20th Century Fox wasn’t sure what it had in Star Wars, and apparently, neither did George Lucas. The director was building up his company, Lucasfilm, and unleashed his secret weapon: Charley Lippincott. He whipped people into a previously unknown frenzy by working the fans at science fiction and comics conventions. He saw to it DelRey had the novelization out months before the film, as well as three of the six-issue comics adaptation from Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin at Marvel. These people were lined up for day one, and the word of the month spread so fast that it endured throughout the summer of 1977.
Before the Special came the finale from The Donny and Marie Show, which Donny discusses on the documentary.
As we learn in the wonderfully entertaining A Disturbance in the Force, a 90-minute documentary from directors Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak, despite all his statements saying he had everything planned out,...
Before the Special came the finale from The Donny and Marie Show, which Donny discusses on the documentary.
As we learn in the wonderfully entertaining A Disturbance in the Force, a 90-minute documentary from directors Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak, despite all his statements saying he had everything planned out,...
- 12/18/2023
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
After Yang (kogonada)
I had the pleasure to speak with filmmaker kogonada about his stirring treatise on mortality, After Yang, and the moment from that conversation I return to most is him saying that “what makes art so invigorating is that you’re pursuing the ineffable.” This is a notion seeded throughout his gentle, transcendent sophomore feature. We can never truly know another person. In some ways, we will never fully know ourselves or our relationship with the world. But the search for it, the mystery, the endless pursuit—that’s the beauty of life. – Mitchell B.
Where to Stream: Prime Video
A Disturbance in the Force (Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak)
The question asked back in the ’80s and ’90s was never,...
After Yang (kogonada)
I had the pleasure to speak with filmmaker kogonada about his stirring treatise on mortality, After Yang, and the moment from that conversation I return to most is him saying that “what makes art so invigorating is that you’re pursuing the ineffable.” This is a notion seeded throughout his gentle, transcendent sophomore feature. We can never truly know another person. In some ways, we will never fully know ourselves or our relationship with the world. But the search for it, the mystery, the endless pursuit—that’s the beauty of life. – Mitchell B.
Where to Stream: Prime Video
A Disturbance in the Force (Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak)
The question asked back in the ’80s and ’90s was never,...
- 12/8/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Plot: Behind the scenes of the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special.
Review: Young people today have no idea how hard it was to see the Star Wars Holiday Special in the days before the internet. I remember only being aware of the Holiday Special in the mid-nineties thanks to the occasional mention in Starlog or Sci-Fi Universe. In about 1996, some friends and I attended a Star Wars Convention in Montreal, and the big attraction was that they would be screening the Holiday Special in full on someone’s bootleg tape. My pals and I were so excited, but after all the years of reading about it and dreaming of what it could be like, we walked out after ten minutes. Nine minutes of unsubtitled Wookie was enough to turn us off, and to this day, I don’t think I’ve ever actually sat through the whole thing.
The fact...
Review: Young people today have no idea how hard it was to see the Star Wars Holiday Special in the days before the internet. I remember only being aware of the Holiday Special in the mid-nineties thanks to the occasional mention in Starlog or Sci-Fi Universe. In about 1996, some friends and I attended a Star Wars Convention in Montreal, and the big attraction was that they would be screening the Holiday Special in full on someone’s bootleg tape. My pals and I were so excited, but after all the years of reading about it and dreaming of what it could be like, we walked out after ten minutes. Nine minutes of unsubtitled Wookie was enough to turn us off, and to this day, I don’t think I’ve ever actually sat through the whole thing.
The fact...
