How Do You Stop The Information Super-Highway From Ruining Everything?

Or at least slow it down long enough so you don't get trampled?

This is the conundrum facing Star Wars Episode VII director J.J. Abrams. The notoriously secretive director currently finds himself in the middle of a firestorm, as anticipation and speculation run rampant in regards to this latest venture. Star Wars fans are clamouring for any sort of Star Wars related news, no matter how big or small, in a effort to piece together anything in regards to this new film. Contrarily, Disney and Lucasfilm have been very tight-lipped in regards to the new movie, releasing only what they feel they need to, in order to keep fans happy. It's a vicious cycle, frustrating for everyone involved.

Last week, as is wont to happen in this day and age, TMZ somehow got it's hands on photos taken at Pinewood Studios in London, where it appears that the crew is busy recreating full scale models of spaceships, including the Millennium Falcon. (You can see all the photos here). These pictures came directly on the heels of another set of leaked photos, again from TMZ, this time from the actual set in Abu Dhabi, where principle photography began shooting last month. These photos, found here, are thought to be of a Tatooine Marketplace that will appear in the new film.

These leaks have got to be driving director J.J. Abrams absolutely crazy! As I mentioned, he is a notoriously secretive director, who hates for his projects to be spoiled before the audience has had a chance to see them in their entirety, in all their finished glory. He prefers that his work be experienced as a whole, and honestly, who can blame him? There's nothing worse than going in to a movie having already had the ending spoiled for you. How un-surprising and disappointing would The Sixth Sense have been if you already knew what the twist was heading in to see it for the very first time? How many times have you gone to see a comedy, only to find out that all of the best jokes were already shown in the trailer? It's frustrating and annoying.

But what can you do to stop it? In this digital age, where everyone carries a mini-computer, with audio and video recording capabilities, in their pocket, how do you stop the leaks from happening? Ultimately, you can't. We live in a world where just about any information that we require is at our fingertips, ours to know or find out at the push of a button. We also seem to feel that it's our right to have whatever information that we want at our disposal, and feel we're being cheated if we don't get exactly what we want. We then turn around and complain if our movie going experiences are less than we hoped, blaming marketing and over-exposure for our disappointing time. While sometimes, it is true (I'm looking at you TASM 2!), most of the time, the blame rests solely on the shoulders of the movie fan. We get over-excited and devour every scrap of information that we can find, giving sites like TMZ reason to continue to "find" these photos and story leaks. And I fully admit, I am one of those rabid fans that clicks and watches and looks at everything that's released, no matter how hard I try to remain spoiler free. For me, it's just the nature of the beast.

But, what do you do if you're J.J. Abrams? Why, you go with it, of course!

Earlier this week, in an amusing, tongue-in-cheek way, Bad Robot (Abrams' production company) tweeted the following picture:

Now, any Star Wars fan is going to recognize that little nugget of spoilery goodness. (Although, seriously, who in their right mind didn't think that the Millennium Falcon was going to make an appearance in the film. That's just a no-brainer!) And I like the fact that Abrams is being a little more open to sharing, because, aside from confiscating the phones of everyone on set and tackling anyone with a recording device to the ground, what else is he going to do? I think he's finally realized that, if you tease a little bit, it will be enough to satisfy even the most die-hard fans. I have heard so many people say that since they're getting bits and pieces from Disney, Lucasfilm and Abrams, they don't really have a desire to go in search of other information. And, I agree that this seems to be the best course of action. One of the main issues that a lot of people had with Star Trek Into Darkness was the whole controversy in regards to Benedict Cumberbatch's character, and whether of not he was actually Khan. The Bad Robot camp denied it right up until the movie opened, which I personally think was a detriment to the film. Knowing that Cumberbatch was Khan wouldn't have ruined the movie, and might have actually helped build the anticipation. Khan is a very recognizable character in the Star Trek universe, and I think that they could have used that information to their advantage. Instead, they chose a different route, and I think it kind of backfired on them a little. Lesson learned, maybe?

It's inevitable that, as the movie continues filming, and the release date gets ever closer, more and more information on the project will be released, either officially or unofficially. This project is a huge deal to many, many people around the world, as Star Wars shaped an entire generation of film-goers, myself included. I honestly can't think of a more anticipated project, aside from The Phantom Menace, back before it was released back in 1999. With the mediocre reception of George Lucas' prequel trilogy, it's imperative that Disney and Lucasfilm take the utmost care in regards to the direction of their Star Wars franchise. The stakes have never been higher. And in the age of digital technology and social media, it will never be easier for us, as film fans, to scrutinize every little thing that comes our way. Let's just hope that J.J. has truly learned his lesson and has chosen to embrace the idea that a little something is better than nothing at all. It keeps the wolves at bay, and makes a much smoother experience for everyone involved.  

