Stars Wars and GCA

[Kalen Braley]

I have the same reaction to older movies


Gone With the Wind
Citizen Kane
Singing in the Rain
Casablanca
etc..


I find all of them unwatchable, so I totally get why today's younger generation isn't into Star Wars....

[Sam Andrews]

Kalen,


If you can't watch Lawrence of Arabia, there's something seriously amiss.


Sam

I have the same reaction to older movies


Gone With the Wind
Citizen Kane
Singing in the Rain
Casablanca
etc..


I find all of them unwatchable, so I totally get why today's younger generation isn't into Star Wars....

[Tom Allen]

Spaceballs is Tobacco Road

Brian, at first I thought you could not go any lower (calling the Stars Wars movies ridiculously bad), but then you had to "go and do this and totally redeem yourself" by adding a SpaceBalls reference.

*Hopefully you are catching my Dumb and Dumber reference.

P.S. And now I want to know what course equals Dumb and Dumber. 

[BHoover]

Spaceballs is Tobacco Road

Brian, at first I thought you could not go any lower (calling the Stars Wars movies ridiculously bad), but then you had to "go and do this and totally redeem yourself" by adding a SpaceBalls reference.

*Hopefully you are catching my Dumb and Dumber reference.

P.S. And now I want to know what course equals Dumb and Dumber. 

I did say that I like ESB and Rogue One. And Spaceballs is spectacular.


I’m not sure which course would be Dumb and Dumber, but it would be a really good one.

[Kalen Braley]

Spaceballs is Tobacco Road

Brian, at first I thought you could not go any lower (calling the Stars Wars movies ridiculously bad), but then you had to "go and do this and totally redeem yourself" by adding a SpaceBalls reference.

*Hopefully you are catching my Dumb and Dumber reference.

P.S. And now I want to know what course equals Dumb and Dumber. 

I did say that I like ESB and Rogue One. And Spaceballs is spectacular.


I’m not sure which course would be Dumb and Dumber, but it would be a really good one.

Torrey Pines South

[Ronald Montesano]

if you're a 19 year old hot shot who hits it 300 yards, I wonder if you can 'get' NGLA.

They "got" it just fine at the Walker Cup in 2013. They flock to the course to play it, if given an invitation.

[jeffwarne]

if you're a 19 year old hot shot who hits it 300 yards, I wonder if you can 'get' NGLA.

They "got" it just fine at the Walker Cup in 2013. They flock to the course to play it, if given an invitation.

They didn't 30 years ago.
Ironic that GCAers can make the very trophies they seek inaccessible.

[Steve Lang]

   and then there's the Classic "Morons from Outer Space"  https://youtu.be/Ly2BQv9K6Fs


Punk Rock Stars...


ps Saw the first in San Francisco in 1977 too, it was basic suspension of reality, not unlike playing something new

[Garland Bayley]

I have the same reaction to older movies


Gone With the Wind
Citizen Kane
Singing in the Rain
Casablanca
etc..


I find all of them unwatchable, so I totally get why today's younger generation isn't into Star Wars....

So you are a younger generation that isn't into Star Wars I see.

The coldest week I ever spent was a summer evening waiting outside in San Francisco through the first showing of Star Wars to get in to see the second showing. My judgement was that it was the plot of a B grade western with totally imaginable costumes and technology. Not a big deal. Can't understand why people go bonkers for that stuff.

[Laz Versalles]

I've watched some of the prequels and sequels, but don't really count them. Call me uninformed, call me a trilogy purist, but that's what Star Wars means to me.

[Sean_A]

My Dad was 17 when WWII ended and I was 17 when the original Star Wars hit the theaters. A couple of you had to be there moments.

I was there at a prime age for Star Wars.  I didn't get the hype then or now...and it was serious hype...mania really.  The movie is average at best relying on special effects for wow factor.  I guess Star Wars started this trend of special effects movies with very few other redeeming qualities....not Holywood's shiniest development. At least we got a Harrison Ford career out of Star Wars...for me the best thing about the movie.

Kalen

I will give you Gone With The Wind and Citizen Kane...maybe Singing In The Rain.  Shame on you for dissing Casablanca.  Still one of the best war films ever made...and no blood...no US soldiers. The screenplay is incredible, now a part of US culture like few films can claim.  It zips along and there isn't a single scene that could be cut.  The narrative and punchy lines remain an A list example...it is so good that the audience can ignore the unnatural sets (though the film noir elements of the shooting are superbly done) as well as the obvious metaphor of Sam dropping his neutral stance about the war at the end of the film and collaborating with Renault.  As with many great pieces of art, the context is extremely important. 

