Out of curiosity, is anyone watching Project Greenlight? If so, what do you think?

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

Answers

The director (the contest winner) and the producer who isn't Matt Damon or Ben Affleck came to speak to us last semester. The director seemed really, really, Aw Shucks, and the producer very cocky.

But I haven't seen the show.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

I love this show, but I'm completely pissed that it's only 1/2 hour long. That's not enough time to get the feeling of what's going on.

I think that Aw, Shucks bit wore thin after episode 2, and Chris Moore is cocky and big mouthed and a raging Napoleon for such a tall man. Throw in the backstabbing assistant producer, the naive assistant producer, and Aidan Quinn's rugged good looks, and you've got yourself one fine program.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

See, I think Chris Moore is a fuckin rock star. He is one hardcore ballbuster and I think he's great. Pat Peach is a whiny backstabber and Jeff Balis, well, I can't concentrate on him because everytime I look at him I think "Hey, redhaired Michael Rappaport." And I cannot get over the way the "stars" have been acting, it's almost like they don't realize they're on film. The way Aidan Quinn feels free to show what a stupid method acting freakazoid he is, and Kevin Pollak making fun of Aidan Quinn over him (AQ) not wearing a coat or having an umbrella in the scene in the rain because his character is working class: "and that's great...for the 3 people who make that connection..." Oh the sarcasm! I love this show.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

Every single one of Chris Moore's mannerisms is creepily ganked straight from Ben Affleck. It could be the other way around, but since Chris Moore is an ugly eyebrowless freak of nature, and Ben Affleck is famous, I highly doubt it. I have a feeling Chris Moore goes up to really, really drunk girls in bars and says, "Hi, I'm Ben Affleck."

I am in the camp that says Chris Moore is the control freak spawn of Satan. He hires incompetent people to produce the film (hello, Jeff Balis), then gets a boner from swooping in like a big hero and rescuing the project he himself put in jeopardy. Pat Peach is a spineless, backstabbing, brown-nosing weenie, but he had one thing right: if you come to Chris Moore with a problem, HE wants to solve it. I would add, he also wants to ream your ass inside out for not coming up with a solution yourself. Conversely, if he spots a problem with his browless eagle eye, he will ream your ass for not coming to him with it. No matter what you do, with Chris Moore, you lose and he wins. A wonderful quality in a boss.

If there's nothing else you can say about Pete Jones, it's this: he is excellent with the kids. He is the perfect director to direct children and I bet he's a great dad too. Patient, enthusiastic, and he never takes his many, many frustrations out on them. I think he's as green as the grass, and way over his head in water full of hungry sharks, but he's great with people.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

I think they chose very poorly when they chose Pete. He's not a bad man or anything, but obviously his movie could not be made for 1 million, and that was the deal. Too bad they didn't go with that duo who wrote the comedy, because at least then those guys could lend one another support when Chris Moore was having his Hitler moments.

The movie looks lame to me, because I am no fan of feel good movies, especially when they come loaded with children. I noticed, too, the weirdness with how openly that one guy mocked Aidan Quinn. Ain't nobody messing with Bonnie though. Bonnie Hunt is the best.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

Nope, not watching it out of sheer principle. When they had the screenplay submission contest online last fall, I busted my AYSE to get my stuff in by the deadline, and then in the last week I couldn't get online, so my shit wasn't digitally formatted correctly and the Greenlight people were very "fuckyouverymuch, thank you for playing."

so, while I'm sure it's fascinating, I'm all "Project Greenlight blows goats" right now. Hate them all. I coulda beena contendah!

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

Would somebody give a little background or history, here?

I only vaguely understand that Project Greenlight is about first time screenplays and directors and is produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Is that even close? Is it a reality show about making movies? Because that's what it seems like.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

Al, I'm betting they have a whole background on hbo.com, or projectgreenlight.com, but basically here it is: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Chris Moore (man behind American Pie...I think), solicited original screenplays from the world, and then they picked one to made into a movie that will be released in theaters. The budget of the movie was to be 1 million, put up by Miramax.

So they had the big contest and a guy named Pete Jones won with his script about "and important summer in the lives of young boys", and there is a lot of religion talk, some baseball, cultures clashing, and in the end there will be tears and some child dies and we will all go into glucose overload from the sticky sweetness of it all.

Pete is the director and he has been supplied with a big ass crew of people who should/do know what they are doing. There is more backstabbing than Survivor, but not as much trash talk as Temptation Island. The word 'fuck' is used as verb, noun, adjective, adverb, and punctuation.

It is good. Not Real World good, but better than Road Rules.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

Yep Chris Moore is one of the producers who brought you American Pie. He also is one of the producers who brought you Good Will Hunting which is the Matt and Ben connection.

I think Chris Moore takes no crap. The episode I saw. They decided to film on location even though it was a period piece and were upset that there were SUV's parked on the road even though they didn't close the street. UH . . . .guys . . . . yeah

That Pete guy rubbed me the wrong way with his "I HAVE A VISION" crap. yeah but you've never made a movie before.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

Chris Moore went to Harvard with Matt Damon who grew up in Southie somewhere near Ben Ass-Fleck, hence the partnership. I think Moore's good, but the problem with making any feature for under $2mil is that you're fucked right from the start. Add that there aren't that many good producers out there PERIOD, and even less who are interested in sacrificing their sanity on HBO only to be fucked from the start, hence Balis and Peach. Chris Moore is a bottom-line oriented guy, but he HAS TO BE - it's his reputation with Miramax that's at stake here, so whenever he gets up in Production's face for these rudimentary snafus, not only is it justified, it's very entertaining. Which brings me to my question for y'all:

Is this thing secretly rigged to provide physical challenes (ala Survivor) to enhance the drama? I've worked on a number of films like this, with much lower budgets and there would never have been any question IN PRE-PRO that Lake Michigan is very cold, possibly too cold for the child actors, some of whom can't swim. GIVE ME A BREAK... It has to be rigged, nobody is this stupid.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

it's his reputation with Miramax that's at stake here

If he was smart he'd do everything he could to make Miramax hate him, run fast away to a real studio full of people that don't have their ego-inflated heads up their asses.

But that's just my opinion.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

To go where, exactly? Good Machine? He'd have to leave the business.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

To go where, exactly? Good Machine? Working Title? He'd have to leave the business.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

I see your point on the enhanced drama. I mean there has to be some explanation for all the seemingly stupid decisions and mistakes and head-up-the-assness that seems to be plaguing this production.

Then again, I always assume that the people who have jobs I don't know how to do and can't imagine doing must have some secret magical innate talents. But maybe there are dumbshits working in film too? Heh.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

Thank God, last night finally somebody brought up the fact that these kids CANNOT ACT worth a damn. Jonesy and Co. are so obsessed with "making the day" they print any shot where the kids pronounce almost every word correctly and aren't visibly picking their butts, and move on. I think the movie's going to suck horribly if they don't go back and reshoot some stuff.

And Bonnie Hunt? I love you. They tried to portray you as a vain, aging never-was, but I didn't believe a second of it. You ROCK.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002