A Look Back At The Filmstrip

Last week it was announced that A WRINKLE IN TIME was going to be remade into a film. The popular book by Madeleine L’Engle, had previously been filmed as a TV movie in 2004 but this was going to be a full theatrical version. Some of the stories questioned if they could get the story right as a film version.

I never read the book. And, I never saw the previous movie. But the story was always a favorite of mine.

Why?

Because of the filmstrip.

Does anyone else remember filmstrips?

Before video, filmstrips were spools of 35mm film that threaded through a projector. Accompanied by a cassette tape, with beeps telling you when to turn the frame, they illustrated the story.

They ranged from health and science films to adaptations of popular books of the day.

The filmstrips were projected on a screen. In class, one student was usually picked to advance the film on the beep (and to be yelled at by the rest of the class for missing a beep).

If it was a high tech projector, it automatically flipped on the beep. This was often faulty, with the projector missing a beep, or flipping a frame and a half instead.

In the late 70’s and early 80’s, in school, many classes would have a personal player that you could watch during study breaks. You had the little box that lit up, threaded the film through, and loaded the oversized tape deck with earphones and listened along. This was always really cool. Most of the big Newberry Award winning books had filmstrip versions.

My mom was a teacher so my sister and I would often get to talk her into bringing one of the personal players home on the weekends with a bunch of boxes of films. This was in the days before VCRs so it was the closest you got to renting videos.

A WRINKLE IN TIME was one of the best. It was made up of several canisters, had a very good voice cast and sound effects. The one I watched the most was IT’S LIKE THIS CAT, by Emily Cheney Neville. This was a story about a boy and his cat growing up in New York City in the 1960’s. Loved this one, which even had a music score to it.

By the late 80’s, the filmstrips had been transferred to VHS and were being released that way. It wasn’t the same. The intimacy of having that little box in front of you that you could control, clicking through whenever you heard the beep, was gone. Instead, it was like watching bad animation.

The sad thing is, filmstrips seem to be forgotten. I looked on Ebay and there was little to be found. It is a technology that has been completely replaced.

AT THE MOVIES (1975-2010)

According to the Hollywood Reporter, with confirmations Tweeted by Roger Ebert, A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips as well as the show itself, AT THE MOVIES has been canceled.

While AT THE MOVIES started in the 80's when Disney signed on Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert for a syndicated review show, the show really began as SNEAK PREVIEWS on PBS in the mid 70's. I watched the show religiously from the late 70's until today.

Even though Siskel and Ebert are gone from the show, and there were the couple years with Ben Lyons, the current incarnation of the show, with A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips, was the best the show had been since the glory days of Siskel and Ebert.

The two brought intelligent film discussion to TV, a rarity today with most of the film talk having to do with the personal lives of stars. There was nothing tabloid about the show, just serious discussion and debate about the films.

I can't say I'm surprised by the cancellation though. At least in my area, it aired on Saturday afternoons amid infomercials. I wouldn't have been surprised if I was the only one watching some episodes.

The show will continue to air until mid-August.

Remembering THE 1996 DVD

One of the great, forgotten shows on TV was MTV’s 120 MINUTES. On Sunday nights at midnight, this series aired what were then considered the “alternative” or modern rock videos of the day.

I would watch the show every week, taping videos on VHS. Years later, after MTV had stopped airing music videos, and I briefly had a DVD recorder, I went through those tapes and burned some of the best moments of the show onto DVD. I call it the 1996 DVD, as that was the peak period for the show.

I will now try to recreate that video.

It opens with the end of an episode of THE STATE, with the end of a sketch about a coffee addicted family. The end credits of that episode featured a dead on recreation of the ending credits of THE CANNONBALL RUN.

Then the first video.



“Walk This World” by Heather Nova - A popular video at the time, it seemed to always air.



“Enough” by Dance Hall Crashers - At the time it was a song from the ANGUS soundtrack, this was and still is a fantastic ska song.

This song was immediately followed by



“Cellophane” by Knapsack - I love, love, love this video. Sadly, the video has never been on Youtube. It was very briefly on MTV Music but was taken down. Great video that alternates between a girl walking around looking through a Viewmaster and the band playing.

Then we have a commercial.



The Living in the 90’s CD. I actually ordered this one. Notice how there wasn’t even a website in the ad?

