Re: Another sign that California Mike is slipping towards hotheaded paranoia

Posted by Indiana Joe from ppp-s146-n119-as4.nerdc.ufl.edu on April 06, 2000 at 23:50:25:

In Reply to: Another sign that LUCA$ is slipping towards the Dark Side. Forget betraying, shiva, he's betrayed INDYFAN! posted by California Mike on April 04, 2000 at 04:43:28:

Just kidding. ;-)

That said, I do think you’re in error on a couple of points:

: The price for the new widescreen *VHS*!! version of the phantom menace is over 30 bucks!! I guess dvd indy's or star wars will be around fifty bucks each, or whatever the market will bear.

Wow, 30 bucks? Is that all? ;-) You know, we’re awfully spoiled - $30 or $40 is _not_ an unreasonable price to pay for a video copy of a motion picture, even on VHS; _lots_ of movies come out in this price range in packages of comparable value (the additional documentary material, the film frames, the booklet).

FYI, the initial release of Star Wars on video for sale to consumers wasn’t letterboxed or THX-certified and had no extras whatsoever, yet it retailed for $89.95. Prices have come down a lot since then; we’re _lucky_ to be able to get the film for anything under $50. My only qualm is that _all_ the copies should have been widescreen (there could still be a modestly-priced “special collector’s edition” like the one we have).

: I say no more! Luca$ couldn't even throw Willow at us on dvd while we wait for Indy? This is getting ridiculous.

We have American Graffiti, which is a much better film than Willow.

: I had hoped that after Luca$ got completely skunked by the Matrix at the Academy Awards he would have learned at least two or three things...

: 1)his popular infallibility is slipping (turning The Force into a subatomic symbiotic bacteria, creating moronic five-year old pandering Jar Jar binks, and delaying Indy IV might have something to do with this).
: 2)he needs to bring back the fans, fast, with dvd releases of popular films.
: 3)The best way to ease his disappointment was to take a few months and get the ball rolling on Indy IV.

I doubt Lucas was all that disappointed, since he wasn’t personally nominated for his film (and hasn’t had an Oscar nomination of his own since the original Star Wars), and since he probably thought The Matrix great as did most other people. At any rate, the price for the Collector’s Edition of TPM was set and announced well before the Academy Awards ceremonies took place.

Responding to your numbered points:

1) Lucas never had any popular infallibility, nor any illusions of same. He’s always dealt with at least _some_ poor reviews (THX-1138 simply perplexed many critics and didn’t make any money; American Graffiti got great reviews everywhere _except_ the local paper read by his family, which had to sting. All the Star Wars films got lots of great reviews but significant numbers of poor ones, and _nobody_ expected them to be so populuar; many expected the first one to flop, and then many expected Empire to flop after that. He had a string of disappointments / outright disasters in the mid-’80s, and then Radioland Murders managed to lose money even with a small budget. Howard the Duck and Radioland Murders were both trashed, especially Howard, and it wasn’t even a movie he had all that much to do with). Furthermore, he even _predicted_ in advance that TPM would get poor reviews; he also said he’d be surprised if it made over $400 million.

2) Why does he “need” to do this? His most devoted fans haven’t left him, and why does he need the others? Why does he need any fans at all, for that matter? Also, speedy DVD releases won’t improve the opinions held by people who think this film or that show sucks...

3) That assumes he was disappointed. See point 1). ;-) That said, I _do_ think it would be a good idea to put Episodes II & III aside for a year or two to do Indy IV, but I doubt it’ll happen. :|

: I will ask all IndyFan's to pledge to no longer buy shoddy, overpriced vhs copies of of Luca$'s stuff until we see DVD!!

: (p.s., still waiting for more young indy episodes, which back in february of 99 were supposed to be released "soon".

Well, it’s been just a few months since the first ones were released, so they’re not really late; the first ones were...

- IJ

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: Just kidding. ;-)

: That said, I do think you’re in error on a couple of points:

: : The price for the new widescreen *VHS*!! version of the phantom menace is over 30 bucks!!  I guess dvd indy's or star wars will be around fifty bucks each, or whatever the market will bear.

: Wow, 30 bucks? Is that all?  ;-) You know, we’re awfully spoiled - $30 or $40 is _not_ an unreasonable price to pay for a video copy of a motion picture, even on VHS; _lots_ of movies come out in this price range in packages of comparable value (the additional documentary material, the film frames, the booklet).

: FYI, the initial release of Star Wars on video for sale to consumers wasn’t letterboxed or THX-certified and had no extras whatsoever, yet it retailed for $89.95. Prices have come down a lot since then; we’re _lucky_ to be able to get the film for anything under $50. My only qualm is that _all_ the copies should have been widescreen (there could still be a modestly-priced “special collector’s edition” like the one we have).

: : I say no more!  Luca$ couldn't even throw Willow at us on dvd while we wait for Indy?  This is getting ridiculous.

: We have American Graffiti, which is a much better film than Willow.

: : I had hoped that after Luca$ got completely skunked by the Matrix at the Academy Awards he would have learned at least two or three things...

: : 1)his popular infallibility is slipping (turning The Force into a subatomic symbiotic bacteria, creating moronic five-year old pandering Jar Jar binks, and delaying Indy IV might have something to do with this).  
: : 2)he needs to bring back the fans, fast, with dvd releases of popular films. 
: : 3)The best way to ease his disappointment was to take a few months and get the ball rolling on Indy IV.

: I doubt Lucas was all that disappointed, since he wasn’t personally nominated for his film (and hasn’t had an Oscar nomination of his own since the original Star Wars), and since he probably thought The Matrix great as did most other people. At any rate, the price for the Collector’s Edition of TPM was set and announced well before the Academy Awards ceremonies took place.

: Responding to your numbered points:

: 1) Lucas never had any popular infallibility, nor any illusions of same. He’s always dealt with at least _some_ poor reviews (THX-1138 simply perplexed many critics and didn’t make any money; American Graffiti got great reviews everywhere _except_ the local paper read by his family, which had to sting. All the Star Wars films got lots of great reviews but significant numbers of poor ones, and _nobody_ expected them to be so populuar; many expected the first one to flop, and then many expected Empire to flop after that. He had a string of disappointments / outright disasters in the mid-’80s, and then Radioland Murders managed to lose money even with a small budget. Howard the Duck and Radioland Murders were both trashed, especially Howard, and it wasn’t even a movie he had all that much to do with). Furthermore, he even _predicted_ in advance that TPM would get poor reviews; he also said he’d be surprised if it made over $400 million.

: 2) Why does he “need” to do this? His most devoted fans haven’t left him, and why does he need the others? Why does he need any fans at all, for that matter? Also, speedy DVD releases won’t improve the opinions held by people who think this film or that show sucks...

: 3) That assumes he was disappointed. See point 1). ;-) That said, I _do_ think it would be a good idea to put Episodes II & III aside for a year or two to do Indy IV, but I doubt it’ll happen.  :|

: : I will ask all IndyFan's to pledge to no longer buy shoddy, overpriced vhs copies of of Luca$'s stuff until we see DVD!!

: : (p.s., still waiting for more young indy episodes, which back in february of 99 were supposed to be released "soon".

: Well, it’s been just a few months since the first ones were released, so they’re not really late; the first ones were...

: - IJ

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