The Bootleg Files: Hatter

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 807: “Hatter” (2022 fan film short inspired by the Batman franchise).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: Not yet.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A fan film that borrows copyright protected characters.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Who knows

Fan films are a hit or miss affair – they’re mostly miss, IMHO – but sometimes the genre produces a genuine surprise. In this case, there is a very happy surprise coming from a pair of creative artists who’ve turned up before in The Bootleg Files series.
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Kosmonavt (2021)

Posted on July 4, 2022 by Phil Hall

A sexy young Russian lady who doesn’t speak English sets herself up at a chess table in New York City’s Central Park and tries to invite passersby to engage her in a game. A sad faced shlub who was stood up by his date ambles by and agrees to play. After losing badly, the lady encourages him to try again. They continue playing through the course of the day – but where can this relationship go?
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Etheria Film Night 2022

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Emilie Black

Each year, the team at Etheria gathers a selection of some of the strongest short films made by female filmmakers in the realm of genre cinema. This year’ss selection was, as usual, very strong. This short film review roundup is dedicated to these creative ladies and their fantastic work:

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The Bootleg Files: Chagall

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 805: “Chagall” (1963 Oscar-winning documentary short narrated by Vincent Price).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Probably not.

If you’re the type of a movie fan who feels the need to see every film that won an Academy Award, you probably experienced a frustrated pursuit of “Chagall,” which won the 1963 Best Documentary Short Subject. For many years, the film was very difficult to locate – there has never been a home entertainment release and it was absent from YouTube until last August when an unauthorized posting based on a McGraw-Hill Films educational market video popped up.
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The Bootleg Files: Wacky Wigwams

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 804: “Wacky Wigwams” (1942 animated short).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Probably not.

Unless you are a die-hard animation aficionado, there’s an excellent chance that you are unfamiliar with the output of Columbia Pictures’ Screen Gems animation studio in the 1930s and 1940s. Truth be told, their films were never as invigorating or innovative as those from the major Hollywood animation studios of the time, and their obscurity was compounded by not being part of the television rerun culture that ensured cult status for the Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animation.
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The Jackpot Hit (2022)

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Phil Hall

A pair of would-be gangsters trying to break into the Mafia receive an assignment to disrupt a poker game gathering of mobsters and steal the considerable money at stake amid the card shuffling. One of the hoods (Joey Ambrosini) is too eager to succeed while his comrade (Keont’e Collins) is going into the assignment with too much apprehension.
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The Bootleg Files: The Seven Stooges

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 799: “The Seven Stooges” (2014 animated short inspired by the Three Stooges).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: The film did not clear the trademarks associated with the Three Stooges characters.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Definitely not.

I was not planning to devote this week’s column to an animated fairy tale inspired by the Three Stooges, but YouTube posted “The Seven Stooges” in a list of recommended videos and my initial reaction was “Huh?”
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