Poster for Crazy Eyes, starring Lukas Haas, Madeline Zima and Jake Busey. After just being picked up by Strand Releasing two days ago, a first poster's up for the Adam Sherman film, who scripts alongside Dave Reeves, Rachel Hardisty. In Crazy Eyes, Lukas Haas stars as guy obsessed with a girl he calls Crazy Eyes (Zima). Also in the cast of the drama are Tania Raymonde, Regine Nehy, Ray Wise, Ned Bellamy and Valerie Mahaffey. Pic is produced by Hagai Shaham. The film runs for 95 minutes amd will find release in theaters some time this June. One of those glamorous L.A. people with too much money and too much time on his hands, Zach (Lukas Haas) looks like he’s living the Hollywood dream. There’s a steady stream of beautiful women coming in and out of his posh home in the hills, and every night he makes his...
- 3/1/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Poster for Crazy Eyes, starring Lukas Haas, Madeline Zima and Jake Busey. After just being picked up by Strand Releasing two days ago, a first poster's up for the Adam Sherman film, who scripts alongside Dave Reeves, Rachel Hardisty. In Crazy Eyes, Lukas Haas stars as guy obsessed with a girl he calls Crazy Eyes (Zima). Also in the cast of the drama are Tania Raymonde, Regine Nehy, Ray Wise, Ned Bellamy and Valerie Mahaffey. Pic is produced by Hagai Shaham. The film runs for 95 minutes amd will find release in theaters some time this June. One of those glamorous L.A. people with too much money and too much time on his hands, Zach (Lukas Haas) looks like he’s living the Hollywood dream. There’s a steady stream of beautiful women coming in and out of his posh home in the hills, and every night he makes his...
- 3/1/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Poster for Crazy Eyes, starring Lukas Haas, Madeline Zima and Jake Busey. After just being picked up by Strand Releasing two days ago, a first poster's up for the Adam Sherman film, who scripts alongside Dave Reeves, Rachel Hardisty. In Crazy Eyes, Lukas Haas stars as guy obsessed with a girl he calls Crazy Eyes (Zima). Also in the cast of the drama are Tania Raymonde, Regine Nehy, Ray Wise, Ned Bellamy and Valerie Mahaffey. Pic is produced by Hagai Shaham. The film runs for 95 minutes amd will find release in theaters some time this June. One of those glamorous L.A. people with too much money and too much time on his hands, Zach (Lukas Haas) looks like he’s living the Hollywood dream. There’s a steady stream of beautiful women coming in and out of his posh home in the hills, and every night he makes his...
- 3/1/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Sound On Sight will once again be covering the SXSW Film Festival this year, making it our second time attending. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas fest taking place March 9-17, including 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. As previously announced, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods will have the honours of opening the festival, and now they have released the full list of films – and it’s looking pretty amazing. Enjoy!
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
- 2/3/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry, shot by Bob Gruen in 1977
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
- 2/1/2012
- MUBI
With Sundance 2012 Film Festival over, the next big one on the horizon is South by Southwest, which we’ll be heavily covering. The biggest chunk of the line-up has been announced today, which has some great premieres including 21 Jump Street, Tiff and Sundance hit The Raid, Will Ferrell‘s Casa de mi Padre, the documentary Girl Model (which we liked at Tiff), as well as the next from Broken Lizard, The Babymakers. There are many other promising titles included and you can see them all below. Check back for our coverage for the fest, kicking off March 9th.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
- 2/1/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
South by Southwest, the annual festival held in Austin, TX, has just released its 2012 film lineup. Headliners include Joss Whedon's anticipated horror flick, "The Cabin in the Woods," (previously announced), '80s reboot "21 Jump Street" and black comedy "Killer Joe." Also on the list are "The Babymakers" starring Paul Schneider and Olivia Munn, and "Small Apartments" with the surprising trio of Billy Crystal, James Caan and Johnny Knoxville. You can check out the rest of the bigger headliners and feature films below. For the full list, head to SXSW.com. Headliners 21 Jump Street Directed by: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, Screenplay by: Michael Bacall, Story by: Michael Bacall & Jonah Hill Police officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) get sent back to high school as undercover cops in the action-comedy 21 Jump Street. Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle, with Ice Cube (World Premiere) Big Easy...
- 2/1/2012
- by Alex Suskind
- Moviefone
Attendees of South by Southwest 2012 are in for a treat. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas festival taking place March 9-17. Among them are 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The organization already announced [1] Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods would open the festival (the movie is phenomenal [2]) and today the majority of the remaining line up has been revealed. One of the highlights is the unbelievably smart and hilarious 21 Jump Street, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Both of those are World Premieres. Other highlights include The Hunter, Killer Joe, The Babymakers, frankie goes boom, God Bless America, The Imposter, The Raid, Bernie and Casa de mi Padre just to name a few. After the jump, read descriptions of all the films that have been announced so far. Before I copy and paste the rest of the list, a few minor notes.
