King of California

This 2008 flick is the first thing writer/director Mark Cahill's ever done, behind or in front of the camera. And boy, what a first flick it is. Where has this guy been hiding? Quentin Tarantino's first was so bad he has fought his whole career (and has been succesful so far) to keep it from ever appearing even in video. But King of California is fandadgumtastic. It tells the story of Miranda and Charlie a daughter/father pair that, through their life so far, has been disfunctional at best. Charlie is a intellectual jazz musician who is brimming over with eccentricity and is at least a little crazy. Miranda is his quiet responsible daughter whose been taking care of him and putting up w/ his junk for a little too long. When the movie starts she's picking him up from his recent two year sentence in a mental hospital and before they even get home he's spewing out crazy ideas about naked Chinese guys washing up on the shores of California and hidden gold from some theiving padre from the 17th century. It is just about to drive Miranda over the edge when she starts to somewhat believe him about the gold. Up until the last seconds neither she nor the audience truly knows whether or not he's just nuts (which is what seems most likely) or there's actual gold. We hope there is, but really can't expect there to be. I LOVED this movie. The two main actors are perfect and their relationship feels totally natural and genuine. The story too is unique and natural and really fun. It's sad, funny, heartwarming and totally enjoyable to watch. I especially liked that they are essentially making a treasure hunt movie that's set in the real world. They show all the brands. I mean there's a scene where they're using survey equipment to plot the path to the treasure in the middle of a Costco. Basically, the filmmaker uses every part of the buffalo in this movie. There's almost nothing bad about this movie, but I'd have to say the best part is the acting. Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood fit into these roles like a glove and carry them just perfectly well. Really, I totally loved this movie and would recomend it to anyone that is looking for a flick that'll make them laugh and feel good.

BA