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AICN and The Alamo Drafthouse present 5-25-77 Screening! Time To Remember The Early Days!
Hey folks, Harry here -- Ya know - June is a helluva month to be a geek in Austin, Texas. As the original Alamo Drafthouse begins it's joyous celebratory march to being a mythological cinematic Valhalla... the great fun film events just keep coming - and AICN has been helping them line up.
This time, it's Patrick Read Johnson's passion project... 5-25-77. Now those of you that live in the AICN Chat Room... and several of you talkbackers know Patrick from his posts and chats via the moniker of MOONWATCHER... well, he's been fighting to get this movie made for the last billion years and it's finally done. In fact it premiered on 5-25-07 at Star Wars Celebration in Los Angeles... and its second stop is right here in Austin, Texas!!!! This is gonna be great.
Produced by Gary Kurtz, producer of... well, you don't need me to tell you. You're a geek, shit like that is stamped in the eternal weavings of your neural network. And it's all about that amazing period in advance of the release of STAR WARS in 77... when being a geek was a true minority. The largest assembly of common geeks was with Classic Trek, Logan's Run and old Movie Serials. Patrick was there... This is his story... He remembers the way it was - and for all of us children of the Seventies... and for all of you that have been raised on the aftermath of it all... this is OUR film... and this is a great opportunity to not only see it, but to meet the filmmakers and celebrate what it is to be us.
June 6, 2007 at 7pm at the Alamo Downtown - is where you'll see it. CLICK HERE to Find Out How To Get Tickets and Be There!
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I'm just sayin'!
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I just couldn't resist raggin' on ya, Harry. ;-) (And congrats to PRJ on the film, btw. I'm very happy you got to see it through!
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I might need a little gas money though. Harry, you got me right?
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When can I see this??
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Had no idea you were a talkback frequenter. Huge fan of Angus. Been hearing about this project since as long as I've been reading the site. Let me know when you're screening it in LA. Charlie Talbert's the man and his tiny role in Art School Confidential wasn't enough for me. Not a Star Wars guy but very excited to see this film, and I think it'll be interesting to watch as a SW outsider. Congrats on finally getting this baby out and about. And you Austin folks, I'm jealous of all the cool shit Harry arranges for you guys. Y'all better recognize the lengths this man goes to to give you the straight shit before anyone else.
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I'm Star Wars'ed out sorry to say. I'm not even interested in the new shows anymore. Need some time to recoup. Less Star Wars news please.
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I am a modern geek, as in born in 86 but even so it's easy to see why the magic date was so magical for all you elder geeks. It better be released in the Netherlands someday :)
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Maybe you should wank a little less often. I'm sure those vitamins you lose spilling over peoples faces will then improve your brain activities. Perhaps that'll help you remember why you are banned so often. Take care mate. Looking forward to Return of the Gabriel in the near future ey.
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I should have expected that seeing as he's... human. Still, took me a while to figure out that it was him. Can't wait to see this, seems like I've been waiting for years (that might have something to do with the fact that I've been waiting for years).
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Since it's obviously never coming to a theater where I live, when can buy it? I'm sick of seeing trailers for it with never any hint of how to actually see it.
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Dude posted it on his site years ago. Damn. Finally made it... hope it's worth the wait...
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God bless Star wars
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about 7 years ago, I was visiting the AICN chatroom...well living there while I was working on my own screenplay. PRJ, you gave me encouragement to push forward, and although I'm still in NWKansas plugging away at various projects, your inspiration helped me along the way. Thanks for posting your screenplay so i could read it, study it, nay, abosorb it and good luck again to you man, glad to see this one got made, and I'll buy it just because you're one of us...that and I'm sure it's a great movie.
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I'm moving to Austin!
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...and he's not in the preview? What gives?
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Instead of making it seem like an homage to Star Wars, Patrick Johnson should have been honest with himself and said it was a love letter to 2001: A Space Oddysee. Besides the fact that when it was shown at celebration IV it didn't have the visual effects done, it's just a boring movie. It should have ended about 20 minutes before it actually did, and when it did end, I felt like I had just been put through some sort of torture camp. Man this movie sucked.
