Lots and lots going on with Homemade Hollywood recently; September saw some big things take place. First off, I got to interview director Eli Roth for the book, as he explained how he got the famed Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation fan film into Steven Spielberg’s hands. It’s a tale that’s never been told in-depth before, so it was a real treat to get the story straight from the man himself. Roth is the writer/director behind the hit Hostel movies and the indie screamfest, Cabin Fever, which have earned more than $100 million combined at the box-office. With a track record like that, I’m grateful (and a little surprised) he took time out to answer questions about a little VHS fan film from the Eighties.
Another big name is going to be a part of the book, too: Chris Gore has agreed to write the foreword–and I didn’t even have to kidnap his DVD collection to talk him into it. Chris is a filmmaker, television personality and writer who has built a solid reputation as an outspoken voice in the film world. As a teenager, he founded the brutally honest magazine Film Threat, which has been named one of the top five movie sites on the web by The Wall Street Journal. Chris is the author of several books on film, including The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, which is considered the bible for fans and filmmakers touring the festival circuit. He also co-wrote and produced the feature comedy, My Big Fat Independent Movie (Anchor Bay DVD), which played over 40 film festivals worldwide and can be seen on the Sundance Channel. In addition, Chris appears on television weekly as the film expert on G4 TV’s Attack of the Show as well as on Reelz Channel’s Dailies show. He has written for The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Video Business, Total Movie, Spin, Blender and Details, and regularly spouts his opinion on his own blog at ChrisGore.com as well as his popular column, “Footage Fetishes,” on SuicideGirls.com.
So as you can see, he’s grossly unqualified. The best part about Chris agreeing to do the foreword? That’s 1,000 words I don’t have to write. In all seriousness though, I’m really honored that an indie film guru like Chris is so enthusiastic about my book covering some of the most independent filmmakers ever. Given that the foreword is the first thing people will read, the rest of the book is gonna have a hard act to follow.
Despite all that, yeah, I did actually get some writing done–mostly about one of the most legendary fan films ever, Dan Poole’s 1992 Spider-Man epic, The Green Goblin’s Last Stand, which found him swinging off of buildings without a net and hanging on to car roofs while his pals tore around the streets of Baltimore. Ya gotta read it to believe it.
Apropos of nothing, I also found a link between–ready for this?–the earliest known fan film and the earliest surviving stag movie. No, really. Did I mention I’m having a blast writing this thing?
Nice gets, Clive-o! I was just in storage in NJ looking at all my old comix and mags, and found my stash of Film Threats. Wonderful pubs! Way to go!