While I have no idea her name, the girl in the ad is still in commercials. She is playing the mom in another ad today I think it is for Zyrtec.



“Jesus Loves You (Not As Much As I Do)” by Eve’s Plum - One of my favorite bands of the day. I wrote about the CD this is from here. Sadly, it was the band's final CD. The lead singer, Colleen Fitzpatrick who had previously appeared in the movie HAIRSPRAY, would reinvent herself as Vitamin C.



“Inside” by Patti Rothberg - Sorry about the video being out of sync. I didn’t post it. Another great song.



“Bad As They Seem” by Hayden - Very popular on 120 Minutes, and a very catchy song (“What do I do this for / got to get out some more / go down to the grocery store / meet someone I adore”). I bought the CD based on this song, didn’t get into it and put it aside. I then saw Hayden as an opening act a little later. The audience, made up of drunken frat guys, was rather abusive. So much so, he kept to the faster songs on his set list and didn’t even play this. Another couple years after that, I listened to this CD again and LOVED it.



“Someday I Will Treat You Good” by Sparklehorse - One of the decade’s greatest videos. I posted it recently after the suicide of Mark Linkous, lead of the band and co-director of the video. I never tire of this video.

While most of the videos were taken from 120 Minutes, the above was taken from RAGE, a similar late night music video show from Boston.

At this point in the tape, there are two ads that give you a look at the era. There was an ad for an AIDS walk to be held in Boston on June 2, 1996 as well as a trailer for THE CRAFT.

Next up, and not embeddable, is “Walking Contradiction” by Green Day. While I was never THAT big of a Green Day fan, this video, with the band members walking nonchalantly through a city while all manner of hell breaks loose around them is a pretty amazing video. It was directed by Roman Coppola. He would go on to direct the very stylish film CQ, but should be doing more as this was logistically one of the most stunning videos of the ear.



“Honeycomb” by Helium - Very depressing song. But it was the 90’s. Everyone was depressed.



“Never Said” by Liz Phair - Always loved Liz, even in her commercial days. Can’t say this is one of her best videos but it was all they showed.

“I’m Waiting” by the Rentals - Another rather amazing Roman Coppola directed video, that is also not embeddable. In the video, you can see future SNL star Maya Rudolph on keyboards. She didn’t play on the CD (which was a great one) but joined the band later.



“Shame” by Stabbing Westward - Another of the decade's best videos. It tells a story, with subtitled dialogue (like Radiohead did in another video from the time period). Plus, with the band members slowly leaving the performance part to go watch the story, it is actually quite funny.



“Open the Door” by Magnapop - Great song. Right before the video on the tape is an interview with the band by Matt Pinfield, the host of 120 MINUTES who seemed to know more about each artist he was introducing than the artists knew about themselves. He would reference obscure European B-sides from bands you never heard of. Pinfield lets us remember how troubling the time period was by mentioning that two of his friends had committed suicide in the previous two weeks and how the song impacted him.



“Popular” by Nada Surf - An only in the 90’s song.

And that is it. An hour of music videos from 1996.

Then came the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which pretty much ruined radio and music driving the “Modern Rock” market off the air.

Music will never be the same.

John Cusack and Friends Remember the 1980's

John Cusack and his HOT TUB TIME MACHINE co-stars look back at the 1980's today in the New York Times.

What is most interesting is this exchange.

Q. If you had to choose between the films of John Hughes or the films of Savage Steve Holland, which would you go with?

CUSACK I was only in one of the John Hughes films, and I never saw the other ones. I didn’t understand them. I kept hearing a really hip 40-year-old person talking in teenagers’ mouths. And I was in two movies with Steve Holland. So I don’t think I would choose. I don’t think I would have an opinion.

Cusack never saw the other John Hughes films? Really? Not even THE BREAKFAST CLUB?

This is the first time that Cusack has seemed to talk about the Steve Holland films (BETTER OFF DEAD, ONE CRAZY SUMMER) without bashing them. His co-stars have favorable things to say about them.

In my "What Ever Happened To" story on Savage Steve Holland, I quoted an interview he gave not too long ago. Holland stated that during the production of ONE CRAZY SUMMER, Cusack came up to him and stated

“You know, you tricked me. Better Off Dead was the worst thing I have ever seen. I will never trust you as a director ever again, so don’t speak to me.”

Maybe he has mellowed a bit. I hope. Those Holland films were a lot of fun back in the day. I'd love to see the two together again, but I don't know.

