I survived Trilogy Tuesday!!!

[jrv3034]

I just got back from seeing the Lord of the Rings Trilogy in the Palisades Mall in Nyack, NY. It started at 1:15pm, and was over at 1:30am. Here are my thoughts on the experience (don't worry I won't spoil anything from Return of the King):

1) The theater - When I got there at 11:30 they had already let people in to the theater, so I didn't see any throngs of people in line or anything. Going in to the theater was great! All the employees had on LOTR Event Staff shirts. I wanted one (a shirt, not an employee, sicko! :D ) The theater had 504 seats, and I was able to find 4 seats dead center in the last row, which was a perfect view, and didn't have anyone kicking the back of my chair. Comfy chairs. One of the staff members was announcing via loudspeaker the time remaining for Fellowship to start (T minus 30 minutes, etc.) and even introduced everyone in the staff by name, and the audience cheered them on... It was the best audience I've ever been a part of: friendly, funny, respectful, no crying babies, no laser pointers, no smart-ass remarks.

2) The movies - The lights went out, a few silly Coke commercials showed up, and then The Fellowship of the Ring began. It was the extended edition. I had already seen it, but it was great seeing it up on the big screen. Cool stuff. It was over at around 5pm. They gave us a 45 minute break between movies for restroom/food break. The Palisades Center Mall is huge! Worth checking out. Then began The Two Towers, extended edition. This one I hadn't seen yet, and was blown away by all the additions. I really liked the original theatrical version, but this was just superb. More cool stuff. Another 45 minute break, and we were ready for the premiere of Return of the King. The anticipation was unbearable. Everyone wanted to see what happened next; those that had read the novels many times before, and those, like me, that have never read them.

3) The Return of the King - All I'm going to say is "run, don't walk". Unbelievable.

4) The exhaustion - Well, frankly, I was much less tired than I thought I would be. I guess sitting through 12 hours of movie is fine, as long as the movies are good. It was good to stretch between the movies, and I had to use the restroom during Two Towers, but in no way was I leaving during Return of the King!

5) Conclusion - I'm sad it's over. It was an incredible experience, and I wish more people could have seen this. Seeing the three movies back to back gives you a better perspective of the long journey that these characters went through. At the end of the evening, the staff gave every audience member a special gift: a collectors desk ornament with three film strip frames, one from each movie, to commemorate the day. It was the perfect end to the day, and I hope you all have a chance to see all three films in a row in the movie theater. Two big thumbs up!:)

[iGav]

Ooooh, I wish they'd do something like this over here... as long as they gave more leg room though....

I still haven't seen any of the Lord Of The Rings films.... but I do quite fancy the idea of watching them in one go... ;)

I also haven't seen any Star Wars films either, so as soon as the final one of those is released, I'll be going to see them in sequence, in one sitting if possible... :eek: :D

I'm hardcore me! ;) :D :p

[WinterMute]

They'll get around t it Gav.:D

I'll be there for the LOTR trilogy, the Martix in one go, I've already seen the original Star Wars and Alien 1,2 and 3 in a sitting, all in the Price Charles in Leicester Square, I'd really want to go if LOTR were in the Odeon main room though.

[iGav]

Originally posted by WinterMute
They'll get around t it Gav.:D

I'll be there for the LOTR trilogy, the Martix in one go, I've already seen the original Star Wars and Alien 1,2 and 3 in a sitting, all in the Price Charles in Leicester Square, I'd really want to go if LOTR were in the Odeon main room though.

didn't know that... ooooh.... I'll have to take a day off work to watch it all in one go... :D all that fizzy pop and salted popcorn too! yummy!

I reckon the 6 Star Wars films is really going to be a marathon though!! :eek:

[Foxer]

I saw it here, as well. Man, I am beat. It was worth it though. Although, by the end, I couldn't really remember seeing the first film that day. Lots and lots of movie for one sitting.

Star Wars would only slgihtly longer, and I'd happily sit through that as well.

