I have a passion for film, so I always love movies about movies. For the most part Reel Paradise focuses on an American Family trying to adapt to life in Fiji. When they do show the theater, it is always the most interesting part and tends to divert far too often. Probably too long but with a cast of interesting people it did hold my attention.

I do wonder how much was staged for entertainment because the drunk Australian landlord picking fights with the locals was insane. Even some of the set ups with John yelling around at movie patrons and his daughter seemed a little forced.

Fuckin white people

Pretty interesting documentary about a film buff who moves his family to Fiji in order to run the local cinema. The problem is, pop culture is not a prirority to the locals, which leads to some classic ”cultural clash” themes being explored, though not particularly profoundly. The film has a kind of leisurely, easygoing rhythm that takes you with it effortlessly. Not one of Steve James’ best films, but if you watch it as pure entertainment, it delivers. 

(YouTube)

John Pierson has always been a somewhat mythical film figure to me—from Spike, Mike, Slackers, and Dykes, which I learned about in the late 90s, to Split Screen, which I only watched recently. The premise of this movie is what I live for: John and his family move to Fiji to open a free theatre for the locals. Overall, the documentary is great, but it could have benefitted from a few cuts. The middle drags a little bit too long. Definitely recommended if you’re a film nerd who loves exotic locations. Side note: I’m really glad I’m not the father of two teenagers.

Got recommended this today and really enjoyed it, I didn’t really know who John Pierson was before seeing this despite having watched some Split Screen episodes and this project was so cool to me. It’s a film that doesn’t even bother to wax poetic about how cinema can bring people together, it simply lets the crowds roar envelope you and gives you that unity through atmosphere and presence. It’s drift into Pierson’s family dynamics is also fascinating, seeing how this pursuit is perceived by them and how it impacts them is an important angle it balances well. Really glad I got to see it, got the wheels turning in the right way for me.

If you read Pierson's book Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes and want more on the man (and Janet Pierson of SXSW!), look no further!

An honest, entertaining portrait of the guru of indie film

Odd remake of The Mosquito Coast. Surprising decision to make the protagonist even more fanatical and less even-tempered than he was in the original.

This lesser Steve James effort profiles indie guru John Pierson (he wrote the book Spike, Mike, Slackers, and Dykes, and is best known for his various roles in securing the releases of Roger and Me, She's Gotta Have It, Slacker, Clerks, and others) and his adventures running a ramshackle movie house in the jungles of Fiji. The central concept - introducing modern American films to Fijian natives with completely different value systems - is intriguing but shallow in its execution, and Pierson and family are hardly what you would call sympathetic characters. He seems to spend the majority of his time bickering with impoverished natives.

Proyecto Willie Fog: Fiji🇫🇯

Sometimes I just want to get on a plane and go to the Pacific Islands.

You can't always do that, so watching a film like this is the next best thing.