movies that start with some kind of 'infomercial'...

[zombie no.one]

the other day I watched Michael Crichton's LOOKER which starts with an advert for women's cosmetics.

for some reason I really like that gimmick of starting a film with a pretend advert/infomercial type thing, and was thinking of other movies that do it

I came up with Cronenburg's SHIVERS, which starts with an advert for hotels (iirc)

BODY MELT starts with some kind of health spa/fitness presentation thing...

CHOPPING MALL starts with a promotional video to show the effectiveness of the chop-bots...

any more?

[LilCerberus]

Network (I think it's called) starts with a huge musical number that turns out to be an ad for deodorant...

[LilCerberus]

Not sure if Westworld counts, but it's supposed to be an ad.....

Jackson County Jail starts out with an ad for "something", though they really don't say what..........

[zombie no.one]

Not sure if Westworld counts, but it's supposed to be an ad.....

yeah that counts... it looks like 'live' interviews but at the end of the clip it's clearly a promo ad thing for the place

[zombie no.one]

maybe I'm wrong but I'm thinking of an 80s/90s action-y type film that started with quite an over-the-top promo advert for bazookas/rocket launchers? where they're all being fired by sexy women in combat gear

maybe that was just a dream...

[LilCerberus]

I know the RoboCop series is Full of them, but I can't recall if they actually start with any or not...

[claws]

Trick 'r Treat (2007) starts with a vintage Halloween safety education film, though not really a commercial.

[LilCerberus]

I can't remember if it was Pure Genius or Real Genius, both of which came out at the same time (along with Better Off Dead & My Science Project), creating some confusion.........

It was the one involving some misfit Ivy League students working on a high powered laser, who use their scientific knowledge to pull pranks on one another, or find distractions like turning the dorm into a skiing lodge.

When they finally finish building the laser, they suddenly change their tune when it dawns on them that they've been working on a weapon for the government, as if nobody thought of that for the previous ninety minutes......

Anyhoo, it opens with an arms company trying to pitch this high powered laser (that doesn't exist yet) to the military with an ad of the laser being fired from a satellite & taking out some South American dictator while he's lounging by his pool...

[zombie no.one]

sounds like fun, never heard of that...

I know the RoboCop series is Full of them, but I can't recall if they actually start with any or not...

haha, the last thing I did before posting this thread was dig out my copy of ROBOCOP  to check how it started. I was almost sure it started with the car ad of the guy stealing the car and getting electrocuted. it actually starts with a news report about violence in South Africa, which I have no recollection of seeing before?!

[zombie no.one]

Trick 'r Treat (2007) starts with a vintage Halloween safety education film, though not really a commercial.

yeah I vaguely remember this..  I'll say it counts

[Trevor]

sounds like fun, never heard of that...

I know the RoboCop series is Full of them, but I can't recall if they actually start with any or not...

haha, the last thing I did before posting this thread was dig out my copy of ROBOCOP  to check how it started. I was almost sure it started with the car ad of the guy stealing the car and getting electrocuted. it actually starts with a news report about violence in South Africa, which I have no recollection of seeing before?!

Yes, they talk about Pretoria being an embattled nation state.