Mojave Phone Booth

I have been going over MPB in my mind on a fairly regular basis since I saw it at the FirstGlance Hollywood Film Fest and I again commend director/writer John Putch for really capturing in such a raw and gentle way the extremes of need and outreach. When I find myself actually believing that the guy is going to get rid of the alien bugs (on that wonderfully created zany, hopelessly neurotic woman), I know the casting and writing are doing their jobs very well. I also thought the "sane" half of the lesbian couple was amazing. Also, the scene where the real estate lie was revealed had such an unexpected punch to it. Every single actor was off the dial. Not one wrong note and hundreds of great choices. Having it on the outskirts of Vegas creates such a symbiosis between 2 emptiness-es, we realize there is nowhere to hide. We are all drowning in the wide open vacuum of our own disconnection, no matter how we try to dress it up. It is really a phenomenal indictment of what happens to the American Dreamer when the roots of the soul have atrophied and only the unnourished surface is left.

I'll leave it to others to discuss the plot, acting and photography other than to say that many of the shots in this movie could be printed and hung on your wall as art. The cinematography by Keith Duggan is spectacular. Well, I'll also say that the characters come across as real people- people that you feel you might actually have among your friends.

I saw this picture at the Sedona Film Festival. "What a great picture," I thought. After the showing, Jerry Rapp, the co-writer and co-producer came up to answer some questions. Then I was completely blown away. Some facts about the movie: 1) Shooting time? 18 days! 2) Number in crew? No more than 8 at a time, and that includes director/writers/ producers! Many of them did double duty. 3) Everyone drove themselves to and from the set or location. And, speaking of cars, the cars you see the actors driving in the movie are their own cars! 4) There was no up-front pay. However, gas money was provided along with food. All crew and talent are share holders in 50% of the film's grosses after the initial production budget is recouped. That is, after the budget is payed back, 50% of whatever the movie makes is split evenly between everyone involved. (I don't know who gets the other 50%. But, whoever it is, deserves it.) Shows what a dedicated group of professionals can accomplish if they work together.

The only other comment I'll make is to relieve the consternation someone else might have. The background music during the first episode was hauntingly familiar. During the Q&A I asked Jerry if it was original or came from another source. It was original but inspired by the 1974 Gene Hackman film, The Conversation. If you've seen that film, you'll know why it was haunting.

Keep your eye out for this picture and when it comes around, see it!

P.S., If you want to know what Jerry Rapp looks like, he's the flower delivery boy in the movie. I told you everybody did double duty in this movie.

Another place this story about the phone booth was discussed was on Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell. The location is actually 9 miles East Southeast of Baker California in the aforementioned Preserve in a place called Devil's Playground! Annabeth Gish is a dish! One caller to Art Bell was a " Desert Chad" who camped out as described.....he hailed from the Bay area.On a related foot note......I myself was a caller on the phone booth " in the middle of nowhere " show. Word has it that the park rangers eventually had to shut the phone down by removing it due to the environmental impact of too many people wandering to and from it! The phone booth was originally placed to help miners on a break nearby to make calls they couldn't otherwise.Waiting to find this on DVD.

In a time where the corporations of the motion picture industry give the public rehashes of films already made, this film rises above the studio mentality and gives you something that is......original. Not only is the that, but it makes you think about the modes of communication that todays technology offer the public and how these modes have hindered true intimacy, as well as the comfortability (or lack thereof) that people have with intimacy. The stories in this film are gently insane, but only as insane as real life stories in real people's lives. The writing, is wonderful, the story is excellent, the editing is superb, and the acting is quite good.

Some very slight material supposedly held together by an isolated phone booth in the Mojave desert. Various characters explain their problems to an unknown individual named Greta on the other end of the line. There are four episodes all seeming to have something to do with sexual frustration, jealousy, and magnetic tape. Countless conversations enlighten Greta about desperate boyfriends, bitchy girlfriends, best friend pimps, and U.F.O. alien parasites. It's unbelievable that all this nonsense is supposed to make sense, after characters from the different episodes eventually come together. Just another bad DVD for my garage sale. - MERK