- 12/7/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Chicago – A long time ago (1978) in an America far far away, the one and only showing of the “Star Wars Holiday Special” took place on CBS-tv. Infamously miscast and difficult to watch, the history of the show is chronicled in a new doc “A Disturbance in the Force,” co-directed by Jeremy Coon and Steven Kozak.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
In 1977, “Star Wars” became a cultural phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized a stagnant film industry, and forever changed how films were sold, made, and marketed. On November 17th, 1978, CBS aired the two-hour “Star Wars Holiday Special” and was watched by 13 million people. It never re-aired and is considered one of the worst shows to ever be broadcast on national TV. “A Disturbance in the Force” co-directors Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak combine celebrity insight – including Seth Green, Donny Osmond and Kevin Smith – archival/participant interviews and broadcast history perspective to understand why this show was created.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
In 1977, “Star Wars” became a cultural phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized a stagnant film industry, and forever changed how films were sold, made, and marketed. On November 17th, 1978, CBS aired the two-hour “Star Wars Holiday Special” and was watched by 13 million people. It never re-aired and is considered one of the worst shows to ever be broadcast on national TV. “A Disturbance in the Force” co-directors Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak combine celebrity insight – including Seth Green, Donny Osmond and Kevin Smith – archival/participant interviews and broadcast history perspective to understand why this show was created.
- 12/4/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Los Angeles — November 17, 2023 (Life Day) — September Club and Giant Pictures bring home A Disturbance In The Force on December 5 from a galaxy far far away to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the most infamous story in the history of Star Wars. The acclaimed documentary made its debut at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival and chronicles the making of the bizarre (and buried) Star Wars Holiday Special as well as a specific bygone era of 1970s event television. Discover the “hilarious secrets behind Star Wars’ iconically awful Holiday Special” (The Daily Beast) when A Disturbance In The Force arrives on digital platforms, DVD, and Blu-ray on December 5 via Giant Pictures.
From the filmmakers behind Napoleon Dynamite and Raiders! The Story Of The Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, comes A Disturbance In The Force, the documentary about the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. In 1977, “Star Wars” became a cultural phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized a stagnant film industry,...
From the filmmakers behind Napoleon Dynamite and Raiders! The Story Of The Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, comes A Disturbance In The Force, the documentary about the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. In 1977, “Star Wars” became a cultural phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized a stagnant film industry,...
- 11/20/2023
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
Why did George Lucas allow the Star Wars Holiday Special to take place? A Disturbance in the Force does a deep dive into the 1978 special watched by millions and then locked away in a vault, never to be screened again.
“After almost 45 years of being the butt of jokes, we had to unlock all the secrets behind the Holiday Special. Its influence on pop culture has only increased over the last two decades and, also, add the fact that it is a part of the Star Wars filmography – and a hidden one at that – only adds to its mystique. Now is finally the time after all these years to get answers about how the Holiday Special happened,” explained co-directors and producers Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak.
A Disturbance in the Force features interviews with Seth Green, Weird Al Yankovic, Paul Scheer, Taran Killam, Patton Oswalt, and Donny Osmond. Plus, Gilbert Gottfried,...
“After almost 45 years of being the butt of jokes, we had to unlock all the secrets behind the Holiday Special. Its influence on pop culture has only increased over the last two decades and, also, add the fact that it is a part of the Star Wars filmography – and a hidden one at that – only adds to its mystique. Now is finally the time after all these years to get answers about how the Holiday Special happened,” explained co-directors and producers Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak.
A Disturbance in the Force features interviews with Seth Green, Weird Al Yankovic, Paul Scheer, Taran Killam, Patton Oswalt, and Donny Osmond. Plus, Gilbert Gottfried,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
The feature-length documentary A Disturbance In The Force delves into the bizarre history of 1978’s ill-advised Star Wars Holiday Special. It’s out next month.
Bea Arthur out of The Golden Girls tending the Cantina bar in Mos Eisley. Stormtroopers disco dancing. Kris Kristofferson dressed up as Han Solo for some reason. Yes, 1978’s Star Wars Holiday Special offers up such an array of bizarre, fever dream imagery that it has long since passed into legend.
Initially conceived as a stop-gap to tide fans over during the long wait between 1977’s Star Wars and 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, a mixture of somewhat relaxed quality control and 1970s US television conventions saw the special emerge as a glittery variety show rather than fantastical space opera. The results were so jarring that George Lucas has since attempted to scrub its existence from history (though you’ll still find rough bootleg videos...
Bea Arthur out of The Golden Girls tending the Cantina bar in Mos Eisley. Stormtroopers disco dancing. Kris Kristofferson dressed up as Han Solo for some reason. Yes, 1978’s Star Wars Holiday Special offers up such an array of bizarre, fever dream imagery that it has long since passed into legend.
