Monday, Jun. 8 2009 @ 5:00AM
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If you are a frequent Topless Robot reader, you've probably noticed the "Impressive Acts of Nerdery" tag pop up on the site from time to time. Without a doubt the most impressive of all nerdtastic acts are fan films. Thanks to the wonders of fan-created projects, you can spend your work day on YouTube watching the Rockafire Explosion Band singing contemporary hits or taking a trip to a parallel universe where Brad Pitt is starring in a Thundercats movie. Since fan films are completely free of studio interference, they don't have to pander to their audience. This often results in productions that are truer to their source material than Hollywood could ever afford to be, on miniscule budgets no less. There's also the matter of how these Internet epics allow fanboy fantasies to come true. (We now live in age where watching the Ghostbusters fight Freddy Krueger and seeing Batman pummel an Alien are just a few mouse clicks away). Thanks to the easy accessibility of digital video cameras and editing/computer animation programs these days, every dork with imagination can get in on the act. Recent fan films such as The Hunt for Gollum are surprisingly identical to flicks playing at the multiplexes, and the bar for aspiring auteurs is constantly being raised. While you plot your own fan masterpiece, here's a look at nine of the best.
9) Hardware Wars
As someone who has wasted hours of his life trying to track down the Obi-Wan Kenobi-related country song that plays in the Hardware Wars equivalent of the cantina (i.e. a redneck bar), I can tell you firsthand that being a nerd can be detrimental to your sanity/social life. Then again, making Cookie Monster into the co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon is also nerdy and still kind of awesome. The lesson to be learned here kids is that geekiness is best in moderation. As for the film itself, this is the first fan production to get mainstream attention. Legend has it that it was so popular that copies of it were sent to schools throughout the country for classroom viewing. (Someone please verify this in the comments, as it sounds like the coolest thing ever). Classic moments include the Ham Salad gag, the aforementioned Wookie Monster bit, the Reddy Kilowatt cameo and that damn Kenobi song that still haunts my dreams.
8) The Green Goblin's Last Stand
Maximum Overdrive managed to get the Green Goblin's look right but the first Spider-Man film appears to have based the character's appearance on the lead in Star Kid. This is inexcusable, incomprehensible and a whole lot of other words that begin with "in." Goofy though it may be, this 1992 effort from writer/director/producer/actor/probable caterer Dan Poole features the most faithful cinematic portrayal of the Green Goblin thus far. Seriously. The plot faithfully covers the "Death of Gwen Stacy" storyline, with the webslinger preparing for his final battle with Norman Osborn's murderous alter ego. Viewing the film nowadays tends to draw attention to the various budgetary and acting problems that plague the production. But if you're willing to overlook such gripes you'll find a genuinely entertaining short film that does Spidey right. At the very least, you won't have to worry about Macy Gray showing up.
7) Batman: Ashes to Ashes
Although it would be awesome to see Batman teaming up with Gene Hunt to fight crime in 1980s London, this Ashes to Ashes is instead Bats' bleakest adventure yet...and the most French too! Clearly inspired by Sin City, filmmakers Julien Mokrani and Samuel Bodin have crafted a nihilistic tale in which the murder of Alfred finally sends Batman over the edge. Bloodshed ensues. Lots of it. Harley Quinn, The Penguin and an especially disturbed Joker all make an appearance, and there's a bit of confounding violence towards the end that makes The Dark Knight look like The Smurfs. An exploration of Batman at his most psychotic, the film often approaches perfection.
6) The Odd Star Wars Couple
Who would have guessed that Chewbacca keeps coasters in his bandolier? That's just one of the revelations in Kurt Ramschissel mash-up of Star Wars and The Odd Couple that recasts Darth Vader as the snobbish Oscar Madison and Chewbacca as neat freak Felix Unger. Are any of you readers affiliated with Lucasfilm? If so, please try to convince his Georgeness into making this show instead of that live -action series malarkey he has been planning.
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71 comments
Comments
davelog said:
Hardware Wars - check
Dead End - check
You had the two I was looking for when I saw the title. Nice list.
ChErikS said:
Where is the awesome Marvel Zombies trailer that showed up last year?! That thing was absolutely beyond belief.
MattK said:
Okay...the only version of Gremlins 2 I ever saw was a copy off of Pay-Per-View...and as far as I know, it was identical to the theatrical version (Gremlins tearing the film and Hulk Hogan being approached in the theater to threaten them with his 'roided up guns).
cummins said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl65Narc-6M
That's the alternate John Wayne sequence.
It's interesting to note that even the Gremlins 2 novelization featured a sort of "film break" sequence in which the Gremlins starting wreaking havoc with the author.
