EPISODE VII AND BEYOND...LATEST NEWS

The latest news and a few rumours as we get ever near to the January 2014 filming...

Star Wars spin-off films to be 'origin stories' - Yahoo Movies UK

How the new trilogy killed Seth Green's (already made) Star Wars toon | Blastr

Movie News: Mark Hamill Seeking the Help of Yoga, Not Yoda, for STAR WARS EPISODE VII Role

Star Wars Episode VII: Carrie Fisher Wants To Shoot Guns If She Returns As Princess Leia | Comicbook.com

Harrison Ford Spills Star Wars Episode VII Secrets To Conan O’Brien | Comicbook.com

'Star Wars: Episode VII' To Film In The City of Crosses, Saoirse Ronan Up For A Role, & We Debunk Benedict Cumberbatch Denials - Latino-Review.com

J.J. Abrams wants 'Star Wars' sequel to feel real | Inside Movies | EW.com

EXCLUSIVE: Guess Which Two Actors Went In For 'Star Wars: Episode VII' - Latino-Review.com

Will ‘Star Wars’ Episode 7 Feature the ‘Dark’ Planet ‘Korriban’? - Entertainment & Stars

AFICIONADO CLASSIC REVIEW - 'FAMILY GUY - IT'S A TRAP!' BLU-RAY

FAMILY GUY: “IT’S A TRAP!”

Released on Triple Play edition Blu-ray/DVD from TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT (also available as a separate DVD)

Reviewed by Scott Weller

Note: this review contains adult material!

“We’re doing JEDI aren’t we!” So says a drolly disinterested Stewie as the third power cut in Quahog launches Peter Griffins re-telling/parody of the final (and they mean final, truly, truly final!) homage to the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy: IT’S A TRAP!

The FAMILY GUY writers and producers have always been wickedly and painfully accurate on the laughs front, and always ready to poke fun at both themselves and their FOX backers, but we’re sure that there’s more than a hint of truth within the words they've this time imparted during their now classic re-interpreation of the saga's main title crawl for the episode. With IT'S A TRAP they literally flat out, upfront apologize for the overall quality of this new adaptation, claiming that they’ve been burned out by the almost back to back behind the scenes work they’ve been doing in bringing the STAR WARS saga to animated comedy life and rushed into making this finale. Looking at the final product on screen, there may be the occasional time when they have a point, but overall I think they’re being a little too hard on themselves. There's not as many belly laughs in IT’S A TRAP, but when they come they sure do hit the spot well (one great example being Leia/Lois’s Alderaan moment during the Speeder Bike chase- an absolute gem of a scene!), still making this wrap up endeavour a welcome conclusion to a brave, already humour packed and ultimately very successful comedy spin on George Lucas’s timeless classic.

Family Guy It's A Trap Trailer HD 1080p - YouTube

Interestingly, with JEDI having had some negative press in its original 1983 release, i.e. many critics considering it a toy/marketing commercial rather than a movie (hey, if you’re gonna say that, what about all the blink and you miss it stuff in EMPIRE?!), FG deliberately don't capitalize on such comments make any such gags or go in that direction-which is great- and instead keep to the story and the continuity they have established in their own "unique" adaptations for comic inspiration. Some might also say that there’s enough comedy, both intentional and unintentional, already in the finished film that it didn’t need to be adapted by FAMILY GUY, and you occasionally get that feeling being presented by the shows writers during varying points, but then that’s equaled with scenes where you can tell that any issues they have with the finale doesn’t stop them from loving the entire saga in general. JEDI’s selected plot deficiencies and holes, as with the previous classics, are brilliantly sent up but it’s never done nastily, with its script, at its core, being an affectionate all round win win situation to the audiences who already know this stuff, and that it’s okay to poke fun at the original film. And as for JEDI’s 1997 SPECIAL EDITION, well that certainly doesn’t get a reprieve from the FG team, with their cruel but ultimately spot-on attack on the films unnecessary extra CGI creatures-the sock puppet “add on” in Jabba’s the Hutt’s Palace is brilliant!

IT’S A TRAP certainly shows how big a universe the STAR WARS saga had become by JEDI, with so many characters and aliens to show, that the need to satisfy the audiences demands to have them involved in the plot became noticeably challenging when the Luke/Vader plot was ultimately so important. And FAMILY GUY’s conclusion obviously shares similar problems. Ultimately, of all the members of the Griffin family who have become their STAR WARS alter-egos, this really is the couch potato, alternate reality counter-part plonker Chris’s turn to shine as Luke, who was aforementioned always central to the success of JEDI (I’d love to know what Mark Hamill thinks of these parodies!). Totally avoiding the how the hell is he your father?Question from its predecessor, the script writers (Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and David A. Goodman) brilliantly make the most of JEDI’s dramatic core between Luke and the Emperor/Vader and truly milk from it some superb comedy gold, the standout being Luke/Chris getting angry when the baddies start verbally destroying Seth Green’s career, building further on this in the finale when he takes on Vader/Stewie (who wants a press release stating that he’s moved onto other worthy career ventures rather than just being killed off at the height of his popularity!).

Yep, that lovable little Sith horror Darth Stewie remains as brilliantly conceived as ever (look out for his hilarious apparition scene during the Ewok celebration finale!), and backed with Emperor Palpatine (Mister Pewterschmidt in perfect casting) where make a fun oddball couple to rule the galaxy! I liked the scenes where the Emperor spewed lighting bolts every which way and loose on Luke and, prior to that, when he fried several annoying children in the Death Star II swimming pool-and you never know, there may well have been a recreational area like that on the space station in the films but we just never saw it!

The rest of the Griffin family’s part in the proceedings is not as strong but they do have a few fine moments here and there. Peter as Han sadly doesn't have as many great moments in the finale, though special mention of the scene in the Endor Bunker when he starts complaining that things are getting way too cuddly for him what with the Ewoks and all, and immediately has the captured Human Imperial troopers go out and start digging their own graves with their helmets! Priceless! Also disappointingly, after his classic "Fuck Off" response to Leia/Lois before being carbon frozen in SOMETHING, SOMETHING, SOMETHING DARK SIDE, the princess (who looks good in a slave girl outfit, too!) ultimately never gets to the chance to say it back to Peter, as the similar “I love you” scene between the Rebel lovers had done in JEDI. A bit of a wasted opportunity, I thought.

