Are there any movies positive about television?
12-16-04, 09:04 AM
#1
DVD Talk Hero
Thread Starter
Are there any movies positive about television?
I watched Videodrome this weekend. Television was portrayed as soul-sucking, evil, and addictive.
This is different from Network, where television is soulless, evil, corrupt, and banal.
In Quiz Show, television is banal, evil, and corrupt from its earliest days.
In Magnolia, television is merely brutal and destructive.
I haven't seen Ed TV, Broadcast News, or Bamboozled, but they seem to be more of the same.
It seems like moviemakers have a problem with television. Has anyone bucked the trend and made a movie that's positive about television?
This is different from Network, where television is soulless, evil, corrupt, and banal.
In Quiz Show, television is banal, evil, and corrupt from its earliest days.
In Magnolia, television is merely brutal and destructive.
I haven't seen Ed TV, Broadcast News, or Bamboozled, but they seem to be more of the same.
It seems like moviemakers have a problem with television. Has anyone bucked the trend and made a movie that's positive about television?
12-16-04, 10:18 AM
#3
DVD Talk Legend
Shaun of the Dead - TV news updates inform the protagonists on what exactly is happening around them, and tells them how to kill the zombies.
12-16-04, 11:40 AM
#6
DVD Talk Limited Edition
I've noticed this trend before too and I can't think of any positive portrayals either.
I have seen Broadcast News and it's a cynical portrayal of how TV news had evolved from journalists reporting the news to models reading the news.
here's another...
King of Comedy depicts a hack comic who stalks a late night talk show host.
I have seen Broadcast News and it's a cynical portrayal of how TV news had evolved from journalists reporting the news to models reading the news.
here's another...
King of Comedy depicts a hack comic who stalks a late night talk show host.
12-16-04, 02:50 PM
#7
DVD Talk Legend
UHF!
"You get to drink from the firehose!!"
"You get to drink from the firehose!!"
12-16-04, 07:57 PM
#10
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
The Groove Tube & Tunnelvision
12-16-04, 11:07 PM
#12
Guest
12-17-04, 12:01 AM
#13
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally Posted by Verbal Gorilla
12-17-04, 02:03 AM
#14
DVD Talk Legend
Seeing as the satelite company is run by the Devil and all the TV shows try to kill them somehow, I'm not sure if that really counts as "positive".
12-17-04, 12:18 PM
#16
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There was some made for TV movie that covered the very early days of television, starring Christopher Lloyd and Molly Ringwald about a year ago.
The Big Time
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0294362/
The Big Time
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0294362/
Last edited by sdcrym; 12-18-04 at 09:40 PM. Reason: formatting change
12-17-04, 12:29 PM
#17
DVD Talk Legend
Maybe Wayne's World? Sure, Rob Lowe's character is a bad guy, but how else would Wayne and Garth find fame and fortune? How would they have gotten the attention of that record executive?
Scrooged and The Cable Guy are negative, but TCG at least points out some positive qualities, like shopping and playing Mortal Kombat with a friend in Vietnam.
Scrooged and The Cable Guy are negative, but TCG at least points out some positive qualities, like shopping and playing Mortal Kombat with a friend in Vietnam.
12-17-04, 03:55 PM
#18
DVD Talk Special Edition
The reporter in John Q did all he could to portray Denzel as a hero.
Of course, the movie deals with a much broader topic though.
Of course, the movie deals with a much broader topic though.
Last edited by mano365; 12-17-04 at 03:57 PM.
12-17-04, 07:39 PM
#19
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
I thought "The Cable Guy" portrayed the cable companies in an overly-positive manner; I've never seen anyone who worked for a cable company care that much about their job. 
12-18-04, 01:29 AM
#21
DVD Talk Legend
Home Alone - Kid uses TV to get a pizza delivered and to scare off some robbers.
12-18-04, 06:14 PM
#23
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally Posted by Alan Smithee
I thought "The Cable Guy" portrayed the cable companies in an overly-positive manner; I've never seen anyone who worked for a cable company care that much about their job.
