The Movie: All Sorts
The Director: Rick Castaneda
The Cast: Eli Vargas, Greena Park, Luis Deveze
The Story: Diego finds himself in the strange, strange land of Data-Mart.
There he meets June, an incredibly fast filer, and as the two make their way
into the secret world of underground filing, things will never be the same.
The Interview
The Review:
When I first came across this movie, my first thought was that it seemed like
a really weird and hopefully fun little indie film. This movie takes place in
what I would describe as the strangest office cubicle environment ever created
and yet everything about it feels oddly familiar, especially for anyone who
has worked in a setting like this. If you've ever sat at your desk, bored out
of your mind, and started daydreaming about strangely magical things happening
around you, then you will understand the thought process that led director
Rick Castaneda to creating this project.
The story centers around three primary characters. Diego is a sort of everyman
protagonist who is instantly likable and Eli Vargas brings a very endearing
quality to a role that could have otherwise fallen flat. Greena Park plays
June Yoon, a Korean woman who has a very particular set of skills that lead
her into an underground folder filing championship tournament (yes you read
that correctly) and also into a budding friendship, or is it a relationship,
with Diego. Rounding out this triumphant trifecta is Luis Deveze, who plays
Vasquez, the office boss who has an insanely confident and optimistic look on
life that leads to a steady stream of laughs that take over every single scene
he is in.
There is a whole lot going on in this movie and the three characters balance
each other out perfectly with distinct personalities that play off of each
other really well. Just when you think things are heading into a bit if drama
or heavy emotions, here comes Vasquez to lighten the mood with his crazy
antics. Sometimes the stars line up just right and actors find roles that line
up perfectly for them and I feel like this is the case with all three of these
fine folks. I would honestly love to see more from the characters, they are
all so entertaining and in a way that makes you want to get to know them more
and more. Leave them wanting more as they say and in this case, I'm all in.
This movie is also kind of special for being a locally made product right here
in the Pacific Northwest and more specifically, it was filmed in Yakima and
Toppenish which, if you didn't know, are located in Eastern Washington. I've
been to Yakima a few times so it was nice to see some familiar surroundings
and, for those really in the know, there's a scene in the parking lot of
Miner's Drive-In! If you don't know what that is, it's a classic burger joint
that is worth a trip to Yakima on its own. Enough about burgers though, I'm
making myself hungry.
I imagine being able to film in these local locales was a real treat for
Castaneda as he grew up in the nearby town of Granger and, from what I
understand, was able to bring in a lot of locals from the surrounding area as
well as talent from Seattle to work on the project. Throw in the cast members
who are literally from around the world and all the ingredients are there for
some genuinely entertaining storytelling from a diverse lineup of talented
storytellers. In my world, diversity and representation are very important and
this movie ticks all the boxes both in front of and behind the camera.
The Verdict:
All Sorts is the office cubicle fantasy film you never knew you needed
in your life. The story is a mix of offbeat antics, creative fantasy, and
heartwarming rom-comedy all brought to life by a perfectly put together cast
of characters and a talented director who is a true hometown hero.
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