And as for those Ewoks…well, over the years they have obviously been a great annoyance to MacFarlane and his team of writers, but I have to say that I think I like these animated versions (led by Wicket, as played by THE CLEVELAND SHOW’s Tim the Bear) a lot better than the ones in the actual film! They’re ultra violent (their battle against the Imperial Stormtroopers has some serious bone crunching moments!), cannibalistic and totally feral! Oh for an alternate JEDI with these guys in!

Other FG supporting characters cameos equally prove all too brief, though Joe as Jabba the Hutt proves fun, as does the unlikely appearance of the maid Consuela within his court! Plus there’s the return of Carl as Yoda who gives us a uniquely disinterested and quick death after he tells Luke important info about his sister, whilst Quagmire as Threepio, though he has more to do here than in SOMETHING, SOMETHING, sadly isn’t as rude and crude as he was in the first STAR WARS (and I thought with all the Ewoks about there would be some sick bestiality stuff coming from his lips!), the same with Brian who really only has memorable AT-ST ground battle moment (though thankfully there’s no swinging TARZAN moment here for him to partake in!). Amongst the episodes fine comedy moments I loved the nodding scene prior and during the Skiff battle - though no fight for Peter/Han against the Boba Fett/chicken? Aw man…I really wanted to see that! Finally, old boy pervert Herbert’s return as the ghostly Obi-Wan is an absolute classic- one of those superb, below the belt comedy moments that only FAMILY GUY can get away with!

And as for poor Meg, now the ultimate clawed beak vagina as the Sarlaac. Surely, it was destiny for her to be that creature, wasn’t it?

There’s also great use of some welcome cameos linked to other sci-fi greats like LOST IN SPACE, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION and, to add to the general lunacy, there’s the return of Seventies US music favourite Conway Twitty, but with a new cgi twist! Yaayy! Plus, extended contributions of popular characters from some of Seth MacFarlane’s other output, too, like the aforementioned AMERICAN DAD, with Klauss the Gold fish (as always voiced by THE CLONE WARS Dee Bradley Baker) as Admiral Ackbar, and Roger the Roswell alien as Moff Jerjerrod, whilst THE CLEVELAND SHOW’s young Rallo Tubbs is hilarious in his interpretation of Nien Nunb (loved the scene where he and Lando (Mort Goldman) observe the Death Star’s prime weapon in action! And adding a bit of official STAR WARS ness to the project is the fun return of Carrie Fisher, this time playing Rebel leader Mon Mothma: “the second woman in the STAR WARS galaxy!”

Plus, as usual, and always fun, there’s the obligatory 80’s references from music and films, Adam West (an institution in his own right!), carbonite fart jokes, and launches into other TV realms. All blended together with the STAR WARS universe once more as its superbly realized by the shows animation teams in this third labour intensive love sonnet.

The Blu-ray presentation, as with the previous releases, is absolutely first class and is the greatest way to see it, and special note must be made within the programe of the official use of some of John Williams alternate music cues for JEDI that didn’t make the original final film: primarily used here for the Speeder Bikes chase (of which the original film’s vision of the action sequence never had any music) both they and Ben Burtt’s sound design are wonderfully crisp and evocative to hear-I hope the new six film Blu-ray movie set of the real STAR WARS sounds as good when they’re released in September!

Rounding off the presentations are the obligatory tongues firmly in cheek audio commentaries from the crew, and some fun extras including a short but sweet phone message from Darth Stewie to Chris, an easy to copy guide on how to draw STAR WARS FAMILY GUY characters by one of the series lead artists, (who also directed IT’S A TRAP): the very talented Peter Shin, sock puppet animatics and making a scene, and the STAR WARS TRIVIAL PURSUIT: THE ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIP.

Eagerly awaited by fans and LUCASFILM staff alike (George Lucas even bought a copy of it in a Florida mall the day of release! My brother and his family, on vacation in the Sunshine State at the time, have the proof!), IT’S A TRAP, despite its makers fears (and perhaps there should have been a little bit more time allowed to the FAMILY GUY team to refine the script further), ultimately has more laughs and belly laughs in abundance in one hour than most other comedy shows have in a twenty episode run season. Like JEDI, it’s occasionally flawed but its still overall an enjoyable finale to the saga, and well worth having as part of your DVD collection, be it for STAR WARS or FAMILY GUY. 

I know that MacFarlane and his team don’t plan on doing the Prequels (joking that they’re saving them for THE CLEVELAND SHOW instead!), but the idea of Stewie as Anakin Skywalker has potential to be very funny. Perhaps they could do it someday as one episode covering all three films…? C’mon, guys and gals at FUZZY DOOR productions, think about it!

STAR WARS AFICIONADO RATING: 3.5 out of 5

AFICIONADO CLASSIC REVIEW: 'STAR WARS - ROBOT CHICKEN' DVD

ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS – THE DVD

Released in the UK by REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT

Reviewed by Scott Weller

“YOUR TONGUES CAN’T REPEL FLAVOUR OF THAT MAGNITUDE!!”

I had originally discovered ROBOT CHICKEN through the wonders of YOUTUBE, and their classic sketches lampooning the original, and in my opinion best, STAR TREK-sadly, these were take down from the site due to copyright violations, but if anyone has the chance to see ‘em at some point they’re classic. Then I saw the Emperor talking to Vader parody which I loved (“Oh no, he’s crying!”), but I had no idea that was for ROBOT CHICKEN, either. It was when the first rumbling that further STAR WARS material had been appearing in the programme, and there was an article on STARWARS.COM about RC, that I was able to discover it was on British cable television. When I read that it was from the ever reliable writer/actor/comedienne Seth Green (Scott Evil from the AUSTIN POWERS films!) I was intrigued to find it much funny than I ever thought it would be-in fact, I found much of just laugh out loud funny, with the use of home made and bought in figurines of people on the show being brilliant. Though short and sweet, is was a daring, and often downright naughty, slice of comedy/parody that greatly appealed to my sensibilities (especially when you like things like MAD magazine!)...and with their parodies there was also a feeling and genuine love and enthusiasm for certain subject matters (especially on films/TV/celebs that I had grown up with, as they had, over the years) that I found very appealing, plus the way they managed to find faults in things that we had all been noticing for years and never said anything about. ROBOT CHICKEN has the ability to connect in a great way with its audience, with its subtle winks and playful, often downright brutally funny humour. Now, after its highly successful US airing, the STAR WARS special finally comes to the UK on DVD.

