Moment to Moment, aka Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight (1975)

Summary

Experimental film strings together a series of "moments" with no narrative, rhyme or reason.

Director

Robert Downey Sr.

Downey Factor

Very low.

Looks

Like an adolescent.

Cast

Elsie Downey, Allyson Downey

Connection

Robert Downey Sr.'s Hugo Pool, Pound, Up the Academy, Rented Lips, America, Too Much Sun, Greaser's Palace and in The Last Party, Johnny Be Good and Sr.

Elsie Downey (mother) in Pound and Greaser's Palace.

Allyson Downey (sister) in Up the Academy and Pound

RDJ Says

The title sequence looks almost like a heist type thing and all these characters are getting together, but one guy walks in wearing a full wetsuit as he's unhooking his weight belt, he goes, "What about Larry? He's into tacos," and he snaps his belt open. It was trying to transcend even being something that people could say was a movie … My dad was down in the basement with his editor, seemingly for two years, and I was like, 'That seems like a long time on post.' I mean, we know what was going on down there [note: the implication here is that he was drinking / using drugs]. I knew that the work had kind of starting becoming kind of an excuse, and it was shortly after that my folks broke up.

Availability

Released on region 1 DVD as part of the Criterion box set Up All Night with Robert Downey Sr. (under its alternate title (Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight).

Does It Hold Up

A typical Robert Downey Sr movie tries to say or satirize something but then becomes too absurd to really connect on any actual message or point. And so as thing being satirized loses relevance over time, the movie ages badly. But this one isn't typical of his films at all, in fact, it arguably ages better than the others because it was never trying to say anything or be anything more than an experiment.

2 Reasons to See It

1. To ramp up your pretentious hipster credibility.
2. Find out if you can induce attention deficit disorder.

Overall

This once obscure '70s art film is surprisingly watchable, though the moments with young Robert Downey Jr are sporadic.

If You Like It

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Photos

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