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Seems I've been hearing about this movie since I've been coming to AICN. I'm really excited for you and your film, and I can't wait to see it!
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Seems I've been hearing about this movie since I've been coming to AICN. I'm really excited for you and your film, and I can't wait to see it!
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What the fuck is all this stuff about Jaws, 2001, and Star Trek? I get it.. geeks liked Star Wars. But that trailer was just horrible.. for example, you see the words 5-25-77 in the middle of the dang thing and you think.. okay this movie is about how these guys were piddling around with different things until they saw star wars and it BLEW THEM AWAY. But what happens? You see some useless scene where they are talking about 2001. WTF? Is the movie this incoherent too?
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.....at the moment it is my favorite film of 2007. I'm not kidding. In fact, I think that it may have cracked my top 10 favorite films. That does not happen very often. Probably twice in the last 15 years or so. It is a very inspiring film with realistic characters far removed from how most films portray youths. As a fellow Chicagoland resident, Johnson has inspired me to get back on that filmmaking horse. I like the trailer above but it really does not do the film justice. I suppose not many trailers do. Anyways, the cut we saw did not have the effects finished but that did not take away from the story. Also, it does probably need to be cut down by 10 minutes or so but frankly I think I'd miss whatever they cut. Patrick Read Johnson seemed to be at odds with Gary Kurtz and Fred Roos on that issue, in a playful manner, I think. Another thing that I marveled about is how perfectly cast this picture was. Incredible. And the editing by Kat Johnson was superb. My dear Lord Vader, if there is justice in the world, it will get a decent sized release. It should get some Oscar nods as well. CONGRATULATIONS Patrick Read Johnson!!! You made your dream come true. I am very happy to have been part of the premiere. THANK YOU!
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I just wanted to give credit where credit is due. GREAT EDITING!!!
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Although, Star Wars has lost it's geek cred.
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when FANBOYS & 05-25-77 would actually be released.....
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The trailer only premiered at my house a year and a half ago. Some of us have a hard time waiting. Damn you Patrick Johnson. You had me at "Real life is what you do when you're tired of watching movies."
Seriously dude, this screening cannot come soon enough. -
But I hear it's very, very good.
Besides, Patrick Read Johnson is a sexy bitch. -
The Star Wars of 1990. When will Patrick be releasing "4-27-90"?
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Did Kevin Smith direct this? An old high school script I suppose.
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looks good from here.
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Where's the I94 love? Bring it back home for us FIBs to see.
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I'm sorry to say it just didn't connect with me. All the raw components were there for me to love it, but it didn't happen. Maybe it primarily needs the polish of post work, but I'm afraid my biggest problem was that I just didn't like the hero that much. He's a nerd, he has problems with girls, he loves sci-fi, he speaks in the language of film...these are all things that I should understand. I simply didn't find him to be very relatable or sympathetic. (Maybe that's just my self-loathing.) I certainly felt like - if nothing else - they needed to trim about 15 minutes, because it feels extremely overwrought and heavyhanded in spots. Just one guy's opinion.
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A few people have mentioned that they read the script on the internet. Can someone please send me a copy or a link where I can read it? Thanks
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Did it better.
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Come on, lets see some new ideas please.
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and it's god awful. it's a movie that doesn't know whether it's a teen angst flick or a acid trip.
maybe if you're a fan of 2001 a space odyssey or planet of the apes, i mean really a fan not just a casual viewer, you may at some point like this film, with one eye closed.
it really has nothing to do with Star Wars. He doesn't even see the film until the next day 5-26-77 at the VERY END.
lame. -
are you out of your mind????
during the fanboys presentation the filmmakers got 2 standing ovations.
during the 5-25-77 presentation people were trying to get out the door.
are you patrick read johnson's BF or something??
god help us for Speed Racer with this guy on board.
This movie will not find distribution. -
IM IN THIS MOVIE!!
SWEEET!!!
Look for me behind the kid's dad in the movie theatre. You will know the scene when you see it. -
Why compare Fanboys and 5-25-77?
