Land of Milk and Honey

3 Comments

1. Vaderdust says:

   September 19, 2009 at 6:48 pm

   I got the DVD promo to test out and watch the main film but ended up watching all the extra videos on the DVD. It has a lot of great footage on the main feature, mixed with great music to keep it moving along.
   
   Its a definite recommendation to see this and get yourself a copy!
   Rating: 4 / 5
2. George Delmerico says:

   September 19, 2009 at 7:07 pm

   First, full disclosure: I have a line (recorded back in 1989) in this film, and I have known the artist, Ken Volok, for almost sixteen years. That said, I have little doubt that this is his most enjoyable work so far. It’s a confection, spun from a few deliberate but casual days shooting around the area, shaped and molded into something much more satisfying than home movies or a tourist-trap video.

   For Santa Barbarans reeling from the recent wildfire disaster, the worst in its history, this film is a tonic, a sweet reminder of what was and remains at stake for the many young people of this seaside community. Despite the obnoxious and almost unavoidable commercialization that we must endure as Southern California relentlessly markets its lifestyle to the rest of the planet, “Land of Milk and Honey” is never hype. The beautiful young people in this unique film are the real thing; they have grown up here and they value its pleasures and possibilities to the hilt.

   The California Dreamin’ of forty years ago may have been almost destroyed as California’s working class youth were displaced by far more wealthy people (something explicitly stated here by none other than “Dogtown and Z Boys” director Stacy Peralta) but the young surfers, skateboarders, and plain residents of this gorgeous town know the truth: the ocean and the land and the weather are eternal. You don’t have to be rich to surf. Or skate. Or farm. They are the area’s true soul, and they and Volok know it, unpretentiously and joyously.

   There is a great deal to enjoy in this brief (25 mins.) short. It moves quickly with a lovely, summery, oceanic flow, especially at the outset, as we glide immediately into the surfing sequences that are the first third of the film. The music is wonderful. Mark Getten is a composer in Ventura County and he and his group, The Indignitaries, have provided Volok with both completed songs and backing tracks. (The Brian-Wilsonish songs have been completed, and I’m pushing for a soundtrack CD.)

   Adding an irresistible Hispanic strain is Mondo Domingo, heard here over a sexy montage of mostly beautiful bodies. I’d call the film post-homoerotic. Volok is very much in tune with the new generation’s far more tolerant attitudes. (And all his work seems to have classical attributes, seeking beauty and thus truth in the human form.) But there is no agenda.

   And despite its patent truth as the title, “Land of Milk and Honey” can be taken ironically as well. We do see a few homeless folk (considered a serious problem by many Santa Barbara businesses) dumpster diving for clothes. One man on the city’s would-be ritzy State Street decries the city’s “crazy white people.” Many more moments are unexpected. Out of the blue we hear a telephone comment from my interview with the late genius animator Chuck Jones, whose wife is a Santa Barbaran, and whose own father had a somewhat shady occupation there in the 1920s.

   Volok finesses all this into the whole with grace and humor. There is so much going on in this little film that it easily rewards several viewings. On the DVD, “Land of Milk and Honey” has been bundled with virtually all of this 42-year-old artist’s film and photography work.

   This is his breakout film and has been well-received on the Central Coast already. It’s a bargain now, for what could become a collector’s item in the future.

   –George Delmerico
   Rating: 4 / 5
3. Ant Unit 1 says:

   September 19, 2009 at 9:52 pm

   As an advocate for truth, human rights and free thinking, I can’t say anything bad about this film.

   I love shorts. Even more so when they hit home like this did. There is no superstar narcissistic flagrance. No crazy special effects to cover up and complete the story. Nothing hidden. Except the occasional flash of subliminal stills set to guide you if your paying attention.

   I loved the street interviews that showed not only the honest side of Santa Barbara, but pretty much the whole state in general. There is something to be said about putting forth realness with no reservations as to what others may think. It shows confidence, extensive experience and the willingness to dream.

   Although he has made quite a few others, I can only hope this is Mr. Volok’s introductory into the realm of awesomeness. After seeing a flick with this much insight, it would be hard to imagine a great mind like his putting down the sword.
   Rating: 5 / 5