When Farts Have Lumps said:
When I was in grade school, they did infact play Hardware Wars on a reel to reel for a class treat.
Was awesome at the time...
Now... looking back...
W T F ?
The beginning of MEME? The first true SWEDE?
Great list.
I do agree the missing Marvel Zombies should be on this list.
Don't push too hard today.
Jonesie said:
Great list, even though it's more of a fan trailer, Grayson was an awesome fan made film.
Kevin said:
There are some great fan productions that are trailers instead of actual films, including Marvel Zombies, and I can understand them not being included here.
Joe said:
Sorry, but I always thought Dead End to be overrated. The guy was an employee at Stan Winston studios so he wasn't without resources, and he basically just threw famous monsters at Batman without much of a plot. Several of my firends and I watched it and we all were kinda "Meh".
Of course for true fan film Awfulness, there's "The Death of Batman". I only saw it once, but I could swear there's a scene where Batman is raped by a junkie.
DJ Maniak said:
Where's "The Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special"?
Sci-Fi Gene said:
For that matter, where's Star Trek XI?
JohnMatrix said:
I have to think that Raiders: The Adaptation deserves and honourable mention
From the Raiders of the Lost Ark wikipedia article:
An amateur, near shot-for-shot remake was made by Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, and Jayson Lamb, then children in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. It took the boys seven years to finish, from 1982-1989. After production of the film, called Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation, it was shelved and forgotten until 2003, where it was discovered by Eli Roth and acclaimed by Spielberg himself who congratulated the boys on their hard work and said he looked forward to seeing their names on the big screen. Scott Rudin and Paramount Pictures have purchased the trio's life rights and will be producing a film based on their adventures making their remake.
It is amateurish (what do you expect from a bunch of kids spending all their pocket money on a remake of a big budget film), but it gets mad props for sheer guts and tenacity.
Rattrap007 said:
Troops and Batman: Dead End? Yup. Two I expected were on there.
I just watched the Gremlins 2 one for the first time. Excellent work. A little bit longer than the John Wayne or Hogan stuff, but a lot of fun. It is missing Batman saying something to the Gremlins and audience about them not bothering you again...
varrior said:
lol @ Gremlins 2 one, I love it
longbowhunter said:
Anybody ever see the Superman:Luthor for President fanfilm?
J owens replied to longbowhunter:
Yeah, I've seen it, it's FULL LENGTH (not just a trailer) and awesome, especially the guy playing Clark Kent/Superman.
You can see a full scene on you tube- here's the link.
Bill said:
Why was Bullseye in the Spider-Man movie? As far as I recall, the two characters have never even met.
I also admit that I was hoping for the Marvel Zombies trailer on the list.
cummins said:
Bullseye and Mysterio are in the trailer for "Green Goblin's Last Stand", but not the actual film.
Clive said:
I can definitely clear up a few things in this article for you, as I wrote a book about the history of fan films, Homemade Hollywood, which covers how most of these movies were created.
--Hardware Wars (covered in my book) isn't technically a fan film, since it was made for profit. Although the producers tried to get it distributed with Star Wars (Lucas himself set up a meeting for them at Fox), it was ultimately distributed by a company that specialized in industrial and educational films ("Foot Fungus and YOU!"-type stuff). Hence, it was seen in schools, PTA meetings, church functions, etc. all over the US, and ultimately, it became the highest-grossing short film ever. The crazy story behind its creation includes screaming matches with Francis Ford Coppola; the birth of Oingo Boingo; and more.
--Green Goblin's Last Stand (also covered in my book) was made for $400. Can't believe you didn't mention that Poole swung off a 6-story building without a net. Every time I see that, I'm convinced he's gonna kill himself.
--Ashes to Ashes. Well, I have to disagree here; this movie is an incoherent mess, and I reviewed it as such on my daily fan film blog, fancinematoday.com.
--The Odd Star Wars Couple (covered in the book) is one of the unsung greats. I don't know why more people haven't seen this one; it's a classic. They made a sequel about making it, which was awful but it's not online anymore.
--Troops (covered in the book) is a classic if only because it ushered in the modern era of fan films. In truth, fan flicks go back to 1926 (Little Rascals!), but they became an internet phenomena due to Troops.
--Dead End (covered in the book) was fun but I've always preferred Collora's follow-up, a pseudo trailer for a Batman/Superman flick called "World's Finest." B:DE was the flick responsible for getting fan films banned from San Diego Comic Con's annual film festival; reportedly it made Warner a little too nervous.
--Gollum. Great flick that came out too late to be in the book. "Filmed for less than $6,000, making it the first film in history whose budget was less than its target audience's average credit card debt from toy buying."--funniest comment I've seen on it.
