TNR BLOGS

House of Waxman
November 20, 2008 | 11:23 AM
TNRtv: Judis on 'Debt Man Walking'
November 20, 2008 | 10:57 AM
Life Imitates 'Superbad'
November 20, 2008 | 10:48 AM

Transition News 11/20
November 20, 2008 | 12:03 PM
Pritzker for Commerce... Or Not
November 20, 2008 | 10:45 AM
Napolitano for DHS
November 19, 2008 | 11:20 PM

Bush's Team of Unrivals
July 26, 2008 | 2:24 PM
Obama's Jump Shot for the Ages
July 23, 2008 | 1:55 PM
If Only Tennis Ruled the World...
July 17, 2008 | 3:56 PM

Waxman Pulls Off An Upset
November 20, 2008 | 11:06 AM
Quick Hits: Pirates, Appointees, Alabama v. Detroit
November 19, 2008 | 3:17 PM
Can Clean-Water Laws... Clean The Air?
November 19, 2008 | 2:17 PM
COLUMNISTS
TODAY'S STORIES
Blog Home | Contact | About |
31.01.2008
Take That, Charlie Kaufman

First, Michel Gondry made a straightforward trailer of his upcoming movie, Be Kind Rewind, about a group of videostore clerks who accidentally erase all the tapes in the store and have to replace them by acting out and recording their own, third-rate versions of the movies: 

 

Then... well, see for yourselves:

 

That is one wacky Frenchman.

--Christopher Orr

Posted: Thursday, January 31, 2008 10:28 AM with 7 comment(s)

Comments

You must be logged-in to comment.

Not a subscriber? Click here to get a digital or print and digital subscription to The New Republic!

huntlib said:

That second video was brilliant. The French should make this guy their cultural ambassador.

January 31, 2008 11:35 AM

bcbaird said:

As much as I see this as some sort of evil end to the sort of off-the-cuff film making I've come to love Channel101 for, I will still see it for the "Boyz N The Hood" remake.

January 31, 2008 11:52 AM

CharlesFosterKane said:

Gondry is a genius...and it's great to see that brilliance find its way to the movie screen (up till now, I think it's priimarily his music videos that have carried his legacy, as Eternal Sunshine was/is viewed as primarily a Kaufman enterprise). The great thing about him is that he's so playfully (rather than aggressively) meta - no arched eyebrows here.

January 31, 2008 12:49 PM

CharlesFosterKane said:

P.S. bcbaird -- I'm a film buff, albeit a somewhat reactionary one (partly out of preference for old movies, partly due to the expense of seeing new releases in the theater) but I'm sadly not familiar with the "off-the-cuff film making" of Channel101...it sounds good, what is it?

January 31, 2008 12:53 PM

williamyard said:

Do the store clerks remake "Be Kind Rewind"?  With, say, Jorge Luis Borges directing and M.C. Escher the art director?  Can we get a Leslie Neilsen cameo?

January 31, 2008 1:02 PM

bcbaird said:

Channel101.com is an odd site that was started a few years ago by guys struggling to make it in Hollywood.  It gathered a cult following and a few B-list celebrities (Jack Black, Sarah Chalke, Sarah Silverman, Drew Carey) made appearances in early shows.  Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg from SNL got their start there.

Basically, the premise is filmmakers submit shows each month.  They must be five minutes long.  Shows are "renewed" each month, those shows that don't screen well are "canceled."  

Typically, the shows are done on the cheap, and rely on toilet humor/absurdity/blatant copyright infringement to entertain.  There are a lot of prime-time parodies (Your Magic Touched Me: Nights, The 'Bu) and some really inspired bursts of originality (Yacht Rock).  Might not be your thing, but it's worth a few laughs each month.

January 31, 2008 1:20 PM

The Ignorant Populist said:

Very post, post, triple inverted, modern. Youtube has a lot to answer for. I agree the second clip was better. I love Mos Def and Jack Black can be funny.

Maybe a DVD rental, maybe.

January 31, 2008 5:53 PM