|
 SERIES
7
With
Brooke
Smith,
Mark
Woodbury,
Michael
Kaycheck,
Marylouise
Burke,
Merritt
Weaver,
Richard
Venture,
Glenn
Fitzgerald
Directed
by
Daniel
Minahan
Taking
the
"reality
TV"
and
Blair
Witch
angle
one
step
further,
these
low
budget
film-makers
manage
to
pull
a
believable
and
chilling
portrayal
of
how
far
our
voyeurism
and
fascination
with
reality
shows
could
go.
For
those
unaware
of
Man
Bites
Dog
(a
Belgian
classic
about
a
documentary
film
crew
following
a
killer
around
on
his
various
"jobs"
-
making
the
voyeuristic
crew
and
viewers
accomplices),
Series
7
boils
down
to
a
similar
principle.
Only
difference
is,
where
Man
Bites
Dog
is
a
"private"
and
perverse
documentation
of
murder
&
mayhem,
Series
7
takes
it
a
step
further
by
bringing
the
real
killings
into
the
homes
of
everyone
with
a
TV
set.
Half
a
dozen
contestants
are
randomly
picked,
each
armed
with
a
weapon
and
a
cameraman.
Eliminating
the
other
contestants
before
they
nail
you
is
the
main
objective,
the
method
entirely
open
for
improvisation.
The
hunter-killer
theme
had
been
used
quite
of
through
literature
and
cinema.
The
Prize
Of
Peril
was
a
book
and
film
before
Stephen
King's
Running
Man
echoed
its
televised
runner
chased
by
killers.
Hard
Target
and
Surviving
The
Game
took
the
"hunting
humans"
angle
in
a
blood
thirsty
private
capacity
as
opposed
to
this
"beamed
into
every
home"
approach
of
Series
7.
The
actors
appear
very
natural
and
convincing
as
they
portray
the
varied
contenders
from
a
pregnant
woman
(the
reigning
champ),
a
testicular
cancer
survivor,
a
teenage
girl,
an
old
man
and
an
elderly
nurse.
The
TV
show
links
and
commentator
is
great.
The
blatant
social
commentary
is
apparent
and
the
cold
blooded
realism
will
shock
and
appall
many
viewers
while
its
inherent
humour
is
undeniably
choice.
Some
will
laugh
because
of
its
satirical
lunacy
while
other
will
laugh
because
they're
shocked.
While
walkouts
are
highly
likely,
I
would
urge
viewers
to
sit
through
it
for
great
story
development
and
climax.
(Brooke
Smith,
the
excellent
lead
actress
in
this
compelling
film,
portrayed
the
hostage
of
Silence
Of
The
Lambs'
serial
killer).
5
/
B
-
PB
1
2
3
4
5
6
A
-
B
-
C
|
