Lecinema Duquebec

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Based on a Richard Hooker novel of the same name, MASH was released in 1970 as a full-length feature film by 20th Century Fox before experiencing widespread success as a groundbreaking television sitcom in the Fall of 1972. The show’s brilliant integration of drama and comedy made it one of the most celebrated shows in TV history, culminating in an eleven year prime time series stint. The 1983 series finale of MASH made history as the program with the single largest audience in television history, beating out several SuperBowls and the fabled “Who Shot J.R.” episode of Dallas. With the proliferation of new television mediums, it’s a record likely to never be broken…

The sitcom is set in South Korea during American involvement in the Korea War (with M*A*S*H standing for “Mobile Army Surgical Hospital”). Buffered from the front lines by a mountain range and a minefield, the men and women of MASH were tasked with patching up wounded American soldiers. Unique to its genre, the cast of MASH was unusually large. Surgeons Dr. Benjamin Pierce (Alan Alda) and Dr. “Trapper” John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers) play the roles of excellent doctors who enjoy women and booze, while Dr. Frank Burns (Larry Linville) and Nurse Practitioner Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan (Loretta Swit) play foil to the two men’s shenanigans (due to a contract dispute, Rogers’ character was later replaced by Dr. B.J. Hunnicutt – played by Mike Farrell). The character of Frank Burns was also later replaced by Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester (David Ogden Stiers)…

Corporal Max Klinger (Jamie Farr) provides comic relief with his early attempts to procure a discharge by dressing in women’s clothing, and Father Francis Mulcahy (William Christopher) adds flavor to a diverse cast of characters. Also rounding out the cast are Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly (Gary Burghoff), and Col. Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan)…

The MASH DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the series premiere in which Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre learn that their houseboy, Ho-John, got accepted to Hawkeye’s alma mater. In order to raise money for Ho-John’s trip to the United States, the two auction off a weekend pass to Tokyo with Nurse Dish and celebrate the college acceptance with a lavish party… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include “The Moose” in which a GI arrives at camp with a Korean female slave he purchased, and “Cease-Fire” in which the MASH camp prematurely celebrates a purported cease-fire which never takes place…
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Independent filmmaking often takes place outside of Hollywood, or other major studio systems. An independent film (or indie film) is a film initially produced without financing or distribution from a major movie studio. Creative, business, and technological reasons have all contributed to the growth of the indie film scene in the late 20th and early 21st century.

On the business side, the costs of big-budget studio films also leads to conservative choices in cast and crew. There is a trend in Hollywood towards co-financing (over two-thirds of the films put out by Warner Bros. in 2000 were joint ventures, up from 10% in 1987). A hopeful director is almost never given the opportunity to get a job on a big-budget studio film unless he or she has significant industry experience in film or television. Also, the studios rarely produce films with unknown actors, particularly in lead roles.

Before the advent of digital alternatives, the cost of professional film equipment and stock was also a hurdle to being able to produce, direct, or star in a traditional studio film. The cost of 35 mm film is outpacing inflation: in 2002 alone, film negative costs were up 23%, according to Variety.

But the advent of consumer camcorders in 1985, and more importantly, the arrival of high-resolution digital video in the early 1990s, have lowered the technology barrier to movie production significantly. Both production and post-production costs have been significantly lowered; today, the hardware and software for post-production can be installed in a commodity-based personal computer. Technologies such as DVDs, FireWire connections and non-linear editing system pro-level software like Adobe Premiere Pro, Sony Vegas and Apple’s Final Cut Pro, and consumer level software such as Apple’s Final Cut Express and iMovie make movie-making relatively inexpensive.
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Nominated for 1 Emmy and 1 Golden Globe in its first five seasons, Gilmore Girls has experienced much greater success among TV viewers than among industry critics. In fact, the show is the first script supported by the Family Friendly Forum’s script development fund to go on and become a regular television series. Part of an initiative between The WB Network – maker of such hits as Dawson’s Creek (1998), Felicity (1998), Angel (1999), and Smallville (2001) – and fellow industry executives, this push for more family-oriented programming resulted in a series showcasing a unique mother-daughter bond and the various people they encounter on their life voyage of discovery. Set in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, Gilmore Girls utilizes many of the same sets as the hit series The Dukes Of Hazzard (1979) – another successful Warner Brothers production from years past…

Gilmore Girls is set in a small idyllic community in Connecticut filled with a wide range of diverse characters and eccentric personalities. Against this backdrop, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) attempts to raise her daughter and best friend, Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), to carve out a better life for herself. Having made a number of youthful mistakes, Lorelai made the decision to raise her daughter by herself at a young age (the same age as Rory when the series begins), and she’s bound and determined to make sure that Rory makes better decisions for herself. As Rory prepares to go off to college, she displays many of the same likes and dislikes as her mother – especially when it comes to the opposite sex, and that’s what worries Lorelai the most… A borderline soap opera, Gilmore Girls is more of a serial drama that focuses on the love, friendship, and shared growth of a mother and daughter as they live out their dreams in modern day America…
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The brainchild of writer Joss Whedon, Buffy The Vampire Slayer originally entered American pop culture as a full-length feature film, starring Kristy Swanson, in 1992. But creator Whedon felt that the project never quite did justice to the full scope of his vision, so he managed turn the film into a television series in 1997. The result of Whedon’s increased artistic freedom is a series that has enjoyed both critical acclaim and audience notoriety. Nominated for 14 Emmy’s during its seven year run, the show managed to win only two (both in 1998 for Outstanding Makeup and Outstanding Music Composition in a television series). Yet, the true success for Buffy The Vampire Slayer is indicated by the massive success of the show’s long run, strong DVD sales, and the overwhelming success of the series spin-off Angel…

Sarah Michelle Gellar plays the title role of Buffy Anne Summers, a teenage girl who stands alone among her generation as the “chosen one” able to “stand against vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer…” But Buffy is not alone in fulfilling her destiny as a slayer of vampires. She also receives help from the high school librarian, Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), who is a Watcher – the one chosen to train and guide slayers on their developmental path. In addition, new friends Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan – of American Pie fame) and Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon) quickly uncover the truth of Buffy’s destiny, and they often aid her in defending the world against evil forces…

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVD offers a number of exciting episodes including the series premiere “Welcome to the Hellmouth” in which Buffy and her mother arrive in Sunnydale, California, trying to escape their past. But Buffy quickly learns from the school librarian that the small town sits atop a “hellmouth” about to bring forth a master vampire. When her secret is revealed to new friends Willow and Xander, the three must work together to keep the master vampire from using his vessel to enter their reality… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include “The Harvest” in which Buffy prepares to face down the master vampire’s henchmen so she can stop the harvest (a ceremony which will free the Master), and “I Robot, You Jane” in which Buffy and the Scooby gang discover a demon trapped in the school’s computer network…
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