SUPERMAN REQUIEM - a Gene Fallaize film

[Conor]

Saw it. Thought it was shite. Bad BAD acting. That girl. UGH! Awful, chubby arms, everything bad about her. Horrible American accents. Superman was TERRIBLE. I even commented on their facebook site and of people agreed with it. He's no Superman. I did however like the guy playing Alexander Luthor. He could act at least. The 'goons'. AWFUL!! If the director was happy with this then he'll never make it in the industry. I admire anyone for trying and I know the production value will be low.

Anyone remember the one with Superman as an old man but he's retired? That was brilliant.

[ye5man]

Just saw a clip of (presumably) Perry White shouting "I'll kick his ass so hard through that wall, he'll think Jesus Christ himself did it"

Um, WTF? I thought Jesus always preached turning the other cheek/non violence. Why not use some injoke and refer to General Zod instead?

I also saw a guy flipping through a few pics of Kidder as Lois. Should it not have been Bosworth if it was following SR?

Looks like it was doomed to fail from the concept, not from the execution

I'll watch the whole thing when I next suffer from insomnia and will provide more concrete feedback

[ye5man]

[matt]

I could only stand a few minutes of the movie. It was like trying to watch the Star Wars prequels.

[Deleted]

Sorry, but that thing is bad. Nearly The Room bad. Yikes. The Sandy Collora Superman was a ridiculous ape-man, but at least he looked somewhat heroic. The guy in this movie somehow looks a million times dorkier as Superman than he does as Clark Kent. The end of his cape is almost up to his armpits, and his physique is weak. A rhyme!

I mean, I know the budget is low and the stunts won't be amazing, but did the "saving a drowning boy" scene really warrant the full-on Superman theme? Should I watch more of the film to see if the theme plays while Clark is picking up bread, or watching Monday Night Football? Thrill as Superman validates his parking! DUH DUHDUH DUH DUHDUH! DUH DUHDUH DUH DUHDUH!

I should add that I despise most fan films, mostly because of ones like these. They're almost always cheap, unoriginal, amateurish vanity projects. Calling it like I see it.

[Paul (ral)]

I was actually laughing out loud while watching this. That Superman porno was done better than this (so I'm told...)

[ye5man]

Might be a good idea to get drunk before watching to notch up the LOL factor ;D

[Melv]

What a pile of shite. They obviously had a bit of cash. What a fucking waste.

Pathetic.

[Jack Tripper]

i too watched a little bit and it was horrible.

from the superman homepage interview with the director...

"I am totally confident that what we will have is something not of 'fan-film' quality, but of true professional-level quality, which is a direct result from having a fully professional cast and crew who are very used to working on multi-million dollar pictures all giving their time and energy into making this film at that same high quality that they're used to working on."

yeah that didn't happen.

[Scissorpuppy]

fan films....

Who knows how much money they wasted on that.

[ye5man]

I just watched that hilarious opening of the kid almost drowning at the start

So amateurish. The north England guy falls asleep, just like that, after coming out with blatant foreshadowing dialogue; the kid doesn't shout for help; that awkward pause after "Superman" rescues him


I hope the investors have learned a lesson. I know I have: to stay the fuck away from any film with Gene Fallaize's name attached to it ;D

[mavcon75]

Nov 12, 2011 11:09:02 GMT -5 Conor said:

Anyone remember the one with Superman as an old man but he's retired? That was brilliant.

I believe you are referring to Tomorrow's Memoir

[crazy_asian_man]

Well....

First off- I've probably seen more amateur films than I really have cared to--- but I've also had the opportunity to have face to face conversations with the folks that have poured their hearts and money into them, so it's almost instinctual now to look at these projects that are offered for free to the public (at expense to themselves) as student films that sometimes have too big hopes attached to them- but feel more of a desire to give them more of a chance knowing that none of the actors or crew who volunteered tried to do anything else but make something good to entertain the masses. ("No one sets out to make a bad film" I think is probably true, with probably few exceptions)

Also, I'm biased because I've made my own flops and know what it feels like to be humiliated globally (and the actors who worked for you as well) on the net- so I am more sympathetic to their plight.