The DVD, which is mostly all new material with a mixture of STAR WARS gags (35 sketches in total) that had appeared in previous RC episodes, is a true winner for any fans DVD collection. Like FAMILY GUY, this STAR WARS tribute affectionately lampoons the film series-but there’s nothing nasty or derogatory-just very funny stuff… In fact, whoever thought that so much comedy gold could be tapped from a film series that was so predominantly serious!

Once past the opening titles, suitably EPISODE III re-imagined so that the illustrious Robot Chicken of the title is turned into Darth Vader (who looks suspiciously like Gonzo as Dirth Nader from the 1980 MUPPET SHOW STAR WARS Special!!) we’re right into the opening scene with Luke and the Walker from EMPIRE, faithfully recreated in almost every detail with models and the puppets (pity any Imperial AT-AT pilot who has to go the lavatory at the wrong time!!), and its comedy gold sketch after sketch for the most part, from the new infamous Emperor’s rant on Vader, “that was soo wrong” (you’ll know what that sketch is when you see it!!), to the dancing Lobot, to Admiral Ackbar’s cereal advert, a day in the life of Ponda Baba, the Death Star orientation day, a wicked what happened next scene linked to THE PHANTOM MENACE with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan trying to break into the command deck of the Neimoidian cruiser, and the now infamous EMPIRE ON ICE-what’s scary about this sketch to me is that, one day with all the film and TV series that have been transformed to ice show spectaculars, I wouldn’t bet it past someone to approach LUCASFILM with an idea of doing it!! And let’s not forget the little running gags like the floor sweeper having to constantly brush away the remains of dead people from the Saga!  Plus, there’s George “Dubyah” fighting Abe Lincoln-a real Duel of the Fates if ever I saw one!

A couple of sketches may run a little bit too long (like the TONIGHT show parody hosted by Zuckuss, and the Han Solo “Boring conversation” gag) but they are still enjoyable and still funnier than a lot of other stuff out there. One of the most consistent characters to appear in the gags is that of the Emperor-I wonder if Ian McDiarmid has seen any of them? I’d love to know what he thinks of it.

Sadly, one of my favourite sketches, which I recalled seeing on either YOUTUBE or STARWARS.COM previously, involving what happened when Han, Chewie, Lando and the Princess had dinner with Vader and Boba Fett at Bespin, didn’t seem to make the episode’s final gag selection. I was so looking forward to seeing it again as well! Perhaps in Volume Two?

Adding to the fun, though, is the fact that it’s great to see (well, hear...) some of the actual STAR WARS actors partaking in the gags, such as Mark Hamill, for his very fun alternate EMPIRE scene as Luke, with Vader on the Cloud City gantry from EMPIRE, where the pair go through a list of revelations that Luke finds more and more implausible, an amusing gag scene with George Lucas (who it’s nice to see being relaxed and having a good time about it all!), playing himself, and being besieged by frenzied fans at a STAR WARS convention, and a stellar comedy moment involving Ahmed Best (nice to have you back-please come back to STAR WARS fandom and do some more signings!) once more as everyone’s favourite (for either love or hate reasons-please tick the appropriate box) gangly Gungan, Jar Jar Binks, in what has to be one of the best STAR WARS comedy sketches ever, in which he is re-united with “Annie” now in his Darth Vader guise-hopefully this sketch will go a long way to healing any wounds that certain fans out there have about Jar Jar, especially when he’s in such a ROBOT CHICKEN sketch as worthy and memorable as this!! And, hey, let’s not forget, Joey Fatone’s in the show as well.

The extras on this disc may not be as comprehensive as those for FAMILY GUY but this is a cheaper release and you kinda get okay value on that front-though they are of a variable quality, and some of them are only there to bolster up the running time and justify the cost of buying it. To me, personally, the deleted scenes don’t work all that well as they are voiceovers to very basic animatics on scenes that were never completed in the first place), the making of is okay (but is pretty brief-you want to hear more from all the people who worked hard at bringing the amazing puppets and sets to life, recreating classic STAR WARS scenes brilliantly in this medium) and Seth Green’s describing the sketches are woefully too short. To compensate, there’s also the bonus of an extra generic episode of ROBOT CHICKEN, which is cool, but I would have preferred an extra two more of the series episodes than the other individual ADULT SWIM programmes that were also included (part of an introduction to the channel as a whole).

On the plus side, though, the edited section of Green and his RC colleagues at the panels of CELEBRATION IV is nice to see, as we at AFICIONADO had missed those due to time constraints- it’s great to catch up on a portion of what we missed. There’s also the obligatory trailers and promotional materials, a stills gallery, a Light Speed Time Lapse of the entire production, and the opportunity to hear an audio commentary with Seth Green on the individual sketches and how they were conceived, which is also good fun and lively to listen to.

The behind the scenes sequence where Seth takes the completed RC episode to SKYWALKER RANCH and meets George Lucas is intriguing but sadly all too brief- I would have liked something along the lines of his FAMILY GUY compadre Seth MacFarlane, when he did that interview with Lucas-that would have been cool, especially as Lucas gave Seth a tour of the companies Archives. Perhaps we’ll get something like that with the next batch of STAR WARS homage madness coming from ROBOT CHICKEN in the near future...

Until then, this disc will keep me thoroughly entertained…

AFICIONADO REVIEW RATING: FOR THE ACTUAL PROGRAMME, 9 out of 10, BUT FOR THE MIXED BAG OF EXTRAS, 7 out of 10

AFICIONADO CLASSIC REVIEW: 'FAMILY GUY - BLUE HARVEST' SPECIAL EDITION DVD

Experience STAR WARS - the FAMILY GUY way! All images: FOX.

