The final day of the 2015 Off-Centered Film Fest involved two main events: a “Yacht Rockin” boat party, in keeping with the nautical theme of this year’s festivities, and to close out proceedings a special screening of the 1994 cult “classic” Cabin Boy.
The first event coincided with a practically perfect Austin day, temperatures in the 80s, blue skies and a light breeze. The only way to top that was to be ON A BOAT! And we were. Cruising up and down the river with a seemingly endless supply of cheese from local purveyors of fine dairy goodness Antonelli’s, meaty sausage goodies from Frank, and copious amounts of delicious Dogfish Head beer. All this with a beautiful Austin backdrop and magnificent tunes from local DJ GrossYall.
Take a gander at the pics below before we get to the Cabin Boy recap. The Alamo and Dogfish throw a hell of a party.
To the final event, Cabin Boy. The much-maligned 1994 release has garnered something of a cult following since the vitriol heaped on the film on original release subsided. Directed by Adam Resnick, who also wrote the film along with star Chris Elliot, it came after their previous success collaborating on Late Night with David Letterman (the TV host actually cameos in the film) as well as the much loved Get a Life, a sitcom that appeared on Fox in the early 90s.
The film is a fantasy comedy that tells of a privileged young boy, Nathanial Mayweather (Elliot), who mistakenly boards a fishing ship on his way home from boarding school and begins a journey where he encounters oddities such as a half-man/half-shark named Chocki, iceberg monsters, a horny blueskinned woman with 6 arms, and a her jealous husband, a 100-ft tall shoe salesman. It’s a coming of age tale with hints of Gulliver’s Travels where a “fancy lad” becomes a man.
Tim Burton, a fan of the work of Resnick and Elliot, charged them with coming up with a script for something similar to Pee-Wee Herman with hints of Harryhausen. The film grossed around $4 million and earned Elliott a “Worst New Star” Razzie nomination. Despite giving a wonderful first glimpse of Andy Richter, with oddities such as a dinner of “fishstick kitties” the backlash was palpable. As a first time viewer I’ll say it was laughable, in both connotations of the word. It’s stupid but at times but meanders into the bizarre and even occasionally the clever. You can see why it has a cult following.
*Photo credit Jack Plunkett
A Q&A followed with the frankly perplexed guests seemingly unaware why the film has achieved cult status and also who the hell Sam Calagione was. Answer one, I’m still unsure; answer to the second, if you’re in beer circles he’s “kind of a big deal” and a very affable chap to boot. The highlights of the session are below.
- The first screening of the film was in Pasadena back in 1993. Within 15 minutes three quarters of the theater had left.
- Do not ask Chris Elliot what his father (comedy legend Bob Elliot) thinks of Cabin Boy.
- Tim Burton was originally attached to direct the feature. His departure to film Ed Wood led to the budget being scaled back. However, it did not occur to Elliot or Resnick to adjust the script accordingly. Some of the cheapness evident in the film is a result of them sticking to the original Burton-script and set-pieces therein.
- The crow’s nest featured in the film was fully built, over 200 ft high. However, this was never shown on screen, the only scenes used were bizarrely shot from above. Another example of the weird technical approach/admitted lack of experience of the crew.
- Elliot riding the girl at sea was a mistake, but a fortunate one at that. Originally Resnick imagined him riding the girl, straddled over her, legs aside. But a crew member actually built a rig to keep him upright, and the visual of it was so funny it was kept for the film.
- The scene with Elliot stranded on the raft and pulled behind the ship was filmed in a contained tank in a studio. The water was pretty stagnant and multiple crew members would be in and out of the water for prolonged periods leading to some “relieving themselves,” Chewing gum was visible at the bottom according to Elliot. When the time came for Elliot to take a swing of the “salt water” they couldn’t find a way to do it in one complete shot. As Elliot put it, a producer said just taking it from the tank would “really help them out.”
*Photo credit Jack Plunkett
*Photo credit Jack Plunkett
And that’s it. All in all a hell of a lot of fun, good beer, good film and great people. If you didn’t join the festivities this year, there’s always the 9th Annual Off-Centered Film Fest. Until then, cheers!
*Photo credit Jack Plunkett
Sam Calagione & Dogfish Head
When Sam Calagione opened Dogfish Head in 1995 it was the smallest commercial brewery in America making 10 gallons of beer at a time. Today Dogfish Head is among the fastest growing breweries in the country. Dogfish Head has focused on brewing stronger, more exotic beers since the day it opened as the motto “Off-centered ales for off-centered people” attests to. Dogfish Head has grown into a 200 person company with a restaurant/brewery/distillery in Rehoboth Beach and a production brewery in Milton, Delaware, selling beer in 27 states. Sam served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Brewers Association in 2012 and 2013 and was a finalist in 2011, 2012 and 2013 for a James Beard Foundation Award in the Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional category. Fast Company Magazine named Sam one of The 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2011. He is the author of “Brewing up a Business” and “Extreme Brewing,” and co-authored “He Said Beer, She Said Wine.” Sam lives in beautiful Lewes, Delaware, with his wife and Dogfish VP Mariah and their two children Sammy and Grier.
Tim League & Alamo Drafthouse
The Alamo Drafthouse is a lifestyle entertainment brand with an acclaimed cinema-eatery, the largest genre film festival in the United Sates and an online collectible art store. Named “the best theater in America” by Entertainment Weekly, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has built a reputation as a movie lover’s oasis not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high-profile, star studded special events. Alamo Drafthouse Founder & CEO, Tim League, created Fantastic Fest, a world renowned film festival dubbed “The Geek Telluride” by Variety. Fantastic Fest showcases eight days of offbeat cinema from independents, international filmmakers and major Hollywood Studios. The Alamo Drafthouse’s collectible art boutique, Mondo, offers breathtaking, original products featuring designs from world-famous artists based on licenses for popular TV and Movie properties including Star Wars, Star Trek & Universal Monsters. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is expanding its brand in new and exciting ways, including the launch of Drafthouse Films, a new film distribution label and plans to extend its theaters and unique programming philosophy to additional markets across the United States. More information about Alamo Drafthouse franchise opportunities are available on the official website.