I didn’t even bother covering “On The Lot” last night because frankly, they didn’t even bother to give us a decent ending to the show. Last night’s episode was the first part of the season (and most likely, series) finale. I was expecting the contestants to either make 15 minute films each, or perhaps shoot two films. Uh, wrong….all they did was repeat their two favorite films from over the course of the show. Well, to me that’s the final nail in the coffin of a show that had a great premise but was plagued by poor choices all along. Did Mark Brunette fall asleep on the job? I could’ve run this show much better!

Anyways, here are the films each director decided to show again:

Jason: “Eternal Waters” and “Sweet”

Will: “Glass Eye” and “The Yes Men”

Adam: “Dough: The Musical” and “Army Guy”

My favorites are Eternal Waters, Dough and Sweet.  Glass Eye was pretty good too.  I’m sticking to my guns and rooting for Jason, just like I have been for most of the season!  Check back next week for a list (yes, a list, you knew this was coming) of my favorite short films of the season.

Blogging live from the West Coast as always/most of the time! First up, we find out the contestant who got the boot from last week is…..

Andrew. He did the superhero movie last week. The elimination could’ve gone a number of ways; I thought Zack’s was the worst but he deserved to stay based on what he’s done up until now.

Jason got the most votes, and rightly so. I love how America gets it right on this show.

Penny Marshall is filling in for her brother as a judge this week. And the guest judge is the guy who did Seabiscuit (forgot his name). On with the Ford promo episode road week!

Driving Under The Influence by Adam
Adam’s movie was all about a car radio that makes everyone who listens to it dance. Very cute, very funny, and also a good storyline. I do feel like something is missing though, if I have to nitpick (which I do!). But unlike the judges I thought the ending was funny/random.

Backseat Driving Test by Sam
Sam’s film kinda pokes fun at backseat drivers with a boy learning to drive with his mom. I wasn’t sure where it was all going but I really liked the end. It was funny too!
Bonus Feature 2 by Zack
This was a huge improvement over Bonus Feature 1, and I love the fact that he was the first one to do a sequel. Buuuut the whole thing seemed pretty amateurish to me. The choreagraphy, the acting and all that. And in the end I expected them to go on the edge of the boat in Titanic or on that hill where Rhett kissed Scarlett in Gone With The Wind or something uber romantic like that. I guess Zack just wanted to bring things full circle, but he could’ve thought it out a bit more.

The Move by Jason
Jason got to direct Jerry O’Connell in a film about a guy moving, with a big twist at the end, of course. My first thoughts on this were the exact same as Carrie Fisher’s….I didn’t get it. I think it could’ve actually worked if it had been set up better, but unfortunately it wasn’t. It’s really a shame too because I’ve loved his last three films.

Ugh, please don’t EVER let Penny Marshall be a judge again. She needs to just let the other director talk because at least he has something constructive to say.

Road Rage 101 by  Will
Will seems to really like inatimate objects, so I guess this was the perfect theme for him.  The judges did have a couple good points about him not developing the car’s personality enough, and how he was stuck in traffic so it didn’t really make sense for him to beat the car up to begin with.  But overall it was well shot and clever.

Rank

1. Driving Under The Influence
2. Backseat Driving Test by Sam
3. Road Rage 101 by Will
4. Bonus Feature 2 by Zack
5. The Move by Jason

Um, are the filmmakers running out of steam or something?  I feel like thing’s have really gone down hill since Horror night and that was what, three or four weeks ago?  Please entertain me again….I beg of you!

Next week’s log line…

“A man wakes up, rolls out of bed and finds himself in a dress but can’t remember what happened the night before.”

Yep, this was the “best” out of 12,000.  Let’s hope it brings something good out of the directors.

It’s romantic comedy night on On The Lot! But first, we find out the next two contestants going home are….Mahteen & Kenny. Well the voters certainly got it right from last week. It’s a shame with Mahteen though, because he really does have potential. Kenny on the other hand….maybe not so much.

Now the show is down to the final six and they’ll all make a film each week. We also find out there’s a prize for the top vote getter….they’ll have the chance to direct Jerry O’Connel in their short movie. Actually I think it would be cooler if they made the lowest vote getter direct Tara Reid or something like that, but anyways, on with the movies….

Bonus Feature by Zack
I think most people would agree that Zack has been one of/the frontrunner in the competition so far. He’s done some strong work, and Bonus Feature was enjoyable to watch, but ultimately I have to say his decision to make a film like this at this point in the competition was a mistake. The judges pretty much summed up why; it was basically an homage to other movies and directors and therefore didn’t focus on any of his skills or originality. There was also no romance OR comedy. Not. smart.

Girl Trouble by Adam
Eh….it had it’s funny moments, and some of the actors gave good comedic performances, but it was just so ridiculous. I don’t know, I didn’t get this film. It was obvious those women weren’t women!

