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Patrick Read Johnson's 5/25/77 might finally be coming to a theater near you!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I saw a rough cut of Patrick Read Johnson's 5/25/77 and it's a very sweet, emotional flick that needed a bit of work. It looks like he was just able to secure $200,000 to finish the flick, in preparation for a debut at Toronto. It has now been shortened to 77.
If you're not familiar with it yet, the old title referred to the day STAR WARS was released. Johnson made a very autobiographical film about the impact of that film on his teenage brain and how it spurred him to want to be a part of the business. That path led him to some amazing moments of film history... upon a visit to LA he sees an early cut of the film, visits ILM and stumbles upon the set of a certain other science fiction film that was filming around that time, meeting a very young and non-bearded director.
If they call the movie 77, they need to put that apostrophe in it. '77.
Anyway, good luck to Mr. Johnson. Looking forward to seeing the final edit.
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May 22, 2008 2:04:50 AM CDT
I've been reading about this movie for like a decade
by angry mean panda
He (Johnson) was talking it up in AICN chat all the time, and I haven't been in AICN chat in at least five years. I'm sure when he started it it was a good idea, but in this post prequel world I don't know if this idea can really play.
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Why shorten the title? Dumb.
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and which star wars movie did he see early?
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Arianna Richards was in Spaced Invaders. What ever happened to this fine actress?
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Nuff said.
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And it seriously needed a lot of work. It was overly long and it couldn't decide if it was a coming of age story or a melodramatic mess of a romance. Also, it had so many allusions to Kubrick films that, until the end, I wasn't even sure what the hell Star Wars had to do with anything. Nice film, but not worth watching again, IMO.
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Keep it 5/25/77 !!!!!
It makes the title more mysteriously alluring!!! -
And judging from the synopsis, this may be the only thing from a very short list of things to reignite my love for the Original Trilogy. The shower if shit that were the Prequel Trilogy still can't taint the simple, mythic feel of that amazing movie. It seems from the trailer that PRJ gets that, and this movie just draws parallels between how amazing it was to be a kid when STAR WARS came out, and how you might spend the rest of your life trying to recapture that feeling.
Like the girl in the trailer says, "That wasn't your first time. Your first time was when you saw that Star Destroyer on the screen."
It's simple, direct, moving, and quite innocent. A lot like most of our memories of STAR WARS. THIS might bring that magic back to us :D -
become a movie already
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May 22, 2008 4:59:02 AM CDT
The Movie Fan Boys Is A Direct Rip-Off Of This Film '77!!!
by media messiah
The writer/director of '77 should sue!!!
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It looks good: http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%2777+trailer&ei=utf-8&fr=b1ie7
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May 22, 2008 5:09:59 AM CDT
Here It Goes Again...The b1ie7 Part Should Not Have A Space
by media messiah
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%2777+trailer&ei=utf-8&fr=b1ie7
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personal love-letter to Lucas released.
He's a great guy. This has been a long time coming. I'm looking forward to seeing it. -
Generation X's epic failure.
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This should, also, release this year. The daicotomy (god, spelling?) would be fantastic.
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It takes a singular dedication to work on a movie for at least 9 years (it's been at least 9 years since he offered the screenplay to people on this very forum -- I know, I had a copy, but I lost it along the way).
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Why isn't AICN covering it?!?
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I haven't been looking forward to a movie like I've been looking forward to this one. It looks fantastic and pitch perfect!
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I'd sleep in line to be first to see this one. It's an Origins story, not just for the kid or Lucas, but for EVERYONE.
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sounds like a documentary on the number of needles Barry Bonds used in a single season, smashing the record previously held by Jose Canseco.
Or maybe its all about how the the TV show Sunset Strip inspired a young man to get into used car sales.
Either way, I just need 50 thousand dollars to finish them. -
That title makes more sense to the story of the movie than 77 does. Serve the story.
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I mean someone's got to show up at that theater...
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christ, 30 years went by way too fast
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why did it take so long to find the money to complete it...and was the entire movie recast after they made the teaser?
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"5/19/99"...which will undoubtedly let everybody down.
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May 22, 2008 12:35:28 PM CDT
Funny thing is we'll see this flick long before Fanboys
by reel american hero
Ever gets any closer to coming to theaters. Search your feelings, you know this to be true. -
when i read this article i was thinking..meh, sounds like fanboys with no budget (yeah i know both films have been bouncing around for 10 years or so).. but then i watched the trailer, and this looks pretty damn good.
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She has a website up, and she's doing pretty good, but the sounds of it.
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but yes, i'll second that need for an apostrophe if they change the name.
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I had the privilege of seeing a rough cut, which - while definitely rough - overcame my skepticism of the project. I would happily pay to see the finished (and certainly improved) version, and am glad to hear I may have a chance to. As for the title... the movie is a lot more than that one day (and even the anticipation of it), and mostly takes place in 1977, so I could go either way. The important thing is that the film gets finished, and is given a fair chance in the marketplace. Because it deserves it. (And this is coming from someone who despises and resents the prequels, and thinks Indy 4 was a fun cartoon, but not a real Indy movie.)
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My vote is for Close Encounters...
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The day Ice Pirates was released. No...wait -- 6/25/82 Megaforce.
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thats it!
I worked as a dailies assistant while this movie came through chicago. It was by far the most amature hour film I had seen. There is a scene after (Spoiler) he loses his virginity, and he set the cameras (2) in a way that see each other!!!!! now I know I might not be Conrad Hall, but for chrissakes!
all the fuckin lameo nerds that think this movie was worth that 200K... by all means go give him your hard earned Comicbook store money. -
Because i'm IN this movie...aw yeah, who wants to touch me? I had the challenging role as a pudgy dude who sits (behind the main characters) watching a movie.... hell yeah, im all like, an actor now! Where's my oscar?
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But it was far too long, and they should just keep it a coming of age story. I'd see it again in a theatre, if only to find out what was changed.
And 5-25-77, while it would never be accepted by a major studio as an official title, is a much better name than "'77" -
"And 5-25-77, while it would never be accepted by a major studio as an official title, is a much better name than "'77""
Like that's somehow better than say '27 Dresses?' Who gives an f what a studio will *accept.* They are mostly bean-counting little motherfuckers who wouldn't know a good film if it walked up and sucked their balls... -
People might think it's a sequel to Airport '77.
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Jesus Christ, who the fuck cares?
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May 23, 2008 10:31:48 PM CDT
Im glad they shortened it. The director got pissed at me
by cotton mcknight
because in one talkback about 10 years ago, I said I was pissed they were wasting such a great title on something that apparently has very little to do with star wars. In the trailer, I saw TONS of sci fi references, and very few if any star wars references. He was REALLY pissed at me and started posting all this crap on the talkback. Maybe what I was saying sunk in.
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I started working on this film in 2005. The name 5-25-77 is not easy to let go of for me. However, I understand the need to change it, as there is so much more to the story than the opening of Star Wars. It can clearly be seen, even in the rough cut that was screened in a few places, it is a good story that has something for everyone to relate to. Whatever it ends up being titled, it is a really good movie that deserves a theatrical release. And I'm not just saying that because I worked harder on this film than anything in my life. I believe audiences will enjoy it very much.
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