I enjoyed writing the title to this article so much because it doesn’t just imply an advancing genre of film-making that Andrew van Baal is directing, that of the Magical Western (think “magical Realism”) It’s implying the art mining town of Bisbee, Arizona as the magical skeleton key to that emergence in some of the art and film we produce here. I like that because it seems to be happening organically and independently on its own, like a naturally arising art movement does, including other Bisbee filmmakers such as the prolific director, actor and film teacher Brianna Young, and artist auteur Puspa Lohmeyer. As Bisbee buildings and their ghosts merge with the underground mine tunnels, secret bases, and cave filled landscapes of the Bisbee area southwest, a very David Lynch-like Magical Western Film emerges, with or without permission. But in this case Andrew has labeled it a “Weird Western”, so maybe that’s the movement. He and his cast also have figured comedic elements into it and we’ll see how that dialectic of spirituality and comedy play out, perhaps
transcending any assumed contradiction or duality we bring to those things.
Though Andrew van Baal’s film production Jo & Joe has surpassed his Kickstarter minimum of 25k, which guarantee’s a minimal budget, getting upwards of at least 36K, or the originally budgeted 90K+ would lead to a more real economic and aesthetic impact for both Bisbee and the film. So I strongly encourage lovers of Bisbee and its art scene to invest in this film. Even $10 gets you something, and it’s going to be a lot of fun to be a part of. To learn more go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andrewvanbaal/jo-and-joe-a-weird-western where you may see some of the already filmed material in the streamed preview. Other towns in the area may want to stand up to get into scenes or future projects as the movement takes root.
Another way to get involved is by offering your business services, such as lunches for crew members. Location staging and filming has already occurred courtesy of Rachel Brand’s Object.Hotel, The Bisbee Grand, the Southern Arizona Film Society, and the Reichert Foundation of Photographic Arts, who are doing a lot of exciting things to expand film making and photography in Bisbee. https://www.rfopa.org/ (forgive me others that I may have forgotten to mention) but the majority of filming and re-filming has not taken place yet. One desired future Location that hasn’t been found yet would be an isolated and severely rustic cabin somewhere in these desert hinterlands for yet another important scene. If you’re reading this and interested in playing a role either in front of or behind the camera, Andrew’s email is andrewvanbaal@gmail.com I’d suggest investing in the kickstarter to get through the door, but Andrew is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, so I don’t think he would even consider that. And Andrew van Baal will be in town Saturday, January 24th.
The two stars of the movie are Jacob Joseph Young and Heaven Devera. I scored some exclusive statements by Andrew about his cast and crew, and it’s interesting to read these stories. To see how and where people are meeting each other leading to future collaborations, sometimes years later. I believe the same thing may be said for ideas and how they evolve like relationships, analogically. Andrew writes:
“Jacob is someone I’ve known and worked with for more than two decades – he was the star of my student thesis film way back in 2003 – and he’s always been a phenomenally talented, unique, and charismatic artist, not just as an actor but also as a musician. He’s been in a bunch of bands over the years and Bisbee locals might know him from Dragonfly and Mantis with Ehren Stonner. His current solo project is called Ronnie Spice. Check it out on Bandcamp… it’s a great representation of how dynamic and eclectic his style is.
Heaven I met more recently when I was doing auditions for this movie and she blew everyone else out of the water. The way she embodied Jacob’s presence and mannerisms was uncannily accurate, which is an important aspect of the role because she becomes possessed by him. In addition to that, she has a strong presence and a lot going on in the eyes, which to me are the main markers of a great actor. I know she’s gonna give an incredible performance in this movie that people are gonna be wowed by.
In supporting roles we’ve got another actor/musician I’ve worked with before, Joe Hursley, who’s been in a lot of stuff including big blockbusters like “Resident Evil: Extinction” and “Fast & Furious,” and Cory Allen, Tombstone’s pre-eminent Doc Holliday impersonator who’s gonna be playing, wait for it…a Doc Holliday impersonator. I also want to feature local Bisbee artists in the film. Aurelia Anne Cohen is gonna be in it, as is the illustrious author of this article Ken Boe, and many others.
Behind the camera I’m gonna be working with a really talented cinematographer, Jay Keitel. Jay loves Westerns like I do and has shot some of the most striking ones of recent years, including the show “Outer Range” with Josh Brolin and the recent horror movie “A Desert,” which are both, like “Jo & Joe,” Weird Westerns (this is a subgenre of Western that incorporates supernatural elements).”
The seed of the idea for Jo & Joe comes from exploring ghost towns around the Southwest. Ever since Andrew moved to Southern California in the late ’90s it’s been a hobby of his to go on long road trips, get off the main Interstate Highways, and see what’s out there in the old, weird America. He’s always been drawn to places that feel lost to time and are a little run-down. Like for a lot of us, there’s something very romantic about that kind of atmosphere to Van Baal. When he came to Bisbee for the first time in 2018 he felt immediately that Bisbee’s sectors were the ultimate version of this archetypal sort of place. Even though it’s not a ghost town, per se, it has the bones and stories of one that he loves. Bisbee really is everything an artist could want, which is why he felt compelled to move here. Its visual beauty, the stain of its history and still-lingering Wild West infamy, combined with almost everyone in town being an artist one way or another, being very free and collaborative, yet outspoken in their craft.
Andrew wants all those things to be reflected and represented in his new movie. Tonally, as a matter of taste, the abstract narrative bites down as if David Lynch made a contemporary Western. If Twin Peaks was set in a small desert town at the edge of Mexico instead of a small forest town at the edge of Canada, Bisbee comes ready made for the role. Andrew writes: “When David Lynch died a year ago I screened the first two episodes of the show at the Object Trading Post and it felt so right to watch it there, like a full-circle moment for me to go from being obsessed with the show’s quirky, surreal, small town as a teenager to many years later living in a real place that feels a lot like it as an adult. So that’s the way I see Bisbee and the way I want to portray it in the movie.”
You can watch both of Andrew’s previous feature films online:
FELIZ AÑO TIJUANA (HAPPY NEW YEAR TIJUANA)
An improvised bilingual dramedy shot guerilla-style on the streets of Tijuana:
LARGO
A portrait of the legendary LA music and comedy venue featuring performances by Fiona Apple, Zach Galifianakis, John C. Reilly, and more:
“Jo & Joe” is the main focus of his creative energy right now, and specifically fundraising for it. Join his Kickstarter campaign for that where you can learn a lot more about the film:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andrewvanbaal/jo-and-joe-a-weird-western
Big Dick
Other than film making, Andrew is known for his dramatic keyboards and electronics with the highly coveted Little Richard fusion band Big Dick, which features the equally outrageous and stunning Kate Flannery, also an LA film-world cohort of Andrew van Baal. See them perform this week January 24th at the Bisbee Grand at 8PM for the Locomundi Album Release Party.
Ken Boe is an artist and poet living in Bisbee, Arizona. You may subscribe to his Poem At Night series and more at www.patreon.com/kenboe or visit his website www.kenboe.com
Find more Strange Beauty articles by Ken at the Bisbee Buzz, www.bisbeeAZ.com