Mystery, Alaska - Part 1 (with Matthew Rooney)
My friend Matthew Rooney joins the podcast to talk about a movie I must have seen the trailer for on a dozen different Blockbuster rentals, Mystery, Alaska (1999). He also explains to me the stereotype about Canadians and hockey, and we commiserate over the plague of deliberately loud cars and motorcycles. I let him in on the secret behind the “Florida man” trope, and we take turns reading the names of Canadian cities off a map. I promise, it’s more entertaining than it sounds (but not by much). Matthew runs the Videodrunk Film Festival in Oshawa, Ontario, which, I’m told, is in the greater Toronto area. Videodrunk is an indie/underground fest where “amateurs, students, DIYers and pros all are treated as equals” — and their submissions are open right now! Check them out if you have a punk-rock movie, and you’re proud of its rough edges. Also check them out if you have a million-dollar “indie” flick starring Zach Braff. I’m sure Matthew would be tickled to see that.
