The Man in the Moon (1991)
Death Defying Acts (2007)
The Salton Sea
One False Move
Brick
Year of The Dragon
Cop
Narc
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
The Good Thief
Dead Connection
Split Second
Mean Guns
American Dragons
Something Wild
State of Grace
Talk Radio
Pitch People (1999) - Ten votes on IMDb. My user review:
This is a wonderful documentary about the history of infomercials, it is fun to watch. It's great to see some familiar faces of 1990s infomercials, telling their stories of how they got started in the business, and the art of the pitch. Being a product demonstrator is no easy job--we learn what is involved in working, for example, a State Fair: the preparation, the long hours, the lengthy scripts that must be committed to memory. It is also fascinating to hear these guys and gals talk about how to sell things, in a way they are the ultimate salesmen, they are actors whose "applause" is people handing over money.
I didn't realize that the infomercial existed back in the 1950s, at some point they became too expensive to air, but with the advent of Cable TV, and some deregulation, they came back sometime in the 1980s, and by the 1990s they were all over the place. The documentary also traces the origins of pitchmen to the old traveling snake oil salesmen, and even earlier--for how long have human beings been selling things to each other? Ron Popeil did not agree to participate in the film, but we learn through his relatives Lester Morris and Arnold Morris about the background of their products empire.
If you get a kick out of infomercials, you'll love this film. But even if you hate them, I think you will find the film entertaining, informative, well organized and well edited.
I'm surprised that this documentary isn't better known--it really is good.
Where did you see this? Is it streaming somewhere?
shareI don't recall where I first heard about it. Probably a YouTube clip. I ended up buying the DVD. Since then I sold all my DVDs and went streaming only. I wish I had kept that one, because AFAIK it's never been available for streaming anywhere.
shareWell, maybe it's "what goes around, comes around." I'll have to search for it.
shareSpeaking of infomercials, that Dr. Ho seems to be everywhere these days!
shareThe Rider (2017)
Mary and Max (2009)
Take Out (2004)
Kontroll (2003)
"The Man in the Moon" is one that has always stuck with me. I can't really say why, but it does.
shareI agree, GE. The scene where the grieving sister was sprawled over the grave just really got to me.
shareI'm trying to remember other films that have done this.
Oh, wait. I did think of a couple. One is "A Home of Our Own" (1993) with Kathy Bates. It sticks with me because of what her character endured in order to give her children a real home. They end up in a small town in Idaho after she's fired from her job in Los Angeles when she was sexually assaulted by a co-worker.
The other one is "Plainsong," a 2004 TV movie about a man (Aiden Quinn) who raises is two sons alone after his wife leaves. The part that really sticks with me is at the end, when a group of people who are dealing with life's many challenges, come together for Thanksgiving (if I remember right). Right there, watching them sitting around a food-laden table made me realize that family is not just about blood. It's about people who support and care for those around them. I call it "creating" a family when your blood family has let you down.
Yes on the surface it's a simple story but it has a lot of undercurrents and nearly everything about it is done so well. The cast is very good and Reese Witherspoon and Sam Waterston ( she as the headstrong young daughter and he as her stern but loving father ) in particular are outstanding. And the film was directed by Richard Mulligan who also made ' To Kill a Mockingbird '. The guy obviously knew his craft.
Burn (2019)
shareWaterland (1992)
Catch Me Daddy (2014)
Stan and Ollie (2018)
Cupcakes (2013)
Good Posture (2019)
Patagonia (2010)
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
Dear Frankie (2004)
The Long Memory (1953)
Choke (2008)
A Single Shot (2013)
Digging for Fire (2015)
Lapland Odyssey (2010)
Heavy Trip (2018)
These Final Hours (2013)
oh good grief! I don't believe I'd heard of any of those - this whole topic is growing my watch list exponentially.
shareChoke and A Single Shot are two underrated Sam Rockwell films.
Digging for Fire is my favourite of the "mumblecore" sub-genre. Coincidentally, Sam Rockwell is part of the cast too😁
Lapland Odyssey and Heavy Trip are two hilarious Finnish yarns. Those guys are great at comedy.
These Final Hours is an Australian apocalyptic tale. One of my favourite Aussie movies of recent years