I just wanted to correct the misconception of one of the reviewers. I was not a non-professional actor. I was one of the only experienced actor in the cast. That does not take away from the performances of others, however. Rick Schmidt is known for getting good performances out of non-pros, who are frequently better than lots of other people working in film and television.
I just wanted to correct the misconception of one of the reviewers. I was not a non-professional actor. I was one of the only experienced actor in the cast. That does not take away from the performances of others, however. Rick Schmidt is known for getting good performances out of non-pros, who are frequently better than lots of other people working in film and television.
I just wanted to correct the misconception of one of the reviewers. I was not a non-professional actor. I was one of the only experienced actor in the cast. That does not take away from the performances of others, however. Rick Schmidt is known for getting good performances out of non-pros, who are frequently better than lots of other people working in film and television.
Emerald Cities
1983
Action / Comedy / Drama / Music
Emerald Cities
1983
Action / Comedy / Drama / Music
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
I am in this film
messy fun
For a good chunk of its running time, this movie gives proof to Schmidt's low-low-budget advocacy work (he is the author of "Feature Film-making at Used Car Prices" after all, which was a huge boost to my own aspirations). Grainy and grimy and gimmicky and goofy, cut with an incoherence that adds momentum until it finally starts to detract, it's built around such simple elements as a couple funny pals or a weird face mask or a Flipper song or an interview about Santa Claus or Ronald Reagan on TV. But it does have a structure, one that could even be described as narrative if you look at it from the right angle. The sheer goofiness of the whole enterprise plays off the pretentious undertow, kind of a Kenneth Anger meets X thing. It can't keep its plates spinning right to the end, I think the defection of the lead actress halfway through the shoot was a major problem even though the way Schmidt papers this over is pretty endearing. But it's fun and it captures its time and place in a way that I haven't seen before.







