The Force Awakens

[tapitsbo]

I haven't seen the movie, but in the gamified re-education centres you will all be made to view it again, and apply nuanced, critical engagement.

[Joao]

Moderately funny, thanks!

Yeah, I knew it wasn't going anywhere when I saw my wife's eyes glaze over as I tried to tell her about it. Made me laugh, anyway, and I couldn't pass up the chance to double-down on the nerdery.

Cheers for the faint praise. Que les droits de l'homme et du citoyen soit avec vous.

[Elvis]

Star Wars could really meant something in the hands of Ingmar Bergman.

[Joao]

[Luther Blissett]

I would watch a Bergman Star Wars. I would try to make a Bergman Star Wars.

[JackRiddler]

I would watch a Bergman Star Wars. I would try to make a Bergman Star Wars.

I'm sold. Do it!

..

Oh yeah, almost forgot: a first attempt - un film du George Lucas et Jean-Paul Sartre. Surely this has been posted here before?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-uQWNd540I

[82_28]

Clever. I'd never seen that, Jack. However I will say that Sartre sent me on my merry way in my younger years into anxiety. Nausea I tried to read twice but it freaked me out within two chapters each time and could not continue. I did not want to know what happens next and/or couldn't face it.

I read a lot of other Sartre stuff though. I should sue his estate for giving me OCD.

[JackRiddler]

Ha, I wrote this three years ago and forgot about it. Basically same thing I said above, but so it can be understood.

The militarism of Star Wars?

I mean the use of the hero story (lifted straight from Joseph Campbell) to glorify the transformation from a youth to a warrior. To become his best self, Luke must lose his family and old rooted life, and be introduced into a secret, powerful, magic order. Everything that was past on sleepy Tattooine was illusion, and is completely lost to him. He is reborn into a struggle of supernatural good and evil. That is the truth of the galaxy, and it is good. The pain of the family's death doesn't last long in the movie, any more than Princess Leia is upset about the loss of her whole planet with billions of inhabitants for more than a few scenes. It's all worth it, the losses are bearable. Luke's transformation is the emotional core of the story.

The plot and its ideological trappings are less important. The empire with its stormtroopers is more like a real army than the Rebel Alliance, but no real army recruits volunteers by telling them they will be interchangeable stormtroopers. In fact, military recruitment promises the opposite of military reality: be all you can be, army of one, test yourself, realize your inner hero, be something special as against the cookie-cutter world of the normals, fight for freedom against tyranny. In the end we'll confirm your heroism by pinning a medal on you in a glorious ceremony, with the staging lifted straight from Leni Riefenstahl's film of the Nuremberg party rallies. Never mind that in reality you're one of the empire's soldiers; the message conveyed is the opposite.

Star Wars arrived at the perfect time for this message and was aimed at the 12-year-olds of 1977 (such as myself), a transitional generation in a transitional time. After the 1960s and early 1970s, Vietnam and the end of the draft due to popular disgust with militarism, the offer of Star Wars (just look at that title) was that things could be simple again. There could once again be good and evil, and "we" were the good. This was one of the first and the most successful of wide-release blockbuster movies. Another key one at the time was Rocky I-II: a White American underdog who believes in himself almost upsets and then actually defeats an avatar for Muhammad Ali! These two films (among others at the time, but leading the pack) bespeak an ideological turn. I'm not saying the CIA wrote the scripts; they didn't have to, it was in the air, and Lucas was the lucky one who (wittingly or not) managed to hit the zeitgeist best with a juvenile pulp story he had not been able to sell for many years, at a time when the zeitgeist was more critical.

It was also the beginning of the end for Hollywood's true golden age. The biggest movies since then have not been made for adults, or as explorations of difficult themes, but either to pander totally to the teenage demographic or as spectacular escapes from the ambiguities of adult life.

[brekin]

Spoilers Abound

First spoiler. Wasn't ready for this one. But holy shit, Darth Vader was Luke's dad? Why wasn't that brought up sooner? That would have explained so much. Ha, ha. Anyways.

