Project Mayhem

I just finished watching Project Greenlight, thanks to the savior that is Netflix. I had been wanting to see the mini-series for some time, but I couldn't since HBO only released the DVD as a boxed set. I had gone into several Blockbusters and Hollywood videos, but nobody had it available to rent and I didn't feel like plunking down $50 to buy the whole set. But thanks to Netflix, not only was I able to see it, I could watch it disc by disc.

As for the series itself, I think it's a must-see. What an entertaining behind-the-scenes look at the pitfalls of small-time moviemaking. The great thing about the show is that the director (who wins a screenwriting contest and gets $1 million from Miramax to make his movie), is basically set up to fail. This poor sap Pete Jones starts as this wide-eyed optimist who's so excited to get the chance to tell his sappy coming-of-age drama. But then bickering producers, on-set blunders and studio politics conspire to screw him over. Watching a series like this makes me glad I decided not to pursue the film business. Project Greenlight shows that it's much more fun to be on the outside looking in.