In a world teeming with dragons and hobbits, where mega-corporations churn out a never-ending stream of superhero nonsense and regurgitated franchises—where our options are reduced to Coppola’s farewell, the latest Transformers flick, or yet another Deadpool sequel—what happened to the joy of being an audience?
I love Michael Keaton and the original Beetlejuice, but I’m not lining up for the “cash-grab” reunion three decades in the making. I can’t recall a time when that old routine ever thrilled me.
The corporate streaming giants are too busy catering to shareholders, especially with the quarterly earnings call looming. But what about us?
What’s at the end of this algorithm-driven rabbit hole?
Where’s the quicksand? Where are the ninjas? Where are the Shaggin’ Wagon vans adorned with colorful murals? Where’s the wood paneling paired with garish wallpaper? The tube socks and tighty-whities? I want to make a call from a pay phone and ride BMX bikes with my buddies until the streetlights flicker on.
And that’s why, every night before I drift off, I drop to my knees and send up a prayer, hoping someone’s listening.
Dear Lord,
I want some Karate. I want some mullets.
I want some Karate, with a side of mullets.
And please, God, give me dumb mustaches.
That is imperative.
Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Has the world completely lost its sense of decency?
Take me back to the days when Chuck Norris stood alone as a one-man army, when Bruce Campbell introduced the primitive screwheads to his “boom-stick.” A time when good ol’ Jack Burton would’ve jumped in to help his buddy rescue a green-eyed Asian girl in Chinatown. A time of mercenaries and high schoolers hiring bodyguards for protection.
Give me that sweet, sweet nostalgia. Please.
Well, dust off those tater tots and prepare your treat trap because Jon Heder is making his triumphant return to Richmond this weekend.
The film Tapawingo, featuring Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) directed by UVA alumni Dylan K. Narang, is having its Richmond premiere this Friday at the Byrd Theatre as part of the annual Richmond International Film Festival.
With a brightly saturated color palette reminiscent of the early Coen brothers’ films like Raising Arizona, to the center-screen balanced composition of a Wes Anderson film, Tapawingo feels familiar and fun.
The comedic chemistry is good between star Jon Heder and supporting actor Jay Pichardo as they come to the aid of a trouble-starting geometry tutor who’s landed himself in hot water with the neighborhood bullies. But these aren’t just any bullies. Their big brother is Stoney Tarwater, played by the consistently fascinating Billy Zane, who has bulked up a bit over the years and has become quite the imposing figure as of late.
The film is quirky and fun, with surprising appearances from actors you wouldn’t expect in an indie film of this size. Tapawingo delivers with performances from stars like Hollywood legend Billy Zane (Titanic), John Ratzenberger (famous for playing Cliff Clavin on Cheers), and the always epic gay-icon actress Gina Gershon (Face/Off), playing with all of my nostalgic emotions, as well as Amanda Bearse, who you might remember as Marcy from Married… with Children.
You can’t have that ’80s/’90s feel without dune buggies and dirt bikes, so they checked those boxes. Mustaches? Check. Mullets? Of course. Karate? Check. Really? Yes. Is there a retro roller rink or cool muscle cars? Pushing it, but yes to both. Check.
Tapawingo is a whimsical ride filled with nostalgic movie tropes, where hijinks ensue and no one learns a thing. But that’s alright, because it was fun. And that’s what watching movies is all about.
Directed by Dylan Narang, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charlottesville native Brad Demarea, the Foggy Bottom Pictures production team filmed Tapawingo in the Hopewell and Richmond areas. This year, Tapawingo has been touring the festival circuit, winning awards and the hearts of audiences all across the country.
We had a chance to speak with Dylan Narang, the director, and this is what he had to say.
I know that you are a UVA alumni. I wanted to ask you about your connection to Brad Demarea and the origin of the script. Can you talk briefly about that?
Brad’s original producers submitted the script to my company, Foggy Bottom Pictures, back in 2011. We didn’t pull the trigger on it at the time, but it always stuck with me, and every few years, I check in on it.
First with his agent in 2014, then again with his agent in 2016. Finally, I decided to just try Brad directly in 2018. It was surreptitious. He had left the industry and taken a job in Charlottesville at UVA. It didn’t take long before he blessed off on my making it. And the UVA connection helped because we were able to meet up frequently in pre-production and production.
What made you shoot the film in Virginia?
I grew up in Virginia, and I know we had the right look for the film.
How did the collaboration with Jon Heder happen?
It took a while to find our lead, with actors coming onboard and also dropping out. After enough time passed and in the throes of COVID, we said screw it—let’s go for Jon, who we always wanted but never thought we’d get. He loved the script and signed on.
Was it intimidating to direct an actor with such gravitas as Billy Zane, who played the memorable villain in Titanic, arguably the biggest movie of all time?
Nope. Easy peasy.
How did you like working here? Would you come back to the area to film again?
I really enjoyed it. It was, of course, challenging in its own ways—every place has its own idiosyncrasies—but yes, I would absolutely film in VA again.
Tapawingo is having its Richmond premiere at the Byrd Theatre this Friday, September 27th, at 7 PM as part of the 2024 Richmond International Film Festival. Tickets can be purchased HERE!
by Sturgeon McGill
