OMG! So Google is some twiggy speed freak in a track suit? Wasn't this a third season X-Files? Too bad the good production values don't do this b-film justice. I'm sorry but I'm kinda creeped out by Google now. This is one for the Duluth treasure vault for sure. The first one was way better.

I forgot to say: Goldish is excellent in this flick. I'm a huge fan of Goldish. I give two thumbs up to for all the local effort ... especially if it's got Goldish in it. Whose puppy was the mayor holdin'?

The News Tribune just posted that this has been "leaked."

Google Twin Ports movie leaks on the Web

Do PDD comments not give a view of what people think about it? Or just not the specific view the producers of the film were hoping for?

What got me was all the badly dressed white people in the crowd shots.

I do think Shannon Baker was cute, though. But the whole film was pretty corny.

Yeah, showing Glensheen and claiming people could buy it for $250,000 was ridiculous. Our homes are so much cheaper than homes in Calif -- we don't have to exaggerate to make that point.

I guess I was a little creeped out by the movie. I didn't watch to the end.

Shannon Baker was the best thing about this movie!

First of all, I'm dying in laughter at the thought that I "leaked" something.  Holy shit.  Really?  That's not what I thought I was doing but ... whoa. 

Lastly, I was rolling with the cheesy after-school-special vibe of the movie.  But a puppy?  What the...???

Now I feel bad.  :(

I don't get it.  This was on Facebook yesterday.

Google Twin Ports on Facebook
Bring Super Fast Internet to the Duluth-Superior area

I think the "Fresh Duluth" project of a few years back was more representative of our community. We don't need to sell Google fiber to Google, we want them to bring it here!

Oh, c'mon people! It's cute, in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way!

Sometimes it's better to accept things for what they are - and not what they aren't.

If this is what the Sound Unseen film festival has to offer, I already want my money back.

I really wish this film had left Superior out.  We don't want to be lumped in with this.  Also, we have our own grocery stores here in Superior.

All I wanted to point out is that I don't believe this was something that was meant be heavily critiqued. It is what it is, and I agree with most of the critiques pointed out in the above comments. However, As Rae points out, it's cute and should be looked at for what it is, not what it isn't. And what it is, is a project that is right on par with all of the other work produced in the area for the Google project.

And by the way:

"Google, please know Duluth is significantly hipper than this alien thing portrays.
baci | May 20, 2010 | New Comment"

No worse than any other locally produced TV ad. I suppose that's the problem. Better would be better. Worse would also be better. Not sure we need to reinforce our ample supply of local bland.

the director's name is "kennith kemp."

a, ahem, google search of that name brings you no results. giving "kennEth kemp" a try brings you to the imdb page of a man with what looks like one credit to his name.

i also found his directors' reel: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4509666/12082731

it's full of skinemax-quality love scenes and something that looks like a C-grade "we are the world." and it all looks like it was done in 1988.

this is our "hollywood director." the guffmansanity of this whole thing is now fully realized.

i have a couple questions:
1.) who is this guy, what does he have to do with us, and why didn't four track films get this gig?
2.) if your director can't even spell his own name right, how do we NOT end up looking like a bunch of mayberry buffoons? (or is it that he's somehow not proud of this work?)
3.) can tom servo, crow t. robot, and either mike nelson or joel robinson take a whack at spiffing up this thing?

Folks, my husband worked on this film, and I am sincerely disappointed at the pointed effort to knock this film, but unfortunately I am not surprised.  Those of you who wanted your way but didn't get your way chose to start this awful thread...knocking the girl in the video was a low blow Sinatra!  Then again, that comment only made you look bad.  

Also, whoever said this was an "amateur" video also needs to check their facts.  The writer, director, DP and grips are all professionals in the field who traveled to your city to give you a professional looking product!  Did you know they put in 16-20 hour days over the course of a weekend to film this, pulled in every last favor and donated their personal time and talents to make it happen...of course not!  And before some of you say, "Well of course, they're not from here..." they all live, have lived or have connections to your community!

You should be thanking all the people who contributed to this film to give your city a much needed boost.  You can start by thanking Parthe Productions for donating the equipment and staff to make the film a reality!  FYI...they are the only film shop in the state and have an impressive track record!  Also something you should be proud of.  How about a nice thank you to sponsors, the people who let the crew film in their homes and on their property, and yes, the couple who let their puppy be in the film!  

I have to believe the Google people have a good sense of humor even though some of you don't.  May I remind you that the news conference spoof of Google Kansas got you national attention!  One city had a very professional, nice looking film but it hasn't received the attention they were hoping for, so don't think the "Portal to the World" video is going to put you on the map.  Every city has "that video."  Make no mistake, the folks at Google are looking for creativity in your efforts to lure them to pick your city.