I'm very happy for Ernie Cline and company but our films couldn't be more different. Nor could our audiences. I'm glad Fanboys worked for you. 5-25-77 works for plenty of other people. Move along. Move along.
PRJ -
Talk about apples and oranges. At C4 they showed about 40 minutes of footage and half of it was funny and half of it was not. I hope they left out the real funny stuff 'cause otherwise it will disappoint many a fanboy. I'm rooting for it though. As for 5-25-77, this movie is not about Star Wars and I'm glad because that would have sucked. It is about a young man realizing his dream. Beautiful and inspiring. I hope both films do well. ILLINOIS FILMMAKERS RULE!!!!! heeheehoohoo
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I stood and clapped 'cause it made me laugh here and there and 'cause they finally got the thing on film. Great for them!
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From what I see on the trailer and the chats i have had with Patrick via the chatroom, this movie will rock. Has any mention been made of a chicagoland screening? Patrick said he was planning it but that was over a year ago.
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We plan on having a cast and crew charity premiere at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, where much of the film takes place. The date is TBD, but sometime in June is very likely.
PRJ -
I feel like hell being out of town for Celebration 4, the first one to actually take place in the same city I make my domicile. But I'm assuming it's gotta come back some time this summer, yes no?
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If you're a slavish fanboy who loves all things Star Wars, Fanboys is the film for you.
5-25-77 isn't about Star Wars any more than American Graffiti is about Wolfman Jack's radio show... -
If "5-25-77 isn't about Star Wars any more than American Graffiti is about Wolfman Jack's radio show..." then why call it 5-25-77?? You obviously lost focus somewhere during your years long journey in getting this film made. And it's a cop out to say that your film and audiences are different regarding Fanboys as the reason people didn't accept your film. People didn't accept your film because your film isn't that great. Kudos to you for seeing it through and finishing it, but that doesn't guarantee it's any good.
You should have thought about renaming it at one point, or changing the trailer to be more about rights of passage and growing up during the late 70's.
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Were you there? People DID accept the film. If they didn't-- why would they have shown up and filled the room the next night to hear our panel? If you were there and didn't like it, that's fine. No film can please everyone. But you seem determined to make sure no one likes mine. What a waste of your time. You could be out making your OWN film and showing the likes of me how it's done. Unless of course, you're working for what you consider to be the competition. If so, how sad that you need to put our work down just to bolster the audience for your own. And if you AREN'T working for "the competition"... What personal issue drives you to attack someone else's art? Think about it. Really.
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That's the thing. 5-25-77 is NOT a spoof. It's not even, scrictly speaking, a comedy. Any more than American Graffiti or Almost Famous are comedies. It's a coming of age story that happens to bounce off the moment in time when Star Wars changed the cinematic universe... for better or for worse...
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And no, my intent is not to "make sure no one likes" your movie. And no, I'm not part of any competition. I am merely someone who enjoys film very much, someone who would love to make acting and producing my main source of income, and someone who calls it as they see it. I'm not attacking your art. I'm making observations. In all of the talkbacks you still haven't addressed that everyone seems to think your movie is about 20 minutes too long. You still haven't addressed that it's really not about 5-25-77 as it is about science fiction movies as a whole, changing your life. Here's what I think I think, I think you are a sincerely devoted Star Wars fan that wanted to make a unique movie about your experience. That's great. But your movie is boring and long in the tooth. I've been making films and acting long enough to know that you can't include everything you shoot into your film or project. This is your life long dream though, so of course you're going to be apprehensive to take constructive criticism. When you devote years and years to something like this as you have, you obviously don't want to hear people say it's no good. But in order to grow as a professional you have to be realistic. You have to look at your film from eyes other than your own and ask yourself if this film is special in any way. In my opinion, it's not. You know what you were doing in naming it "5-25-77" and milking every last ounce of Star Wars correlations you could out of it. Without the Star Wars brand inherit in this film, no one would even care about it.
