June 14, 2013
Don't forget about the 20th Anniversary screening of Super Mario Bros. at the Sunshine Cinema in New York City on Friday, June 21st and Saturday, June 22nd at midnight! This event had a great turnout last year, so don't miss it. A true 35mm print of the film will be screened! For more info or to RSVP, check out our Facebook event page HERE.
June 12, 2013
We have covered director Bryan Sander's film "Paperclip 2" in the past, but now we would like to revisit it with the announcement that the short film "Mushroom Madness" can now be watched. This film serves as an homage to the Super Mario Bros. film property, even going so far as featuring a voice cameo from Mojo Nixon (Toad)!
Bryan has this to say:
"This scene was really special to shoot for the movie PC2. Not only does an actor who worked on the original 93 mario bros movie show up for this scene, but an actual prop from the 93 movie is used as well. Huge thanks for Blake Dumesnil for hooking me up with the "Meteorite Necklace" from the 93 SMB movie!
Thanks to Steven Applebaum and the Super Mario Bros. The Movie Archive for the contacts, resources and info relating to the SMB movie and for helping me get Mojo Nixon in my movie.
Be sure to visit stanford, KY and see the PC2 on the big screen! June 29th-30th @ the Community Arts Center downtown! 7pm-10pm & 3pm-6pm!
Until then, trust the fungus!!"
The special homage film, Mushroom Madness, can be watched below.
Papercut 2: Super Mario Bros. Homage Scene
June 1, 2013
Greetings! We expect many of you now visiting the site may have found us through the latest issue of Nintendo Force Magazine. If that is the case, we just wish to thank you for reading those articles and taking the time to check us out.
It has been our mission to educate gaming and film fans about the development of the live-action Super Mario Bros. film and, over the last three years, we have made tremendous strides in building a dedicated community of fans around it.
Whether you're a fan or just curious about the movie we appreciate you stopping by. Feel free to watch the exclusive 20th anniversary video John Leguizamo made for us (below). And, if you're feeling talkative, join our forums and discuss what you thought about the Nintendo Force articles or the sequel comic preview.
May 26, 2013
Now that our anniversary screening is over we can finally announce the project we have been secretly working on for the last two years: a sequel comic to the film!
Following our interview with screenwriter Parker Bennett, we began discussions with him on the film's backstory and potential directions for the sequel, making this project as close to official as possible.
We are very excited to share this project with the film's fans. Look through gallery below to see the first few pages produced with the help of artist Joshua Ballze. If you want to share your thoughts please post on our forums. We'd love to get your input!
May 25, 2013
Our 20th anniversary screening of Super Mario Bros. at LA's Nuart Theatre was a success! Attendees enjoyed the prop displays and sequel comic teaser, as well as our Q&A panel. We'd like to give a BIG thanks to everyone who helped make this event a success, especially our Q&A panelists!
We'll have photo and video content of the event up soon, but until then, we can now exclusively bring you John Leguizamo's 20th Anniversary message:
John Leguizamo's Super Mario Bros. 20th Anniversary Message
That reminds me--the Super Mario Bros 2.Sequel Comic hasn't yet been officially announced on this website. I guess I know what our next update will be!
May 24, 2013
Final warning! Our special 20th anniversary screening of Super Mario Bros. is TONIGHT at the NuArt Theatre in Los Angeles, CA at midnight!
This is going to be an event to remember! Here's the rundown of what you'll experience tonight:
- Props and costumes from the film on display in the theater lobby.
- A screening of Super Mario Bros. featuring a 35mm print.
- A special Q&A session before the film featuring Parker Bennett (writer), David L. Snyder (production designer), Chris Woods (visual effects supervisor), and Vincent Guastini (makeup special effects).
- An exclusive introduction to the film by John Leguizamo (Luigi Mario).
- A complementary teaser copy of the first chapter of the Super Mario Bros. 2 sequel comic.
