Star Wars Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Officially Awesome: ThinkGeek Actually Making Tauntaun Sleeping Bag
Filed under: Fandom »
This past April Fool's Day, ThinkGeek ran their usual line of fictitious geek-related items, including this fantastic Tauntaun sleeping bag that recalls the scene from Empire Strikes Back when Han sliced open the animal to keep Luke warm. When we posted about it, a bunch of you were itching to purchase your own Tauntaun sleeping bags even though the item didn't exist. And, in reality, a lot of ThinkGeek readers fell for the joke because an unusually high number of folks actually attempted to order the thing.
Now, though, according to an interview with ThinkGeek's PR guy over at LA Weekly, they're really making it! Yes! Pretty soon (fingers crossed) you will actually be able to buy a freakin' Tauntaun sleeping bag, complete with internal light brown guts (we hope!). TG say they're working on getting a design approved by LucasFilm. PR guy Shane Peterman adds, "We are definitely trying to make it in to an actual item to be sold on our site. As of right now, it's still an "if," but it's turning in to more of a "when." Things are looking pretty good, we just don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves. There's certainly been enough of a demand, both from customers and from those of us that work here. Right now, we're aiming to have it available for the holidays, or at the latest, the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back next spring."
Okay, how excited are you right now?
[via TrailerAddict's Twitter]
The Pretty Princesses of Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Filed under: Fandom », Lists »
Actually, I find the genre's obsession with princesses rather strange. Not on the fantasy end, mind you, as that genre draws heavily on European fairy tales and dynastic history, and will always find room for royal courts. But you'd think those galaxies far, far away would steer clear of European titles and class systems, and invent new systems of government. But let's face it, few labels evoke such a specific and exotic image as that of "princess," and slapping it onto your heroine does half your screenwriting for you. All you have to decide is if she carries a weapon or prefers a tiara, or if she's comfortable enough to coolly wield both in the name of duty. Luckily, the sci-fi / fantasy genre is rife with examples of all three. So drop a curtsy, and check out the list of my favorite genre princesses. And bow to Erik Davis for hatching the idea while you're at it.
1. Princess Leia Organa (Star Wars)
Princess Leia may not have been science fiction's first princess, but she's the one they all have to measure up to. Every girl since 1977 has thrilled to the fact that the head of the Rebel Alliance was a woman, and that no one (not even the cocky Han Solo, who needed her more than she needed him) raised an eyebrow at the fact. As if being fearless, diplomatic, intelligent, and one hell of a shot wasn't enough, she was also a Jedi like her father before her. No wonder Yoda seemed so calm when Luke flew off to his possible doom. Leia was the ace in the hole.
Read the rest at SciFi Squad
Lucas Gearing Up Live-Action 'Star Wars' TV Show?
Filed under: Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
Over on SciFi Squad, Mike Moody debuts his new weekly column called TV Geek Week, which will not only talk about the latest and greatest news in geeky TV land, but will also take a look at what fanboy-ish goodies are arriving on the boob tube this week. Check it:
Is George Lucas finally moving ahead with that promised live-action Star Wars TV show? Sources say yes. Sources also say the show will be produced in Australia by a hand-picked crew of Aussie TV vets. And we might even get to see it before the end of 2010. But I got a question: Do we really want a live-action Star Wars TV show?
Well, yeah, of course we do. For most of us, the original Star Wars trilogy was a thrilling entry point into the bizarre and inspiring world of science fiction. For an '80s kid like me, Star Wars was nothing less than a dazzling blast of awesome that I couldn't get out of my head. There was nothing cooler. (I wore the sh*t outta my Yoda jammies.) I'd love to see a Star Wars TV show deliver the same unpolished pluck, heart and spirit of the original trilogy, but we all know that's not gonna happen.
Read the rest at SciFi Squad
Buy This: 'Star Wars' and 'Twilight' USB Flash Drives
Filed under: Fandom »
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I don't think I need to tell you how useful and handy a spare 2GB USB Flash Drive can be, especially with our constant need to store photos, music and/or important files so that we can take them with us wherever it is we need to go. Of course, one can opt to purchase a boring, metallic-looking USB drive that certainly gets the job done, but us movie geeks don't roll like that. If there's an opportunity to express our love for all things movie-related, then you bet we're going that route instead.
Which is why we're here to show you these new USB Flash Drives over at Entertainment Earth. Star Wars fans will no doubt get a kick out of the Vader, Yoda, Boba Fett and Storm Trooper USB Drives, while Twilight fans can show their love for that all things Twilight-ish by picking up a USB Drive featuring the Cullen family crest. (Thank god it's not a giant picture of Robert Pattinson's face because that might've freaked me out a little.)
Both sets aren't due till October, though you can pre-order now. Each will run you $24.99. Check out larger images of all the USB Drives below.
Watch This: Rare 1971 George Lucas Interview
Filed under: Fandom », George Lucas », Trailers and Clips »
"I like being thought of as a toymaker who makes films." In the summer of 1971, George Lucas talked with critic / journalist / scholar Gene Youngblood for a program entitled "George Lucas: Maker of Films," which aired on public television station KCET in Los Angeles. Michael Heilemann of Binary Bonsai has made it available for online viewing, and it's a fascinating watch.
The interview takes place a few months after THX 1138, his first feature, opened and died a quick death at the box office. It would be two more years before American Graffiti ignited the box office and six years before Star Wars changed everything. Young Lucas was already mighty unhappy with the Hollywood studio system. Binary Bonsai provides context for his late 60s ventures, and then in the interview, Lucas says he started the feature-length version of his short THX 1138:4EB in the wake of the freedom created by the success of Easy Rider, but by the time he finished, the studio wanted something closer to the commercial fare of Airport and Love Story.
