SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! With Mockbuster, writer-director Anthony Frith and co-writer Sandy Cameron have crafted for a new generation the 21st-century equivalent of Chris Smith’s eternally endearing American Movie. This is a reality check for all the dreamers out there. Quit that wishing upon a star nonsense and go tell the honchos at The Asylum (the studio behind Sharknado) you’ll direct their next dinosaur action epic.
This great bloke named Alexander once said that fortune favors the bold. Well, The Asylum produces pictures that don’t cost a fortune, so Frith, this random Adelaide lad who dreamed of making his mark on the cinematic landscape, figured, “How hard can it be?” Next thing you know, he’s on his way to the land of dreams to sign a contract to deliver the next big “tie-in” on the Asylum’s slate. The only thing is, there is no script. The movie is already expected, and Frith has a whopping six days to get all the magic in the can. Making videos with mates and corporate training videos for his family is one thing. But, making your first feature for a studio with a reputation for notorious schlock, for a price that wouldn’t cover the mineral water budget on a Marvel movie, and having it knocked off in just a week. No worries?
“…Frith has a whopping six days to get all the magic in the can.”
Yet, when placed in the moment Frith has achingly longed to hold, last-minute costume approval and aggravation from excessive script changes and time-burning rehearsal both flay and fray emotions, until at last, day one is done. Still, in the days that follow, Anthony finds himself in the same position as Terry Gilliam in Lost in La Mancha, wrestling against time, money, resources, as well as semi-ludicrous expectations that had the regular producers Anthony talked to before production began simply refusing to start. Last-minute hang-ups plague the production all the way to re-shoots, that is until the director of The Land that Time Forgot receives a leg up from an old Asylum co-star, as Michael Pare, decides to add a “name” and a little veteran polish to the mayhem of his monster movie of the week.
As inspirational as The Insufferable Groo, and as deeply moving as He Dreams of Giants, Frith took his dream by the horns and wrangled it into submission with guts, grace, and the perseverance of a more seasoned filmmaker. Mockbuster is about never giving up, despite impossible odds, costume mistakes, organizing camera insurance, and figuring out how to entertain the masses with pocket change. And keeping the running time at ninety minutes. There’s a lesson for you, James Cameron.
Mockbuster screened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
"…inspirational..."
