Scrapple

I saw Scrapple when the director brought it to Colorado State University, and I had a blast. The story was very entertaining and -- living in Colorado -- I recognized a bunch of my ski-bum friends in the on-screen characters.

If you haven't seen it -- and provided you can actually find a place that's showing it -- go and watch. You'll be enjoyed, I guarantee.

At the very least, it's great to see what a porcine drug trip looks like. :)

"Scrapple" is a very well done and beautifully shot indie about a small time pot dealer who finds himself in over his head while trying to finance a humble house in a small Colorado hippie town to provide a better life for himself and his brother, a Vietnam vet who lives in a veterans hospital. Set in 1978, the film provides a look into the lives of a group of transient friends who have found a home sharing each others company in the town of Ajax, population 620. Well developed characters and a steadily moving plot-line keep the story going forward. And an outstanding soundtrack that features the considerable talent of Taj Mahal, Bob Weir and Jorma Kaukonen, to name a few, adds strongly to the beautiful, melancholy vibe of the film. I dug this film. Kudos to the Hanson brothers and I hope to see more from them.

I saw Scrapple at the 1998 Breckenridge Film Fest. The description of the film read, "Pigs, drugs, and ski bums." I was intrigued, to say the least, by what would be my favorite film of the festival.

The opening credit scenes had me believing I was watching a movie that was filmed in the mid '70s. By the second scene I knew I was in for a great film. Having lived in ski towns for the past 10 years, I can safely say that Scapple does an outstanding job of relaying the universal, timeless truisms of ski town life.

Entertaining, funny, and cinematically beautiful, the film sends a small message that hits close to home. During the story we fall in love with Al Dean, the king of blind luck, in his efforts to make things right.

This is a film that was put together remarkably well, especially for a first time, independent project. After seeing a movie like Scrapple, one wonders how this film isn't being distributed on a national level, when so many undeserving movies are. I suppose blame lies in the unenlightened viewing public and not in the quality of the film, as Scrapple is the most underrated film I have yet to see.

Kudos to the Hanson brothers for their grassroots efforts to get this movie seen by appreciative moviegoers.

I've never written a review before now. This movie struck a chord in me. I lived this life in Colorado in the 70s! It's so indicative of all things Telluride at the time. The characters are true to life and the incidences that happened were very real for the period. Thanks for the memories, Hanson brothers. I have to tell you that we ordered the Dharma Pig t-shirt... So cool. Then 2 weeks later we got another one with a note that said they couldn't engender if they sent it, so here's another one! Lol Loved it and loved the movie!

Absolutely unlike ANY film I've ever seen before! The music, scenery, story and characters leave you wishing you could return to this simpler, care-free time. If only places like "Ajax" (Telluride) still existed today with it's good friends, good tunes, and good times. I've watched this video over and over and still find myself singing along, reciting my favorite lines, and discovering more of it's charm each time. All I can say, is if you lived through the 60's and/or 70's, (regardless of how much you actually REMEMBER...) you've got to give this film a look. It's appeal is so unusual it's hard to quantify. The search for one's self, trust and love, a renegade but loveable pig, "temple balls", Taj Mahal's music, outstanding film backdrops, good friends, all combine for a very charming and creative film. Give it a try if you can track it down...it'll be more than worth the effort!