"Inspiring." Tucson Citizen
"Captivating." TucsonStyle.com
"For nearly 20 years, Ed Abbey groupie Jim Stiles has been railing against the commercialization of the American West with controversial, hand-drawn cartoons in the Canyon Country Zephyr, his self-published, Moab-based newspaper. This funny, frank film profiles the flannel-clad curmudgeon and his one-man fight to save the landscape he loves." Outside Magazine
"From its vast and stunning landscapes to the frontier mentality of its inhabitants, few regions inspire a stronger sense of place than the American West. Hell, even a mogul from Las Vegas has the wherewithal to realize that this just might be the Last Best Place. In any case, the West screams 'story,' so it’s no surprise that its ranks have been and likely will always remain packed with storytellers of the highest order." Read full story from the Missoula Independent
"The movie transcends the story of Stiles, and at its heart, it’s about the devastation of loss and irreversible change, about finding kinship in this big strange world and about gathering the strength to do what you think is important even when discouragement is everywhere." Read full review from The Daily Planet
Critics' "Best Bet" - St. Louis Post Dispatch
"A captivating film that succeeds in telling the story of the self-described hermit who has, over time, inspired a small cult following of his own the high desert of the Southwest. Stiles lives and works in unapologetic adherence to the Zephyr’s slogan—“Clinging Hopelessly to the Past”—and filmmakers Doug Hawes-Davis and Drury Gunn Carr give viewers a wonderful look into the day-to-day life of the activist publisher who long-ago settled in Moab. Through his cartoons and self-deprecating humor, Stiles manages to exude a resilient attitude and a feeling that all is not lost. The filmmakers in turn feed off that, producing this entertaining portrait of one of Southwest’s most eccentric characters." Read Full review from Newwest.net
"A nicely-wrought documentary. With at least five clips of Edward Abbey reading or talking, the grounding in environmental protest is complete. Stiles illustrated Abbey's books and is also the editor, publisher, writer and cartoonist of the Canyon Country Zephyr, an independent newspaper if there ever was one. This is a portrait of a man who has carved out a life of his own far away from his roots in Kentucky. Within you'll find the Abbey tribute and a nice rendering of Stiles' friendship with Herb Ringer, a photographer and friend of the West." The Durango Telegraph
"An engaging portrait of a plain-talking devotee of open space. Seeing his community and region with a cartoonist's eye, Stiles is a western individualist whose story demonstrates the power of local action to protect the planet." Arizona International Film Festival
"In 1975, Jim Stiles, a follower of Edward Abbey, arrived in Utah and became a park ranger, environmental activist and writer. Three decades later, he is trying to carry on Abbey’s legacy with his rabble-rousing, trouble-making newspaper the Canyon Country Zephyr. With humor, Stiles asks serious questions about civilization and sustainability. The Zephyr’s slogan is 'Clinging Hopelessly to the Past' and Stiles does just that—writing copy, drawing illustrations and caricatures, and pasting up pages with a hand-waxer and Exacto blade. The filmmakers include rare clips of Abbey and environmental protests to round out this entertaining, yet provocative, portrait of one of the Southwest’s more conscientious—and cantankerous—characters." Mountainfilm
"Aggression gives Stiles the energy to crusade as he’s been doing for nearly 20 years in his one-man newspaper The Canyon Country Zephyr (circulation 15,000 every two months). The paper’s motto: “Clinging hopelessly to the past since 1989.” And when I write 'one-man', I mean that Stiles writes much of the copy, draws the illustrations, including cartoons of his advertisers, and pastes up the paper with his hand-waxer and scalpel. In the film, Stiles confirms time after time how much clinging to the past means to him. Life was simpler then, he says, and simpler was better. But Stiles doesn’t just hanker quietly. He sets out to defend that past like King Canute the Great ordering back the tide. Stiles came to Moab from Kentucky in 1971 and stayed there until 2005 when all the hubbub drove him out – 50 miles south to Monticello, Utah. In the meantime, he reveled in the red rocks, discovered Abbey and worked as a park ranger at the same time he was an environmental activist with an edge. Once, his friends and fellow activists painted a fake crack on a roll of plastic and rolled it over Glen Canyon Dam so it would look as if it were breaking open. He wrote a book in the spring called Brave New West, in which he raged against tourists and the people who encourage them to show up by building motels and fast-food joints. in the film...he’s seen reminiscing with and caring for two older men who love the land as he does. We see a slice of what he’s accomplished, and with a sense of humor. For instance, he established 'Mormons and Heathens for a Better Utah.' The filmmakers seem to know what they’re doing: making a myth. Near the end of the their work, they place a song, 'How come all them people won’t go back to where they come from?' The lyrics sums up Stiles’ philosophy, and naturally enough he’s not going back here he came from. And that’s a good thing. Utah would be the worse off without him." The Durango Herald
"An off-the-wall odyssey that tells the story of how one man’s passion for the natural world fuelled the creation of an extraordinary and unlikely institution in the American West. It also shows how the passion of youth is tempered and ripens with age into a balanced view of a natural world. Jim Stiles arrived in Utah in 1975, a follower of the cult of Ed Abbey, a copy of Desert Solitaire in his backpack, and a dream of preserving the natural beauty of the American Southwest via any means. Three decades on, with most of the Ed Abbey followers having long ago dispersed, Stiles remains – a on-man show who has devoted his life to carrying on Abbey’s legacy. When he realises that his beloved town of Moab, Utah is beginning to deteriorate with every new subdivision, Stiles begins a crusade. Stiles has been branded a curmudgeon, a hermit, and a modern-day Don Quixote, and he is no stranger to controversy. In his vision to keep his independent paper going, Stiles traverses the high ground around the more nebulous and difficult questions arising from concern about our environment." Reel Earth/Aotearoa Environmental Film Festival
Read more about BRAVE NEW WEST. |
