A dissection the possible Star Wars Episode VII Story

J. J. Abrams, is a world renowned writer, producer and director. His bodies of work as a writer include the television series Alias, Felicity, Fringe, Undercovers and the hugely popular Lost. These shows helped solidify him as a well known writer of stories in a weekly format. His film credits are just as well liked, Forever Young, Super 8, Cloverfield, both of the Star Trek re-imagined films and now the eagerly awaited Star Wars Episode VII.

If you do a search online, you will find a million websites speculating the possible plots for the next installment of the Star Wars film. Reporting on rumors, possibilities, and news being purported to be leaked from sources inside the Lucasfilm family.

However what people are forgetting when they speculate on the possibility of the J. J. Abrams screenplay is who has helped write it to begin with, J. J. Abrams himself with Lawrence Kasdan (Co-writer of the most beloved in the original series, The Empire Strikes Back, along with Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Return of the Jedi) Both writers love exploiting certain elements in order to create a driven and entertaining story. Interpersonal drama.

The Interpersonal drama was well seen in The Empire Strikes Back. Luke learns that Darth Vader is his father. Battles himself as Darth Vader on Dagobah, Han Solo is captured and frozen in Carbonite and the Empire seems to be solidifying their defense against the Rebellion. This story line is then finalized in Return of the Jedi, as Luke learns of his sister, faces the realization that he is the last of the Jedi in the universe, and must eventually make a hard decision to stand his ground against his father, and direct opposite, Darth Vader. Vader eventually faces his very own demons and turns against the one who seemed to take him under his wing, and mentor him as no other had before, Darth Sidius ( AKA: Emperor Palpatine)

It seems poetic that these two writers are teaming up for the next three films. They both really love their turmoil between characters in their stories. 

So what do I believe we can expect to see in the next films?

We do know that these stories will happen 30 years after the end of Return of the Jedi, as announced by Lucasfilm themselves.

I believe there will be a very dark and deep story beginning in the first of the trilogy. Here are points we can expect to see.

1. The “Big Three”, Luke, Lea and Han Solo will return. Lea and Han will now be parents, to I believe twins. One Boy one Girl.
2. The twins will now be either Jedi, or Jedi in training under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker.
3. Luke Skywalker will be either training a new order of the Jedi, or scouring the galaxy looking for new candidates to fill the ranks of the Jedi, there is a possibility of both. Master Luke will be the head of the New Jedi Order.
4. Luke Skywalker will also be a father. (This I don’t believe as much, as I believe he will have remained abstinent and single as is the way of the Jedi, no emotional connections to the galaxy)
5. There will be a minimum of 2 new protagonists in the new film, a Sith Lord and his apprentice. They will have been responsible for restructuring the Empire, and saving them from the brink of extinction.
6. (This is probably the most unloved prediction) One or more of the “Big Three” will be killed in an insurrection plot. Must likely Han Solo, Lea Solo or both.
7. One of the Solo children (most likely the male) will go out of their way to exact revenge against those responsible for the death, eventually leading to the dark side, and into the arms of the Sith Lord, who will then shape him into his form.
8. The remaining Solo Child, along with a Jedi friend, or two, will travel the galaxy seeking the lost brother/sister in order to save him/her from him/herself. 
9. Along the way they will make the acquaintance of another, or multiple characters who reluctantly accompany them on their quest.
10. The new empire will overthrow the government and reinstate their power in the galaxy.

We can expect to see certain places we love, especially Tatooine, which seems to play a large part in the Star Wars universe. Its secret should be answered within the course of the three films.

This is my belief based on my understanding of the writers. Both of which are ranked among two of the greatest story tellers on any screen of the last century. Their films and television series are rife with trauma. 

To understand what will be coming in the next films, we must understand both of the writers, their belief system in the story telling process, and understanding they are planning these films as a three part series. It is not a single film, as A New Hope was originally intended.

With the understanding of these, we should be able to better predict the films before they come out.

If you have thoughts or ideas, I would love hearing them.

Please comment, or message me on twitter, @lancegoolsby

 

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My Update 25 Sep 2013

Lance and Boo-Boo in Schweinfurt

Greetings Programs,

I wanted to let all of my readers know what is happening in my life right now, and a couple projects I have on the horizon that you may all be interested in.

