#Sandy Collora

[chernobog13]

Still from the fan film World's Finest (2004), which was presented as a trailer for a non-existent feature.

It was directed by Sandy Collora, and starred Mike O'Hearn as Superman/Clark Kent, with Clark Bartram returning as Batman/Bruce Wayne.

Bartram had portrayed Batman the previous year in Collora's short Batman: Dead End, wherein the Caped Crusader took on the Joker and a Predator, before finding himself surrounded by more Predators AND xenomorphs from the Alien franchise.

See World's Finest here:

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed: ZVP

[The following review contains SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.]

I somehow missed Junya Okabe’s ZVP when it was originally released on YouTube way back in 2017, which feels like an unforgivable oversight on my part—after all, it appears to have been created specifically to appeal to my peculiar cinematic sensibilities. I absolutely adore this flavor of fan film; a less explicitly mercenary variety of unlicensed adaptation, it scratches the same itch as a decently trashy rip-off or mockbuster (à la Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins) without the moral stain of being a cynical cash grab. It’s a purer breed of “derivative work,” motivated not by greed, but by genuine affection for the source material.

And that love certainly shines through in this ambitious crossover between the Zatoichi and Predator franchises—an epic mashup that positions it as a spiritual successor to Sandy Collora’s seminal Batman: Dead End. Despite the obviously limited resources at his disposal, the director demonstrates remarkable technical proficiency and command of his craft: the cinematography, fight choreography, and even sound mixing perfectly capture the style and atmosphere of a classic chanbara flick—with a few comparatively fanciful flourishes thrown in for good measure (some of the more fantastical costumes, for example, draw clear inspiration from the tokusatsu genre and shonen anime). The color grading is particularly impressive—not quite monochrome, but extremely desaturated, evoking the faded hand-painted imagery found in many early silent movies (appropriate, considering the general absence of audible dialogue throughout the piece).

It isn’t a flawless experience. The choppiness of the minimalistic narrative—which initially features a coherent (albeit fragmentary) plot before gradually evolving into something closer to a fake trailer or sizzle reel (reminiscent of Collora’s World’s Finest)—comes across as an admission of defeat, surrendering to the harsh realities of budgetary restrictions. Insufficient running time might also be to blame; clocking in at a lean eight minutes, the short simply lacks enough breathing room to develop the story beyond a basic premise—inevitably leaving the viewer ravenous for more.

Regardless of these superficial blemishes, however, the sheer talent on display—the exquisite production design, the spectacular VFX, the magnificent performances (especially the one delivered by the actor portraying the iconic blind swordsman, who respectfully avoids attempting to mimic the inimitable Shintaro Katsu)—ultimately redeems and elevates ZVP. Don’t call it a "guilty" pleasure; this is the quintessential passion project—and its unapologetic enthusiasm for its pulpy subject matter is irresistibly infectious.

[oldschoolfrp]

Two Undead Enter Battle -- presumably the 3rd undead is hanging back commanding its minions  (Sandy Collora, Bladestorm Sourcebook, Iron Crown Enterprises, 1990)

[olivierdemangeon]

HUNTER PREY (2010) ★★★☆☆

HUNTER PREY (2010) ★★★☆☆

[waderockett]

I really like this Batman—the costume and how it works, the tape on the hands, the actor's build and square jaw, his fight choreography. Batman in body armor never quite sat right with me, I always imagine him being fast, mobile, and acrobatic. 

[mygrowingcollection]

Sandy Collora and Clark Bartram

[andersonvision]

BEHIND THE MASK - THE BATMAN: DEAD END STORY

BEHIND THE MASK – THE BATMAN: DEAD END��STORY

BEHIND THE MASK – THE BATMAN: DEAD END STORY REVIEWED “Behind the Mask” is so good, that it’s depressing. By that, I mean it’s hard to look at an incredible talent who ultimately failed to connect to the mainstream. Batman: Dead End director Sandy Collora was supposed to be huge. Hell, he raised the bar for fan films with an eye unmatched by his fellow filmmakers. The film is almost 15 years old…

[scifitalk]

Behind The Mask The Batman: Dead End Story Official Release: Director and writer Eric Dow (Honor in the Valley of Tears) goes behind the scenes of the most notorious fan-fiction short film of all time with BEHIND THE MASK: THE BATMAN: DEAD END STORY.

[randomdeinonychus]

Came home to an unexpected surprise: more rewards from the SHALLOW WATER Kickstarter!