If all of this wasn't enough, Nintendo Force #3 came out today. It has an exclusive Super Mario Bros. movie 20th anniversary article which the SMB Movie Archive contributed to! Order your copy HERE.
May 10, 2013
The next issue of Nintendo Force is coming soon, and in this issue, NF Goes Hollywood!
In addition to checking out some movie-related games from throughout Nintendo's history and looking back at the court case of Nintendo vs. Universal, the magazine is showing the Super Mario Bros. movie some mad anniversary love--with help from the SMB Movie Archive!
If you're a fan of the movie, then this is one magazine you'll want to have in your collection, so be sure to pre-order your copy or subscribe here!
May 1, 2013
We have created an event page for our 20th anniversary screening on Facebook! To RVSP and invite friends please look us up HERE. We hope to see you there!
April 28, 2013
Here's a quick, interesting tidbit: Super Mario Bros. will see its first official DVD release in Japan this August. According to THIS translated press release from Game Watch, the film will be released on August 7 and will support Stereo Dolby Digital audio and include the film's trailer.
Japanese DVD Cover
My favorite part of that press release? The part where they let us know that a Blu-Ray release is definitely *not* coming any time soon. At least they asked about it. Regardless, the SMB Archive will pick this up when it comes out and report on its quality. Coincidentally, we just acquired the Japanese VHS, so it should be a fun comparison!
April 20, 2013
The time has come! As the 20th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. draws near, we are pleased to announce a special screening that will be held at the NuArt Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, May 24th at midnight!
The NuArt is where we held our extremely successful 19th anniversary screening last year, and there really isn't a better place to do it all over again! And just like last year, a true 35mm print of the film will be screened. Tickets aren't yet available for pre-order, but keep checking the NuArt's website. Or, check back here! We'll keep you posted with more details as they happen!
On a related note, SMB Archive founder Ryan Hoss guest-starred on a recent episode of the Video Game Sequelcast that focused on the Super Mario Bros. NES games, as well as the SMB film and the upcoming screening! Check out the episode HERE (he comes on the show at around the 54 minute mark).
April 5, 2013
Karina Longworth, a former film editor of the LA Weekly, has written a brilliant piece on the film's history for Grantland. This article, entitled Hollywood Archaeology: The Super Mario Bros. Movie, covers the film's history from production to release to cultural impact. It is by far one of the most comprehensive looks at the film, especially as it draws much of its information from our very own site!
If you're curious about the film's development or would just like a refresher on some of its high points we highly encourage you to give this article a read. Miss Longworth has done an immense amount of research to make this article as accurate and interesting as possible. We certainly hope to see her at next month's 20th anniversary screening of the film!
You can follow Miss Longworth via her Twitter account at @KarinaLongworth.
March 20, 2013
Back in 2008, friend of SMB Archive Bryan Sanders started a thread on our message board about some prop replicas he was making. He managed to make some pretty convincing De-evolution guns, Bob-Ombs, and Bullet Bills. Fast forward five years to 2013--we now have a fully fledged independent film! And the Super Mario Bros. film is just a tiny part of it.
Perhaps it would be easier if I let Mr. Sanders himself tell you about his new film, Papercut 2:
"PAPERCUT 2 is an original story following two young lovers while paying homage to and parodying pop culture, video games, and 80's movies. Shooting from weekend to weekend and paycheck to paycheck, the movie was slowly completed over the course of 2 years. Cast and crew who have worked on: Ghostbusters, Transformers 3, Inspectres, Matt Forbeck's Brave New World, Traffic, Super Mario Bros., Evil Dead, Sonic the Hedgehog, Gearbox Software’s Duke Nukem, Captain America, Thor, Overtime, The Tomb, Fire From Below, Camel Spiders, America's Next Top Model, and more…all appear in the movie Papercut 2."