I was really excited to come up for the film festival to see the movie with friends and family in June, but maybe we will skip it.  I have to say...SUPER DISAPPOINTED!

"who is this guy, what does he have to do with us, and why didn't four track films get this gig?"

"can tom servo, crow t. robot, and either mike nelson or joel robinson take a whack at spiffing up this thing?"

Who? 

It's apparent that this video wasn't made by the click running the show on this site. Pathetic.

Hey JB...I'm not very well-liked around here and am about as far from being in the PDD Clique (or click" as you put it) as anyone can be. Nobody is making fun of this piece total piece of child-exploiting, poorly-acted, inaccurate, bordering-on-racist, phony, so-bad-it's-good piece of ass more than I am.

JB: to answer your questions, just use

www.google.com

I cannot believe that this film is what it took to make me say this: I completely agree with Danny. If anything, that's something.

The first fire scenes were great (if not a bit cliche') and beautifully filmed. They got me interested, which should have been their purpose. Then it fell on it's face ... running at a full clip ... with it's hands tied behind it's back.

The Cirrus infomercial was too forced.

Sexual innuendo is just a bit too awkward when it involves a pre-teen girl.

In the end I keep coming back to the puppy and "WTF?" That wasn't "tongue in cheek," or cute, it was just baffling.

P.S. JB ... coles, coals ... tomato, potAto.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher, is that you?

Alrighty MAK...The difference is I admit that I make dopey mistakes and enjoy making fun of myself when I do.  But whatever.

As to the point that I (and apparently everyone else) missed in your brilliant post, let's see if I can sum it up here.  People are complaining because this came across as very amateurish.  You seem to acknowledge that yourself by using the term "professional looking".  You also seem to be stating that the time put into the product should be enough of an excuse to avoid any critiques of what we were ended up with.  I'm sure the cast and crews of Howard the Duck, Ishtar, and The Room put in 16-20 hour days too, you know.

And as far as the "sense of humor" point.  Really?  The folks at Google may have a good sense of humor when viewing this.  Unfortunately we Duluthians (or Twin Portsians or whatever) would be much better off if the humor came from laughing with this film rather than laughing at it.

Hey Adam!  I gave more information in my post than anyone else did and that's all YOU need to know!  My husband gets paid, and very well I might add.  It's called volunteering my friend...maybe you should try that once in a while!  Also, Parthe Productions is a film/video company.  Most, if not all, of the commercials shot on FILM in Duluth and around the state are done by Parthe with the exception of big movie productions.

Did you think this film was about feasibility?  Really?  This is the same company that changed their search engine to Topeka on April Fools Day!  Feasibility studies are done by their experts to see if the pipe can be laid and the connections can be made!  This was done as part of a marketing effort!

Maybe you can join Danny in those ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASSES!  BTW, I lived there for five years!

Also...there's something very "Waiting for Guffman" about all of this.

That is cheesier than those Falk's cartoon commercials and Jim Eggbrect "where you the customer are numer one" commercials put together

Haters gon' hate.

Oh dear lord.  MAK, I usually reserve this for calk, but get off your cross.

This is one of the most enjoyable threads on PDD.

I owe Adam, Tony D, Baci & Paul a beer for telling it like it is, then reverifying, then reexplaining.

The clip looks very nice. I think it could use some more spring in its step, though - maybe cutting down the running time would liven things up?

P.S.  Danny, your Tommy Wiseau shout-out cracked me up.

"It's called volunteering my friend...maybe you should try that once in a while!" LULZ. I'll get right on that. (Note: I do get paid a meager stipend for the Transistor.)

"My husband gets paid... Can I call 'em, or what?

You're not Todd Gremmels. Lay off the exclamation points!!!!

"The community came together to make a movie."

Did it?

I think that Joe Raesbek wrote the script by himself if I remember the discussion from the private group on Google for this.

"The community came together to make a movie to show Google that "Yes! We would love to have Google Fiber here."" No. The. Community. Did. Not. A bit overreaching, don't you think?

Well, their all sucked. But thank you for the no hard feelings comment. Right back at ya.

Now, can we all agree that a midnight screening of this fine piece of cinema at the Zinema 2 downtown would be an absolute blast? We can all get dressed up as different characters in the film and throw stuff at the screen at key moments (like oranges and puppies). I already have my costume figured out. I'll dress in a suit withOUT the tie so I can pretend I'm the hip mayor Don Donny.

Sad.

Can you post some of your work so we can all see how it should be done?

