Local Legends

Directed and written by its star, Matt Farley, Local Legends is a black and white loose adaption of, well, Matt Farley's life. It's probably the best explanation for why the films of Farley and Charlie Roxburgh work so well. How can one man have seventy bands, make a movie or two a year, release 23,000 songs as of February 2022 and get so much done? Focus and drive. This film features songs by Farley's bands Moes Haven. The Toilet Bowl Cleaners, The Guy Who Sings Your Name Over and Over, The Hungry Food Band and Papa Razzi and the Photogs while the film takes a near commercial sell for everything Matt has made and will make. You get to watch him play basketball and impersonate famous players (and yes, he really did have someone do statistics for his one on one games). You see him walk all over town and interact with his friends, many of whom play his friends -- and enemies -- in his films. And you get real slices of life, like someone who wants to critique his movies and has better ideas, yet has never made a film of their own. Or the girl who has every Billy Joel album, but really just the greatest hits. Look, Matt would rather have made some movies than had some cars. He walks just about everywhere, when you think about it. I found this movie utterly charming and inspirational. I love when people are out there in the world making things and no one makes more things than Matt. He's also willing to place his phone number into movies, so when I texted him mid-movie and we started chatting, it added a strange metatextural experience that I will never ever get from any other movie or filmmaker ever. That blows my mind.

I was lucky my house mate decided to put this on, he was directed to it by another friend...that's how these things start, you know. Anyways, I though this was well shot and well scripted. It never got boring at any point, the paradoxical jokes were genuinely funny. The delivery and timing of the lines, although occasionally dry, are refreshing and you can tell that a lot of fun and devotion went into making the film. Perhaps some of this movie is exaggerated, but it turns out most of it is based on truth. This is actually how this genius goes about his days, call him. Kudos to you sir!

This is low-budget introspection done in the best way possible. It could easily be navel-gazing and smug, but shines as nothing but genuine. The film somehow manages to be the opposite of mumblecore, despite sharing so many of the hallmarks. I was blown away.

This is low-budget introspection done in the best way possible. It could easily be navel-gazing and smug, but shines as nothing but genuine. The film somehow manages to be the opposite of mumblecore, despite sharing so many of the hallmarks. I was blown away.

I was lucky my house mate decided to put this on, he was directed to it by another friend...that's how these things start, you know. Anyways, I though this was well shot and well scripted. It never got boring at any point, the paradoxical jokes were genuinely funny. The delivery and timing of the lines, although occasionally dry, are refreshing and you can tell that a lot of fun and devotion went into making the film. Perhaps some of this movie is exaggerated, but it turns out most of it is based on truth. This is actually how this genius goes about his days, call him. Kudos to you sir!

Directed and written by its star, Matt Farley, Local Legends is a black and white loose adaption of, well, Matt Farley's life. It's probably the best explanation for why the films of Farley and Charlie Roxburgh work so well. How can one man have seventy bands, make a movie or two a year, release 23,000 songs as of February 2022 and get so much done? Focus and drive. This film features songs by Farley's bands Moes Haven. The Toilet Bowl Cleaners, The Guy Who Sings Your Name Over and Over, The Hungry Food Band and Papa Razzi and the Photogs while the film takes a near commercial sell for everything Matt has made and will make. You get to watch him play basketball and impersonate famous players (and yes, he really did have someone do statistics for his one on one games). You see him walk all over town and interact with his friends, many of whom play his friends -- and enemies -- in his films. And you get real slices of life, like someone who wants to critique his movies and has better ideas, yet has never made a film of their own. Or the girl who has every Billy Joel album, but really just the greatest hits. Look, Matt would rather have made some movies than had some cars. He walks just about everywhere, when you think about it. I found this movie utterly charming and inspirational. I love when people are out there in the world making things and no one makes more things than Matt. He's also willing to place his phone number into movies, so when I texted him mid-movie and we started chatting, it added a strange metatextural experience that I will never ever get from any other movie or filmmaker ever. That blows my mind.