Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale (2007) 80 Minutes

To say that Tooda’s Christmas Pick was unusual would be the understatement

of 2007.

Travel plans forced a Monday Selection to round out our third calendar year of

existence, and rain forced us back into Tooda’s crib for this largely

unprecedented Movienight presentation.

Communication snafus kept Buffy from attending, and Jaja stayed home as

Tooda already had a capacity crowd in his meager home. Newly Knighted Netti

had an early day Tuesday, so he stayed home as well. Despite those absences,

the rest of the Membership was there (though Mr. Wiener had a last minute errand that delayed our start), and were joined by Bourbon Cookie, Pat Towne and the first Movienight appearance of his wife brett paesel.

Upon arrival, Pat Towne stated that he hoped Tooda wouldn’t Select something “obvious like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ or ‘A Christmas Story.’” This Comment led to the most unlikely and unconventional “audible” in Movienight History.

In his preamble, Tooda confessed that his first choice was ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ and his back-up was ‘A Christmas Story.’ He maintained that either would have succeeded outdoors on the sheet as big as life, but now that the venue had changed - neither Pick seemed suitable any longer.

The last time rain moved Movienight to Tooda’s (incredibly it was October of 2005), Tooda then had chosen a largely unknown and unenjoyed film available only on video to make the most of the Indoor Venue. Pointing to that precedent, he ran with this audible which had, in one of his Pick’s many clear violations of our beloved By-Laws, debuted on HBO only 24 hours earlier.

‘Extras’ marks the first Official Selection to be shown in full 1080i HD. Further it is the first Selection since Tooda’s Pick this time last year - ‘Visions of Light’ - to not originally debut in theaters.

Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Ashley Jensen and George Michael all make their Movienight debuts with this Pick. Clive Owen makes his second appearance after debuting in Nubs’ ‘Children of Men.’

Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year to all. We will see you next when Nubs kicks off 2008 with his January 2nd Selection.

“Oh, fuck off - I’m Clive Owen, that’s mental.”

Written and Directed by: Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant

Brandon Comments:

If I didn’t like ‘Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale’ as much as I did, I would have to shake a finger at Tooda on this one. But we’ll get into that later…let’s focus on the show for now.

'Extras' hit the nail right on the head for me. It was Christmasy just enough, but not enough to drown you in it. And it had the elements of Scrooge interlaced, with Ricky Gervais’ pursuit of stardom replacing the old pennypincher’s pursuit to save a buck. I wish I knew more about the road to Gervais’ character getting to where he was by this point (two seasons of turmoil struggling as an extra) but I’ll get to that in the following paragraph. For now, I’ll just say that I really liked your Selection of ‘Extras: The Extra Special Season Finale,’ Tooda. It was, in my book, the best of the three Selections you were choosing from. The best for that particular point in time. I’m not saying it’s better than ‘A Christmas Story’ or Jimmy Stewart, but it was the best Selection I could have hoped for on this Christmas. I laughed my ass off at Gervais pursuit to the top, cringed during his downfall, and was almost brought to tears (well, a tear) during his breakdown in the Celebrity House epiphany scene.

Okay, the gripe. My only big gripe about this Selection is, well, it’s VERY TOO RECENT. Not that I’m a big fan of Rule 6, Section C of the By-Laws, which firmly states: “The film must have been around long enough that its quality has stood some test of time.” On the contrary, I am one of the biggest breakers of this By-Law, as 75% of my Selections have been from the 1990s and 2000s. And sure, “Stood the test of time” is a relative term; we all have different definitions of how long it takes for a film to be deemed “a classic.” But ‘Extras’ was just released and I feel, in this particular situation, that I was robbed of ever getting to watch all the episodes leading up to the season finale. And because this isn’t really a film, but a season finale after two unseen-by-me years on the air, I never got a chance to see Ricky Gervais’ become who he is. I didn’t know who the blond girl was and how much she meant to Gervais’ character until renting the first season ‘Extras’ episodes on DVD the weekend after seeing this finale. I only saw the end-of-the-season asshole find redemption and beg for her forgiveness after hitting rock bottom.

