Kaboom (2010)

Director:

Gregg Araki

Writer:

Gregg Araki (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 October 2010 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A sci-fi story centered on the sexual awakening of a group of college students.

Plot Keywords:

College | Student | Sexual Awakening | College Student | Best Friend

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Thomas Dekker	...	Smith
Haley Bennett	...	Stella
Chris Zylka	...	Thor
Roxane Mesquida	...	Lorelei
Juno Temple	...	London
Andy Fischer-Price	...	Rex
Nicole LaLiberte	...	Red-Haired Girl
Jason Olive	...	Hunter
James Duval	...	The Messiah
Brennan Mejia	...	Oliver
Kelly Lynch	...	Smith's Mom Nicole
Carlo Mendez	...	Milo
Christine Nguyen	...	Freshman Bimbo
Michael James Spall	...	Smith's Dad
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sean Bresnahan	...	Surgeon (uncredited)
Brandy Futch	...	Drug Fairy Nymph (uncredited)
Natalie Alyn Lind	...	Cult Victim (uncredited)
Jen Mears	...	Student (uncredited)

Directed by
Gregg Araki

Writing credits
Gregg Araki		(screenplay)

Produced by
Gregg Araki	....	producer
Pascal Caucheteux	....	producer
Beau J. Genot	....	associate producer
Pavlina Hatoupis	....	co-producer
Pavlina Hatoupis	....	line producer
Sebastien Lemercier	....	executive producer (as Sebastien K. Lemercier)
Jonathan Schwartz	....	executive producer
Andrea Sperling	....	producer

Original Music by
Robin Guthrie
Vivek Maddala
Mark Peters
Ulrich Schnauss

Cinematography by
Sandra Valde-Hansen

Film Editing by
Gregg Araki

Casting by
Jenny Jue
Johanna Ray

Production Design by
Todd Fjelsted

Art Direction by
J.B. Popplewell

Set Decoration by
Kristen Rajterowski

Costume Design by
Trayce Gigi Field

Makeup Department
Mark Andrews	....	makeup artist
Molly Cranna	....	assistant makeup artist
Roxxi Dott	....	key hair stylist
Chelsea Hite	....	assistant makeup artist
Lorraine Martin	....	makeup department head
Miko Nishida	....	assistant hair stylist
Natalie Vermiglio	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Beau J. Genot	....	post-production supervisor
Daniela Roth	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ryan Reels	....	second second assistant director
Chad Rosen	....	first assistant director
Jake Worden	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Pj Aguilera	....	builder/swing
Adam Bolt	....	production illustrator
Jeremy Carpel	....	leadman
Rocio Carrizales	....	on-set dresser
Katie Crawford	....	set dresser
Elizabeth Cummings	....	assistant art director
Carl Fieler	....	builder/swing
Austin Lovell	....	construction coordinator
Alicia Marquez	....	props
Ayaka Ohwaki	....	on-set props
John Roberson	....	set dresser
Rosie Sanders	....	set dresser
Heath Satow	....	sculptor

Sound Department
Jakob Beetem	....	sound department intern
Tara Blume	....	foley artist
Trip Brock	....	supervising sound editor
Adam De Coster	....	foley artist
Peter D. Lago	....	sound effects editor
Greg Mauer	....	foley mixer
Irene Montero	....	foley editor
Andrejs Prokopenko	....	boom operator (as Andrew Prokopenko)
Alexander Pugh	....	sound effects editor
Denielle Rose	....	sound mixer
Mark A. Rozett	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steven Utt	....	sound recordist
Kelly Vandever	....	sound re-recording mixer

Visual Effects by
Wesley Cronk	....	visual effects

Stunts
Matt Berberi	....	stunt double
Jacqueline Case	....	stunt double
Chad Guerrero	....	stunt double
Irving E. Lewis	....	stunt double
Mario Perez	....	stunt double: Jimmy Duval
Audi Resendez	....	stunt double
Lou Simon	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Kevin Akers	....	first assistant camera
Leah Anova	....	electrician
Team Bashet	....	key grip
Chris Carroll	....	gaffer
Hillary Elder	....	electrician
Tony Foresta	....	stunt camera operator
Brock Goetz	....	second assistant camera
Roberto Gudino	....	electrician
Mariscela Beatriz Mendez	....	electrician (as Mariscela Mendez)
Kevin Morris	....	second assistant camera
Lee Ramsey	....	electrician
Kevin W. Skaggs	....	electrician
Igor Tochilnikov	....	grip
Marcos Valadez	....	electrician
John Veleta	....	digital imaging technician
Marianne Williams	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Shaunessy James Quinn	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sarah Evelyn Bram	....	wardrobe
April Dunlap	....	costumes
Olivia Hateley	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Alex Blatt	....	associate editor
Joseph K. Chen	....	assistant editor
Chuck Crews	....	digital intermediate editor
Adam Nazarenko	....	digital intermediate colorist

