Alabama Moon Poster

But how many times have you gone to a film based on a book you love, only to be disappointed in the results? Too many, sad to say.

McCanlies, who directed from a script co-written by Key, had more than a few challenges with this project. Mix together a limited budget, a relatively short shooting schedule and a story that requires kid actors to carry the film and the ingredients for a less than stellar result are all at hand.

Not to worry. ALABAMA MOON the film more than lives up to the promise of the novel.

For those who aren’t familiar with ALABAMA MOON, it’s the coming of age story of an eleven year old named Moon who has been raised in the Alabama wilderness by his survivalist father, Pap. Pap, distrustful of all outside elements, particularly ‘the government’ has raised Moon in his own image – friendless, self-sufficient and able to live off the land. This is ‘home schooling’ in its rawest form. Moon can read and write, but he can also trap game, start a fire without matches and has a rudimentary knowledge of medicinal herbs. Moon has been raised to distrust anyone but Pap and to live on his own.

For years, Pap and Moon have inhabited a dense growth of Alabama forest that is owned by a paper company. When the paper company sells of a portion of the land to developers, their solitary world is threatened. Then the unexpected, and to Moon, the unbelievable happens.

Pap is injured in a fall, suffering a compound fracture to his leg. Moon does his best to doctor Pap, but he is a kid after all. With no medical treatment, the unexpected becomes the undeniable truth. Pap dies and Moon is left to fend for himself. In his final instructions to Moon, Pap tells him he has to get away from the encroaching development. Run from ‘the government’. Pap tells Moon to go west, preferably to Alaska where Moon can hook up with other people who are self-reliant and who ‘think like we do’.

Thus Moon is set off into a journey of discovery. A journey that quickly has him in trouble with the outside world. But a journey that brings him into contact with people his own age for the first time in his life.

ALABAMA MOON is something of a ‘throw-back’ film. The film is refreshingly free of helicopter searches, infrared scopes and and night vision goggles. This is a film that seems more in the mold of the classic Disney pictures that mined similar territory. And that’s a good thing.

McCanlies keeps the narrative moving at a brisk pace and elicits first class performances from a uniformly strong cast.

Jimmy Bennett, as Moon, has the acting chops to go well beyond the surface of this nicely written character and he delivers a first rate performance.

Casting of Clint Howard as Moon’s nemesis, Constable Sanders, was a stroke of good luck for the production. In the after-film Q&A, Howard told how he served as sort of an on-set ‘uncle’ figure to the child actors in the film. How lucky for them! Howard also discussed a conversation he had with Don Knotts not long before that legendary comedic actor passed away.

Howard described Constable Sanders as ‘Barney Fife on steroids”. Howard, a former child actor himself (duh!) , added just the right amount of off beat humor along with his character’s threatening impatience and lack of empathy for Moon without ever going too far over the top. Don Knotts would no doubt approve.

Rounding out the recognizable names in the cast, John Goodman brought just the right tone and, pardon the pun, weight to the character of Mr. Wellington, the new owner of the land where Moon and Pap have been living. At first, Mr. Wellington appears to be at the root of Moon’s problems, but instead turns out to be something of a guardian angel.

Supporting actors add mostly solid performances and all are more than ably supported by the outstanding cinematography of Jimmy Lindsey, a surprisingly rich score by Ludek Drizhal and sure handed editing by Mark Coffey.

The biggest disappointment of this production from a Texas-centric POV is that it was shot in Louisiana. ALABAMA MOON was filmed prior to the passage of the latest Texas film incentive legislation and the Louisiana incentives won the day. McCanlies has been quoted as saying he could have shot much of the film on his ranch in Bastrop. If only.

ALABAMA MOON, the production, is in some ways a good template for filmmakers who must contend with modest budgets.

Start with a good story. Add a solid screenplay that has at least a few roles that are so engaging that they can attract name talent for a limited number of days work.

If you somehow manage the first two, add a director who can do good work while working at a fast pace. If you’re really looking at this as a template, you might want to avoid a story with child actors. You’d have to be really lucky to pull together a group of young actors who will perform as well as those in ALABAMA MOON.

For all of you who wonder where all the good family films have gone, look no further than ALABAMA MOON. Hopefully you can look no further than your local multiplex.

In a move that makes one wonder about potential distribution of this terrific family film, the producers have set up an online petition where fans of the film can use to urge American distributors to pay attention to ALABAMA MOON. Link to the petition HERE.

Hopefully, the presence of Goodman and Howard along with the strong following for Watt Key’s novel will result in the distribution this film deserves.

