Lo-Fi Movie ReCreations Are About To Blow The Fug Up

Lo-Fi Movie Recreation: The product of an attempt to recreate an existing (frequently high budget) movie without the budget, technology, or talent that distinguished the original.

Sounds awful, right? They're usually not meant to be screened. Lo-Fi Movie Recreations tend to be simple expressions of fandom, designed to expel a burning compulsion from the creator's system. And geeks sure do have that compulsion. Fanboysngirls have been attempting to recreate the the objects of their cinematic affection since video cameras became cheap enough to give a twelve year old for their birthday.

But the apocalypse draws neigh: soon, the Lo-Fi Recreation will no longer be the territory of the obsessed fan. With two major movies on the subject looming on the horizon, the trend is about to go from underground to all around with the force that will blow YouTube's servers out the back of their office.

The trailer for the film that's going to blow it all wide open, after the jump.

I give you the bootlegged trailer for Be Kind, Rewind, Michel Gondry's latest bit of weirdness (via Solace In Cinema). The film follows the adventures of two video store clerks, who decide to replace their ruined inventory with homemade versions of every movie in the store. The trailer is a little shaky, but the Low-Fi goodness starts at -1:46.


And since Hollywood does everything in pairs, Paramount has writer Daniel Clowes working on a screen version of the true story of three kids who produced the most legendary Lo-Fi Recreation to date - a full length, shot for shot, seven-year-in-the-remaking adaptation of Raiders of the Lost Arc. See the trailer for the boy's opus below, (you can also read Geekanerd's review of the film). The Clowes script is still in the works, but if Be Kind, Rewind does well, which I think it will, you can bet The Adapation adapation will be fast tracked.


Once Gondry's and Clowes' films are out in the public square, everyone and their mom is going to be trying their hand at recreating classic film scenes. And why not? It's easy. Here's what you need to make a lo-fi recreation of your favorite film:

1. A camera
2. A DVD of your favorite movie (which you already own)
3. Ingenuity

Ah, but is it art? An innovative recreation can definitely be entertaining, but is the mere copying of an impressive work of art/entertainment something worth celebrating? The film snob in me says "NO, NO, NO, NO!", but the film geek in me, who remade Episode I's climatic lightsabre battle in high school, will keep me from raining on anyone's parade.

Teens in Peril!Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation

I checked out the special screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation at Anthology Film Archives over the weekend. I was turned away from Friday's show because I only showed up an hour and a half in advance, and apparently that wasn't enough to combat the Village Voice-reading hipster hordes. Saturday worked out much better for me, because my "all or nothing" girlfriend dragged me down there SIX hours before the show started. Dizzy dame.

If you don't know, The Adaptation is a shot-for-shot remake of Spielberg's first Indy flick started by 12-year olds Eric Zala (director), Chris Strompolos (producer/star) and Jayson Lamb (special effects) in 1982 and wrapped up seven years later when they were nineteen. It's painstakingly complete, with the only omission being the runway fight that ends in a gruesome propeller chopping. Everything else is there, from the rolling boulder to the Wrath of God. More words and pics after the jump.

With dark features and a soft midsection, Strompolos doesn't look much like Harrison Ford at first glance, but his performance (impression?) is pitch perfect. Ford uses his face to great comic effect in the original Raiders, and Strompolos has every eye roll, every chin rub, every grimace down perfectly. It's clear this kid spent hours in front of the mirror practicing these bits, and it reeks of awesome geeky obsession goodness.

The film is incredibly exciting, and one of the main reasons for that is the fact that the kids playing all the parts are in nearly constant danger. Not shiny, make believe, Hollywood danger, but the tangible, terrifying, seriously life-threatening kind. You'll witness gasoline-doused kids catching on fire, startled snakes snapping at adolescent faces, kids falling out of and being dragged under moving trucks... The Adaptation has every peril of Spielberg's original, except without the safety nets inherent in an adult production. There's a persistent feeling throughout this movie that you won't feel watching a Hollywood film, the feeling that at any moment the on screen action could turn into real life tragedy. Seriously, if you love seeing kids in mortal danger, skip Hostel 2 this Summer and track down The Adaptation.

Experiencing the filmmakers' insane accomplishments in extreme closeup is what lends the movie its charm. Their enthusiasm for pulling off particularly harrowing scenes is overtly visible in their performances, making it impossible to keep a smile off your own face. You never forget, no matter what's happening on screen, that you're watching kids grow up in front of your eyes. You'll remember the feeling of young love when Strompolos plants one on his Marion (Angela Rodriguez) and can't hold back an excited grin for the rest of the scene, and it's impossible to not recall your own adolescent awkwardness when Rodriguez nervously undresses in front of her male peers to recreate Marion's imprisonment by Belloq (played here by director Eric Zala). This vicarious experience persists throughout the movie, and it's a big part of what makes it such a unique moviegoing experience.

Track down a screening if you can, and stay tuned for the Daniel Clowes-penned biopic.

Weekanerd: Fake Indiana Jones, Death Note, and Zombies!

FRIDAY, JULY 6

GEEKANERD'S EVENT OF THE WEEK:

• Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation
• 8pm & Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Avenue

A shot-for-shot remake of the classic movie, shot and starring three kids from Mississippi. Produced between 1982 and 1989, the film has only recently come to the attention of the geek elite; Eli Roth screened it in 2003 at the Alamo Drafthouse cinema, and Daniel Clowes is currently turning the story of the seven-year production into a screenplay. Don't miss this extremely rare public screening, with director Eric Zala in attendance! Tickets are $8, or $5 with student ID.

• Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey Signing
• 5-7pm @ Midtown Comics, 200 W 40th Street

Jimmy and Justin will be promoting their "The Hill Have Eyes" graphic novel, the second book out of Fox Atomic Comics. Palmiotti is also the writer of Jonah Hex, Painkiller Jane, and of course the book that's currently driving me crazy, Countdown.

SATURDAY, JULY 7

• Monster Draw-A-Thon
• 3pm-3am @ The Luna Lounge, 361 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn

The second awesome sketch event in as many weeks! Models will be made up like ZOMBIES, so all you fans of Marvel Zombies and Walking Dead will definitely want to get in on the fun. The website promises booze and live rock music to sketch by, making the $25 dollar ticket price seem more reasonable. 21 and over.

SUNDAY, JULY 8

• Death Note: New York Premiere
• 3:30 @ The Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street.
  

Based on the super popular manga series, director Shusuke Kaneko will be on hand to introduce the film. There's also a screening on Friday the 6th at 8:30, with Kaneko doing a Q & A afterwards. Click the link for ticket info, and check out the trailer here.