Sunday Morning Shootout: The New Breed of Leading Men/Women in Film

Sunday Morning Shootout is the ultimate film-industry talk show. These first-season episodes originally aired on American Movie Classics in 2003-04, and cohosts Peter Guber and Peter Bart bring decades of show-biz experience to their amiably heated discussions. Boston-born Guber was a former head of Columbia Pictures, coproducer of the Batman franchise, and current president of Mandalay Entertainment Group, while Manhattan-born Bart had been a successful producer and top-level executive before becoming an acclaimed book author and editor-in-chief of Hollywood's venerable trade-paper, Variety. Guber is an outspoken, opinionated champion of film as a corporate enterprise, and Bart is a soft-spoken, even-tempered defender of film as an art form. They complement each other perfectly as opposite sides of the Hollywood coin, attracting A-list guests who discuss their careers with remarkable candor. Enhanced by pop-up boxes containing facts, figures, and industry terms relevant to the movies and issues being discussed, each episode begins with topical questions exploring a timely facet of show-biz strategy (for example, "Was splitting Kill Bill into two movies a good idea?"), followed by the weekly guest interview, brief news items from show-biz reporter Linda Grasso, and answers to viewer e-mail.

This two-disc set (one of three in the Best of Season One boxed set, available separately) is divided into two guest categories: "The New Breed of Leading Men" (disc 1) and "Women in Film" (disc 2), and both are packed with fascinating revelations and opinions. Disc 1 highlights include Edward Norton's assertion that "dumbing down" of big-budget movies is unnecessary and ill-advised; Samuel Jackson's confession that substance abuse fueled his early career, and his ongoing quest for diverse roles; Robert Downey Jr.'s candid admission that drug addiction damaged his career ("I incurred some ill will"), and his jaded attitude toward Hollywood in general; Jack Black making a hilarious and obviously drunken appearance at the Aspen Comedy Festival, prior to landing his role in King Kong; Jim Caviezel on getting identified with his role in The Passion of the Christ and the experience of making that film; and Andy Garcia's passionate defense of independent films as an outlet for more personal and substantial filmmaking.

On disc 2, Laura Linney describes the pleasure and challenge of working simultaneously on Love Actually and Mystic River, the difference between "well known" and "celebrity," and the hazards of over-preparing for a role; Charlize Theron discusses her Oscar®-winning role in Monster and the trade-off of working for scale (minimum pay) to find more rewarding roles. Former Fox and Paramount studio chief Sherry Lansing discusses the cyclical nature of success in Hollywood ("market share has nothing to do with profitability") and the importance of her personal life. Stacy Sher, Paula Weinstein, and Lucy Fisher illuminate their roles as producers, the rise of women in the industry, emphasis on storytelling passion over business, and their symbiotic relationship with directors; and directors Nancy Meyers, Barry Levinson, and Chris Weitz discuss the long-term value of comedy over earnest "serious" films. Disc 2 bonus features include a behind-the-scenes preview of Shootout Season 2, and in-depth profiles of Guber and Bart, how they met, and the book that inspired Sunday Morning Shootout. As always, some of these shows will grow dated over time, but they also provide lively and historically valuable perspective on the workings of Hollywood in the early 21st century. --Jeff Shannon