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Well... I'm not necessarily a "sincerely devoted Star Wars fan"... I'm just the guy who, for better or worse, was the first person who didn't WORK on Star Wars, to SEE Star Wars... And it certainly did effect my life. However-- This isn't my first time at the wheel... I'm well aware that one does not include EVERYTHING one shoots in one's films. (You don't work with John Hughes and not learn THAT lesson) I'm also very much aware of the film's length issues... And, indeed, one of the points we stressed at Celebration IV, before the show, was that we KNEW we had length issues and that we considered the Celebration screening a test of sorts. We also stressed that this film was unfinished in many other ways... So to attack us for things we made clear we were already aware of seems like pettiness at best and cruetly at worst. This project is not my life-long dream project. It is one of many films I've wanted to make. It is neither my first nor my last. As for no one caring about the film without its connection to Star Wars, I'm afraid you're more wrong than ANY of us could have ever guessed there. We've had many test screenings filled with people who've said they didn't much care for Star Wars, but loved the universality of the main character's story. I've been making films professionally just as long as you, I'm quite sure. And I've made my living exclusively through writing and directing. That doesn't make my work or my opinions any more valid than yours... Just as your experience doesn't confer upon you any greater awareness of what will work and what won't. As William Goldman once said... "There are three rules in Hollywood...'Nobody-- Knows-- 'Nuthin"
Really... Why don't we let people form their own opinions about my film. Unless, of course, you'd like to identify yourself, and rattle off some of YOUR credits and see what reactions they engender?
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Somewhere along the way this turned into a pissing match. And that wasn't my intention. Like I said in my second post, I am impressed that you got 5-25-77 made after such a long time of talking about it working on it. Congratulations, really. You're living my dream, and that's what's important. Instead of talking about 5-25-77 and how we disagree on it, I would rather be talking about auditioning for your next project. I'm just looking for a way to make acting and producing my living. I have talent, and know I was born to entertain. My credits thus far include a nationally syndicated tv show about video games, a few less than stellar indie films, and your basic run-of-the-mill personal projects. You can visit my website, borbafett.net to see some of my work, or google my name, "Ricky Borba" if you'd like. Who cares what I think about your film. I'm just one guy. I have a lot of respect for you for making your dream happen. I didn't mean to come off as cruel, I was just disappointed with your film. Oh well, I'm looking forward to Speed Racer. I've heard to break into this business it's not what you know, but WHO you know. So keep me in mind for future projects. It's always good to have someone who can intellectually and level-headedidly disagree with you. I've read your IMDB boards and bio, you seem like a down to Earth guy who genuinely appreciates the fact that you're living your dream. There should be more like you out there.
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Truce it is. And by the way... I was never angry... Just defending my baby... As ugly as it may be... With any luck at all, there'll BE a next project. And I'd be happy to talk to you about it. Thanks for the olive branch.
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I was at the screening and the Q&A, and during the screening, there were plenty of laughs and the audience got and appreciated most of the references. A 15 year old Star Wars fan may not, but this movie is so much more than about SW, 2001, etc. Those elements should be considered separate, like a backdrop or insight in to the thoughts and dreams of the main character, fantasizing about Hollywood. This movie should not be judged by the sci-fi homages that it makes, but rather be seen as vision from the eyes of a budding young filmmaker in the 70s, trying to make his dreams come true, gain acceptence, and find love. He just happens to like sci-fi, but that's not the ultimate point. This movie is hard to categorize, in a good way, as it has elements of comedy, drama, romance, nostalgia, and even some action. Oh yeah, also the sci-fi movie references (falls under nostalgia). Beyond coming of age, this film has you rooting for the underdog. Forget about how much or how little it is about Star Wars, and realize, as PRJ said, that it just happened to be the time period when the story was set. Sci-Fi fans will certainly enjoy the references in the film, but the crowd for this film, in my opinion, includes both that crowd and a more mainstream audience.
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but I've been using the name Moonwatcher for several years now, and I wish to state that (1) I'm not a filmmaker; (2) While I'm originally from Illinois I don't live there anymore; (3) I'm not responsible for this film, as much as I wish I were. Either there's more than one Moonwatcher out there, or someone committed a typo somewhere. Just thought I'd try to get things straight (or muddy the waters, whatever comes first.)
