Desert Blue

an who runs a diner (Lucinda Jenney). “Desert Blue” (1998) is a quirky indie drama influenced by TV’s Northern Exposure. It’s comparable to Australia’s "Rikky and Pete" from ten years prior and a little “Gas Food Lodging,” as well as later movies like "3 Nights in the Desert” and a bit o’ “Don’t Come Knocking.” There’s an air of emptiness and the story is kind of boring, throwing in a curious subplot about an ominous cola factory. Still, the flick has its points of interest, like finding inspiration in the least likely places. You’ll see some snow here and there, which, by happenstance, was the most snow the isolated town had seen in three decades during shooting. It runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot in Goldfield in southwest Nevada with the Los Angeles Aqueduct scenes done in Jawbone Canyon, which is almost a 4-hour drive southwest of Goldfield and a 2-hour drive north of Los Angeles. GRADE: B-/C+