Touting that the project has nothing but a professional level was a good way to get attention- but it definitely seems like that approach backfired in setting people up to expect quality on the level of a "Superman Returns" or even a cable tv series. Not the best move, as the movie production values don't/can't stack up to the 'real' megabudget Superman films--- so implying that it does, didn't help it.

Yeah, there are sequences that came out terrible- but for all the work put into it, it's easy to dismiss all the effort outright, and I don't want to join that camp.

Giant credit should (but rarely is) be given for DOING the film, from start to finish, and having the courage to put it out there. A friend at the bookstore tells me just how often he has customers talk and talk and talk for years about what they would do, but never move from one step forward. Definitely ambitious- and that it got completed is a major achievement, on such a big scale, for no (real) money.

There are spots that I think deserve credit, and some spots that could have used other choices.

The good and the bad....

#1: I know the crowd hates the acting, but I actually think that the acting is pretty good, for the most part. But the script--- ugh!!! Are there some badly acted scenes in here? Yes, but for a fan film, I thought most of the time it wasn't bad.

The two leads I think are pretty good- and they have good looks, particularly Superman/Clark and the Lois surrogate--. The costume isn't the most flattering in its design, but the guy has a good look and I can see why in parts he was chosen for Superman.... though some shots make him look better than others.

#2: The sound quality is great, from my computer--- not an easy feat. I wish they hadn't used the John Williams music here- as I think it recalls the 'real' movies too much (with its professional budgets) and reminds you too much of the real films.

#3: Production wise- there are a lot of locations- for a non-Hollywood budget, it's nice to see for a fan film. Most of the times for fan films, we see backyards, and while the locations aren't by any means John Barry sets--- I know firsthand getting access to locations isn't that easy, unless one's dad owns a ton of them.

((But, having said that--- I certainly wish we didn't see so many blank white walls at times, ( a personal pet peeve of mine for fan films, as that seems to be an easy thing to fix- if not one of the easiest).))

#4: Fx--- yeah.... they're not ILM, but they get the idea across. Some fx better than others.

#5: Scriptwise--- for my two cents, this hurt the film the most, imo. With the resources the filmmaker was able to get, I think he might have been better served if he chose an existing Superman story that could have better fit his resources.

Still, (and I have watched the whole thing), the main actors give sincere performances-- I think while there are a lot of unnecessary scenes with supporting characters, and while I don't think that the final result is professional quality for investors--- it is more ambitious (though perhaps less successful) than the Sandy Corolla fan films, I enjoyed it for the chutzpah in what this guy got done with what he had.

Is he totally satisfied or disappointed with what he did?
Personally, if he was able to have some distance from it, I would totally watch a directors' commentary version of it.

To me, it's far more impressive than "The Phantom Menace" was, because of the resources in relation to final product.

If he feels it's perfect, then.......uh...... I don't know.
If he has stories to tell behind each scene of what he had in his head, versus how it actually came out, that would be interesting to learn from.

My two cents....

[ye5man]

If they wanted to tell a good low budget Supes flick with minimal effects then why not a 'panic of the sky' type plot?

Anyway I agree about the script. The rest is a by product

However, yes, well done on at least taking action and doing it instead of whining on messages boards about "wanting to make movies" but doing anything about it. Above all else, its a learning curve.


At least they know now how not to make a fanfilm, which I guess is a start

[crazy_asian_man]

However, yes, well done on at least taking action and doing it instead of whining on messages boards about "wanting to make movies" but doing anything about it. Above all else, its a learning curve.

I've known a ton of folks who get it done--- but, man, the degree of effort vs. the end results (and reception) for 99% of these folks that try to make something good--- it's less painful to stick your genitals in a blender, I would think. (Never tried it, but can imagine---ow.)

I think I'll always have more sympathy for those who do these things for free and put it out there, than professionals who get paid, regardless of how things turn out. At least the pros get money at the end, whereas on fan films, mostly all they get is pain and shame for trying.... and empty pockets.


((* Though announcing to the world in interviews that it was professional quality may be the thing that puts a target on the filmmaker's own chest the most. I see the effort, and appreciate being able to see it for free, but (like Selutron) you can't shout to the world it's the best thing since sliced bread and expect not to be slung at in the end if it isn't at the level promised.))

