When it comes to one-shot takes on television, it’s hard to top that famous scene from HBO’s True Detective. But the new Showtime series Kidding, which was just given a season two, delivered an impressive one recently that really has to be seen if you haven’t already.
The scene shows a woman (played by Riki Lindhome) transforming her life over an extended period of time after being inspired by the show within Kidding, “Mr. Pickles’ Puppet Time,” which is hosted by star Jim Carrey. The shot, which runs a little under two minutes, all takes place in a small apartment with the camera panning around as we see her life changing. It’s awesome to see on its own, but becomes truly incredible when you see how they pulled it off. As the camera pans the room the crew quickly moves in behind it to change the set, while actors move in and out including Lindhome, who also has multiple wardrobe changes to pull off while making her way to each next shot she’s in. You can see how it went in the video below, which shows the scene next to the cast and crew pulling it off.
The last time I saw such wonderful chemistry between a human and a robot was Duncan Jones’ Moon. While Frank and Robot doesn’t possess the same dark tones that Moon had, it does have a lighter and more whimsy look at the relationship between man and machine. Since the film was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, I have been waiting to see some form of footage from it. Now, Samuel Goldwyn Films has released the first trailer for the film, which you can check out below.
Based on the reviews I have read and the trailer that I just saw, Robot and Frank has a lot of heart, and there is just enough tomfoolery in the film to keep me interested. In it Frank, an aging jewel thief, is given a robot caretaker. When he finds a reason to take up the crime he retired from, he trains his robot caretaker in the craft of stealing jewels.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press