Saw it yesterday. Overall, not bad. Not great, not even really, really good, just not bad. I enjoyed it, but it is kind of like a friends elaborate cosplay costume. Definitely cool, but not very original and maybe time better spent elsewhere. Film will probably win an Oscar or two just because it is the rare blockbuster that doesn't piss on itself getting from the beginning to the end. Which is some achievement these days. I think the most intriguing thing I experienced was how most of the surprises were handled so undramatically. It was like we would supposedly be reeling so much from the very fact of such exposures that the way they were revealed or carried out didn't have to be staged for maximum effect. I'm thinking of three biggies specifically but even just how characters entered and exited.

I did find myself getting pretty nostalgic and sentimental at least three times, and I'm sure a craftsman with more emotional intelligence would have had me weeping like a newborn baby. Unfortunately, a lot of "moments" are overshadowed by the sets, feel rushed and perfunctory and it felt as if closeups were bogey'd by the younger cast. Also, wow has Carrie Fisher had some work done. Hamill and Ford possibly, but maybe just more maintenance or done discreetly because it was hard to read any emotion facially from her. And her cigarettes and whiskey voice coming out of such a reupholstered face was quite the disconnect. At times it felt like another CGI character.

Plot wise, definitely more a retread and not a reboot. I think this created a sense of boredom and being antsy for me though. I remember being surprised and believing Luke was just a farm boy who got thrown into an intergalactic chess game and surprise, surprise, is to the dark manor born. But these days one cannot be an orphan and not be destined for a throne. (Must be hell for actual orphans immersed in current pop culture.) Also, as far as I could tell The First Order is blowing up multiple planets of the Resistance because they don't like "order". Pretty high stakes for such a weak motivation. The third reich was all about racial purity while all I gathered is the First Order is all about cleanliness or neatness. The Order seems to like everyone in uniforms, neat work spaces, chain of command decision making while the Resistance is more casual friday attire, collaborative work spaces and likes free-form democratic/talk backs/meetings even when devising secret plans to blow up a death mega star. Both seem to think blowing up planets are the answer to solving conflicts, but the Order does it by solar power while the Resistance does it by mass commuting by Tie fighters.

Superstructure wise it feels like the franchise is blocked source wise. The Force may as well be The Weather at this point. Obviously the Dark Side has an ideological agenda as does the Light Side, but ffs we are 7 films in now and shouldn't be getting some bigger overview of where this is all going or came from? One of the current films tried to give a biological nod/basis for the Forces existence but it seems that was dropped pretty quick. Luke has gone back to first Jedi temple so maybe we will get at least an origin story but at this point in the arc the Light/Dark side of the Force is starting to look less like mythic framing and more just sloppy and convenient. The Dark Side of the force is portrayed as giving in to anger, revenge, cruelty and accepting the chaos without having to control destructive impulses because the power they bring is immense. Whereas the Light Side is taking it all to the limit but stopping short of non-purposefull violence. Curiously, though The First Order (as was the Empire) is all about discipline, regimentation, control and removing any element of chance or spontaneity even when carrying out acts of mass violence. Some office talk about programming the human storm troopers versus just having droids was interesting story furniture illustrating this. And I think the antagonism between the First Order general (with his British Schoolboy cap and Nazi uniform) and Lil Darth Vader Jr. illustrates how even the Dark Side of the Force is incompatible on a large scale with such control. (I look at how say Nazi higher ups might have been deep into experimenting with the occult/mysticism/alternative archaeology/psychology but would never have scaled that to most of their subordinates because of the very real potential of losing control of the dominant narrative myth and accompanying experiences because of inability to fence and grid such terrain.) Vader and Lil Vader Jr. are seen as somehow anti-scientific, irrational, ancient and weirdly inefficient at times by the Empire/Order command. I don't think a system based on regimentation, order and suppressing life forces can really entertain any dark spots of mystery for very long no matter how much power they can bring, because of their very unpredictable nature. Supposedly, though, going over to the Dark Side completely makes one completely mechanical and this would perfectly mesh with the Empire/Orders desire for total control. But since the Dark Side is so elemental and a force of nature, the universe, it would also seem to be incompatible with automation if truly embraced because you would be confronting a reality of your own existence and not submitting to a preprogrammed template. But perhaps as one approaches total Darkness (evil) one approaches a malevolent calm? Allowing one to be brutal and detached? The whole banality of evil?

