TV Movies

From LoveToKnow Movies

TV movies get an automatic bad rap just by their nature alone. The fact that a movie is made for broadcast or cable television usually gives it an automatic thick black mark in the hearts and minds of movie fans everywhere and not without reason. Many made-for-television movies are just plain bad. Whether they're scary movies, or comedies makes no difference; many people think the writers, producers, and directors of TV movies are scraping the absolute bottom of the celluloid barrel.

Good, Bad, And Ugly

There are, however, some pretty good television movies out there, and the advent of cable television has actually upped the bar considerably. Although certain channels with narrow target demographics (Lifetime, anyone?) will continue to show an endless parade of crap (most of which consists of movies about women who overcome being rape victims, abuse victims, or drug addicts and star Valerie Bertinelli or Donna Mills), premium channels like HBO and Showtime have actually upped the ante by producing a string of quality cable movies with notable casts and gripping storylines.

Take Fatherland, an HBO original starring Rutger Hauer, which presents us with a view of how the world might be if Hitler had been successful in conquering most of Europe in World War II and had managed to keep the horror of the Holocaust a secret for more than twenty years. Equally gripping is HBO's Conspiracy which provides a chilling look into the meeting which launched the Nazi's "Final Solution" and stars Kenneth Branaugh in an Oscar-worthy performance as a cold and calculating German officer. Both of these films are prime examples of just how good a TV movie can be.

Of course these are the exception rather than the rule when it comes to made-for-television movies. More common are bad films complete with Gaines Burger commercials. Bad adaptations of Stephen King and Dean Koontz novels abound (Koontz's Intensity is a particularly good example of a particularly bad TV movie), as do run-of-the-mill comedies and dramas featuring C-list celebrities in roles they were never meant to play.

Shining Examples Of TV Movie Greatness

Every once in a while, a movie comes along that just knocks the socks off its audience and makes even the most hardened critics stand up and take notice. These are extremely rare, but they are out there and, fortunately, many from the past are available on DVD. Duel, a 1970's thriller starring Dennis Weaver is a perfect example. Weaver plays a man driving across the country and minding his own business when he is suddenly beset by a menacing truck; the driver of which seems intent on killing him at all costs. The story that unfolds is a classic cat and mouse game with incredible tension and suspense. The movie is made so well that it was actually picked up for theatrical release overseas. Its influence can be seen in several later films, most notably the Paul Walker vehicle Joy Ride from 2002. The fact that Duel was directed by a young up and comer named Steven Spielberg probably had a bit to do with its effectiveness. Long before he helmed Jaws, Spielberg proved he had what it takes to make a great movie with Duel.


 


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