THE OFFICE "New Leads"

I love THE OFFICE. It is my favorite show currently on TV. I never miss an episode. Despite having all the previous seasons on DVD, I also watch the syndicated reruns every night.

That said, was it just me or was there something “off” about last nights episode?

In case you missed it, in “New Leads” the story had the sales team at Dunder Mifflin becoming increasingly arrogant because of the way the new owners put an emphasis on sales. This led to the rest of the office becoming resentful.

The character changes in this episode seemed like they were out of nowhere. While they may be getting more power, Phyllis especially came across as a completely different Phyllis, very rude and even obnoxious. Nothing like the characters have been for the past five seasons.

And, not only that, technically the show looked different. The whole episode seemed underlit. There was one scene set at the dump that looks like it might have been shot in front of a green screen. The scene was so poorly lit, with shadows coming from every direction, it was hard to watch.

Some critics have stated it might be time for the show to end. Whenever babies are introduced into a show, as with Jim and Pam, it is always thought to be a “Jump the Shark” moment. I’m not at that level yet.

If anything, they could always have Jim and Pam leave the show. While I would miss them of course, some of the secondary characters, like Kevin, Kelly, Ryan, Creed, Darryl, or the always wonderful Toby are just as entertaining. They could bring them to the forefront.

Again, I still love the show. I will continue watching as long as it stays on the air. But, for one of the first times in the series run, it was a weak episode.

I'M DYING UP HERE by William Knoedelseder

 

I’M DYING UP HERE opens and closes with a memorial service. The fact that they are for two different comedians goes to show you that comedy isn’t pretty.

Yet, I’M DYING UP HERE is one of the most fascinating stories you are likely to read.

Written by William Knoedelseder,  the book tells the story of stand up comedy in the 1970’s, centered on Mitzi Shore’s The Comedy Store in L.A..  It was the era of David Letterman, Jay Leno, George Miller, Tom Dreesen, Richard Lewis, Robin Williams, Andy Kaufman, Richard Pryor and many more.

This isn’t so much a look at the art of stand up, this is more of the business.  It focuses on how a group of comedians, who became close friends, realized there was money to be made, and how they tried to stand up for themselves, essentially changing the industry in the process. The centerpiece of the story is the comedians going on strike against the Comedy Store, demanding that comics get paid for their work.

If you have any interest in any of these performers, or the backstage world of comedy, do not miss this book.

ARIZONA DREAM (1994) DVD Review

ARIZONA DREAM is being released by the Warner Archives program. This is the DVD burn on demand service, with the DVDs available directly from Warner Home Video.

ARIZONA DREAM was one of Johnny Depp’s first starring roles after his success on 21 JUMP STREET. It proved that he would not be a conventional leading man. Filmed in 1991, it wasn’t released in the US until 1994.

Co-written and directed with Serbian director Emir Kusturica, Depp plays Axel, a fish tracker in New York who heads back home to Arizona for his Uncle’s wedding. Uncle Leo is played by Jerry Lewis. That Lewis is the lone straight man in this film should give you some idea what this film is like.

What single word best describes this film?

Bizarre?

Quirky?

Odd?

Strange?

Original?

Probably all of the above.

This is a film that is hard to describe, which could mean that some may have trouble making it through it.

The cast is the best thing about it. Along with Depp and Lewis there is Faye Dunaway as an eccentric woman with a flying machine and Vincent Gallo as a wannabe actor who enjoys recreating scenes from films, such as the cornfield chase in NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Michael J. Pollard and Paulina Porizkova also appear.

But my favorite performance is by Lili Taylor as Dunaway's step daughter. At the time, she was at the beginning of her being an indie darling, with BRIGHT ANGEL, DOGFIGHT and HOUSEHOLD SAINTS earning her early raves. Her suicidal character in this is one of her most memorable performances.

I saw this when it was first released on video in 1995 and, other than the NORTH BY NORTHWEST imitation, had no memory of the film. After watching it again, I went through my notes and found my two sentence review. It seems the two scenes I mentioned, both involving Lili Taylor’s character, were I would say my favorite scenes still today. Both are from a rather interesting dinner party.

This isn’t a perfect film. While I am normally a fan of voiceover narration, here, there is too much. And did I mention just how odd the film is?

The DVD, which has no extras, looks very good.