I look at it as Jungian conundrum they are running up against they can't really dwell on. To approach individuation or to become liberated one has to confront ones Dark Side. To truly do that you have to some degree "lose control" and go over to the Dark Side and accept that part of yourself, so there is no conflict really, (or rather a more managed conflict) between your dark and light sides. We see that with Finn (sort of, it comes across as helmet claustrophobia is more of a driver of his flight) But you run the risk of not being strong enough to either accept that side of yourself (your inner Trump say) and project it on others or you decide you enjoy ground floor living and dwell there and never seek to regain any control. So likewise the good people of the Resistance shouldn't be playing with the Force so much either because they run the risk of finding out just who they are really and whether they are strong enough to resist that part of themselves. The reality is that if the The Resistance ever assumes power then they are given this test anyways and without much prep. You can't ever really kill the Dark Side of yourself or you cease to be human. Which I guess we see in the neutered cute droids with numbers for names. But if you don't confront it, then the Shadow grows and starts to manifest. I think we kind of see this with Han and Leia's son. They say children often act out the unconscious life of their parents and tantrumming Lil Vader Jr. definitely seems to embody the deep aggression that they have against each other and the inability to work it out, and just cut out. They are good guys but somehow have created a intergalactic Hitler. Just blame it on The Force.

Also noticed a theme running heavy this year similar with Mad Max; young woman manages early trauma and is a badass by being proficient with technology. But not so much high tech, say being a coder/hacker, but more macho low-end grease monkey tech. Less STEM and more steam punk. Granted those are high demand skills post apocalyptic or space frontier but it just reads like the flipped anachronistic 1950's script for sensitive males, "Get the girl by getting good at fixing up your hot rod to win the big race." Take away for your young women: You are the new Batman, but forget code academy, get a job at NAPA autoparts to deal with past trauma and save world with well meaning, but less impressive, Robin-like male sidekicks.

[Karmamatterz]

It was lame.

Not even worthy of the science fiction genre, just a rehashed trite action adventure. Washed up plot and actors. Princes Leia looked and sounded like she just got out of a long stint in rehab. The story pretty much the same.

[JackRiddler]

It was lame.

Not even worthy of the science fiction genre,

Hm, are you looking to make enemies on this board?

[DrEvil]

It was lame.

Not even worthy of the science fiction genre, just a rehashed trite action adventure. Washed up plot and actors. Princes Leia looked and sounded like she just got out of a long stint in rehab. The story pretty much the same.

Haven't seen it yet but it can't possibly be worse than Prometheus or Interstellar.

[brekin]

Some spoilers...

Was thinking about some of the themes of the original Star Wars films and why they were/are provocative. I think one of the key scenes (or it is suppose to be key, and is kind of) in the new one is when Han is talking to Finn and Rey and talks about the Force being real. He's saying this from the Millennium Falcon, of course, where he had dismissed such a concept decades earlier. As far as testament to conversion of faith scenes it is so-so. (When Luke is mentioned it gets a little more dynamic.)



What is interesting is how much I think we accept the Force as a concept now. Granted many of us don't believe you can levitate or whip objects out of peoples hands just by cultivating subtle energies (or do we?) but I think Star Wars more than any other popular medium has popularized the concept that there is a "one all powerful Force controlling everything" which sensitive, trained individuals can tap into, (already most likely do to some degree and possibly could to a much greater degree) and is potentially more powerful than even our most advanced technology. That is a staggering thought even in fiction form. As Darth Vader says:

