Un paradis d'enfer

I started watching it, and couldn't stop. I don't know if I wanted it to get better, or just wanted to see where it would go next. It was funny, and still, not a good movie, or a bad one. I know when it was over, I felt like something had been stolen from me. It had some inklings of Raising Arizona, but not as funny. There were some "hidden" funny things, but you have to pay attention. That's not always easy with this movie. A few times I wanted to turn it off, but like looking at a car accident while it's happening, it's bad, but you can't look away. I would recommend it, if you have some mind candy time to kill. Or perhaps just want to turn your brain to mush while eating cheetos and drinking strawberry quik.

I bought this on VHS expecting a goofy comedy along the lines of Bio-Dome, so the tone shift about halfway through just about gave me whiplash. But it's been growing on me.

First off, I love Buzz and Betty. Those two are the definition of relationship goals. The setting and premise is unique but not alien, making it an easy watch. The set design, camerawork, characters and dialog are all very colourful, and the actors all felt well suited to their roles. This movie is, above all else, competent, and I imagine this flavour of kitsch would be up a lot of people's alleys. I feel like in the right sphere, this movie could make a comeback.

The horror elements totally blindsided me. A scene where Buzz receives a prophecy from the ghost of King Kamehameha in typical 90s comedy fashion is quickly followed by a scene where his brother attempts to rape Betty and forces Buzz to watch. So this isn't exactly a fun summer romp to watch with the whole family. I thought a few of the more suspenseful scenes dragged on a bit too long, but if their goal was to foster a sense of unease, I suppose that certainly helped.

If you like oddball indie movies that aren't afraid to mix genres, I would recommend this if you can find it. It's definitely dated, but I feel like its sheer uniqueness is saving it from obscurity.

Like I said, the most convenient way for me to access this movie was to actually buy a VHS. I feel like Hula Moon should have enjoyed a longer shelf life, but at the same time, I can see why it hasn't.

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.

Stephen Baldwin is so funny in this colorful comedy. Looks cool and the music was camp. See it.

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.