fanfilmbook

I wrote a book all about fan films (Homemade Hollywood: Fans Behind The Camera), which is coming out at the end of November, and I also run a fan film blog (fancinematoday.com), so maybe I can shed some light on some of the topics that got brought up above. While fan films have exploded in popularity due to the internet, they have been around for decades--the earliest I found in my research was a Little Rascals flick made in 1926.

You're right that there's more fan films to be found starring DC characters; I think that perhaps they are just a tad more universal, although some of the most popular ones have been Marvel based--take the classic The Green Goblin's Last Stand, an hour-long fan flick made in the early 90s that has some jaw-dropping stunts, including the filmmaker/Spidey, Dan Poole, swinging off a six-story building, riding on the roof of a moving car and more. He later went on 10 years later  to make a Wolverine fan film called Last Call, where he somersaulted off a second-story balcony, so getting older didn't change him a bit.

 @Stew--The guy playing Joker in Batman: Dead End is Andrew Koenig--who is the son of Walter Koenig from Star Trek ("Chekov"). AK is still best recalled at this point as playing "Boner" on the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains, but I agree that his Joker is great, possibly the best part of the movie.

@dirtiehead--If you really want to see Grayson as a feature film, go to the filmmakers' website (untamedcinema.com), where you can download the full 120-page screenplay they wrote that they based their trailer on. You'll have to picture it in your mind, but you'll get your Robin fix, for sure.

@Chlop--DC Comics actually doesn't have a problem with fan films; I interviewed Paul Levitz, president of DC, about it earlier this year, and he gave me a definitive statement that you can read (and hear the soundbite too) on my fan film blog, fancinematoday.com.

@WinTheWonderboy--Agreed, Batman's Big Date is a riot--very funny stuff, and the fact that they got name people makes it all the cooler. Another funny as hell Bats flick is Batman's Bad Day, where Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and a GL start giving him grief for the fact that he doesn't have any superpower. The filmmakers' site is greenless.com.

@Jumping Jupiter--That's another one I agree on--Chris Notarile (blinky-productions.com) has made a batch of Power Girl flicks, but I'm Power Girl, Dammit is by far the best. Great location, funny story, good acting all around. The dude has made dozens of fan films, and while some are more successful than others, I admire his dedication to his vision.

Anyway, if anyone's interested in finding out more about fan films in general, you're welcome to visit my daily fan film news blog, fancinematoday.com, or even better, look into my new book about fan films, Homemade Hollywood: Fans Behind The Camera. It comes out in late November / early December from Continuum Books and gives the behind-the-scenes stories of some of the most popular fan flicks, like Batman: Dead End, Grayson, Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation; Star Trek New Voyages/Phase II, The Green Goblin's Last Stand, Hardware Wars, Troops, Pink Five, Spider-Man Vs. Kraven (a rare 1973 one made with help from Stan Lee and Tommy Ramone of the Ramones!) and plenty of others. If you liked the movies in this posting, you're gonna love this book (of course, I'm a little biased, but so far, the reviews have been very positive...)