Backyard Blockbusters (2012)

Backyard Blockbusters: Directed by John E. Hudgens. With Chris Albrecht, Robbins Barstow, Clark Bartram, Robert E. Bean. Batman versus the Predator? It happened. Raiders of the Lost Ark remade by kids? It happened. For years, people have been making home movies, many times using pop culture properties that they may not own, but love. In recent years, these types of projects have come to be known as “fanfilms”. Backyard Blockbusters looks at the history and influence of the fanfilm genre, as well as the copyright and fair use problems these films create, featuring highlights from and interviews with the creators of many popular films.

“I had never even heard of fanfilms until I heard about Backyard Blockbusters. I couldnu0026#39;t help but picture myself with a super hero cape after watching the trailer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo what are these u0026quot;fanfilmsu0026quot; that Backyard Blockbusters is bringing to light? Theyu0026#39;re homemade movies made by fans, trying to recreate the worlds of their favorite super or action heroes. Everything from Star Wars to Indiana Jones has been recreated either with humor, a new story idea, or a different insight into a character.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd how do they get away with this, without having those huge money making corporations that own the properties come after them for copyright infringement? Thatu0026#39;s the beautiful part of this documentary – it shows us how the people behind these fun flicks not only caught the attention of the motion picture companies, but learned how to work with them.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWe not only get the behind the scenes of how the fanfilms are created, but we get to see clips of many extremely entertaining films. Fanfilms have apparently been around for quite some time, with some dating as far back as the 1920s! Early on, these films could only be see if they were shared among friends, or shown at festivals or conventions. When the internet came along, during the days of dial-up, some fans waited hours to download a film. In todayu0026#39;s internet world, sites like YouTube have helped resurrect many long lost productions.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo did Backyard Blockbusters deliver? Absolutely! I truly feel like a super hero now, saving the day with a cool doc.”