Web Wednesday.

Today's Web Wednesday post is going to be a bit of a stretch. That is to say that the subject of today's post isn't, strictly speaking, a product of the Internet. It has existed before the Internet became a part of everyday life. Having said that it, has grown and blossomed thanks to the Internet. In fact it is safe to say that without the Internet today's subject would not be nearly as popular. So just what is today's subject? Fan films. On this edition of Web Wednesday I will be taking a look at some of my favorite Fan Films. As I said they existed before the proliferation of the Internet but have been highly dependent on it for their success. So without further ado let's jump right in.

The first Fan Film I want to take a look at is Batman: Dead End. The film debuted on July 19, 2003 at the San Diego Comic-Con and hit the Internet soon after. The film was written and directed by Sandy Collora. The film features Batman having a violent encounter with a group of Predators. It is just as good as you can imagine. Kevin Smith said it was “possibly the truest, best Batman movie ever made".

Sandy Collora followed up Batman: Dead End with World's Finest. The film was a mock trailer for a full length Batman, Superman crossover film. Sandy Collora has worked on a number of actually movies and has recently released his first full length film titled Hunter Prey. Of his two Fan Films I prefer Dead End but World's Finest is a damn fine film.

Moving away from Sandy Collora, let's take a look at Grayson by John Fiorella. This film, which is also a mock trailer, features a grown up Dick Grayson who was the original Robin. In the story he goes back to his old life to finish up some old business. This is actually one of my all time Favorite Fan Films. I can't recommend it enough.

Recently Fan Films have grown greatly in popularity, prominence, and importance. It has gotten to the point where actual celebrities and industry professionals have used the medium to their advantage. One of the first examples of this was Mortal Kombat: Rebirth. This Fan Film featured Michael Jai White and a number of other actors starring in a re-imagining of the Mortal Kombat mythos. The movie was directed by Kevin Tancharoen who has worked on a number of big budget films. Oddly enough he directed the remake of Fame, Britney Spears' "The Onyx Hotel Tour", and Glee: The 3D Concert Movie. Those may not sound like the greatest credentials but fear not, this film is the most violent and gritty Mortal Kombat movie you will ever see. It was so successful that it lead to an official series called Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Let's finish with a recent entry in the genre. To date there has been three full length Punisher movies. I liked them all but my favorite is easily the second which was simply entitled "The Punisher". It wasn't a perfect movie, by any means, but it was fun. In the the movie The Punisher was played by Thomas Jane. He was awesome in the role. Sadly, for reason ranging from timing issues to financial issues, he did not continue in the role, although he wanted to. Recently he got his wish.  He starred in a Fan Film entitled "Dirty Laundry". The movie was directed by Phil Joanou who directed one of my favorite movies "Three O'Clock High" among many other films. "Dirty Laundry" was screened at the RAW Studios panel at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International. This short film is the best Punisher film to date and shows why Thomas Jane is perfect for the role. To make things even more awesome Ron Perlman co stars. It is too soon to tell if this film will lead to another Thomas Jane filled Punisher, but one can only hope.

As you can see there are many fun and truly well made Fan Films out there. I can easily say that some of them are better than the stuff Hollywood puts out. Take a little time out of you day and give some of these a try. You will not regret it.