So It Turn Out That There Are GOOD Movies About the Film Industry as Well
I began my Fractured Mirror column at TCM Backlot back in 2015 thinking that movies about movies are by definition self-indulgent because they reflect the endless self-absorption of movie business folks rather than the genuine needs of the masses.
Oh sure, there may be good, or even great, movies about the film industry but they had to be the exception rather than the rule, since most American movies about American movies recycle the same exhausted series of cliches and conventions about scheming agents, cynical studio executives and actresses who will do anything to get ahead.
This conviction that American movies about the film industry mostly suck did not prevent me from wanting to literally watch ALL of the American movies about the film industry and write them ALL up for a 600 page brick of a book covering over a CENTURY of American movies about American movies.
I love things that mostly suck. I love things that kind of suck. I love things that SUPER suck. I love things all over the suckiness spectrum. It’s quality that makes me break out in a cold sweat.
Thankfully it turns out that I was once again both
Wrong
A fucking idiot
I’ve been watching and writing up mostly obscure to super-obscure movies for The Fractured Mirror book. The campaign won’t even end until FRIDAY AT 6 PM EST yet I have already written up the following 13 original pieces for it: 2004’s The Last Shot, 1988’s Rented Lips, 1997’s Cats Don’t Dance, 1989’s That’s Adequate, 2002’s Simone, 1988’s The Wizard of Speed and Time, 1984’s Special Effects, 1992’s In the Soup, 1976’s W.C. Fields and Me, 1999’s The Woman Chaser, 1987’s Return to Horror High, 1982’s The Comeback Trail and 1989’s Terror Eyes.
That’s 13 new pieces in less than a month and that does not include new pieces that I’ve written for the book that also ran on the Happy Place website, such as Sunset (which proved surprisingly popular) and Overnight.
Some of those lucky 13 movies fucking sucked. Simone? It was just as muddled and underwhelming the second time around. W.C Fields and Me? A fucking embarrassment. Rented Lips? Hoo boy. It’s like my ex-wife’s Meatloaf Surprise: Not good!
I’m pleased to say, however, that a bunch of the movies I saw were REALLY good. The Last Shot, Cats Don’t Dance, That’s Adequate, The Wizard of Speed and Time, In the Soup and The Comeback Trail are all highly recommended but also highly distinctive.
Cats Don’t Dance is an inspired post-Who Framed Roger Rabbit musical celebration of MGM musicals. The Comeback Trail and The Last Shot are uproariously dark and nasty black comedies. In the Soup is an inspired cross between early Woody Allen and Living in Oblivion, with an absolutely magnificent performance from Seymour Cassel.
The Woman Chaser is a terrific Neo-Noir with a great lead performance from Patrick Warburton. The Wizard of Speed and Time features some of the most amazing special effects I have ever seen.
It turns out that American movies about the film industry can be good, even great! They can be anything and everything and frequently are.
By writing about the whole history of American movies about American movies I will be writing about EVERYTHING: capitalism and narcissism and art and entertainment and ego and insanity.
I’ll be writing about self-absorption, of course, but that is a good thing, as I find self-absorption inherently fascinating.
I was already excited about this epic journey but discovering just how many good movies have been made about the movie-making business has dramatically increased my excitement and raised my expectations.
Come along for the ride! It’s gonna be great! It already is!
Would you like an entire massive book FULL of articles like this? Check out the Kickstarter for The Happy Place’s next book, The Fractured Mirror: Nathan Rabin’s Happy Place’s Definitive Guide to American Movies About the Film Industry here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/weirdaccordiontoal/the-fractured-mirror?ref=project_build
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