Semi OT: Star Wars - University of Michigan Connections

Submitted by WhoopinStick on
Since the board has been slow lately, there are a lot of Star Wars fans on this blog, and Rogue One is now out, I thought some might find this interesting.
 
Rogue One was written and produced by John Knoll. John Knoll is an alum of Ann Arbor Huron High and son of Glenn Knoll, the former chair of the University of Michigan's Nuclear Engineering department. John is a visual effects expert and in addition to writing and producing Rogue One he was head of the film's visual effects team. John has also been involved with the visual effects of other Star Wars films. (As a side note : John, along with his brother Tom - a Michigan grad, is also known for developing Photoshop!)
 
Lawrence Kasdan was a screen writer for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens. Lawrence is a Michigan grad and is also know for having written and directed The Big Chill.
 
And of course Darth Vader is voiced by Michigan alum James Earl Jones.
 
Any others that I've missed?
 
Its been a family tradition for the last few years to go to the movies after Christmas dinner. This year we went to see Rogue One and sat in the D-Box seats (seats move and vibrate in snyc with the action on the screen). Thoroughly enjoyed the movie and the visual effects were outstanding!
 
 
For those that have not seen Rogue One yet, no spoilers please!
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Blumami

December 26th, 2016 at 2:37 PM ^

I don't believe this is a spoiler given Rogue's known position in the timeline but if you have concerns, you may want to skip ahead.... Anyone else find the parallels between Rogue One and Saving Private Ryan? It first struck me watching the intensity of the ground fighting. Then I started thinking about the plot's aim -- extraction -- and the broad theme of sacrifice for the greater good.

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imdeng

December 26th, 2016 at 3:38 PM ^

I loved Rogue One for all the usual reasons. The one atypical reason is that I loved the fact that this movie had the most diverse cast  I have seen in a major studio movie - ever. Specifically, Riz Ahmad (from Four Lions - a must watch) and the Ip Man guy.

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MMB95

December 26th, 2016 at 6:34 PM ^

David West Reynolds was an archeology TA of mine in the 90s who helped scout the original Tunisia locations for the prequels.


POSSIBLE SPOILERS




As for Rogue One, I have the opposite opinion of many and couldn't stand the main CG character. It was not convincing at all and was totally distracting. If they were going to use the character that much it should have been recast rather than bringing an actor back from the dead for an entirely new performance (yes, I know they got the family's permission and yes, I know an actual new actor played the scene). The CG character at the end, however, I thought worked much better since it was only used for one quick shot.



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michiganfanforlife

December 26th, 2016 at 7:20 PM ^

I loved RO!!! I have already seen it twice, and it's in my top 3 of all the SW movies. If you are a pretend critic who just wants to shit on movies to make yourself seem important you won't like it at all. This movie makes Ep 4 seem so much more important to me. It paints the rebels in a much much more realistic light, and I really like how it weaves into the plot line. I laughed reading the total douche comment above that complains about The Death Star being in this movie. That's like complaining about there being a shark in Jaws. Interesting point about CG characters, and whether actors could be used less and less as this technology improves. I hope not, but it's definitely a possibility.



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