Initially conceived as a stop-gap to tide fans over during the long wait between 1977’s Star Wars and 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, a mixture of somewhat relaxed quality control and 1970s US television conventions saw the special emerge as a glittery variety show rather than fantastical space opera. The results were so jarring that George Lucas has since attempted to scrub its existence from history (though you’ll still find rough bootleg videos...
- 11/17/2023
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
Star Wars fans will truly get to feel A Disturbance in the Force when a documentary about the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special — which debuted 45 years ago today, on CBS — is released.
Having premiered back in March at the SXSW Film Festival, A Disturbance in the Force will be released on digital and Blu-ray on Tuesday, Dec. 5, our sister site Variety reports. The 86-minute docu will also play in select theaters across the U.S. ahead of its digital release.
More from TVLineThe Late Ray Stevenson Was Terrific on Disney+'s Ahsoka Series - But Now His Role Should Be...
Having premiered back in March at the SXSW Film Festival, A Disturbance in the Force will be released on digital and Blu-ray on Tuesday, Dec. 5, our sister site Variety reports. The 86-minute docu will also play in select theaters across the U.S. ahead of its digital release.
More from TVLineThe Late Ray Stevenson Was Terrific on Disney+'s Ahsoka Series - But Now His Role Should Be...
- 11/17/2023
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
“A Disturbance in the Force,” a comical behind-the-scenes documentary about the ill-fated 1978 “Star Wars Holiday Special,” will arrive from a galaxy far, far away in December.
After its premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, “A Disturbance in the Force” will be released on digital and Blu-Ray on Dec. 5. This announcement comes on Life Day, a canonically Wookie holiday in the Star Wars universe.
The movie will also play in select theaters across the U.S., U.K. and Australia ahead of its home entertainment launch. September Club produced “A Disturbance in the Force” with Giant Pictures handling digital and Blu-ray distribution. Adam F. Goldberg served as executive producer.
“A Disturbance in the Force” chronicles the making of the bizarre “Star Wars Holiday Special” that aired 45 years ago and never surfaced again. For some context: “Star Wars” was released in theaters in 1977 and became a cultural phenomenon. A year later,...
After its premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, “A Disturbance in the Force” will be released on digital and Blu-Ray on Dec. 5. This announcement comes on Life Day, a canonically Wookie holiday in the Star Wars universe.
The movie will also play in select theaters across the U.S., U.K. and Australia ahead of its home entertainment launch. September Club produced “A Disturbance in the Force” with Giant Pictures handling digital and Blu-ray distribution. Adam F. Goldberg served as executive producer.
“A Disturbance in the Force” chronicles the making of the bizarre “Star Wars Holiday Special” that aired 45 years ago and never surfaced again. For some context: “Star Wars” was released in theaters in 1977 and became a cultural phenomenon. A year later,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
The question asked back in the ’80s and ’90s was never, “Have you seen The Star Wars Holiday Special?” It was always, “Have you heard of The Star Wars Holiday Special?”
We’re talking about a 1978 air date, after all. Someone must have owned a Vcr, since bootleg copies of the maligned variety show do exist on the Internet (George Lucas has vehemently denounced the project and even Disney has refused to release a “clean” copy beyond putting the animated segment “The Story of the Faithful Wookiee” on Disney+.) But its existence was akin to legend back then. Just knowing was enough to be cool with details being learned rather than experienced.
So it’s shocking that it’s taken until 2023 to finally receive a “definitive” look at its creation and eventual lambasting. Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak’s A Disturbance in the Force thus seems almost like a miracle...
We’re talking about a 1978 air date, after all. Someone must have owned a Vcr, since bootleg copies of the maligned variety show do exist on the Internet (George Lucas has vehemently denounced the project and even Disney has refused to release a “clean” copy beyond putting the animated segment “The Story of the Faithful Wookiee” on Disney+.) But its existence was akin to legend back then. Just knowing was enough to be cool with details being learned rather than experienced.
So it’s shocking that it’s taken until 2023 to finally receive a “definitive” look at its creation and eventual lambasting. Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak’s A Disturbance in the Force thus seems almost like a miracle...
