Under the Hula Moon

Unlike another comment here, I did not at all get the idea this movie is a Pulp Fiction rip off. However, I can see that liking this movie is very much a matter of taste.

I quite liked watching it though. I caught myself being curious what the next plot twist was going to be a few times, as the development of the plot is a bit strange. I would definitely buy this if it were out on DVD.

"Under the Hula Moon" is a very uneasy mixture of violence and dark comedy. Though not totally successful, this edgy combination will no doubt satisfy those with "cult movie" interests. Chris Penn (as Turk ) provides the unpredictable explosive violence, while Stephen Baldwin (as Buzz) and Emily Lloyd provide lighter moments in their "Hawaiianized desert house trailer". The movie contains some very sharp dialog that is absolutely priceless. Turk "You can't turn a pussy into a wildcat". Buzz " Maybe not but where you're going (prison) they can turn an asshole into a pussy". This is a low budget gem just waiting to be discovered by the right audience. - MERK

Considering that the overall score for "Under the Hula Moon" has an abysmal overall score of 4.3 AND it stars the far less famous siblings of famous stars, I assumed it would be a terrible film. To my surprise, the film was quirky and a lot of fun...though I assume it's not a film for all folks, as it is quite strange.

Buzzard Wall (Stephen Baldwin...Alec's brother) lives with his wife in a trailer in the middle of the Arizona desert. They are quite poor, as Buzz spends all of his time working on his invention, camoflage sunscreen, instead of working an actual job. Betty (Emily Lloyd) loves him dearly, but she is frustrated by Buzz's obsession with this invention...an invention that no one seems to want.

One day, Buzz's psychotic brother, Turkey (Chris Penn, brother of Sean) arrives...freshly from escaping from prison AND killing a man. Soon he beats up Buzz and abducts his wife....and spirits her off to Mexico against her will. Assisted by a really annoying ex-girlfriend/TV reporter, Buzz sets off to get his wife and beat the snot out of Turk.

The film is weird from start to finish...and the film tried very hard to be quirky and strange. The music, set design and costumes all work well to create a weird look...and I really liked it. As for the actors, despite being the 'lesser brothers', but did just fine and the film really worked due to the funny script and direction. My only complaint, and it is very minor, is that the resolution seems to come a bit too quickly...but still, it's great fun.

By the way, the language in this movie is pretty rough...so it's not a good movie to show your kids, dog, mother-in-law or Father O'Reilly if he stops by for a visit.

I was curious about UNDER THE HULA MOON for years because with a score of 4,2, few reviews with mostly scathing ones and Stephen Baldwin and Chris Penn as the leads it certainly doesn't look like Oscar-worthy material. To my surprise when I saw it last July I liked it more than what I expected.

Buzzard Wall (Baldwin) is a dreamer that lives with his wife Betty in a trailer in Cactus gulch in Arizona and they haven't much money because he spends his time working on Cammo, a sun-cream that manages to camoflage the skin for avoiding being roasted but nobody wants to give his invention the green-light because it looks so childish. In the meanwhile Buzzard's brother Turk Dickson (Penn) has just escaped from prison, killed a man that gave him a ride through the desert and now goes to Buzzard's home beating him because Turk thinks isn't that fun having a brother too smart but practically good for nothing, and also abducts his wife for taking her to Mexico.

However a female reporter arrives in time for freeing Buzzard and they both set on a ride to Mexico for freeing his wife from psychotic Turk and make him arrested. When Buzzard and Betty return they both work at a fast food as waiters but suddenly, Colonel J P McIntire (R. Lee Ermey) comes and says to Buzzard that the Army is interested in Cammo and finally Buzzard and Betty move to Hawaii for a new great life there.

The acting by Penn and Baldwin was ok, nothing special. But what makes this movie different is the many odd touches that the director Jeff Celentano (who recently directed the baseball vehicle THE HILL) put on purpose, especially the costumes, sets, soundtrack and the fact that Buzzard has some sort of obsession for the original HAWAII FIVE-O. Overall, not certainly a movie for everyone but still lots of fun for a select few for the aforementioned reasons.

The beginning of the 90s brought many "quirky" and "off-beat" independent films, a particular sub-genre of which is the semi-spiritual desert crime movie. Others of note are "Wild at Heart", "From Dusk Til Dawn", and to a certain extent "Natural Born Killers". Good films like those spawned junk like "Highway 666", "Destiny Turns on the Radio" and this ineptly surreal anti-masterpiece "Under The Hula Moon". It's a comedy that aims for a certain emotional tone, attains it, but keeps going to the point of irritation. While the pursuit across the spirit-world of the desert and the casting of Chris Penn are good ideas, the film is not dirty enough or hard enough to be a good crime movie, and isn't focused enough on laughs to really be a comedy. I won't blow the ending, but let's just say it's bad. The film is basically a bad side effect of genre-cancer. This is the dregs of indie-mania.