In 1997, the movie Habit was released, written and directed and starred in by Larry Fessenden. This is an independent movie with no major stars. If you have to see one vampire movie, this is the one you cannot miss.
This movie is one of those simple movies that is gritty and realistic in such a way that it seems it could be real. The people in the movie are not overly attractive and the places are not overly lavish. The story is about Sam, a guy who is down on his luck: his girlfriend is separating from him, his father has just died, work is hectic. But he has some friends that are really close, and when two of his best friends host a Halloween party, he meets Anna. Anna becomes his companion and lover, but we soon learn (as does Sam) that she's really vampire slowly sucking him dry. The story builds to a confrontation between Sam and Anna which will lead you breathless.
The interesting thing about this movie is the slow introduction of the vampire traits. Immediately, we notice that Anna seems to appear and disappear out of thin air. She never eats or drinks either. We see her bite his lip at one point early on, but each encounter seems to be a little more intense. The introduction of the vampire traits are so subtle that they are hardly noticeable most of the time. And if you really look, you will references to classic vampire lore. Lenny is a reference to Lucy from Dracula. The old professor (I believe he was Mr. Lyons?) was like Van Helsing. Even the boat at the beginning and end was like the abandoned ship that arrives at port in Dracula. The most obscure vampire reference is the fact that vampires are entranced by knobby ornate lacy things, which is shown when Anna gets enthralled by Rae's grandmother's dress. Also, the old references of the crucifix, garlic, and being invited inside are all present. Either way, this movie is filled with vampire references that most won't catch, and even less will recognize.
I highly recommend this movie. For a vampire movie, it's not scary and not meant to be. It is basically a love story between a man and a succubus. I believe that like all vampire movies, this movie is a metaphor, and I believe the metaphor in this movie is about love. There is a great scene between Sam and Anna where they are talking about love, and he says that love always ends in pain, at least that his experience. And Anna tells him that men like to fall in love, but they don't like to stay in love. There is a lot of nudity and sex in this movie, which only points to two things: love and vulnerability. Both of which are portrayed perfectly. If you want to see the most realistic vampire movie ever made, check this one out.
ps - an interesting tidbit is that this is actually a remake. Larry Fessenden made Habit in 1980 for a film class, then remade it as an independent feature in 1997, and claims he isn't opposed to making it again.
Unfortunately, I can't find a trailer for you. You'll just have to find the movie!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
61*
In 2001, HBO aired the movie 61*, directed by Billy Crystal, written by Hank Steinberg, and starring Barry Pepper, Thomas Jane, Anthony Michael Hall, Christopher McDonald, and Bruce McGill. This is another made for TV movie from HBO that is one of the best sports movies ever made.
Set in the backdrop of the night in 1998 when Mark McGwire broke Maris' record of 61 home runs in a single season, this story is about the 1961 baseball season when Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle vie for breaking Babe Ruth's single season record of 60 home runs. The story goes that Mantle and Maris were rivals playing for the same team (the Yankees) and nobody liked Maris. The truth is that Mantle and Maris were great friends and even roommates. Maris is from the Midwest, so his family and baseball are first in his life. Mantle is partier, great at baseball, but loves to party. Maris calms down Mantle's partying and drinking, but injuries get the better of Mantle eventually. But then there's the media and what the public saw. Mantle was good with the writers and the journalists, but Maris was quieter and more reserved which the journalists mistook for arrogance. The media frenzy took hold of Maris and squeezed him. This movie shows the behind the scenes of this baseball legend. His death threats, the fans throwing chairs at him in the field, the nervous breakdown: it's all here in this amazing movie.
Class is one of those things that is talked about in sports, as in how classy one player is over others. Maris was a class act, and Pepper's performance shows that. Jane's performance of Mantle was spot on: good with the media, and good with the girls, but when on the field, he's all about baseball. Class act also fits with Joe Dimaggio who wasn't the nicest guy and isn't shown to be. Neither was Babe Ruth's widow. But when it comes home to 1998, and McGwire goes into the stands to the Maris family, what a classy move. Just like Maris was, McGwire showed what class was in that moment.
