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Wamego: A Documentary: Making Movies Anywhere Steve Balderson doesn’t like doing things the easy way, he likes doing things the right way. He and his family also seem to have no concept of failure. Basically this is a family who make their own films, no, not ‘You’ve Been Framed’ home video type films, fully blown, gargantuan feature films with incredible sets and big name actors, and all in their own backyard. Following the acclaimed 'Pep Squad' (1999), Balderson’s latest feature 'FIRECRACKER' , a Lynchian type affair with murders, carnivals, dwarves, and one Mike Patton cast in dual roles, consumes the lives of the Balderson family plus all the neighbours in this small town who are only too happy to muck in and prove Wamego is capable of making something of true worth. As hands on as it gets, the family build and construct their own sets, and make a movie by sheer grit, ingenuity, enthusiasm, confidence in the quest to fulfil their dream and vision. Not that the road isn’t fraught with tension, and the odd disaster - ie actors pulling out at inconvenient moments (Sissy Spacek, Debbie Harry, Edward Furlong…). Balderson even takes the bold step of turning down Dennis Hopper for Patton, even though it's the singer’s first role. There are some great moments in this documentary, many of them involving eccentric actress Karen Black, being difficult, and... a bit strange. At one point she marvels at Patton’s vocal apparatus claiming "he made some of the loudest noises I’ve ever heard… he could be God!" The film sets out to prove that movies can be made without Hollywood. It’s fascinating, entertaining, inspiring, and above all a delicious starter for the main course. Roll on FIRECRACKER.
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