--Batman: New Times. DAVE School is mentioned in the book a few times, and I show this one at fan film lectures I do at libraries and stuff, but this flick isn't in the book itself. Love it though; another under-appreciated classic of the fan film genre.
--Gremlins 2. Eh. Technically it's amazing, but it's never done that much for me. On the other hand, Joe Dante loves it, and who better to impress than the director of the real movies?
Anyway, great, thorough list--you really know your fan films!
Clive
Josh said:
aww no TIE-tanic?
Speeder bike going in and out of water = priceless
Mount_Prion said:
While I'm not sure if this counts for this specific list, I would nominate this particular fan video for Mr. Bungle's "Pink Cigarette."
My girlfriend showed it to me on our first date, and that is largely the reason I'm still seeing her.
DrPluton said:
Please, do not mention Marvel Zombies. That was the only time I have ever felt sick from reading a comic. The idea that they maintained sentience while still craving human flesh almost made me vomit.
Church said:
No Starship Exeter? Hidden Frontiers? New Voyages (or Phase II, or whatever the hell they're calling it now?)
I call shenanigans.
PirateDad said:
I love Hardware Wars dearly, but the fact that it is legitimately commercially available (you can buy the DVD on Amazon) should disqualify it from being considered "fan made" in the same way as the other films listed. It's more of a low budget commercial parody.
longbowhunter said:
I also didnt like the Marvel Zombies comic...I just felt bad reading about heroes I've looked up to and admired for most of my life eating and killing each other. I dont even know why I read it...morbid curiousity,I guess. That being said,the Marvel Zombies fanfilm trailer thing WAS very well done...especially since they did a practical zombie Hulk that looked great and featured no CGI.
DavidH said:
This list should have included Powergirl. Really well done and the girl look like Starbuck in a powergirl costume, so bonus.
Selaphiel said:
Am I seriously the first commenter to notice a lack of Dead Fantasy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryH1TB4gEUY
I cannot wait for decent quality, complete, versions of 3-5... (Right now there are only fan-recorded videos of in-progress versions show at a convention)
chad said:
awesome list. though would have had troops and batman dead end at number one and two. and glad hardware wars made the list. three good picks.
Clark said:
Hardware Wars sent to classrooms: confirmed. I first saw it in my Contemporary Communications Media class at Leland Jr High, Bethesda MD in 1980.
Freddie said:
The John Wayne break-up from the original VHS release of "Gremlins 2 : The New Batch" is, in fact, on the WB DVD release. It's an easter egg. Pop in the disc, go to "Special Features", scroll down to "Gag Reel", hit "right" on your remote and Voila! The Gremlin Hand lights up, click "ok/enter" and it will play the John Wayne sequence.
Anywho, Gremlins 2 is easily one of my favorite fliks of all time, and the fan extended edit is just amazing!
Kiri said:
What, no Titanic II? No Thundercats? :O
Phil-Z said:
No love for Trooper Clerks???
spacekicker said:
I remember being a little tyke when I saw Hardware wars for the first time and it was either at School or at a Library, for some school like function. No Joke.
JPyke said:
I've always loved Art of the Saber. Sure the costumes and props are cheap, and the voice over is cheese. But it really ranks up there for coolest lightsaber fight.
Esbat said:
@ Selaphiel: holy crap, Dead Fantasy is AWESOME!
Robert Wood said:
I definitely would have had Grayson on my list. Also the French Green Hornet short. That was one of the coolest fan films I've ever seen.
Law Dog said:
Grayson should be number one. Better than all the others combined (and most of those are great.)
NeoXorn said:
Where are the Power Girl fan films?
Allison said:
I think the reason he didn't include Marvel Zombies or Grayson is because they are only fan trailers and not actual full length films.
OM said:
"Where's "The Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special"? "
...Agreed. That beats the living dogfuck out of any one of those others, especially the one you picked for #1. Just for that, I hope the Main Man pays you a visit and gives you a third nostril with his hook!
jdh417 said:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7387445264943211647
What? No IMPS the Relentless? It's made by the same guys who did Troops. Even though it hasn't been finished, it's still 20 minutes of better Star Wars action then those three prequel films.
Xaos Bob said:
@ jdh417
THANK you. I was gonna say!
charlie said:
In was in 4th grade when my teacher broke out the Hardware wars old-school film reel for movie day. It was fantastic.
JUstin Tiwlider said:
OMgosh no way, thats some of the coolest films I ever seen!
R
Twww.anonymity.2ya.com
RJ said:
Where is the fanamatrix? I loved that film, it was great. Well shot and stuck together, plus it didn't look so incredibly fan made.
wtf said:
what about the green lantern made trailer?!!!!!!!!
