Mr March

It would be hammer-to-the-shin terrible Credit given to the hilarious author of his IMDB review for one of Boll's films

Actually, Mr. and Mrs. Smith appears to be one of those rare Hollywood actions flicks that sells itself at face value. True the film appears to own all the telltale signs of typical Hollywood summer fare, but it's not pretending to be something it isn't. It's overblown, it's melodramatic, and it's Hollywood pulp selling on star power and a off-camera interpersonal scandal to boot! Yet in spite of all this, nothing in the trailer is marketting the film as anything but the mindless entertainment that it is. As such, I kinda respect the little honesty in that. Also, for better or worse, I must admit I've actually enjoyed several of Doug Liman's films. Both Swingers and The Bourne Identity were lots of fun for what they were. So I'm morbidly curious to see what becomes of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Of course, this will all depend upon my mood at the time. This is the sort of film whereby I must be in the state of mind for a mindless, silly piece of entertainment. Usually, I'm fairly demanding of my film. I'll just have to play it by ear

We'll eventually suffer from this regardless. I think the point is (and I'm sure most fans agree) that we wanted a good trilogy of X-Men flicks. The first two were great and we wanted just one more to close the plot thread created in the finale of the second film. Singer said he'd continue making them as long as he had ideas and as long as they were popular, prior to his departure from the franchise of course. But I think we all know deep down that after three, the charm would fade, as it so often does. But I suppose I should feel grateful that we got two good films. Hell, hollywood is known for butchering franchises with sequels, so I should consider X2 a minor miracle

I'm very concerned about the future of this film. Two good directors have already left and it's not like there is an abundance of talent that could properly handle this material. More often than not, a bad choice is made over a good choice. Granted, the attatchment of Singer and Vaughn did not ensure that the third X film would be a success. I'm just concerned about the continued exodus of talent from this project. I would be VERY curious to know who the studio is considering as the next director. That, more than anything else, would confirm or dispell my concerns.

I really like that idea. That keeps the fun going and speaks to the kind of person to which the title belongs. That's the kind of criteria I was thinking about.

It sounds like a great idea and there should definitely be more custom titles. I like the humorous titles best and it should be lots of fun! I like the idea of suggesting titles for members other than yourself and submitting them to the moderators. That should be lots of fun…my imagination is already going I don’t want to offend the suggestions made so far, but I’m not sure I like any of the rules that have been posted. I can already think of several members for whom I’d submit title suggestions, but they would not fall within “post count” or “years of service” or “contribution” rules. Of course, I may probably have a motive as well, since I often find myself as one of those longtime members of message boards that hangs beneath the radar, always the exception to the rule. I’ll have to think about what the criteria should be and come up with some ideas.

That is one big ammo drum! I like the UN Spacy insignia on the drum and the feed belt is a nice touch. Good job!

Actually, if you watch the special features on the DVDs of many effects heavy films, you'll often see much memorabilia of anime, sci-fi, and fantasy on and around the desks of most SFX people. I've seen Macross, Akira, Star Wars, Superman, Batman, and a host of other memorabilia scattered across the rooms and desks of workers on such DVD features from films like The Incredibles, X-Men, Matrix, and many others. It's fun seeing that stuff pop up. It's interesting to learn what inspires people.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but that article on beautiful women isn't half bad. Not really groundbreaking advice, but pretty dead on. Makes me laugh at the thought of Agent One handling my last ex. She thought she was the s**t

For everyday fans, it's not really an issue. Canon only becomes an issue when a fan comes to realize some fact given in a Star Wars product contradicts another well known fact. When such a contradiction occurs, it's really nice to know just how to resolve it using the canon policy. So what you're saying is that real fans are like sheep who need to be told what to think rather than deciding for themselves? I think what he's saying is that an artist's intent must be taken into account. Now, in the case of meanings and artistic influences, I'm not sure the artist can have the final say because he himself may be unaware of subconscious influences. But, in the case of chronology and plot points, I do think the artist has the final say. You can tell the artist that he has been influenced by Shakespeare, and still believe it even if he says he doesn't think he was. But you can't tell George Lucas that Vader wasn't Luke's father or that a ship that he expressly stated was the Millenium Falcon in fact wasn't. He's the ultimate arbiter of what happened and what he intended to convey. But he can't be the ultimate arbiter of what it means to you. H I get what you're saying Hurin, but Mr March's post came across as more of a veiled attempt to insult me as though my individual beliefs somehow made me less of a fan. The question asked was why canon matters so much and I supplied an answer. No personal attack was present.