First, I have now been working for a large factory here in Schweinfurt for a proud 6 weeks now. The company if ZF Sachs, I am loving the job, it is both physical and stimulating at the same time. I could not be happier to be working there.

So here is what is coming around the corner for all of you.

1) My novel, The Face In The Falls, is back on track. I am re-proofing my manuscript as it stands, and re-organizing my notes and plans for the rest of the book, and am organizing the story and character plots and dialogue for the rest of the novel.

For those who don’t know what The Face In The Falls is, it is the story of Issiquah Homicide detective, Jackson Anderson, King County Medico-Legal Pathologist, Mary Langstrom, and their investigation into the discovery of 7 bodies at the top of the Snoqualmie Falls in Washington State. It is a roller coaster ride of an investigation that will take both of them in a direction that no one had imagined.

2) Probably my most ambitious project to date, is my upcoming podcast, which has yet to be named, It will be hosted by me, and co-hosted by my Brother-in-law Kyle. We will be discussing subjects that are important to us, including Star Wars, toys, comic books and anything else we want to talk about.

It should be totally fun and entertaining, as both of us are ex-military, and some times rather dirty-mouthed. We are both also very dedicated to Star Wars, and are extremely excited for the new films and the announced director of the films.

I am also asking you, the reader, what you think I should name the Podcast. When it is available it will be downloadable on iTunes, but first I need a name that I can place them under.

This I leave to you…

Below please submit your ideas in the comments block.

I thank you all

Peace

Lance

Comics and E-Bay

One of the things I have been exploring lately is the purchase of comic books on the auction website, E-Bay.

With the recession in full swing, more and more people are trying to make a few quick bucks on E-bay selling various items in their collections. Be it a panel from an artist for a comic book, or their comic books in general. I have also had the pleasure of snagging a few collectible toys from the site as well.

E-Bay is a tricky place to purchase comThere are some rules when purchasing comics from E-Bay that you the reader and purchaser need to look for.

1) check to be sure that the seller has a grade for the comic. There will be some that do not follow certain price guide rules on grading. as a rule of thumb, here is the best source of information for the quality of comics…

http://www.comicspriceguide.com/p-conditions.aspx

2) Feel free to contact the seller and ask questions about the comic, should he/she not have a grade for the comic, if you think they may not know what the grade is, then send them the link so they can check it out and give you a more accurate grade, to help you make up your mind on the purchase. The last thing you want to happen is to get a book for a decent price, only to have it show up in the mail with the cover no longer held by the staples, and the sellers name inside the cover from when he/she was younger. (This happened to me)

3) Sometimes the seller will include an image for the comic cover from another source on the internet. Many times this should give you a warning signal going off in your head. Yet sometimes they just can’t include an image due to technical difficulties, when this happens, feel free to contact the seller again.

4) this is a no-brainer. Check the shipping costs. I live in Germany, and have often found sellers that jack the cost of shipping, to offset the price they are selling the item for. IE: The item is on auction, but shipping will be $18.00 (Many do this since they know they will only make a couple bucks on the item, and will pocket the additional shipping fee you pay for shipping.)

 

With these in mind, shopping for rare and golden or silver age comics on E-Bay can be a blast. I am often betting on multiple comics each week, and some of the comics I have purchased have been in absolute perfect condition, even though they were printed in 1966 or so, I even have one from 1951 that was listed with the exact grade I placed it in as well.

*******Warning about auctions********

Winning the auctions is like an addiction, the more you bid on, and look for, the more obsessed with winning the auction you become. This can become costly. Make sure you constantly check with your pricing guide to ensure you are not paying too much for your comic, and remember to add in the cost of shipping to get your total purchase cost.

If you do not have a pricing guide, or if you want to access what I consider simply the best online resource for comic book collectors, please check out Stash My Comics, link below. ON the site making an account is not necessary, but if you do, you can create a collection database of your comics, including grade, value and search engines for looking for comics you are interested in purchasing. If you are unsure if an issue is the correct one, there are images you can click on to verify which issue you are bidding on.