FAMILY GUY: BLUE HARVEST - SPECIAL EDITION DVD

Released by TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX DVD

Reviewed by Scott Weller

The Griffin clan are unleashed in the STAR WARS universe!

In the sixties you were either a BEATLES person or a ROLLING STONES person. The same can be said in the area of humorous animation these days, with legions of fans dedicated to either THE SIMPSONS or FAMILY GUY. For me it was THE SIMPSONS, as I’d never had enough exposure to FAMILY GUY. But now, having seen the latter’s 2007 season opener dedicated to spoofing the first STAR WARS, I plan to have a look at further previous episode box sets.

Darth Vader has plans for the Princess.

With a very nice introduction, especially for the BLUE HARVEST DVD release, to the characters before the episode starts (in case you hadn’t seen the show before), all of the FAMILY GUY regulars effortlessly slip into the familiar parts played by the original actors (i.e. Lois as Leia, Chris as Luke, etc), but obviously with a whole new, and sometimes perverse slant on them. One of the highlights is the very dodgy grandad Herbert, as Obi-Wan, whose directed interest in Luke is a little bit more than casually normal. Believe it or not, the character shines in the episode, but in a much different way, I have to say, than Sir Alec Guinness ever did as Obi-Wan Kenobi (what a shame Sir Alec isn’t alive to have a chuckle at what they did with the character!!). Stalwart Peter Griffin as Han also shines out like a bright star and is terrific-a worthy piece of re-casting- as is Brian the dog as Chewbacca-loved that sofa moment, the scene in the Falcon gun pit, and where Han takes on Greedo in the Cantina.... and he shoots first! Quagmire as Threepio has some very funny innuendo jokes that Anthony Daniels would never have gotten away with! And let’s not forget Cleveland as Artoo-absolutely inspired (loved the scene where he pulls out a handgun and shoots at the TIES). Stewie as Vader has been a fan favourite from the start, but I thought he was a little (no pun intended) under-used here as Vader (plenty more scope for the EMPIRE spoof, I’m sure). But what happened to Meg…well, in a first STAR WARS film that had so few women roles in it anyway, having her as Aunt Beru would seem a little odd. Instead, the writers have given her a great cameo as.... no, I won’t spoilt it for you if you haven’t seen it, but it’s priceless...

On their way to Alderaan...

The writers and artists on this episode truly know, and love, their STAR WARS, and it’s destined to be a classic I’ll always be able to quote a line from it type of icon. The way the story is compressed into the hour is also very well done..yet the humour never slates the movie, and is very affectionate- laughing with us, not at us, at the films legendary scenes and characters. This is comedy homage at its best and warmest. Once past the very long, but belly achingly funny title crawl (Almost as long as Lucas’s original third draft one before being changed by Brian De Palma in early 1977!), involving Angelina Jolie and her red-hot movie GIA, there are comedy moments from this programme that really will live on in my mind forever…the Red X-wing fighter call ins moment was priceless-I really laughed out loud at that scene. As I also did on MAGIC JOHNSON'S TIPS ON ATTACKING THE DEATH STAR...Herbert’s dance moment with the very camp Stormtroopers, to the “I’ve had the time of my life” song from DIRTY DANCING brought happy (or unhappy?) memories of the DONNIE AND MARIE 1977 special hauntingly back-though this was actually far funnier!

Things have gone a bit limp for Obi-Wan!

The comedy moments continue, in the best FAMILY GUY tradition, with John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra, Denny Elfman, references to other STAR WARS films, as well as other classic film/TV, and a quirky cameo from at least one Prequel character as far as I can see-and there are obviously visual background gags that I haven’t noticed yet that will require further viewing..

The film is beautifully rendered with its universe of characters, the production designs by John Barry, Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston transfer beautifully to this new animated world and the attention to detail by the artists, who must have been beyond thrilled to have worked on this project, clearly shines through (as can be seen in the making of documentary). Just check out the detail in the background art plates on theFalcon, the Death Star corridors and the Cantina-priceless. They even use the scene wipe process and other little tricks that Lucas likes to use in the films.

Our heroes in danger...again!

The attention to details goes beyond the programme itself, and the DVD special features are terrific. The detailed interview with Lucas by FAMILY GUY creator Seth MacFarlane at the ILM facilities in San Francisco is very enjoyable and of a nice length-laid back and amusing, but Lucas looks quite ill and tired during the interview-I have never seen him looking so unwell...hopefully, having seen the episode, we hope he had a nice big smile on his face afterwards. There’s also some fun behind the scenes material, including clips of other STAR WARS related gags in the shows regular episodes, an audio commentary (which reveals that Mark Hamill wasn’t happy with Peter Griffin’s line about only Harrison Ford being the actor to make it successfully from the films), and an Easter Egg.

The DVD box set also comes with some nice gifts- a terrific booklet that shows you some of the great conceptual art, storyboards, and character sketches used for the creation of the episode, a T-shirt that is supposed to be large but is really for someone whose waistline is a little larger than Brad Pitt’s, rather than my own expansive girth sadly, though it’s nice to look at!!, the 3D glasses for the funny but rather pointless clip on the disc, and the lovely TOPPs recreated cards-I always adored those first set blue star background card spines-my favourite and most nostalgic set of the original releases, from when I was a kid doing swaps at school and of course there was that lovely smell of bubble gum that wafted out of the packs when you opened ‘em (but it was always annoying when the card you really wanted tin the pack always had the bubble gum slate actually stuck all over it!)..

So, all in all, a terrific package-a super episode of FAMILY GUY and great extras-what more could you want? Well, more FAMILY GUY STAR WARS episodes for a start. And that’s exactly what we’re gonna get-as their EMPIRE spoof, SOMETHING, SOMETHING, SOMETHING, DARK SIDE, will soon hit the screens (of which there is a brief, very brief, trailer on the DVD). They’ve set the bar with this first spoof. Can they top it? If many people believed EMPIRE did over the first film in 1980, then Seth and his gang have a pretty good chance of doing so for FAMILY GUY as well.... 

