Ottersis and I were at Spider Jerusalem's, eating wonderful Indian takeout, and he was showing us movies. He showed us the 'good' one, Behind the Mask first, then said, this is not very good but it's fun.

And my sister and I went NUTS over it. I ordered it from Amazon the next day.

See, it's your typical samurai movie: the samurai are all converging on this town, and Our Hero (who, although an Anglo, is a martial arts champion) is kicking ass all the way there. He's joined by the usual annoying kid that he can't get rid of, and they bond. (The budget is amazingly low, there isn't even any blood in the sword fights. As SJ says, blood costs money. Even fake blood.)

But that isn't the BEST part. It's set in post-apocalypse America. The Russians nuked us in 1957, invaded and took over, and the only free city left is (of course) Las Vegas. Where Elvis has been king for forty years. But now Elvis is dead, and all the King wannabes are converging on Vegas with their Roy Orbison suits and guitars. The costumes and broken-down-fifties settings are great, as is Vegas itself, when it is finally reached. Everyone is dirty and ragged and civilization as we know it is gone.

But even THAT'S not the best part. The best part? THEY FILMED IT IN DEATH VALLEY. Otter's Happiest Place On Earth. The place I go every eighteen months, rain or shine, no matter what else is going on in my life. And Ottersis (who also loves and visits DV) and I were watching this movie and every time the scenes changed, we'd say, That's the Devil's Golf Course! That's Rhyolite! That's Badwater! That's the Corn Field! That's the Sand Dunes! That's... but you get the picture.

And don't get me wrong: this picture is so low budget that in one scene they use black plastic garbage bags for costumes...but the cinematography is EXCELLENT. They make the most beautiful place on earth look just as gorgeous as it really is, with all this other stuff going on as well.

This movie is a gem, whether or not you have ever been to Death Valley; fun, lots of action, good plotting...and the beauty of the scenery is just an added bonus. So queue it up, and if you're free, come on the next trip to Death Valley. And bring your guitar and your samurai sword, you just might need them.