The Last Broadcast
Date: April 23, 2000
Cast:
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Directors: Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler
Official
Website: The Last Broadcast
Does life imitate art, or does art imitate life. That is a question that has existed for ages. Does what we see in films and read in books mold how we react in situations, or do real life situations influence what we perceive as entertainment. Recently, these lines have become blurred due to the public obsession for reality-based entertainment. Television shows like Cops, America’s Most Wanted, Real TV and Fox’s World’s Most (fill in your own outlandish spectacle) exist and flourish because of this. The latest available entry into this field is The Last Broadcast, which will invariably draw comparisons, justifiably, to The Blair Witch Project. While the similarities are quite obvious, the presentation styles differ and ultimately, the quality and effect are lessened, due to major letdown at the end. It leaves you unfulfilled and confused where Blair left you terrified and speechless.
Made for a budget of $900, The Last Broadcast is actually closer to the Sci-Fi Channel’s “Curse of The Blair Witch”. It deals more in a documentary style telling of an investigation and after effects rather than the actual event. Steven Avkast and Locus Wheeler are two twenty something fame seekers who start a public television show called Fact or Fiction. These two are obvious children of the Internet age, who have been influenced by X-Files, but attempt to present a show that mixes modern technology with shows like In Search Of and Beyond Belief. With ratings struggling, they take the advice of a viewer, and head off for a live broadcast in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey to search for the Jersey Devil, a mythological legend similar to those that seems to exist, in some form or another, in most American communities. The focus of the film is the mysterious disappearance and murder of Avkast, Wheeler and Rein Clackin, apparently by underling, psychic guide Jim Suerd. We start with the 911 call, then go back, piece by piece, and put the story together of what happened, and search for why. The story is told by another amateur film maker/investigator, David Leigh.
The way this all presented is very enthralling, entertaining and compelling to watch. The presentation, using news footage, 911 calls, court records, witnesses and close friends, successfully recreates the shows that influenced it. Leigh’s presentation is a bit too dramatic, sounding more like Ben Stein, mixed in with SCTV’s Count Floyd for spooky effects. However, it all does work, even when it takes a twist in the middle, just when you wonder what the heck this all has to do with the Jersey Devil myth.
Then, all of a sudden, just when it has all built to a crescendo, and hits what should be its climax; the film does just fall on its face, plummeting wildly and absurdly off of a cliff. The writers seemingly painted themselves into a corner, and with no discernible way out, threw the most absurd, confusing conclusion at us, hoping that the public would find a deeper meaning, or forget and forgive for what the first hour plus had just given us. I cannot, and I have to say that my overall impression was severely tainted by this. For reasons of not spoiling the movie, I cannot divulge anymore, suffice to say, when you see it, you’ll understand. I’m not sure where I was expecting it to go, and how what ending I expected to see, but it definitely was not this one. It deters from an otherwise enthralling experience.
Ultimately, The Last Broadcast is a compelling view into the effects of the media on life around us. The advent of the Internet, video cameras and great technology has afforded us a greater ability and means to communicate with the world. It was inevitable that these innovations would influence and effect life around us. This movie wanted to be a commentary on those effects, a documentary about what makes us curious, why, and what it looks like. We get that to a point, but are then cheated and robbed of an acceptable, plausible conclusion. There is a controversy regarding which came first, Blair, or Broadcast, for more, read this article, but in final analysis, Blair is still a better movie. Like EdTV vs. Truman Show, these two analyze the same point from different perspectives. Each succeeds, but Blair’s message hits home harder, and will stay with you longer. Rent this one eventually as a double feature with Blair Witch for a fair comparison, or if Cops is a rerun.($$1/2 out of $$$$)
Agree? Disagree, Questions? Comments?
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