Sometimes you won't get funding. Sometimes you won't make it past the "get the hell out of my office" phase. In more extreme cases, fate will take you by the hand and walk you deep into your film's completion before bitch slapping you across the teeth. Regardless of method, a hand of those cards means your movie will never get the chance to be seen by anyone important. Namely, us. Is it mercy? torture? grace? Sometimes all of 'em, but never without making 'hopes and dreams' stumble home from the party, drunk and alone like a used cheerleader. In this stupor, let's explore some films that saw, and sometimes felt, the light at the end of the tunnel only to be punched in the face by destiny. Only a few films ever make it this far, only to go nowhere. But sometimes, some people never stop trying...
Continue reading -if destiny doesn't stop you- after the jump...
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote - 2000
Okay this one just barely made it on here because its wheels have recently been freed from fate's swamps of sadness. Flickering, albeit incredibly slowly, there have been sparks of life from the Gilliam camp nearly a decade after their oh-so slight brush with the odd flash flood or two. So slowly in fact, that the machine may be spewing out more rumour than not, however status on this movie seeing daylight before our demises, is officially sitting at "optimistic". We'll see what the south end of 2009 has to say about it. Until then, Lost in La Mancha is the best you can do. Or view this clip...
The Other Side of the Wind -1972
Orson Welles. Well, damn. If this isn't the mother of all virtually finished/never released/WTF movies ever, it's definitely a blood family member. A shard away from being finished in 1972, political powers were toppled, funds were dried up, legal battles ensued and when the dust settled, "The Other Side of the Wind" was locked in a vault - where it would be argued over by those involved -and nearly forgotten about by everyone else- for the next 30 years. 36 years would pass before the film's wait would be nearly (note: nearly) recognized - and, this literal piece of film history may actually be shown for the first time at Cannes 2010. And if not, well, keep waiting. For now, you get one of the few clips available from the film - Which you SHOULDN'T watch if you're at work, or if you have epilepsy.
Dominion: The Prequel to the Exorcist -2005
Okay, granted, this film is the only one in the list that could be viewed if you stopped what you were doing and just went to Netflix or Blockbuster. - That, though, is the best this film could hope for after being shot down entirely after the film was already in the bag. We know how it goes... "We have every reason to assume you know what you're doing, but we don't believe you - Renny Harlin will take over and start from scratch. We'll make your film a DVD extra." If you can pick yourself up from that punch in the balls, you should make movies.
The Fantastic Four - 1994
Wow. Fantastic to the power of 4 I say. This sucker is amazing. I have now made it a point to someday, somehow see this. There are different theories as to why this was even made in the first place (Stan Lee says it was to retain studio rights and an actual release was unlikely at best.) And, the trailer, let me tell you, supports that theory in spades. Shot in 25 days for a million and a half bucks, it's all sorts of awesome. 1994's "The Fantastic Four" Starring The Boy Who Could Fly and co-operations manager of U-62. If they even made a poster, that should have been on it. (The title card shots are my personal fav: Ooohhh.. 3-D font! ILM's got nothing...)
Blue Planet -
It was late 1997/Early 1998. Our CGI timeline was smack in the middle of Toy Story and Antz (note the obvious reference). Then I beheld the trailer for "Blue Planet" and I nearly shat a brick - then I watched it again. And shat again. This continued for about 2 months straight - that's a lot of bricks. Watching this through 2009 goggles, intro gags will now seem lame, but keep in mind at the time, this was downright mindblowing. Not taking away from Buzz Lightyear's epiphany moment or anything, but "The Blue Planet" trailer was like nothing I had ever seen. And, as it turns out, that's how it would stay. Some studio mix ups and change overs and this sucker fell from its high shelf of anticipation. I can only assume by the time it was positioned for more work, CGI had surpassed anything even thought of in the 90's. So sad. Rainbow Studios is still around - these days they're making lots of next-gen racing games. Here you go folks: Blue Planet - remember, it's 1997......