a history of me

It seems George Lucas has announced the complete title of Star Wars - Episode III: "Revenge of the Sith." Sounds just like Return of the Jedi, doesn't it? That's the idea: Lucas is so creatively bankrupt that he deliberately tries to make the new movies "sound like" the old movies that everyone loved. In my opinion, he should do everything in his power to distance the new trilogy from the original trilogy since the new ones are so vastly inferior.

However, George Lucas is actually very clever. His complete control of the original films allows him a unique freedom as a washed-up artist. He has the power to change the original movies so that they look just like the new, CGI-smothered, soulless movies. Think about it: the "special edition" trilogy was first shown in 1997. Since that point, they have been the only version offered for sale on home video and shown on TV. As VHS goes the way of Betamax, the new DVD box set will soon be the only home version available and it will sell by the truckload. Guess what? The new box set is based on the "special edition," not the original films. It's just like 1984, people: "Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past." In thirty years, no one will even remember the original trilogy, and generations of children will know only that Greedo shoots first.

Two more links, while we're on the subject:

Behold the evolution of George Lucas' neck!

Go here for a link to two video clips showing some of the more subtle changes between original and "special edition."