The title comes from the statistic in the baseball lore. It obviously stands for the number of home runs hit in that 1961 season by Maris, but the asterisk is one of the most vile exploits in sports. Because the 1961 season was a few games longer than the season that Ruth had, Ford Frick (the commissioner of baseball, and non-lover of Maris) announced that there would be two records: Ruth's of 60, and Maris' of 61* which denotes that he didn't hit 61 in the same amount of time. This of course is a baseball controversy ever since 1961.
This is baseball history movie that I think is not only one of the best baseball movies, but one of the best sports movies of all time. It is definitely a movie worth watching, even if you're not a baseball fan. It shows the triumph (or as much as he could have) of one man against the world that hated him for no good reason. Being born in the St. Louis area, and a diehard Cardinals fan, I also like this movie for the 1998 Cardinals' sequences, and for Maris himself, who left the Yankees, and found himself a Cardinal a few years later. He never really recovered from that 1961 season, and even regretted hitting all those home runs. But he serves as an inspiration to not give up or give in to pressure.
Here is a link to the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1po8PgfJU_Q
As a bonus, here is a link to a news short showing Maris' 61st homer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJnhHdjs0DI&feature=related
Set in the backdrop of the night in 1998 when Mark McGwire broke Maris' record of 61 home runs in a single season, this story is about the 1961 baseball season when Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle vie for breaking Babe Ruth's single season record of 60 home runs. The story goes that Mantle and Maris were rivals playing for the same team (the Yankees) and nobody liked Maris. The truth is that Mantle and Maris were great friends and even roommates. Maris is from the Midwest, so his family and baseball are first in his life. Mantle is partier, great at baseball, but loves to party. Maris calms down Mantle's partying and drinking, but injuries get the better of Mantle eventually. But then there's the media and what the public saw. Mantle was good with the writers and the journalists, but Maris was quieter and more reserved which the journalists mistook for arrogance. The media frenzy took hold of Maris and squeezed him. This movie shows the behind the scenes of this baseball legend. His death threats, the fans throwing chairs at him in the field, the nervous breakdown: it's all here in this amazing movie.
Class is one of those things that is talked about in sports, as in how classy one player is over others. Maris was a class act, and Pepper's performance shows that. Jane's performance of Mantle was spot on: good with the media, and good with the girls, but when on the field, he's all about baseball. Class act also fits with Joe Dimaggio who wasn't the nicest guy and isn't shown to be. Neither was Babe Ruth's widow. But when it comes home to 1998, and McGwire goes into the stands to the Maris family, what a classy move. Just like Maris was, McGwire showed what class was in that moment.
The title comes from the statistic in the baseball lore. It obviously stands for the number of home runs hit in that 1961 season by Maris, but the asterisk is one of the most vile exploits in sports. Because the 1961 season was a few games longer than the season that Ruth had, Ford Frick (the commissioner of baseball, and non-lover of Maris) announced that there would be two records: Ruth's of 60, and Maris' of 61* which denotes that he didn't hit 61 in the same amount of time. This of course is a baseball controversy ever since 1961.
This is baseball history movie that I think is not only one of the best baseball movies, but one of the best sports movies of all time. It is definitely a movie worth watching, even if you're not a baseball fan. It shows the triumph (or as much as he could have) of one man against the world that hated him for no good reason. Being born in the St. Louis area, and a diehard Cardinals fan, I also like this movie for the 1998 Cardinals' sequences, and for Maris himself, who left the Yankees, and found himself a Cardinal a few years later. He never really recovered from that 1961 season, and even regretted hitting all those home runs. But he serves as an inspiration to not give up or give in to pressure.
