Jonathon-of-all-trades LB Filmmaker Debuts Dark Comedy

Imagine a drive-in theater, except instead of eating nachos in your car,  you eat them sitting on a couch, drinking a beer and surrounded by film-loving locals who gather to watch the creative output of a fellow resident.

Add 30 screens and independent filmmakers and you had Yankee Doodles on a recent Monday.

This Belmont Shore pool hall, sports bar, and now, makeshift movie theater, served as a showcase for the first film by Long Beach's own Jonathon Chauser, along with Quentin Tarantino's cult hit, Reservoir Dogs.

Not only providing a glimpse of an emerging local filmmaker's work, it was the first in what is hoped will be a long line of independent film events organized by Long Beach Cinematique, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing independent films to new venues. 

Chauser is a naturally enthusiastic storyteller who did a lot with very little in his debut film, Phone Monkeys.

Quick, witty, slightly perturbing and colorfully stylistic, Phone Monkeys tells the story of a downtrodden artist living his worst nightmare as a telemarketer in a tiny room, performing mundane tasks.

With an authoritarian boss and no outlet for imagination, Poor Crosby Crump fantasizes about escape, a fantasy not far from reality for Chauser, who trudged through a similar situation before quitting his day job to pursue his dreams of filmmaking full-time.

Though the boss is portrayed as arrogant and outrageously strict, his character is three-dimensional, cracking the whip just to make his father proud. Chauser obviously has a taste for rounded characters and also includes a short bit about Crump's girlfriend, allowing insight into both characters.

The 15-minute short film was produced for close to nothing, which is one reason why it was paired with the feature-length Reservoir Dogs. This gory cult classic was produced on a budget of $1.2 million, which is relatively little for a major full-length film.

“Dialogue is my strong point,” Chauser said, “and Tarantino is a master at it. And he created a great film  on a low budget, showing it can be done.” There are also subtle details in Phone Monkeys that Chauser said are a "light homage" to Reservoir Dogs, including the same mafia suits and a similar ambiguous ending.

The idea of Long Beach Cinematique’s indie film nights is to provide a space for independent filmmakers to showcase their work alongside a feature film of their choosing, and offer the audience both a new gem and an old favorite for less than it costs to go out to the movies.

In this case, it cost $8, significantly less than a first-run movie theater would charge.

Even through some technical difficulties, such as some sound problems that caused the film to go silent halfway through, Chauser's wit and light-hearted self-deprecation revealed a naturally entertaining personality.

A self-declared film geek, he's always had the itch to be a filmmaker, and after years of driving big rigs around the country and working in sales, he has finally found the right time and space to work on his passion.

The composer for the film also worked alongside Chauser in the telemarketing office, and was cheered by the audience for being free now, too.

“Sequel!” audience member Tony Jackson shouted after the film aired.

For such a short film, the thoughtfulness and style was apparent, complete with a beginning and end that spoke to each other, and solid sound and lighting that gave the effect of hyper-reality.

And it all came from the too-true reality of his experience.

“This is what I saw in my mind. It was cathartic to write it,” Chauser said to his audience seated comfortably around the room.

When Chauser started attending the Midnight Movies at the Art Theater on Fourth Street, he found a kindred spirit in Logan Crow, director of Long Beach Cinematique.

Crow had a similar story of being trapped in a job that was less than creative.

He quit eight years ago to pursue his love of film. Recently, he approached Mike Nevin, owner of Yankee Doodles, about screening Phone Monkeys there.

“It wasn’t hard to convert this place into a sort of movie theater. We already have screens everywhere,” Nevin said, and although he expected more people, it’s something he hopes will take off into an event once a month.

The audience was vocally supportive, and included an actor’s parents who drove all the way from Phoenix, Chauser’s 91-year-old grandmother and producer Damian Apunte, who showed up even though he had just had his jaw wired shut. Members of the Pacific Film Collective, a group of filmmakers who share resources, were also there, as well as some classmates.

For more information about Twisted Fiction Pictures or to see more of Jonathon's work, check out http://www.twistedfictionpictures.com/.

Visit Long Beach Cinematique's home page here: http://lbcinema.org/