[DevSop]

It's the original Star Wars with Han, Luke, Chewie, Leah, and Obi Won against one of the most creative movies I've ever seen. Kurt Russell and a bunch of weird demon types. This won't even be close.



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_IV:_A_New_Hope

vs.



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_trouble_in_little_china

Poll closes Sunday, 7/15/07, sometime around 10pm.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

I'm giving good ole Jack Burton a mercy vote. Did some Asian dude explode in Star Wars? I think not.

[Lucky]

Yeah, fuck you Star Wars! Creepy incest!

Kim Cattrell looks a lot hotter in that poster than in the film.

[salmonjunkie]

God, the cover art for the current Star Wars DVD is god-awful! All that stupid pink glow and Alec McGuiness's head looks way too big for that body.

[Stu]

They also seem to have gotten a cheap Harrison Ford Lookalike, rather than the real guy to pose as Han. And Luke looks like a Ken Doll, designed by Rob Liefeld.

[Batman]

fsolomon75 said:

I'm giving good ole Jack Burton a mercy vote. Did some Asian dude explode in Star Wars? I think not.

Damn, Solly. Didn't Godfather II teach you anything?

I'm on the fence. Star Wars is obviously the most important SF movie ever, but I think I may enjoy Big Trouble more.

[Lucky]

I missed the scene where Luke hits a HR to win the big game. Is that in the new cut?

Obi Wan does kind of look like a bobblehead. Huh.

[Batman]

Here. Original poster:



Goofy in its own way, sure, but at least in a classic way.

[Lucky]

And with the creepy incestuous impressions!

[The Canadian Content]

Did I miss the part where someone justified putting Big Trouble into the Sci-Fi category? It's an action-comedy with very few Sci-Fi elements that stand out in my mind. And it's up against the single greatest Sci-Fi achievement ever (not movie, achievement). This should be a cakewalk.

[Batman]

It may be called the SF tournament, but it is clearly SF/Fantasy. Not much SF in LOTR.

Or did you mean that the fantasy elements don't stand out in your mind either? Come on. From wiki:

References to Chinese mysticism

Some of the Chinese mythology in the film is based on actual history. Lo Pan is a famous legend in Chinese history according to Carpenter [Swires]. He was a “shadow emperor”[3] appointed by the first sovereign emperor Chan Che Wong. Lo Pan was put on the throne as an impersonator because Wong was afraid of being assassinated. However, Lo Pan tried to take over and was cursed by Wong to exist without flesh for 2,000 years until he could marry a girl with green eyes.[3]

Egg Shen divines "difficulty at the beginning" which is a hexagram from the Book of Changes or I Ching. Lo Pan is the name of the compass used for geomancy or feng shui. It literally means everything bowl - the device that reveals the secrets of the universe.

Now I can see how you might say "How is it any more of a fantasy than an Indiana Jones movie?" Well, because in the Indy movies (except Temple) there's just one fantasy MacGuffin. The bad guys are just Nazis.

Whereas Big Trouble has Lo Pan, and his awesome henchmen, Thunder, Lightning, and Rain.

Who are awesome.



How fucking cool is that?

[Krydor]

Alec McGuiness's

WTF?

[The Canadian Content]

krydor said:

Alec McGuiness's

WTF?

Thaks, Krydor. I forgot to be a dick and point that out. Glad you caught it.

[Batman]

[Loki]

A lot of you here and there have been tossing out the word "MacGuffin" lately, and using it like it's a bad thing.

Serg, I want to make sure I understand you. Are you saying that a MacGuffin is bad?

[Mikey]

Kurt Russell >>>>>>>> Mark Hamill

[Lucky]

It didn't sound like he was. I certainly don't think it is. It can be, but it can also be a useful tool to setup a compelling story. I'm pretty sure he's technically right to label the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail as Macguffins. They're clearly defined objects explained in detail. The focus on them them never wavers and they ultimately play major roles in the end of the films and the deaths of key characters. Can it be a MacGuffin if the movie spends 45 minutes describing it, examining it, and featuring it?

Even though he disqualified Temple of Doom from the idea I think its a better example as the stone that Indy is pursuing is largely ignored in the face of the cultists, heart grabbing guy, and bad dinners. I also think Big Trouble probably is a better example of a MacGuffin as the true motivating force in that film is the green eyed Chinese girl they're trying to save, who largely gets forgotten through the intense action, magic, and comedy of it. In the end the film becomes as much about saving Cattrell and Jack vs Lo Pan as the girl.

[Batman]

loki said:

A lot of you here and there have been tossing out the word "MacGuffin" lately, and using it like it's a bad thing.

Serg, I want to make sure I understand you. Are you saying that a MacGuffin is bad?

Not at all, just saying that BTiLC is more of a fantasy movie than Raiders I or III. MacGuffin's aren't a bad thing.

[Batman]

Lucky - Wasn't talking about to what extent the movies had MacGuffin driven plots, but to what extent a fantasy MacGuffin is the only fantastic element in the film. True of Raiders I and III, not true of BTiLC or Raiders II

[Krydor]

Bad plot devices usually involve Haliburtons with glowy things that no one ever sees, making the movie pointless. Even moreso when the movie is edited out of sequence.

[DevSop]

To the shock of no one, Star Wars wins and moves on to the second round.