Top Movies About Television

 It seems like TV has usurped movies these days as the medium of choice for serious storytelling, with the best directors, actors and writers flocking to it in the past two decades.

Ever since Oz, The Sopranos and Six Feet Under around the turn of the century, there have been a host of quality TV programs like Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Lost, which raised the bar for what TV could do.
But what about the movies? Over the years there have been a series of amazing movies about television. 
Let's take a look at some of the great flicks about the telebox.......

Network

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" one of the most famous quotes in 1970s cinema, Network tells the story of the breakdown of ageing newscaster (played by Peter Finch) whose has grown cynical of his craft and the changing ways of broadcast media. His public breakdown on screen during a news broadcast causes a moment of truth that resonates with audiences, but he comes to find there are consequences for speaking his mind.

The Insider

1999's Michael Mann flick about the cover up of the health implications of cigarette smoking had an all star cast with the likes of Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Michael Gambon and Christopher Plummer.  

Based around a 60 Minutes episode, Pacino plays a producer on the iconic show who reaches out to whistleblower and tobacco industry executive, Jeffrey Wigand, played by Crowe. Suffice it to say, it's not plain sailing for the TV show's crusading fight to secure an exclusive. 

Good Night and Good Luck

A rare directorial outing for actor George Clooney, the movie focusses on the Hollywood anti communist witch hunts of the 50s, during which time there was government led purge of anyone with left wing sympathies from the media. 

Released in 2005 around the time of the Iraq war, the film provided and interesting commentary on the media's unquestioning promotion of the march towards war in the years prior.

Broadcast News

A lighter entry, this 1987 romantic comedy that focusses on the relationship between news producer Holly Hunter, her friend and gifted reporter Albert Brooks and love rival William Hurt. The movie was selected for preservation as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress. 

Groundhog Day

One of my favourite films, starring a mischievous Bill Murray as a reporter who goes on location to film the annual revealing of the groundhog at town Punxsutawney. He finds himself trapped, repeating

the same day over and over again - until he can learn to get it right. Managing to distil spiritual principles and a humanistic philosophy with a wry sense of humour, the film manages to be thought provoking and deeply funny. A film for the ages. 

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Arguably lighter, sillier version of Broadcast News, Anchorman shows the skills of Will Ferrell in probably his best film, as a handsome but dim news anchor. Comfortable in his comfort zone of the male dominated world of broadcasting, he's threatened by and finds himself attracted to newly hired reporter Veronica Corningstone, played by Christina Applegate, who matches his comic chops perfectly.