Favorite Film Franchise?

[hutter]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SuNomi[/i]
<br>
News today is that George Lucas is finally releasing the Original Trilogy on DVD in their original "non-Special Edition" forms (though totally re-mastered of course). The first movie will even have the original 1977 opening crawl (without Episode IV: A New Hope).
[/quote]
Thank the maker!

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[SwampThing]

[quote]I'd go with Kevin Smith's movies: "Clerks", "Mallrats", "Chasing Amy", etc. With characters Jay and Silent Bob being the common thread, I believe these movies apply as a "franchise."

Smith's movies aren't all great, but they're all entertaining.[/quote] This is my pick also.

I also rather enjoy the "American Pie" series.

<font size="1">"I've been playing the joker and dumbass for too long here, out of pity for the intellectually challenged that frequent this site" -- Hutter</font>

[hexicon]

[quote]

I also rather enjoy the "American Pie" series.

[/quote]

I like the first one in particular. Re the Duke lacrosse scandal, there was a hilarious essay at slate.com about how the guy who played Stiffler deserved an Oscar for his spot-on characterization of the preppy evil that is lacrosse players.

But am I the only Harry Potter fan here? [:I] (OK, so I like 'em young, bespectacled, and WASPy. Anyone who's seen a pic of Mr. Hex knows what I'm talking about.)

[ben_at_work]

Yeah, I love the Harry Potter series. I still need to watch the last one.. I bought the DVD but havent watched it.. The day i bought it i also bought Donnie Darko (for 5.99) and watched that instead, realizing that it really really is..a Mad World

[MARV]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SuNomi[/i]
<br>News today is that George Lucas is finally releasing the Original Trilogy on DVD in their original "non-Special Edition" forms (though totally re-mastered of course). The first movie will even have the original 1977 opening crawl (without Episode IV: A New Hope).[/quote]

Yes indeed, SuNomi. And this is good news indeed. The original Star Wars from 1977 was a staggering achievement on many different levels. A disillusioned 1970's movie going public sociologically scarred from the Ford and Nixon presidencies, hungover from the lofty dreams of the hippies, conciously ravaged by the repercussions of the Vietnam War and undergoing societal changes via sexual and women's movements embraced the epic and mythic tale from storyteller George Lucas. Weary from the trend of gritty realism that made it's hallmark in the seventies with films like Serpico, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Mean Streets and Jaws, people were ready for a fantasy and Star Wars more than delivered. It drew upon character archetypes and character arcs found through out mytholgies that span the world and that span time. The young hero, the dark knight, the magician, the princess and the pirate, to name a few. The crossing of threshold barriers, journeys into the unknown, the enemy castle, the belly of the beast, the seedy underworld are all colorfully employed in the telling of what is essentially a timeless tale that speaks to our humanity. Star Wars was important because it told the world that it's collective mythological experience is not just important, [i]but that it still mattered[/i] - if the overwhelming response from the general public is to be used as any barometer. That subsequent SW films continue the tale in operatic and rhythmic fashion as per Homeric precedent, the mythos deepens and becomes even more rich and embedded into popular culture.

The importance of Star Wars walks a perpendicular line in terms of it's place in the art of movie making. To illustrate, George Lucas completely upped the ante with special effects. Before SW, you'd have a film with one monster in a rubber suit for example. In the first Star Wars you had a bar full of them. Also, the hardware and technologies exhibited in the space fantasy took on a more real world plausibility by taking visual cues from our own real world, even by showing years of use, instead of the sterile, brand new looking props of past sci fi. Good sci fi does'nt necessarily need to be believable if it does a good job at being [i]plausible[/i]. And again, SW speaking to our humanity, the scenes focus on character development rather than technological wonder.

In addition, the business of movie making was forever changed after Star Wars. Star Wars spawned the sequel (and indeed, the prequel), it reinvented marketing and it created licensing. No longer would film makers rely simply on ticket sales to make profit. The popularity of a film after a blockbuster ad and marketing campaign would be just what a movie house needed to produce more films using the same characters.

Anyway, the importance of releasing Star Wars in it's original theatrical presentation is most important to remind the world of how it changed it. It is, essentially, a cultural archive - a cultural treasure, even. And what better reference material for future generations of film makers? This film admirer is most grateful to finally get his beloved, unaltered Star Wars [^][8D]

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">I dig whales.</a>

[The_Freeman]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SwampThing[/i]
<br>[quote]I'd go with Kevin Smith's movies: "Clerks", "Mallrats", "Chasing Amy", etc. With characters Jay and Silent Bob being the common thread, I believe these movies apply as a "franchise."

Smith's movies aren't all great, but they're all entertaining.[/quote] This is my pick also.[/quote]

Me too. Shame about Jersey Girl really.

[edisonoside]

*Star Wars

*Star Trek

*Matrix

*X-Men

*Blade

[ghosty]

[quote][i]Originally posted by i_like_lectric_motors[/i]
<br>Rocky
Godfather
Hustler's Barely Legal (although Dirty Debutantes isn't bad either)
The American Pie movies

[/quote]

As long as it's BOTH Ed Powers and Randy West in the Dirty Debutantes series. I also liked the Seymore Butts and Shane stuff..ahem..back to my progressive thinking.

[birdmadgirl]

[quote][i]Originally posted by hexicon[/i]
<br>[quote]

I also rather enjoy the "American Pie" series.

[/quote]

I like the first one in particular. Re the Duke lacrosse scandal, there was a hilarious essay at slate.com about how the guy who played Stiffler deserved an Oscar for his spot-on characterization of the preppy evil that is lacrosse players.

But am I the only Harry Potter fan here? [:I] (OK, so I like 'em young, bespectacled, and WASPy. Anyone who's seen a pic of Mr. Hex knows what I'm talking about.)
[/quote]

No, you aren't the only HP fan. In fact, we've got the first movie in right now [:)] I love the books and am glad the movies have been done so well.

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[obs]

I think Order of the Phoenix should be done in two movies. It's the best book and really deserves more than just three hours.

I'm not sure which film franchise I prefer. Almost all of them have some stinkers in there. All three Back to the Futures were okay though. I enjoyed both Bourne movies but since it's only two movies, it shouldn't really count. Cube and Cube Zero were good, but Hypercube wasn't quite up to par. Hmm, all three Die Hards I like. Does Lord of the Rings count? Or John Hughes movies (Haven't seen Planes, Trains, ... though).