Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker
Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake

This is a strange movie!

Written and directed by Steve Anderson, the film stars Jon Favreau as a struggling Hollywood actor who does messenger service work just to make ends meet. Sadly, the ends are not meeting too well, because he's in debt over $27,000.00 on his credit cards and he also owes several months of back rent.

Then, one evening, a very weird neighbor (Bud Cort) makes Jon an offer. Deliver a mysterious blue suitcase to a man named "Cowboy" at a remote desert truck stop and all of his debts will be paid.

Favreau accepts the offer and soon finds himself in the bizarre small town that is filled with some very unusual and dangerous characters. First, there's a homicidal, gun-toting guy (Adam Beach) who keeps claiming that Jon is after his young girl friend (Rachael Leigh Cook).

Adam, actually, is not completely off-base, but it's Rachael who's trying to seduce Jon.

Then, there's Kelsey Grammer, an FBI agent who is investigating the murder of Cort, killed shortly after Favreau left for the desert.

And, if that isn't enough, local rumor has it that this remote desert area is actually an arrival/departure point for UFOs that take people to other planets.

Jon would just like to deliver the suitcase, collect his money and go, but he can't until Cowboy (Sean Bean) shows up...whenever that might be.

Joey Lauren Adams, Daryl Hannah, Gary Farmer and Melora Walters co-star in this dark comedy.

© Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

If you are left of center in your movie picks, you will like this movie. Cleverly written and produced. Great cast of characters.

The Big Empty (2003) Would you deliver a blue suitcase to a small town in the desert for $25,000? Sure you would and the hero of this flick, an out of work underachieving actor, takes the bait that sets this rather quirky movie on its way. Set in Baker, CA. a real truck stop town filled with eccentrics, his simple job quickly goes off the deep end and soon the movie appears to be escaping reality's hold. By the end of the movie, reality has taken a real beating. The big empty is the desert and a lot more appears to be going on out there than at first peep. Our hero finds out the neighbor who got him into this gig has been killed and his head is missing. Someone has just given him a blue bowling bag and told him not to open it under any circumstances. Does the bag contain a 3 holed bowling ball or a head with two eyes and a mouth? The FBI is also looking for him as well as a possible serial killer trucker cowboy. And that's the type of quirky situations that our hero is constantly facing in Baker. The color blue plays an important role in the movie so keep a blue eye out for blue things. Populated with some well known actors such as Daryl Hannah, Kelsey Grammer, and Sean Bean, it has enough humor to provide a pleasant afternoon viewing. The movie is rated PG-13 for: multiple blue bags, multiple blue eyes, excessive blue balls, unexplained bowling shoes, multiple weird people, and especially for the guy with the alien claw hand that looks and tastes like a chicken foot.

This is by no means a must see comedy. There are a lot of better movies out there that make this seem point less to watch.
The reason i give this 3 stars is that it will keep you watching till the end. I dont recommend this as a movie to buy but maybe to rent if your bored enough.

As i was watching this i was waiting for the movie to hit a stride and become funny as i thought everything happening on the screen must become something. It never happened. The movie has a decent enough story line to keep you watching to the end but not enough laughs to be taken seriously as a comedy.

I have bought 5 different copies of this film, and none will play without pixelating/sound problems. I have a near-new major-name-brand player.

Buyer beware.