GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Doug Galecawitz a pretty straight forward documentary about an early pay cable movie channel, yet this movie itself serves if anything to pique an interest in the thousands of movie that disappear year after year into the oblivion of forgotten film. as a lover of film and viewer of far too few i find it fascinating that even with all the cable options now available there are so few willing to take the types of risk involved in old film, foreign films, crass films, art films, short films and combine them in the manner that doesn't insult the viewers intelligence. this movie in and of itself may not be terribly interesting, but it will perhaps stir the imagination towards other movies that you may never forget.

genahy I just caught this on DVD and I have to say it is amazing. Z channel was before my time, and even if it wasn't, I live on the East coast, so I would have missed it anyway. I had a vague idea of what z channel was before I saw this film. Though the movie itself says little can be found of Z channel on the internet, there is a small write-up of it in the great, and now out of print book Retro Hell. Z channel was a movie channel, one of the first, pre-dating HBO and Showtime. It was unique because there was no market research, and it introduced the public to unique, weird and overlooked classics. When asked how he choose the films to put on the channel, Harvey said, "I just put shows I like." You could do things like that then. Now, you couldn't. Everything has to be meticulously researched to appeal to the common denominator. In this movie, there's a lot of talk about the uncommon denominator and that's what Z was about. Not dumbing down for the masses, but making the masses think harder about what they're watching. "If you appeal to the most intelligent, the rest will follow." That was Z channel's motto and it worked very well. Nobody ever canceled this channel! There's your proof.The other part of the documentary is what it did for actors and directors. James Woods received an Oscar nod because of Z. Orson Welles got to see Touch of Evil lovingly recut the night before he died. Sam Peckinpah got to see his movies loved again when Hollywood had written him off. And on and on.And then there is the third part. Jerry Harvey's personal life. He was a disturbed man, who had a difficult childhood and family life. Depression was in his genes; both his sisters also took their own lives. One person in this doc says with that kind of history its amazing Harvey held out till 39. Surely his love of movies helped him live that long. But it's hard to be objective about Harvey. He's a murderer (though we sense he regretted his actions). How can you make a murderer into a hero? You can't. But this movie does say you can recognize what good he did bring into the world and that was to create a highly influential form of media, that would influence the Hollywood of its day and future directors. Would there have been a Payne or Tarantino without Z? Who knows? Luckily, we don't have to wonder.

chahn-1 I wanted to ask if anyone knew anything about another small channel.This channel was called "Showbiz" and we got it in rural San Diego county because cable did not reach us back then. Showbiz was available as a pay service but it was broadcast locally.It reminds me of Z channel because it showed odd little films and felt like there was a "DJ" picking out films to show me that I would never have thought to see.This channel's programing introduced me to Austrailian films, which in the late 70's and early 80's were very interesting.If someone can respond with a URL or other data I would be most appreciative.

Jimmy Winokur This fascinating documentary portrays the work and life of early cable-TV programming genius, Gerry Harvey, whose Z Channel had attracted a substantial 'cult' following in metro LA at the dawn of the cable TV era into the late '80s. It is also a re-view/revue of many of the finest films of Z Channel's generation and earlier. The finest, often augmented by the weirdest too (e.g., Russ Meyer festivals and the 'soft porn' of those earlier times).The biographical portions of the documentary -- Harvey's rise from ultra geek to film aficionado, then exhibitor/promoter, all amidst emotional chaos -- are all very interesting, and also tragic. Even more interesting is the history of how The Z Channel was launched, built, ... and eventually lost.This documentary presents fascinating stories about movies and filmmakers. Michael Cimino's story is a good example. A good friend of Harvey's, Cimino had earned financial support and a free hand by making the incomparable Best Picture, "The Deer Hunter", and then destroyed his credibility & career by his excesses in filming the underrated Heaven's Gate. Through that time, his life was intertwined with Harvey's, presenting unique perspective on the unfolding events.Harvey not only knew films, and had exceptional taste; he also had the courage and ingenuity to discover and present films (often 'director's cuts) in relentlessly creative, compelling programming. Excellent and important films that have otherwise been overlooked -- like Bertolucci's '1900' and Cimino's Heaven's Gate -- were shown with success by Harvey. One weekend there might be a Truffaut festival, the next perhaps Spaghetti Westerns or the Marx Brothers. Seemingly no genre was ignored; Harvey trusted his audience to watch with open minds and receptive hearts, to respond to great and quirky films, ...and to spread the word and keep the fledgling channel alive and growing. After his death (portrayed compellingly in interviews within the documentary), the station went into decline -- including the desperate step of incongruently showing sporting events (!) in alongside the great film programming. After all, wasn't that part of HBO's success?! Yikes. So sad.Yet, the greatest joy of this documentary is neither the biography nor the story of Z -- it is the extraordinary range of film clips from the huge range of programming that the Z Channel broadcast.The visual quality of the documentary is variable, from great to low-grade. But for me, at least, this technical 'weakness' could not undercut a fascinating tour of movies and a devotee who made his taste count. (Indeed, sometimes the "degraded" video imagery was itself a point of interest and beauty.) With apologies to the pretty good Independent Film Channel and the sometimes delightful Turner Classic Movies, the Z Channel appears far better than any station I have seen. I was oblivious to it at the time, so this film was a revelation to me.