- 7/30/2023
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Long, long ago, in a studio far, far away, a group of people whose precise identity remains disputed came up with an idea so devastatingly awful, so manifestly disappointing and overflowing with cringe that it made the destruction of Alderan by the Death Star pale in comparison. This was the Star Wars Holiday Special, broadcast only once, and it would become the stuff of legend. Around 13 million people saw it on that fateful day in November 1978; reportedly, few of them made it to the end. It has since become one of the all time most sought-after bootlegged and pirated productions as fans have become desperate to experience the horror for themselves.
Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak’s documentary, which screened at South by Southwest and Fantasia 2023, digs into this subject with gusto, looking at the stories behind the special, its unforgettable moments, and the lure of the...
Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak’s documentary, which screened at South by Southwest and Fantasia 2023, digs into this subject with gusto, looking at the stories behind the special, its unforgettable moments, and the lure of the...
- 7/29/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
It’s July, so you know what that means… Fantasia International Film Festival time! Kicking off our Summer of film festival coverage, Fantasia is Always packed with a vast variety of films, from action to horror, drama to comedy, the festival covers the gamut of genres and offers films that [I think] no other festival does. With that in mind, here are five of my “must-see” picks from this year’s line-up.
Blackout – Genre veteran Larry Fessenden goes back behind the camera for another genre film following the likes of Wendigo, The Last Winter and Beneath. This time around Fessenden brings us the tale of a painter (Alex Hurt) who, convinced he is a werewolf, creates chaos in a small town at each full moon. Suitable Flesh – Director Joe Lynch returns with his first feature after a 4-year absence to helm Suitable Flesh, which not only stars Scream Queen Barbara Crampton but comes from writer Dennis Paoli,...
Blackout – Genre veteran Larry Fessenden goes back behind the camera for another genre film following the likes of Wendigo, The Last Winter and Beneath. This time around Fessenden brings us the tale of a painter (Alex Hurt) who, convinced he is a werewolf, creates chaos in a small town at each full moon. Suitable Flesh – Director Joe Lynch returns with his first feature after a 4-year absence to helm Suitable Flesh, which not only stars Scream Queen Barbara Crampton but comes from writer Dennis Paoli,...
- 7/14/2023
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
We Are Zombies Photo: Fantasia International Film Festival
The final section of the line-up for the this year's Fantasia International Film Festival was announced today, along with the news that the Rkss Collective's Quebecois ode to the 'living-impaired', We Are Zombies, will have the honour of being the festival's closing film. Based on the popular comic The Zombies That Ate The World, it was created by François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell, the team behind cult hit Turbo Kid, and is set in a world where zombies have no desire to eat brains but simply wander the streets aimlessly.
The festival also announced that this year's Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award is to be presented to Nicolas Cage in recognition of his more that four decades spent creating unique and memorable characters, often in genre films.
Further additions to the line-up include Irish comedy Apocalypse Clown, manga adaptation Sand Land,...
The final section of the line-up for the this year's Fantasia International Film Festival was announced today, along with the news that the Rkss Collective's Quebecois ode to the 'living-impaired', We Are Zombies, will have the honour of being the festival's closing film. Based on the popular comic The Zombies That Ate The World, it was created by François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell, the team behind cult hit Turbo Kid, and is set in a world where zombies have no desire to eat brains but simply wander the streets aimlessly.
The festival also announced that this year's Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award is to be presented to Nicolas Cage in recognition of his more that four decades spent creating unique and memorable characters, often in genre films.
Further additions to the line-up include Irish comedy Apocalypse Clown, manga adaptation Sand Land,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was Star Wars… and only Star Wars. Oh, you could buy a novelization of George Lucas’ cosmic saga of good and evil, as well as a Marvel Comics’ adaptation of the film that kept the post-Death Star story going in… some very singular ways. (Pour one out for the giant green space-rabbit Jaxxon T. Tumperakki.) Eventually, there were toys — so, so many toys — as well as soundtrack albums, coffee-table books of concept art, and loads of other merchandise. But...