[jxyama]

my hat's off to... your buns!

dang, that's a lot sitting... :D

[jefhatfield]

the first lord of the rings was very entertaining but left me hanging, naturally and i will rent part two soon and hope to see part three shortly thereafter

i did have a bit of a long trilogy tuesday though...it was the fab five in queer eye for the straight guy

first at 8 pm, i saw them fix up a place like usual in a normal episode

then i took a break at 9 pm and saw 24

then back to the fab five at 10 pm to see them have a christmas party where they looked back on past projects

and then i saw the making of fab five video at 11 pm where they had a music video director who did sheryl crow and metallica do a video for the fab five

i got to sleep sometime after midnight and i got the distinct feeling that i may have to redo my pad and get some clothes..he he:p

[amnesiac1984]

Originally posted by iGAV
didn't know that... ooooh.... I'll have to take a day off work to watch it all in one go... :D all that fizzy pop and salted popcorn too! yummy!

I reckon the 6 Star Wars films is really going to be a marathon though!! :eek:

Correct me If I'm wrong but I thought there was meant to be another 3 set after the originals making the total to 9 star wars films, but maybe thats just me being wrong!

[Juventuz]

There was supposed to be, but Lucas said that he won't be doing them.

[jefhatfield]

one day, i want to watch band of brothers, all ten parts totaling 10 hours, in one day

also, i want to watch richard wagner's "the ring", all 13 hours, in one day

he he...just for fun

and if i feel nuts, i will watch all of a "24" season in one sitting:p

[iGav]

Originally posted by amnesiac1984
Correct me If I'm wrong but I thought there was meant to be another 3 set after the originals making the total to 9 star wars films, but maybe thats just me being wrong!

I thought there were 6 films?? the 3 originals and then the 3 prequels?? so is Lucas making another 3 as well?? :eek:

blimey, that's going to be one numb bum in one sitting :p :p :p

[WinterMute]

Originally posted by jefhatfield
one day, i want to watch band of brothers, all ten parts totaling 10 hours, in one day

and if i feel nuts, i will watch all of a "24" season in one sitting:p

Hell, I've done Band of Brothers, got the boxed set last christmas and did it all in one hit on a day off in Feb, 24 in real time would be something else though, its a shade under 18 hours if you miss the ads and the titles, but even so, that is a hell of a sitting...:eek:

I'd like to try 24 season 1 and 2 on consecutive days though.:D

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by WinterMute
Hell, I've done Band of Brothers, got the boxed set last christmas and did it all in one hit on a day off in Feb, 24 in real time would be something else though, its a shade under 18 hours if you miss the ads and the titles, but even so, that is a hell of a sitting...:eek:

I'd like to try 24 season 1 and 2 on consecutive days though.:D

24 would be fun with each episode running about 40-41 minutes, without all the annoying ads, would make it a very long day...about 16+ hours

and to run another 16 hours on the next day would be the biggest marathon i would want to watch personally

then again, i could watch all the seasons of friends on dvd and that would total just under a couple hundred hours assuming that all the seasons have reached dvd and video

i wonder if all the footage of johnny carson is on dvd? now that would be a marathon...twenty something seasons

as for 24, i think they should call it 16 instead and pick up where one left off before the commercial break so the viewer could catch every second of action...i hate to see the clock say 6:12, then break to a commercial set, and then come back at 6:17 and then have the action be on the same friggin sentence as 6:12?!....when one thinks of it, it is preposterous but it still is my favorite all time tv show

ads in america are maddening and take up so much time in an hour episode of any show

[MarksEvilTwin]

Removed

[revenuee]

Originally posted by iGAV
I thought there were 6 films?? the 3 originals and then the 3 prequels?? so is Lucas making another 3 as well?? :eek:

blimey, that's going to be one numb bum in one sitting :p :p :p

1. There are three more stories (books) after the original three ... however, lucas has only mentioned in passing, and in that he said he's not going to do it, but who know, maybe he'll change his mind ...

2. Ya i've seen all 10 hours of Band of Brothers in one sitting, awsome... one the greatest mini series made ... Hanks' "From the Earth to the Moon" was good ... but Band of Brothers was a pleasure to watch.

3. to be perfectly honest, i only liked LOTR when i saw it at home on TV ... i didn't enjoy watching it in theatres. So i rejected the offer to see all three in one sitting when my friends waved the ticket infront of me ...

