Project Greenlight (Complete Series Plus Film Stolen Summer)

Rating:
Summary: Great DVD
Review: I thought this was a great DVD, and it's not just because I'm on DVD #4. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: Very Entertaining
Review: I watched the series on HBO and loved it. How can anyone not love this? It has alot of extra features including the Chris Moore challenge which is hilarious.

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening & Inspiring
Review: I've worked in documentary film production for a couple decades now, and while I'd definitely recommend this entire package (I devoured the four disks in a day), it should not be considered complete without reading the "Bylines" at the Project Greenlight website at . As seems inevitable with modern "reality television" (when's somebody going to acknowledge the difference between reality and realism?), the feature filmmakers complain that the episodes in the television program were grossly distorted for exaggerated drama.

This DVD set contains the 12-part HBO series following the Project Greenlight experience start to finish, misc extras, and the entire feature film that resulted, titled "Stolen Summer". I found that observing the process was terrifically enlightening and quite inspiring. It's valuable as a privileged peek at a major production effort, and a demonstration of how tough it is behind the scenes. Apparently, students interviewed after the program felt they were less interested in pursuing film production as a career (seeing how complicated and stressful it really is), but it would have had the opposite effect on me when I was starting out. I found it most of all to demystify (demythify?) the feature film industry, and to show it as a real process carried out by real people. That's a huge hurdle to overcome to people considering any part of this business.

I was a bit disappointed on one level with the lack of insight to the actual creative strategies of the director, the cinematographer and the editor, admittedly a much harder thing to illustrate and perhaps less accessible for the hovering video crew. Because of that, I think this HBO television program is most of all an observation of the difficulties of film producing.

The producer of the feature seems to have taken some public lumps from his portrayal on the show, but I have to say what I saw was quite subdued in some of my experience, even in documentary production. Like the other participants, the program does show that they were all reacting to unfolding events during production with the intention of improving the workflow and/or the final product. Showing the shifting pressures of the process seems to be what the entire effort was about, and why it's such a valuable experience to watch happen.

This first Project Greenlight television program is much more a case study of producing than anything else. They have already begun the next contest, and I hope instead of recreating the same views again with a different group, the next HBO series focuses more specifically on the thought processes of the other creative participants. Still, if you have any interest in film production on any practical level, you shouldn't miss this program.

Rating:
Summary: Boring! Boring!
Review: The movie starts off slow and gets slower. Don't know what was worse, the directing or the story itself. Avoid unless you need a nap.

Rating:
Summary: Good show, bad movie.
Review: The show was a very interesting foray into the movie-making business. However, the movie itself flat out [was bad]. It was worse than "Reindeer Games". And I think we can all agree that "Reindeer Games" was a pretty bad movie. I'd be embarassed to put my name on that piece of ... If Pete Jones is the future of filmmaking, I weep for the future.

Rating:
Summary: Good show, bad movie.
Review: The show was a very interesting foray into the movie-making business. However, the movie itself flat out [was bad]. It was worse than "Reindeer Games". And I think we can all agree that "Reindeer Games" was a pretty bad movie. I'd be embarassed to put my name on that piece of ... If Pete Jones is the future of filmmaking, I weep for the future.

Rating:
Summary: View this DVD on a PC/MAC with Internet Access
Review: This DVD set is packed with more than Stolen Summer and the Project Greenlight series.

I made the mistake of viewing it with my default DVD sofware. Instead install the InterActual software (included on the DVD's) and you will get MUCH MOORE (You get links to the script notes made by all of the Key people in the series. I watched Stolen Summer once in normal mode, and then twice in the commentary mode which includes the comments and humor of Chris Moore, Jeff Balis, and Pete Jones which was hilarious. You will see that the Project Greenlight series does not on its own reflect the true chemistry between these three guys. Plus you will also get to find out some of the not-so-easy to spot bloopers that remain un-cut from the finished film. Another feature I like was watching Stolen Summer, and if JUMP-TO-SCENE was on, I clicked on the screen during certain parts of the movie, and it would pause the movie, then play the respective part of the Project Greenlight show that dealt with the filming of that scene.

