Cool News
Jinkies! The Latest on '77 (formerly 5-25-77)!!!
Hey folks, Harry here... A long time ago, I screened a movie called 5-25-77 at the Alamo Drafthouse. The film was still in rough shape - in terms of visual effects, sound, editing, etc. But director Patrick Read Johnson really really needed the help of the audience he was making the film for. Geeks.
He'd been editing on the film for quite some time. And at that juncture it was very much two different movies. One, was a bit goofy. The other was seriously great. But at that point, Patrick wasn't confident in that "great" story - because frankly... it was his life, the drama of it, the memories. Was he just being self-absorbed? Well, yeah... but that's kind of the point of shooting an auto-biography cinematically. And the only great Auto-Biographies are those that have the courage to be honest.
Patrick went back in on the film, took it to the Hamptons and came away with one of the top awards! He learned more from that screening - and that's where I lost touch with Patrick - till I got sent this link: STARLOG's story on '77
And it made me smile. Of course this story is at STARLOG, Patrick - like many of us, grew up with Starlog monthly. I used to get mine at a 7-11 3 blocks from my childhood home - and when Patrick and I chat - we often talk about old rumors and newsbits of abandoned legendary projects that existed and then didn't - that we read about and dreamt about due to the wonders of STARLOG!
You should definitely check that story out! And you can bet, that until it is released - we'll continue to cover and keep you up to date with '77!
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This movie is taking it's sweet time coming out.
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Because I think that's when I first read about this movie. The cast has probably forgotten they were ever in it by now.
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May 26, 2009 12:04:57 AM CDT
Would've made a good double feature "Grindhouse" style with Fanb
by angry mike
except Grindhouse sucked.
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...if thats even possible. IMDB it. the lead actor looks half retarded.
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Being a Star Wars geek is one thing, spinning an interesting, watchable movie around that geekdom is something else entirely.
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He needs to finish this movie.
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Yep! You were first! Welcome to the "First" posters douche bag club!
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May 26, 2009 12:44:27 AM CDT
ONE OF THE RARE DAYS IN WHICH AICN EARNS ITS NAME
by the_man_behind_the_curtain
You should stick to this kind of stuff Head Geek, instead of shit like Script Girl or what you saw on Youtube yesterday.Cool news = interesting news.
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I'm sorry, but the movie was ultimately a mess, and very disappointing. One of the few times I disagreed with an AIC recommendation.
I have hopes for this '77, though. -
You took an enjoyable little movie from the 70's and turned it into a colossal waste of time!! You! Ever kiss a girl? No seriously, get a life.
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James Cameron will totally fucking destruct cinemas in December.
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I'm a multiple member of the "first" club and actually had business cards printed up to show to women.
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I have been waiting for this film for a decade now--I can wait a little longer...
This and MOON are the two low-budget films I am really looking forward to this year. -
Ever even come out yet? Whats the deal with that?
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Sam Rockwell deserves some of the wierd devotion Bale gets from a majority of the talkbackers.
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Master the art of the torrent, my son, and it shall be seen to you.
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The trailer for this film speaks to my soul. Maybe not for everyone... a bit unpolished maybe...but I can't wait to see it. It's what indy filmaking is all about. I love the Terminators and the Transformers... but this kinda stuff is from the heart.
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Yeah I know its out on DVD and all. Just fucking around. Not like I can't see the 500 banner ads for it on this site.
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Due to his rant and people starting to make amusing jokes about it. Of course, all these idiots beat the joke into the ground and still aren't stopping, thinking they're hilarious. Now everyone is in on it. Same type of shit like the "Epic Fail" jargon going around. The internet only inflates more sheeple behavior.
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This thing is becoming the Duke Nuke'em Forever of the movie world!!!
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and the rent's due, motherfuckers.
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no one cares, douche bags. and i was there.
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Why you Yanks have to fuck your dates around when the entire rest of the planet goes smallest to largest (date, month, year) utterly escapes me.Perverse ex-Colonials...
