upon the director's own experiences, the screenplay was written by director Jarrett, his brother Mitchell Jarrett, and by Jordan Heimer, and was shot at locations across Taiwan using 5D and 7D equipment. The film's title refers to the magazine published by the lead protagonists, which is itself modeled after one at which Jarrett himself worked. The Jarrett bros. returned to Taiwan in 2009 to scout locations. and filming was done through "repeated acts of low-budget, guerrilla filmmaking." Funding was chiefly acquired through Spoonbill Pictures, LLC with a large help from two Kickstarter fundraisers. Release Slated for theatrical release in October, 2013, the film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 10, 2012. It had its Taiwan premiere April 2012, at the Urban Nomad Film Festival. Reception Variety stated that director Mark Jarrett understands that a road film should enlighten as well as entertain, and that his film did so "with great originality." In referring to the opening showing the leads drinking heavily with a group of other ex-pats, they wrote "the film packs more soul than the hedonism of its early scenes suggests". They spoke toward the scenes where Simon, Darin, and Nikita steal Jed's body from the morgue, and offered that it was "one of the strangest and most invigorating heists in ages, a cross between an old Laurel and Hardy routine and the scrappy anarchy of early Wes Anderson." They praised the cinematographer's camerawork, writing "the sheer beauty of [Mike] Simpson's frames often stands in direct contrast with the delirious indulgence on display," They offered that while the film may get more play through festival screenings than theatrical release, it was a "striking feature". KUT radio called The Taiwan Oyster a "'Texas road trip' film set in Taiwan to a soundtrack of Bobby Bare, the Flatlanders and Bobby Gentry" which, even while taking place in the “Wild, Wild East” of Taiwan, has "a certain Texas sensibility to it". Film Business Asia compared the film to others that had been filmed along Taiwan's scenic East Coast Highway, but noted that the film was "basically a US indie that just happens to be set in East Asia", and that rather than being an integral part of the film, "the landscape and locals are there for decoration." They offered though, that despite a lack of engagement with the local culture, the film did "convey a