Music Department
Tiffany Anders	....	music supervisor
Jen Pray	....	music clearance

Transportation Department
Lauren Levine	....	transportation coordinator
Raymond Martin	....	driver

Other crew
Chris Aguilar Garcia	....	assistant: Andrea Sperling
Alishe Beardeaux	....	post production assistant
Nic Berlin	....	production assistant
Annalis Clint	....	production assistant
John Emmons	....	medic
Jessica Feavel	....	production assistant
Michelle Frezieres	....	script supervisor
Jacob Halajian	....	production assistant
Michelle Holt	....	production accountant
Tierre Kennedy	....	security
Kat Lo	....	location liaison (as Katherine Lo)
Ayana McNair	....	production assistant
Tara Jean O'Brien	....	production assistant
Benjamin Rotast	....	key production assistant
Todd Svoboda	....	production assistant
Eva Valett	....	post production coordinator
Sally Van Gorder	....	video artist
Matt Warren	....	production assistant
Christy Wegener	....	location manager
Courtney L. Wilson	....	production assistant

Thanks
Dorsay Alavi	....	thanks
Matthew Flint	....	thanks
John Waters	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Desperate Pictures
• Wild Bunch (in association with)
• Super Crispy Entertainment (in association with)
• Next World, The
• Graveyard Machine (uncredited)

Distributors

• Atlantis Entertainment (2010) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• Benelux Film Distributors (2010) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Benelux Film Distributors (2011) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• E1 Films Canada (2011) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Hopscotch Films (2011) (Australia) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2010) (USA) (theatrical)
• Wild Bunch Distribution (2010) (France) (theatrical)
• All Media Company (2011) (Russia) (all media)
• CN Entertainment (2011) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Edition Salzgeber (2011) (Germany) (all media)
• Lumière Home Entertainment (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Mont-Blanc Distribution (2010) (Switzerland) (all media)
• Teleview International (2010) (Lebanon) (all media) (Middle East)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
• Zon Lusomundo Audiovisuais (2011) (Portugal) (all media)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Monkeyland Audio  post-production sound services
• Monkeyland Audio  sound re-recording
• Picture Head  post-production facilities
• Sessions Payroll Management  extras payroll services

Also Known As:

Runtime:

France:86 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

France:-12 (with warning) | Australia:MA (2011) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Hong Kong:III (film festival rating) | Portugal:M/16 | USA:Unrated | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Desperate Pictures

Trivia:

The first Gregg Araki film shot in 2.35:1 format.

Quotes:

Smith:What do you make of him trying to blow himself this afternoon?
Stella:He likes having his sword swallowed. Not exactly a revelation.

Movie Connections:

Features Un Chien Andalou (1929)

Soundtrack:

Sugar Crystals (featuring Ulrich Schnauss)

One Funky Trip...

Where to start with this one, where to start. This film was directed by Gregg Araki. If you don't know who he is then you probably don't watch too many indie films. He directed "The Doom Generation", "Nowhere", "Mysterious Skin" and the pot-comedy, "Smiley Face". He often fills his features with a lot of sex, nudity and language. That, and he is not afraid to tackle controversial subjects with a somewhat skewered view.

Which brings me to "Kaboom". Smith (Dekker) is an 18-year-old college freshman. He is bisexual, has a very catty lesbian best friend, Stella (Bennett) and a roommate with the body (and name) of a Norse God, Thor (Zylka). He opens the movie by telling us about this very strange dream he's been having lately and it's causing him to lose sleep. It's no wonder -- the dream is mysterious, there are people in it that are extremely vivid that he's never met and it instantly gets our minds to spinning as to what the hell is going on. It gets weirder from there.

He goes to a party with Stella so she can hit on some hottie named Lorelei (Mesquida) --- hey, it's one of the girls from his recurring dream --- once thoroughly ditched by Stella, he goes to use the bathroom and stumbles upon London (Temple). From there, his life just gets trippier and trippier. It involves a nude beach, men in animal masks, mysterious notes, witches and other things on an apocalyptic scale.

The movie is funny in some places and even generates a nice mystery, getting us to ponder just what exactly is happening to poor Smith. I think, for the first time in a long time, I had no idea where this movie was taking me -- and I really enjoyed that. I didn't know what to expect next, so it was a fun ride for me.

Above average acting all the way around, if anyone stood out it would be Juno Temple as London and Thomas Dekker as Smith. They had some great chemistry together, even better than Dekker and Bennett did and they were supposed to be friends all the way through High School. No one really dropped the ball in the acting department, though, so that's a major plus. So, good acting, sharp screenplay and Araki's use of lighting was particularly bright, which I also liked because I hate squinting at night scenes in other movies where you can't tell which guy has the gun. Overall, fun movie and I loved how they ended it all. More reviews at www.soveryterry.com Final Grade: B