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Because when we speak the date, that's how we say it. The month first, the day second, as in May 26, 2009. So we write it 5-26-09.
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Damn you to hell!
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Back in high school. Seriously, has it been 10 years and this movie has still yet to see the light of day?
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just plain bad
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Seriously, I picked up Jay & Silent Bob in the $1.99 bin at my grocery store after enjoying Clerks so much. After 10 minutes I was like WTF is this flaming asshole of a film. After 20 I was barely paying attention. Two minutes later I threw it in the trash and put on a better movie. J&SB was shit on top of shit piled on top of a hamburger bun, and served with a side of Suck ASS. And that's about as kind as I can be to J&SB. This movie looks light years better, plus it has the original nerd from Freaks & Geeks.
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It was one of the first stories I remember from AICN...
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May 26, 2009 8:01:28 AM CDT
After the runaway smash that was Fanboys, this is surefire hit!
by rev_skarekroe
Star Wars nerd nostalgia films are what the public wants!
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with people bitching about the movie and all other movies vehemently over campfires, walkie talkies and CB radios?
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It was main stream. It became a geek thing between 1983 and 1999. Honestly, you want to know what seeing STAR WARS was like in '77. Watch the episode of THAT 70's SHOW where Eric and the Boyz go see the movie. They dug it, they were into it, their parents and older siblings and the girls didn't get it, but that was it. They geeked Eric up later which was sort of an anacronism, like long hair and polo shirts on the FONZIE show. But that was pretty much it.
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May 26, 2009 8:25:36 AM CDT
Comparing this to Fanboys is like ..............................
by the outlander
comparing Star Wars Episodes IV V & VI to Star Wars Episodes I II & III.
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Do you actually go around verbally telling people that it's "The 25th of May" or the "4th of July"? Or do you say "It's May 25th" and "It's July 4th"? Just curious, you fascist...
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May 26, 2009 8:52:50 AM CDT
I remember hearing about movie on Attack Of The Show...
by the amazing g
in like 2005, but apparently it's been around much longer than even that, looks awesome though
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also Arteska, you're post makes me laugh
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DAMMIT! I need to go to bed
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Seriously, those two are fucking professionals. Fuck FANBOYS.
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May 26, 2009 9:00:12 AM CDT
If '77 is the year geekdom triumphed, then '99 is the year
by yackbacker
Geekdom was dealt a death-blow. Why do you build me up, Jar-Jar baby just to bring me down?!
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Anybody remember when Starlog said that SYBIL DANNING was going to be in "Star Wars IV"? This was after Return Of The Jedi came out. Starlog sucks.
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Not that I think there's a right or wrong way to write the date, but just for info, I can't speak for Biggus Dickus but certainly where I live in the UK people really do say "The 25th of May" and "The Fourth of July". Mostly anyway. I was under the impression you guys did too, at least for that last one, as in "Born on the Fourth of July" etc.
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what any of this means
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to say the date first! But here's the problem... If a time-traveller came up to you and was all, "Quick! What is today's date??" you'd be all, "Well, my good sir, today is the 25th day of the fifth month of the year of our lord 2009." But you wouldn't even make it through that sentence before the time police come through the portal and laser his ass. Whereas if you immediately said "MAY 25" then he might have been able to hit the switch on his time portal thing and zap on out to another point in time before getting his ass lasered by the time police. Just sayin'
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I wonder how the Germans say it?
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I feel like the writer of that Starlog article, without the direct attachment to the project. '77 has appeared on the radar screen for all of us a few times over the past several years, and each time I've been excited about it, and then it disappears.