- 3/12/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
There are few if any pieces of "Star Wars" lore quite as infamous as that of the elusive "Star Wars Holiday Special." The made-for-tv special, produced at the height of the franchise's initial wave of popularity after "A New Hope" hit theaters, was created with the cooperation of George Lucas and aired on CBS. But it aired once and only once, gaining a reputation as notoriously terrible -- so much so that Lucas did his best to wipe its memory from the face of the Earth. Now, a pair of filmmakers have chronicled the journey of the train wreck that is the "Star Wars Holiday Special" in a new documentary titled "A Disturbance in the Force."
The documentary is making its premiere at SXSW in Austin, Texas this week after years of development. It features interviews with many, many people involved, as well as noted fans of a galaxy far,...
The documentary is making its premiere at SXSW in Austin, Texas this week after years of development. It features interviews with many, many people involved, as well as noted fans of a galaxy far,...
- 3/12/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
"A Disturbance in the Force" is an insightful documentary about a lesser-known part of the success story of George Lucas' "Star Wars." Rather than focusing on its production woes, or how it became the biggest movie ever at that point, it focuses on what happens later. This is the story of a time when having the biggest movie of all time didn't guarantee lasting cultural impact. It's also the story of how the desperation to keep the franchise in the mind of the fans resulted in the first (but certainly not the last) big failure of the franchise far, far away — the "Star Wars Holiday Special."
As popular as "Star Wars" is, this is a franchise with lows as infamous as its highs. For every "Empire Strikes Back," there is a "Rise of Skywalker," but before the prequels, there was another black sheep of the franchise, the one title that...
As popular as "Star Wars" is, this is a franchise with lows as infamous as its highs. For every "Empire Strikes Back," there is a "Rise of Skywalker," but before the prequels, there was another black sheep of the franchise, the one title that...
- 3/12/2023
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
There are times when you look back at pop culture phenomena and can’t resist the urge to ask: Can you believe this actually happened? Tackling a notorious fiasco in one of the galaxy’s most popular franchises, Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak’s amusing and exhaustive documentary ”A Disturbance in the Force” unpacks 1978’s “Star Wars Holiday Special.”
You don’t have to be an obsessive “Star Wars” fan to enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at how the special — which premiered Nov. 17, 1978 on CBS, and has never been re-run on any broadcast or cable outlet — came to exist. To be sure, the fans will appreciate it a lot more than casual viewers. But it’s also an irresistible hoot for anyone with fond memories of star-studded 1970s musical/variety TV specials — a specific type of highly popular general audience entertainment that, truth to tell, very often showcased more campy excess...
You don’t have to be an obsessive “Star Wars” fan to enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at how the special — which premiered Nov. 17, 1978 on CBS, and has never been re-run on any broadcast or cable outlet — came to exist. To be sure, the fans will appreciate it a lot more than casual viewers. But it’s also an irresistible hoot for anyone with fond memories of star-studded 1970s musical/variety TV specials — a specific type of highly popular general audience entertainment that, truth to tell, very often showcased more campy excess...
- 3/12/2023
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
“Star Wars” could stand to come off its high horse a little bit. Other than the recent “Andor,” which actually did break new ground, the franchise has become stunningly obsessed with itself, regurgitating obscure lore, planting callbacks and cameos everywhere, and generally living in the past.
One of the bits of “Star Wars” arcana that especially pops up? The “Star Wars Holiday Special,” the 1978 CBS catastrophe that’s the ultimate example of exploiting franchise IP into oblivion. The definitive “so bad it’s good” fetish object, the two-hour special introduced Boba Fett as a character to the saga and continues to influence stories to this day — the prong-like rifle sometimes used by Mando on “The Mandalorian” came from the special — even as George Lucas and Lucasfilm famously suppressed it. Lucasfilm even produced its own “Lego Star Wars Holiday Special” in 2020.
The most shocking thing about Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak...
One of the bits of “Star Wars” arcana that especially pops up? The “Star Wars Holiday Special,” the 1978 CBS catastrophe that’s the ultimate example of exploiting franchise IP into oblivion. The definitive “so bad it’s good” fetish object, the two-hour special introduced Boba Fett as a character to the saga and continues to influence stories to this day — the prong-like rifle sometimes used by Mando on “The Mandalorian” came from the special — even as George Lucas and Lucasfilm famously suppressed it. Lucasfilm even produced its own “Lego Star Wars Holiday Special” in 2020.