The one slight problem, the film is being released in the 119 minute version that was available on video. The film is also available in a 142 minute version. Warner did not have the rights to this version.

ARIZONA DREAM will be available on DVD on March 16, 2010 from the Warner Archive.

PONYO (2009) Blu-Ray Review

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

In this adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's THE LITTLE MERMAID, a boy finds a goldfish that wants to become human.

The English language voice cast includes Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, and Betty White.

WHO MADE IT?

The film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the acclaimed animator behind MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, SPIRITED AWAY, and many more.

The English language dialogue was written by Melissa Mathison who wrote E.T.

IS IT ANY GOOD?

If you have never seen a Miyazaki film, why haven’t you????

Called the “Walt Disney of Japan”, his films are absolutely gorgeous to look at. Not quite the look of traditional animation or anime, they are instead works of art, each frame stunning to look at.

PONYO is a film that he has made for younger audiences. He states he made it for five year olds. Fifty year olds should enjoy it as well.

The scenes of the landscapes are especially beautiful. Just a single frame of the house that Sosuke lives in, on a little hill, could be framed and put on the wall.

Some have objected to the Japanese soundtrack not being given the DTS treatment. I don’t mind this. The English language soundtrack is excellent. The way it uses sound effects gives the film depth that even traditional films don’t have.

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?

The Blu-Ray is a 2 DVD set that also includes a DVD copy of the film.

The Blu-Ray includes the following extras.

There is an introduction (3:22) to the film, as well as the option to watch it with the films original storyboards.

The extras are divided into two areas:

BEHIND THE STUDIO - A collection of featurettes, most in Japanese with English subtitles.

A CONVERSATION WITH HAYAO MIYAZAKI AND JOHN LASSETER (3:33) - Lasseter, the head of Pixar and Disney animation, and Miyazaki discuss the film and what an influence Miyazaki is on Pixar.

CREATING PONYO (3:56) - Miyazaki talks of the inspiration for the film.

PONYO AND FUJIMOTO (2:59) - The father and daughter story in the film.

THE NURSERY (2:00) - The influence of the nursery in the film.

PRODUCERS PERSPECTIVE: TELLING THE STORY (2:28) - The producer talks about how the film was made.

LOCATIONS OF PONYO (9:35) - Excerpts from a Japanese documentary on the locations used in the film.

SCORING MIYAZAKI (7:19) - The film’s music score.

ORIGINAL JAPANESE TRAILERS (3:22) - Two Japanese trailers for the film.

BEHIND THE MICROPHONE: THE VOICES OF PONYO (6:04) - Focusing on the English language cast.

There are also previews for three other Miyazaki films, CASTLE IN THE SKY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO and KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE.

There is a second section of extras, ENTER THE LANDS, where, via remote control, you can view clips from other Miyazaki films.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Miyazaki is always worth seeing, especially on Blu-Ray.

PONYO is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray from Walt Disney Home Video.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (2009) Blu-Ray Review

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Set in the 1920’s in New Orleans, a girl kisses a frog, thinking it will turn into a prince. Instead, she turns into a frog. The two set out in New Orleans to break the spell.

Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jennifer Cody, Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard and John Goodman supply the voices.

WHO MADE IT?

Writers / directors Ron Clements and John Musker previously wrote and directed THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE, THE LITTLE MERMAID, ALADDIN, HERCULES, and TREASURE PLANET.

IS IT ANY GOOD?

It is quite refreshing to see an old school Disney animated film. Nothing against Pixar, they have made some of the greatest films of recent years, but it seems that everyone has gone the computer animated route.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG looks great, with its New Orleans settings.  The score by Randy Newman is nicely done, if not memorable on first listening.

While it may not be an instant classic along the lines of THE LITTLE MERMAID or ALADDIN, it is more reminiscent of the mid level Disney features, such as THE RESCUERS.

As a kid, THE RESCUERS was a favorite of mine. It may not be considered a classic by today's standards, to those that saw it then, they will always like it. I think that THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG will have its own fans, especially among younger audiences.

I checked in with my niece who saw the film theatrically.

Her review

“It was great!”

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?



The Blu-Ray is a three disc set.  It contains the Blu-Ray, the standard DVD, as well as a digital file to download to an iPod.

Both the Blu-Ray and DVD contain:

An audio commentary with the filmmakers.

DELETED SCENES - The filmmakers introduce a selection of deleted scenes, in rough animation form.