Here is a link to the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1po8PgfJU_Q
As a bonus, here is a link to a news short showing Maris' 61st homer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJnhHdjs0DI&feature=related
Zombies of Mass Destruction
In 2009, as part of the After Dark Horror series, Zombies of Mass Destruction was released, directed by Kevin Hamedani, written by Kevin Hamedani and Ramon Isao, with no major stars. This movie is a steaming pile of epic proportions.
As the movie starts, I was intrigued by the music. It reminded me of a 60's/70's zombie movie, you know, where they take themselves seriously. But within the first few minutes I was disappointed, and I realized I was in for a long ride. My first problem is that the movie doesn't take itself seriously, which is typical for zombie movies today, but when dealing with heavy themes such as racism and racial profiling, one would hope they'd take at least that seriously. The idea for this movie came up after a discussion about how after 9/11 people of Middle Eastern descent were looked at differently. The idea of this movie is that the zombie disease is actually a weapon from a Muslim terrorist. Throw in some old fashioned rednecks and some religious nuts, and you've got this movie.
Not one moment of this movie can be taken seriously except for when the rednecks are blaming the one girl of Iranian descent of being a terrorist, and the religious nuts who are torturing the two gay guys for fear of turning into zombies. The fact that it selectively points out which groups it's going to be sympathetic to really bothers me. There is no real character development in a normal sense since all the people are caricatures and not real people. The gays, the American-Middle Easterners, and the liberals are the good; and the rednecks, the religious conservatives, and the in-between types are the bad. As much as I enjoy teaching rednecks and religious conservatives a lesson, at least if you're making a movie, try to mix it up a bit. This movie makes the race card a little too obvious. But then again, there's a message about racism in there, but without a serious movie backdrop, how can anyone take it seriously?
Many have compared this movie to Shaun of the Dead. There are similarities, for sure. But Shaun of the Dead is an all out comedy, and meant to be so. This movie isn't sure what it's supposed to be. Comparing it to Shaun of the Dead, in my opinion, is an assault on Shaun of the Dead. In this movie, the acting is poor, the special effects are marginal, and the blood factor is over the top. Is it really necessary to see a face ripped off? Does that really add to the movie? And once again, my least favorite act in a horror movie: why do people go into the dark scary place? They will just die. It's too obvious that you're just trying to get rid of the character. I find it much more interesting if the dumb are enlightened, then die in a noble manner - like trying to save the others. I like it to be a no way out kind of scenario. I don't like my movies predictable... which is all this was.
Survey says: skip this movie if you want to avoid a steaming pile of crap. If you want to torture yourself, then have at it. Seriously, with a tagline like "They're just like you ... only dead", how good could it be?
Here's a link to the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUFjHjU0bK8
As the movie starts, I was intrigued by the music. It reminded me of a 60's/70's zombie movie, you know, where they take themselves seriously. But within the first few minutes I was disappointed, and I realized I was in for a long ride. My first problem is that the movie doesn't take itself seriously, which is typical for zombie movies today, but when dealing with heavy themes such as racism and racial profiling, one would hope they'd take at least that seriously. The idea for this movie came up after a discussion about how after 9/11 people of Middle Eastern descent were looked at differently. The idea of this movie is that the zombie disease is actually a weapon from a Muslim terrorist. Throw in some old fashioned rednecks and some religious nuts, and you've got this movie.
Not one moment of this movie can be taken seriously except for when the rednecks are blaming the one girl of Iranian descent of being a terrorist, and the religious nuts who are torturing the two gay guys for fear of turning into zombies. The fact that it selectively points out which groups it's going to be sympathetic to really bothers me. There is no real character development in a normal sense since all the people are caricatures and not real people. The gays, the American-Middle Easterners, and the liberals are the good; and the rednecks, the religious conservatives, and the in-between types are the bad. As much as I enjoy teaching rednecks and religious conservatives a lesson, at least if you're making a movie, try to mix it up a bit. This movie makes the race card a little too obvious. But then again, there's a message about racism in there, but without a serious movie backdrop, how can anyone take it seriously?
