You would think that George Lucas would just leave well enough alone and be content with making great-looking blu-rays of Star Wars. But no. Instead, he wants to flaunt his bad judgment and make “improvements” including new dialogue. I wish I were joking.

But then reality set it. First, there’s George Lucas, whose track record is now really bad. And there’s director Joe Johnston who has been pitching this idea to Lucas. His filmography can be signed up by the first comment on his IMDB page, “Let’s be honest, this guy sucks.” He does. Just look at the movies he has directed. Maybe he can prove us wrong with Captain America, but I’m not holding my breath.

A Boba Fett movie could be great, but there’s no reason to think the actual execution would be great.    

An update is needed, and not just because train buffs, New Deal economics and the miracle of the Bessemer converter are inexplicable to people under 50, not to mention boring.  The anti-individualist enemies that Ayn Rand battled are still the enemy, but they’ve shifted their line of attack.  Political collectivists are no longer much interested in taking things away from the wealthy and creative. Even the most left-wing politicians worship wealth creation—as the political-action-committee collection plate is passed.  Partners at Goldman Sachs go forth with their billions.  Steve Jobs walks on water. Jay-Z and Beyoncé are rich enough to buy God. Progressive Robin Hoods have turned their attention to robbing ordinary individuals.  It’s the plain folks, not a Taggart/Rearden elite, whose prospects and opportunities are stolen by corrupt school systems, health-care rationing, public employee union extortions, carbon-emissions payola and deficit-debt burden graft.  Today’s collectivists are going after malefactors of moderate means.

Hence the Tea Party, and Ayn Rand is invited. Not for nothing is Kentucky Senator Paul named Rand. The premise of “Atlas Shrugged” applies to every maker in a world of takers. What if,pace Adam Smith, the takers do indeed expect their dinner “from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker”? And what if the Safeway meat-cutter, the beer-truck driver, and the guy who owns the Dunkin’ Donuts franchise say to hell with “their regard to their own interest”?  What if they go off with John Galt to a secret hidden unknown valley in the Rocky Mountains?  A lot of people will be chewing air and drinking puddle water.

This is for you:

The problem is MGM’s poor financial situation. They currently have $4 billion in debt, making it difficult to finance new pictures and making the company unattractive to prospective buyers.

Hopefully MGM can get its act together and they can make a good movie.

I watched part of the movie yesterday and I was impressed again at the special effects. Special effect just meant more when before they could do anything with computers.