This is a truly bizarre film about an alien invasion of Orange County, Florida--the place where the theme parks dominate and millions from around the world come to be entertained.
The best thing about this film are the visual effects as well as the clever jabs they take at the Orlando area theme parks (such as Disney and Universal Studios). How they were able to gain access to locations that LOOKED like these parks without actually being the parks is beyond me. Some must have been CGI, but certainly not all. They really got the look down perfectly. Also, great little scenes that locals might understand and laugh at are there as well. Being a family that lives nearby and has had season passes, I loved the scene where the customer service guy is telling ticket holders that there will be NO refunds just because the park is being attacked by aliens--this sounds like exactly what Disney would say should an event like this take place!! Also, after the hapless hero saves everyone, seeing him being rewarded with a job where he picks up trash at the park made me laugh as well!
Identical twins, James Dastoli and Robert Dastoli, seem to have created an interesting niche co-writing and co-directing shorts. Unlike most independent shorts, their films do not appear to be the products of people who only have their eyes on getting the funding for feature-length films (usually the purpose for shorts). Instead, these brothers have made not just one or two shorts but a huge number over the years--averaging three films a year. I've seen about 6 or 8 already and I notice that for the most part, their films are getting better and better. SOUTHWESTERN ORANGE COUNTY is evidence that they've finally done it....they've made a near-perfect film short. So, in light of a great script, excellent dialog and fantabulous special effects (complete with 50s style UFOs), this is a wonderful film that can't be missed. Great job. My congratulations fellas.