This article is a great read. The film will appease old school Star Wars fans, but the film and the story of making the film will be inspiring for aspiring filmmakers. I'm allowed a much better connection to that part of the story now because of the experience of knowing my brother and our friend, their challenges and successes in getting their films made. So, I'm thankful for that. -
These kids have no clue what it was like back then. I saw Star Wars that weekend. I was the only thing I wanted for my 11th birthday, to see that movie. I was to young at the time and to isolated to know anything more than the trailers I saw on tv. No one understood why I wanted to see that movie since there hadn't been a sci fi movie for kids in forever. That's right, Star Wars was for kids. Just because everyone else liked it doesn't change that. Then it hit big, not big like you think of today, but bigger than anything you can imagine. On the cover of every magazine, not just movie mags, talked about by everyone, not just geeks or sci fi fans. Those of us who were around at the time can never convey to you and you will never understand how big that movie was and what it meant to modern cinema.
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These are such gems.
"This wasn't your first time, either! Your first time was when you saw the coming attractions for Star Wars; you had tears in your eyes! How could I ever compete with that?"
"To everyone else, movies are something you watch when you're tired of real life. To you, real life is something you do when you're tired of watching movies!"
"Just remember something. Life doesn't move at 24 frames per second. It moves a lot faster."
"Hollywood might be a door. Might be a wall. I won't know till I touch it." -
May 26, 2009 9:50:49 AM CDT
How hard would it be to just tell us what this "great story" is?
by thecontinentalop
Jesus, Harry, you must be the sloppiest professional writer on earth. Did you not think that telling us what the movie was about might make us more interested in seeking it out? Or was that too much work? Oh well. At least you didn't mention your dick. Good job.
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...but let's not try to pretend that geekdom didn't exist. It did, though it was more literary than it is now, and there were fanzines instead of websites, and conventions were not the grand affairs that they are these days.In fact, though I have no firsthand knowledge (being just a wee lad at the time) I would venture to say that the geeks of '77 were probably LESS into Star Wars than the general public, since it was a populist "space opera" and not the sort of high-concept science-fiction favored by the hardcore nerd set.
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We Yanks say "Fourth of July" because it's a holiday. We use it as a synonym for "Independence Day. For every other day of the year we say the month first.
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"Database Error: Unable to connect to the database:Could not connect to MySQL"
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Ah, that explains that then.
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I take your point, the time traveller should probably try to land in the States (assuming his device can move through space as well as time). Having said that, people over here would normally say something like "25th o' May" or more likely "TwennyFiffaMay". Actually if he happened to ask me I'd be more likely to say "Uh, hang on, I remember last Friday was the 22nd. At least I think it was. Ok, what day is it now? Tuesday? Oh yeah, ok so that's 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. It's the 26th of May. Hello? Oh."
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It's working fine. Had a hiccup for a few minutes. Little bit of a traffic boom on STARLOG.com and FANGORIA.com today...
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seriously, couldn't they find a better lid or just wait till his hair grew out? It looks like I'm watching a trailer about a cancer patient.
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I want that on my tombstone!Back to the argument, here in England we tend to know what the bloody month is most of the time, so when asked we just say 'It's the 25th', or whatever. Date, then month, then year - right? Like the rest of the world does. Then again, what can you expect from a nation that has a 'World Series' for a sport that only it plays...
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that if you're a time traveller, the first thing you should do is find a newspaper, just like in the movies. I also rarely know the date and have to do the counting-forwards-from-friday thing.
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what about people emerging from comas? They don't necessarily know the month. WHAT THEN???? I do believe that's check and mate
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But other than a few well placed jokes, the whole flick was just kind of awkward. Sad that the funniest moment was the Kevin Smith and Jay Mewes gag at the roadstop toilet. '77 seems like an actual independant FILM. Not some string of hit or miss (most times miss) jokes made at the expense of Star Wars or Star Trek geeks. It seems like it really has a heart. Hope it finds its distribution soon.
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this is my gens movie everytime i see the trailer i tear up and am 16 again
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what's the status on that Airtight Garage movie you promised me like 15 years ago? Hmm???
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Never heard of baseball in Japan... or Dominican Republic... or Venezuela... That "World Series" trope is about as annoyingly ignorant as hearing someone pronounce the Sceptered Island as "Eng-uh-land" And, just for the record, baseball is boring.
