Overall Rating Awesome: 34.55% Worth A Look: 49.09% Average: 14.55% Pretty Bad: 1.82% Total Crap: 0% 6 reviews, 19 user ratings

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Series 7: The Contenders

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by Brian McKay

"It really is the next logical step in reality TV"

We've had to constantly hear about all the vapid, annoying people on "Survivor", "Temptation Island", "the Real World", and "Big Brother". Anyone with any modicum of intelligence recognizes these "reality" TV shows as the pieces of shit that they are (too bad the bombardment of commercials for them aren't so easy to avoid). BUT . . . what if we gave all the people on these ridiculous fucking shows fully-loaded Glock 9-millimeter pistols and had them off each other? Wouldn't you pay to see that shit? I know I would! In fact, let's start with that dumb naked fucker who won the first round of "Survivor". Somebody PLEASE put a cap in his ass.

In the world of "Series 7", several contenders are picked at random in a government-sponsored lottery. They are each given a loaded Glock and a cameraman who follows their every move. The object? To hunt down and kill your opponents. The prize? You get to live long enough to star in the next series. If you survive three series, you get to go back to your normal life. Dawn Legarto is the reigning champion (Played by Brooke Smith from "The Silence of the Lambs" - best known as the "IT PUTS THE LOTION IN THE BASKET" girl). Not only has she survived by ruthlessly hunting down her opponents, but she is 8 months pregnant as well. By coincidence (maybe), one of the contenders that she must face in Series 7 is her old high-school boyfriend, the only guy she ever really loved.

The brilliant thing about this film is just how much it looks like a reality TV show. Everything from the pacing, to the editing, to the cinematography, is perfect for what it's trying to accomplish. It even has mock commercial breaks with "coming up next" teasers. The contenders are all nutty as hell, making them that much more interesting. And it doesn't pull any punches either, even showing one of the contenders, a pretty 19 year old girl, being bludgeoned to death with a cane. It is equally hilarious and disturbing, and in some scenes, like when Dawn sneaks up behind one of her opponents in an elevator and slits her throat as she screams and squeals, you don't know whether to laugh or cringe, and end up doing both.

Not only is it a great comedy, but a scathing social commentary. Fans of reality TV will probably love it for all the wrong reasons. But really where else is there to go with the reality TV genre? Every lame, stupid, tired, moronic premise has been tried with every lame, stupid, tired moron that some TV executives could scrape from the bottom of the barrel. Fuck it, let's give them guns, drop them on an island, kill them all, and let the Nielsons sort 'em out.

link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=4878&reviewer=258
originally posted: 08/16/01 18:28:38

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User Comments

11/18/06 AJ Muller disturbing satire; definitely "gives the viewing public what they want to see" 4 stars

11/05/05 millersxing To the jaundiced eye, an irreversible trend toward SnuffTV emerges. Charming, never scary. 3 stars

11/21/04 Tawiah Craig It lookes so real that it was scary. 4 stars

12/15/03 delia johnson another good satire on reality tv, but not brutal enough. 4 stars

11/01/03 Nigel Fox A dark look at television gone mad, this parody of Fascist state is always right tv. 5 stars

1/28/03 graal Not close enough to what would really happen in this situation 3 stars

12/10/02 davebo Aside from the premise all it did was copy realitytv, not mock it 2 stars

7/27/02 sdjfsdkjf fucken crazy film. Lindsey getting beat up like that...not pretty. 5 stars

1/12/02 The Bomb 69 beautifully done, wicked funny with an awesome ending, should have explained rules better 5 stars

1/06/02 hum dark and clever 4 stars

12/29/01 Monday Morning Reality TV shows are fat targets and this gets damned close to the bulls-eye. 4 stars

10/30/01 mr. Pink A bit flawed in some parts, but still one of the best films I´ve seen this year. 4 stars

6/10/01 Roxxy Where can I enter? 4 stars

6/06/01 Belinda This movie ROCKS. 5 stars

6/04/01 lee despite the violence, l liked the clever and dark wake up call for our tv culture 4 stars

5/30/01 Aiken Drum This is one fucked up movie, I loved it. 5 stars

3/18/01 Blubberbot I really wanted to give it 4.5 stars. This is a good film. 4 stars

3/07/01 Kiss My Grits People like Mike Krasienko shouldn't be allowed to post. Sing the films' praises or shut up 5 stars

3/05/01 Finity i liked it a lot 5 stars

IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS FILM, RATE IT!
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USA 02-Mar-2001 (R) UK N/A Australia 31-May-2001 (MA)

Directed by Daniel Minahan Written by Daniel Minahan Cast Marylouise Burke Glenn Fitzgerald Michael Kaycheck Brooke Smith Richard Venture Merritt Weaver

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