There are some very interesting aspects of the film which still resonate. The characters in Rick's ring true because nearly all of them were true immigrants. Sam stands out as distinctly American among the crowd...a bold choice given his race.  Indeed, the entire cast is unbelievable.  The Jewish issue is never hit head on, but rumbles in the background.  The score, even for today's standard, is very good and this despite the OTT theatricality. 

It is easy to go on and on with Casablanca, but I leave you the often forgotten humour of the film. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th0G8rkhBqg

Ciao 

[Ally Mcintosh]

Typical.


A bunch of GCA know-it alls now slamming Citizen Kane and Gone With The Wind.


Is there anything this group doesn't know best about?


(Comes with a heavy wink and an element of self-deprecation should any of you wish to pick it up wrong).

[BCrosby]

No accounting for taste, I guess. How you can not "get" Casablanca escapes me.

Sean - Max Steiner did the music for Casablanca. He also did the scores for GWTW, Sergeant York, The Big Sleep, Treasure of Sierra Madre and lots of other great movies. He was extraordinary. One of my college roommates (he teaches a course on film music at MIT, last time I checked) wrote his doctorate on Steiner. Steiner composed a surprisingly large amount of music for films and otherwise. There is a full-throated Brahmsian feel to his style that is immediately recognizable.

Bob 

[Peter Pallotta]

Bob - your mention of the great Max Steiner reminded me of the line from Barton Fink, when the studio exec lays into the would-be screenwriter struggling with his first assignment: "Wallace Beery - wrestling picture - what do you need, a roadmap?"


Steiner, working within the studio system, 'churning out' music that needed always to be right in the pocket but never formulaic. You can imagine the direction he got: "Bogie - detectives - dames - you know the drill"


And that in turn reminds me of Pete Dye: "Ah, you got swamp-land you want to turn into a championship test? Leave it to me - I got the picture"...   

[BCrosby]

Peter - You probably know more about it than I, but the number of brilliant expat composers and  musicians in Hollywood in the '30's and 40's was astonishing. Max Steiner was just one of many. Most had escaped Germany or eastern Europe and were deeply trained in classical music. I think a reason for the continuing popularity of so many movies from the '30's is the rich, symphonic scores that thread through them.

Bob

[Kalen Braley]

Garland,


You probably missed my earlier post about seeing Star Wars at the Drive-Ins with lots of fond memories.  I still enjoy watching the original trinity to this day.


To the rest,


Perhaps I'll give Casablanca another try, I recall not getting very far into it the first time.


And it may just be a stylistic thing with most movies from that time period  The over-the-top dramatic acting, the miscast characters where white people were used for almost every ethnicity type, the portrayal of women as weak, feeble creatures whose who entire lives revolved around their protective man, the pacing of the scenes, etc.

[Tom Allen]

Spaceballs is Tobacco Road

Brian, at first I thought you could not go any lower (calling the Stars Wars movies ridiculously bad), but then you had to "go and do this and totally redeem yourself" by adding a SpaceBalls reference.

*Hopefully you are catching my Dumb and Dumber reference.

P.S. And now I want to know what course equals Dumb and Dumber. 

I did say that I like ESB and Rogue One. And Spaceballs is spectacular.


I’m not sure which course would be Dumb and Dumber, but it would be a really good one.

Also, we should not forget "Dude, Where's My Car[t]?" 

[Kalen Braley]

Sean,


Gave Casablanca another try last night.  I forced myself to at least get halfway thru the movie, but after dozing off a few times, I guess I just didn't give a rats ass over which rich pompous entitled person got the Visa or not.... 

[Sean_A]

Sean,


Gave Casablanca another try last night.  I forced myself to at least get halfway thru the movie, but after dozing off a few times, I guess I just didn't give a rats ass over which rich pompous entitled person got the Visa or not.... 

Well, at least you gave it go.


Ciao

[Carl Rogers]

One of the many elements that makes Casablanca & Gone with the Wind so great is that there were no sequels.

I saw the Last Jedi yesterday..... entertaining for sure .... but ultimately just another stop along the way for the franchise to perpetuate itself indefinitely.

Would you walk back into the Movie House and plop down another price of admission to see the Last Jedi again?