UFOria

I watched this on youtube (illegally, but where else can you see it). I heard of it years ago. If better known, it would be considered a minor classic. It's similar to Melvin & Howard or other early Jonathan Demme movies. It's funny, always interesting, got a great soundtrack, good performances all around, a thoughtful quote worthy script, and unlike a lot of similar "indie" quirky movies that came later, it never puts it's small town characters down for their goofy beliefs or marginal lifestyles. Check out UFOria and tell your friends. It's amazing that a major studio made it. The director sadly never made another feature as a writer director. He's got a good light touch, and Cindy Williams holds her own as a movie star.

As far as i can tell, the only two options for watching this movie is to either find a 30+ year old VHS copy, or watch the low quality VHS rip on YouTube. It feels like I have looked everywhere, but unfortunately thats the only two options i found. I even tried a long shot and messaged John Binder himself to hear if there really is no better way to watch this, but I guess he thought my message was spam (never heard from him).

So how is the movie? Better than expected, but definitely unusual and with plenty of cult potential. Its better than a B-movie and quite stylistic, but it is very sort of low key. The characters are original and well acted, and the country music sound track is something for itself. The comedy is quite subtle, and not of the ba-dum-tss kind of jokes where you know when and what the funny part is. It was sometimes hard to hear the dialog and see what was going on, and sometimes it did not feel like the progression in the story was very well explained, but that "old VHS tape uploaded to YouTube" thing did absolutely nothing good for the quality which most likely explains that. I dont think UFOria would ever have become a blockbuster, even if it had seen a better release, but it certainly deserves better than the dust bin. Should be a no-brainer to pull it out and release it on the numerous streaming services available now.

I would love to rewatch it if i ever come across it in DVD quality or better.

I have two sets of standards for big-budget vs. low-budget films. Big-budget films have to be epic and sprawling. They have awesome special effects and sets that have to be seen on the big screen.

By contrast, small films have to have interesting characters and witty writing. "UFOria" fits this category snugly.

Sheldon (Fred Ward), who fancies himself to be another Waylon Jennings, rides into town where he meets grocery cashier Arlene (Cindy Williams). In spite of each other, they fall in love. Even when Arlene proclaims herself a prophet to an alien landing. I loved watching them relate to each other and the quirky characters that inhabit the film. The desert setting seems conducive to their sort. Harry Dean Stanton is great again as the preacher more interested in profiting than prophecy.

I recommend this simple gem. Eight stars.

The title is no less silly than anything else in this disarming, oddball comedy, which sat on a shelf for half a decade because (most likely) its low budget charm is so at odds with Hollywood's megabuck mentality. No one will ever mistake it for a great film, but it's hard to resist a movie drawn around such eccentric characters, including charlatan preacher Harry Dean Stanton, lovable con artist and Waylon Jennings wannabe Fred Ward, and naïve supermarket cashier Cindy Williams, who only wants to warn people about the imminent return of Noah's extraterrestrial ark. Add the usual quota of Western small town dreamers and drifters and you have, literally in a nutshell, a modest and enjoyable diversion that (thankfully) doesn't take itself too seriously.

This is one of my favourite films. Unfortunately it didn't get a mainstream release here in Sydney. Instead it got released through an art-house theatre (The Valhalla). It could be classified as a country and western comedy with a dash of sci-fi I guess.

The opening scenes establish that the central character, Sheldon, (played by Fred Ward) is a man, who, for all his external bravado is in fact an unhappy, lonely, drifter who badly needs an escape to a better life. He meets his perfect match, Arlene, played appealingly by Cindy Williams. She sees through Sheldon's facade immediately. She catches him shoplifting in the Supermarket she works in and sees through him in an instant (Waylon Jennings wouldn't go in for shoplifting). Not that Arlene isn't lonely herself. Sheldon manages to seduce Arlene, intending to leave her afterwards. Despite his misgivings about her belief in flying saucers, he finds himself unable to move on.

As the other reviewers have said, the supporting cast is great as well. Harry Dean Stanton is great as the phony "Brother Bud", the hippy grocery packer, the "Colonel", etc etc.

An absolute gem.