Many have compared this movie to Shaun of the Dead. There are similarities, for sure. But Shaun of the Dead is an all out comedy, and meant to be so. This movie isn't sure what it's supposed to be. Comparing it to Shaun of the Dead, in my opinion, is an assault on Shaun of the Dead. In this movie, the acting is poor, the special effects are marginal, and the blood factor is over the top. Is it really necessary to see a face ripped off? Does that really add to the movie? And once again, my least favorite act in a horror movie: why do people go into the dark scary place? They will just die. It's too obvious that you're just trying to get rid of the character. I find it much more interesting if the dumb are enlightened, then die in a noble manner - like trying to save the others. I like it to be a no way out kind of scenario. I don't like my movies predictable... which is all this was.
Survey says: skip this movie if you want to avoid a steaming pile of crap. If you want to torture yourself, then have at it. Seriously, with a tagline like "They're just like you ... only dead", how good could it be?
Here's a link to the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUFjHjU0bK8
RKO 281
In 1999, HBO aired RKO 281, directed by Benjamin Ross, written by John Logan, based on the documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane, and starring Liev Schreiber, James Cromwell, Melanie Griffith, John Malkovich, and Roy Scheider. This is a short made for HBO movie that will stand the test of time, just like Kane has.
HBO has really always made good original shows and movies. They are more known at this time for shows like Deadwood, Oz, Carnivale, and other gritty shows that are too hot for regular cable. Occasionally they are known for making movies that are great pieces of work. RKO 281 is one of these. It is the story of how Citizen Kane was created, from idea to filming to the controversy, as well as the backlash it created when released. It is also surprisingly accurate for what it shows. The acting is quite good. Schreiber as the pretentious Orson Welles is great. Just like the real Welles, we are left feeling betrayed by him: should we be grateful or angry at him? Should we like him or loathe him? He uses people to get what he wants, but in the end, he gets his movie made. But at what cost? Hearst (playing by Cromwell) offers one warning at the end: "My time on this earth is almost over. It's not my life you are sabotaging; it's yours." Doubtful that those words were actually said, much less that meeting in the elevator, but it is a nice end since Welles never was able to come close to topping his masterpiece.
The only bad thing I can say about this movie is that it is too short for what all really happened. There were court battles and there were lots of hostility and none of it was shown. However, this movie is very tightly written. There is nothing in it that doesn't add to the movie's story. There is either character development, plot development, or borderline documentary recreations of the making of Kane, which only reinforces either plot or character development.
I'm resisting going into detail about the plot because I have a future posting planned that will detail the making of Citizen Kane, which is just as amazing a story as the movie itself. The documentary (from which this movie was adapted from) is one of the best documentaries ever made. As I said earlier the performances are great: Schreiber as Welles and Cromwell as Hearst are unforgettable. But the one that always gets me is Malkovich as Herman Mankiewicz; what a great role and great performance. Griffith as Marion Davies was good as was Scheider as George Schaefer. The best moment for me that developed a character was Louis B. Mayer (as in Metro Goldwyn MAYER) at the beginning eating a sandwich and talking at the same time about having Welles literally fail at making a War of the Worlds movie, which will fail but earn them some more money, but kill Welles's career. That moment told me that Mayer was a fat cat, as were all the studio heads (which you get to see them all in one room at one point, including Disney, Selznick, Zanuck, etc.) who were only after making a quick buck then moving on.
My recommendation is to watch this movie. If you watch Kane first, then you will see details in a different way (such as the confrontation between a drunk Jedediah and Kane). If you watch this first, you will appreciate Kane a little more. It's definitely a love triangle: Citizen Kane, the documentary Battle Over Citizen Kane, and RKO 281. And in case you're wondering what the title of this movie means, RKO is the production company and it was production #281. This was industry code for Citizen Kane.
