DEMO REEL

"We Don't Make Films, We Remake Them.... Cu-"

Oh... my.... God! I cannot believe the amount of flak that this show is getting! Well I'm going to try and be fair. I enjoy this show, but let me explain why.

The Premise is quite original and I haven't seen this in a show. Only in movies. Donnie Dupre (Played by Doug Walker) is the director/creator of the online production company Demo Reel, and together with his actress Rebecca Stone` (Played by Rachel Tietz) and Tacoma Narrows (Played by Malcolm Ray) and their two cinematographers Carl Copenhagen and Quinn (Played by Rob Walker and Jim Jarosz), they set out to remake Hollywood Blockbusters on a shoestring budget and make them "better" to the point where Hollywood would have no choice but to let them produce their own feature length movie. However they also have enemies in the form of S.W.A.G (The Swede Actors Guild), people who are swede filmmakers inspired off of the movie Be Kind Rewind.

This premise was enough to hook me, because I love movies like this! I love Ed Wood and Living in Oblivion for example, they do that very well! So in that regard, how is the show? It's actually very good, but you have to give stick with it to get to the good stuff.

Let's talk about the individual episodes, since it's still very early on in the series.

EPISODE 1

THE DARK KNIGHT BEGINS RISING

In the first episode of the series, Donnie decides to remake all the Christopher Nolan movies back to back to back into one big whole movie, while WE, the audience, are introduced to these characters much in the same vain as the Office.

What works? Well for one thing, I love the Christopher Nolan saga, so these parodies are pretty fucking hilarious in my opinion. The line "Go to your room!" "You go to your room!" "Okay..." kills me everytime. That, and I can somewhat relate to this episode more by making shorts on my youtube account. I've had trouble with things, like prop misplacement and even disagreements with the story.

What doesn't work? Pretty much everything else. The acting is okay in this episode, but no one stands out as much. I mean later on, they improve, but this IS the pilot episode, so there's that. The only character that works in this episode is Tacoma, because he seems to smart to be with Donnie. You feel for him. Rebecca was Alright, but Donnie was basically... just... The Bum if he wasn't homeless, and he had some money.

Final Verdict? This episode isn't a bad introduction, but don't expect it to be good right at the start. It's got many flaws, yes. But for the first episode, you could do far worse. I give it a 5/10.

EPISODE 2

WRECK IT RALPH VS ANGRY BIRDS

In this episode, Thanksgiving has fallen upon The Demo Reel Crew, and Donnie wants to remake Wreck it Ralph. The only problem is that Rebecca and Tacoma don't want to make a movie, they want to spend time with their families even though their parents hate them, and Donnie is stuck there due to a very strange Pre-Nup. Meanwhile, for the remake of Wreck It Ralph, Carl and Quinn bought an angry turkey from Transylvania. Only the turkey is out for a vendetta and is hunting down the crew of Demo Reel one by one.

What works here? Everything has improved. The parody takes a back seat to the characters, which is a smart move by Doug and Rob. The acting has also gotten better and the character development is also better. When Donnie explains how he is there due to the prenup, I actually felt sad for him, and it was interesting to know that Tacoma was a private investigator. The comedy was also improved. The stuff with Rebecca in this episode was pure genus, that caffeine stuff was awesome, and the sub plot with the turkey has made me piss myself laughing. (BTW, the small reference to Saved by the Bell was fucking hilarious! If you remember the Nostalgia Critic episode, you know about what happens.) And Carl has shined in this episode. The best line from him is when the Turkey is about to kill him, and Carl just takes out a cigar, start smoking it, and says, "Welcome bird demon. You have traveled far to collect a debt, but I will go down with my shipmates. A lifetime of killing creatures big and small finally atoned for..." That is badass! That was a good scene on Rob's part. Awesome job!

What doesn't work? Well the acting is still kinda clunky. Tacoma sometimes has weird delivery in his lines, which was evident in the last episode. Also the writing when it's good, is really good! When the writing is bad, it's bad. Like some of Rebecca's lines when she is hyper are just bad in my opinion, like "Make a time machine out of my nose hairs with a polka science thingy" I think is what she said. That was pretty stupid. The other thing, which this is more an annoyance, but why did Donnie blow off a killer turkey for the movie? Was there a time restraint? Was there a reason he had to hurry? I don't know, but it seemed odd and made him seem like a dick.