Video interview with Papercut 2's Mario (Jake Smith)
"Mojo Nixon reprises his role as Toad from Super Mario Bros. in a homage scene in Papercut 2. Mario, Luigi, and Daisy all appear alongside Mojo Nixon wearing the classic uniforms and props from the 1993 movie. All wardrobe, props, effects, set dressings, and production vehicles during the SMB homage scene were custom made by Bryan Sanders--the director, producer, and lead actor in the movie. Great care and attention to detail was given to the script for the SMB homage scene as it takes place after the events of the original 1993 film."
This film sounds pretty amazing--and I know Bryan can deliver! Check out the official website HERE and discuss this film on our forums HERE.
March 14, 2013
I'd like to take a moment and mention our new affiliate: the FilmFoolery Podcast! They do such a great job covering films new and old. They recently had SMB Archive webmaster Ryan Hoss on as a special guest for their episode on the recently released animated feature for The Dark Knight Returns.
Check out their website HERE or subscribe to them on iTunes. Let them know we sent you!
And on the Super Mario Bros. front, Gary Guillot (Happy Russia) has updated his popular New Super Mario Bros. fan edit with additional footage and more polished edits! Check it out HERE!
March 1, 2013
In honor of the film's 20th anniversary this year we've spoken with a person very close to the project: Jack Hoskins, Bob Hoskins' son. Jack is a longtime fan of the film, having grown up watching his father as Mario. While he has since seen how others view the project, his own childhood memories of adoration remain:
"The 1993 film installment of Super Mario Bros., a cross between Indiana Jones, Blade Runner and Star Wars was an epic production. I was quite offended when most fans say it's the worst video game movie of all time, but I truly appreciate their feelings. I believe my father was truly awesome as Mario himself, but I'm very sorry to hear of the fact that he didn't enjoy the experience of it.
Like he said about the directors, it had a husband-and-wife directing team 'whose arrogance had been mistaken for talent.' From my observation, he'd just might be right. I've heard their agents told them to leave the set after they got fired.
Most unfortunate I loved it ever since I watched with my father and sister. I was too young to realize how bad the reviews were until now, but you know what, I don't care. It would have been a huge success if it featured the same elemants from the Super Mario Bros. game trilogy.
Apart from that, it's a breathtaking performance. It's a coincidence that the Marios love the same food I find more to my liking, [including] pizza and pasta.
I believe Joel Schumacher once said [when he directed Batman & Robin] "If I disappointed them in any way, then I really wanna apologize, because that wasn't my intention, my intention was just entertainment", and I forgave him.
So if there's anyone reading this, please understand that it's no one's intention to ruin the classics. One last thing; if you remember your past enjoyments, then it would definitely keep your childhood memories alive and safely locked in your head forever." --Jack Hoskins
February 9, 2013
In celebration of the film's 20th anniversary, fan Gary Guillot (Happy Russia) has put together a re-cut version of the film! This edit removes some of the extraneous scenes while adding sound effects from the game series, creating an entirely new experience for those who have seen the film countless times before.
Give it a watch on YouTube (or in the player above) then come over to the forums to discuss it with the other fans!
January 11, 2012
While we're still fresh into the new year, guess what time it is?
That's right: it's time to start banging that ol' drum again for Disney to get our Super Mario Bros. movie out on Blu-Ray. And since it's the film's 20th anniversary, there couldn't be a better time to let the powers at be know what we want. Here are the usual links:
- E-mail Disney HERE and let them know you want a re-release for the 20th anniversary. If you're on Twitter, send them a tweet @DisneyPictures.
- Write some positive reviews for the film on sites like IMDB and Amazon so the film can get more exposure. HERE is the forum thread for that.
With the release (and success) of Wreck-It Ralph last November, I'm hoping that Disney will realize that they have that "other" video game film in their archives and get it out to the fans. Historically speaking, Disney announced their slate of Blu-Rays for classic films via press release around mid-March last year. If we're going to hear anything about getting Super Mario Bros. on Blu-Ray this year, it will probably be around then.
January 1, 2013
Happy new year! Expect big things out of us in the coming months, including more screenings, a documentary project and a secret anniversary special!
If you're wondering where all the old updates went, check out our update archive page.