Hardware Wars (1978)
A short film parody of the classic science fiction film Star Wars. It premiered in theaters only seven months after Star Wars and consisted of little more than inside jokes and visual puns that heavily depended upon audience familiarity with the original.
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The Worst Film Ever
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
This movie had a whopping budget of only $8,000, and it shows.The thing is, the director knew what he was doing, and made a very enjoyable movie.Acting is corny, the set design came from a yard sale, and there is no real plot outside of spoofing Star Wars ... BUT it is an enjoyable movie to watch, and has a lot of humor.It is hard not to chuckle at a guy wearing a welding hood, who's catch line is "Darth Nader, naughty person".It is also interesting the movie is self aware, such as it's catch phrase "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll kiss $3 good by"Excellent example of a good movie, made with no budget!
This short makes plainly clear that you don't need a huge budget or big stars to make brilliant humor. Star Wars has tons of clichés and plot holes that make it ripe for parody picking. Ernie Fosselius, with a shoestring budget cranked out this gem at the height of Star Wars mania. Compare it with Spaceballs. Mel Brooks' reputation got him cart blanch green lighting, a $22.7 million budget, and a cast of talented and funny stars as well as an army of the best comedy writers, including Brooks himself. Despite all that, he produced a true stinker! Spaceballs is below the sophistication level of a 12 year old boy, the jokes and gags are overly explained and overt. I'm a big fan of parodies and generally love Mel Brooks' films but that waste of my time couldn't get a single laugh from me. Perfect proof that money, talent and advertising do not equal good comedy. This short was made by a cast of amateurs with mostly 'found items' for props, for around $2000 and only takes 15 minutes to watch! It's 'off the cuff', 'don't take yourself too seriously' feel is a lot like Mystery Science Theater 3000. I laughed till I cried watching this and periodically re-watch it just for a pick me up. Find Hardware Wars on YouTube and see what real comedy is like.
The DVD has been released in the UK now- but you'll have to hunt for it. Although it may seem pricey for a short film, but there's bags of extras....and it saves you from buying any other guff. Furthermore, It's possibly one of the funniest flicks ever. Just buy it.
Undoubtedly the funniest movie I have ever seen. It's definitely worth the fourteen minutes it takes to watch. I will never look at my kitchen appliances the same way again. Bob Knickerbocker deserves an Oscar. "Relax, kid. It's only a movie"