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I am glad for people making indie films about their passion for Star Wars. And I supppose you could classify me as an 'elder geek'. seeing that I saw it in theatres when I was 10. But c'mon can't we just move it along...?
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Jun 02, 2007 10:55:02 AM CDT
Well Dr. Floyd, I am NOT auditioning for anything...
by cotton mcknight
and I have no aspirations to be in the film business, so i'm not afraid to speak my mind. If this movie is not about Star Wars "any more than American Graffiti is about Wolfman Jack's radio show", then I am disappointed, and I will not be seeing this movie. When I first heard about it, I thought "oh cool, FINALLY someone is going to try to capture everything I experienced when I saw Star Wars for the first time". It's a wonderful idea to explore and i'm still waiting for someone to do it. That you took such a brilliant title away from someone who could have done so much more with it kind of pisses me off, quite frankly.
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The film DOES capture what it was like to experience Star Wars for the first time... And believe me, there's plenty there for Star Wars fans to like... What I'm saying is that the POINT of the main character's life is not Star Wars... Any more than ANYONE'S life should be centered wholly around Star Wars... 5-25-77 was a day filled with many things for me... And, on the surface, even I believed that the most important thing to happen that day was my seeing Star Wars... But no one devotes that much attention to something as ephemeral as a MOVIE opening unless there are other forces-- conflicts-- hopes and fears-- driving them to hope they'll find some kind of answers from the flickering images on that theater screen. Star Wars meant so much to me... And, I'm betting you-- Because beyond it's ability to simply entertain-- It touched a part of you that needed heroes-- needed hope-- needed the belief that a nobody from nowhere-- could become the most important person in the galaxy... Whatever was missing from your young life-- Star Wars helped fill that void... What good is celebrating something if you don't understand WHY you're celebrating it. My film isn't about Star Wars. It's about WHY Star Wars was important to me. And maybe you. And maybe many other people around the world. Go see it. You might just like it. In fact, if you, Cotton McKnight, go see it when it comes out and don't like it... I'll give you your money back.
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and it definately inspired me to study and love film. I wrote a paper on George Lucas when I was 10. I made Super 8mm movies when I was 9 and continued into my teens. I got into acting becasue it seemed like an easy road to being part of the filmmaking process. I look forward to seeing this movie as I miss that era. There were no (affordable) personal computers and cell phones and Ipods the general laziness there is today. I feel that 75% of the films that come out each year are disposable crap and that's due to lack of creativity and the obsession with profit. ARTISTS are not motivated by money or success. And on that note, Speed Racer better not suck....:-)
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I'm kinda late to the game.I just saw the trailer last week for the first time,and I can't stop watching it! :) I've sent it to all my movie geek friends,even to comic book author J.M. DeMatteis.The verdict from all is they love it,and look forward to seeing the film!So my question is,where is the best place to get updates on when the film is coming out,either in theaters or dvd? I went to the website and all that was there was the logo.And just to let you know,I am looking forward to this film,not because of the "Star Wars" refrences but because of the fact that,it's a coming of age story of a kid trying to find his own path.Like the trailer says:"Seeing your future is easy.Getting there is the challenge".As I continue to follow my dream of stand-up comedy,I know exactly what that means.So,thanks for making this,I can't wait to see it!
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But I could be biased. Seriously, it looks 10X better than Free Enterprise.
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5-25-77 is about getting from "here" to "there", wherever that may be. It's about living in the middle of nowhere and wanting to be over the rainbow. The film is about the choice between responsibility to family and friends or your dream and go with the mothership at the end of the movie. It's about how the phenomenon of Star Wars brought pop culture to science fiction and how the geeks finally felt a kinship with everyone and fit in. It's about Star Wars...but less directly than the obvious MacGuffin it seems. -VFX sup on 5-25-77
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...5-25-77 is a beautiful film. Patrick Read Johnson, himself, may not yet even realize the creative gold he has on his hands. I can't wait to re-watch it in its finished state. Again people, it's not about Star Wars, it is about so much more. And thank goodness for that.
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