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Movies / On DVD / Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession

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Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

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Reviews Counted: 13

Fresh: 13

Rotten:0

Average Rating: 8/10

Runtime: 2 hrs

Genre: Television

Synopsis: From 1974 to 1989, Z Channel graced the Los Angeles airwaves as one of the country's first pay-television stations. Though its subscription rate barely reached into the hundred thousands, the cable... From 1974 to 1989, Z Channel graced the Los Angeles airwaves as one of the country's first pay-television stations. Though its subscription rate barely reached into the hundred thousands, the cable station presaged later channels such as Sundance and IFC with an eclectic slate of movie programming that included art-house, foreign, independent, classic, and otherwise rare and/or out-of-the-mainstream films--this at at time when VCRs and cable were still in their infancy and cinephiles had to frequent repertory theaters to quench their cinematic thirsts. Z Channel's visionary approach was the brainchild of its main programmer, Jerry Harvey, who shaped the station's offerings with his encyclopedic knowledge and impeccable taste as well as innovations like director's cuts and theme nights. Unfortunately, the very qualities that made Harvey such a cinematic obsessive also lent themselves to emotional instability, and both he and Z Channel came to an abrupt end when he killed his wife and then himself one tragic night in 1988. Director Xan Cassavetes (daughter of indie icons John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands) fashions a movie-lover's tribute to Harvey's pioneering station with her documentary Z CHANNEL: A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION, which tells its story through talking-head interviews with such notable Z fans as Quentin Tarantino, Robert Altman, Jim Jarmusch, and Alexander Payne, as well as a wealth of film clips sure to make cinephiles drool. [More]

Starring: Robert Altman, Jacqueline Bisset, Quentin Tarantino, Jim Jarmusch

Starring: Robert Altman, Jacqueline Bisset, Quentin Tarantino, Jim Jarmusch, Alexander Payne, Theresa Russell, Paul Verhoeven, James Woods

Director: Xan Cassavetes

Director: Xan Cassavetes

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Oct 11, 2005

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Reviews for Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession

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1 - 14 (sorted by date)
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...a fascinating, thoroughly engaging documentary...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
10/31/08
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
10/30/06
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

...films like Z Channel help to further my education providing an enriching experience for any serious cineaste.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
03/07/05
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders

What comes across most is the deep affection that viewers continue to have for this pioneering cable channel.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
02/03/05
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

A glass darkly held to watchers in the dark that succumb, now and again, to the rapture of the screen.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
01/31/05
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/24/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
SPLICEDWire

Xan Cassavetes’ new documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession recaptures the thrill of catching a rare film on the channel.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
12/03/04
Dan Lybarger
eFilmCritic.com

How Z Channel affected the development and release of movies is interesting

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/30/04
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

This hugely entertaining documentary tells the surprisingly engrossing story of a beloved cable channel in Los Angeles.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
11/29/04
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

A film buffs delight.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/19/04
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Recommended viewing for any serious film lover.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
11/06/04
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy

Not only a terrific film to watch for video rental recommendations, it's simply a terrific film.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
11/06/04
Mark Keizer
Boxoffice Magazine

It’s thoughtful and arresting.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
11/06/04
Peter Hanson
Film Threat
 
 
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