When Jamie loses a pair of turtles on loan from school, he's aided in his frantic search by his television set, which assumes human form and does a bad Robin Williams impersonation. Spouting lines from TV series and movies, "TV" always looks for a simple, often inappropriate, way to handle any obstacle, including steering Jamie into a fight with his best friend. Although it aims to educate young children about the dangers of blurring reality with fantasy, Live TV's generalizations are as wrong as the distortions the filmmakers set out to satirize. Yes, television is guilty of oversimplifying many issues; it does not, however, automatically suggest fistfighting as a way to resolve any conflict. Nor are our viewing choices as limited as what "TV" demonstrates when channel surfing (consider the riches on A&E, Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, PBS, and others). While a critical stance vis-à-vis television watching is to be encouraged, this broad swipe at the medium as a whole misses the mark. Not a necessary purchase. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)
Live TV
(1996) 22 min. $149. National Film Board of Canada. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 12, Issue 2
Live TV
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