AFICIONADO RATING: A “FRICKIN’ SWEET” DVD release. If you haven't already got it, go, go, go get it! 9 out of 10.

CLASSIC REVIEW: 'ROBOT CHICKEN - STAR WARS EPISODE II' DVD

ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II

ROBOT CHICKEN created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich

As seen on the US ADULT SWIM cable channel

Distributed in the UK by REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT

Reviewed by Scott Weller

THE DARK SIDE OF THE CHICKEN IS UNLEASHED!!

Seth Green-actor/comedian/writer/director/uber-geek and all round nice guy (with an imagination continually fertile, yet also ultimately perverse at the same time!!), and his “usual gang of idiots” (I mean that affectionately in the way that MAD magazine used to refer to their staff!!!) from the ADULT SWIM stop-motion comedy-verse, are back with more absurd hilarity and movie continuity what-if’s within the STAR WARS universe for ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II, and George’s Lucas’s epic creation is all the more richer for this new programme’s many moments of light hearted, downright belly aching insanity towards it!!

Green’s knowledge and enthusiasm for STAR WARS within the series had already been shown in the first ROBOT CHICKEN release and here he takes it to the next step. Here is someone who pokes fun of it but actually does so in that affectionate and wonderfully nodding “we’re fans, too, and we want to have fun with it in a way that everyone will share the joke in” tradition-surely one of the best forms of fan love you can get, though still splitting your sides from all it’s brilliant humour at the same time.

And many of the sequences in this second edition are just as ambitious and funny (the Stormtrooper’s “take your child to work day” being particularly memorable!!), if not better, than the previous volume.

I prefer the extended edition of RC: SWE II a lot more than the broadcast one, obviously, as it’s longer and has some super new comedy sequences added to the mix. It all kicks off to a brilliant start by fulfilling the dream promises of so many fans boys from twenty six years ago, as the Ewoks, in a truly priceless opening sequence, get a seriously bad time of things from a certain bucket headed Bounty Hunter. We always wanted to see Boba Fett make it to the end of JEDI for a clash with Han Solo. He doesn’t quite do that here but gets to perform some super-cool badass-ary towards the little fur cuties instead, or “Purple rain”, as only he knows how!! Quite simply, the Ewoks are toast in a variety of spectacular and priceless demises from Fett, and his vast array of weaponry, which we all wished had actually been used in the original movies!!

Breckin Mayer’s (yes, that really is his name!!) interpretation of Fett as a supercool “gangsta” type badass is inspired and his later sequence in the Sarlaac pit (another fine example of the series model work-specially constructed as a moving set around the puppets)) is both genius and belly wrenchingly funny, especially its final scene.

Being mostly EMPIRE-centric, Seth and the crew get to make the most of that film’s new characters, of which the ever popular Bounty Hunters take deserved precedence, especially Bossk (who, in his off duty hours, wears a white tuxedo and carnation ala Indiana Jones in a wicked piss-take of TEMPLE OF DOOM’s opening sequence), whilst Dengar is the ultimate in space high-campery!!

There is still room for some meaty stuff linked to the Prequels, too, as the running gag involving Owen Lars teasing joke about Anakin soon comes back to haunt him with deadly consequences, whilst another hilarious sketch involving Anakin and the Jedi Younglings is sidesplitting, especially in the end moment with Padme coming home with the groceries!!

Don't forget the other comedy regulars (where would we be without Admiral Ackbar sketches!!) and more notables including Dr. Ball M.D.-the torture droid (a vocal hybrid of STAR TREK’s Leonard McCoy and the most cliched screen doctors from film and TV over the years) who makes a floaty appearance all over the place offering his over bearing and unwelcome sage advice to all the characters of the STAR WARS universe!!, the AT-AT Walker derby on Hoth (“They’re beautiful!!”), and the Geonosian smack down commercial-all inspired stuff. I’ll also never be able to quite look at the Tauntauns, IG-88 or the Ugnaughts in the same way ever again!!

Her voice may sound older, but Carrie Fisher returns to play Princess Leia Organa and is hilarious in her scene with Luke after the death of Ben Kenobi!! Whilst Billy Dee Williams has fun mocking his super cool performance as Lando Calrissian from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (“This deals getting worse all the time!!” being a notable example).

Also returning once more after his previous star turn is FAMILY GUY’s Seth MacFarlane. There may be a little bit of an imperious Stewie in his voice at times, but he truly is the Emperor now. His moment with Alfonso the Ithorian hairdresser, his dressing down of Vader, and his later tempting of fate sequence on the DEATH STAR II had me almost choking from laughter.

However, it’s Ahmed Best who almost steals the episode once again with another hilarious turn as Jar Jar Binks-a further step in the positive theraputic cure by TV programmes like ROBOT CHICKEN in helping fans get over their Prequel nightmares from the last ten years.

Sadly, the chance of getting Mark Hamill back to voice Luke have probably been shot down forever due to some words made about the actor in the 2007 STAR WARS FAMILY GUY skit, which he apparently took offence to. Let’s hope that things can be rectified in the future, and that he gets the chance to return to voice his iconic character in future RC comedy sketches.

As well as hearing the original STAR WARS actors once again, equally special to me, one of my favourite moments from the first CHICKEN, which didn’t make the previous DVD (having been saved for this one), finally appears-the dining room scene on Bespin between our Lando Calrissian betrayed heroes and Vader/Fett.“Alderaan chunks everywhere!!” Classic. I really love Vader when he’s like this!!

And rounding things off, let’s not forget the invincible double act of Obi-Wan and Yoda who manage to sneak in a musical number about the importance of having a “certain point of view”, then pretty much going on to destroy any possibility that Luke will ever have a happy life once and for all!!

There are a lot more sketches I could rave about (the couple buying an apartment on Bespin being one such moment), but I don’t want to spoil things anymore...

Green and his writing team bring a unique kind of cool absurdity to the STAR WARS universe which is very funny and endearing at the same time!! Their love of the saga’s story and characters-and its strengths and limitations (i.e. occasional unusual logic and plot holes) - are brought out for moments of pure comedy genius.

