mockumentary
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'Black Mirror' team's 'Death to 2020' special hits Netflix on December 27th
The mockumentary 'tells the story of the dreadful year that was.'
On the Brink of Greatness, episode one: Virtual reality is the future
Steve Goldbloom has seen the future, and it isn't real. Virtual worlds are the next big thing, but the question remains: with screens strapped to their faces letting them go anywhere they want, where do the people want to go? See inside the conference room where the thought leaders of tomorrow are searching for (and finding?) the answer.
Coming soon to Engadget: 'On the Brink of Greatness' with Steve Goldbloom
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-433462{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-433462, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-433462{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-433462").style.display="none";}catch(e){} International bon vivant Steve Goldbloom explores the cut-throat world of startup culture in Engadget's first (maybe only) mockumentary, On the Brink of Greatness. The 12-episode series debuts Thursday, February 18th, but you can see inside the mind of the best thing to happen to the tech industry since the Palm Pre in the trailer above.
Netflix is making 'Mascots,' a film from Christopher Guest
Netflix has acquired yet another movie: Mascots. Behind the full-length project, scheduled to be released in 2016, is Christopher Guest, best known for his acting and directing in comedies like A Mighty Wind, Best In Show and For Your Consideration. He also starred in This Is Spinal Tap, in which he played the role of an English rockstar. According to Netflix, Mascots is abouta group of "unusual" men and women in furry suits who compete to win "the prestigious Gold Fluffy Award and be crowned the best mascot in the world." Other than that, details are scarce at the moment. But, if Guest's previous mockumentaries are any indication, you can expect his Netflix film to be both funny and outrageous.
Jack Black plans MMO mockumentary Wizard's Way remake
MMOs in movies are all the rage now (if by rage we mean exist or are currently casting), and Jack Black is getting in on act. The actor and his production company, Electric Dynamite, have secured the rights to remake a British mockumentory Wizard's Way, a film that focused on MMOs and the people who play them. The plot centers on two gamers who spend their time playing a fantasy game called Wizard's Way and includes the pair discovering secrets about the game and one's real-life quest to find his in-game wife. While there's no release date for the remake, you can catch a screening of the 2012 original on January 19th at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. And don't miss a sneak peek of the original trailer below.
King of Kong remake has a new script, penned as a mockumentary
Director Seth Gordon launched his first major film back in 2007, King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, and has since gone on to a successful career in directing several feature films and major television shows. He's even pinned to the forthcoming remake of '80s hacking classic, WarGames. His next move, however, could be a return to the documentary that launched his career, with Gordon telling The Playlist that he's still hard at work on a New Line Cinema-backed remake. Bizarrely, said remake may actually take on a mockumentary feel. Gordon credits his recent television work as inspiration: "There's a few different avenues. I've done some work on 'Modern Family' and 'The Office' and have worked in this doc style, and so that inspired me to say, instead of doing a traditional narrative feature script, what if we did the remake in the doc style?" Black List contestant Melissa Stack penned the most recent draft of the script, which Gordon takes as confirmation that the project is still "quite real." We can't imagine Billy Mitchell being too responsive to direction in Gordon's remake, but then again that tumultuous interaction could turn out to be a hilarious documentary unto itself.
Wrath of the 1337 King: seriously, wtf?
This Wired article put me onto a 'mockumentary' site advertising something called 'Wrath of the 1337 King', 'a movie about ATHENE best Paladin in the world' [sic]. Watching the trailer [NSFW language] the first time yields a mix of bemusement and humor. Watching it a second time makes me wonder if it's a complete bit of flummery from the top down: Is ATHENE for real, and he's just unaware that this documentary is being made to ridicule him, or is ATHENE an actor? Honestly, I could make the case either way. It's well-known that World of Warcraft has the ability to make fools of otherwise rational beings, and the YouTube phenomenon has caused many such fools to seek the light regardless of, or perhaps because of the potential scorn this may bring upon them. And thanks to Borat, odd, vaguely Slavic accents are in!Is it still fun to watch clueless people be exposed to outrageous behavior? Does the fact that ATHENE is a Paladin add to the joke? Did it need to be a movie, or is the trailer enough? My favorite line from the trailer: 'Flash Heal: Kaboom kaboom kaboom kaboom!' More bits from ATHENE here and here.
