Here I sit, a quick drive from Cleveland, having the thought...what does Texas have over Cleveland. One is locations, with seemingly better weather. Also, there is a different pool of talent. I've done some reviews from many corners of our great nation, and I've been finding some amazing stuff coming from the Texas filmmakers, as a whole, not that others aren't great too. I am building great respect for the writer/director Travis Ammons, after having reviewed another of his films, the Cutting Room. In this case, The Great American Moon Rock Caper is a really fun ride with very little strings attached. This movie is a Flock of Films Production. See www.Ticktickbang.info
When I got the DVD screener, I honestly did not know what to expect, and didn't want to pre-judge a book based on it's cover. I had a feeling that there had to be merit to a concept like stealing moonrocks for one's girl, or why would this director have gone through the trouble. I am pleased to say I now know why! The movie is a romantic comedy, loosely based on some true story events, and I now want my girlfriend to watch it with me!
This film reminds me of Fun With Dick & Jane, with Jim Carrey, mixed with the Oceans films. I suppose the musical score adds to the Oceans feel, thanks to composer Rob Powers. Another feel is that of the best parts of any Wes Anderson style film, if you follow them. There are a lot of people involved in this caper; I believe even more than Travis's other film, as far as I can tell. Top Exec Producer is Marlene Sarres. Veteran producers, Mike Muscal (Director of the fantastic genre flick, Little Ucker) and Wes Linnenbank (who plays an almost ominous Mr. Owen in the film) are names i recognized from The Cutting Room. There are more VIPs, but a review can only talk about so many people before...well, let's stay in the film itself.
I won't give too much away in this one, because it is best to just enjoy the whole thing as it comes. So, we'll run things down with my own version of a synopsis. Shawn Cook plays a Nasa intern named Tucker, who wants to make things right for the love of his life, fellow intern, named Stevie, played by Katrina Ellsworth. This means involving a slightly devious guy named Dean, played by Travis Ammons himself, and a gal named Mouse, who's the most talented of all the characters towards the aims of this "caper", played by Kristin Chaumont. By the way, these ladies are quite lovely and fun, complimenting their male counterparts.
Okay, okay...you want to know what this is about already. Basically, Tucker interns at NASA, putting together a catalog of moon rocks from the original moon landing mission. He decides stealing them wouldn't harm anyone and the profits from selling them can help things out in a few different ways, which I won't spoil any more than have. Most of the film is aimed at accomplishing the heist and is fun to follow, because these are truly not professional thieves, with one exception. The relationships are very easy on the audience, and I absolutely love the opening credit sequence montage by Clayton Miller. The use of split screen to show multiple things happening works just fine without interfering in any way, and I like the transitional clips of city streets using time lapse footage.
In this movie, you get PG level strip clubs, so you can enjoy some while your kids are in the room, and I really enjoyed the music for when the heist actually happens, which somehow reminds me of Kill Bill for some reason, and some fun twists are thrown in for good measure with plenty of comedic moments. I can't tell sometimes when things are comedy or serious, because the characters' behavior fits both ends and simply works. Granted, some tiny nitpicking things may pop out at you, but enough bases are covered to blame the characters' fumbling. It is all amusing and well done. I can imagine Travis busting up laughing during takes of his slightly unstable character, considering the trouble such characters generally cause in plots. Shawn Cook's main character is technically the brains of the operation, if it weren't for the fact that Tucker isn't a true alpha male in the leadership sense. This creates the antics that ensue throughout the movie. The end outcome is kind of a surprise, so I won't bring it up.
Now, here's my independent film technical breakdown. Lighting was good, all the time, which is very important. Also, camera angles and dolly style movements kept the pacing smooth and moving with the help of 2 editors. The film is very obviously shot on video from a filmmaker's standpoint, although most audience will likely overlook it. The writing, acting, shooting style, and editing, all with music cover up the indie feeling that normally would be there due to various technical choice. I know this takes a lot to accomplish with resources being what they are, so my hat's off to Travis and his people for keeping their heads on while making this entire film. And did I mention I really liked the opening credits sequence? Somebody needs to hire this Clayton Miller guy just to do such work. Dialog was solid, and music was too! I thought I'd get bored with musical style, considering it's not something I pop in a CD to listen to, but funny thing happened...I wasn't bored at all. In fact, some of it breaks through at key moments quite powerfully. Obviously, composer and editors must have worked together, and I have a feeling Travis made most of the calls hands on.
Final thoughts are I'm very taken at how great this american moon rock caper turned out, considering moon rock theft is low on my list of things to do. It turned out to be a lot of unique fun and I truly was surprised at the ending, considering how I wanted things to be. I will watch it again, and probably will still feel that way, expecting something different. It's one definition of insanity, but one I cherish. You'll love moon rocks after watching The Great American Moon Rock Caper. Also, for those hoping this is science fiction, it's not. It is just fun, with a dash of hope and fingers crossed.
Best, Kenny
