Hopeless Pictures DVD

Hopeless Pictures was released in conjunction with IFC. These animated shorts are meant to run in-between films on this cinema channel. The show deals with the movie business, specifically the independent market. The jokes are tedious. The set-ups are as meandering as someone trying to get off the Santa Monica Freeway. People in Hollywood are probably laughing their butts off, but you'll have a better chance of finding Gene Shallot working as a Blockbuster clerk.

Hopeless Pictures is Hollywood's answer to self-mockery but in a quasi-funny way that they think just might get a chuckle.

Mel Wax is the head of a studio, Hopeless Pictures, that struggles as an independent purveyor of less-than-watchable films that tank like "Waterworld" set in a fish bowl. Mel tries to play with the big boys, but meets trouble around every corner. He shags his creative consultant, and anybody else who will listen, as casually as if he were picking up milk at the market. In Hollywood, this is an everyday occurrence, apparently.

Shrinks are the true rulers of Hollywood and are worshipped like the proverbial sacred cow. Jonathan Katz of "Dr. Katz" fame plays the voice of the psychiatrist who, throughout the show, we find is everyone's emotional crutch and deals with every little problem that may arise.

Other guests of the show include Martin Mull, Lisa Kudrow and everyone's favorite childhood star, Paul Reubens.

These 15-minute episodes are just long enough to get the point across that there is a fine line between art films and plain crap. People who are "in the know" of Hollywood will get the humor, which I hope they do. I, however, will leave this one out of the DVD player for good.