Straight to vide-o-rama

I always wondered where all those duff straight to video movies came from in 10 'til 10 (the local video shop in Otley for the uninitiated), or rather why they were made, because surely they don't make any money from them, certainly not breaking even, despite some of them looking as though all production costs would be covered by a couple of �3.50 rentals. Aaanyway... I now know where these occasionally great, often woeful cinematic treats come from... They're all American TV movies! Yes, various networks actually fund these things to fill a prime time slot, preluded by minimal hype too (the trailers are often better than the actual film, and certainly waste less of your life).

The main culprits for dishing this out are;
The Lifetime Channel "The Network for Women," so you pretty much know what to expect from them - romantic but all men are b*st*rds cos my ex cheated on me though I'm falling for a fireman, or woman does good against the odds : based on a true story, drama's that will turn your skin grey in boredom. They've made so many TV movies now, they have a dedicated Lifetime Movies Channel too! Often showing the much decorated 'How to Watch Paint Dry' (geddit? Decorated?! Oh I kill myself) AND you can buy them on DVD.

The Sci-Fi Channel. This is where all those God awful straight to video movies came from that we rented when we were younger (remember 'A.P.E.X.'?! ...Good lord)! Production values have risen since back then, though it doesn't mean the movies are any better... take 'Mansquito' for example... Kinda like 'The Fly' ... well very much like 'The Fly 2' if you've seen it, but without the teletransporters. It was really really bad, complete with guy in a rubber half-man, half-mosquito (apparently) suit. This last weekend 'Snake King' premiered, with Stephen Baldwin staring (yes, they actually get 'movie stars' in these things sometimes!). Bruce Campbell (from Evil Dead fame) was in 'Alien Apocolypse' recently and next week, 'Aftershock: Earthquake in New York' has Jennifer Garner in it! Mentioning Snake King there, The SciFi Channel has made a slew of monster snake movies, post 'Anaconda' - was that worth copying?!...
Check out SCIFI.COM's Movies or SciFi Pictures to see what's coming up (I personally can't wait for 'Man-Thing' - it's actually endorsed by Marvel! ...which will probably be the most credible thing about it)

I've yet to watch and be satisfied with a Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie.

CBS occasionally puts something out, but not on a weekly basis like the previous stations.