In an era when money is harder than ever to come by, Hollywood privately knows exactly what will save it. No, not 3-D. Not flop insurance either. I'm talking about product placement, that unabating scourge turning your favorite movies and TV shows into the equivalents of extended commercial breaks. Few films embrace this reality as warmly as The Joneses, whose poster revealed an ugly truth made only uglier by new technology allowing you to literally buy the items onscreen while you watch. Welcome to hell!
And thank ReelzChannel, apparently, which has partnered with developer Media/And and Joneses producers to align the new SmartBar™ to the Demi Moore/David Duchovny satire. Now, in one place, you can watch a film and view the featured brands in a real-time sidebar. Love Duchovny's LaCoste sweater? Click the link. Dig his Lexus SUV? Find a dealer near you. And even if you're just watching a boring old frame with a boring old actor doing boring old actor-y things, you can visit his/her IMDB profile to find the good stuff.
It'll do wonders for your attention span, believe me. If only one could scroll through to the end of the film to see what kind of bereavement discount you might be able to score on -- spoiler alert! -- that gorgeous, high-end lawn mower Gary Cole uses to kill himself.
· A New Way to Keep Up with The Joneses [ReelzChannel]