It was nice to see all the top 10 winners scene submissions and videographies.

The Chris Moore Challenge is worth the cost of the set! Ben affleck is hiollarious. Stolen Summer has its own reviews and gets my recommendation.

I highly recommend the entire 4-disk series. Even if you saw the show on HBO, you will get much moore out of this DVD set. This is only my 10th DVD so far, but none of the others had features equal to this one. MIRAMAX did a good job with content, though I find navigating through the menus a little frustrating. I look forward to downloading a few of the commentaries by Pete Jones that did not have time to do yet.

Rating:
Summary: Good series about a bad movie.
Review: Watching this one-disaster-after-another reality show, I can't help but wonder if Pete Jones realizes just how lucky he is and how much scrutiny he's under. I mean, he's been pushy, demanding and silly on the set. He's not following a shot schedule or taking advice from anyone, particularly Chris Moore (who comes off in this show as a sort of wiseass, common-sense-spouting hero).

Incidentally, did you count how many drinks Ben Affleck had in the first episode? No wonder they sent him to rehab.

"Stolen Summer," which had a script that Matt Damon said sounded too much like an afterschool special, looks like it's going to be painful to sit through, but this show makes me want to suffer through it.

Rating:
Summary: Lights...... Camera..... DRAMA!
Review: What started as a simple Internet contest transformed into one of the most acclaimed reality series to hit cable for quite some time. Pete Jones was the winner and was given the opportunity to direct his film, "Stolen Summer." Sounds easy, right? WRONG!

With these episodes, you get to see all the drama, all the battles, and all of the controvercy that took place during the filming of "Stolen Summer." From casting complications to the infamous beach incident, they're all here, uncut and uncensored.

I for one really enjoyed the series. It was a look into directing that I had never witnessed before. I never knew how complicated and stressful it is for the director, even when it comes to getting ONE scene into the can!

This spectacular DVD package includes four disks. On these disks you will find twelve episodes, the full length movie "Stolen Summer," and a disk full of all sorts of extras and goodies.

The disks go something like this:

Disk One: The complete film "Stolen Summer," with extra features that include audio commentary from the director, co-producer and producer Chris Moore, the theatrical trailer, 2 deleted scenes (with choice of commentary or no commentary), and Pete Jones' "Project Greenlight" scene vs. the final film. I highly recommend the full length commentary. It's funny and informative at the same time.

Disk Two: Episodes 1-6. (Or Episodes 101-106, if you want to be more accurate.)

Disk Three: Episodes 7-12. (Or Episodes 107-112, if you would like again to be more accurate.)

Disk Four: A bonus disk with tons of extras that include notable filmmaker videos from the contest, the Top 10 videos, Top 10 "Where are they now" videos, "The Chris Moore Challenge," the Top 10 3-minute scenes from the Top 3 contestants, and lessons from "Project Greenlight" that you didn't get to see on the show. "The Chris Moore Challenge" is guaranteed to get a laugh out of you, especially when you see Ben Afleck's impression. The extended lessons were also interesting and funny, especially Kevin Smith's conversation with Pete. There's some great filmmaking tips in it if you're interested.

Note: Since this was broadcasted on HBO, all of the strong language is in it, so it's not really recommended for younger viewers. The language can get pretty intense at times, but it adds to the realistic element of filmmaking. Not to mention it's funny as hell at times. (If you thought Afleck and Damon had potty mouths in "Goodwill Hunting......")

I really enjoyed "Project Greenlight." And I'm glad they released the complete series on DVD. Again, if you like the series and want the movie as well, DO NOT BUY THE MOVIE SEPARATELY! The movie already comes with the series. It was quite remarkable to see how the movie evolved from all of the battles and controvercy. I was a little worried about the movie, because there was a lot of drama that went on during the filming, but the movie turned out really good. (I'll write a seperate review of the movie "Stolen Summer" VERY shortly.) Forget "Survivor," this is the ultimate reality series! Filled with over 6 hours of bonus material, the "Project Greenlight" DVD package is a must-have for anyone who loved the show. It's also a great show for those who are new to it. I can't wait for the new season, and I hope it comes to HBO very soon.

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