sundance

Film intelligence: Dirty Harry cleans up our economic mess

Every week there are dozens of film news stories. Every week, we read them all and bring you the five most important ones in the single most important blog post you’ll ever read (today [at this moment]).

The Sundance Review Revue: TIM AND ERIC’S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE

The Sundance Film Festival is known as a haven for indie filmmakers, but over its history it’s also been a very welcoming venue for indie-minded TV-makers as well. A surprising number of films spun off from television shows have premiered in Park City over the years, from WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER (from the creators of The State) to RUN RONNIE RUN (from the creators of Mr. Show) to STRANGERS WITH CANDY (from the creators of either Temptation Island or Strangers With Candy, I forget.). To that great tradition, we now add TIM AND ERIC’S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE, written and directed by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, and made in the style of their beloved cult Adult Swim series, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! If you’re not familiar with Tim and Eric, I’m not inserting superlatives into the title; that’s the name of the show. And if you’re not familiar with Tim and Eric at this point, you probably don’t need to rush out to see their BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE, as word out of Park City indicates it’s largely a for-die-hard-fans-only affair.

Genre in general … on the web

Last week found me mired in dystopian cinema. One side effect, other than a few bad dreams, was simply more thought devoted to genre in general. It’s summer, when genre really rears its head! Romantic comedy becomes somehow even more romantic, horror feels … horrific, the science fiction film is as big and real as the block-busting multiplex screen it was born to illuminate.

But what about the small screen? How much, in other words, has film genre really permeated the web?

Clearly, we all know that a certain strand of comedy is alive and well on the internet. Think Will Ferrell and his toddler daughter Pearl, yukking it up a few years back on funnyordie.com.

The Landlord from Will Ferrell

Don’t get me wrong – this bit is still so hilarious that I laugh out loud. But just how far has comedy expanded on the web since then?

Will Ferrell’s Green Team

Will Ferrell has been making hilarious video shorts for awhile now. His latest creation is a spoof on over-the-top environmentalists who are seen to be invasive in their attempts to convince others to be more aware of their environmental impacts. This latest video features Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly And Adam Mckay playing the parts [...]