Check out the pilot for “How to Watch Movies with Nick Turner”
May 26, 2017 Sam News, Nick Turner, Video
Effervescent stand-up Nick Turner is pitching a new TV show, How to Watch Movies with Nick Turner, and you can check out the pilot right now.
It’s still just a concept so the clip isn’t as sexy as a final version might be, but it gets the point across: Turner opens the “show” by explaining that, to celebrate his dead grandparents’ anniversary, he decided to catch a screening of The Conjuring 2, immediately jumping into a passionate, completely one-sided argument on the artistic merit of the middle-of-the-road horror film.
But How to Watch Movies is much more than just a comically-minded review show – it’s a tongue-in-cheek take on the cinematic experience, in which host Turner guides the audience through the steps of (you guessed it) how to watch movies correctly, starting with “assuming the position” (maximizing your couch comfort based on the genre you’re screening).
In just 11 minutes, the pilot manages to get a lot of potential segments in, including an interview with Hacksaw Ridge stars Andrew Garfield and Mel Gibson (Turner’s just edited in, but that’s the only way he can trick Gibson into complimenting Hitler), tributes to heroic moviewatchers of yore, Q+As in lines to see who’s had the weirdest theater sex – it’s even got commercial parodies, with Turner sticking on a fake ‘stache to stutter his way through an awkward law firm infomercial.
Comedian Mike Lawrence, an admitted comic book and action movie addict, also makes an appearance, so Turner can poke fun at his nerdy movie-related Tweets.
Plus, the show’s got a pretty catchy theme song, too – what more could you ask for? Someone buy this pilot, STAT!
How to Watch Movies isn’t the first pilot Turner’s shopped around; in 2014, he shot a full-budget first episode of Crazy House, a comedy series set at an insane asylum. Turner co-created the show, with Lee Rubenstein, and while Crazy House looked and sounded amazing – it also starred Whitmer Thomas, Parker Posey, and Eugene Mirman – for whatever reason, it never saw the light of day.
Aside from being a seriously great stand-up – one of New York City’s best, hands down – Turner’s equally as electric onscreen, which was obvious in his recurring roles on shows like Best Week Ever and I Love the 2000s, and he’d be a natural fit to host pretty much any show, especially an off-kilter one he’s got complete control over.
Because, honestly – if the man can manage to deliver an incredible stand-up set while his car is running with the keys locked in it, imagine what he could do with an entire series??
