The following video was posted a few days ago by Nerdist.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opening 18 December 2015, might just be the most anticipated movie since … well … Star Wars, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Based on what little we know, this one looks like it will be a far superior film. The little we know, of course, comes almost exclusively from the following videos.
Official Teaser, released 28 November 2014
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erLk59H86ww]
Official Teaser #2, released 16 April 2015
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs]
Comic-Con 2015 Reel, released 10 July 2015
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTNJ51ghzdY]
Trailer (Official), released 19 October 2015
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE]
TV Spot (Official), released 8 November 2015
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9owoYz5ikvI]
TV Spot 2 (Official), released 16 November 2015
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpBcTMGsiOM]
Pre-orders are now open from Entertainment Earth for the January 2016 release of “Star Wars Ronin Samurai Boba Fett Meisho Movie Realization Action Figure” sculpted by Takeyuki Takeya and Junichi Taniguchi. The detail of this 6-3/4 inch figure (below) makes the $89.99 retail price tag much easier to swallow.
The figure will be a sure hit. Another figure in this series, “Star Wars Samurai General Darth Vader Movie Realization Action Figure,” will be released later this month, but has already sold out as a pre-order.
For those who may not have the budget for a $90 action figure—no matter how awesome it might be—Entertainment Earth is also now accepting pre-orders for a much more affordable, but still very cool exclusive toy: “Star Wars Jabba’s Palace Nesting Dolls – Entertainment Earth Exclusive.” At just $16.99, these nesting dolls offer a unique collectible to the Star Wars fan. The nesting dolls will be released in December 2015.
Bring Jabba’s palace into your home, with representations of Jabba himself (with Salacious Crumb), a Gamorrean guard, and Max Rebo’s band. The original band with lead singer Sy Snootles, not the weird little CGI cartoon muppet thing that took over in the later special edition releases. Thank you, Entertainment Earth.
This story should be called “Man Living in a Cave for 30 Years Takes Daughters to Target.” Or maybe “Man Projects Sexual Fantasy Onto Children.”
Fox 29 News in Philadelphia ran a remarkable story on 13 July 2015, entitled “Star Wars Action Figure Has Parents Furious.” A man shopping in the Deptford, Pennsylvania, Target store with his two daughters saw the Hasbro Black Series 6″ action figure for Princess Leia in her “slave” outfit—basically a bikini with a chain around her neck—from Return of the Jedi.
He told the news station, “That’s pretty inappropriate. I got two daughters I don’t need seeing that crap.” Other parents interviewed by the news station were also apparently “furious”:
Return of the Jedi itself was released in 1983 with a “PG” rating but heavily marketed to kids (Ewoks, anyone?) during the conservative Reagan 1980s. Yet there were no complaints at that time about Leia’s bikini on the real-life Carrie Fisher.
In the last thirty-two years, that “golden bikini” has become a pop culture force unto itself. Yes, to a large degree that force is adult male sexual fantasy. This was even exploited on the hit prime-time network television show Friends almost twenty years ago: “The One With The Princess Leia Fantasy,” which aired on 19 September 1996.
The parents who object to this toy—and according to Target this is the only complaint they have ever received since the action figure was released in 2013—are viewing the toy within this sexual framework. Young children, as I myself was when I saw Return of the Jedi in the theater in 1983, do not have this framework. Children see Princess Leia in that outfit within the context of the movie plot: she is a prisoner of a bad guy (Jabba the Hutt), who she eventually kills. The chain has a purpose in the movie—it is the hallmark of a prisoner, not sexual perversion.
To children, the golden bikini worn by Princess Leia is no more sexual than any of the bikinis worn by Barbie or other dolls of that ilk. It should be noted, however, that the bikini worn by the Leia action figure is permanently attached to her body. Unlike Barbie, Leia will never be naked.
Does Barbie’s ability to be rendered completely nude (albeit anatomically incorrect) have Target shoppers similarly “furious”? Or is it simply that Barbie does not turn them on as much as Princess Leia?
7/1/2015: Updated to include the tenth wave.
Over the past few weeks Funko has unveiled a number of exclusive releases for the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con, being held 9–12 July. We at ClutterStuff won’t be there (being clear on the other coast), but we would like to let everyone know about all of the exclusive Pop vinyl figures. Funko has also announced a number of other exclusives in their other toy lines, but only the Pops are listed in this post.
The “waves” below are the order in which Funko announced the exclusives.
