Slashfilm.com recently posted a little snippet that was put together for The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV. It's a funny idea, the Most Dramatic Typing Scenes. Unfortunately, it just ends up being a wasted premise and is just a bunch of random typing scenes.

Now I get that the main goal was probably just "Hey look at this silly premise" but this video basically shows everything that is wrong with The Rotten Tomatoes Show (and most shows about film on TV in general). First off, they didn't put much thought into it. I mean, I get it's just silly but how do you miss The Shining, "Hold your butts!" from Jurassic Park, or the dueling laptops at the start of The Running Man? Also, spend more than 10 minutes editing the thing. Give it some style. In the end, all this is is a snarky idea that they did nothing with. Which is kind of how the show is, a shoddily produced, snark heavy show that has no original thought.

That might sound harsh (OK, it is harsh) but it's par for the course. TV shows about film are usually one dimensional and offer no real insight or discussion. It's just a bunch of clips and a few opinions. So the question for the weekend is: what would be your ideal setup for show about film?

My dream show would mix reviews, news, and interviews. It would be formatted like a cable news show with some reports, some reviews, a panel discussion, etc. Basically, a mix of Siskel & Ebert, Shootout (with Peter Bart and Peter Gruber) with a news section with scoops on film and from various sites.

As for the reviews, I'd cut them down a bit and have them focus less on grades or general suggestions and more on trying to pinpoint who might like the film. Simple statements of opinion aren't enough; people can get that from their friends. What people are looking for is a frame of reference; if you liked movie A then you might like this new release, If you can't suspend your disbelief, don't bother with this one. In-depth discussions of a new release would either play as the final segment during the next week's show (called Spoiler so people who haven't seen the film can turn the show off) or would be placed online. I hate when reviewers start getting into the debate during the initial review because it just leads to them watering down their discussion so not to spoil the movie even though, in most cases, they spoil the movie anyways.

And the show would definitely be combined with a website. A site could report the daily news and then the show could give the highlights and then actually discuss what the news might mean. Perhaps we can get interviews or reaction from the involved parties. Highlights of interviews would be on the show and the full, uncut interview would be on the web. The site could also host trailers and what not.

It's time for someone to give film the news program that it deserves. Let's get some shows that actually have some thought put into them rather than the silly Entertainment Tonight shows and the brain dead review shows.

What would you want in a movie show? Which shows do you like or try to emulate?