I forgot about that movie. Wasn't that the one that people made a big deal out of because Ryan got naked several times in it?

Yes.

It was also a huge letdown and came 15 years later than it should have.

If Peter is there to be a creative "mentor" to Jason, doesn't taking Jason out and showing him Peter's own version of "film vs. digital" count in that respect? Like, what else is a mentor supposed to do? You can't just say "STAY OUT OF THE WAY PETER" when that's the exact reason he's there. I just thought Effie blew that up way out of proportion. The snark and sarcasm in her responses were just out of control.

Take 1:
Peter: I'm having Jason look at a film vs. digital presentation.
Effie: That's a great idea. I can't convince him, maybe you can.

Project Greenlight director: That doesn't work for the show.

Take 2:
Peter: I'm having Jason look at a film vs. digital presentation.
Effie: #*^%#

Hey, film vs. digital! Sweet! I'm on TV!

Yeah, and apparently some of the sex scenes were quite graphic.

I've more or less assumed that the filmmakers who get to shoot on film-Tarantino, Nolan-get to because of their major box office cache, and will only be able to for the short time film is still Arline. If a person shooting a student movie said "I'll only do it if I can shoot on film," I'd assume that they'd be like "Bye!" And it's a TV movie anyway, which makes it even more pointless.

Did anyone actually think when Jason was given the option to shoot on film or get more shooting days, he might go with digital?

People use the adjective "uncompromising" when describing an artist as a positive thing, but with Jason, it's really a negative. He won't give an inch on anything. Looks like his casting choices were smart ones and I'm looking forward to seeing the final results. But you know how bad things are going to get when they run behind or over budget if the crew is already at each other's throats before shooting even begins.

I'll give him this though : when the previous two directors were shooting it was clear they had no idea what they were doing. Jason at least seems to know how to direct a film if nothing's no else.

While she's been annoying, I think Effie is pretty spot on in her assessment of Jason. This is a guy who hasn't had to worry about working for money in his whole life. And he's used to always getting his way in the end. I'm not sure what his backstory is. But he talks about being able to do nothing for many years but "immerse" himself in film ... who can afford to do that (while living in a nice apartment in an expensive city)?

Man, I'm loving this season. I just blazed through Seasons 01 and 02 over the past few weeks, and now it sucks having to wait week to week.

Regarding Effie, I hate her. She is obviously VERY insecure about her job which is why she is starting all this drama. If I were Peter Farrely I would of told her she can go fuck herself. Seriously, the dude is an Exec. Producer (higher in rank than her) and he did something to try and help the entire film and process and gained nothing of it. The fact that she was too stubborn to see that is mind blowing. During the after credits stuff when she was baffled why no one asked her for her side of the story... gee, maybe it's because you were the cause of one of the top filmmakers today quitting this. And as others have stated, she may of made 17 movies, but how many of those are commercial successes? Know your fucking place!

In regards to Jason, I'm kind of torn on how I feel about him. On one hand, yes, it's extremely annoying how he is unable to compromise on anything. That being said, almost everything he's been asking for has been accomplished and they are still on schedule to shoot. It seems like everyone who is willing to help him get what he wants are all the big wigs (Affleck, Damon, the HBO president, etc) and the ones who keep telling him "no" are the ones working for him. Basically it's going to come down to the final product. If the movie is great, then he will be seen as a creative genius who pushed others to greatness. I'm rooting for this movie to be great.

Anyone else catch Effie's line about how there's no way she'd apologize for something where she didn't think she was at fault? And yet Matt Damon had to already issue a public apology for telling Effie he wanted to pick a winner based solely on their own merits, and not their race and/or sex.

I think he is trying to wring every ounce of his vision until the very last moment, to me that's the sign of a guy who is determined to make a great movie. Compromising at the last moment. I'm sure it will come back to bite him during the filming, but it been making great tv so far.

This season has been terrific.

Doesn't Pete Jones seem like an actor from a 1930's WC Fields movie?

Season 3 is awesome too and definitely worth tracking down if you can.

They are all up on YouTube.

Awesome! Didn't realize that but I will definitely be going through Season 3 now!

Matt Damon didn't have to apologize for anything. He probably did just because his publicist told him to do so. It's not like he was in fear of losing his career--he made a choice likely based on a recommendation.

And picking a winner based "on their merits" is a fallacy, anyway. Movies are subjective--what I think is great you might think is garbage--regardless of the director's chops. If everyone in Hollywood who has ever helmed a movie was picked solely "based on their merits," we'd never have bad movies because they would be "qualified" for the job. And we obviously know that's not the case, no matter what Damon tries to say to justify his director choice on "Project Greenlight."

Holy christ... I am two episodes in to Season 03... how on Earth did they pick this nut job for a director? The dude is completely insane! Wants to cast his entire family for the main parts in the movie. And he's CREEPY!!!

Either this show is edited to make Effie look like the most difficult producer in Hollywood or she's been asked to be difficult, because I can't imagine any studio allowing her to produce their film.

No, the director's no picnic either, but Effie is supposed to be a seasoned professional, and she acts like a stuck-up diva.

Now that he's finally behind the camera, Jason seems fairly competent (at least by this show's low standards). Though his Kubrick "take-after-take" style doesn't seem like the best fit for this production. With that in mind, I bet it would work out great for the shoot if they were filming in a way that didn't impose a strict limit on footage. Like, oh, I don't know ... digital!

I'm sure I missed something ... but I was completely lost on the story behind the argument between the AD and cameraman. Anyone have a better grasp on what was going on there?

The biggest problem for me is that, from what I've seen so far, The Leisure Class doesn't look very funny. From what I've seen, the main character is an asshole (who the audience is supposed to find charming) who does stupid shit. For all of Jason's auteur posturing, and his rejection of the original script, his movie sounds like a relentless stream of dick and ass jokes which makes the crudest of the Farrelly brothers movies seem like high art by comparison.

It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Effie is such a great Reality TV character. Smart and competent, but amazingly difficult and painfully sarcastic.

Didn't really get the gist of the argument either but having a huge argument when the head of HBO strolls in isn't ideal in any case.

I believe the main issue is the camera crew felt they were being rushed into their setups, meaning they couldn't be sure they would comply with the whole non-damage clause and they didn't know where the actors would be.

And Feast is likely the most popular and most entertaining of the Project Greenlight movies, oddly enough.

Well, for a horror movie insane and creepy are positive attributes to have

I didn't have any problem with John casting his dad Clu. Actually, Clu had (by far) the most experience of anyone on set and has a history with horror. It was only with the other family members John tried to bring in where I thought things were going a bit too far. As it turned out, I think his wife (girlfriend?) only had a small role. Were there other family members he tried to bring in?

Jason clearly is difficult to produce, but Effie is just exhausting.

Thought the extended trailer looked like the movie might work. Ed Weeks and Tom Bell clearly have some chemistry.

Effie..how do people even bother hiring her..oh yea that's right she's produced 17 movies...lol.

Chip...meet ..shoulder. What a stupid bitch. No wonder dude walked out of the project rather than deal with her bullshit. That's not just producing at this point.

I can't see anyone wanting to hire her after this.