I also use it to track the comics I want to bid on, based on the grading the seller has given the book. I can then determine if the price I am bidding, is too high for the comic, of if I am making a good purchase.

Please check them out, like I said, simply the best comic resource available, and fully interactive.

http://www.stashmycomics.com/

Now is the time to purchase comics, and with luck, should you decide, you can re-sell the items when the recession is over, and make a decent profit.

I wish you all luck

Peace.

Lance Goolsby

 

 

Some of my artwork

I thought I would show some of the art work I have painted in the last year. Although I am relatively new to the medium of painting, I feel I am learning quite fast. I tent to do paintings over subject mater that matters to me, which I guess is important. I do allot of Star Wars paintings, mostly for me, and comic book heroes as well. I paint them with Acrylic on canvas. and on none of them do I have a frame. I painted them with the plan of not framing it. so the image actually continues around the edges as well.

Here are just a couple of the paintings I have finished over the year 2011, in order of making them.

This was my first, around March, I wanted to paint Darth Vader on a dark background, and only paint the highlights that reflect off of his costume. I didn’t know at the time many of the blending and color bleeding principals I learned later in other paintings, which usually came through trial and error. However, as a subject it is one of my favorite paintings so far.

This one came directly on the heels of Darth Vader, which I guess makes sense, the canvas is slightly smaller than vaders, and It is meant to go to the right of Darth Vader when hung. There will be a second storm trooper in the series, which will go to Vaders left side. The series will be repainted by me, in the styles I have learned through the series of paintings I have done, to make them stand out a little better.

This one was the beginning of me learning how to blend and bleed the colors together. I found out by total accident when I had a blob of black drip, when I was talking with the wife, that water could bleed the color down enough to use it for shading. This is the first that had no subject matter film or comic book related. However, as in the style of my paintings, it is a dark image, with little color.

This was the very next one, The bleeding principal I learned was used throughout this painting. The photo was taken while there was a spot still wet, thusly the wet area. I was happy with the painting, however not overjoyed. There seemed to be something missing from the subject that I did not see when painting it.

This is my favorite to date, I had fun doing this. Wolverine has always been, and always be one of my favorite characters in comic Books. He has a dual personality as being the hero, yet being more brutal than most other heroes in the comic universe. The antihero as people refer to him, does not look to fight evil, however it has a way finding him. No matter how deep he hides himself in the shadows of humanity around him. This one was based on a still from the X-Men Origines: Wolverine film, I however thought it would be better adding the comic book face of Wolverine, rather than the film recognized Hugh Jackman.

This is a painting that I was asked to do for my Sister In Law, for her husbands Birthday. This is my best painting , and the hardest I had to do, to date. I needed to make sure the detail I added to Yoda was on the money, and as realistic as I could do. The overall length of time taken to paint this was about 2 solid weeks. Making sure every wrinkle and gray hair was properly represented. Not to mention the field of depth needed to portray his arm coming at the viewer. This photo does not do this painting justice. Hanging on my in laws wall, you can stare in awe at it for quite a while.

This was another painting asked of me by an in law. He wanted to have a Darth Vader painted by me, and customized for him to hang in his apartment. So I added the AT-ST seen in the bottom right of the painting, the Death Star 2, in the upper left, and the star cruiser and TIE-Fighters flying above. I had a blast with this one, and enjoyed making it as well. Notice the light saber glow on the costume, that again was created with the color bleeding I figured out just a month or so before. I had not yet figured out how to thin the colors enough to create really fine details, while not loosing the strength of the color. as seen with the white reflecting off the corners of his helmet, or off the chain holding on his cape.

Again same Brother in Law, and this time he asked me to do something based of something completely different. This painting is a single frame in the Kick-Ass comic book, where the father is about to show the daughter how it feels getting shot while wearing a bullet proof vest. The hard way. I changed a small portion of the color scheme, as I didnt agree with the way it was originally painted, but it was my interpretation of an already painted scene… So my artistic input is ok… LOL

Well, there you go. A small view into the few paintings i made last year. And slightly after our move in the next few weeks, I will begin again painting. So expect to see a few more in the next few days.

Thanks.