May The 4th Be With You... Albeit a little late... :)

So, in honour of Star Wars day, I watched Episodes IV, V and VI (I didn't do the prequels, although I am not one of those people who absolutely loathe them, because I do think they have some redeeming qualities, this time I went completely old school!). It had been a while since I had seen them, especially back to back, so it was about time. (Those who know me, know I love my movie marathons... my favourite being The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, on a rainy Sunday, back to back special editions... Nothing better! :0D Except that it always makes me cry...).

Now, the only editions that I have are the "re-mastered" ones that George Lucas and Lucasfilm released a number of years ago (that's not entirely true, because I also have the VHS set that was redone in the 90's, where they just cleaned up the picture and didn't screw with too much else, but, since I no longer have a VCR anymore, it's kind of a moot point...), the one's with the added scenes, and the altered visuals. Now, there are many purists out there that loathe these releases (apparently Star Wars fanatics are hard to please!) and are angry that George Lucas monkeyed with them. And, I can definitely get on board in regards to certain aspects...

HAN SHOT FIRST!

Always has, always will... Han Solo is who he is, a scoundrel and a rogue, and there's no point in trying to change him now. He killed Greedo because Greedo was going to either kill him or take him to Jabba, who would then kill him. I get it. It doesn't make me love the character any less. The world of smuggling is kill or be killed... we all understand that, so let it go George. We love Han, even though he's a jerk. Get over it!

I understand Lucas' need to update the visuals through the entire trilogy, however. A lot has happened in the world of visual effects in the last... oh my God, I can't believe I'm about to type this... 30 some-odd years... Heaven help me that I'm now talking in multiple decades... so I get the fascination to really want to bring your vision to life. And some of the choices are lovely. I mean, honestly, has Cloud City ever looked better? You can argue about lots of things, but the job the visual team did with the views from Cloud City are breathtaking.

These movies have been a huge part of my life, for as long as I can remember. I honestly don't remember the first time I saw either Star Wars (as it was known back then... it's only been more recently that people have been referring to it as A New Hope) or The Empire Strikes Back, although it had to have been on TV, as I was too young to see either in the theatre. (Did I actually just say that? Finally something I was too young to see in the theatre... Doesn't happen very often! :0) ). I did, however, see Return of the Jedi on the big screen, in it's original theatrical run. Jabba's palace, the Sarlacc pit, back to Dagobah and the death of Yoda, Endor, the Ewoks, Luke confronting Vader, "It's a trap!", the redemption and death of Darth Vader... it's been etched in my memory since I was 8 years old.

It wasn't until I got older, and with repeated viewings, that I truly appreciated the beauty that is The Empire Strikes Back. The Ice Planet Hoth, the tauntaun, escape, Dagobah, the asteroid field, facing Vader who turns into Luke, being trash, Cloud City, betrayal and carbonite, "No, I am your Father." Being of the highly romantic, female persuasion, I was always drawn to the love story between Han and Leia. The scene when he's about to be frozen and Leia say "I love you." and Han replies, "I know." is one of my all time favourites.

A New Hope is the one I've probably seen the most over the years... I will always remember the size of the Star Destroyer, Leia standing up to Vader, Tatooine and it's twin suns, finding Obi-Wan Kenobi, the death of Owen and Beru, "These are not the droids you're looking for.", Han shooting first, the destruction of Alderaan, the rescue, the death of Obi-Wan, the attack on the Death Star, using the force and the help of Han Solo and the medal ceremony.

The original Star Wars Trilogy is a simple story at it's heart. It's a story of good versus evil. Of rising above temptation and staying true to who you are. It's about survival and doing what is right. It's about redemption. And for an entire generation of us, it's about possibilities. Star Wars was the first movie of it's kind to show us what was possible in the world of film and visual effects. It pulled us into that Galaxy, far, far away. We were hooked. Changed in ways that we didn't even know were possible.

In a word, it was magic... plain and simple.

So, my friends, I'll see you in line on December 18, 2015. And until then, May The Force Be With You, Always! :)

Spoil, Spoil, Toil and Trouble...

So, huge Star Wars news broke to day, making me giddy and removing some of the ire that has been building since last night. I will get to that part later. First, Star Wars...