Equally, one cannot fault the meticulous production values, amazing, highly detailed set design (like the Star Destroyer bridge and theMillennium Falcon hold) and the awesome stop motion figures of the characters used in the programmes-special nods to all the creative people that worked so faithfully and so hard to produce this further piece of comedy gold.

Some fun background extras accompany this quality DVD-like the cast and crew screening of the completed episode at LUCASFILM (with Lucas himself being present), a look at the aforementioned excellent production design and construction for the programme by the dedicated team of STAR WARS fans, the usual trailers, Chicken Nuggetts, animation features and time lapse behind the scenes filming. And there’s a few other little surprises. There’s also the warm bonus of several other generic ROBOT CHICKEN episodes which are equally very enjoyable.

The previous ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS release has proved a big success for REVOLVER, selling a massive 13,000 DVDs in the first week in the UK alone. It’s well deserved. They, alongside Green and ADULT SWIM, have certainly delivered the kind of quality that a sequel package deserved, and one that STAR WARS fans will greatly enjoy.

Here’s to four more STAR WARS ROBOT CHICKENS!

AFICIONADO RATING: ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II, like the first programme, is well worth the time and investment, and it will always make you laugh when you watch it. 9 out of 10

And don’t forget Bob Goldstein, the personal injury claims lawyer- if you’ve got a severed limb from fighting a Jedi, he’s standing by to take your call!

CLASSIC REVIEW: 'FAMILY GUY - IT'S A TRAP' BLU-RAY

It was inevitable. The Griffin STAR WARS universe returns in It's A Trap!. Images: FOX

FAMILY GUY: “IT’S A TRAP!”

Released on Triple Play edition Blu-ray/DVD from TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT (also available as a separate DVD)

Reviewed by Scott Weller

Note: this review contains adult material!

“We’re doing JEDI aren’t we!” So says a drolly disinterested Stewie as the third power cut in Quahog launches Peter Griffins re-telling/parody of the final (and they mean final, truly, truly final!) homage to the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy: IT’S A TRAP!

The FAMILY GUY writers and producers have always been wickedly and painfully accurate on the laughs front, and always ready to poke fun at both themselves and their FOX backers, but we’re sure that there’s more than a hint of truth within the words they've this time imparted during their now classic re-interpreation of the saga's main title crawl for the episode. With IT'S A TRAP they literally flat out, upfront apologize for the overall quality of this new adaptation, claiming that they’ve been burned out by the almost back to back behind the scenes work they’ve been doing in bringing the STAR WARS saga to animated comedy life and rushed into making this finale. Looking at the final product on screen, there may be the occasional time when they have a point, but overall I think they’re being a little too hard on themselves. There's not as many belly laughs in IT’S A TRAP, but when they come they sure do hit the spot well (one great example being Leia/Lois’s Alderaan moment during the Speeder Bike chase- an absolute gem of a scene!), still making this wrap up endeavour a welcome conclusion to a brave, already humour packed and ultimately very successful comedy spin on George Lucas’s timeless classic.

Interestingly, with JEDI having had some negative press in its original 1983 release, i.e. many critics considering it a toy/marketing commercial rather than a movie (hey, if you’re gonna say that, what about all the blink and you miss it stuff in EMPIRE?!), FG deliberately don't capitalize on such comments make any such gags or go in that direction-which is great- and instead keep to the story and the continuity they have established in their own "unique" adaptations for comic inspiration. Some might also say that there’s enough comedy, both intentional and unintentional, already in the finished film that it didn’t need to be adapted by FAMILY GUY, and you occasionally get that feeling being presented by the shows writers during varying points, but then that’s equaled with scenes where you can tell that any issues they have with the finale doesn’t stop them from loving the entire saga in general. JEDI’s selected plot deficiencies and holes, as with the previous classics, are brilliantly sent up but it’s never done nastily, with its script, at its core, being an affectionate all round win win situation to the audiences who already know this stuff, and that it’s okay to poke fun at the original film. And as for JEDI’s 1997 SPECIAL EDITION, well that certainly doesn’t get a reprieve from the FG team, with their cruel but ultimately spot-on attack on the films unnecessary extra CGI creatures-the sock puppet “add on” in Jabba’s the Hutt’s Palace is brilliant!

A different variation on The Gang's all here!

IT’S A TRAP certainly shows how big a universe the STAR WARS saga had become by JEDI, with so many characters and aliens to show, that the need to satisfy the audiences demands to have them involved in the plot became noticeably challenging when the Luke/Vader plot was ultimately so important. And FAMILY GUY’s conclusion obviously shares similar problems. Ultimately, of all the members of the Griffin family who have become their STAR WARS alter-egos, this really is the couch potato, alternate reality counter-part plonker Chris’s turn to shine as Luke, who was aforementioned always central to the success of JEDI (I’d love to know what Mark Hamill thinks of these parodies!). Totally avoiding the how the hell is he your father?Question from its predecessor, the script writers (Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and David A. Goodman) brilliantly make the most of JEDI’s dramatic core between Luke and the Emperor/Vader and truly milk from it some superb comedy gold, the standout being Luke/Chris getting angry when the baddies start verbally destroying Seth Green’s career, building further on this in the finale when he takes on Vader/Stewie (who wants a press release stating that he’s moved onto other worthy career ventures rather than just being killed off at the height of his popularity!).

Yep, that lovable little Sith horror Darth Stewie remains as brilliantly conceived as ever (look out for his hilarious apparition scene during the Ewok celebration finale!), and backed with Emperor Palpatine (Mister Pewterschmidt in perfect casting) where make a fun oddball couple to rule the galaxy! I liked the scenes where the Emperor spewed lighting bolts every which way and loose on Luke and, prior to that, when he fried several annoying children in the Death Star II swimming pool-and you never know, there may well have been a recreational area like that on the space station in the films but we just never saw it!!

