Finally! Keith Gordon picked a role where he doesn't come off as ultra-creepy or arrogant (see 'Christine' and 'Combat Academy'). This low key role was perfect for Gordon (but I still think he's a much better director than actor).
In Static, Keith Gordon is Ernie, a young orphaned when his parents were killed in a car accident. He is the famed inventor of this strange town (which includes a pseudo-believer/ex-Green Beret evangelist cousin). After two years of working on a highly secretive project, Ernie is ready to unveil to the town (and to the rest of the world) what he believes will change their lives forever, a television that gives real-time images from Heaven.
Everyone thinks Ernie is definitely ready for the madhouse (though I don't know how such a strange town could think he is somehow so strange that it stands out), and Ernie is confused by their reaction. Those who were invited to witness the demonstration of the project claimed they couldn't see anything, but Ernie was convinced there was something there. Ernie's friend, Julia (Amanda Plummer), who drifts into town at the right time (Ernie revealing his project), makes a great point: what is the point of the invention if people believe that Heaven exists anyway?
Static is what an indie movie should be. It's not too pretentious like your modern indie fare and gives us a generally bizarre comedy in the style of Bagdhad Cafe or Rosalie Goes Shopping or even Repo Man (and the eerie combination of Johnny Cash and obscure 80s new wave makes it even more of a sister to these movies). Movies where the events are just so strange, but since the characters are all so weird as well, their reality appears to them, a normal existence. And, best of all, the filmmakers stayed true to their intentions and didn't try to make everyone feel so gushy with the typical Hollywood Happy Ending.
If you really love bizarre 80s movies (though, the story is not so coherent to be considered too bizarre, or too avante garde), then you won't go wrong with Static.
In Static, Keith Gordon is Ernie, a young orphaned when his parents were killed in a car accident. He is the famed inventor of this strange town (which includes a pseudo-believer/ex-Green Beret evangelist cousin). After two years of working on a highly secretive project, Ernie is ready to unveil to the town (and to the rest of the world) what he believes will change their lives forever, a television that gives real-time images from Heaven.
Everyone thinks Ernie is definitely ready for the madhouse (though I don't know how such a strange town could think he is somehow so strange that it stands out), and Ernie is confused by their reaction. Those who were invited to witness the demonstration of the project claimed they couldn't see anything, but Ernie was convinced there was something there. Ernie's friend, Julia (Amanda Plummer), who drifts into town at the right time (Ernie revealing his project), makes a great point: what is the point of the invention if people believe that Heaven exists anyway?
Static is what an indie movie should be. It's not too pretentious like your modern indie fare and gives us a generally bizarre comedy in the style of Bagdhad Cafe or Rosalie Goes Shopping or even Repo Man (and the eerie combination of Johnny Cash and obscure 80s new wave makes it even more of a sister to these movies). Movies where the events are just so strange, but since the characters are all so weird as well, their reality appears to them, a normal existence. And, best of all, the filmmakers stayed true to their intentions and didn't try to make everyone feel so gushy with the typical Hollywood Happy Ending.
If you really love bizarre 80s movies (though, the story is not so coherent to be considered too bizarre, or too avante garde), then you won't go wrong with Static.