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Major League Baseball is in the U.S.A. and also Canada. So that is 2 nations, Biggus.
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But being as i was a wee lad of 8, my viewpoint is a bit skewed. And my perspective of the popularity of Star Wars was it had as much to do with the special effects advances as it did with the story. Then again, as my father was always quick to point out, Star Wars always seemed like an obvious Buck Rogers rip off.
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I didn't go in expecting any sort of cinematic masterpiece, though.
Same for Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. -
May 26, 2009 12:38:46 PM CDT
Seeing the original SW must have been a transformative experienc
by fa_tass_dinomolester
Who knew Lucas would eventually turn into a gibbering pile of money-worshiping Bantha poodoo? What's ironic is in the original trilogy, he is Luke; in the prequels, he's Nute Gunray, and doesn't even realize it, considering the treatment of that particular character...wonder if there's some subconscious self-loathing, there? Probably not, the big-necked bitch doesn't seem that self aware. And personally, I grew up loving Cinescape...damn, that was a cool magazine. Genre entertainment personified...which of course, was killed by the likes of websites such as AICN. Fuck you, Harry, you creepy crap!
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Brings back some great memories. Will check this out. Thanks.
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I agree, no geeks in 77. Star Trek was in syndication and had a large following, Trek cons were still a new thing and there were rumors and talk about a new Trek movie or TV show. The Star Wars geeks were all still little weird kids in elementary school.
But 77 and Fanboys look like someone else's idea of what a geek is like or what he thinks is funny. This just looks like something I'd be embarrassed to watch with anyone else around. -
because we stuck them with Madonna, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Just watch it Biggus or we'll send Rosie O' Donnel too.
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I'll be good! I'll be good!You can keep Gervais, though...
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So how much does "the alamo drafthouse" pay for the constant mentions? Or do they just pay you in sandwiches? Seems like you only love the ones that serve you, Harold.
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With the lack of success for Fanboys, despite the ridiculously long campaign to get it out in theaters, doesn't yet another Star Wars geek movie seem doomed to failure from the start? Just send it straight to DVD and be done with it.
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....it's a good movie. It is definitely not a star wars geek comedy film like Fanboys. It is a heartwarming dramedy about a small town kid's dream to be a filmmaker. And star wars is his inspiration. It's not about his fanaticism. The trailer is just ok but could be better. It doesn't do the film justice.
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To those that think Star Wars was NOT for geeks back in 1977, you're absolutely right.
I know... I was there... But there WERE geeks in 1977... Plenty of them... They were just Star Trek geeks, or, in my case, 2001: a space odyssey, Space 1999, and Silent Running geeks.
But this film isn't really about some geek and his lone quest to see Star Wars the day Star Wars came out. It's actually the TRUE story of a young filmmaker-- a guy Gary Kurtz sometimes refers to as "Fan 1"-- who's trapped in a small town on the edge of the edge of nowhere, in 1977, making goofy little Super-8 epics in his backyard, with props and models and costumes made from things you might find lying around your garage. He's the biggest director in Wadsworth, Illinios-- And the bullied outsider in his local high-school. A naive, sci-fi obsessed, wish-upon-a-star, teenaged dreamer without a chance in hell of ever getting to Hollywood, who, through a series of unlikely but actual events, ended up doing exactly that... in March of 1977. And, thanks to the help of a couple of Hollywood heroes and an old WW2 cameraman turned editor of American Cinematographer magazine, ended up in a homebuilt screening room at a little place in the San Fernando Valley called I.L.M., watching a little unknown film called "STAR WARS" 2 months before anyone else on the planet-- When the film was still in rough cut form... its blue-screens as yet uncomposited... its battle sequences still intercut with WW2 dogfight footage and clips from DAMBUSTERS and 633 SQUADRON... its entirety playing out much like something made in a backyard... with things you might find lying around your garage... yet still utterly amazing. And hugely inspiring.