Wave One (announced 8 June 2015)
Wave Two (announced 10 June 2015)
Wave Three (announced 12 June 2015)
Wave Four (announced 15 June 2015)
Wave Five (announced 17 June 2015)
Wave Six (announced 19 June 2015)
Wave Seven (announced 22 June 2015)
![Star Wars: Princess Leia [Boushh Unmasked]](https://clutterstuff95zine.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/5714_boushhleia-pop_large.jpg?w=300&h=214)
Wave Eight (announced 24 June 2015)
Wave Nine (announced 26 June 2015)
Wave Ten (announced 29 June 2015)
Which ones are your favorites?
As someone who was raised on Star Wars by Star Trek fan parents, I love both Star Trek and Star Wars. I’ve never understood the animosity between fans of these two franchises, but whatever … this video by College Humor is absolutely hilarious!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=173&v=gd5yB9Vmd6I]Mary and I just did another unboxing of a subscription box.
The theme for May’s box was “Sidekicks,” as you can see with the goodies that we got this month. To sign up for June’s box, click my referral link here. [Update: the theme for June’s box has been announced as “Arcade.”]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kts6vmAYqbk]
Overall, I really liked this month’s box. Even though the highest value items were focused on the Adventure Time cartoon that we don’t watch, I still feel like I got my money’s worth. I absolutely LOVE the “Beep Boop” Star Wars drawstring backpack! The dog tags were a really cool exclusive item as well.
Visit my “Nerdy Subscription Boxes” page for information and links to other boxes and unboxing videos.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the ClutterStuff blog and YouTube channel!
OK, there are a lot of reasons:
Except a few standouts (Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, etc.) the acting was horrible.But let’s be honest about the original trilogy: it was not without its own flaws. Why can we forgive them, while meticulously cataloging the flaws in the prequel films?
In my opinion, the main reason that many fans dislike the prequels is their age.
Let me rephrase … the main reason that many older fans dislike the prequels is their age.
I was about 6 months old when Star Wars was released in May 1977. I saw Empire and Jedi in the theater, being about 4 and about 7, respectively. The movies brought a sense of wonder and fantasy and imagination that really only exists in a child.
In 1999 when Episode 1 was released, I was an adult. I tried to convince myself to like the movie, and I will still sometimes pretend that I do, but I honestly don’t. Watching that movie, and Episodes 2 and 3, doesn’t bring and has never brought the same feelings. Some of that might stem from the logical reasons that opened this article. Some of that might stem from other reasons.
Is it possible that we hate the prequels in part because they came out when we were grown up?
Maybe we should ask the Star Wars fans who have grown up in the past two decades. My 9-year-old daughter has seen all six films (of course!—what kind of father do you think I am?) and she loves them all. She doesn’t see the same flaws that we see when she watches the prequels. She just sees the fun, the fantasy, the wonder that they possess.
Let’s look at another example: Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. I have heard people complain that the plot was a bit too ridiculous, [SPOILER] with the aliens at the end. Is the alien really more ridiculous than the spirits coming out of the Ark at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark? Or the witch doctor hypnotizing Indy and pulling people’s hearts out of their bodies in Temple of Doom?
The reason that we love the three older Indiana Jones films is, in large part, because Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones is just about as cool as they come. And he is the same guy, a little older, in Crystal Skull. Is Crystal Skull (which I actually do love) really a bad movie, or does it suffer from coming out 20 years too late, when the fans of the original were too old and jaded to just experience the film for what it is?
What do you think? Please let me know in the comments if you think this theory might hold a little water or if I am completely out of my mind.
Over the weekend, William Shatner (Star Trek‘s Captain Kirk) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia of Star Wars) exchanged several interesting tweets.
That got a bit confusing, but it was definitely entertaining (and maybe a little disturbing at times).
But, unlike many Star Wars and Star Trek fans, Shatner and Fisher appear to really be good friends.
They even celebrated Star Wars Day (#MayThe4thBeWithYou) together!
Happy Star Wars Day! May the fourth be with you!
Here are a couple of old Star Wars comic book covers, from Marvel’s first run with the franchise. I will be writing more details about some of these issues in future posts.
Star Wars, vol. 1, no. 2 (1977) retells the story of Ben and Luke in Mos Eisley’s tavern. This action on the cover is exactly how it happened, right?
Star Wars, vol. 1, no. 68 (1983) takes place between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, with the crew trying to find Boba Fett and the carbonite-captive Han Solo.
Just a thought … Star Wars: The Force Awakens is probably not going to be based on this storyline following Return of the Jedi, from Star Wars, vol. 1, no. 88 (1984).
ClutterStuff 