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The blight of reality-based television knows no boundaries. But, of course, neither does our appetite for it. What new show with what ridiculous parameters will they come up with next? We've seen people trapped in houses, stranded on islands, and hounded by camera crews wherever they turn. It's obviously unnatural and contrived. I suppose that's where the reality comes in. But how far are the producers and the audience willing to go? At some point, theoretically, things could go beyond sadistic voyeurism to become simply sadism. Shot on digital video, Series 7: The Contenders, the debut film from Daniel Minahan, poses these same questions. And since it has no answers it's just another part of the problem.
The title refers to the seventh season of a popular TV show called The Contenders. (This is not to be confused with any DreamWorks project. But there's a thought.) Contestants are chosen by lottery, given a gun, assigned a cameraman, and then turned loose on the world to track down and kill each other. The winner, and the person who gets to come back for the next season, is whoever...