But even this watershed event isn't the real point of the film-- Seeing Star Wars is just a catharsis in the film. A fork in the road of a life dedicated to the dream of becoming a filmmaker. A dream that started a decade earlier when the kid first saw 2001 a space odyssey. There are as many nods to the great sci-fi films of the 60's and early 70's in this film as there are references to Star Wars. The movie is ultimately about a boy growing up... preparing to leave home... and facing the sacrifices he has to make to chase a dream beyond the borders of his little town and the limits of his inexperience.
The film is funny at times but it is NOT a comedy... It's not about Star Wars jokes. And it is not, ultimately, at tribute to Star Wars.
It's a tribute to being different... taking chances... and never, never, never quitting.
It's a tribute to a kid I knew 32 years ago. A kid who didn't know things then that I know now... And who wouldn't recognize himself if he saw me today.
I hope, when it's finally finished, you'll look past easy comparisons and simple preconceptions and give the film a chance.
For that kid's sake. And, like the narrator in the original Star Wars radio spots once said... "Just for fun"...
Best regards,
Patrick Read Johnson
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I can't wait to see the final cut!
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none of my friends knew who lucas was, and thought star wars looked dumb talked them all into standing in line with me for 3 hours at the coronet theater in sf on opening weekend the 6th time i went to see it, i took my then gf....and ignored her the entire time ok, so i didnt become a film maker...so sue me
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anybody hear of a little thing called planet of the apes? in sf and other cities, they held marathons of the entire series famous monsters had a huge circulation marvel comics was just coming back into vogue with xmen there werent star wars geeks, and geek culture had yet to rule the world, but we were there... and my dad is an og geek....dont believe me? ill show all of you his amazing collection of sci fi mags and pulps
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That's pretty good! I only saw it 28 times in it's first month of release.
Now CLOSE ENCOUNTERS of the THIRD KIND-- THAT I saw 32 TIMES in it's first month of release!
Geek? ME?
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but when you read the Marvel comic, the novelization (secretly by Alan Dean Foster), bought the little blue star wars sketchbook of Joe Johnston art and had light sabre fights with broom handles in 1977... you were a bit of a geek.
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who isn't ugly while he is in highschool, in the trailer (and I suppose, in reality?) Definately not a geek.
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and now they're back, online? Sweet! I used to buy it at Sydney's newsstand in New Orleans. I remember reading in Starlog about the deleted scenes in Alien in '79 and then having to wait 20 years to see them finally on DVD. Good times!
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I was bit younger than you in those days (10 in '77) but I clearly recall those magical days when Star Wars and Close Encounters were released. True, it all was "just for fun." And what thrilling fun it was. Best of luck on your movie. I'm really looking forward to seeing it. It sounds like an amazing story.
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I'm sick of the Lucas-haters switching to the brilliance of Kurtz!
If that fucker had done his job correctly he wouldn't have been fired!
Where is this flick! I still want it as I saw SW that summer. -
May 26, 2009 6:01:38 PM CDT
A decade on, the spurned virgin geeks are still bitter cunts.
by zodnotgod
1999 was one helluva year for me. Not sure why so many were disappointed. It didn't define me, but it did give me plenty of thrills that summer.
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If anyone is embarrassed by their geekiness to anyone else they need to go fuck themselves, hard and often. Love it or leave it, baby.
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I've been seeing trailers for this shit for three damned years! I don't care if it's not fucking perfect, release the mother fucker and make a vanity-driven director's cut a year later like every body else, bitch!
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The only thing I didn't care for in "Fanboys" was the SW vs Trek crap. I grew up loving both; how can you not if you call yourself a respectable geek of any kind. It's big world, no need to choose.
And if there is anyone out there that does not list "Wrath of Khan" on their favorite movies list of all time, I feel sorry for that poor fucking soul. SUCKS TO THEM! -
And while parts were amusing, overall it wasn't very good. The movie was schizo and rambling. Maybe that's changed now, but it seemed to me at the time more of a love letter to 2001 than Star Wars.
