Well, whoever's reading this, there's a fair chance that you clicked on it simply out of curiosity of the content of this awesome blog. The focus of this blog will be.....
1. LEGO
2. Star Wars
3. Anything else I find interesting.
And that's about it.
Now to keep you interested, I'm going to give you a very controversial opinion:
I absolutely, immensely, love the Star Wars prequel films. Seriously, my dream is to have a LEGO colllection absolutely full of huge prequel UCS (Ultimate Collector Series) LEGO sets.
Like (and I cannot take credit for the following, someone else made it) this fantastic LEGO creation:
I'll probably use the building instructions that the creator of the model provided to build a copy of that model, or just design my own when I'm no longer a student and have the cash.
Or, if I'm REALLY fortunate, I could have the cash to build an even BIGGER version, like this (also not mine) 43000 piece LEGO model:
Anyway, back to my love of the Star Wars prequels. They do despite what people think, use a huge amount of real miniatures, practical effects, and I'm pretty sure life size models as well, and I can prove it. I will however admit that the prequels do to a lot of people, and possibly me, I can't seem to make up my mind, look, and very possibly are, digitally edited in a lot of scenes. However, just when browsing
this thread on theforce.net, you can see a huge amount of models and like I said I'm pretty sure life-size props as well, such as, just to name a few: the huge AATs, the LIFE SIZE Eta-2 Class Jedi Starfighters, the life-size Anakin's podracer, which, although while racing was CGI, was filmed when it was stationary and unedited when so, that thing in the second picture down, a HUGE miniature city of Tatooine, the place where Obi-Wan was talking to those long-necked people, the streets of Coroscant, the Jedi Coucil Library, that place where the speeders were swerving around flames in episode II, the huts of the tusken raiders, those huge corridors in Geonosis, the Geonosian arena, Dooku's solar sailor, podracer station, the corridors of Naboo, that huge palace type thing in Naboo, the hallways on Kamino, the Naboo royal starship, a dining room in the Trade Federation interior, that viewing platform for th podracing, buildings or huts on Tatooine, more lifesize podracers, corridors in the Invisible Hand, a huge amount of makeup for 7 or so aliens, dining room in Naboo in AotC, huge chunk of rocky terrain in AotC which Obi-Wan was standing on, Podracing stadium,landing bay in the invisible Hand, the Jedi Temple, LIFE SIZE naboo starfighter, which is a huge ship, C-3P0 skeleton, which involved puppetry, what looks like part of a LIFE SIZE Sebulba's podracer, or at least half of it huge interior of Mustafar building where Anakin killed the Separatists, breifing place for the Jedi in episode III, HUGE podracing arena (not just stadium, but arena), terrain for AotC battle of Geonosis, several puppets who drove podracers, Sebulba's podracer's cockpit, and a cargo bay in Episode I on Naboo with MATTE PAINTING behind it.
And yes, some of the acting was a bit bad, and some of the dialogue was a bit bad, but some of it was good, as well, like:
Obi-Wan Kenobi: You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!
Darth Vader: I hate you!!
Obi-Wan: You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you.
and
I will do what I must, a line said by two people in the prequels, each time awesome (or I'm sure at least one of them was, I can't remember the first time it was said),
and also
Yoda: How feel you?
Anakin: Cold, sir.
Yoda: Afraid are you?
Anakin: No, sir.
Yoda: See through you we can.
Mace Windu: Be mindful of your feelings.
Ki-Adi-Mundi: Your thoughts dwell on your mother.
Anakin: I miss her.
Yoda: Afraid to lose her I think, hmm?
Anakin: What has that got to do with anything?
Yoda: Everything! Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you.
[R2-D2 tries repeatedly to control an elevator that Anakin and Obi-Wan are in while avoiding battle droids at the same time]
Anakin Skywalker: What was that all about?
Obi-Wan: Well, R2 has been...
Anakin Skywalker: No loose wire jokes.
Obi-Wan: Did I say anything?
Anakin Skywalker: He's trying.
Obi-Wan: I didn't say anything.
Anakin Skywalker: I sense Count Dooku.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: I sense a trap.
Anakin Skywalker: Next move?
Obi-Wan Kenobi: [smiling] Spring the trap.
Obi-Wan: But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future.
Qui-Gon Jinn: But not at the expense of the moment.
And yes, even some of the dialogue with Jar-Jar is good, at the very least in Qui-Gon Jinn's case, anyway.
Jar Jar Binks: My forgotten, da Bosses will do terrible tings to me TERRRRRIBLE is me going back der!