Gremlin said:
WHEN THE HELL ARE THEY MAKING GREMERS #3
The Big Bad Booty Daddy said:
Great list. All the films I was looking for are there. But Troops should be #1. That thing was revolutionary.
Rawr said:
Why am I not surprised every single one of these is made in the States..
silvershanks said:
No GRAYSON? Shame on you...
adam said:
Hardware Wars sent to classrooms: confirmed. I first saw it in my Contemporary Communications Media class at Leland Jr High, Bethesda MD in 1980..
Clive Y said:
The crazy thing about Hardware Wars is that Lucas has often said it's his favorite Star Wars spoof--but one of the creators of HW says LUCAS IS LYING! It's a weird story as to why, which includes Francis Ford Coppola blowing his stack, Oingo Boingo, and all sorts of other stuff. Incidentally, HW was distributed by an industrial/educational film company, hence it went out to schools, libraries, etc. around the country. It was rented so much that it because the highest grossing short film of all time!
All this is covered in my book on the history of fan films, Homemade Hollywood, which came out a few months ago. It traces fan films all the way back from 1926 (Little Rascals!) to efforts made by Andy Warhol and Hugh Hefner, to the CGI-packed creations of today. Along the way, it looks at what these flicks say about our culture and what they will mean for the future of fandom and copyrights.
Some of the other films from this list included in the book are Troops, Odd Star Wars Couple, Batman: Dead End, Green Goblin's Last Stand
edc said:
green goblin's last stand looks ridiculous, the movie design is much better.
Gizmo said:
That Gremlins video is too awesome, I love it! Thanks Rob!
TrooperClerks said:
Great list of Fan Films, thanks for posting it.
I agree with your choices a lot. Film is subjective as to what each person likes, and there is a lot of good stuff out there in the fan film community to choose from. Thanks for supporting the filmmaker community effort by writing/blogging about what you think is the best stuff out there. It's always good to get the word out that these things exist.
Geekdom to the max!
Jeff said:
When I was a kid, Hardware Wars was played every summer at our small town library during a summer kids program.
Larry said:
No mention of the Greyson trailer. That was one of the best I've seen.
J.D. Ray said:
What? No "Reign of the Fallen"? Almost an hour long, well written, good special effects, and made for $7,000. And, as a Star Wars fan film set on some desert planet, the fact that it was shot in New Jersey just makes it all the more cool.
B. Roy said:
I agree with Larry, no mention of the Greyson trailer? That thing gave me nerdgasm induced goose bumps the first time i saw it.
Joey said:
I was expecting to see that Arkham Asylum fan film that was in spanish. Here this one:
http://video.xfree.hu/?n=alanw|5e96d6e6c3d13eeced8b8867d58f2a3e
Chris Mullen said:
This list seemed weighted toward Batman fan-films (he's got a lot of them, it seems). But did you ever see IGN's April Fools Day Zelda movie trailer? It was so good looking it fooled a lot of people until they fessed up the next day.
Kalebarkab said:
I want to find good pop music. Help me please.
Ashes to Ashes Team said:
Hi !
Thank you to the toplessrobot.com team !
We are very happy to be in your top.
Thank you again !
You can watch our Batman fan film with this link : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9fnir_batman-ashes-to-ashes-hd_creation
A2A Team
Melissa said:
I first saw Hardware Wars when I was in kindergarten. I remember seeing it on a screen projector. I don't know if a special copy was sent to my private school, but I can't imagine someone going out and looking for it to show kids.
Chris said:
How is Grayson not on the list!!! It should be #1!!!
Me said:
Wait what about that Raiders of the Lost Ark remake those guys made? It was so good they were guests on Conan.
Me said:
Here is a link to the story they even got invited to Speilbergs office.
http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-06-26/nyc-life/a-jones-for-indiana/
Chris said:
I'm a 1st generation Star Wars fan and can verify that I saw Hardware Wars at school. I saw it on a special fun house half day we had with lots of other activities.
The Lithumbian said:
I enjoyed all of these. I first saw Hardware Wars at a Philadelphia Public Library after hearing about it from friends back in the day. It was twisted then and seems even worse now.
James McG said:
There's a fanmade film called Forcery which is a riot. It parodies Misery but with George Lucas held hostage!
kalyarn said:
Coming in almost a month late, but still...sorry if this was covered above, but the thing I find most intriguing about HW is that the VO is the same guy from Haunted Mansion (the actual ride). Or am I just being stupid in pointing that out something so obvious?
Sniper-Viper said:
Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy anyone?
http://www.mgs-philanthropy.net