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Seriously, I commend his spirit but I have been hearing about this movie for what, 3 years now? Glad to see he took my advice when I told him he movie should NOT be called 5-25-77, though- as I stated at the time, the movie seemed to have little to do with Star Wars and more to do with sci fi in general. He wrote back with an angry rant, as I recall.
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Really? Seriously? Any movie that takes more than a few years to get from script to screen should just be abandoned? The director should find a new line of work? This isn't an angry rant... It's a truly surprised question. Would anyone here care to make a list for Cotton here of the films he might never have seen if filmmakers gave up on their works after only a couple of years?
Best,
PRJ -
Cotton's right about the film not really being about Star Wars... (see above)
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This is the kind of thing that depresses the hell out of me. 10 years from production and still no release? And all for a film that's going to be mildly amusing, play at 4 theaters then go straight to video?? Fuck that.
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I like that.......I wish more filmmakers had the balls to actually post in the talkbacks
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I really wanted to see it. Was their any mention of this movie coming to any form of viewing.
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Back in '77, I was fifteen,and I was a fan...filmgeek wasn't even an imaginary term. I dug Marvel Comics, Doc Savage paperbacks, STAR TREK, PLANET OF THE APES, and Starlog Magazine. In Fairbanks, Alaska, we didn't get STAR WARS until October, so I had quite a few months to prime my self for it. The mopre I saw from it and read about it, the more stoled I became. When the film came to town in October, my folks let me skip school that day to get in line...I was third behind the guy who ran a local bookstore that catered to the sci-fi and fantasy crowd. It was indeed a life changing experience. It was the true epiphany of my life. After watching it for the first time, I knew that somehow I would find a way to get out of Alaska and into filmmaking. Finally, after a tour in the Navy, I went to film school and got a job at a special effects studio in the Spring of 1987...ten long years later. I had a lot of people tell me to "Get a legitimate job with a future" but I listened to my heart. STAR WARS to me is what the Harryhausen pictures are to a lot of other people...an inspiration. Yes, I am still a BIG fan, and I am in no way, shape or form embarrassed about that. I'm 47 years old now, and have a family, but that wide-eyed fifteen year old still dwells in me, and every time I watch STAR WARS I am taken back to that day in October of 1977. I applaud Patrick Read Johnson, and I hope to one day be able to view his film. Here's one talkbacker who will appreciate it! If people want to make fun of STAR WARS and its brethren, that's fine...everyone is entitled to their opinion. But here's a tasty nugget for you all to chew on and savor...if not for STAR WARS and all that followed, it's a good bet that this website and one's similar to it would not exist. Stop your bitching and have some fun for Christ's sake. You'll feel better in the long run. Oh, and by the way, I really enjoyed TERMINATOR SALVATION.
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(See? I wrote it nicely for you Yanks!)You know, that TRUE defining Sci-fi landmark - 'Damnation Alley'!Laugh? I nearly passed my smokes round...
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Still collect them. Great magazine
with good articles. -
...at Skywalker Ranch? That's what I kept thinking in the previews. The cartoon kids beat them there.
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Similar story here - same age, a small town in TN, and ended up in film school, as well. SW was actually a pretty big deal for everybody - not just geeks (which I'm not). My room was covered in SW posters, etc., though, and I saw the film 20 times during the first YEAR of its release. Good times.
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GOOD TIMES INDEED!!! Going to STAR WARS...and other films...with my friends are some of my fondest memories. I still love going to movies-I'm a bit of a special effects junkie now, though. But movies are stillmy favorite pasttime, hobby, what have you. I'm not as down on things as a lot of people who post here seem to be, because I'm just out for the enjoyment factor. My "life changing experience" happened a long time ago, and I'm not really looking for another. If it happens, so be it, but I don't go to movies expecting it. If it's meant to be, then it will occur, I guess. Until then, I'll keep frequenting the theaters and buying DVD's...it's one helluva passion, I'll say that!
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Well maybe?
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You know... I will actually consider adding Giant Robots to this film. I love me some Giant Robots...
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