Frank Ashmore Notable Appearances -2010s

The 2010s have been lauded as the “Golden Age of television”, but for film, some bemoaned that cinema was reduced to theme parks thanks to the advent of the MCU. I think the later assumption is a little unfair. While it’s true that cinemaplexes have been dominated with super hero movies in this decade (which are entertaining but anodyne) there has been a blossoming of many smaller more interesting productions making it onto screens big and small.

And that is truly reflected in Frank Ashmore’s career where you see him appearing in more and more interesting films. These films follow the trend set by films like The Blair Witch Project and low budget but incredibly effective Primer. As usual there is action, horror, comedy, drama, sci-fi and more. To this list of genres we see a new type appear – the Christian film – reflecting Ashmore’s own dedication to his faith in God adding yet another approach to film-making with a particular purpose.

I think it’s the most variety and opportunity for range I’ve seen since the 1970s which I feel is a most welcome development. Long may it continue.

Bee (2011)

This short is about an entomologist who comes home to help her beekeeper dad out with his dying hives. Tensions flare when it becomes clear that the orchardist next door has been spraying pesticides and the conflict moves on to prejudice and slurs on both sides of the fence.

It’s a slight but enjoyable short film. Ashmore plays a quick to anger beekeeper who loses all his hives in one go. Daughter played by Breeda Wool tries to keep the peace between her dad and the Mexicans next door. Not to mention the Russians down the road.

Would you buy honey from Frank Ashmore? I would.

It’s not that Simple (2012)

The clip below is from the very end and I have to admit I really enjoyed it because we get to see Frank be silly and bust a move – turns out he can dance.* It’s a side of him we haven’t seen in a while and after a decade of watching him play “disappointed father of dead criminal” or worse “sad old drug addict” for much of the 2000s I will happily take that. It’s quite joyful.

*Though yes admittedly the thought of Martin from V cutting up the dance floor in that red-orange uniform is vaguely traumatising.

Extracted (2012)

Speaking of disappointed fathers, we’re not quite ready to leave this character type behind. In this case Ashmore plays the absolutely terrifying tough-love dad of drug addict son Anthony. How he manages to pack so much menace into a simple sentence like “I’m getting another beer, you want one?” I don’t know. (This line was also spoken in a different tone in Barnaby Jones in the 70s)

This is a mind bending film similar to Primer in that it tackles some sophisticated sci-fi concepts rather successfully without a massive budget. A man enters the mind of a criminal, initially to prove that he is guilty. But something goes wrong and he must reside in the man’s mind, with his awful memories for what may end up being forever. Horrific.

The following video is only available in some territories. (But there is such a thing as VPN)

The Lost Coast Tapes (2012)

Frank Ashmore is far and away the best thing about The Lost Coast Tapes. I like to consider myself a connoisseur of cryptozoology having been forced to endure many a low budget Bigfoot documentary. (The things we do for love.) These all feature some back woods guy who has some shaggy dog story which usually combines Bigfoot with some other supernatural phenomenon (like UFOs). Invariably Mr Back Woods looks like he could actually be Bigfoot and perhaps the whole thing is just a case of mistaken identity.

So when I say Frank Ashmore completely nails it in this performance, I know what I’m talking about. Ashmore plays an unreliable growly type who claims to have proof of Bigfoot. The film takes the format of the “found documentary” and the young documentary makers are intentionally obnoxious. There is a strange mismatch of approaches as most of the rest of the cast are amateurs trying to achieve a naturalistic approach (and not always succeeding) while Frank is capital-A Acting. But to be fair this seems to me a conscious choice made because his character is a total melodramatic showman. He’s supposed to be a talented story teller. And he is.

So is there a Bigfoot or is it an elaborate hoax orchestrated by Mr Drybeck?

Who knows?

Also, I long for the days when we used to refer to adults we did not know well as: “Mr [Surname].”

Into the Dark (2012)

Geez, he was busy this year. In this film Ashmore plays a scary concierge who seems to be quite put out that Mischa Barton interrupted him while eating a sausage. Frank also seems to be specialising in scary-chopping-things-up-acting which appears in this film, The Lost Coast Tapes and 400 days.

