On The Lot Again, Just Can't Wait To Get On The Lot Again

Since On the Lot is not yet at a halfway point but at least far enough along to take stock, I figured I'd take a minute to think about where things are on the show so far.

Mostly, the films have been mediocre at best, while the highlight has often been Carrie Fisher trying desperately not to insult someone who just turned in a horrible film. The best moment of the show came a couple weeks ago when Carrie responded to a film which was horrible and horribly boring by telling the contestant that it was her "least favorite thing after adolescence and getting left by a man for a man." Tonight's episode is supposedly horror but unless the quality improves, so is every other week.

Recently, they also held a log line competition on the show's website. The deadline for entries passed and as the date for finalists to be revealed approached the date kept moving farther and farther back. Eventually, about two or three weeks after the original date, the finalists were revealed. Looking over the list, it's no wonder people complain about Hollywood being unoriginal¹. I have not yet decided which story to I'll vote for, but I have discovered a very fun game where I read the list and try to identify the TV show or movie whose plot is being described. For example, one entry describes three teenagers wandering in the woods in search of an urban legend. The entries must have all been pretty bad if the plot of The Blair Witch Project made it into the top 40.

There have also been a lot of rumblings recently about how the show has been run, cutting production cost by using films submitted earlier instead of making new films for recent rounds, choosing contestants based on making good reality TV instead of good films (wow, they missed out on both counts, didn't they). I have no idea how much of that is true, but it sounds like things are more interesting behind the scenes than on screen. Of course, even though I watch the show, I'm of the opinion that it is the perfect example of something that should be watched on TiVo where you can fast forward through 90% of the show which is just filler.

After watching tonight's episode, the quality did improve, but only one film (Eternal Waters by Jason) really stood out. The others were ok, but not great. For Kenny, this week was a triumph because it was not as appalling as his previous films (to quote Carrie Fisher, "Compared to your other stuff, that was Gone with the Wind."), and his film included one excellent shot of one of his monsters approaching as seen in the side mirror of the car. Mateen showed promise and originality, but needed to focus a little more, while Shira-Lee's film was relatively derivative, but well-made. Andrew combined comedy with his horror film and made a good, but not great attempt at both. Sam, on the other hand, went strictly with horror and broke out the B-movie puppets for a monster. Unfortunately, the downfall of his movie was not the puppet, but all the exposition in his intro. Overall, I suppose it was better than last week, and much better than 2 weeks ago, but none of these people are making films that make me feel like I would want to pay to go see their work.

¹ Full disclosure here: I did enter a few into the competition and am not among the finalists. No, that doesn't bother me, because I never really expected to be. I figured with all the people online who might be submitting things, there would be plenty of good entries. Just thought that I should let you know that I am actually complaining about a contest I entered.