Written by Dan McGrath
Synopsis:
Kevin discovers Wally is a projectionist at a local movie theatre, and then discovers the world of classic cinema. One day, Kevin finds out that an old science-fiction monster movie is coming to the theatre. A movie that was directed by Wally and starring Gus. Wanting to have his friend’s movie appreciated by as many people as possible, Kevin begins to promote the movie himself. His enthusiasm however, blinds him to the fact that Wally is not proud of the movie, and is rather embarrassed by it.
On opening day, the movie is seen by a packed theatre and is laughed at because of its poor special effects, acting, and editing mistakes. The next day, Wally tells the story of how he and Gus met on the set of the movie and fell in love, and how the movie went astray from his original vision.
That evening, Kevin goes to Wally for forgiveness, and makes him realize that the people laughing at the movie are actually enjoying the movie as a comedy. Seeing this, Wally forgives Kevin and realizes that his movie really wasn’t all that bad.
Review:
I thought this episode was funny, sentimental and really showed a lot about the relationship between Gus and Wally (besides revealing their past). I’m glad they didn’t make them follow stereotypes, they are presented like any other couple. The fake movie “The Man From Pluto” was quite funny as well.
However, I didn’t understand some of the movie jokes, like those movie clips that Kevin watched with Wally. But the comments on modern cinema that Wally made were right on the mark, accompanied with Kevin’s naiveté towards classic cinema and how his exposure to film is limited to an immersion in modern (and lousy) films.
Sadly, this was the last episode of the series. And so, this will be my last review unless by some miracle the series is revived. This episode didn’t wrap things up in any way but was a nice, more personal story between two of the major supporting characters, and one that definitely leaves you wanting more.
4 out of 5
Capsule:
No Capsule Yet
Trivia:
-The title of this episode is a reference to the title of Plan 9 from Outer Space, one of the most famous science fiction B-movies of all time.
-At one point in the episode Andy and Kevin go to a video store that specializes in porn, mondo films from different countries, and video nasties. The latter two are rarely mentioned in the mainstream and are popular among underground movie buffs.
-There is a cameo by writer Dan McGrath, he plays the man who slaps “Lawyer Egerman” in the spoof on Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night.
-Other movies referenced include: The Seventh Seal, A Clockwork Orange, Midnight Cowboy, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
-A reference to the DVD rights-holders, Warner Bros., is made when Wally talks about his past.