Here is a link to the trailer:
http://www.reelzchannel.com/trailer-clips/25372/rko-281-trailer
HBO has really always made good original shows and movies. They are more known at this time for shows like Deadwood, Oz, Carnivale, and other gritty shows that are too hot for regular cable. Occasionally they are known for making movies that are great pieces of work. RKO 281 is one of these. It is the story of how Citizen Kane was created, from idea to filming to the controversy, as well as the backlash it created when released. It is also surprisingly accurate for what it shows. The acting is quite good. Schreiber as the pretentious Orson Welles is great. Just like the real Welles, we are left feeling betrayed by him: should we be grateful or angry at him? Should we like him or loathe him? He uses people to get what he wants, but in the end, he gets his movie made. But at what cost? Hearst (playing by Cromwell) offers one warning at the end: "My time on this earth is almost over. It's not my life you are sabotaging; it's yours." Doubtful that those words were actually said, much less that meeting in the elevator, but it is a nice end since Welles never was able to come close to topping his masterpiece.
The only bad thing I can say about this movie is that it is too short for what all really happened. There were court battles and there were lots of hostility and none of it was shown. However, this movie is very tightly written. There is nothing in it that doesn't add to the movie's story. There is either character development, plot development, or borderline documentary recreations of the making of Kane, which only reinforces either plot or character development.
I'm resisting going into detail about the plot because I have a future posting planned that will detail the making of Citizen Kane, which is just as amazing a story as the movie itself. The documentary (from which this movie was adapted from) is one of the best documentaries ever made. As I said earlier the performances are great: Schreiber as Welles and Cromwell as Hearst are unforgettable. But the one that always gets me is Malkovich as Herman Mankiewicz; what a great role and great performance. Griffith as Marion Davies was good as was Scheider as George Schaefer. The best moment for me that developed a character was Louis B. Mayer (as in Metro Goldwyn MAYER) at the beginning eating a sandwich and talking at the same time about having Welles literally fail at making a War of the Worlds movie, which will fail but earn them some more money, but kill Welles's career. That moment told me that Mayer was a fat cat, as were all the studio heads (which you get to see them all in one room at one point, including Disney, Selznick, Zanuck, etc.) who were only after making a quick buck then moving on.
My recommendation is to watch this movie. If you watch Kane first, then you will see details in a different way (such as the confrontation between a drunk Jedediah and Kane). If you watch this first, you will appreciate Kane a little more. It's definitely a love triangle: Citizen Kane, the documentary Battle Over Citizen Kane, and RKO 281. And in case you're wondering what the title of this movie means, RKO is the production company and it was production #281. This was industry code for Citizen Kane.
Here is a link to the trailer:
http://www.reelzchannel.com/trailer-clips/25372/rko-281-trailer
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Prime Gig
CAUTION!! SPOILERS ENCLOSED!!
In 2001, a movie called The Prime Gig was released, directed by Gregory Mosher, written by William Wheeler, and starring Vince Vaughn, Julia Ormond, Ed Harris, Rory Cochrane, and small roles for Wallace Shawn, Stephen Tobolowsky, George Wendt, and Amber Benson. This is a movie that some hate and some love. I love this movie!
This independent movie has received much criticism for trying to be a David Mamet type of movie. It is similar to Glengarry Glen Ross in that they are salesmen, and there is a con. But that’s about it. This is a story about a man (Penny, played by Vince Vaughn) who is letting his friend Joel (Rory Cochrane) stay with him. Penny’s job is in jeopardy, and finally implodes. He is recruited to sell gold investment tracts to people by Kelly Grant (Ed Harris) and his assistant Caitlyn (Julia Ormond). Penny isn’t stupid, so he requests his commissions to be cash. Caitlyn then gets a little too close to Penny and convinces him to be her lover, then convinces him to marry her so she can become a US citizen. It is obvious at some point that she feels guilt for what she’s about to do, but not to Penny. Then one day, Penny goes into work and the warehouse they have been calling from is empty, and Grant and Caitlyn are gone, and the commissions of the other callers never go through. Penny goes to check on his bank account where he’s been keeping his cash commissions, and “his wife” cleared it out. The movie ends without music, and a shocked Penny walks out of his apartment and down the street while the credits roll.
