Fantasy Films to Fund, if Favored…

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 13, 2014

Necromancers, Dragons, and Godzilla, oh my!

Once again I violate my rule about posting Kickstarter campaigns here…  Well, okay, it’s more of a guideline than a rule. An intention, maybe. A fuzzy goal? Well, whatever, my usual warnings apply… they may not ever deliver on their promise, participate at your own risk, etc.

In this case, it’s a couple of movies that have been filmed locally. I know the guy who runs Arrowstorm Entertainment (I worked with him … or, I guess, indirectly for him… when I worked on the SAGA MMO), and do like Kevin Sorbo and James Marsters. And comedic fantasy. In the Kevin Sorbo film, Mythica, I thought it resembled what the Dungeons & Dragons movie should have been. And, well, James Marsters is a pretty cool, genuine guy. And he plays a good villain. And… well, somebody’s gotta make the B-movies, right? Actually, compared to the crap I used to watch back in the 80s, these both look pretty awesome. So I’m glad these guys are helping to make sure my children and grandchildren don’t have to go back and watch stuff like  Beastmaster, or Ator the Fighting Eagle, or Sorceress, or Yor: Hunter from the Future ever again. (Apologies to people who love those movies. It takes all kinds, and I know those have their fans. My wife absolutely loves Hawk the Slayer; I do not understand why. But apparently it’s a cult favorite among gamers, which makes me the odd man out…)

Anyway, these films have already been shot, but they need the money for all the CG and post-production goodness. They only have a few days left, and are pretty close to their goals… I think it’s unfortunate they both launched their Kickstarters at the same time, but… them’s the breaks, sometimes. I think they both used Salt Lake Comic Con FanX to launch their Kickstarters, so that’s why they are both going simultaneously.  Anyway, they only have until the end of the week, so now’s the time to pledge if you are so inclined.

First off… Mythica. This one is not quite at their funding level yet, but is really close, and 90% likely to make it. And as much as I like James Marsters, this is probably the better of the two (and again, I know – kinda – the Arrowstorm guys and they have been steadily improving and doing good work)…  And this is hardly their first Kickstarter. They have a pretty good track record of delivering.

Mythica on Kickstarter

Not that it impacts me, but I love this FAQ for Mythica:

Q: Will the DVDs/BluRays be Region Free?
A: Yes. Always. We think DRM is stupid.

Next is Dragon Warriors, starring James Marsters and some lesser-known actors, by Main Dog Productions- but they are also in co-production with Arrowstorm.  The entire show was filmed against a green screen, so yeah… they’ve got a crapload of CG to do. I’m not sure what Arrowstorm is bringing to the table, but again, they have a track record, so that helps reduce the risk.

Dragon Warriors on Kickstarter

And the bonus round… a Rifftrax Live event on Kickstarter. It barely started, and is already nearly funded. They want to riff the 1998 dud, Godzilla (the one with Matthew Broderick), in theaters. The rights are kind of on the expensive side, so… well. I’ve been to a couple of Rifftrax “Live” events (Manos: The Hands of Fate, and Plan 9 From Outer Space), and they’ve been great fun. If you are a fan of the old show Mystery Science Theater: 3000, then you know these guys and what they do. More or less.

Rifftrax Live: Godzilla, in theaters — on Kickstarter

All I can say is that I went into the movie theater in 1998 saying to my wife and co-workers who joined us to see the film, “It’s Godzilla. Giant lizard eats major city. It’s impossible to screw up. I’m sure I’ll enjoy this.” Then, a couple hours later, I left the theater saying, “I can’t believe it. They actually screwed it up. I want those two hours back.”  So… I hope this pans out, because I’d consider a solid riffing on this movie the best way possible to redeem that particular disappointment.

There! I promise not to post any more Kickstarters on here, until the next time at least… 🙂  But I did want to point these out to you folks, as they might strike your fancy.

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