Gilligan’s Post-Apocalyptic Island

You may think the 1960s television show Gilligan’s Island is simply the tale of a 3-hour tour gone terribly awry, indefinitely stranding its passengers on a deserted island where hijinks, visits from goofy guest stars, and thwarted rescue attempts ensue. But it may have actually been a metaphor for restarting after the annihilation of civilization.

I know. Mind. Blown.

The Gilligan Manifesto, a documentary debuting at LA Femme International Film Festival this weekend, takes a fresh look at the slapsticky sitcom that went into production the year after the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was able to preview the film, which places Gilligan’s Island in its Cold War context and aims to reveal the critiques of democracy and capitalism behind its farcical facade.

Originally confined to text in an article in Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture, writer and director Cevin Soling translated his ideas to film, taking advantage of the audio-visual medium with groovy novelty songs, original animation, quick cuts of Cold War era footage, and scenes from the show itself. By the time the opening titles appear, you’ve already seen a depressing number of mushroom clouds and atomic infernos exploding in sync with disturbingly upbeat tunes like “Love That Bomb.”

There are also interviews with creator Sherwood Schwartz, cast members Dawn Wells (“Mary Ann”) and Russell Johnson (“The Professor”), and (actual) Harvard professors of history and literature.

After an animation introduces the characters and illustrates the parallel between the island castaways and survivors emerging from a fallout shelter, the film examines the society they create, positing that it more closely resembles a “true” (non-dictatorial) communist system than a democratic/capitalist one.

While a few points are belabored and others left hanging, the film does raise some interesting questions.

Do societal structures, such as class divides, persist when society itself is gone? What about titles such as “professor,” “millionaire,” or “movie star”? Can a person lead without being corrupted by power? What’s the best way to distribute resources? Is Gilligan the ultimate proletariat-hero? Do the castaways even want to be rescued?

The Gilligan Manifesto gave me a lot to mull over. And it’s definitely changed the way I look at the show and its character archetypes.

– Film Info –

The Gilligan Manifesto is a feature documentary by Spectacle Films, Inc.

Debut: LA Femme International Film Festival

October 22, 6pm at Laemmle Theater (Music Hall) in Beverly Hills.
Festival tickets available online or on-site.
Discount for Single Film Screening Ticket with password “special.”

Information on additional screenings/viewing options was not available.

Photos via The Gilligan Manifesto.

May 2, 2016April 27, 2019

Free Outdoor Movies

I love the feel of free community events where anyone can be in the audience, like outdoor concerts or Ballet Under the Stars.

Outdoor movies are particularly interesting because they turn the whole movie viewing experience on its head. In the theater, it’s all about blocking out the surrounding environment – controlling light and sound so that nothing distracts from what’s on screen. Outdoors, the environment becomes part of the experience.

As a teenager, I saw the movie Twister at a drive-in while a monsoon storm was moving in, the wind gusting hard and the sky turning a surreal shade of orange. I’m pretty sure I thought it was a better movie than it actually was because of the natural drama around me. On the other hand, sometimes the sound isn’t good or something blocks your view or the people from the Portlandia sketch show up.

Do you ever go to free or outdoor movie events?

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Some places for free movies (inside or outside) here in Arizona…

May 2016:

Tempe Kiwanis Park
Sun City West Beardsley Park
Chandler CinePark

Summer:

Tucson Movies in the Park

Ongoing:

2nd Friday Nights Out – monthly in Downtown Mesa
Phoenix libraries – Weekly Wednesday Afternoon Movies at Burton Barr and Classic Movie Thursdays at Agave.
City Lights Movie Night – monthly at Cityscape (Double feature of Back to the Future I & II May 13)

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April 7, 2016April 7, 2016

Hostile Border: A Cross-Genre Film about Crossing the Line

Did I ever tell you about the time Phillip and I walked into Mexico?

On the Border

Okay, before I start the movie review, here’s the short version: We took the trolley from San Diego south to the border, over this elaborate pedestrian bridge with tall metal turnstiles. On the other side was a Mexican soldier with a big gun just kind of hanging out there, not checking anyone’s papers or even making eye contact. We stepped off the bridge into a super sketchy part of Tijuana, rolling suitcases bumping along behind us, trying not to get robbed (or worse) while we looked for a bus where there wasn’t any.

I don’t recommend that particular way to see Mexico.

There are some lovely parts of Tijuana, but the border draws danger, making the city swell with the pressure of desperate outsiders.

Over the Line

The film Hostile Border begins, not on the border, but in Illinois, where it plunges you immediately into the world of the ambitious main character, Claudia. Minimal exposition. No flashbacks. It moves quickly and lets you fill in the gaps.

After Claudia’s history of credit card fraud and undocumented status catch up with her, she is deported – through another metal turnstile in a Tijuana port of entry – into Mexico, where she has little connection and even less knowledge of the language.

One thing the film does explain outright is the meaning of its working title, “pocha”, slang for “a Mexican American who can speak little or no Spanish”. It can also refer to something rotten. The first definition definitely applies to Claudia. Whether the second one does is a question posed throughout the film in various ways.