For everyday fans, it's not really an issue. Canon only becomes an issue when a fan comes to realize some fact given in a Star Wars product contradicts another well known fact. When such a contradiction occurs, it's really nice to know just how to resolve it using the canon policy. So what you're saying is that real fans are like sheep who need to be told what to think rather than deciding for themselves? Not at all. Most of the time the canon policy isn't required because most people wouldn't bother to look that deep into the continuity of Star Wars. But it's nice to have some definitive rules rather than just making stuff up.

That's some fine work! I really like it.

For everyday fans, it's not really an issue. Canon only becomes an issue when a fan comes to realize some fact given in a Star Wars product contradicts another well known fact. When such a contradiction occurs, it's really nice to know just how to resolve it using the canon policy.

This is a good rule to live by...for the most part. George Lucas does say many a time that the films are the "true" Star Wars and only the films. However, when we start talking legally with respect to canon, it's a bit different. The scripts, radio dramas, and the novelisations of the six films are also legally considered canon as per the official policy of Lucasfilm Ltd. This makes perfect sense, since much of that material was written by Lucas himself. Once you get into other areas like the EU novels, the DH comic books, and the video games, they are outside of Lucasfilm (since they are not films) and hence they would be considered official, but definitely subordinate to the films (and the canon material). A bit of nitpicking, but what's stated and what is legal is a distinction worth nitpicking I believe.

Hahahah, great picture!

Whoa! What's this doing on MW? Not trying to be sarcastic, but this is probably the most interesting post I've ever seen anyone make here. This is very astute of you mikeszekely and almost a dead on correct analogy. Nice read!

It is undeniable that there was a large segment that didn't like Episodes 1 and 2. However, I think it is a bit overstated since ther majority actually enjoyed these films. Rotten Tomatoes had "fresh" ratings for both TPM (63%) and AOTC (65%) and almost twice as many favorable to non-favorable reviews. The IMDB ratings for these films are 6.4/10 and 7.0/10 respectively. Those who frequent that site will know that these are decent ratings, and in AOTC case, 7.0 is quite respectible. Hehehe, another IMDB regular Yes indeed, obtaining a high opinion for anything on the IMDB is a chore. As a member, I vote on every film I watch and it hurts sometimes to visit the IMDB only to see good films suffer low ratings and bad films enjoy high ratings. To be perfectly honest with myself, I didn't really enjoy TPM so 6.4 is a little high even for me. On the flip side, I thoroughly enjoyed AoTC, so naturally I feel 7.0 is too low. But generally, the reviews on the IMDB are a good indication of which films to watch and what to avoid. There are exceptions to ever rule of course. However, I must say that reading the IMDB for years has introduced me to many more great films than bad. A worthwhile website, without a doubt.

It's also important to note that the early films of Lucas and Spielberg are largely responsible for creating the high profile blockbuster. There's a much broader audience availalble now as opposed to decade ago when this market was just being created. As such, there's more market for more diverse tastes and by default, more criticial reviews that cater to those specific tastes.

I've never seen those top-mounted conformal tanks on an F-16 before. They look very odd in that picture.

If I recall, something similar was done when TPM and AoTC was released. It's nice to hear, but I think the result might actually be a little skewed. The internet and fandom publications in general have increased immensely since the era of the original Star Wars era of 77-83. The reviews from many of these genre-friendly publications are counted right along side major metropolitan newspapers and the film presses. And while fandom opinion is certainly harsh and a little jaded, usually they enjoy genre entertainment - any genre entertainment - a lot more than the general press. Still, I'm not complaining

I'm very glad RoTS is doing so well. IMDB has also been reporting very high figures. After the negative reaction to TPM and AoTC, I had doubts RoTS would perform at the box office. I personally loved AoTC and was very much looking forward to Sith, so I suspected that many would share my enthusiasm and contribute to an impressive first day. It's great to see the weekend kept going and made the film strong. I'm eager to go back for a second viewing, but I'm waiting a few weeks. Probably go back in June.

Street fighter? Yeah, I was thinking something like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, or Soul Calibur

I know it's not really funny, but damn this sounds like an episode of Seinfeld. Obviously, inviting Pam was a big mistake and any guy not under the influence of a "possibility" would have told you that. But, live and learn. You better be nice to your current girlfriend (damage control and all).

Hahahaha. Reminds me of a fighting game

Cool! I'm going to have to look out for this when I see the movie again.