Unplugged by Will
A couple is brought together by their desk lamps, how cute! This was charming as the judges put it but still, I wasn’t in love with it. We’ve seen such similar things already in the competition, and here we are close to the end. The contestants need to step things up tonight! But then again most romantic comedies are lame anyways, so I guess it’s fitting.

???? by Andrew
So, Andrew took on a superhero comedy with a couple arguing in someone’s lawn (didn’t he use that same preppy guy in another film?). Good idea, yes, but it was all so flat and it lacked that story arc that the judges love to see (as do I!).

American Hoe by Sam
Was that the guy from knocked up? Anyways, Sam’s was about a groom to be screwing up the wedding plans. It did have some good dialogue and a few funny moments, but the guest judge made a good point about the female lead being such shrew that it wasn’t even funny anymore. He should’ve had the actress play the part as kooky instead of a geniune bridezilla calling her fiance an “idiot”, then it wouldn’t have fallen flat. Harsh criticism from the judges all around.

Old Home Boyz by Jason
Jason has been my fave since I saw his second film. If you ask me, he was the only one tonight that really got the concept and he was the only one who added some style to his film.  I love the color filters (or whatever they’re called) that he used and his camera angles.  And it had a story arc. And it was actually pretty funny!

Rank

1. Old Home Boyz (no contest)
2. Unplugged
3. Girl Trouble
4. American Hoe
5. Andrew’s film
6. Bonus Feature

What boring night!  Men seriously do NOT get romantic comedies.  Next week the contestants take on car films.  In other words an entire night of having the Ford symbol forced in our faces.  Oh goody.

Blogging it live from the westside! (that’s west coast, just to clarify)

First up, the contestants going home from last week are….

Shalani - Really sucks for her. Her film the second week of the show was awesome, but her film last week was HORRIBLE! There was no way she could’ve escaped elimination.

Hilary - Yeah, um, bye.

Oh nice, vote off all the girls.

Wow the host has a really sparkly dress on. who does she thik she is, Cat Deeley?? Anyways, on to the films….

Key Witness by Sam
I thought this was pretty good. Not the style of film I would usually go see, but at least it had interesting (if slightly stereotypical) characters and good dialogue between them. It didn’t have enough storyline, but come on, they were asked to do ACTION in a couple minutes, so I don’t think the judges should fault them too much over it.

The Losers by Kenny
Meh. I thought this film was pretty indulgent. Like he just sat there thinking “ooh, I like skateboards! hmm, let’s see if I can come up with a storyline around that!” and of course the second part failed because there was no storyline. I thought there were some cute moments, like the ending and I even liked the rubber lizard. Antione Fuqua had some great advice for Kenny.

Sweet by Jason
Jason takes on action comedy! I really loved this guy’s last two films and this had to be his best! He mixed to styles seamlessly and developed the characters well. I loved how the guy slicked his eyebrows back after saving the kid (or was it after he stopped the robber?) , hilarious! He’s got my vote.

Zero2Sixty by Andrew
Um, okay, FOX is off synch for me for some reason and it’s really annoying. Anyways, this film had a REALLY promising idea but I dont think it was executed all that well. He too, tried action comedy. It bothered me that we didn’t see how he ended up in the car to begin with. And if the whole resolution is him shooting out the tires, WHY didn’t he FBI guy just do that in the first place? Okay, I’m nitpicking, it was inventive and well cast. I think the biggest problem was Ford forcing their product placement in our faces.

Soooo….are we going to see any more hardcore, comedy free action tonight?? Oh, Mahteen is coming up. Well, there’s my answer.

 ??? by Mahteen
I like that Mahteen didn’t get all wrapped up in giving us some sort of a message with this film, but he’s the one who’s all about dialogue and storyline, so you’d think of ANY of the directors, he would be the one to give action  a real plot. Not so.  But I still think he did a decent job.  I liked the twists in the end, even though the film overall wasn’t that impressive.  It’s a shame that he couldn’t have swapped his film on “horror” week for this one.

Interesting that guest director Antione Fuquoa let’s us know that the directors get to see the films before the show!

Rank

1. Jason
2. Andrew
3. Sam
4. Mahteen
5. Kenny

Time to go bye-bye Kenny!  And same goes for Mahteen.
Next week it’s romantic comedies with all the directors competing.  A bunch of men doing rom/com, should be interesting!

Yes! Horror movies, I’m excited! Eli Roth is the guest judge. He’s the future of horror? God help us all!

The Malibu Myth by Kenny
Oh dear, Kenny again. I was worried going into this because he’s….crazy. Somehow he managed to tone things down and kind of streamline his ideas and make it work. The plot wasn’t anything original or ground breaking (Blair Witch Project, anyone?) but it was pretty creepy, especially the way the zombies were revealed and their makeup was awesome. Great ending too!

