A Bus Wreck with Casualties

There was a fairy tale that turned into a cautionary legend in town way back when I roamed the streets of Tinseltown.  The story was about a dude named Troy Duffy. To a hungry filmmaker he was a Celestial Being, (at the moment.) He had sold his Spec Script for $300,000 and was allowed to direct the movie based on it. On top of that, his band received a record contract and the bar he worked at was bought for him in the deal. 

Do you want to know who offered him this sweet deal? Sure you do, none other than the exiled Hollywood mogul, Harvey Weinstein. (Which in hindsight makes him as much an asshole as Troy Duffy was.) With that said, Troy hired a documentary film crew to film the whole process from sale to finished film, however, the cameras caught a much different process. They caught in chronological order, a man being handed the keys to the kingdom  only to be exiled to the wastelands in a matter of months following. This self righteous, self indulgent filmmaker completely destroys the perfect opportunity to become the next Quenton Tarantino.  Troy begins to burn bridge after bridge.  From mocking well named actors, to trying power plays among agents this guy manages to do everything wrong and you see it all. I won’t relinquish in the details as it will take away from the film. The “filmmaker’s dream,” begins to fade away for Troy… Well actually, let’s say he punches and kicks it until it’s mutilated and unrecognizable and every moment is caught on tape. In fact I think the only times Troy has the cameras off are when he is threatening the documentarians’ lives. What could have been a filmmaker’s inspirational piece for the book shelf becomes nothing more than a piece of paper getting crumpled up right in front of your eyes and tossed in the trash with a crap eating grin by the crumpler, (Troy,) to boot. 

The movie he attempted to make only became popular after it arrived on VHS and only after Troy had long signed his royalty rights over to get the film made in the first place. This documentary is like watching a bus wreck with casualties hanging out of windows, only you don’t run toward the bus to help any remaining survivors. You stand there like a deer in head lights with your mouth opened stunned, only to watch in horror. 

On TVS #26 Doug reviewed the cult classic, Boondock Saints, the infamous film we are talking about above. If you haven’t seen it, it is worth maybe one viewing.  However to make your viewing pleasure even more stimulating, watch the documentary of the making of the Boon Dock Saints entitled, Overnight right before the film. It makes the film that much more gut wrenching and vomit worthy. 

If you are a hungry filmmaker who has worked, slaved and busted ass to get a break in the filmmaking business but haven’t been able to quite get that door open,  this documentary will not only slam your fingers in it but then open it back up and piss on your face before slamming it shut again. The subject in this documentary despite Harvey Weinstein’s villainous reputation, is one of the reasons the filmmaking business is so much harder to break into ten years later.

I disliked Boondock Saints when I saw it before watching Overnight… Now I fxxxxxx hate it. In fact, just promoting these two films in a post for my show almost goes against my better judgement but I’m a true believer in the saying, “Live and Learn,” and I believe in second chances so from filmmaker to filmmaker I shall pass on information.

Buy the Documentary here:

https://www.amazon.com/Overnight-Chris-Brinker/dp/B000929VTU/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3VF3DH1GL32NC&keywords=overnight+documentary&qid=1554756670&s=gateway&sprefix=overnight+doc%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-2

Buy the Boondocks Saints DVD Here BUT it’s on Prime for free and I bet one of your pretentious gothic buddies has a copy. Don’t waste your money.

https://www.amazon.com/Boondock-Saints-20th-Century-Fox/dp/B00UGPNWYK/ref=sr_1_6?crid=17O3MVB1HA8LS&keywords=boondock+saints&qid=1554756724&s=gateway&sprefix=boon+dock+sa%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-6