Webisode Clack – The Captive and Funnel Of Darkness

I try to balance my choices for Webisode Clack between the extremes of harder to find independent shows and the well publicized network tie-ins. This week we have a double-shot featuring two very different shows, from Sundance and IFC, that fall somewhere in the middle. One of them, The Captive, is a sci-fi thriller. The other, Funnel Of Darkness, is a screwball comedy/mockumentary. They’ve obviously got more backing than the average bear, but not the media machine that something like The Office has behind their web based content. More details, and videos, after the jump.

The Captive is part of the relaunch of  the Asia Extreme mini-site on sundancechannel.com. The site will showcase the work of filmmakers from Thailand, Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan. And, it would appear, at least one very intriguing web series. Before we get into just what The Captive is about, have a look at the official promo.

That teaser is not a lot to go on, but I’ve now seen the first episode and found myself really looking forward to the next installment. The show is going to be 12 episodes long, and will follow the captive through brutal interrogations and his attempts to escape with the help of the Trustee.  I really like the look of it. And while the story of a man imprisoned for reasons he doesn’t understand is not exactly a new one, it’s still a good jumping off point. Beginning August 1st, you can follow along with the series at sundancechannel.com.

Turning 180 degrees, we meet Team Severe, the stars of Funnel Of Darkness. This five part series follows the team as they compete in “The Funnel Baggin’ Rally.” That is, America’s oldest tornado competition. Team Severe is on a quest to capture the best up-close and personal tornado footage the world has ever seen. If all of that is starting to sound like Discovery’s Storm Chasers, it should. Keith Cecere (Keith Severe) has been the technical director for Storm Chasers for the past three years. He knows the show well, and is the perfect person to lampoon it.

If you’ve seen Storm Chasers, but always thought, “What this show could use is more booze, some hot babes, and no language filter,” you will be right at home. All the members of Team Severe are deeply committed to getting that great shot, and winning the competition. Unfortunately, they’re all also very easily distracted, by the aforementioned booze and babes. Along the way they square off with a rival team (Christine and the Lisas), meet a shaman with the recipe for the wind (he also sells mushrooms), and struggle with being stuck in a dry county on Sunday. It’s a lot of fun. Here’s the first episode. All five episodes are currently available at Daily Motion, and will also be on IFC’s website next week.

Finally, in case you missed it, episode three of Seeking Simone, “Hammer Toes,” is now available. You have to hear the songs. Plus, the girls are Canadian. And you know how we like the Canadians here.

Clacked by Brett Love
on Jul 30, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT