Greenlight Movie Reviews

I must begin by saying that I am addicted to Project Greenlight. I, too, am an aspiring writer and find PGL inspiring. I loved this DVD set.
First, Stolen Summer. It may not win the academy award but it won my heart. Pete Jones tells a story that is so human and so touching with moments of humor as well as sadness. It just felt natural and I think that is why I enjoyed it so much. The little boy who plays the lead role was just amazing, especially being he first time out. I would reccommend this movie to anyone who wants to be entertained and touched.
Second, Project Greenlight, the series. WOW. I was unable to see all of the episodes while it ran last year so you can imagine my elation to find it all together in a DVD set. The whole process fascinates me and I just love Jeff Balis ( I love Balis more season 2) and Chris Moore.
Third, Pete Jones. He was terrific. Yes, he was rough around the edges but heck he had never done anything remotely like this before. I think his rapport with the younger actors is a gift and part of what will eventually make him a great director. The more opportunities Pete is given the better he will hone his craft, I am a fan and wish him all the luck.
Lastly, The Chris Moore Challange was great, Project Redlight was even better. Project Redlight was terrific in that it poked fun at everyone and the whole process and how wonderful is it that people are able to laugh at themselves in such a "self involved" industry!!!

If you are a fan of PGL, buy this, you will love it.

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.

First, the movie. "Stolen Summer" isn't bad, definitely not great, but for a first-time director with no real filmmaking experience at all, it's a pretty good effort. Sure I'm grading on a curve here, but when you see some of the dreck put out by people with plenty of experience, "Summer" begins to seem more than worthy to be called a film. Throughout the series, many involved express concerns that the script ventured too far down into Afterschool Special territory, and to some extent, they were right. The nice thing about the script is that it manages to avoid getting too preachy (given the clash of religions at the story's core, that is a feat in itself) and the attitudes of all the characters to young Pete's quest ring surprisingly true, at least, in a nice, better world scenario. As a directed film, The pacing is a bit slow, scenes can be a bit static, and the child actors in the leads could be a bit stronger, but these are not unusual problems in movies with bigger budgets and more accomplished directors, "Phantom Menace", anyone?

Enough defense of Pete Jones, and on to the series. As a general rule, I steer clear of the "reality" genre as it has developed into public humiliation of private citizens while avoiding the need to pay writers (it probably keeps film and video editors in banner business, however). "Project Greenlight" is an exception. Why? Well for one thing, the end result is at least a creative endeavor and not just some idiot getting a lot of money or a usless marriage proposal. For another, you also learn a little something about the business of making a movie, usless of course if you could care less, but it's better than watching "Survivor" for wilderness survival tips.