Final Verdict? This is more like a step in the right direction! Better writing, better acting, and overall: Better management and directing here! The change in format is better, and I love the smaller running time of about 25 minutes instead of 45 minutes. It still falls flat from time to time, but has found it flair, and knows what it does right! I rate this an 8/10.

EPISODE 3

LOST IN TRANSLATION (BROMANCE VERSION)

After remaking Skyfall and all cards are on the table, Donnie realizes that even his crew thinks he sucks and goes into a deep depression. In desperation, he along with Carl go to Tampa Florida to attend a convention to try and remake Lost in Translation. Donnie instead finds a good friend in stand up comedian in Uncle Yo. Meanwhile, Tacoma, Rebecca and Quinn are being stalked by members of S.W.A.G.

What works? Oh my god. Before I continue, I have to activate my inner nerd really quick. HOLY SHIT!!! MARA WILSON WAS DONNIES WIFE??! OMG WTF!!! THAT WAS AWESOME!!!! In all seriousness though, I love that Mara Wilson is slowly acting again, sorta. I loved that small cameo, and her performance as Donnie's wife, which we had heard of in the last episode gets across the fact that he is in a loveless relationship. Again, the acting and writing is top notch and getting better and better with each episode. Quinn is also improving, because before hand, I never really thought he was special. Lines like "Get me some bacon, we can at least make him part of a complete breakfast!" are what make these characters funny. But the real focus of the episode is Donnie and Uncle Yo's relationship. If this stuff was written and not improvised, this has to be the best dialogue written by the Walker Brothers. You get drawn into the relationship and how they work off each other, and we get some surprisingly deep character development with Donnie. We find out how he came to want to be a director, and we see how Demo Reel affects him. The best part of this episode is how now, the episodes aren't based around the parodies. The parodies are based on the story! Donnie's situation perfectly blends in with Lost in Translation. Remaking the movie based on their actions is brilliant!

What doesn't work? I'll be quite honest, I didn't care much for the Swede attack on the Demo Reel crew. It's not bad... it's actually quite funny. The only problem is that you don't really remember it. It doesn't stick with you, especially since the stuff with Donnie and Uncle Yo is very well done. That, and I have to admit the one thing that holds back the Lost in Translation parts is the audio. It's a convention, so I understand that there is background noise, but I agree. Get a boom mic, because sometimes I can't hear the conversations.

Final Verdict? This is what I'm talking about! The drama overshadows the comedy here, but for this parody, it works. The Swede stuff isn't all that memorable, but it is funny. Donnie is finally becoming a 3 dimensional character with a back story that seems interesting, and they finally know what to do with the parody parts! One of the best episodes by far! Could it get any better? We'll see... I give it a 9/10.

EPISODE 4

THE BLAIR WITCH HANGOVER

After the last episode of Demo Reel, Donnie finds himself lost in the woods after being attacked by S.W.A.G. and tries to stay alive and not doing a good job at that. Meanwhile, Rebecca and Tacoma wake up to find themselves unsure of what happened after the Swede attacks, so they (Along with Quinn) look over footage they took from the night before to answer the questions on everyone's mind: Why is Tacoma dressed like Belle from Beauty and the Beast? Why is Rebecca wearing a "Malcolvich = Balls" shirt? Who's the other guy in the room? And where is Donnie?

What works? First off, I love this new character Fabrizzio (Played by Brian Heinz), who's the tenant that Rebecca works for. I've never watched a single episode of The Last Angry Geek, but this guy is funny! His sterotypical italian persona is funny as hell, and the Hangover segments are actually better executed than the Swede "Scream" parts in the last episode. Plus, the best monologues are in this episode too. When Rebecca is saying how being an actress is tough unless you're pretty and dumb, it clicks in your mind and makes you think. However, I love it when Tacoma is talking with Rebecca and explains what he thinks of Demo Reel and if he really wants it to end. It's like a conversation that Doug and Rob had in real life, but put it on paper. But the best part is Quinn's follow up to this. Tacoma says "Why write when nobody says you can write?" and Rebecca says "Why act when nobody says you can act?" Quinn responds "My GOD! This is depressing! And I'm Irish!" However... AGAIN, Donnie's Blair Witch situation is the best part. Having thought Blair Witch Project was terrible, I was excited to see how this would work out. It didn't disappoint. The toothpaste scene had me dying of laughter.

