Alaska in Limbo
Today I (Ethan Stranger) will be reviewing the weirdest film I’ve ever seen, it’s called LIMBO, it was filmed in 1999 (just 3 years after I was born) and took place within my hometown of Juneau, AK (but surprisingly throughout the entire movie, Juneau is referring to as “Port Henry”, I’ll never understand why, maybe when the director pitched the movie to be shot in Juneau, maybe the mayor of Juneau at the time found the concept too weird and had the director changed the name, for maybe he didn’t want this film to give Juneau a bad feeling).
But why do y’all watch the trailer for LIMBO and decide on your review for this movie itself?
(Click here to view the trailer)
So after watching the Trailer itself (and for those who have actually seen the movie) am a bit mixed up about what’s the movie about, for (in my opinion) was kinda broken into 3 stories, but only 1 gets really fleshed out, and that story within the movie is about this Fisherman (Joe Gastineau) with a troubled past who ends falling in love with this singer (Donna De Angelo), who’s also a struggling mother to her daughter (Noelle De Angelo) who has a strained relationship with her mother due to the lifestyle she’s put them both in, in fact, here’s the trio, lost in the Alaskan Wilderness (Picture: Top Center) and sailing away (Picture: Bottom Center)
The 2 other stories told within the movie involve a fisherman (Harmon King) who worked a cannery that just shut down, if you watch the Trailer, he’s the guy who kills a giant halibut with a gun, who does that when fishing unless you wanna risk lead poisoning (I just remember when going fishing, I just would slam the fish on a big rock or hit it on the head with a mallet). The other story that hardly gets mentioned again is about this businessman who views Alaska as a “Land of Opportunity” (something that not many other states or countries get recognized for) and as “One big Theme Park” (the only problem with that is that my hometown of Juneau is too small to host a Theme Park, I think I recalled my Dad saying the circus would come into town). Besides Juneau is best known for its Mt. Roberts Tramway (that’s plenty of Theme park for ya there).
(Click here to witness the Mt. Roberts Tramway)
This ending of this movie was called both crazy and confusing (by both my Dad and his Sister), as during the movie, The trio would get mixed up in some problems that were caused by Joe’s dissolute half-brother (Bobby), who involved in marijuana smuggling and had dumped a load overboard when he was spooked by the police. Now they are going to meet Bobby's partners to settle his debt but end up getting killed. As for the Trio, they managed to swim to the nearest Island, where they get stranded on an island and soon take shelter in an abandoned cabin, where they also find the diary of whoever once lived in the abandoned cabin. Eventually, help does arrive, however, it’s revealed that the pilot who had thought had come to their rescue was hired by the same man who killed Joe’s brother, Bobby, but decides to return back to the mainland and promises to bring him back help. A few days later, the trio witnesses a plane coming to their aid, but it’s a bit larger than the plane before, the question is, is it the same pilot who landed before or is it the men who killed Bobby coming to finish the job, sadly nobody will the real faith of the trio (nor the other 2 stories being told with the movie, about the fisherman and the Businessman), because the ending cuts to white and that’s the ending (hence the film title’s name, LIMBO).
Despite its many plot threads, the confused ending, and many fade-to-black scenes here and there, it makes anybody (especially from Alaska) on why this movie wasn’t rewarded with an Oscar or a Golden Globe, the answer is that it’s one of those independent-made kind-of films, as for those really don’t always win big awards (like Oscars or a Golden Globes). Plus, if my Cousin ever gets a chance to watch the entire film on Amazon, perhaps he can do a review of this movie, as part of his own movie review youtube channel, check it out here:
(https://www.youtube.com/@BrandonRoyaleMovieReviews)
Also, there was another reason why I watched this film, for it was because my Late Grandpa (Picture: Bottom Center) was surprisingly an extra for this Movie, even though My Dad helped me spot him in the film, it was just too hard to really get a good snapshot of him, plus I couldn’t find a screencap shot of him from the movie, I know there are those screencap websites where you can view a movie through simple screencaps, but the film (LIMBO) is very rare, even for being an independent-made kinda-film (aren’t Wes Anderson or Noah Baumbach films often consider independent-made, even those they win big awards, they’re often modesty successes at the box office). Plus, check out my “World's Greatest Grandpa Post” to learn and read more of the good memories that we shared over the years before he passed away back in early 2021.