The most shocking thing about Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak...
- 3/12/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
If you’re a Gen X or “geriatric” millennial Star Wars fanatic, you probably have a story related to the contortions you had to go through to get your hands on the notorious only-aired-once 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special.
Freshman year. My college roommate Andrew brought back a bootleg tape — there has never been a legitimate release — given to him by a guy who knew a guy at his regular comic shop. We watched with breathless anticipation that turned to quizzical horror — a generational rite of passage.
Today, you can go to YouTube and take your pick from among several Star Wars Holiday Special uploads, at least one of which has remained up for seven years and has 3.6 million views. So much for taboo. So much for resourcefulness. So much for magic.
Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak’s new documentary A Disturbance in the Force captures a lot of what was...
Freshman year. My college roommate Andrew brought back a bootleg tape — there has never been a legitimate release — given to him by a guy who knew a guy at his regular comic shop. We watched with breathless anticipation that turned to quizzical horror — a generational rite of passage.
Today, you can go to YouTube and take your pick from among several Star Wars Holiday Special uploads, at least one of which has remained up for seven years and has 3.6 million views. So much for taboo. So much for resourcefulness. So much for magic.
Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak’s new documentary A Disturbance in the Force captures a lot of what was...
- 3/12/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On Nov. 17, 1978, Princess Leia sang these lyrics to the melody of John Williams’ Star Wars theme: “We celebrate a day of peace/A day of harmony/A day of joy we can all share/Together joyously.” It’s a rough moment in Star Wars history, and certainly, even the children of 1978 were uneasy about putting words to that iconic music. Chewbacca was wearing a red robe, Luke Skywalker had a haircut that didn’t make him seem like Luke at all, and Han Solo seemed like he wanted to be somewhere else. This was the ending of the Star Wars Holiday Special, a bizarre television event that was aired only once. And, when Star Wars blossomed into a lasting and serious cultural phenomenon, George Lucas tried to make it seem like it had never happened.
“You can’t blame the people who were just doing their jobs,” Jeremy Coon tells Den of Geek.
“You can’t blame the people who were just doing their jobs,” Jeremy Coon tells Den of Geek.
- 3/11/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
It’s the much talked about Christmas special that you’re not allowed to talk about. It’s interesting to think that right after the cinema-changing release of 1977’s Star Wars, the immediate follow-up would be a dud. And I’m not talking about The Empire Strikes Back. In 1978, to capitalize on the success of the smash hit from George Lucas, director of such films as Thx 1138 and American Graffiti, there was a TV Christmas special that brought in all the stars of the movie. That special became the first big misstep of the franchise that was so bad that George Lucas won’t even speak about it.
The Hollywood Reporter has the details on a new documentary that goes behind the scenes of the much-maligned TV program, including a teaser trailer. A Disturbance in the Force is a new film from Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak that is...
The Hollywood Reporter has the details on a new documentary that goes behind the scenes of the much-maligned TV program, including a teaser trailer. A Disturbance in the Force is a new film from Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak that is...
- 3/2/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
It is downright impossible for many of us to imagine a world without "Star Wars," but people who were born before 1977 did, indeed, live in that world. However, there is simply the world before George Lucas changed it with his brilliant sci-fi masterpiece, and the world after. The world after was unbelievably hungry for more, and that resulted in one of the most infamous trainwrecks in history known as "The Star Wars Holiday Special." Now, a new documentary is going to uncover the secrets behind this infamous disaster.
"A Disturbance in the Force" is directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak, with the filmmakers doing a deep dive to discover just how this special -- which aired once and only once -- managed to come about in the first place. The doc is set to premiere at SXSW in Austin, Texas, next week but, for now, we've got a trailer...
"A Disturbance in the Force" is directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak, with the filmmakers doing a deep dive to discover just how this special -- which aired once and only once -- managed to come about in the first place. The doc is set to premiere at SXSW in Austin, Texas, next week but, for now, we've got a trailer...
