Sudsy Slim Premieres Again

WASILLA — For those who have not yet seen the final ride of Sudsy Slim, there will be one more opportunity to watch a premier of Susdy Slim Rides Again, a feature film done by the Carpenter brothers and Nomad Cinematics featuring scenes, actors, crew, and writers from right here in the Mat-Su Valley. Sudsy premiered for the first time on April 20 and will see its second premiere Friday night at 6 p.m.. Carpenter will be throwing books and t-shirts to the crowd and pictures with the effigy of Sudsy will be available at that time.

The local feature film has seen it’s popularity start high and only go higher, as it is the second highest attended film at the Valley Cinema, only beaten by the newest Marvel installment: ‘Infinity War’. Tundra Comics creator and Sudsy writer Chad Carpenter said that he did the math and the budget for Sudsy was 1.333 percent of the budget of what was spent on the latest ‘Avengers’ feature.

“If we got too big and too polished and looked too hollywood, it would take away something. I love the fact that our movies are very Alaskan,” said Carpenter. “I think that appeals to not only Alaskans but people outside as well.”

The longtime cartoonist said he needed something different and so he surrounded himself with like-minded, creative people. He praises the work of untrained actor Zack Lanphier, who went from the good guy in ‘Moose: The Movie’ to the villain in Sudsy. Lanpier also owns half of Bleeding Heart Brewery and has been honored for his teaching at Career Tech High School.

“Everything he touches is successful because he works so darn hard,” said Carpenter.

Carpenter revels in the opportunity to be part of something bigger, after 20 years as a cartoonist left him with a solitary existence. Sudsy takes place in the same universe as Moose, but features different characters. However, there are several easter eggs hidden within Sudsy that connect the films, as well as things Carpenter felt were funny and put into the film, such as phone numbers of writers being used as inmate numbers on the prison clothes of the two villains. Leslie Nielsen’s pants from ‘The Naked Gun’ make an appearance on the clothesline in the film. Carpenter says he did it so that at least one famous thing would be in the film. The Moosetaur from the first film is also hidden in plain sight at one point in the film.

Sudsy will continue to run until at least May 10 and show four times a day at noon, 3, 6, and 9 p.m. Sudsy will continue to run as long as people continue to make it one of the most attended movies at the Valley Cinema, Carpenter said.

As for the next chapter in the Moose series, what they are tentatively calling ‘Moose 3,’ is in the early writing stages. Carpenter loved that Sudsy required almost 500 people to make it happen, and was truly a community effort as they had to crowdfund the project to make it viable. Carpenter expects to get to serious work on the script next summer and have the film come to fruition in a couple of years. The Carpenters and the Nomad boys — Raymond Chapman, Andrew Phillips, and Logan Dellinger — are currently basking in the glow of their delightfully Alaskan film. The crew are ‘spamming’ festivals, in their own words: sending their film to as many festivals as possible to gage the reaction farther away from where the film was created.

“Auckland, New Zealand just accepted it as one of theirs they’ll feature. That’s exciting!” said Carpenter. “I’m expecting it to just gather a bunch more. It is such a unique movie,”

Carpenter describes some of the talent that made the film possible, and says that there is such a high concentration of talented people in such a small area. He praises Lanphier, describes Dellinger as ‘a wunderkind,’ and was pleased to see supporting cast member Collin Christiansen show up to the set with a newfound southern accent.

“I love it when the actors create their own characters. It creates a better story than it is on paper. When you put those characters in, it becomes 3-dimensional,” said Carpenter.

Carpenter envisions a female lead in ‘Moose 3’, and also for it to be set in winter.

He advises those who might want to take a similar path to success in the movie business to get a camera, goof off, and film it. But, he adds, many who have an idea to make a film never follow through with finishing the product. Finishing, he says, is the most difficult part.

“Our ultimate goal is to entertain,” said Carpenter.

Entertain they have, and will continue to do, as Sudsy Slim Rides Again premiers...again, on Friday.