So I guess now you can say that being extras in Movies now kinda runs in the family (even my Mom’s brother back in Peru was an extra for some Spanish series, though I don’t know the name of that series for its Peruvian Series), Plus, I myself had explained countless times throughout my Blog that I was an extra for 2016s Dr. Strange Film (Picture: Bottom Center), but check out my “The Strange Untold of Ethan Stranger” to read more about that experience. (I’m the tourist extra wearing a striped shirt, with a backpack, fedora hat and sunglasses).
(0:44-0:47-Pause around there to get a better look at my cameo)
Overall, I did enjoy watching a movie about Alaksa that explored more than just being home to Eskimos that live in igloos (read more in my Alaska vs Texas: Culture Clash Post to learn about my background, for in the past I’ve been picked on for being Alaskan, for most people think that since I was born in Alaska, they thought I was an Eskimo that lived in an igloo). Out of all the characters from the Movie, I could relate more to both the businessman (as again, he saw Alaksa as both “Land of Opportunity and One Big Theme Park, which is very true, remember from the Simpsons Movie about Alaska being a Fresh Start)? But I could also relate to the daughter of the film (Noelle De Angelo, Picture: Bottom Left Corner), due to her strained relationship with her own mom (Donna De Angelo), despite being a famed singer, the daughter feels like she’s a mistake within her life and just can’t seem to really connect with her. Plus, based on a review I read about LIMBO, describes the characters of the film as “the good-hearted misfits in Juneau, Alaska (even though Juenau is referred to as Port Henry)”, but it’s true, Juneau (in my opinion) is the place for people who feel like they don’t belong in big cities and wanna live out in peace and quiet while making a name for themselves in a small town, plus Alaska (in general) are more easygoing-kinds of people compare to Texas.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1999-05-02-9905020364-story.html
(Click here to read a review on 1999’s LIMBO)
In general, there is so much about Alaska that I (Ethan Stranger) have yet to explore, I’ve mostly visited Juneau, as well as briefly seen the outside of Anchorage through the airport widow, went to Skagway for a bit (read about that in my Joys of Juenau Post) and to Sitka (Read about that trip in my Seeing Sitka Post), but other cities within Alaska, I have yet to explore, Bethel, AK (that city almost doesn’t have that Alaska Feel, looks more like the Eastern US)
(Click here to learn more about the Town of Bethel)
Plus, I recently learn that there’s something called “Alaska ComiCon in Fairbanks”, and recently Voice-Actress (Veronica Taylor: Picture Bottom Left Corner) attended (wonder if she had any good things to say about Alaska), plus I wish she read my “Welcome Back…to the Wayne Post”, if that series continuity, they should’ve done an episode in Alaska with The Spy from Apartment 8I (Yelena Bishop) (Picture: Bottom Right Corner) plotting something over there or some plan in Alaska.
(Speaking of Fairbanks, Click here to learn more about the town of Fairbanks),
(Plus what’s it gonna take to have Veronica Taylor have a cameo in Molly of Denali or Visit Juneau)
Both my Dad and his Sister have high doubts that a film like LIMBO will ever get the remake-style treatment (unless directors like Wes Anderson or Noah Baumbach or even an independent film company like Hooligan Dreamers can either watch the Movie, LIMBO and get an idea on what LIMBO is really about and then start planning a remake or have them take a trip to Juneau or anywhere in Alaska and do there own film about Alaska, either in the style of LIMBO (with a clearer ending) or in their own unique/traditional style, plus have Ethan Stranger have a cameo, to honor my late Grandpa, even though he admitted on how much he hated “LIMBO”, cause of its confusion (and maybe one for Veronica Taylor, if she wants it).
(Apparently, I just learned that there’s a Song about “heading North to Alaska”)
Finally, I wonder if somebody my former HS band Director Mr. C (Picture: Bottom Left Corner) to see if he’d be interested in watching LIMBO on Amazon and see what he thinks, after he himself went to Juneau and told me that he had an amazing time over there (read more about his time in AK in my “Joys of Juneau II Post”) because I’m sure he saw how different both the community and the city was completely different to the suburb areas of Texas (where I was raised), “feel free to look at my “Alaska vs Texas: Culture Clash Post”, cause like Spongebob and Patrick would say: “What’s so great about dumb old Texas” (besides cultural-related topics, what do these states have that the other does not)...
https://www.traveljuneau.com/blog/post/the-creative-side-of-juneau-alaska/
(also click here to view more of Juneau and read my “Joys of Juneau Posts”)
This is Ethan Stranger and his Family signing off (take it away Lou Rawls):
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