- 3/2/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
There was a disturbance in the Force on Nov. 17, 1978. Eighteen months after Star Wars became a phenomenon, CBS aired the Star Wars Holiday Special, one of the more infamous chapters in the franchise’s lore. Now, a new documentary seeks to explain what really happened.
The Hollywood Reporter has the trailer for Disturbance in the Force, ahead of the doc’s debut at South by Southwest on March 11.
The Star Wars Holiday Special, seen by 13 million people, starred the original cast and centered on Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) flying to the Wookiee home planet to celebrate a holiday called Life Day.
The special was so reviled that it never aired again and was denounced by Star Wars creator George Lucas, who was only minimally involved. As he said a year later at an Australian convention, “If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track...
The Hollywood Reporter has the trailer for Disturbance in the Force, ahead of the doc’s debut at South by Southwest on March 11.
The Star Wars Holiday Special, seen by 13 million people, starred the original cast and centered on Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) flying to the Wookiee home planet to celebrate a holiday called Life Day.
The special was so reviled that it never aired again and was denounced by Star Wars creator George Lucas, who was only minimally involved. As he said a year later at an Australian convention, “If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track...
- 3/2/2023
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Festival runs March 10-18. Further selections to be announced in early February.
The world premiere of Paramount and eOne’s spring tentpole Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will open the 30th edition of SXSW in Austin, Texas, on March 10.
The action fantasy quest story stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, and Regé-Jean Page and is directed and co-written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. It opens in the US on March 31.
SXSW runs March 10-18 as an in-person event only. In addition organisers announced feature and short Competition entries, the Headliners and Midnighters line-ups, and select titles...
The world premiere of Paramount and eOne’s spring tentpole Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will open the 30th edition of SXSW in Austin, Texas, on March 10.
The action fantasy quest story stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, and Regé-Jean Page and is directed and co-written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. It opens in the US on March 31.
SXSW runs March 10-18 as an in-person event only. In addition organisers announced feature and short Competition entries, the Headliners and Midnighters line-ups, and select titles...
- 1/11/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away something titled “The Star Wars Holiday Special” aired. It was bad. Thankfully, an upcoming documentary will shed some light on exactly what went wrong with the franchise’s most notorious blunder.
The documentary, titled “A Disturbance in the Force,” and directed by Jeremy Coon (“Napoleon Dynamite”) and Steve Kozak, aims to offer a deep dive into the making-of the special. Coon recently told io9 that he and Kozak interviewed a variety of crew members who worked on the project and aimed to provide greater context to the special beyond just discussing its negative reception.
“Most attention on the ‘Holiday Special’ just focuses on how bad it is and doesn’t go deeper,” Coon told io9. “Our film is not going to be 90 minutes of dumping on it because no one wants to watch that. We’ve gone really deep in the research and,...
The documentary, titled “A Disturbance in the Force,” and directed by Jeremy Coon (“Napoleon Dynamite”) and Steve Kozak, aims to offer a deep dive into the making-of the special. Coon recently told io9 that he and Kozak interviewed a variety of crew members who worked on the project and aimed to provide greater context to the special beyond just discussing its negative reception.
“Most attention on the ‘Holiday Special’ just focuses on how bad it is and doesn’t go deeper,” Coon told io9. “Our film is not going to be 90 minutes of dumping on it because no one wants to watch that. We’ve gone really deep in the research and,...
- 11/19/2020
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
Last weekend this year's Small Press Expo was held just outside of Washington, DC. Spx is an annual convention celebrating the little guys in comics. Most of the creators exhibiting at the show are self-published. Some of them have been lucky enough to have found a small publishing house to print their book for them. Some of the people end up going places. Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley used to exhibit there, for instance. In other cases you may encounter a neat comic that you will literally never see again if you don't purchase it at the con. This year cameraman Barry Worthington and I wandered around and interviewed anyone who would talk to us and wasn't being mobbed by attendees. It seemed to be one of the busiest SPXs I have attended. The embedded video below included conversations with Chris Yura (Two Italian Guys), Michael Auger (contributor to...
- 9/20/2010
- by Liam K
- GeekTyrant
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.