Peace

Lance

 

153 readers subscribed

I was looking at the amount of traffic I receive, and over the course of the last two months, I usually average about 4 hits on my blog per week.

Well, needless to say when I noticed how many of you have signed up to receive emails whenever I post something new, I was astonished. I never would have thought that around the world 153 people are reading my posts regularly. Sometimes I will just post what I think, or something I want to know, and thought maybe there was someone else out there who also wanted to know.

It was because of you, I am now a featured writer for a web magazine called www.nerdlocker.com. I will be their Movie rumors and interviews, and collectable toys reviewer. My first article which is an in depth look into the years worth of rumors surrounding a 3rd instalment of the Tron Series.

I will be writing many more articles for them, as obviously films are something I love. I am also looking into the upcoming Wolverine sequel, as well as a possible interview with Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty in the new Star Trek series.

So what I wanted to say, is, to all 153 of you, THANKS, you make me feel like there is something out there I am writing for, and that there are people like me, reading stuff like this…

 

So, to you all: PEACE

Lance

Another Game update

The Working Neila Game Studios Logo

Well the time has come, We have now been working over a month on the As of now secret Neila Game studios game, that will be our fledgling game into the mix.

Lazarus, is the game.

It is going to be a first person shooter, set in a city that is being ravaged by “Zombies”. The story behind the game is quite complex. It was written by me, for the game, and as I wrote it , I found that there were more and more back stories needed in its writing.

So the game itself will be a single story. There will be a back story of the hero, and the “Virus” that caused everyday normal people to turn in to these Zombie like creatures.

The bad guy of the game also will be getting a back story. He is one of the more interesting characters within the game. I believe that people will love to hate him for how truly despicable he really is…

The “Virus” itself will also be getting special treatment within the game. It is the main character of the game, so leaving out any details of it would be a travesty. So I have developed an entire story revolving around exactly what the “Virus” is. Also if you notice, I put parenthesis around the word virus. The outbreak is not caused by a virus, rather it is a man made compound developed to help hospitals and military around the world save lives.

Neila Game Studios is also looking for companies, and people to help fund the creation of the game. We will make it, with or without funding, but with funding we will be able to better afford the artists who are spending so much time in its creation.

The working Neila G.S. logo is actually one of the screen shots from the working games first level. We have a great environmental artist working on creating city block after city block for the game, and adding texture and detail. None of the finishing touches have been added as of yet, but you can see we are working hard on getting the best possible graphics out to the fans.

Well, that was the update, hope you enjoyed.

Would love to read some comments…

Peace

lance

What is a nerd, and How do I know if I am one?

Well, Good day;

I have been noticing that a ton of people out there are still suffering from either denial about, or just don’t know that they are nerds.

Why is this important? you may ask yourself.

Well, the status of a nerd is actually rather two sided. For one, nerds tend to have an intelligence that outweighs that of the normal populace. There are people out there that collect toys, comic books, enjoy Science-fiction films and books, think about the validity of the number 42 as being the answer to everything in the universe, who can actually say an entire sentence in Klingon (Heghlu’meH QaQ jajvam; Today is a good day to die) and understand the fundamentals of how the Tron films are a study of Theology.

The other side of the equation is that for the most part, nerds actually provide humanity with many of the most important advances in history. From the cellular phone, to home computing, from flat screen televisions to Blu-Ray players.

For example, in the early 70’s a group of people that had learned that through simple manipulation of the tones a pay telephone makes, they could make free calls around the world. They went so far as to create a box that could be used to manipulate the tones a telephone recognized, and it was referred to as a “Blue Box”. These boxes were made up of circuitry and boards that would later revolutionize the world. Many of these people went on to later come up with technological advances needed in making computers more readily available, by creating motherboards in their garages for personal computers.

Another was a group of people that started meeting in 1975, in a group called the “Homebrew Computer Club” out of Silicon Valley, California. These people would meet regularly under the guise of working on making computers more accessible to the public.  They would meet and show plans, schematics, come up with ideas, and show off computer machines they created in their garages. Many of these people went on to work for many of the large computing companies. However, three of the members went on into infamy. Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniac, and Ronald Wayne(who later left Apple Computers when the company became incorporated) who are creators of one of the most successful computing company in the world.

