South by Southwest starts in a little over two weeks, which means I am in hyper gear trying to figure out my schedule. This basically comes down to how many movies can I see in nine days. It is a challenging process because, obviously, it is impossible to see everything, but you really want to. When I finalize what my schedule will be, you will all certainly hear about it.
One film I do want to make time for is Raiders!, which has a trailer for you all to check out below.. This is a documentary about a couple of kids in 1982 who set out to make a shot-for-shot remake of the now classic Raiders of the Lost Ark. With YouTube, fan films are not all that unusual. I mean, the amount of people filming themselves with light sabers is ridiculous. But in the ’80s, making a feature length fan film with not the greatest equipment or resources is challenging. But these kids were dedicated.
The one scene they weren’t able to do was the plane blowing up… Obviously. So, all these years later, after their film made waves in cinephile circles, they are given the chance to complete that scene with top quality equipment. It sounds a bit fluffy, I know, but people caring this much about a movie is admirable, at least from another film lover’s perspective. So, hopefully, I’ll be able to catch this one.
In 1982, two 11 year-olds in Mississippi set out to remake their favorite film: Raiders of the Lost Ark. It took seven turbulent years that tested the limits of their friendship and nearly burned down their mother’s house. By the end, they had completed every scene except one… the explosive airplane scene. Thirty years later, they attempt to finally realize their childhood dream by building a replica of the 75-foot “Flying Wing” plane from Raiders in a mud pit in the backwoods of Mississippi… and then blow it up! This is the story behind the making of what is known as “the greatest fan film ever made.”