Darth Vader: Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

Accessing great powers with our own wetware and not needing any peripherals goes against many cultural narratives though. To our current iCulture that is a 180. That got me thinking where would Star Wars concept of the Force actually still be provocative or even dangerous? I see it currently as more of a palliative homeopathic dose of anti-technology in a technology obsessed culture. Droids, Star ships, light sabers, etc. are much easier to sell than the concept of sitting and being quiet to tap into subtle energies. But there is a kernel of mysticism which can't be cracked under all the immense pressure of consumerism and technological fetishism. Entertaining the concept of the Force in any seriousness is much like the 30 minutes of Yoga that the person who is online 12 hours a day rations them self. But imagine if it was the reverse. People obsessing less about light sabers and more about cultivating the Force, or traditional equivalents? People doing Yoga 12 hours a day and only online 30 minutes? That would be a threat to everything, the whole system, "the Empire". (Ironically, I think I was playing Knight of the Republic or some similar online Star Wars game and my jedi recharged his force by meditating while I the player grew more agitated with they delay.)

Musing on Empires threatened by the Force made me think what a threat Falun Gong has become for China. It is hard to get objective information about the movement and its numbers but it seems everyone agrees that a subtle energy discipline and belief system grew large enough to threaten the Communist state/Empire. Doing some googling regarding China, Star Wars, and Falun Gong brought up these thriftstore finds:


http://www.amazon.com/Falun-Gong-The-Fo ... B005LIDS8M

This writer claims that Falun Gong is actually just a Jedi influenced/derived religion with similarities to the Vril Society and the same ultimate aims. Sadly, I spent the dollar for the seven page ebook and the results were much like receiving a Charles Atlas Muscle Enlargement program. I wasn't convinced of either claims.
He has another 8 pager on Vril -- A Force to Reckon With being:

A short, provocative work examining the concept of The Force as presented in George Lucas’ Star Wars movies as it is incorporated in Theosophy, occultism and esoteric Nazism. Extensive references. Very bizarre. A must-have for any conspiracy theorist’s occult library.

I already spent a dollar too much on the first one and can't bring myself to do the other one. His first chapbook cites the book, Falun Gong: The End of Days, though, which digging around in seems to shows some very Scientology-like cosmology tenets of Falun Gong that makes up supposedly the belief system of the founder of Falun Gong's doctrine. Read about numerous cycles of global human extinctions, survivors being extracted to other planets, and how every star and planet is inhabited (which we aren't sensitive to observe) with many of the inhabitants overcome by greed and lust causing them to engage in "star wars".

https://books.google.com/books?id=cP93N ... ng&f=false

Other than a little trivia of daoism and chi-gong influencing Lucas supposedly I couldn't find anything directly showing Star Wars, directly or indirectly, influencing Falun Gong's development. In fact, it seems the original Star Wars trilogy was little known in China and only recently has had a surge of interest:

Excitement for the next installment of the Star Wars saga may in fact be just as great – if not even greater – in China. Just last month the country saw 500 Imperial Stormtroopers march along its iconic Great Wall in a major marketing stunt for the film’s release.
Much of this excitement stems from the fact that China only recently allowed for the films to be screened in public theaters. Much of this has to do with the fact that the Chinese don’t like seeing their own films pulverized at the box office, and as such they delay certain major releases in order to give their native films a fighting chance; we think Star Wars: The Force Awakens definitely qualifies as a major enough release to warrant that decision. Many Chinese citizens had already seen the Star Wars film in their homes through bootlegged versions of the film, but 2015 saw the saga come to the Chinese silver screen for the first time, and everyone knows that Star Wars is a film series that must be seen on the big screen in order to be fully appreciated.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Star-War ... 97627.html

The force has awakened…in China. Almost four decades after the original Star Wars film, written and directed by George Lucas debuted, our friends in the East are finally screening all six franchise intallments for the public in theaters.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Star-War ... 72061.html

More fascinating I think is the possible separate appearances of individuals cultivating a life force that challenges an Empire in fiction and fact. If such a concept is possible, or the desire for the concept strong, I imagine it would be a recurring theme. In fact, doesn't this sound familiar?

