“Sure, there have been a lot of recent announcements regarding the live-action G.I. Joe feature film, but they all pale in comparison to this one, folks: Larry Hama, the architect of much of the G.I. Joe mythology for several decades now, will be joining the G.I. Joe film in some capacity!”

http://www.comicmix.com/news/2008/01/30/larry-hama-joins-g-i-joe-film-devils-due-loses-license/

About Vader, I’d have to disagree. I recently caught the old movies on cable and have come to appreciate them as an adult. One of the reasons was the way Darth Vader wasd structured — he appears emotionless but his emotions are beautifully conveyed by a small change in James Earl Jones’s voice or a small movement of his body. His move to the light side actually starts in the Empire Strikes Back, when the Emperor is concerned with Luke and Vader basically pleads with him that Luke should be spared because he could be turned to the Dark Side. After that there’s a gradual process up to the Death Star. One of the best scenes is when Vader, on Endor, tells Luke: it is too late for me, Son; thus actualy showing that it is not too late. Luke also seems to me even better than when I was a kid. Think about it. Luke went against the advice of both his masters and staked everything, including his own life, on his belief that in the moment of truth Vader will switch sides. After he nearly kills Vader he throws away his weapon and puts himself at the mercy of the Emperor, thus forcing Vader to choose. That is a very powerful scene.

But, you’re right that a story written from Vader’s point of view showing his internal process could be a good thing if done right. I’m not sure how it could be done in film any better than it was done though.

In my dealings with the above mentioned Star Wars prequels fans, I was amazed how much they internalized the Jedi version of Anakin’s fall: namely that he was too attached to his (beautiful and very well dressed) wife. They seem to miss the point of the climactic scene in Return of the Jedi in which Luke defies Jedi convention by turning his attachments to his family into a strength.

~8?)

Hero: “Stay calm, Soldier. The Professor will come up with something. I know he will.”

The Professor: “I zink zat vee vill need at least two hundred yards ov heavy cotton fabrick und zum zort ov large rope. Und ve vill need zem immediately!”

Lead Damsel: “Why, Professor, whatevah are you going to do with all that?”

Hero: “Easy, Damsel. I’m sure The Professor has a plan.

Artillery Soldier: “Don’t sound like no weapon I done ever heard of.”

Hero: “Easy, Soldier. So, what’s the plan, Professor?”

The Professor: “Vell, zeeing az how zat giant inzfant haz juzt eaten two vields of corn and zen washed it all down wit un entire dairy… Ve have to make ze worlds biggest diaper in ze next two hours or ve are all doomed!”

Hero & Lead Damsel in unison: “Dear Lord!!!”

Gonna have nightmares for a week now….

MICHA, DON’T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!!

You’re dead on about Vader. One of the things I would’ve liked to have seen is a more gradual progression from Vader back to Anakin. More of the internal conflict. Y’know, that in itself could do either an animated series, sorta Lucas meets Freud meets Dali, or a really ambitious fan film. Seriously, for all Luke’s talk in Jedi about rescuing his father, knowing there was good in him, he really didn’t do a heck of a lot to help on the journey back.

Maybe giant birds? An homage to Hitchcock.

How about a giant man riding a giant horse? Michael Moorcock has a character called Gofanon the Dwarf. He’s 2 meter high, but in his society that’s a dwarf. You can also have a giant 3 year old having a tantrum.

OK, I’m done.

——————————

Sean, I think I know what you liked about transformers. Basically there were three movies. You had a pretty good movie about the geky but plucky teen getting the girl with the help of his alien friend. You had a Jaws/Independence dy kind of movies about humans facing a mysterious, overpowerful aliens and defeatin them by good old fashion human (American) gumption. That was pretty good too. But then they stuk in those characters from an 80′s cartoon, that were portrayed as pretty silly side characters. They didn’t show them a lot, but when they did it felt knd of out of place.

re: the prequels

You’re basically right, but I think the process of humanizing Vader started in the old movies. The problem was in the execution. But you’ve got a point that one of Lucas’s many mistakes was that he forgot the mystique of masks, so the clones, Boba Fett, and Vader to a certain degree lost much of their mystique. What is it with Hollywood and masks these days?

The Star Wars prequels I look at as pretty much the same thing. One of the most effective things Lucas did was hiding the faces of the stormtroopers and Vader. Why? Because he knew then that when you can’t see the enemy’s face, particularly their eyes, they’re much more frightening, more alien. It’s easier to hate someone when you can’t see their face. There’s not much to relate to. Some mysteries, especially in stories, shouldn’t be explained.

Other than that, there’s always ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES which is pretty good except for the giant leech costumes which look like garbage bags.

Continuing our tour of invertebrate horrors—STING OF DEATH!!! The infamous jelly fish man! It sucks! Really!