[trebblekicked]

Originally posted by revenuee
1. There are three more stories (books) after the original three ... however, lucas has only mentioned in passing, and in that he said he's not going to do it, but who know, maybe he'll change his mind ...

let's hope he decides not to. although if peter jackson wanted to direct the next 3 star wars films...

trilogy tuesday was sold out here, so we're doing the next best thing. we're hosting an extened-edition marathon Sunday, and then catching RotK.

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by trebblekicked
let's hope he decides not to. although if peter jackson wanted to direct the next 3 star wars films...

trilogy tuesday was sold out here, so we're doing the next best thing. we're hosting an extened-edition marathon Sunday, and then catching RotK.

i thought that perhaps star wars can be like star trek...many different writers of many different books leading to movies every several years in a non ending adventure

i think star wars has the strength like star trek and the lexicon of the former is in popular society like the latter...i in no way am saying that star wars has reached the cult like level of star trek, but there is a potential there and who knows, maybe the star wars franchise can be made into a tv series of ongoing action between the good guys and the bad guys

planet of the apes went from several movies and then to a tv series which wasn't really all that bad and the concept had a good run and got to use a lot of the political conflicts of the day to push the story line

there are other tv series or movie trilogies that can be made into an ongoing thing with its fans and conventions and the like

on the rock and roll music front, two ongoing legacies which will live on way beyond its original incarnations are menudo and kiss and they are both truly franchises and merchandising gold

gene simmons of kiss has stated that he wants to eventually retire and let someone else take his place while he and others control the music and tours from the office and keep the thing going like menudo with different members continually bringing in an income

whether it's movies, television, or rock and roll bands, the idea of a piece of art as an ongoing product is the legacy of our times where creativity may not be at its highest, but a reclycling of ideas and products which worked well in the past and could be shared and sold to generation after generation

[bcstanding]

Originally posted by revenuee
1. There are three more stories (books) after the original three ... however, lucas has only mentioned in passing, and in that he said he's not going to do it, but who know, maybe he'll change his mind ...


Actually, there are a lot more than 3 books after the original trilogy - and some before and during the prequel, and some during the original trilogy. However, none of those stories are from Mr. Lucas. The 9-part myth came from an interview he gave (after Star Wars came out, I think). He didn't actually say it was a 9 part story- it was misconstrued by the person interviewing him.

George wrote several drafts of Star Wars long before securing a studio to be able to film it and throughout the writing process he broke his original story up because it was way too big for one movie. Then he broke that up into 3 parts which would each work as one movie. He hoped that the first movie would make him enough money that he could do the other two. So, those 3 parts were filmed as the original Episodes IV-VI. That led the interviewer to believe that there was suppose to be 3 trilogies, which wasn't the case. George decided 6 movies would be enough to tell the story he had in mind. After ESB was a big moneymaker, he let it be known that Darth Vader had a backstory (not surprising considering what happens in that movie). This is why he is doing the prequel trilogy now - to finish the story. Unfortunately, I've heard this pieced together in several interviews George has given over the years, but I don't have sources for all of them. :)

If someone hasn't seen the end of ROTJ I won't spoil it for them, but I will say that if you look at the parallels between the original and the prequel trilogies you'll realize there is indeed no more story after ROTJ. (By this I mean, the story of the rise/fall of the Republic/Jedi/Empire and Skywalker's role in how it happened - there's obviously room for more stories in such a big galaxy!)

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by bcstanding
Actually, there are a lot more than 3 books after the original trilogy - and some before and during the prequel, and some during the original trilogy. However, none of those stories are from Mr. Lucas. The 9-part myth came from an interview he gave (after Star Wars came out, I think). He didn't actually say it was a 9 part story- it was misconstrued by the person interviewing him.