Does committing crime mean you are a criminal? What happens after you cross the line?

Veronica Sixtos’s performance as Claudia is so compelling you don’t miss words during her long stretches of silence, yet she conveys emotion and inner conflict subtly enough to be consistent with the character’s guarded nature.

Hostile Border is about the people who build fences to protect themselves, and the ones who believe crossing them is worth the risk. It pulses between the genres of thriller and western with moments of intensity balanced by scenes with room to reveal the complicated relationships between layered characters.

Inspired in part by conversations with actual deportees, this debut feature film for both director/cinematographer Michael Dwyer and writer/co-director Kaitlin McLaughlin won the 2015 the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival and a Special Jury Prize for Directing.

Hostile Border opens in select theaters (see list below) and on digital/video on demand platforms April 15. You can preorder it on iTunes now.

Theaters:

Arizona

Cinema Latino (Phoenix)
Harkins Theatres Spectrum 18 (Tucson)

California

Laemmle Noho 7 (LA)
Media Arts Center (San Diego)

Colorado

Sie Film Center (Denver)

Illinois

Gene Siskel Film Center (Chicago)

Texas

Cinema Latino (Pasadena)

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Images and preview courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.

February 11, 2016November 25, 2023

Already Tomorrow: a Hong Kong Rom-Com

If a romantic comedy took place inside a guidebook, it might look a lot like Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong. The indie movie revolves around Ruby and Josh, two Americans in Hong Kong, who randomly meet. And then meet again.

It’s the first feature film written and directed by Emily Ting, who has previously directed documentaries and shorts.

Already Tomorrow is set entirely on location with city’s skyscrapers, dive joints, outdoor markets, neon-lit streets, crowded tourist hangouts, and garment district tailor shops as backdrops. Not only is there a running joke about Josh buying Ruby a guidebook, it’s sprinkled with Lonely Planet-esque tips about things like bargaining with street vendors, not expecting to find a cross-harbor taxi late at night, and the fact that the mid-levels escalator is outdoors.

Josh and Ruby’s conversations as they move through Hong Kong comprise the bulk of the film, and they are played by two actors who bring nuance and charm to their respective roles.

Actor (and fashion blogger) Jamie Chung, who co-stars as Ruby, was most recently in Academy-Award winning Big Hero 6 and actually got her start on The Real World. Opposite her, as Josh, is Bryan Greenberg, who grew up acting at summer camp and appeared in Friends with Benefits before doing a slew of indie films. The pair are now real-life married, so, apparently, not all the on-screen chemistry had to be manufactured.

The film starts slow with a lot of initial dialogue that could be reframed as 5-paragraph essay topics. (Think “Explain the difference between an expat and an immigrant.” or “Do you feel people are on their phones too much? Why or why not?”) Those exchanges feel more like talking points than authentic conversation – even awkward, just-met conversation.

That said, the movie picks up after the first 30 minutes or so. Not to say it’s ever action-packed, but the story gets more interesting and the dialogue begins to feel increasingly natural and reflective of the character’s personalities. You start to see the interplay between Josh’s impulsive, in-the-moment nature and Ruby’s more line-towing, long-term-thinking ways.

The soundtrack is a mix of acoustic and pop songs. I really dug the music in the performance by actual (but now retired) Hong Kong band Noughts and Exes.

Overall, Already Tomorrow is pleasant to watch and makes you feel as if you’ve been to Hong Kong. Or, at least, spent some time wandering through the glossy photos of a guidebook.

The film comes out tomorrow (2/12) in select theaters and video on demand and is available for pre-order on iTunes now. It’d go perfectly with takeout and PJs.

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Images and preview courtesy of Gravitas Ventures.

August 18, 2015August 23, 2015

Phoenix Classic Movie Nights

It’s not too late for summer movies! In fact, there are some interesting movie events coming up in the Phoenix/Tempe area this week that I thought I’d share.

Since the current temperature outside is officially hothothot, 2 out of 3 are indoors – the other one includes snow imported to cool things down. More of the traditional “movies in the park” nights around here happen in the spring, so I’ve listed those, as well.

Screenings Starting This Week

1. Heist film series at FilmBar

Today through 9/3

Series includes True Romance, The Italian Job, The Usual Suspects
FilmBar also features a monthly Arizona Filmmaker Showcase (next one: 9/5) and wine tastings the 3rd Friday of every month.
Light rail stop: Roosevelt/Central
FilmBar and CityScape (see #2) are each about .5 mile from Civic Space Park and its suspended sculpture, Her Secret is Patience.

2. Grease at CityScape

8/20 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (Movie at 7:40 p.m.)

Part of Cool Summer Nights at CityScape, the event will also include shaved ice, a snow slide, and misters.
Dress as your favorite Grease character.
Light rail stop: Washington/Central
You’ll be super close to the downtown Phoenix location of Cartel Coffee – but it closes at 4pm.

3. The Last Starfighter at Pollack Tempe Cinemas

8/22 9:30pm

Cult Classics hosts a monthly screening of classic films year-round with giveaways and commemorative merch.
Each screening is announced the month before.
VIP ticket packages that include prints, t-shirts, etc. are also available.