as many deadpan acting performances in his films as Lucas has. Is Danny Lloyd from the Shining any less annoying than Jake Lloyd from Phantom Menace? (Hmmm...both named Lloyd. Weird). At least Jake Lloyd showed a little bit of emotion.

Lucas is a progressive filmaker to say the least. He's always evolving and taking his stuff to the next level. Most other directors wouldn't have the brains or balls to even attempt it. His movies always have a very visual tempo that moves along at a steady pattern. It's kind of musical that way. Hell, you can hit the mute button and still dance to it.

Okay...now that I've made myself look like a TOTAL fanboy, I guess I should illustrate the bad aspects to GL. Everyone knows he can't direct actors. Hell, even he admits this. But since he recognizes this flaw it behooves him to hire an assistant director or at least an acting coach to work with these people. Granted, I believe that true talents should be able to rely on their own abilities, but when it comes to hacks like Portman and Christiansen, they really need the extra help. This could have been easily remedied without sacrificing anything from Lucas' vision.

Above all, I can't abide his arrogance. Yeah, he has plenty to be proud of, but that's no excuse for arrogance. I wouldn't accept it from another director, and I don't accept it from him either.

I too feel that he is wayyyyyyyy too much in love with his digital creations and actually goes to the extent of abusing his CGI work. Did you know that every single clone trooper in AOTC was CGI? Not one single actor. Not even in the close up shots during the Battle of Geonosis. Why? What's the point? Would it have really killed him to take ten or twelve guys and shove them into prop armor? I also have issue with the CGI Yoda. Yeah, you needed the computer images for the film's climax, but for everything else they should have stayed with the puppet. Sometimes the old tried and true methods are still the best. Take the Rancor for example. If you can get past the crummy matte lines, the Rancor is still hands down one of the most impressive looking creatures in Sci-Fantasy history. Helluva lot better than the Nexu from AOTC or the cave troll from FOTR. Now while I feel that Jar Jar Binks from TPM 'looked' awesome. His presence was really out of place and way too much focus was centered on him. I don't mind the incomprehensible accent so much, but I hated it when it was combined with 'Earth' catch-phrases. "Exqueeze me" springs immediately to mind. The farting Eopie was a bit much as well.

But my biggest problem with GL stems from his policy regarding the original release movies. Thanks to these Special Editions, we will NEVER again see the originals. Fortunately, I still have mine. But they're on twelve year old VHS tapes and they're looking kind of grim. He has no intention of ever releasing the NON-special editions on DVD. And then he has the balls to bitch about film pirates who are burning the originals from laser-disk onto DVD format and selling them on e-bay. Well shit George, if you would just let us HAVE the fucking orignals then there wouldn't be a need to pirate them now would there? Besides, EVERYONE knows that Han shot first.

Oh well...I've talked enough about this and there really isn't anything more that I can think to say regarding George Lucas.

So endeth the rant.
:)

[Beeblebrox]

The need to complain about Lucas really reaches idiotic proportions sometimes. Trying to apply logic to an illogical point just causes your opinion to fit and flutter in the wind.

For one thing, if ego really had anything to do with anything, then you would all HATE James Cameron (he once tried to have a critic at the LA Times fired for giving Titanic a bad review; his reasoning? The critic may have been denying someone in the audience the desire to see such an important film). And Cameron's rantings on the set are nothing short of legendary. But the man makes great films. I love his work. I couldn't give a shit about his ego.

And I find it ironic when people who think Lucas spends too much time on CGI spend most of THEIR time complaining about...the use of CGI. If the story is as important as most of you think, then what difference does it make if the clones were all CG or people in costumes?

George Lucas is not the greatest filmmaker in the world, but he deserves more respect than he gets around here, and he's better than many who get a relative pass by comparison (everything said about Lucas so far applies in SPADES to a guy like Tim Burton, save for the acting).

[KcMsterpce]

Razorblade Smile:

Very well said! *clapping*

That's what I call a rant! It was straightforward, legible and you drove home many important, key points backing up your arguments. I agree very much with many of the things you said.
It's midnight, I'm very tired and I have to get up at 4:30, but I wanted to say THANK YOU for posting the kind of reply that I was hoping to see on this thread! I can't rightly put into words what I'm thinking right now, so I think I will just go to bed.

Rock on, yo!

[Razorblade Smile]

Originally posted by KcMsterpce
Razorblade Smile:

Very well said! *clapping*

That's what I call a rant! It was straightforward, legible and you drove home many important, key points backing up your arguments. I agree very much with many of the things you said.
It's midnight, I'm very tired and I have to get up at 4:30, but I wanted to say THANK YOU for posting the kind of reply that I was hoping to see on this thread! I can't rightly put into words what I'm thinking right now, so I think I will just go to bed.

Rock on, yo!

Hey cool!
Thanks!
:D

[free]

Beeblebrox



I must say, reading some of your posts, you love a good debate, ehh? :D


I agree with what was said about the movie as a whole. If you are concerned about a movie's storyline, then the cgi, good or bad, shouldn't matter.

(A good example for me was Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. I love the Mortal Kombat series, and i love that particular movie, even though some of the effects looked like the director's 2 year old daughter made them.)

On a personal note:
Unlike most ppl who argue back with nothing to say, Beeblebrox always gives relevant facts and intelligent, if sarcastic, comments to ppl who disagree with him (or her) :D

[darkface]

I like what Jon Stewert said on the Daily Show... he had Laurence Fishburne on as a guest and told laurence that once the matrix sequels hit the big screen and make millions and becomes one of the greatest trilogies then he can get a bag of shit and light it on fire, then throw it on george's porch. Which i feel the exact same way! George has ruined his triligoy with poor stories. Ep. 1 & 2 do not have the same effect as the first trilogy did.