SERIES 7 A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2001 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): **
I don't know about you, but when I hear politicians railing against violence in movies, I'm never sure exactly what movies they are talking about. Any example that I can think of never seems to be quite to the level that they are complaining about. Well, I think I've found an example in SERIES 7, which is something akin to a PULP FICTION version of the television series "Survivor."
"The Contenders," consisting of five people chosen at random as well as the previous champion, are forced to fight to the death as they battle everywhere from homes to malls. All the while, camera crews record their every movement. The TV show's tag line is: "The only prize is the prize that counts: your life." Since this is the seventh version of "The Contenders," it is referred to as "Series 7." The movie feels like a television series in which the commercials have been removed. You can tell where the station breaks for the commercials are supposed to be inserted.
The movie's web site (www.series7movie.com), like the one for BLAIR WITCH (www.blairwitch.com), makes it appear that SERIES 7 is real. It even provides a place for you to bid on one of the guns supposedly used in the series by reigning champion Dawn Lagarto (Brooke Smith), who has 10 kills in 2 tours so far. You can also sign up to be on the series. I suspect that many who visit this site will be repulsed as it could be argued that it does appear to glorify violence. There is also a link on it to another fictional television show ("A Sniper in the Red Army") and to other sites including one all in Russian about guns. You can also find handy links to apparently real sites about suicide prevention and about mortuaries. Then again, they purposely make it hard to tell what is real and what isn't.
The six contestants for "Series 7," include Dawn, who is eight months pregnant. To show you what a rotter she is, her sister says that Dawn wouldn't even agree to shave her armpits for her sister's wedding. Connie (Marylouise Burke) is an older ER nurse who doesn't approve of Dawn's loose morals. Connie, who turns into a pretty cold blooded killer, isn't all sweetness and light herself. Jeff (Glenn Fitzgerald) is a 33-year-old artist dying of testicular cancer, who keeps threatening to kill himself before the other contenders kill him first. Lindsay (Merritt Wever) is a teenager whose boyfriend bought her a spiffy bulletproof vest for her tour. Lindsay's parents are very supportive of their daughter and make sure that she never leaves home without her guns. And there are a couple of other contestants.
Although the program feels real, the contestants' actions do not. They are the world's worst hiders. They eat and walk in front of windows in clear view of passersby. Even Dawn, the supposed best of the bunch, sits in obvious view in her car in front of the houses of the other contestants. Not bothering to aim, she holds her gun nonchalantly and fires like a kid playing a cowboy with a toy pistol.
The show's premise is intriguing and parts are done well, but the repetitive nature of the format and the lack of convincing behavior by the actors turn what could have been a fascinating film into a sleep-inducing one. There were several cute parts, of which one of my favorites was the show's "sudden death overtime" period, in which these words were taken literally. This much you have to give the movie -- it never pulls its punches, it is quite unusual and it consistently sticks to its format. You may not like the results, but you have to admire its courage. Still, this is the sort of movie that will have some people in outrage.
SERIES 7 runs 1:25. It is rated R for strong violent content and language and would be acceptable for college students.
The film opens in limited release in the United States on Friday, January 26.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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