There’s also a lot of swapping of hands for the sausage eating and chain-smoking which is mildly distracting. Which hand are we doing this with? It sent me off on a “do smokers have a preferred hand for holding their cigarettes?” philosophical journey. I really wasn’t paying attention to the film.

This film starts out as a love story but shortly goes somewhere else. This leads us to the aforementioned creepy apartment building where Ashmore is concierge. Is there a place on earth where the dead lurk?

Hawaii Five-0 S05 E09 Ke Koho Mamao Aku (2014)

Mele Kalikimaka! It’s Christmas in Hawaii. I never watched this show at the time and kind of regret it. It’s really good natured for a police procedural. We start with our partners Steve and Danno out shopping for a Christmas tree. After being put off by price gouging they go off and find a Norfolk pine in the bush, cut it down, and take it home. Quite naughty really

This has nothing to do with Frank Ashmore who plays a horse trainer/owner in Ke Koho Mamao Aku* which translates to The Long Shot. The whole episode centres around a thoroughbred who has been horsenapped and put out to stud in far flung Hawaii. The episode has many twists and turns, as any police procedural does, including the subplot about whether our boys will get booked for stealing that Norfolk pine.

I spent the whole episode wondering, will that horse trainer/owner be reunited with his horse and [spoiler] he does! And it is the most rewarding payoff ever. Look how happy he is! Look how happy the horse is!

That was possibly the most emotionally satisfying thing I have seen among all of these appearances (though seeing the look on Martin’s face just before parachuting off the mothership in V The Final Battle comes a close second)

*and yes having a small amount of Māori helps immensely with Hawaiian.

Mere Kirihimete!

400 Days (2015)

Ashmore appears very early on in the film, he’s the cellmate of our hero who is banged up in prison after an epic night out. It turns out the hero is part of the space programme and about to go into isolation underground for 400 days. And him going on a massive bender the night before hasn’t jeopardised this in any way.

I must say “Hey bro can I have a smoke?” seems to be the most unlikely words I thought I’d hear Frank utter. But that might be because I’m still thinking of the tightly wound alien he played in V.

You can rest assured this isn’t the last we see of our bro in this movie. I won’t say anything more. Just that I watched this film twice and still don’t know what’s happening. In some ways this film is similar to 10 Cloverfield Lane, (but better in my opinion). The viewer is kept guessing the whole time as to whether something terrible has happened or everything is just a simulation. (Wow, that kind of feels like everything that happened since 2016). Really quite good.

Room 104 S01 E04 I Knew You Weren’t Dead (2017)

Yet more weird and wonderful mind-bending stuff. This from a television anthology created by Mark and Jay Duplass. This episode stars Jay who plays Daniel, a man facing a major crisis in his life. It’s not clear how often he does this, but tonight he is visiting Room 104 to consult with his friend Patrick who died when they were both in their 20s. Only Patrick is still only 22 years old and has no idea how to advise a forty year old man about his very grown up problems.

Frank Ashmore appears as the embodiment of an older version of Patrick. For whatever reason, they retained the voice of the younger actor, perhaps for continuity and perhaps because the actor’s voices are so different. I understand, sure, but I cannot refrain from saying how could you have Frank Ashmore in your show but not use Frank Ashmore’s voice?!

As moving as this scene is, I stand by my assertion that they dubbed the wrong actor’s voice in. They should have got Ashmore to dub the younger man. He’s got it in him. See 400 days above:

“Hey bro, can I have a smoke?”

I rest my case.

Arrested Development (2018)

Iconic comedy about a dysfunctional privileged family, the Bluths. It is almost impossible to sum up what is going on in this show, the characterisation and running gags are so dense.

In this season Ashmore appears as one of four “Mexican” men collectively known as “Mr F.” They claim to own disputed land which has been sold to them by family elder George Bluth. Various members of the Bluth family turn up on this patch of land patrolled by Mr F over a number of different episodes. It is a running joke that these guys turn up whenever one of the Bluths are on this land. I’m not sure why these old white guys are riding around putting on accents but at least Maeby is onto it.

There’s also some weird ongoing gag where the male members of the Bluth family all seem drawn to the Mr Fs. – Well, can’t disagree with that.

That brings an end to this series for now. It’s been loads of fun and we’ve come a long way since the early 70s. Excited to see what’s next.

Aroha.