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Show Arts S Entertainment The Forum Wednesday March 12 1997 See This Movie-I- t is Your Destiny . Terry Davis Forum staff writer The Empire Strikes Back is now in Special Edition movie theaters. Like the new Star Wars, it contains many new special effects and enhancements. According to visual effects supervisor Dave Carson, most of the work was done on Hoth scenes early in the movie. In the original version, there were some dark lines showing in the battle scenes as well as transparency in the objects that nave been matted in. said snowscapes Carson showed through the sides and cockpits of some spaceships. "Witn the help of digital recompositing, we were able to minimize these and other artifacts. For the special edition, the Wampa Snow Creature was made more disgusting and Rick McCallum, ferocious. head of production at Lusasfilm Ltd., said a Wampa suit was created for the new shots of the creature. In the new version of Empire, audiences get to see the gory creature in his entirety coming to devour Luke. They also see Luke chop off the creatures arm. In the original, viewers only see partial glimpses of the creature. They could see the creatures arm fall to the ground, but did not see it actually get cut off. The new version is more graphic, more believable and more scary. The Bespin Cloud City scenes are also enhanced. Computer generated back grounds make the city appear much bigger. There are more outside shots of city buildings and towers. The once all white hallways now contain backwindows snowing elevaground buildings and tors. There are also more people shown in Bespin. Live actors were filmed for the special edition, then blended digitally with the original film. We now get a stronger sense that theres an actual city around the characters, said more shots of the Millenium Falcon and cloud cars flying through the city. As with the Star Wars Special Edition, the new Empire has enhanced, digital sound. The digital recording combines with THX Sound System making the duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader suspenseful and frightening. Although the film contains these enhancements, the overall movie has not been The Carson. altered drastically. A whole new scene was changes are so subtle, many added to the film that shows viewers may not even notice. Darth Vader leaving Cloud The movie is as entertaining City by space transport, then as ever and is definitely worth landing aboard his Super Star seeing on the big screen, fc Darth Vader beckons Destroyer. There are also Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to join him in a scene from The Empire Strikes Back. photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd. Howard the Hypocrite: Boring Truth side. Howard is a lie. Howard, unlike other con- Lin Sorenson Forum staff writer One reaction consistently Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) begins his training to become a Jedi Knight under the watchful eye of Yoda (performed by Frank Oz) in The Empire Strikes Back. photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd. surfaces in all the media hoopla over the release of the Howard Stern movie, Private Parts. It is surprise. More specifically, its a surprise that Stem turns out to be a nice, normal guy with a nice, nor- troversial performers and artists, puts nothing on the line. Its all a front. He doesnt let his kids listen to his show because he doesnt want them exposed to toilet humor, and aggressive rudeness comments about degrading women. He claims the right to freedom of speech, but feels no sense of responsibility for what he says or does. This is the moral equivalent of throwing trash all over your neighg bors yards and then about how the neigh- mal family. Surprise that in real life hes a bit insecure. In other words, not much different from us regular folks. When I was invited to do a review of his movie for The Forum, I surprised myself by saying, Ill do it, but you borhood is not fit for your should probably know that I amily to live in. hate Howard. Because Im a to According tolerant person (and virtually Entertainment Tonight, shockproof,) I thought about Siskel and Ebert, and varimy reaction afterwards. Why ous newspaper reviews, we do I feel this way? are all supposed to be I dont despise Howard delighted by Private Parts Stern because of his radio because Howard turns out to show, which he describes as be such a nice guy. Theres an opening up his mind and let- especially touching scene ting everything out. Nor where he actually hugs his because his snow has the wife. Imagine that! (Howard I delivers a valentine, mentality of a gushes don't despise him for his Roger Ebert.) We are also supprivate life. I posed to be impressed despise him because he pre- because hes not as bad an sents such a false face to the actor as they thought he world. would be playing himself He is sort of like a sleazy and all. I dont think this is the cripolitician in reverse: instead of pretending to be decent and teria by which other movies upstanding while living a are reviewed. And rarely are seedy life, he pretends to be people in the rude and sleazy (and con- applauded for public eye being totally vinces millions that its funny) fake. Howard scores again. & while living it up on the safe com-blainin- guy-next-do- or |