I have this film as part of the 'Rare Cult Cinema' DVD pack that I bought on a whim and contains films I've never heard of. This is the first one I watched and I am now hoping there are others as good in the pack (though I suspect not). The only problem was that the last 10 minutes of the DVD didn't work properly so I had to watch it jittering and jumping about - damn annoying as I was really enjoying the film!
I can see in 2 other reviews this film has been criticised for being low budget and therefore has flat lighting, bad acting etc. Well, what do you expect from such low budget fare? If you want Kubrick, go watch Kubrick. Don't come to films like this expecting high production values, atmospheric lighting and Oscar-worthy performances! I am thankful for low budget film-making because high quality Hollywood productions get boring - they all look and feel the same. This was like a breath of fresh air!
I for one enjoyed the flat lighting and cheap sets. I didn't care about those things because that is not what this film is for. This film is for people who enjoy seeing behind the scenes of films (in this case, low budget 'erotic thrillers') and can laugh at the stereotypes without taking it all too seriously. Every role and every person is made fun of - writers, directors, actors, producers, financiers, cinematographers etc etc. But it all feels good-natured and not done out of spite. It was funny to see how desperate every character was and how they all thought they were better than they are. I really enjoyed every character in this film. The script was also good and there are many funny lines. I laughed to hear the classic phrase "...but what I really want to do is direct."
There are probably other films that make fun of Hollywood and/or the world of low budget film making but other than Living in Oblivion I haven't seen any. However, Almost Hollywood is far superior to LiO because it deals with the same stereotypes but does it in a funnier, light hearted manner whereas LiO is quite bitter and therefore less fun to watch.
I enjoyed this film BECAUSE of the low production values, bad acting etc. and will not mark it down because of this, the way other reviewers seem to have done. I really enjoyed it and would watch it again. It is also a good film to watch with mates who can appreciate desperate Hollywood stereotypes.
I can see in 2 other reviews this film has been criticised for being low budget and therefore has flat lighting, bad acting etc. Well, what do you expect from such low budget fare? If you want Kubrick, go watch Kubrick. Don't come to films like this expecting high production values, atmospheric lighting and Oscar-worthy performances! I am thankful for low budget film-making because high quality Hollywood productions get boring - they all look and feel the same. This was like a breath of fresh air!
I for one enjoyed the flat lighting and cheap sets. I didn't care about those things because that is not what this film is for. This film is for people who enjoy seeing behind the scenes of films (in this case, low budget 'erotic thrillers') and can laugh at the stereotypes without taking it all too seriously. Every role and every person is made fun of - writers, directors, actors, producers, financiers, cinematographers etc etc. But it all feels good-natured and not done out of spite. It was funny to see how desperate every character was and how they all thought they were better than they are. I really enjoyed every character in this film. The script was also good and there are many funny lines. I laughed to hear the classic phrase "...but what I really want to do is direct."
There are probably other films that make fun of Hollywood and/or the world of low budget film making but other than Living in Oblivion I haven't seen any. However, Almost Hollywood is far superior to LiO because it deals with the same stereotypes but does it in a funnier, light hearted manner whereas LiO is quite bitter and therefore less fun to watch.
I enjoyed this film BECAUSE of the low production values, bad acting etc. and will not mark it down because of this, the way other reviewers seem to have done. I really enjoyed it and would watch it again. It is also a good film to watch with mates who can appreciate desperate Hollywood stereotypes.