Thursday, February 07, 2008

Ripoff Biz

While I was checking out that viral Cloverfield vid on Youtube (see Jordan's post below, or don't if you're avoiding spoilers), the related videos included a clip from a movie called "Monster," which is handicam footage of two women braving a monster attack on Tokyo. Confused, I read some comments, and found out about The Global Asylum, a movie company that has lately been making straight-to-video knockoffs that get released shortly before the movies they're boosting from. "Monster" was released 3 days before Cloverfield, for instance.

In addition to the ones I found posters for, they also made The Da Vinci Treasure, Pirates of Treasure Island and Alien vs. Hunter. Pretty amusing.

4 comments:

JPX said...

God, those are great! I've seen stuff like that in the cheap DVD bins at places like Wal-Mart. It's also funny when the film is the same title, but it's some crappy version from long ago. I've seen faux Disney animated movies marketed in this manner such as Aladdin.

Jordan said...

They've got to be making money or they wouldn't be doing it.

JPX said...

They're making money off of old ladies who think, "My grandson likes Aladdin, he'll be so excited when I give him this for his birthday!"

Fast forward to her grandson's birthday.

[unwrapping gift]

"Ah, thaaaaaaaanks, grandma, I love it" [thinking, "damn!"]

I remember when all I wanted was a Mego Planet of the Apes doll back in the day and my grandmother gave some weird knock-off. I was like,

"Ah, thaaaaaaaanks, grandma, I love it" [thinking, "damn!"]

Johnny Sweatpants said...

Grandma gave me the closest thing to a Transformer I ever owned, a knockoff of Shockwave. I didn't give a shit 'cuz it was identical aside from the logo and I had finally obtained a robot that transformed into an awesome lazer gun.

Happy Halloween!

  After giving out candy to about 600 kids (would have been many more but I ran out of candy), I took a stroll in the cemetery near my house...