So why is it important for me to understand that I am a nerd?

Well many of us have the belief that nerds are people who are socially outcast, have no social behaviors, collect toys, read comic books, and spend much of our time on the computers. People fail to think that these are all missconceptions brought on by the popular media about what a nerd is.

I for one, love the television series “The Big Bang Theory” yet find it to almost be a damning take on the nerd subculture. They show the main characters as being social outcasts, spending whatever free time they have either in a comic book store, or playing games in their apartment.

For the most part nerds are everywhere around us.

Nerds study and maintain certain habits through their lives. Politics, theological studies, business, science, writing, films, arts and crafts and many other things they enjoy.

Walking down the busy streets in New York city, I would wager a bet that the average person will pass about 500 people within three blocks. Out of those numbers I will also wager that over three quarters of them have hobbies in certain areas that most people would consider to be nerdy.

It is not just the collection of comic books, but think more of people who collect fossils, think of the stamp collector in the group.

It is important for us nerds to embrace what it is that sets us apart from the rest of the herd. To enjoy ourselves in our hobbies, and not feel that we are being subjugated to ridicule or belittled because of what we find to be fun.

We need to admit finally what we are, and open up to the rest of the world and show that we are not outcasts playing “Halo” in our bedrooms, while Mom makes grilled cheese sandwiches down stairs.

We are the society of people that come up with wonderful ideas that first through trial and error, help the rest of humanity. We are a society of people that are constantly thinking of things that will maybe one day give us the answers to life and also have fun while doing it.

But, we may also just collect comic books, and toys.

 

Peace.

Lance

Doctor Who Movie?

I recently came across some exciting and somewhat troublesome news. There is a Hollywood Blockbuster version of Doctor Who in the works.

I have a couple reservations about the entire thing…

First I must say there is not a better director slotted to working the project.

David Yates, who has directed several of the Harry potter films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Parts 1 and 2) as well as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. His take on a drama, and comedy is unquestionably what helped make the last Potter films a major success. (Who has ever read those crazy books anyway? LOL) He has an ability to truly direct drama with neural surgeon precision.

However he has stated a few things that will drive some of us “Whovians” (A Whovian is a fan of the Doctor Who series, in the same lines as a Trekkie is a Star Trek fan or a Fanboy is a Star Wars fan) a little over the edge.

My first problem is that David said he is currently looking for a writer of the film, which he is expecting to be worked on for the next 2 years, as he wants to ensure that the script for the film is as deep and entertaining in subject as any of the seasons of the Doctor Who Series has ever been.

The doctor has been in one form or another on the television for 47 years, making it the longest running, most successful show in history!!!

For those who still don’t know who the doctor is, here is a little background. Be prepared to be amazed by 47 years, crammed into 6.5 minutes!!!

Ok, I know that was a brief history, but here are the important bits.

• The Doctor (As he is just called) is an alien, in human form.
• He is able to control the ship called the TADRIS, which is able to access any point in space, time, and Dimension.
• The Doctor uses his powers to correct points in time, space, or history which are going off course. To make time run smoothly.
• This is why he is referred to as a “Time Lord”
• It is believed that all other Time Lords are dead.
• The Doctor Protects humans, as he feels closest to them.
• The Doctor is over 500 Years old.
• If the body form he takes gets destroyed, he “Regenerates” in a new form, and in the process brain cells are also newly formed, which is why he has multiple personalities.  (This is to help explain the differences in the actors interpretation of the Doctor.)

This is it in a nut shell.

So you ask what my reservations toward a large screen take on it are… Well to me they are simple, and I believe any Whovian out there  should also have the same reservations toward the news that has been released so far.

1:  OK, the choice for the writer scares me the most. David stated in a press release the following in Variety magazine:

“We want a British sensibility, but having said that, Steve Kloves wrote the Potter films and captured that British sensibility perfectly, so we are looking at American writers too.”

Ok, so Steve wrote the Potter films, great, he did not need to create something from nothing, he simply needed to read a book, and figure out what to put into the film, and what could be left on the pages… Now I am not saying his job was easy, in the slightest, rather his sensibility he captured in the Potter film scripts was simply translating the books sensibility onto the screen. The rest of that came from the director, all of which have been British. So who better knows British sensibility than a Brit?

