Candy Mountain

Moody? yes. Slow? a little. Bow Wow? hardly. Fantastic cast! Who says you can't have a fun movie about a total idiot? Julius is the straight man to life's maddening trickster. Definitely worthwhile for fans of Jarmusch style movie making. Personally I loved it...anyone who's gone after something without knowing quite where will get this. Check out Cold Fever, a similar, but more grown up film about a Japanese tourist in Greenland.

As a music fanatic I obviously loved this movie. But had it not been for Dr. John, Waits, Redbone and Johansen etc. I would most likely not have given it the time of day.

Got to love it though!

It scores a 7 for the cast, effort and humour.

This film is probably not for everybody, but if you like slightly surreal off-beat movies (Hal Hartley, Jim Jarmousch, Tom Dicillo) with interesting characters, than check out this movie.

Although it's a little sloppily put together and obviously low budget, the characters are memorable and the performances are authentic. Laurie Metcalfe (from "Roseanne") play her usual way-over-the-top self but pushes even farther over the top here, but it works somehow because it sticks out so oddly against all the other subdued performances. Tom Waits is great as the tacky-clothes-wearing, golf-playing crooner. ("Hell, I got money, look around.") This is one of those anti-hero movies, where everybody is either crazy or an asshole, even the main character and it's really hard to like any of them, but that's the point. Some very funny lines, realistic yet weird situations and touching moments. The ending is pretty weak though. 7/10.

You would think that a movie with Leon Redbone, Tom Waits, Dr. John, and David Johannsen is going to be one of the best films you've ever seen, right? God, how I looked forward to this. When I finally got to see it, it was like I got kicked in the guts.

Boring, moody, contrived, over stylized, and PRETENTIOUS. The main character is a total dick! There's nothing nice or cool here. It made me want to brush my teeth! Why Leon Redbone, Tom Waits, Dr. John, and David Johannsen allowed themselves to appear in this dog is beyond me.

You know what? Go buy the Johnny Winter album "Third Degree." There are some cool duets between Johnny and Dr. John. If you're a fan of the genre you'll love it, I promise. If you love that album you'll hate this movie.

I've seen a few no-budget films before, but "Candy Mountain" really takes the cake. It feels like it was filmed on weekends and vacations with friends and relatives, and no one was paid anything. That might not be entirely true, but it's the impression I got. I watched the movie for Tom Waits, who doesn't have a big part, but is entertaining. Kevin J. O'Connor is good as Julius. All the various cameos are amusing, surely more so if you have a personal familiarity with the actors/musicians. It's a distinctly Canadian story, even though it hints at originating in the states.

The director, Robert Frank, leaves one with the distinct impression that he doesn't know how to make a compelling movie. It's well-intentioned enough, but lethargic as hell. When Julius wakes up to drag himself through another long day, you start to feel about the same as the viewer. If the photography was better, or maybe the silences had more depth and power, it wouldn't seem so sloppy. The pace is maddeningly slow. I got... a bit out of it, I guess. But it's really just not that great. At best, it convinces you that it's real. As for anything beyond that, well, never mind.