The rest of the Griffin family’s part in the proceedings is not as strong but they do have a few fine moments here and there. Peter as Han sadly doesn't have as many great moments in the finale, though special mention of the scene in the Endor Bunker when he starts complaining that things are getting way too cuddly for him what with the Ewoks and all, and immediately has the captured Human Imperial troopers go out and start digging their own graves with their helmets! Priceless! Also disappointingly, after his classic "Fuck Off" response to Leia/Lois before being carbon frozen in SOMETHING, SOMETHING, SOMETHING DARK SIDE, the princess (who looks good in a slave girl outfit, too!) ultimately never gets to the chance to say it back to Peter, as the similar “I love you” scene between the Rebel lovers had done in JEDI. A bit of a wasted opportunity, I thought.

And as for those Ewoks…well, over the years they have obviously been a great annoyance to MacFarlane and his team of writers, but I have to say that I think I like these animated versions (led by Wicket, as played by THE CLEVELAND SHOW’s Tim the Bear) a lot better than the ones in the actual film! They’re ultra violent (their battle against the Imperial Stormtroopers has some serious bone crunching moments!), cannibalistic and totally feral! Oh for an alternate JEDI with these guys in!

A priceless speeder bike re-imagining.

Other FG supporting characters cameos equally prove all too brief, though Joe as Jabba the Hutt proves fun, as does the unlikely appearance of the maid Consuela within his court! Plus there’s the return of Carl as Yoda who gives us a uniquely disinterested and quick death after he tells Luke important info about his sister, whilst Quagmire as Threepio, though he has more to do here than in SOMETHING, SOMETHING, sadly isn’t as rude and crude as he was in the first STAR WARS (and I thought with all the Ewoks about there would be some sick bestiality stuff coming from his lips!), the same with Brian who really only has memorable AT-ST ground battle moment (though thankfully there’s no swinging TARZAN moment here for him to partake in!). Amongst the episodes fine comedy moments I loved the nodding scene prior and during the Skiff battle - though no fight for Peter/Han against the Boba Fett/chicken? Aw man…I really wanted to see that! Finally, old boy pervert Herbert’s return as the ghostly Obi-Wan is an absolute classic- one of those superb, below the belt comedy moments that only FAMILY GUY can get away with!

And as for poor Meg, now the ultimate clawed beak vagina as the Sarlaac. Surely, it was destiny for her to be that creature, wasn’t it?

There’s also great use of some welcome cameos linked to other sci-fi greats like LOST IN SPACE, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION and, to add to the general lunacy, there’s the return of Seventies US music favourite Conway Twitty, but with a new cgi twist! Yaayy! Plus, extended contributions of popular characters from some of Seth MacFarlane’s other output, too, like the aforementioned AMERICAN DAD, with Klauss the Gold fish (as always voiced by THE CLONE WARS Dee Bradley Baker) as Admiral Ackbar, and Roger the Roswell alien as Moff Jerjerrod, whilst THE CLEVELAND SHOW’s young Rallo Tubbs is hilarious in his interpretation of Nien Nunb (loved the scene where he and Lando (Mort Goldman) observe the Death Star’s prime weapon in action! And adding a bit of official STAR WARS ness to the project is the fun return of Carrie Fisher, this time playing Rebel leader Mon Mothma: “the second woman in the STAR WARS galaxy!”

Plus, as usual, and always fun, there’s the obligatory 80’s references from music and films, Adam West (an institution in his own right!), carbonite fart jokes, and launches into other TV realms. All blended together with the STAR WARS universe once more as its superbly realized by the shows animation teams in this third labour intensive love sonnet.

Epic visuals brilliantly recreated.

The Blu-ray presentation, as with the previous releases, is absolutely first class and is the greatest way to see it, and special note must be made within the programe of the official use of some of John Williams alternate music cues for JEDI that didn’t make the original final film: primarily used here for the Speeder Bikes chase (of which the original film’s vision of the action sequence never had any music) both they and Ben Burtt’s sound design are wonderfully crisp and evocative to hear-I hope the new six film Blu-ray movie set of the real STAR WARS sounds as good when they’re released in September!

Rounding off the presentations are the obligatory tongues firmly in cheek audio commentaries from the crew, and some fun extras including a short but sweet phone message from Darth Stewie to Chris, an easy to copy guide on how to draw STAR WARS FAMILY GUY characters by one of the series lead artists, (who also directed IT’S A TRAP): the very talented Peter Shin, sock puppet animatics and making a scene, and the STAR WARS TRIVIAL PURSUIT: THE ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIP.

Eagerly awaited by fans and LUCASFILM staff alike (George Lucas even bought a copy of it in a Florida mall the day of release! My brother and his family, on vacation in the Sunshine State at the time, have the proof!), IT’S A TRAP, despite its makers fears (and perhaps there should have been a little bit more time allowed to the FAMILY GUY team to refine the script further), ultimately has more laughs and belly laughs in abundance in one hour than most other comedy shows have in a twenty episode run season. Like JEDI, it’s occasionally flawed but its still overall an enjoyable finale to the saga, and well worth having as part of your DVD collection, be it for STAR WARS or FAMILY GUY. 

I know that MacFarlane and his team don’t plan on doing the Prequels (joking that they’re saving them for THE CLEVELAND SHOW instead!), but the idea of Stewie as Anakin Skywalker has potential to be very funny. Perhaps they could do it someday as one episode covering all three films…? C’mon, guys and gals at FUZZY DOOR productions, think about it!

STAR WARS AFICIONADO RATING: 3.5 out of 5

CLASSIC IMAGE: (NOT) LIVING THE GOOD LIFE!

Stuck with a Weequay inside the slow digestive belly of the Sarlaac, Boba Fett ponders why everything went so tragically wrong for him and his bounty hunter lifestyle, in this classic scene from the always hilarious ROBOT CHICKEN 3, getting an airing on the UK's SYFY CHANNEL this evening.

Clip: Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III - Boba Fett on Vimeo

'CHICKEN' TRIPLETS!

The UK's SYFY CHANNEL show all three ROBOT CHICKEN STAR WARS episodes tonight as a fine Easter holiday treat, from 9.30pm. A fine warm-up for the upcoming next chapter of all-new territory stop-motion madness from Seth Green and Breckin Meyer in 2013.

