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Reviews
Tilted Television (1994)
Funny
Short film, funny, with a great group of comedy actors. This is not "Tilt", the Lee Majors show about a fictional poker tournament. Also, it has no connection to "Tilt TV", a video game program from Europe. Anyone searching for that should check out "Attack of the Show", on the G4 Network. It broadcasts live four days a week, has the latest news from the the gaming and tech worlds and is another very funny program.
Tilted TV parodies film and TV genres that are still fixtures, including a home improvement show gone wrong and a hyper-iconic foreign film complete with subtitles for its Pig Latin dialog. Some of the performers are Gayla Johnson who is on Comedy Central and Brothers and Sisters, and Dylan White from Legally Blonde and The Chocolate News.
The troupe performs all the sketches, but the characters and plot lines do not carry over from one skit to another. Tilted TV comes from four writer-producers (imdb should correct the writer credit), in the style of MADtv and other short-form comedy groups of the day. This is a cult film and it is very hard to find.
Ruby (2008)
You need to see the show before posting a comment.
Ruby is such a good show because at it's heart is a whole person, rather than a gimmick, and the show follows her attempt to overcome a life-threatening obstacle by taking responsibility for herself and dealing with her feelings; to keep pushing forward, despite setbacks and self-doubt; and to learn to trust and rely on others for support and guidance.
Each episode shows people overcoming fears and taking risks by telling the truth. In fact, we watch Ruby and all the others, even her doctors, struggle against their own limitations with an openness and depth unusual to television.
This is the real stuff of what it is to be human, and one of the surest survival plans available to any of us. Luckily, the editors preserve the honesty, insight and charm of this group so events seem natural rather than set up.
An earlier comment's inaccuracies may be based on a hasty impression or misperception:
--The life-threatening dangers that motivate her struggle are noted in each episode, and her fear and her doctors' warnings are not glossed over or minimized. The weight issue is never "a ticking time bomb that is cheerfully ignored." --The episode where an old boyfriend visits is shown in perspective for exactly what it is and contrasts sharply to the love and support of the real people in Ruby's life like Jeff Parsons. We watch Ruby forcing herself to see this for what it is and triumph by overcoming this distraction and staying on course. --There is a great deal of medical information, in fact much of the series follows Ruby's work with each individual in her medical support team including a physician, a psychiatrist, dietician, and two fitness experts. It is hard to comprehend the comment that "no medical facts or helpful advice is proffered".
This show deserves a full viewing.
Just Tell Me What You Want (1980)
Overlooked gem
This slightly jaded look at the film industry, and at love, is the work of Jay Presson Allen, who also wrote "Marnie", "Cabaret", and "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie". You will find her trademarks: fascinating characters and witty, insightful rapid-fire dialog.
Her 20th Century women lack sugar-coating. But here, a lot of the action concerns the close ties of an unconventional family. This, along with the heroine's ironic first-person narration, give the story a lighter, less distant feel. However, the direction and pacing are uneven and the picture has been overlooked.
A year after this film was released, Jay Presson Allen and Sidney Lumet wrote and produced Prince of the City, a much darker film about police corruption. It found a far warmer reception. And Alan King has a cameo, playing himself.