To be sure I’m well beyond the demographic that THE 2 BOBS targets, 15-25 year olds. The ones who get off on edgy video games, F-bomb humor and copious amounts of exposed flesh…real, illustrated or animated. You know, the age group that actually spends a lot of money on movies AND video games.

THE 2 BOBS starts at an almost frenetic pace that sucks in even the ‘old farts’ like me (I guess I didn’t really need the quotes around ‘old farts’, but I’m still coming to grips with being one) with clever graphics and effects work that give the film an initial visual style and appeal that seems opposed to the reality that this movie was shot for well under one million dollars on a SAG modified low budget agreement. Score one for the writer-director and his post-production team.

The film rocks along as we are introduced to the two Bobs – Horizontal Bob (Devin Ratray – the shorter, heavier one) and Vertical Bob (Tyler Francavilla - the taller, thinner one). Nerds to the core, these two otherwise complete losers discovered computer programming in high school, created their own video game and were transformed from a couple of loser, high school dweebs into a couple of loser, ex-high school dweebs…with money.

Here’s the story according to Voodoo Cowboy Entertainment and Texas Avenue Films:

The 2 Bobs is a video game geek comedy based in Austin, Texas. The story follows two gaming legends known as The 2 Bobs. But just as they finish their ground-breaking violent video game masterpiece, these gaming gurus discover their precious game software has been stolen – and with it, their livelihoods, genius reputations, and everything they own. To get back their game – and their lives -The 2 Bobs and their fellow-geek employees Munch, Doofus and The Dark Prince are forced to ‘turn detective’ and plunge into the strange world of Christian Venture Capitalists, aged Dixie Mafia hoodlums, and bizarre Internet Spammers that inhabit Austin.

The cast, a mixture of Texas pros and L.A. and NY actors all give enthusiastic, ‘can you believe we’re actually getting paid to do this?’ performances. But what the hey…this movie is a lot more PORKY’S than PATTON…uhhh, actually there is no PATTON here, but you get the picture…and the cast delivers the required goods. A particularly strong performance was turned in by Leonardo Nam as The Dark Prince, the most complete and interesting character in the ensemble.

Overall, THE 2 BOBS works as a broad comedy with a ‘keep Austin weird’ mentality. While it will be interesting to see how THE 2 BOBS plays at the upcoming AFI Dallas Film Festival, the full crowd at the SXSW screening I attended found no shortage of laugh out loud moments.

McCanlies’ fans who might be drawn to a film by the director of SECONDHAND LIONS or DANCER, TX POP. 81, should probably skip THE 2 BOBS if they’re expecting similar fare. Instead wait for the release of his next film, the more family friendly, ALABAMA MOON.

Not much to report right now but WHIP IT!, the Drew Barrymore directed film about roller derby, starring Ellen Page has apparently wrapped in Michigan and is shooting some exteriors here in our fair city. Exteriors and second unit work…that’s what you get for a 5% film inventive package vs the 40% offered by Michigan. Just a little reminder that Texas legislators have a lot of work to do to help bring film production back to the state.

Screenings:

John Bryant’s currently untitled feature based on his highly regarded short film BROTHERLY LOVE screened last week to an enthusiastic crowd. Sponsored by the Austin Film Society, the film delivered with solid performances across the board resulting in a lot of laughter in the room…always a good thing for a comedy. Looking forward to seeing the final cut on this film which shot on location in Colorado this summer.

Writer/Director Tim McCanlies’ comedy THE TWO BOBS screened this week as well….no reports yet on how this indie comedy fared in this early test.

McCanlies is moving back to more family friendly territory with his next project, directing ALABAMA MOON, based on the fine teen novel of the same name by Watt Key.

From PRODUCTION WEEKLY:

STATUS – October 27 LOCATION – Covington, Louisiana
PRODUCER: Lee Faulkner WRITER: Watt Key – James Whittaker DIRECTOR: Tim McCanlies PM: Rob Ortiz

For as long as ten-year-old Moon can remember, he has lived out in the forest in a shelter with his father. They keep to themselves, their only contact with other human beings an occasional trip to the nearest general store. When Moon’s father dies, Moon follows his father’s last instructions: to travel to Alaska to find others like themselves. But Moon is soon caught and entangled in a world he doesn’t know or understand, apparent property of the government he has been avoiding all his life. As the spirited and resourceful Moon encounters constables, jails, institutions, lawyers, true friends, and true enemies, he adapts his wilderness survival skills and learns to survive in the outside world, and even, perhaps, make his home there.