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George Lucas Is Ready to Roll the Credits
This was a new feeling for George Lucas. He made a movie about a plucky band of freedom fighters who battle an evil empire a movie loaded with special effects like no one had seen before. Then he showed it to executives from all the Hollywood studios. And every one of them said, Nope.
One studios executives didnt even show up for the screening. Isnt this their job? Lucas says, astonished. Isnt their job at least to see movies? Its not like some Sundance kid coming in there and saying, Ive got this little movie would you see it? If Steven (Spielberg) or I or Jim Cameron or Bob Zemeckis comes in there, and they say, We dont even want to bother to see it. . . .
Lucas sighs. Its true that the movie, Red Tails, is a biopic about the Tuskegee Airmen rather than a space opera starring the Skywalker clan. But the snub implied that Lucass pop-culture collateral six Star Wars movies, four Indiana Jones movies, the effects shop Industrial Light and Magic and toy licenses that were selling (at least) four different light sabers this Christmas was basically worthless. When Red Tails opens in theaters on Jan. 20, it will be because Lucas paid for everything, including the prints.
Lucas, who is 67 and still in possession of the full pompadour, told me his story of rejection on a cold December morning at Skywalker Ranch, in Marin County, Calif. He was sitting on a maroon sofa in the animation studios, wearing his standard billionaire-casual outfit a flannel shirt with rolled-up sleeves, jeans and Nikes while Padmé Amidala, the heroine of the Star Wars prequels, peeked down from two paintings arranged on either side of his head.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/magazine/george-lucas-red-tails.html?pagewanted=print
Uncle Joe
(58,355 posts)during an election season, African Amiericans battling fascism.
The corporate media first, last and in the middle is the corporate media; the vast majority of which supports corporate supremacy based authoritarianism and corporate supremacist authoritarianism is the kissing cousin if not sibling of full blown fascism.
Thanks for thread, spanone.
SomethingFishy
(4,876 posts)Even if you don't enjoy his films his contributions to filmmaking are undeniable.
From ILM to THX Lucas has changed the way movies are seen and heard. A few months ago I was on the road and went to see a movie. The theater was old, the seats were uncomfortable, the projection and sound were crap. Seeing a movie there and then going to my home theater which is state of the art THX Digital was like night and day.
I'm looking forward to Red Tails.
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)The article does not mention this, but I can't help think it was Lucas' little joke,
as in being an "answer" to that gawd-aweful movie called Red Dawn. lol
baldguy
(36,649 posts)99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)I grew up watching war plane "dog fights" ... movies .. I'm sure it
will bring back lots of memories when I see it.
Spike89
(1,569 posts)I'll probably watch the movie and enjoy it, but I'm well out of the demographic range that theaters chase. The OP actually provides (obliquely) ample clues as to why the studios may have been lukewarm at best. Light sabers sell because Star Wars attracts the young. WWII is now a "period piece" and quite frankly, the History channel has pretty much covered that war so heavily that very few people who are interested in it haven't had their fill.
Again, I'm not saying the movie isn't likely to be good, just that the studios probably know it isn't likely to compete well with "The Hobbitt", any stupid rom-com, or the latest raunchy bachelor/bachelorette fest.
mzteris
(16,232 posts)Their contribution to history and their fight for equal rights has nothing to do with this movie being panned. Riiiiiight...
from the previews it just doesn't look that good, too cartoonish. besides i saw it the first time, when it was called "The Tuskegee Airmen."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114745/
Missy Vixen
(16,207 posts)Husband is late 40's. I'm - ahem - over 40. We're seeing it with a couple in their 30's on Saturday. One of the Tuskegee Airmen lives in the Seattle area. My husband would die happy to even shake the guy's hand.
I'm not so much for action-adventure movies, but the Tuskegee Airmen are heroes. I'm glad George Lucas has sufficient money to bankroll this movie. I'm hoping that some of those who don't want to see some of the genres you mentioned give it a try.
C'mon, American public, make the studios eat their words...