What doesn't work? The camera work is kinda irritating, but I can forgive that. Again, the comedy is kinda light, but most of it is subtle and comes from Donnie's adventure. That, and Carl is very underutilized in this episode. Also, this episode doesn't seem to have the same gravity with Donnie as the last episode did, which in some ways, makes the last episode seem pointless. I personally don't mind this, but it is important to note.

Final Verdict? This was a good episode. It's still going the same direction as the last episode, and I love this new format. However, the best thing about this is this. This episode along with the last episode, created the first story arc in the series, and it keeps you invested enough to know what happens next. I was actually awaiting this week's episode due to the build up in the last one. Overall, it's not the absolute best, but it's still really good! It keeps getting better people! I give it a 8/10.

EPISODE 5

BLUE PATCHES

Still watching their drunken escapades, Tacoma, Rachel, and Quinn find out that Donnie is a child actor. Meanwhile, after getting knocked out in the last episode, Donnie wakes up under the care of a psychotic family obsessed with his movies.

What works? Holy shit. The acting is at it's finest here! Donnie in the house is gutwretching to watch! Not to mention the family is batshit crazy! The little girl is nuts, especially when she tries to scare Donnie, and the family drugs him and forces him to watch his movies back to back. The studio scenes with Tacoma and Rebecca are actually really well done, and the short movie "Blue Patches 2" they did was actually very affective. The character development with Donnie is surprisingly dark. How so? Well his mom killed herself and left his son alone, and he was forced to keep filming his movies. Also, the comedy is well done here, as it's just in sprinkles. When it's funny, it's really funny! In fact, I don't even think a joke fell flat even once this episode.

What didn't work? Only two things stop this from perfection, but nothing is ever perfect. One: Filming errors. The clocks skip from time to time during takes, but that's not the big error. No, it's when your watching "Blue Patches 2" and you realized that you can see the lights and the tripod in Rebecca's sunglasses. If you noticed this too, don't worry. I know. If you didn't notice this, sorry. I ruined the scene for you. The other thing is that the Swede leader seems pointless. I know it was building up to this, but it just seems anticlimatic. At least he brings some funny moments when Rebecca is beating the shit out of him. That, and he is a fucking dickhole.

Final Verdict? It's the best episode thus far, and I hope the rest of the series follows this momentum. The writing is better, the acting is better then the other episodes by far, the comedy is realized here, and thus ends the first story arc of the series. It gets a 9/10.

FINAL THOUGHTS?

While most shows don't start off that well, even I have to admit that Demo Reel's premiere was abismal, I worried that Demo Reel was over before it even got a chance. However, I stuck with it. I was patient, and because of that, I have seen the series get progressively better and better, and the haters getting smaller and smaller. As for the series as a whole, I really hope that it stays in this way. Will Demo Reel keep this up in the next two weeks? I don't know. We'll have to wait and see. For now though, I'm proud to give this series as a whole so far a 7 out of 10. The episodes went from terrible, to good, to awesome, to good, to awesome. It takes time, but stick with it, and you will be rewarded. Just take my word for it.

FINAL SCORES

EPISODE 1

THE DARK KNIGHT BEGINS RISING

FINAL SCORE:

5/10

It's "Meh". It's average.

EPISODE 2

WRECK IT RALPH VS ANGRY BIRDS

FINAL SCORE:

7/10

It's a good episode, you won't mind sitting through it.

EPISODE 3

LOST IN TRANSLATION (BROMANCE VERSION)

FINAL SCORE:

9/10

An excellent episode! Writing and Acting is top notch, you won't regret watching it.

EPISODE 4

THE BLAIR WITCH HANGOVER

FINAL SCORE:

8/10

It's a great episode, flawed, but it does warrant a second viewing.

EPISODE 5

BLUE PATCHES

FINAL SCORE:

9/10

An excellent episode! Writing and Acting is top notch, you won't regret watching it.

DEMO REEL

FINAL SCORE:

7/1O

It's a show you need to be patient with. The first episode is average, but keep your patience and you will be rewarded in the end.