[Deleted]

I find these films to be very sad ventures, almost without exception. Sorry, but that's what I think. I could admire someone for pouring their heart and soul into something truly creative, even if it turned out to be a disaster. I'd still make fun of it, that's a given, but I'd feel a little guilty about it. I can admire a bunch of people getting together to make a movie as a goof, just for fun. This kind of thing, though? It's a bunch of adults playing dress-up, with cameras rolling on it- and they act like they're a real production, with press releases and casting announcements. ;D C'mon, that's a bit delusional, don't you think? I mean, I dress up as Ron Weasley sometimes, but that's only when I'm at home watching the Harry Potter movies and eating Spaghetti O's I don't do weird things. And even if I did, I wouldn't feel the need to roll on it and blow all my money playing pretend filmmaker.

[Conor]

Cheers for that!! www.spike.com/video-clips/4gcerf/tomorrows-memoir for a great Superman Fanfilm.

Also, The Hunt for Gollum and Born of Hope are very good too for fan films.

[Deleted]

This was just awful. I watched some of it and skimmed through a lot of it but overall, it's just shiiiitty. It's sad shitty. Not even cute, fun shitty.

[ye5man]

American Jedi is the best fan film type thing I've seen

[crazy_asian_man]

I find these films to be very sad ventures, almost without exception. Sorry, but that's what I think. I could admire someone for pouring their heart and soul into something truly creative, even if it turned out to be a disaster. I'd still make fun of it, that's a given, but I'd feel a little guilty about it. I can admire a bunch of people getting together to make a movie as a goof, just for fun. This kind of thing, though? It's a bunch of adults playing dress-up, with cameras rolling on it- and they act like they're a real production, with press releases and casting announcements. ;D C'mon, that's a bit delusional, don't you think?

There's a saying: "Success forgives everything, failure forgives nothing."

If the result was great, then everyone's reaction might be different.

I wouldn't bash the process.... all filmmaking is somewhat delusional (how else would you explain Green Lantern?). I just think that hating a professional film is fair play; criticizing a fan film is fair play.... but too often I find criticism for these things hit 'below the belt' and is not necessary.

For a professional project, pros are used to it.... and (presumably) they're still getting paid. I shed no tears bashing a $200 million dollar Green Lantern movie.

For a $2 film that genuinely tries--- with no intention of making any money, but genuinely wants to entertain people? If it's a free watch, then someone else is footing the bill to try to make you entertained.

Again, maybe it's my experience of talking to a number of dreamers face to face (I ran a local college film festival for four years) --- and although you get the occassional a-hole that needs to be taken down a peg, it's hard to dump on folks who were in love with a dream they had of making a film.

I'd argue that people have all different kinds of delusions--- but some are more visible (and open to attack) than others. For anyone in love, arguably isn't that a delusion of sorts? But that one is one that's encouraged by society, whereas making a film/video is probably the one delusion that gets the most celebrated when it succeeds, and most despised when it fails.

[ye5man]

I'm sure the film makers prefer to hear the truth other than B.S.

Nothing personal against them - just the product is shit.

[DarrenJ]

This may have been more entertaining if they got the main casting right.

So when the actor who plays Superman walked in the room and they looked at each other with 'that look' (again, trying to sound like professional film-makers) they honestly thought that he was the right choice? Far from it.

Reading up on it all made me cringe in how the team behind it were speaking as if they were a massive successful studio.

Perhaps if they hadn't talked the film up so much with their inflated egos, we may have been more polite.

The only thing I can compliment them on is their commitment, albeit not so worthwhile.

Sure, they actually made a film and that's pretty impressive in itself but if I were an investor in this I'd be deeply embarrassed.

[crazy_asian_man]

Perhaps if they hadn't talked the film up so much with their inflated egos, we may have been more polite.

Good point.

[ye5man]

Nov 15, 2011 18:19:47 GMT -5 DarrenJ said:

(again, trying to sound like professional film-makers)

What, you mean like starting a thread with the title "SUPERMAN REQUIEM - a Gene Fallaize film"

Cos Gene Fallaize is so well known and I'm sure EVERYONE has heard of him


Gene Failz

[Jimbo]

This. is. hilarious. ;D

I've only watched the first 5 minutes. Hilarious. @2:15, why are they holding their guns up like that? That guy in the back is pointing at one of his teammates. Ah derrrr.

Are the accents that bad the whole way through?