If I had seen both seasons of ‘Extras’ before watching this season finale, I would have to call this Selection pretty near a Slam Dunk for the Christmas venue. But because I had only seen one episode, the first (and that was, luckily enough, the night before), I really didn’t get the whole package deal of knowing the show and characters and how the whole TV script thing happened.

Even with that, I still think it was a solid hitter, Tooda. A third-baser, in my book.

Nubs Comments:

Alas, the timeliness of this Pick, being the holidays and the last pick before Movienight’s winter break, the times have delayed and abbreviated my review. I can only defend Ben’s choice to break a stocking full of By-Laws, and relay a story how this Selection inspired my life. It is probably appropriate that I don’t critique this series finale because I am so familiar with the series. I wonder more how the ‘Extras’ special/finale stands on its own as a movie or Pick. I’ll have to leave that to Wildcard.

As far as the brave choice by Tooda to challenge all our precious By-Laws, I think he escapes for many reasons. First off, this Pick was anything but a usual Movienight with the Monday subbing for Wednesday, the forced move indoors, the extreme late start, and so on. Though I agree Pat Towne should shut the fuck up, I am glad his antics forced Tooda to audible. ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘A Christmas Story’ are on TV endlessly, it would not be very special to re-watch it on a TV, even a large one. I fully respect Tooda being willing to sacrifice his girlfriend’s happiness, and consequently his own, by forcing her to re-watch this for the third time in 24 hours instead of her Christmas wish of the original classics. Sorry, Bourbon. If anyone should be allowed to challenge our Movienight Bill of Rights, I think Davis has earned it, and me, of course, always. Finally, I’ve always said all rules can go to hell if it is a Slam Dunk, and all, save simmering Bourbon Cookie, were full of cheer.

As for my inspiring anecdote, oh, well, you don’t really want to hear. Ok, the very next morning I had a commercial audition at the same time as I had to be at work for what would be a very lucrative Holiday lunch shift. I went early to the audition thinking I would be seen easily and off to my real job. Arriving as the second actor there with plenty of time to spare, all seemed perfect. However my holiday attitude slowly deteriorated as I patiently stood for an hour as the Casting Directors chatted, made coffee, watched TV, and anything else but start the audition. I felt as important as reindeer poo. With clock ticking I wondered how I could keep my day-job the one that requires me to serve others but offers more integrity and feeds my children more than the noble acting gig.

Ricky Gervais’ special was fresh in my mind and heart. You can’t have integrity and success, can you? For the first time in my career I pulled my headshot and walked out on an audition. I made it to work late but in time to make more money than ever before in a 3 hour lunch shift. I’m not sure if it was the right decision, but I felt great for days at the little bit of power I gave myself back that day.

Thanks, Tooda, for choosing a perfectly rousing, relevant, and perfectly modern-day holiday tale. God Bless us actors, everyone.

SELECTOR Comments:

I gotta admit, when I rolled this Pick I was worried I may have “jumped the shark.” The only By-Law that even remotely covers this entry in our History is Rule 12: The Slam Dunk Exception. I hope I squeaked it through the uprights.

As important as our Indoor Venue was in keeping Movienight alive through the Dark Times, it undeniably lacks the magic that makes Moveinight so special. I made this audible because of any Pick I could of chosen, ‘Extras’ a) would not be diminished indoors, and b) could never be shown outside. It was my hope that this Selection would make our environment an asset as opposed to a liability and for my own part I think it succeeded.

As to the Pick itself, ‘Extras’ is among the finest hour and a half of entertainment Gervais and Merchant have produced so far. From the magnificent appearances of George Michael and Clive Owen, to the Paddy Chayefsky-esque monologue that serves as the story’s climax - ‘Extras’ is nearly perfect.

I hope the Crew enjoyed the unconventional Pick, and I look forward to Nubs starting off 2008 with a return to proper Movienight form in the great outdoors - where we were always meant to be.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Onwards.

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