This movie I like for many reasons. It’s a simple story, but it’s done well. The dialogue is very good (when Penny hears Caitlyn’s British accent for the first time, he asks “Why do you sound like Monty Python all of a sudden?”) The acting is very good also. For some, the ending may be predictable when Penny requests his commissions in cash, but for most, we just wonder where the story is going. The other thing I like is the opposites of Penny and Joel. When Penny is doing well, Joel is in the gutter, but when Penny has been screwed out of his life savings, Joel wears a dress shirt and tie and is doing well for himself. The interaction between the triangle of Grant, Caitlyn, and Penny is very interesting. What I liked most about the movie is that it doesn’t end on a happy note. Although there are funny moments here and there, this is definitely not a comedy. This ends sadly, and is a sadder type of movie all the way through. Refreshing I think.
Overall, I have nothing negative to say about this movie. I’ve seen it several times, and I think it just keeps getting better. Each time I think that Penny will make it out all right, but it doesn’t happen. I feel bad for him and watching this movie is like watching a train about to wreck. But it’s so worth it.
Unfortunately, I can’t find any working links to the trailer.
In 2001, a movie called The Prime Gig was released, directed by Gregory Mosher, written by William Wheeler, and starring Vince Vaughn, Julia Ormond, Ed Harris, Rory Cochrane, and small roles for Wallace Shawn, Stephen Tobolowsky, George Wendt, and Amber Benson. This is a movie that some hate and some love. I love this movie!
This independent movie has received much criticism for trying to be a David Mamet type of movie. It is similar to Glengarry Glen Ross in that they are salesmen, and there is a con. But that’s about it. This is a story about a man (Penny, played by Vince Vaughn) who is letting his friend Joel (Rory Cochrane) stay with him. Penny’s job is in jeopardy, and finally implodes. He is recruited to sell gold investment tracts to people by Kelly Grant (Ed Harris) and his assistant Caitlyn (Julia Ormond). Penny isn’t stupid, so he requests his commissions to be cash. Caitlyn then gets a little too close to Penny and convinces him to be her lover, then convinces him to marry her so she can become a US citizen. It is obvious at some point that she feels guilt for what she’s about to do, but not to Penny. Then one day, Penny goes into work and the warehouse they have been calling from is empty, and Grant and Caitlyn are gone, and the commissions of the other callers never go through. Penny goes to check on his bank account where he’s been keeping his cash commissions, and “his wife” cleared it out. The movie ends without music, and a shocked Penny walks out of his apartment and down the street while the credits roll.
This movie I like for many reasons. It’s a simple story, but it’s done well. The dialogue is very good (when Penny hears Caitlyn’s British accent for the first time, he asks “Why do you sound like Monty Python all of a sudden?”) The acting is very good also. For some, the ending may be predictable when Penny requests his commissions in cash, but for most, we just wonder where the story is going. The other thing I like is the opposites of Penny and Joel. When Penny is doing well, Joel is in the gutter, but when Penny has been screwed out of his life savings, Joel wears a dress shirt and tie and is doing well for himself. The interaction between the triangle of Grant, Caitlyn, and Penny is very interesting. What I liked most about the movie is that it doesn’t end on a happy note. Although there are funny moments here and there, this is definitely not a comedy. This ends sadly, and is a sadder type of movie all the way through. Refreshing I think.
Overall, I have nothing negative to say about this movie. I’ve seen it several times, and I think it just keeps getting better. Each time I think that Penny will make it out all right, but it doesn’t happen. I feel bad for him and watching this movie is like watching a train about to wreck. But it’s so worth it.