[fitzpatrix-1]

"Strong, silent type": World's Finest by Sandy Collora

“Strong, silent type”: World’s Finest by Sandy Collora

Before I go into the main topic of this post, I would like to do something unusual for this blog: a review of a recent movie. Music by U2’s the Edge not included. I have just seen The Batman, Matt Reeves’ revamp of the Caped Crusader starring The Lighthouse’s Robert Pattinson as the title character. The most impressive attributes of the film are the visual effects and Greig Fraser’s…

[lobo7922]

Hunter Prey es un largometraje de Ciencia Ficción de Sandy Collora y su equipo. Creadores de cortos cinematográficos como Batman Dead End. Quienes en esta ocasión se han decidido a plasmar una historia original.

[chernobog13]

Batman facing off against a Predator in the 2003 short fan film Batman: Dead End, directed by Sandy Collora.

See it here:

[geekscovery]

#FanFilmFriday: Batman: Dead End

This week's #FanFilmFriday entry is the renowned Batman: Dead End! Premiering in 2003, this fan film sees #Batman chasing down an escaped Joker, but in a twist, they encounter #Predators and #Aliens! #fanfilm

This Batman fan film rose to prominence at a time before social media was widespread – which meant that it earned buzz the old-fashioned way: through sheer awesomeness that spurred word of mouth.

Batman: Dead Endwas produced by Sandy Collora and premiered on July 19, 2003 at the San Diego Comic Con. With a production budget of just $30,000, the film sees Batman chasing down an escaped Joker,…

[frankippolito]

Was talking to a friend yesterday about a bodypaint makeup that I did a bunch of years ago, and figured id post a pic, because i think it's still kinda neat. . . . Did this makeup at the @crownbrush Booth as a tradeshow demo. Was inspired by a Sandy Collora design, and assisted by Andrea Felix and Nora Stahl on the paint. I sculpted and molded the face appliance, can't remember who ran the foam for me. Model is Amelia Yokel.

[movieonmove-blog]

Batman: Dead End (2003) (Votes: 5634, rating: 7.5)

Watch popular movies with BlueBox: http://bit.ly/BlueBoxMovies. The Joker has escaped from Arkham and Batman must once again bring him in – once and for all. Unfortunately for the bat, there is something even more sinister than the Joker waitin Director: Sandy Collora Stars: Clark Bartram, Andrew Koenig, Kurt Carley, Jake McKinnon

Download Now

[grigori77]

Hidden Gem #1

HUNTER PREY

Dir. SANDY COLLORA; Wri. NICK DAMON & SANDY COLLORA; Music. CHRISTOPHER HOAG; Starring. DAMION POITIER, CLARK BARTRAM, ISAAC SINGLETON, Jr.; R.T. 90 mins; 2010, USA

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Hunter Prey is a sci-fi thriller with a deceptively simple plot – a squad of soldiers fighting an interstellar war crash-land on an inhospitable moon with a high-value alien enemy prisoner who escapes custody and leads his quickly dwindling posse of pursuers on a deadly cat-and-mouse chase across a windswept, sun-drenched desert.  ‘Nuff said, really.

WHY IT’S AWESOME: In my opinion, this is one of the very best sci-fi movies EVER MADE that almost no-one has ever seen.  I myself stumbled across it on second-hand DVD in one of those high-street entertainment-exchange shops, saw a potential bargain and decided I’d give it a go completely blind, and I’m SO GLAD I did.  Despite the simplicity of the well-worn story, this is a nail-bitingly thrilling little adventure, packed full of hardboiled action, some neat, rug-pully twists (you see some of the bigger ones coming a mile off, but they’re so well done you can’t help going along with it) and gritty, well-written character moments from a small but decidedly potent cast that make it a thorough joy to watch, as well as a brilliantly complex central ”hero/villain” dynamic that means you’re never quite sure which main protagonist you should really be rooting for.  It’s a visually arresting film too – shot on the RED high-def digital camera in the Mexican desert, it’s brimming with beautifully bleak imagery, while the costume, prop and make-up work is impressive, following a pleasingly simplistic yet evocative design sensibility that makes maximum use of the very modest budget.  Indeed, this was one SERIOUSLY CHEAP little film – shot in 18 days for just $425,000 – but it’s so well-made you’d never know it.  Then again, this was the feature debut of the writer-director of acclaimed short fan-film Batman: Dead End, so it’s probably not THAT big a surprise.  Brilliantly tense, surprisingly inventive and fiendishly intelligent, this truly deserves to be seen.  Hunt it down today, seriously!