George wrote several drafts of Star Wars long before securing a studio to be able to film it and throughout the writing process he broke his original story up because it was way too big for one movie. Then he broke that up into 3 parts which would each work as one movie. He hoped that the first movie would make him enough money that he could do the other two. So, those 3 parts were filmed as the original Episodes IV-VI. That led the interviewer to believe that there was suppose to be 3 trilogies, which wasn't the case. George decided 6 movies would be enough to tell the story he had in mind. After ESB was a big moneymaker, he let it be known that Darth Vader had a backstory (not surprising considering what happens in that movie). This is why he is doing the prequel trilogy now - to finish the story. Unfortunately, I've heard this pieced together in several interviews George has given over the years, but I don't have sources for all of them. :)

If someone hasn't seen the end of ROTJ I won't spoil it for them, but I will say that if you look at the parallels between the original and the prequel trilogies you'll realize there is indeed no more story after ROTJ. (By this I mean, the story of the rise/fall of the Republic/Jedi/Empire and Skywalker's role in how it happened - there's obviously room for more stories in such a big galaxy!)

well heck, that's a simple one

just resurrect the evil empire and have a band of wandering jedis get back together to fight them...have some rogue jedis be bad guys and have some people in the empire actually turn out good...and toss in a romance or two and there you have it...and don't forget cute creatures like those teddy bear characters in the forest and that funky horse looking guy with the strange accent ;)

[bcstanding]

Originally posted by jefhatfield
well heck, that's a simple one

just resurrect the evil empire and have a band of wandering jedis get back together to fight them...have some rogue jedis be bad guys and have some people in the empire actually turn out good...and toss in a romance or two and there you have it...and don't forget cute creatures like those teddy bear characters in the forest and that funky horse looking guy with the strange accent ;)

That's true - you could continue Anakin's story by having him lead the teddy bears as a Force Ghost! :) Old Obi-Wan stuck around as a ghostie for 3 movies...

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by jefhatfield
well heck, that's a simple one

just resurrect the evil empire and have a band of wandering jedis get back together to fight them...have some rogue jedis be bad guys and have some people in the empire actually turn out good...and toss in a romance or two and there you have it...and don't forget cute creatures like those teddy bear characters in the forest and that funky horse looking guy with the strange accent ;)


and of the two prequel movies i have seen so far, on video, jar jar has been the coolest part and the only thing i think that lives up to the imagination of the first three star wars movies

i think that c3po and r2d2 were the characters that really stole the first three movies even though the story line revolved around han, luke, the princess, and darth vader

i think the minor characters and the cuteness of star wars is it's lasting asset and children will always be its biggest fans and fall into lucas' spell as if it were santa claus or the tooth fairy

[trebblekicked]

Originally posted by jefhatfield
i thought that perhaps star wars can be like star trek......SNIP........ but a reclycling of ideas and products which worked well in the past and could be shared and sold to generation after generation

i totally agree. as a hardcore star wars fan since my fetal stages, i love the world that's been created. it's got plenty of leg left, but george lucas isn't the man to carry it on. he needs to turn over the reigns. i think he's too close to the forest to see the trees.

[bcstanding]

Originally posted by jefhatfield
and of the two prequel movies i have seen so far, on video, jar jar has been the coolest part and the only thing i think that lives up to the imagination of the first three star wars movies

Well, I've definitely never heard that one before!


i think the minor characters and the cuteness of star wars is it's lasting asset and children will always be its biggest fans and fall into lucas' spell as if it were santa claus or the tooth fairy

I'd have to add that there's a little kid in all of us grownups who would love to take a swing or two at a Sith Lord with our own lightsabers - just admit it! :)

Although I agree that most kids would be fans of Star Wars, as I've grown up with it, I am still inspired by the story itself. I'm still a fan. I'm not as impressed with the new trilogy as I am with the old one, but they are both great in their own way. It is as simple at its core as you can get - good vs. evil. I love one particular quote George said in an interview in Time magazine a few years ago - "Every person has the choice of being a hero or not being a hero every day of their lives."

[bcstanding]

Originally posted by trebblekicked
i totally agree. as a hardcore star wars fan since my fetal stages, i love the world that's been created. it's got plenty of leg left, but george lucas isn't the man to carry it on. he needs to turn over the reigns. i think he's too close to the forest to see the trees.

Agreed - hopefully with this new Clone Wars cartoon (which I haven't seen yet), he is realizing that it is OK for someone else to do Star Wars in non-book form.