MUSIC VIDEO - “Never Knew I Needed” by Ne-Yo.

There are also a few games played with the remote control.

The Blu-Ray contains the following features exclusively.

BRINGING LIFE TO ANIMATION (8:08) - A comparison of the live action footage shot as models for the animators to use to the final film.

MAGIC IN THE BAYOU: THE MAKING OF A PRINCESS (22:11) - Making of documentary focusing on everything from the locations to the music.

THE RETURN TO HAND DRAWN ANIMATION (2:43) - The filmmakers talk about their love of hand drawn animation.

THE DISNEY LEGACY (2:31) - A brief overview of Disney animation.

DISNEY’S NEWEST PRINCESS (2:51) - Introducing Tiana.

THE PRINCESS AND THE ANIMATOR (2:26) - Designing Tiana.

CONJURING THE VILLAIN (1:50) - Designing Dr. Facilier.

A RETURN TO THE ANIMATED MUSICAL (3:13) - A look at the music in the film.

ART GALLERIES

SHOULD I BUY IT?

A return to old school Disney animation. Fans should be happy with this Blu-Ray.


THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 16, 2010.

Corey Haim (1971-2010)

One of the icons of 80's film, Corey Haim, has passed away of an apparent drug overdose.

This is very sad news.

Haim was a very likable actor. He started off in 1984's FIRSTBORN, billed ahead of Robert Downey Jr. and Sarah Jessica Parker. There was the Canadian TV series THE EDISON TWINS which aired in the US on the Disney Channel. After appearing in SECRET ADMIRER, SILVER BULLET, and MURPHY'S ROMANCE, he played the title character in LUCAS, probably his most critically acclaimed film.

Then came the Feldman years. Haim and his frequent co-star Corey Feldman, were the Redford and Newman of the 1980's. The films they made together, while maybe they weren't popular with critics, certainly were popular if you grew up in the 1980's.

I wrote this piece a few years ago, a look back on the films the two made together. To some, THE LOST BOYS, LICENSE TO DRIVE and DREAM A LITTLE DREAM are some of the decades most memorable films.

Since the 1990, Haim had been having trouble. The films mostly went direct to video. There were reports of drug use and he disappeared for a while.

In 2007, Haim and Feldman starred in a reality program THE TWO COREYS on A&E. It was an interesting, if at times horribly scripted, look at his life today. While Haim had been away for a while, I thought that he still had the potential to make a comeback. According to the IMDB, he had several films in various stages of development. He always had great comic timing.

Now, he is gone.

Stanley Kubrick's Boxes (2008)

The Sundance Channel recently aired a 2008 documentary entitled STANLEY KUBRICK'S BOXES. I don't know if it will be airing again (it isn't on the schedule for the next two weeks) but keep an eye out for it. If you are a Kubrick fan, this is a must see.

The film follows a filmmaker as he wades through Stanely Kubrick's archives at his home in England. Since the release of 2001, Kubrick began to keep all of his research material and other information in boxes, carefully numbered and organized. At the time of his passing, there were 1,000 of them.

Kubrick was so particular about the boxes that he even had many of them designed to his own specifications, wanting the lids to fit a certain way.

Among the revelations in the hour long documentary.

• Kubrick spent two years in pre-production on a Holocaust film, WARTIME LIES. In those same two years, Steven Spielberg went through pre-production, shot, edited, and released SCHINDLER'S LIST which caused Kubrick to abandoned the film.

• He would have readers in various parts of the US reading novels and screenplays and sending coverage to an assistant of his so that they didn't know they were reading for Kubrick. Among the films that were passed on, THE KILLING FIELDS.

• He kept every fan letter that was sent to him, and filed them away by the city of the writer (in case he ever needed someone to check out a theatre in the area showing one of his films or in case someone tried to harm him). Each letter was annotated if it was positive, negative, or a crank letter. Some of the crank letter writers are even tracked down in the documentary to talk about why they wrote him.  One writer mentioned he got really drunk after a film he wrote was butchered and wrote the letter to Kubrick.

• Kubrick wasn't a recluse, just very shy. One of his favorite activities was to go to the stationery store. If he liked a type of paper or notebook, he would buy up boxes of it in case it ever went out of style. He often joked about opening up a stationery museum.

• He loved his cats and wrote to animal groups for finding the proper collars, with bells, that would break away if the cat ever got caught on something.

