UFOria

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.

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.

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.

Sheldon Bart (Fred Ward) is a con-man drifter. Cashier Arlene Stewart (Cindy Williams) looks the other way when he shoplifts grocery. He reconnects with his traveling preacher friend Bud Sanders (Harry Dean Stanton) and performs in a fake healing. The homeless Sheldon starts sleeping and living with Arlene. He dismisses her obsession with UFOs as craziness at first. She dreams of a spaceship landing and gains a following with fellow UFO enthusiasts. Sheldon and Bud use their preaching skills for their own gains.

This is built like an indie with a bunch of quirky characters. It's an odd little movie with some usual characters played by veteran actors. Cindy Williams never got to be a big movie star. She does these weird little comedies. This low budget story does meander a little. This has an unique appeal from filmmaker John Binder although his humor doesn't always hit its mark.

It took the producers of "Uforia" five years before they could find a distributor willing to release it. My guess is that distributors couldn't think of an easy way to market a movie that is very unconventional and doesn't follow an easy-to-report formula. This is a character-based movie, not really one with a substantial plot, but don't let that discourage you from giving the movie a try. The characters are not only all likable, they all have various quirks that make them interesting to watch talking and interacting with each other. As a bonus, the movie has a great country and western soundtrack (and I normally dislike that music genre!) The only real flaw the movie has is the very ending, which seems out of place for a movie that otherwise focuses on characters. But despite that ending, this movie is a gem well worth your time.