I'm sure you'll be right on that :-)

Goddamn, there sure is a lot of American Idol-style cocking off happening in this thread. "Simon, I'd love to see you get up on this stage and sing." Shut up. It's criticism. And anyone in the business knows what it's like to receive it without crying about it.

Exactly my point. Divisivness and condescension. No knock on our amateur actors, just pointing out that for a first time gig, little Ms. Baker showed a lot more ability than most I see on a regular basis. And ADAM- 

"Two months late? Thanks for nothing-"
The production company was given a bit more than a week to produce this. 

"The only film shop in the state." Um, no.
Um, yes. Name another with their own film camera and 1 ton production truck. Any monkey can rent one. 

"How's the Xanax?" 
Maybe we should be asking you that.

"Wait, you don't even live here? GTFO." 
Hmmmm. Really? That deserves a WTF. A nice welcome for those that are visiting, or are coming home for a VOLUNTEER EFFORT, or are thinking about INVESTING IN OUR TOWN! 

"Professionals get paid." 
Adam, just because someone is shoving a dollar down your dirty BVD's doesn't qualify you as a professional. You should know this from your gig at the North Shore. True professionals volunteer -- something you obviously have no grasp of. 

Lastly Baci,
I appreciate your opinion, but holy cow, a bit dramatic on the whole thing, wouldn't you say? I mean really -- this is still Duluth, no matter how many Luce's or Burrito Unions pop up. Lift the rug, please. When you look under there you'll see the same old crumbs that have been here for years and years. Duluth is caught in a black hole, and no matter how hard you try to paint it as progressive, you'll keep on running out of paint.

Pablo-dollars are stuffed down into dirty BVD's at the Norshor.  Not the North Shore which is a geographic region, not a specific place.

Anyways all this thread points out is that Duluth is a badly divided city which probably breaks down along lines of who you voted for mayor...which is a microcosm of what is happening right now in this country.

O My, I checked in to PDD and saw 74 new posts to this thread...sheesh, better 'n the army worm/tent caterpillar controversy.  

I didn't have much of a reaction (while I was watching) to the video and that is because I never got the point of it, it seemed fake to me, except the girl's acting, she is great. It took forever for Google to be mentioned. Thesis, thesis, thesis---so important for any audience and missing in this. I thought it was poorly done (sorry, folks) and not classy like our town is. And certainly not hip like Google. I wondered if Cirrus funded it, otherwise what was the point of all that time showcasing them?  

It seems people feel insulted on both sides...those who worked so hard on it and those who are very disappointed in the results.  We could come together as TWIN PORTS and do something extraordinary--if we just were asked.  No surprise puppies, please. But pride in our people, maybe slacklining over the Lester River, rowing on the big lake, ya know...the perfect day in Duluth/Superior.

Good debates to all. I hope everyone settles down and takes it for what it is. A fun little movie with lots of flaws that was done with good intentions. Hopefully it, along with all of the other projects that have come out of Duluth help to show the enthusiasm the community has for the Google Fiber project.

The DNT contacted me for a story they're doing on positive and negative reactions to the movie -- so expect screaming headlines in tomorrow's paper.

Pablo wrote, "I mean really — this is still Duluth, no matter how many Luce's or Burrito Unions pop up. Lift the rug, please. When you look under there you'll see the same old crumbs that have been here for years and years. Duluth is caught in a black hole, and no matter how hard you try to paint it as progressive, you'll keep on running out of paint."

I really hate this defeatist, "We're Duluth, so we suck" attitude. I was just talking to a friend about this whole thing, and she or I came up with the point that people like Tony D and I are marketing ourselves or our products nationally -- there's no excuse, that we can suck because we live in Duluth. If anything, we have to work harder, to dispel stereotypes. I think it's one reason Tony D and I both feel so passionately about sending an obviously mediocre film -- albeit with an absolutely fabulous lead child actor -- to Google.

My kid wanted to try out for the lead. I'm so glad she did not.

Uhg.  Stage parents.  Gross.

Okay.  I watched all of it this time and its not as bad as I thought.  It gets some of the facts across in a "playful" manor.  

I still am creeped out a little.  It reminds me of the "genie" movie that was made in the mid-1990s and has played often on our public access, where there is a creepy genie working to get people killed and stuff.  That's what that girl reminds me of.  She/her character is a little too cold or strange or whatever, just not someone you want to snuggle up and stream videos with. 

Why has Don Ness never given me a puppy?

K's right. At the time, when people kept telling me, the movie's got an LA director (!), I kept thinking, big whoop. There is so much homegrown talent -- I was thinking Jean Sramek, Margi Preus. . .

Why doesn't someone take the time to make another movie? There seems to be a lot of passion about this project, it shouldn't be that hard to round up the folks to do it. I think that would be cool. Spend a week at it and see what happens. The more community involvement the better!