Unfortunately, I can’t find any working links to the trailer.
Monday, April 5, 2010
The TV Set
In 2006, a movie called The TV Set was released, written and directed by Jake Kasdan, and starring David Duchovny and Sigourney Weaver. This is in my opinion, just a movie. Nothing more or less.
This movie is a comedy without much laughs. This movie is spoofed on a recent episode of Family Guy where Brian gets a pilot made, but gives in and they change it. This movie is the story of how TV shows are made, from the audition process to being picked up for primetime. The story follows Mike (David Duchovny) who writes a pilot, mostly from personal experience, about a man who comes home for the funeral of his brother who's committed suicide. Yet it's a comedy. The network execs, mostly Lenny (Sigourney Weaver), change his show from the beginning. They cast the wrong person for the lead role; they want to change the brother's suicide to the mother's death; they want to make it more slapstick; they want to change the title. None of the changes are good changes, and we see Mike's expressions along the way cluing us into that fact. However, at first, we don't understand what's the right choice, except by Mike's reactions. In the end, the network will only pick up the series if Mike goes with the stupid network version, and if they change the name. He goes along with it, and the network plan it to be a huge success of the lineup.
For a comedy, I could count the number of times I laughed on one hand, but to not leave any fingers out, I'd have to be missing some. The best line comes when they are discussing the brother's suicide, and Lenny says: "Ok, get ready for this... what if.. he's not." Other than that, it's not that funny of a movie, it's only creative for it's use of behind the scenes of TV networks, and it's very plain with ordinary dialogue with only brief moments of clever dialogue.
Overall, I'm glad that it's only 88 minutes long, because I don't think I could sit through anything longer like this. There are useless characters that aren't needed, and whole situations that aren't interesting, nor do they add to the story. The premise isn't a bad one, it just wasn't executed that well. The best part was the last shot: Mike staring, sullen, at the recognition that the bastardized version of his script was loved by the network.. everyone laughing and patting him on the back as he shows no emotion.
Basically, I'd say not to waste your time with this one.
Here is a link to the trailer:
http://matttrailer.com/the_tv_set_2006
This movie is a comedy without much laughs. This movie is spoofed on a recent episode of Family Guy where Brian gets a pilot made, but gives in and they change it. This movie is the story of how TV shows are made, from the audition process to being picked up for primetime. The story follows Mike (David Duchovny) who writes a pilot, mostly from personal experience, about a man who comes home for the funeral of his brother who's committed suicide. Yet it's a comedy. The network execs, mostly Lenny (Sigourney Weaver), change his show from the beginning. They cast the wrong person for the lead role; they want to change the brother's suicide to the mother's death; they want to make it more slapstick; they want to change the title. None of the changes are good changes, and we see Mike's expressions along the way cluing us into that fact. However, at first, we don't understand what's the right choice, except by Mike's reactions. In the end, the network will only pick up the series if Mike goes with the stupid network version, and if they change the name. He goes along with it, and the network plan it to be a huge success of the lineup.
For a comedy, I could count the number of times I laughed on one hand, but to not leave any fingers out, I'd have to be missing some. The best line comes when they are discussing the brother's suicide, and Lenny says: "Ok, get ready for this... what if.. he's not." Other than that, it's not that funny of a movie, it's only creative for it's use of behind the scenes of TV networks, and it's very plain with ordinary dialogue with only brief moments of clever dialogue.
Overall, I'm glad that it's only 88 minutes long, because I don't think I could sit through anything longer like this. There are useless characters that aren't needed, and whole situations that aren't interesting, nor do they add to the story. The premise isn't a bad one, it just wasn't executed that well. The best part was the last shot: Mike staring, sullen, at the recognition that the bastardized version of his script was loved by the network.. everyone laughing and patting him on the back as he shows no emotion.
Basically, I'd say not to waste your time with this one.
Here is a link to the trailer:
http://matttrailer.com/the_tv_set_2006
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