2: If the American film studios have their grubby mitts into a typically British show, they will be so concentrating on creating something to introduce the American market to the Doctor Who franchise, they are going to insist to David, and Steve that there will HAVE to be a back story to the Doctor. If there is a back story, there will be too much lost to the Doctor.

One of the great things about the Doctor is that there is still allot of unknowns about him. If the Americans get their hands on it, and place in a back story to him, much of who the Doctor is(Or we don’t know who he is), will be lost, FOREVER.

3: They don’t plan on it being tied into the television series at all. Whomever is currently playing the Doctor at the time of the filming, will not be portraying the Doctor in the film.  This to me makes absolutely no sense.

• Why make a Doctor Who film, and not include who ever is the Doctor on television?
• Why make a stand alone Doctor film?
• Why not tie the show into the film?
• Why do we need to see another Doctor Who story, with a new Doctor on the big screen?

These are my problems with the news about the Doctor Who film being made, or in the works to be made.

As you can see, I believe that the thought of having a Doctor Who film, unrelated to the television series, and featuring a brand new Doctor, while one is playing him on television seems redundant.

My thoughts are that it may be BBC attempting to remove the Doctor from the small screen, and place him on the big one. I would rather keep running the show on the small screen for another 47 years, with continued stories, even if they are horrible. There have been allot of bad ones, yes, but the number of the absolutely amazing stories greatly outweighs them.

If it were up to me, BBC keep the show only on the small screen, and make a couple movie events for the series, and not a stand alone for Movie theatres.

I believe if this Movie gets made in the way David Yates is wanting to do it, It will signal the end of Doctor Who on television.

Peace.

Lance M. Goolsby

Here is some proof as to Rinzler’s identity.

When you watch the video I am posting below. there are two clues the makers of Tron Legacy were providing throughout the film, to show that Rinzler was infact Tron.

I however failed to see the second.

The first clue was the 4 boxes just below his neck line on his front.

a row of three, and directly below in the center a single.

such as this

This is Tron from the first film. Notice the 4 dots on his chest...

THis is Rinzler, Again notice Tron's signature 4 dots...

This was almost always noticeable when Rinzler was on the screen, his visor did however sometimes cover them at times… However they did give the viewers another clue as to his identity.

In the following video, you will notice something I failed to notice the entire film, the first 4 times I watched it. When Rinzler activates his discs, you will notice that the outer ring, when they are not on, is the same shade of red as the rest of the disc, but when he activates it, it turns bright blue…

The makers left this in the film, as a clue that even though Tron was reprogramed and renamed Rinzler, somewhere within his identity Tron was still there.

The Discs in the Tron films, are called in actuality “Identity Discs”. upon these discs are the actual coding for the program it represents, and everything that it has encountered in its life.

It is my belief that the outer edge of the disc actually glows blue, as deep within Rinzler’s persona lied the program of Tron still. Understanding what was happening, and waiting for an exit from the Rinzler programming. So, when Rinzler activates his Identity disc, Tron is actually giving a sign that he is still there waiting, needing help.

But, This is my opinion, I do know they did leave the blue ring on his disc there on purpose. The reason, which I am sure I have figured out, Will and should be explained in the 3rd film…

I thank you for reading this…

Peace.

Lance

A couple new posts, that didn’t make it here…

Here are some of my recent, and I believe better posts I have made, but have not been linked to my home page…

Here is an article about why I believe I have become a Nerd again… Two Words, Tron Legacy

https://mordfilm.wordpress.com/about/re-emergence-of-nerdy-me/

Here is an article close to me. It is about how Bartenders are the cheapest form of psychologist on the planet. and a couple stories I have personally experienced.

https://mordfilm.wordpress.com/mordfilms-thoughts/208-2/

and finally, here is some research I have dug up about 2 new Tron projects. The first is some information about the rumored Tron 3, which according to a video I found has been greenlit, and also a new Tron television series being released in 2012

https://mordfilm.wordpress.com/movie-blog/tron-3-update-1/

 

As always my friends.

Peace

Lance