I think it would be really great to see more videos for the Google project. I think they've all been great so far and have all brought something else to the table. I'm saying keep them coming and maybe we will find something that better represents the community. Maybe one of them will be the one that makes Google say "Wow, we need to be in Duluth!"

I like the viewing and a party idea..dress up as your favorite character...this could become the Rocky Horror of Duluth..that type of post-modern deconstruction is about the only treatment that could give this the edge it needs. I call Goldish, cuz Goldish is cool. How about a live action/multi media deal where we dress up like the characters and pause the film .. breakout in epic songs, with local bands, which reveal deeper motivations in each character ..I think I'm starting to see Reasbek's genius here. And believe me, Google might actually find it entertaining.

BTW Pablo "over dramatic" is my middle name. This is the internetz web community I've chosen to express myself on since  ..er..I helped build it..so I can be as inflammatory as I want. Let's talk about the 300 foot rule..But, please, pull apart, artistically, anything I do...really, PLEASE! I'll only return again more powerful (google power that is) than you can ever imagine.

I call myself progressive, eh?

An easy fix for this movie would be to add the three Mystery Science Theater silhouettes and witty banter/dialogue.  Instant cult classic!

I have to agree with Mike, the blind camel in Ishtar was hysterical.

Let me just say this since I coined it: This movie is full of cliff-dwelling elitists.

There. 

Proud Sponsor of Meth: Superior's High Speed Connection

TB, the only thing you left out of your speculations was calling people "naysayers" the most popular word in town. Anytime some group is pushing their new, improved, will put Duluth on the map type of proposal and someone will ask for, well a few facts or careful analysis get rid of them by saying you're holding back the city. 
This video doesn't deserve a pass just because they threw in a cute kid and puppy.

Don't need to break out your pom-poms for everything.

Tosses a big can of Norwegian ale to Adam from across the ocean.

Opinions are like bellybuttons, everyone has one, and there is no point trying to convince someone else yours is better.  All this arguing is very entertaining, in a baffling sort of way.  Seems to be a lot of "if you don't agree with me you are a dummy" now, remember our point here is to critique a movie that represents our community.  So creative comments, and ways to make the next movie better would be a productive use of time. Ok now go back to name calling and stuff.

My (relatively disengaged) sense of this effort was that it was a genuine attempt at doing something noteworthy to support the cause and something the community could get excited about.  Personally, I agree with the sentiment originally expressed over 100 comments ago that the effort is to be appreciated even if the end result seems to have missed the mark (the story and content just didn't work in my opinion).  I'm taking the view that this is really just another video in the collection (attempting) to support the initiative.  It's not being packaged as part of the formal presentation.  I also laughed a bit at the thought that this would be front page news.  It's probably just an unfortunate result of this movie being overly hyped during the nomination phase.  I'll be surprised if Google makes their decision based on the quality of video submissions.

WARNING: The following comment contains shameless self-promotion by a noted local gadfly/sockpuppet/troll.



For all who are interested in witnessing more of my jack-assiness head on over to dannydoesduluth.com and download the latest episode.  You can sit back, relax, and watch the Google movie along with me!  Lucky you!

I like puppies.

Many condemn the movie as being a bad work. Is that in comparison to the "We Want Google In Duluth" theme song???

It is said that Google will go to an innovative and creative city. Google, a 21st century tech company, is seeking that "Wow!" factor. So, in the movie, Duluth tempts Google by promoting its 20th century shipping port and good fishing. (lol)

yeah JL, we should have done nothing, that would have secured the spot for sure!

anyways....


I guess the DNT had a slow news day. Banner headline and all. sheesh.

Phone and/or fax Google HQ and let it be known that Google Fiber is not wanted in Duluth.

(P) 1-650-253-0000
(F) 1-650-253-0001

Amusing how many comments this topic has generated. I found the movie to be more entertaining the second time I watched it. It has a certain cheesey cult movie feel to it.

I watch the movie repeatedly because of that Goddess. I love CathyCakes! MMMMMMMMMMM.

Ok so first of all, Shannon Baker, the best actress ever! Second, Danny get a life and get a job so you will have other things to do besides post crude comments about the clip.  It wasn't meant to be a four star movie.  Danny, if you want to say mean words, say them to your pillow.Kids read these comments you know. And everyone else who has been posting rude comments, stop posting rude comments and go get yourself a job and a cookie so you have some joy in your life other than being a meanie.

Yeah thats right Danny. I bet you took the above comment's advice and got yourself a cookie didn't you? jk...i guess. this was supposed to be a community effort. As a few people involved in the movie said..." It was done in three days."  true enough.I LIKE CAKE.