Qui-Gon Jinn: Do you hear that?
[a rumbling is heard in the distance]
Jar Jar Binks: Yeah.
Qui-Gon Jinn: That is the sound of a thousand terrible things headed this way.
Obi-Wan: If they find us, they will crush us, grind us into TINY pieces and BLAST us into oblivion!
Jar Jar Binks: Hmmm... yousa point is well seen.
I just find Jar-Jar funny in that scene.
Anakin: You're a Jedi Knight, aren't you?
Qui-Gon Jinn: What makes you think that?
Anakin: I saw your laser sword. Only Jedi carry that kind of weapon.
Qui-Gon Jinn: Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him.
Anakin: I don't think so. No one can kill a Jedi.
Qui-Gon Jinn: I wish that were so.
Qui-Gon Jinn: You must have Jedi reflexes if you race pods.
[Jar-Jar tries to grab a piece of fruit with his tongue, but Qui-Gon catches it]
Qui-Gon Jinn: Don't do that again.
Supreme Chancellor: I know what's been troubling you. Listen to me. Don't continue to a be a pawn of the Jedi Council! Ever since I've known you, you have been seeking a life of great significance, far more than any Jedi.
[turns his back on Anakin]
Supreme Chancellor: Are you going to kill me?
Anakin Skywalker: I would certainly like to!
Supreme Chancellor: I know you would. I can feel your anger. It give you focus... makes you stronger.
And this excellent piece of dialogue:
Supreme Chancellor: Remember back to your early teachings. "All who gain power are afraid to lose it." Even the Jedi.
Anakin Skywalker: The Jedi use their power for good.
Supreme Chancellor: Good is a point of view, Anakin. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power.
Anakin Skywalker: The Sith rely on their passion for their strength. They think inward, only about themselves.
Supreme Chancellor: And the Jedi don't?
Anakin Skywalker: The Jedi are selfless... they only care about others.
Supreme Chancellor: [looking a little frustrated] Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis "the wise"?
Anakin Skywalker: No.
Supreme Chancellor: I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith who lived many years ago. He was so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life... He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.
Anakin Skywalker: He could do that? He could actually save people from death?
Supreme Chancellor: The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.
Anakin Skywalker: What happened to him?
Supreme Chancellor: He became so powerful... the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, and then one night, his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It's ironic that he could save others from death, but not himself.
Anakin Skywalker: Is it possible to learn this power?
Supreme Chancellor: Not from a Jedi.
And let's not forget Obi-Wan's amazing, and probably the best in all cinema history, use of the phrase, despite it being borrowed from the original trilogy, "Hello there" to grevious. So awesome.
Also, the story was fantastic, a story of someone's (Anakin's) turn from good to evil, a story of a villainous figure (the Emporer, AKA Palpatine) manipulating an innocent child so that he eventually turns into the fearsome figure we now all know as Darth Vader, a fantastic tragedy. And although people seem to think that the lightsaber duels are a bad reason to like the prequels, they are in fact one of the number one reasons to love the movies. Amazing choreography, better than the originals, more exciting, and just incredible.
And let's not forget the vehicles:
this,
this,
this,
this,
this,
this,
this (the best shot on the internet I could find of it, but a fan model by the looks of it),
this,
this,
this, and
this, and are all awesome-looking, and that's not even all of them.
And let's not forget the stunning visuals. Like:
and
and
and
and
and
and of course
and
and
and
and truly an emotional scene
and
and
and
All truly fantastic images.
Then there's the characters in the prequels. I like the characters in the prequels, like Mace Windu, Chancellor Palpatine (an excellent character), Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gonn Jinn, General Grevious, Darth Maul, Yoda, Padme, and yes, even Anakin Skywalker.
So to conclude, the prequels are fantastic in story, in special effects, in music, and in imagery,
and they're pretty good in characters and dialogue too. Not to mention the fact that they have some of the best lightsaber duels and action sequences of the entire saga. Which, basically, makes them the best sci-fi trilogy ever made, including the original trilogy.
Anyway, I haven't enjoyed any superhero movie more than I enjoyed the Winter Soldier. It had more than just amazing action sequences and Captain America kicking ass (which, don't get me wrong, were both very prevalent elements in the movie); it had emotion. For those who aren't familiar with the Winter Soldier comic book run, it's a series that tells an innovative, heart-felt story that re-writes elements of Captain America's history in a captivating tale that did excellently in comic-book form and possibly even better on film.