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

So the official announcement for the cast of the new Star Wars movie was announced today... making this whole thing feel seriously official and real. Yeah, yeah, I know it's been in the works for over a year now, but Disney has been so tight lipped with everything, you had to start to wonder if it was actually going to happen or if it was all just somebody's idea of a big huge joke.

"Hey, George, you wanna see something really funny? Let's announce a new Star Wars movie, a sequel to Return of the Jedi and watch a whole bunch of 40 year olds freak out and wet themselves in anticipation."

Admit it, most of the time, that's what it felt like. So, the news today was welcome indeed. This is a great looking cast, and I like the fact that other than Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, the rest of the cast are smaller, slightly less known names. Minus Andy Serkis, of course! And I think that it was a smart way for Disney and Lucasfilm to go. I do find that sometimes, an actor or actress can take me out of a project, because instead of seeing the character on the screen and getting immersed in their story, I see the actual actor or the actress, which I find completely distracting. This is a talented cast, and it does get the excitement building for this project. This is something that we can grab on to and analyze the crap out of, at least until the next big Episode VII news breaks, that is.

The other bit of news that broke last night, that led to the ticked off me of 24 hours ago, was in regards to Harrison Ford and Han Solo's role in Episode VII. Deadline reported last night, that not only was Oscar Isaac rumored to be in the movie (which turned out to be true!), they also announced that Han Solo was going to have a "gigantic" role in the new film.

Holy crap! That's awesome, right? I mean, more Han Solo (and Harrison Ford, for that matter...) is never a bad thing. Except when you factor in the notion that for almost 35 years now, Harrison Ford has been trying to get Lucasfilm to kill Han Solo off. It's no secret that Ford has never really been partial to the character and would really like for him to go out in a blaze of glory.

This is the part that I have a problem with. I'm a happily ever after kinda gal! There's a reason that I read and write romance novels. They are a guaranteed HEA no matter what. I like it when people walk off into the sunset, preferably hand in hand, to finish out their lives in peace and harmony. I don't need to see the ugly reality and what's going to eventually become of them. This is one of the main reasons I won't be reading the new Bridget Jones book. Bridget and Mark lived happily ever after... Mark didn't drop dead and leave her a widow. It just didn't happen... hence, happily ever after.

So, I stated this fact in a comment on a site, saying that although more Solo is a good thing, I was afraid that it meant he was going to die and I don't like that sort of change. I then referenced the fact that, even after all this time, I was still traumatized by Wash's death on Serenity. I would rather have less Solo, alive, than more Solo, dead. Within a few minutes, I get this response that I really should have warned of spoilers in my post. I was like, ummm, Serenity came out like 9 years ago, so the statute of limitations on spoilers is long past. And this idiot's response.... Well, with Joss Whedon directing the Age of Ultron there might be some people out there who would be interested in watching some of his older work.

What the hell????????

What kind of an argument is that? Do I need to point out that Joss Whedon also directed The Avengers, which came out 2 YEARS AGO, so if you were interested in his other work, you might have checked it out then? Or the fact that Firefly was on 12 years ago and Serenity was released 9 years ago and that, honestly, if you haven't watched either by now, you're really not going to... I mean seriously! What the frak, dude?

So, what? We can't mention thing that happened in movies decades ago, on the off chance that someone out there might still be waiting to see it and doesn't want it ruined? What the hell is that?

Here, let me ruin a few more things for you, moron....

Dorothy gets home. In fact, she always had the power to leave Oz, she just didn't believe it. All she had to do was click her heels together 3 times and say, "there's no place like home." Oh, I'm sorry. Did I ruin that for you? I mean, it's only been 75 years, so I can completely understand how you might have been waiting to watch it...

Here, here's a few more... Bruce Willis was dead the whole time. Kevin Spacey was Keyser Soze. Frodo doesn't throw the ring in the fires of Mount Doom, but it and Gollum end up there anyway. Lotso's the bad guy. Tracy Turnblad gets the boy in the end. Satine dies. ET goes home. Richard Dreyfuss wasn't crazy, the aliens really were real. Charleston Heston was actually on Earth. Tony Stark blows up all the Iron Man suits. George McFly punches out Biff, changing everyone's future... Shall I go on?

I mean, a few weeks ago, just before Captain America was released here in North America, some troll spoiled the fact that SHIELD was Hydra in a chat room over at the AMC YouTube channel. Those are the spoilers that drive me crazy. Not ones that involve movies decades old. If you haven't watched a movie that came out more than 2 years ago, then I think it's pretty fair game. Otherwise, you might want to avoid movie sites... and those of us who actually watch movie that we want to see in a timely manner! I'm just sayin'...