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Full Tilt Boogie

1998, Movie, R, 111 mins

Full Tilt Boogie: Review

FULL TILT BOOGIE
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Minds don't unravel here, as they do in Hearts of Darkness, which chronicles the making of APOCALYPSE NOW. No border wars disrupt this filming, as they do in Les Blank's BURDEN OF DREAMS, which goes behind the scenes of FITZCARRALDO. That said, Sarah Kelly's account of the making of Robert Rodriguez's $18 million vampire bikers 'n' strippers epic FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, scripted by and starring Quentin Tarantino, is still interesting viewing. Kelly, a production assistant on Pulp Fiction, talks to just about everyone involved, from the director and stars to the grips, craft services personnel, electricians and harried personal assistants (whose duties range from fetching Tarantino's special good-luck coffee mug to feeding costar George Clooney's pet pig), all in the service of trying to answer the question, "Why would anyone in his or her right mind do this?" Kelly catches a couple of disasters: The facade of the crucial Titty Twister bar set catches fire after a special-effects explosion goes off more spectacularly than planned, and an unexpected dust storm blows into Barstow, CA, where a location crew is shooting in 120-degree heat. But the most interesting part of the film involves strike threats by I.A.T.S.E., the union representing theatrical and motion-picture crews. Rodriguez (like many lesser known indie filmmakers), works strictly with nonunion crews; this has earned him the enmity of union leaders, which only seems to increase as he takes on higher profile pictures. The dispute avoids a fundamental question: What makes an "independent" film, and when does it stop being one? When it's budgeted at $18 million? After it's picked up by a distributor backed by Disney muscle? It's a crucial question, but one that no one here is willing -- or able -- to answer. leave a comment --Ken Fox
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