Punisher: Nightmare is a miracle of filmmaking and a walking contradiction. Its portrayal of Frank Castle, one man force of destruction, uses all the techniques and artistry of budget filmmaking backed by the hunger and energy of the independent scene. The story is both brutal and thoughtful, grim and hopeful,
The People’s Joker is a walking contradiction. Exactly what I expected and wildly above expectation. At the same time it was stylish and artless, genius and stupid, ironic shitpost and sincere masterpiece. This portrait of trans comedian Vera Drew, her life and struggles, through the neon CG-soaked veneer of
I come before you today to break a promise. When I started Fandom Underground a few years ago, I said that this series highlighting fan works would not compare these works to their professional counterpart or use the series as a diatribe on the state of modern media. I meant
I come before you today to break a promise. When I started Fandom Underground a few years ago, I said that this series highlighting fan works would not compare these works to their professional counterpart or use the series as a diatribe on the state of modern media. I meant
Punisher: Nightmare is a miracle of filmmaking and a walking contradiction. Its portrayal of Frank Castle, one man force of destruction, uses all the techniques and artistry of budget filmmaking backed by the hunger and energy of the independent scene. The story is both brutal and thoughtful, grim and hopeful,
The People’s Joker is a walking contradiction. Exactly what I expected and wildly above expectation. At the same time it was stylish and artless, genius and stupid, ironic shitpost and sincere masterpiece. This portrait of trans comedian Vera Drew, her life and struggles, through the neon CG-soaked veneer of
Fandom Underground has given me the greatest insight I could ask for into the dichotomy between art as personal expression and art as commercial product. Both come with limitations and downsides. A film made as a personal statement has fewer resources and production values, while one meant to be sold
Wormholes is the kind of artistic miracle that can only happen when the right people are in the right place at the right time, when everything else is going wrong. This no-budget, universe-hopping sitcom was born out of the darkness of the 2020 lockdowns when Gamal ElSawah, Sajda Waite, and
A few years ago I wrote an editorial discussing the shocking majesty of Hidden Frontier, a no-budget Star Trek fan film that reached for the stars and became one of my favorite shows of all time. Since then I ate through every sequel and spinoff and made my way deeper
Friday the 13th has been quiet since its dubiously received 2009 remake, but a group of fans and professionals put that to right with two films that continue the legacy in all its violent, campy glory. Friday the 13th: Vengeance (2019) and its sequel Friday the 13th Vengeance 2: Bloodlines
Well before Neil Gaiman’s nightmarish fantasy comic was adapted by Netflix, recent film school graduates set out to adapt the source material in all its beautiful and horrific glory. This was back in the days when Joseph Gorden Levvit’s failed film adaptation was an early rumor, when Nicholas