Anklebiters by Sam
Eh, I thought this concept was lame. Anklebiters? Seriously, a big, nasty looking rat that bite’s people’s ankles? Like I said before, eh….

Midnight Snack by Andy
I wasn’t really feeling this one until the ending. Not much to say about it, but I think he did a decent job of combining comedy and horror.

Eternal Waters by Jason
I expected this to be another demonic kid and it was just the opposite. What I liked about this film was that he managed to give horror a really touching ending. I like this guy’s story telling style; this is the second time I’ve found myself emotionally tied up in one of his films. Eli’s criticism about the mothers clothing was just ridiculous, I didn’t even notice her clothes. But what do you expect from a guy who sacrifices plot for gore, gore and more gore? Anyways, I can’t wait to see a full length film from Jason. Or at least an afternoon special.

Open House by Shira-lee
Mixed feelings on this one. I thought the film was pretty suspenseful in the way the ghost was just peering down at her and we had no idea what she was going to do or what was going to happen. But as the judges noted, it needed some sort of conflict. Unlike Eli Roth, I thought the ending was a big miss. It’s just unrealistic…if you’re running for your life are you going to stop and say “OMG I thought of a name, samuel!”……no. It was a good idea just at the wrong time.

Profile by Mateen
Hmm. I find it really ironic that Mateen (unsurprisingly) tried to put a message into his story but ended up just making a gorno that wasn’t much better than the stuff Roth puts out. Actually I thought this was the first time tonight Eli had anything intelligent to say…he mentioned how the film changed perspective so much, something I didn’t even notice but he was totally right. But I don’t think the movie was confusing; it was obvious that the guy was having sort of a day dream. I mentioned this once before about Mateen, but he sort of needs to get over himself and stop worrying about what makes him different or “better” than everyone else and just focus on making films that are relevant and do his best. He really is a great director, and I hope he stays around.

Rank

1. Eternal Waters
2. The Malibu Myth
3. Open House
4. Profile
5. Midnight Snack
6. Anklebiters

Great episode! In my opinion there weren’t any total bombs, but I thought Eternal Waters and The Malibu Myth were in a class of their own. Next weeks episode on Monday and all the films will be a two world colliding. I wish they’d do more genre’s though like drama, sci fi, period piece….that would probably be too expensive though.

This week we got an elimination right off the bat. And they didn’t even spend 15 minutes recapping last week and narrowing down the line up one by one. (Ryan Seacrest doesn’t approve). The person sent home was Marty Martin, the guy who made all the look alike, cliche trailer/films. Good riddance, but Kenny was worse.

Glass Eye by ???

This was cute! I love short films like this; to me it was in the vein of Pipe Dreams two weeks ago and perhaps even that floor shining one last week. The idea of him still being able to see through his eye was pretty unique.

Blood Born by Jason Epperson

I really, REALLY, liked this one; it was intriguing, uplifting, and left me thinking. Good combination. It wasn’t perfect, though. I liked the idea behind it and I’m actually surprised the story hasn’t been done before. But Carrie Fisher was right about it being confusing….was the guy on drugs? Was his blood special because of the drugs? If so, how is that a positive message? I really liked the irony of the ending scene; the doctor told him he would help a lot of people, and he probably would…but he’d be dead. So I think the judges were right about the whole thing bing an allusion to Jesus, but they were wrong about him not rising again. That or I’m just reading way too much into it.

Sunshine Girl by Zac Lipovsky

Well, this was sweet but in the end I was just thinking “what’s the point?”. It seemed like he just wanted to show off that ball of light and wrote a script around it.

Lost by Mateen

This guy turned me off with his pretentious, high bro “oh, I’m too good for effects and I’m more mature than everyone else. ” Yet all he comes up with is a soapy, regurgitated plot. Conversational type indie pieces are great, human interest is great, but give us something we haven’t seen a billion times before. I did like the end though. But this guy shouldn’t be so afraid of creativity, because imagination is what he’s severely lacking.

The Orchard by Jess Brillhart

What the HECK was that?? Okay, all of this went over my head, I didn’t get it. Can someone tell me what’s scary about a tree getting cut down? Or what’s scary about a tree with delicate pink flower on it? Honestly, I liked the way this was set up, I liked the music and the pacing was great, but there was no climax and ultimately no point. And she really needed to shut up and not stand there and try to defend herself against all the judges criticism. Cute outfit, though.

Rank

1. Blood Born
2. Glass Eye
3. Sunshine Girl (overrated)
4. Lost
5. The Orchard

I really didn’t think anything was going to be worst than Lost. Um….despite my opinions on the last two, I still think this was probably the strongest group. Either this week or the first week; last week was kinda a mess. So far, the filmmaker I’ve thought would just barely slip by has gotten to boot, so that would mean Mateeen will get eliminated. I hope not because I want to see what else he can do.

This one is a hard call; I have NO idea what the audience is thinking, but we know Zach is safe and probably the Glass Eye guy too.