279. MOCKBUSTER (2026) dir. Anthony Frith

Anthony Frith, disillusioned by the possibility his filmmaking dreams might have been usurped by everyday responsibilities, decided to go boldly into the unknown.He emailed legendary mockbuster (parodies of blockbuster films - i.e. TRANSMORPHERS instead of TRANSFORMERS) studio The Asylum to ask if they'd let him direct a movie. Never mind the fact Anthony had never directed a feature film. But the worst they could say was "No," right?To his surprise, The Asylum accepted and this is where Frith's documentary MOCKBUSTER kicks in, telling the story of his "6-day special," a phrase coined by The Asylum for movies filmed in - you guessed it - six days.What results is chaos, not dissimilar to that of a freshly-punted anthill. After receiving his mission in Los Angeles, Frith flies home to Australia to wait weeks for a script, wrangle together a local cast and crew, wade through studio interference and get the thing done, all while occasionally staring off into the distance to ask "Am I cut out for this?"It's a touching, funny documentary about providing one's nascent creativity with enough bumps and scrapes to take shape in the real world. What starts out as growing pains, this painful dichotomy between the fears of selling out and the inability to fulfill the purest expressions of art, turns into a gentle reminder: Don't take it all too seriously. Have fun. The joys of birthing a project into the world outweigh the terrors and labors of getting it there. It's a mockbuster, baby. Just say yes.---Watch LESSONS FROM A MIDDLE CLASS ARTIST hereMOCKBUSTER is currently available to watch in select theatres and on digital platforms across the U.S. & Canada.THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (the 2025 version from The Asylum, not the 2009 version from the Asylum) is available to watch on Tubi.Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!