I apologize up front for that rather unlucky title whether it leads anyone to think I have seen the new Indy movie. It instead reflects that I’m simply too old to stay up until 2:30 a.m. or so on a school night to watch a movie, even one as potentially cool as that. To complete my transition to solidly middle-aged citizen, however, I am going to see it at the much more civilized hour of 11:15 a.m. today and will share all my thoughts about it tomorrow.

In the meantime, there are a few bits of news out there about citizens I like, starting with seriously “Star Wars”-obsessed Patrick Read Johnson.

For years now I’ve been reading about a flick called “5/25/77″ that was set to star everyone’s favorite “Geek,” John Francis Daley, but I just assumed it was completed and went straight to DVD. As happens, oh, twice daily or so, I was wrong.

It seems that Mr. Johnson has just landed a $200,000 windfall to complete his flick in day to present it at that year’s Toronto universal Film Festival (which I won’t be attending, but I will be at that year’s Savannah Film Festival in October, which I’m already rather jazzed about.)

So, what in the world is that little flick, now simply called “77″ to suit our rather limited attention spans, about? Well, the original title matched the release term of the original “Star Wars,” and the flick is about how Johnson’s obsession with it led him to Hollywood and a career in directing. I haven’t seen Daley, a k a Sam Weir on “Freaks and Geeks,” in years, so here’s hoping that little indie gets some kind of wide distribution after Toronto.

Jonathan Demme, music man

In what I’d have to signal perhaps a slight case of trading up, Jonathan Demme has taken the reins of a new Bob Marley documentary from Martin Scorsese, who presumably is too busy working on “Shutter Island.”

As many probably know well, Demme has a solid history of making docos, musical or otherwise. The most famous is probably still the Talking Heads flick “Stop Making Sense,” but whether I had one DVD-viewing recommendation for the day it would be “The Agronomist,” his 2003 doco about Haitian radio journalist and human rights activist Jean Dominique.

In any case, that Marley flick is now one that’s certainly caught my interest.

All hail the Polish brothers

In an era when truly independent movie studios are rapidly disappearing it’s just extremely heartening to take in that bit of news about the Polish brothers, Mark and Michael.

The siblings, known most recently for the somewhat-satisfying “Astrononaut Farmer,” have formed their own production company, Prohibition, with plans to start immediately on a pair of new flicks.

They will start with “Manure,” a comedy about manure salesmen in 1960s heartland America

that reteams them with “Astronaut Farmer” star Billy Bob Thornton. whether that notion doesn’t construct you smile at least a little bit, there’s probably nothing I can do to help you.

Immediately after that flick wraps in July, they’ll get to work on “Stay Cool,” a comedy that will star, abnormally sufficient, Winona Ryder, Sean Astin and Chevy Chase.

I love movies that have a solid sense of duration and place, which the Polish brothers always do with America’s heartland (whatever in the world that really means.) “Twin Falls, Idaho” and “Northfork,” in specific, are two I can’t recommend highly sufficient.

Is Terry Gilliam coming to America?

There’s a bit of good news about Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus,” which I’d have to assume will be the last movie we’ll ever see with the late Heath Ledger in it.

His folks at Cannes have sold U.K. rights for the flick to Lionsgate and Japanese rights to Showgate. No word yet on distribution in the U.S., but I’d imagine the presence of Ledger alone might be abundant to get that one to my local multiplex at some point.

So, what is Gilliam’s rather crazy flick about? Well, it stars Christopher Plummer as the immortal, 1,000-year-old Doctor Parnassus, who leads a traveling theater troupe that offers audience members a chance to go beyond reality through a magical mirror he acquired through a deal with the satan (Tom Waits, naturally.) When Satan comes to gather on his debt and targets the doctor’s daughter (Lily Cole), the troupe members must rescue her with the aid of a mysterious outsider named Tony (Ledger.) Actually, after Ledger’s untimely demise, “Tony” will now be played by Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law.

Finding out how they pull that off alone is decent to prepare me want to see that one whether it indeed ever makes it to any kind of movie theater near me.

A look at “Vicky Christina Barcelona”

Phillip Ramati, a rather serious TV and movie fan who shares his thoughts about the boob tube daily here, summed up his opinion on that year’s movies thusly yesterday as he passed by my cubicle (and I may be paraphrasing just slightly): “If it doesn’t have Indiana Jones or Batman in it, or Scarlett Johansson having sex with Penelope Cruz, I’m really not too interested.”

Well, as you might imagine, that last bit did spark my curiosity, so I had to seek out a trailer for Woody Allen’s upcoming “Vicky Christina Barcelona,” which indeed stars that dynamic duo, Javier Bardem and Patricia Clarkson. And yes, whether you watch the trailer towering adequate, I believe you do get to see some fairly steamy Cruz-Johansson smooching, which is hopefully decent to liven up everyone’s Thursday work day. Peace out.

Original post by Reel Fanatic