• While he had all of the outtakes to his films destroyed, there were several film canisters found among his archives. It turned out to be 18 hours worth of behind the scenes footage, shot by his daughter, of the making of FULL METAL JACKET. Some great footage is shown, especially of Kubrick directing the hand gestures in the "This is my rifle, this is my gun" sequence. (On FULL METAL JACKET, he also has all of the audition tapes sent by the thousands of actors who wanted to be in the film).

• Kubrick spent a lot of time in the 1970's trying to sue the makers of the TV show SPACE: 1999 thinking that it was a rip off of 2001.

This is a fascinating look at Kubrick.  My only problem, I wish it were longer.  Writer / director / star Jon Ronsom (who wrote the book that THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS is based on) does a very good job, but he only scratches the surface.

The film ends with the boxes being sent out to be stored at a University in London where they can be accessed by film students.

Sadly, this film is not on DVD. It is well worth seeking out.

FORGOTTEN FILM: RICH GIRL (1991)

1991’s RICH GIRL had, up until this past year, the distinction of being the lowest grossing film to ever open on more than 1,000 screens. Last December’s TRANSYLMANIA managed to gross less, getting RICH GIRL off the hook.

I have no memory of RICH GIRL even opening theatrically. Yet, it was a film that, in the mid 90’s, I saw many times.

In RICH GIRL, popular “What Ever Happened To” subject Jill Schoelen played Courtney, a “poor little rich girl” living in Beverly Hills. She falls for a guy from the wrong side of tracks, rock singer Rick (Don Michael Paul).

It is a typical star crossed lovers story. Paul Gleason and Bentley Mitchum also starred. Directed by Joel Bender (who would go on to be an editor on THE AMAZING RACE), the film wasn’t anything special. Yet, Schoelen made the material watchable, as she always did.

It was the opening sequence that I always loved.

Schoelen is driving in her red Ferrari through Beverly Hills. She is going through stop signs and speeding so is eventually stopped by a motorcycle cop. As he is calling in her license plate (RCH GRL if I remember correctly) the cop is told “Forget about it.” Her father is too powerful and the ticket won’t stand. He gives her back her license. She then backs into his motorcycle, knocking it down, and drives off.

Not an original sequence, I know. But it was set to a great Ivan Neville song “Not Just Another Girl”.



Great song. It really brings that opening scene to life. Honestly, I probably watched that opening dozens of times over the years just to hear the song. I never watched beyond it though.

I thought for sure that the song was written for the film, as the lyrics tie in directly to the story (“Silver spoons, she had everything / She’d leave it all just to hear me sing.”). Yet, not only wasn’t it written for the film, but it had previously been used in another film, MY STEPMOTHER IS AN ALIEN. It is on the soundtrack for that film.

It was released on VHS and laserdisc by Columbia Tri-Star. I don’t know if Sony still owns the film. Judging by the fact that used VHS copies are going for over $100 on Amazon, I guess it is still in demand.

FORGOTTEN TV: M.Y.O.B. (2000)

In 1998, writer / director Don Roos made a very funny film called THE OPPOSITE OF SEX. The film starred Christina Ricci as a snarky teenager, telling her story quite often in voiceover. The film was acclaimed by critics.

That film was essentially reworked by Roos into a very short lived sitcom called M.Y.O.B. It aired on NBC in June of 2000.

Katherine Towne took over what was essentially the Ricci role as Riley, a runaway searching for her mother. She goes to stay with her aunt Opal, who works at a high school. Opal was played by Lauren Graham.

The show was very funny, with Towne, whose character also provides a very snarky commentary on each episode, giving a star making performance. Critics loved the show. Sadly, not enough people were watching and it aired for only four episodes.

I first heard of the cancellation of the show when I read that Graham had signed on to a new show on the WB. It would be a little show called THE GILMORE GIRLS. As much as I would go on to love GILMORE, which made me a Lauren Graham fan for life, I was more disappointed that there wasn’t going to be more of M.Y.O.B.

As for Towne (who is the daughter of CHINATOWN screenwriter Robert Towne and granddaughter of STELLA DALLAS star Anne Shirley) she is one of those actresses I keep waiting to have a break through role. She is still out there but hasn’t been in anything as good as M.Y.O.B. since.

Someone posted episode four on Youtube



Part 1



Part 2



Part 3