ORGONE ENERGY:
Primordial Cosmic Energy; universally present and demonstrable visually, thermically, electroscopically and by means of Geiger-Mueller counters. In the living organism: Bioenergy, Life Energy. Discovered by Wilhelm Reich between 1936 and 1940.

http://switzerland.indymedia.org/media/ ... /88466.pdf

Oddly, it sounds like Reich's concept of DOR and Orgone Energy is eerily similar to the Dark and Light side of the Force as others have noted:

Reich's comments on such a life energy remind the modern reader of "the Force" from George Lucas's Star Wars movies, i.e., a natural force one can learn to handle and use, but not in a mechanistic way-- only where an intact organism, by trusting and relying on its own feelings, can master and manipulate this energy. Given the popularity of Reich's writings during the 1960s and 1970s, one can only wonder whether Lucas was inspired by Reich's orgone energy.

William Reich, Biologist
https://books.google.com/books?id=mQ-WB ... as&f=false

Pretty fascinating to consider how, according to Reich, the Life Energy suppressed and thwarted can be channeled into mechanistic or mystical outlets (Mass Psychology of Fascism). In relation, then I don't know if the latest Star Wars and most of them after the first one are advertising the solution or problem. They definitely seem to be restating it at least over and over. Also, the mechanistic vs./or mystical is interesting vis a vis Communist Chinese Party & Falun Gong and to say nothing of The Communists really having a long running grudge against any energy work. (Granted the U.S. was the country that imprisoned Reich and where he died in prison.)


The O.J.
(Original Jedi)

[Karmamatterz]

"Hm, are you looking to make enemies on this board?"

I do not come to this board to either make enemies or friends.

Intellectual stimulation, curiosity for the unusual perspective, weird information/topics and data tend to gravitate me to RI.

The latest iteration of Star Wars is a boring mirror of the first movie I saw as a kid. It was typical Hollywood rehash to make a buck. If others really believe there are awesome unique qualities about this film I'm willing to be convinced. Maybe it was a post Christmas feast that had me groggy with tryptophan ad I missed the key elements.

The basic plot is to destroy another Death Star. It's bigger and more bad ass...plus it has this amazing ability to drain the energy of a sun 1000x bigger than the Death Star planet/orb. Han has a change of heart about the Force...yawn. Couldn't they have at least rectified the issue with the storm troopers armor not helping them at all against blasters? I guessI'm spoiled by Frank Herbert.

It's hard not to be jaded about the "cultural" and material aspect of Star Wars that is so UTTERLY based around selling action figures, costumes etc...and making a buck.

Not to mention, here in Ohio there used to be a date marked by some as a day to remember people who got out from behind keyboards (well the net didn't exist back then) and protested. They were gunned down by the National Guard. So on May 4 when all the Star Wars grown men fanboys (yes, acting like little boys not men) are running around like imps with plastic light sabers saying "May the fourth be with you" I'm disgusted. I've personally met and spoken with photographer John Filo about that day and his images. I've attended memorials in the years following at Kent. So now perfectly good holiday of gunning down students was co-opted by Star Wars, what's not to "Like?" Yes that is sarcasm.

To each your own.

[JackRiddler]

"Hm, are you looking to make enemies on this board?"

I do not come to this board to either make enemies or friends.

Sorry, it was a joke about your implicit diss of science fiction, the true literature of our age. This is a very SF board, in case you haven't noticed. And you probably have, you've at the least read Dune.

As for Star Wars, see above what I wrote. I agree with you completely. Every word. It's bad. (Even if it produces metaphysical meditations that the film in no way merits, as with what brekin wrote above.)

And yeah, the May 4 thing should embarrass all participants, even if it wasn't as you point out something else that should be nationally and spontaneously commemmorated, if Americans had any real self-defense mechanisms.

Of course, it could be worse. True that Dune (or name anything else relatively cerebral out of SF) isn't much in the popular culture compared to the Lucas oeuvre, but at least Transformers doesn't rise to the level of Star Wars either.

What good would shields do for these stormtroopers, anyway? None of them can aim! Laser rifles! In the minus 600th century or whenever this tripe is supposed to be.