gilinfiji

Really groovy, gloomy movie peripherally about the world's southernmost town, beautiful Ushuaia, Argentina, where I just visited two months ago. Just that setting alone was enough to get me to see it. Unfortunately, a small nightclub, U! Bar, where one of the scenes was shot, no longer exists (I went looking for it). However, a great Irish pub, Dublin, does exist in Ushuaia and totally rocks with the bartenders playing chillout CDs and replicas of R2D2 and C3P0 lean against the corner near the restrooms. There are also great parillas (stakhouses) there, there are great chocolate shops and Tierra del Fuego National Park is nearby. In the summer (January) it doesn't get dark there until nearly midnight. This movie's not bad, either, but really is a nice introduction for anyone wanting to travel to southern Argentina.

Besides "Weekend at Bernie's," this is the only major film I've ever walked out on. I LOVED "Blazing Saddles," "High Anxiety," "History of the World, Part I," but this absolute train wreck was the sure-fire sign that Mel Brooks's days were long behind him. Oh, to think that this was how comedian Dave Chappelle, one of the funniest comics out there got his start. He performed some really un-funny rap and one can only hope he was handsomely paid to do so. This is one of those films so bad the film studio should've paid viewers to watch. As far as movie bombs go, this one was a 50-megaton one. I don't believe I got one single laugh from this film.

A buddy of mine watched this for the first time (it was my second or third) and he captured it perfectly: "It's like 'the Addams Family' in Arkansas, without the creepiness." He was right. If you like movies with small casts, that are quirky, feature great cinematography and use subtle humor to open a window to an interesting little corner of the world, this film is for you. Percy Adlon also works this magic with "Bagdad Cafe" and "Salmonberries." The only disappointment was singer Jim Lauderdale not releasing the equally endearing country/reggae fusion end credits song, "Flyin' Back to Rosalie," an absolute gem. I liked this movie so much, I actually went out of my way while driving across Arkansas to visit the town of Stuttgart, see the Riceland Mill and see the museum, all places where the film was shot.