- Magazine Writer Phil Austin meets Stripper Becca on an interview assignment, and ends up giving her a ride to her Dad's "Survivalist" compound in the middle of nowhere.
- As magazine writer Phil Austin arrives for work in the morning he is struggling to deal with the end of his relationship with his Editor Andrea, the end of his weekly column, and the cancellation of his book contract. Humbled, he reluctantly takes on an interview assignment, and heads for a stip club to interview stripper Becca. She is looking for an escape from her present life, and Phil, feeling he has little to lose at the moment, agrees to drive her north into the sticks, to her Father's Survivalist Compound, knowing little of what he is getting himself into, nor how far or where he is going. Once Becca's brother Lars joins up, the road trip becomes a slow humorous descent into absurdity. Amusingly borrowing plot from "Apocalypse Now," (the film is officially and "homage"), the Canadian border reflects "Apocalypse"'s crossing into Cambodia," and the dad provides a twisted version of nod to Brando's Kurtz. All the while, the story manages to balance it's humor with a subtle progression toward a true understanding of Becca's character, succeeding in under-mining any preconceived judgments we may have had about her being a "Stripper." In the end, we - and the character Phil - fall in love with her and respect her.—<juventinopw@netscape.net>
- Shot on 16mm film in the late 1990's, the production of Long Strange Trip suffered countless challenges. When Wick's original script reached the second round of the Sundance Institute's Screenwriter's Lab, Wick connected with what was then a fledgling non-profit, Northwest Film Forum, in Seattle, and received a small collection of grants, which, combined with the $25,000 or so Wick was able to scrape together, made the shoot barely possible. The core of the production team were Wick's old collaborator's from their days as teenage 80's Punk rockers. Jeff 'Smitty' Smith was Wick's 1st A.D. Darren Morey (now Dorothy Francis Kent) - better known as a drummer for several bands - would be Director of Photography. Co-Stars Jennifer France and Chris Blanchett were game for whatever the shoot would bring. Using an old, sometimes faulty 16mm camera, which occasionally ate and destroyed the film running through it, the production persevered. By the time they reached the final day of the shoot - also the final scenes of the film - they were faced with the possibility of a key final scene failing to make it through the camera undamaged. Running out of expensive film stock, Wick said, "Just turn the camera on, keep it running, and let's just get this dialogue on film once." It is the cabin scene where the crazy dad rants about "The new World Order." Perhaps more an example of 90s 'Indie Spirit' in film than some of the more successful entries in that group, the film survives with it's original intention in tact. It's at times slow, goofball, and thoughtful. Do the low budget, and the shoot's challenges, show? Sure. But a spirit shines through. -Craig Joyce
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By what name was Long Strange Trip, or the Writer, the Naked Girl, and the Guy with a Hole in His Head (1999) officially released in Canada in French?
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