Scrap

A documentary about scrap metal sculptures and a man made castle of rocks. Knee jerk reaction: Can you make one about dust mites too? Knee jerk reaction is wrong.

Scrap is like that outcast kid at school that you stereotypically write off only to discover, given the opportunity, has some superbly hidden talent, three onion peels down.

Showcasing Bishop's Castle, a man made monument tucked in to the Colorado mountains, the film architects a surprising amount of character development masoned between the literal construction of the stone Castle, and the exploration of the key players. Tough to distinguish which is more eccentric and intriguing; the sci-fi like-personalities or the actual man made, steel structures spawned thereof.

First sign of awesomeness? The soundtrack.

Second sign of awesomeness? Dr. Evermore and his time machine.

This is not an animated film, so use your deduction to conclude that, yes, Dr. Evermore is one of the featured personalities whom contributes to this Hephaestus-inspired film. Akin to the hero's journey peppering most commercial films, Bishop Sr., the main character, is an 'ordinary person doing extraordinary things'. Sort of. He does not pay his taxes, he finances his castle on donations only and lost his infant son to intimate circumstances annihilatingly tragic.... To some psychoanalytic degree the loss of Bishop's son, & the toll it takes on the family, are metaphorically parallel to the infinitely unfinished castle the film focuses upon.

Worth watching this unlikely marriage of art and commerce.

During an Eastern Seabaord road trip last Summer, I went to the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. I distinctly recall gazing at a large steel bird in the sculpture garden and watching; a) engagements pics of a young couple being shot and, b) taking shots of the bird without the cheesy forced pressure of a pending wedding. The bird, in all its iconoclastic glory was definitely a draw.

Fast forward a year and some change and I'm hitting pause and rewind a couple times when the same steel bird graces my screen. Tucked within the frames of the documentary, Scrap, I can't believe the bird's story which unfolds with the paralleled plot line... The cool part is that the steel creations which star in the film are just as intriguing as those whom crafted them. The film is so dynamic in that it gives the audience an insider's view in to a world that you typically never think about, and by the end of the film, actually care about... You never really think of a blacksmith or a steel scrap collector in a creative, artistic fashion. But Scrap manages to take these super utilitarian people, these super eccentric lifestyles and package them in such a way that it draws you in.

Not to mention the castle. The Colorado mountains. And the bittersweet subplot of addiction and guilt; all pinballing within one extremely endearingly dysfunctional family.

Worth exploring.

Beautiful sculpture by unique and hardworking artists. Recycling at its highest!

The artists are non-traditional gruff old guys who seem driven to create. The creations very from a bit average to spectacular. I would love to visit these sites in person but until that time this gives a person a chance to see these unique creations. Tom Every's pieces are like Doodles come to life giant three dimensional doodles. Very fun. Jim Bishop's Castle is so filled with light and life - amazing - I do hope to see it one day.

I hope that this is the first in a series of documentaries about unique self made artists who create on a grand scale.

For a documentary about metal and rocks, it sure does tap in to some emotional hot spots. The film focuses on a late aged architect/contractor/outcast that insists on building his own stone version of the Sagrada Familia in bucolic Colorado. In essence, it's a paradoxical balance of WTF?, drama, art & dry humor. Not a super endearing or charismatic movie, but definitely sucks you in via its Dr. Seuss-ish realization of the inane & interesting. (Colorado itself makes quite the appearance with a fair amount of majestic scenery peppered throughout the movie.) More of a muted, bittersweet family drama, Scrap clearly emerges as a small-scale delight. The low-key, seemingly eccentric charm of Scrap is best watched with an open mind; there are some brave and vulnerable scenes that might be a touch tragic for viewers, but are necessary to buttress the seemingly endlessness of the projects profiled within the film. The glamour of the film is in the scrap creations and definitely not in the machinations of the creators. In a nutshell, Scrap is a story of extraordinary people facing an unfortunate tragedy in a picturesque setting. Some highly symbolic creations metaphorically chart the family dynamics woven throughout.