The program includes snippets from 6.18.67, a behind-the-scenes short doc that Lucas shot while on location for McKenna's Gold in 1967, and Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB, as retitled by USC at the time. Despite Lucas' repeated assertions that he wants to make personal films -- something that his old running buddy Francis Ford Coppola is finally doing -- it seems that he will always be thought of as "a toymaker who makes films." And here he is, in a rare glimpse at the early years of his career.
After the jump: Watch the video!
Top 10 Stormtrooper Crossovers
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Lists », Other Festivals », ComicCon », WonderCon », Fan Made »
Galactic Binder has collected ten of the best stormtrooper crossovers they've seen. Seeing so many gathered in one place suggests that costumed Stormtroopers are becoming so ubiquitous that they'll soon attract as little attention as a plain Stormtrooper. Hell, maybe ordinary troopers will become so rare that spotting one will be like seeing a unicorn in the wild ...
So, check out the gallery below, and tell us your favorite. I'll echo Galactic Binder and give a special gold star to the samurai stormtrooper for going full circle by referencing Kurosawa.
Fan Made: Celebrity Star Wars Characters
Filed under: Fandom », Images », Fan Made »
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Sunday afternoon seems like the perfect time to check in on our friends from Worth1000, whose latest movie-related photoshop contest has to do with taking any celebrity image and transforming it into a Star Wars character. You can find an example above; that's Wall-E and Eve as R2-D2 and C-3PO. And they definitely get wackier -- with President Obama showing up as Yoda multiple times, and Princess Leia merging with folks like Angelina Jolie and Kevin Spacey (probably the oddest and most random image of the lot). Ever want to see Elvis as Han Solo? It's in there. And ever wonder what Goofy mixed with General Grievous would look like? No? Well it's in there, too ... with the Please Let Them Never Do This In Real Life award going to an image of Han Solo (as Jim Carrey), Chewbacca (as Jack Black), Luke Skywalker (as Owen Wilson) and Obi-Wan (as Jackie Chan) onboard the Millennium Falcon. Creepy.
Check out some of our favorites down below and the rest over at Worth1000.
Watch This: Han Solo P.I.
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », George Lucas », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Trailers and Clips »
I think we can all agree that Han Solo will probably go down as one of the most beloved characters in film history. Granted, he was just an update on an old theme, but we all love a swaggering bad-boy with a heart of gold, don't we? Han has inspired plenty of fan art over the years...not to mention the occasional piece of office furniture, and you would think that fans would have run out of ideas by now, right? Well, not quite, so may I introduce: Han Solo P.I.
Devoted Star Wars fan TheCBVee has created a great little mash-up of scenes of Han Solo repacked as the opening credits for Magnum P.I., and as someone who grew up with the mustachioed private eye, this thing is spot-on (TheCBVee also provided a handy little side-by-side comparison of the original opening and his creation). You've got Alec Guinness filling in for Higgins, Chewie picks up where TC left off, and Luke as Rick, the suave playboy. OK, Luke as the suave type might be a bit of a stretch, but you had to work him in somewhere, right?
Buy This: May the Best Prequel Win T-Shirt
Filed under: Fandom », Images »
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See larger image below
Our good friends at Dutch Southern have debuted another funtastic, fanboy-esque t-shirt that you'll probably want to get your slimy little paws on immediately. Their latest shirt, titled "May the Best Prequel Win", shows the characters from the Star Trek prequel and the Star Wars prequels battling it out in colorful, cartoonish fashion. From the site description: "May the Best Prequel Win. I think it already has and anyone that's seen the new Star Trek and what Lucas shoveled out into theaters between 1999-2005 knows the victor. Here's the shirt that shows the battle: Sulu vs. Darth Maul, Spock vs. Obi Wan, Chekov vs. Jar Jar, Kirk vs. Anakin, Uhuru vs. Padme, Scotty vs. General Grievous, Bones vs. Samuel L. Jackson, and the Enterprise vs. the Death Star. Get your very own. Wear it loud, wear it proud." View a larger version of the image below.
Gallery: May the Best Prequel Win
I already have two shirts from Dutch Southern, and can totally vouch for them. The shirts are comfortable geeky conversation starters, and I couldn't recommend them more. This particular one was designed by Gimetzco, and it'll run you $20. For more info and to see Dutch Southern's entire collection, head over to their official site.
From The Why Not Files: Things That Look and Sound Like Chewbacca
Filed under: Fandom », Images »
Our good friends at Urlesque are always coming up with the most random list-y type posts each and every single day -- most of which involve collecting the strangest homemade internet videos and publishing them for your viewing pleasure. I like to think of the site as an online version of America's Funniest Home Videos on acid. And because you love to occupy your time with bizarre movie-related things, Urlesque recently threw together a massive post called Things That Sound Like and Look Like Chewbacca.
Most of the images we've posted before, though there are some cool ones like the baby Chewbacca costumes and the all-LEGO Chewbacca pictured above. What I absolutely loved were the videos of things that sound like Chewbacca. From a filing cabinet to a cat to a vacuum, it's pretty amazing and creepy and a total waste of productivity, but that's what makes it so awesome. Check out two of the videos down below, with one on the front page and another after the jump. Head on over to Urlesque for the rest, and let us know if you have anything lying around the house that sounds like or looks like Chewbacca.
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First Look: Ellen Page Ready to 'Whip It'
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