ROBOT CHICKEN STAR WARS - YouTube

Over on BBC 3 on Sunday at 10.30pm, there's another chance to see FAMILY GUY's It's a Trap!, too

Top 10 Moments | Robot Chicken: Star Wars | Adult Swim - YouTube

THE "FAMILY GUY" SAGA CONCLUDES...ON BBC THREE

The gang's all here for IT'S A TRAP. Images: FOX

Having made its previous successful appearance on DVD and Blu-ray at the end of last year, the final STAR WARS homage by the FAMILY GUY team-IT'S A TRAP!-makes its way onto exclusive terrestrial viewing on the UK's BBC THREE and BBC HD channel this Sunday at 10pm. Also that evening, BBC 3 will be showing the previous two specials - BLUE HARVEST and SOMETHING, SOMETHING, SOMETHING DARK SIDE- for further Seth MacFarlane created viewing delight...

Escaping the Sail Barge!

Now c'mon FOX and LUCASFILM, release some STAR WARS FAMILY GUY action figures!

Looks like Luke will never be able to escape this particular version of Obi-Wan Kenobi!

The entire trio of FAMILY GUY STAR WARS adventures are also available separately and in box set special edition Blu-ray and DVD form from FOX Home Entertainment.

AFICIONADO REVIEW: ROBOT CHICKEN STAR WARS III

Time to Par-ty! Vader and Palpatine go Disco crazy in ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS III. Images: REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT/ADULT SWIM

ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS III

Available on UK DVD from REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT

Reviewed by Scott Weller

“Y’know, looking back, it all make sense. Dream big. Live big. Love big. Fall to your death down a fucking giant hole!”

Emperor Palpatine

It may be their last venture into the realms of STAR WARS comedy via the ADULT SWIM universe, but Seth Green and Breckin Meyer’s third and final ROBOT CHICKEN dedicated to the iconic characters, environments and classic scenes from all six STAR WARS movies goes out with an hilariously extravagant and overwhelmingly funny bang, well worth the wait in seeing, and may rank amongst their finest work a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

In fact, it was pretty wizard! And had more belly laughs than last year’s FAMILY GUY JEDI parody-so its one up there for Mister Green. I think!

ROBOT CHICKEN STAR WARS III brilliantly highlights the rise and fall of Emperor Palpatine!

Once again, there’s lots of brilliantly observed new spins on classic scenes, mostly around RETURN OF THE JEDI and the life and career path of old hemorrhoid head Emperor Palpatine (once more brilliantly voiced with neurotic, paranoid, quirky and greedy observation by FAMILY GUY’s Seth MacFarlane) – additionally, the Prequels seem even more ripe than ever for mining comedy gold and brilliant what if? moments for humour that we’ve all been longing to see. Rib-tickling highlights include a whole new look at EPISODE II’s courtly love relationship between Padme and Anakin, as the former shows off her pole dancing skills to the latter, all the while declaring her reasons why they shouldn’t become an item! Anthony Daniels back in Threepio voice mode testing his communication skills in Spanish class, Prune Face finally getting the mega star action hero quality time he deserves, Yarel Poof questioning the prophecy and skills of his fellow Jedi Council members, and his ultimate fate during ORDER 66, what really happened to Owen and Beru Lars at their Tatooine homestead, the JEDI Finale celebration gets a whole new spin, the one armed Wampa trying to get some gas for his car at an intergalactic stopover, just as Luke shows up!, and, capping it off, there’s an alternate version of the skiff battle the way Boba Fett would have liked it to have ended, linked to a reason why Tauntauns have long memories…

Threepio gets a Spanish lesson!

Toilet trouble for Darth Vader on Death Star II!

Plus, running alongside the Emperor’s story-arc, there’s the obligatory classic Vader scenes (notably a laugh out loud moment when the Dark Lord gets used to his suit against the musical backdrop of the classic MEGO Records Disco funk version of the STAR WARS theme!), old fish-face himself, Admiral Ackbar, and the final adventures of Gary the Stormtrooper (where things get a bit too gruesome regarding an Ewok!).

Oh, and though the original programme already had unintentional comedy unwittingly built into it, the 1978 HOLIDAY SPECIAL gets a short but superb look-in, too…

Boba Fett gets his revenge on Han Solo!

As well as the aforementioned Daniels, other WARS veterans returning include CLONE WARS Tom Kane who always gives good Yoda and FAMILY GUY/AMERICAN DAD’s Dee Bradley Baker. Plus Billy Dee Williams and Ahmed Best, all clearly having a blast with their respective roles…

Life's a bitch when you're a disabled Wampa!

Outside of the main production which is funny enough, there’s a whole host of other enjoyable bonus material on the DVD including several fun audio commentaries, multiple behind the scenes animatics, informatic Chicken Nuggets, deleted scenes, trailers, a truncated look at the 2010 CELEBRATION V convention panel for the episode, Skywalker Ranch premiere footage, and, the icing of the cake, a sequence showing a playful George Lucas with the ROBOT CHICKEN writers in conference, in which, in a great scene, he throws one of the team out for bringing up the name of his non-created Mara Jade from the Expanded Universe! Classic stuff!

Prune Face almost steals the show!

IG-88's brother brings down the house party-literally!

Even without the expansive extras, ROBOT CHICKEN STAR WARS III is a tremendous achievement, one you can watch and re-watch and never get bored with. A special note of thanks must also be said not just to the writers and artists but to the incredible work undertaken, I’m sure in rapid time and limited budgets, by the set designers, puppet and costume makers, whose devoted recreations of the STAR WARS movie universe have been nothing short of superb, and surely helped the programmes in their attention to detail and realism to make it even more gag-tastic.

Now, about that STAR WARS: DETOURS...

AFICIONADO RATING: First rate laughs that continue to be both a wonderful homage and celebration to the STAR WARS saga, by a group of enthusiastic celebrity fans that clearly love and enjoy the source material as much as we do. A well deserved 5 out of 5.

Get it from AMAZON here: Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode 3 Adult Swim DVD: Amazon.co.uk: Film & TV Or why not the entire Trilogy box-set, here: Robot Chicken Star Wars Episodes 1-3 Box Set Adult Swim DVD: Amazon.co.uk: Film & TV