- 2/1/2012
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
Year: 2010
Director: Damir Lukacevic
Writers: Elia Barceló, Gabi Blauert, Damir Lukacevic
IMDb: link
Trailer: Na
Review by: Marina Antunes
Rating: 8 out of 10
[Editor's Note: Also be sure to read rochefort's review of the film from Fantastic Fest.]
Based on a story from award winning sci-fi author Elia Barceló, Transfer is director Damir Lukacevic’s first foray into the world of genre film making but aside from a few scenes peppered through out the film and the general concept, this isn’t so much a sci-fi film as a drama of what makes people individuals and a film which forces us to question the morality and benefits of the use of certain technologies.
Taking place in the near future, Lukacevic’s film works off of the concept that advances in technology have rendered death unnecessary. For those few rich enough to afford it (and willing), there’s an option to have their conscious transferred but not to a machine or a robot but into another human being.
Director: Damir Lukacevic
Writers: Elia Barceló, Gabi Blauert, Damir Lukacevic
IMDb: link
Trailer: Na
Review by: Marina Antunes
Rating: 8 out of 10
[Editor's Note: Also be sure to read rochefort's review of the film from Fantastic Fest.]
Based on a story from award winning sci-fi author Elia Barceló, Transfer is director Damir Lukacevic’s first foray into the world of genre film making but aside from a few scenes peppered through out the film and the general concept, this isn’t so much a sci-fi film as a drama of what makes people individuals and a film which forces us to question the morality and benefits of the use of certain technologies.
Taking place in the near future, Lukacevic’s film works off of the concept that advances in technology have rendered death unnecessary. For those few rich enough to afford it (and willing), there’s an option to have their conscious transferred but not to a machine or a robot but into another human being.
- 10/14/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Never Let Me Go - 7/10
Transfer - 9/10
Two sci-fi films at this year's Fantastic Fest tread extremely similar waters, so much so that I figured it makes sense to do a kind of comparative review: Both Mark Romanek's "Never Let Me Go" and Damir Lukacevic's "Transfer" deal with an aspect of sci-fi we're seeing more and more often in cinema, namely the effect that a brave new world of cloning or body transplantation has on the donors. Both films offer further evidence that the modern sci-fi movie may very well be on the verge of narrowing the gap with its literary forebears in terms of emotional resonance and thematic complexity.
Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley make "Never Let Me Go" something of a higher-profile curiosity than if director Romanek had gone with lesser-known stars or character actors, and to a certain extent the casting choices actually handicap the film's overall effect.
Transfer - 9/10
Two sci-fi films at this year's Fantastic Fest tread extremely similar waters, so much so that I figured it makes sense to do a kind of comparative review: Both Mark Romanek's "Never Let Me Go" and Damir Lukacevic's "Transfer" deal with an aspect of sci-fi we're seeing more and more often in cinema, namely the effect that a brave new world of cloning or body transplantation has on the donors. Both films offer further evidence that the modern sci-fi movie may very well be on the verge of narrowing the gap with its literary forebears in terms of emotional resonance and thematic complexity.
Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley make "Never Let Me Go" something of a higher-profile curiosity than if director Romanek had gone with lesser-known stars or character actors, and to a certain extent the casting choices actually handicap the film's overall effect.
- 10/4/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Rating: 2/5
Writers: Elia Barceló (story), Gabi Blauert (screenplay), Damir Lukacevic (writer)
Director: Damir Lukacevic
Cast: B.J. Britt, Regine Nehy, Ingrid Andree, Hans-Michael Rehberg, Mehmet Kurtulus
Death is inevitable for us all. While some would like to live forever, some prefer to go when it’s their time. Those are the only two philosophies people have when it comes to death, mostly because there are simply no other options. Transfer, however, asks the question, “what if there were a way to prolong life?” It’s an extremely intriguing idea, and one that started out with boatloads of promise, but never executed the story to its merit.
Read more on Fantastic Fest 2010 Review: Transfer…...
Writers: Elia Barceló (story), Gabi Blauert (screenplay), Damir Lukacevic (writer)
Director: Damir Lukacevic
Cast: B.J. Britt, Regine Nehy, Ingrid Andree, Hans-Michael Rehberg, Mehmet Kurtulus
Death is inevitable for us all. While some would like to live forever, some prefer to go when it’s their time. Those are the only two philosophies people have when it comes to death, mostly because there are simply no other options. Transfer, however, asks the question, “what if there were a way to prolong life?” It’s an extremely intriguing idea, and one that started out with boatloads of promise, but never executed the story to its merit.
Read more on Fantastic Fest 2010 Review: Transfer…...
- 9/24/2010
- by J.C. De Leon
- GordonandtheWhale
Craig here with the next Take Three
Today: Kerry Washington
Take One: And the band played on
Jim McKay's Our Song (2000) was one of those New York high school coming-of-age films that often crop up from time to time. There were plenty on the late'80s/early '90s indie scene, but nowadays they're few and far between. The film follows three girl friends experiencing formative tribulations on their paths to adulthood. They navigate themselves through a summer of issues - teen pregnancy and suicide, their school's impending closure, family strife - in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, all whilst practising with The Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band in local parking lots for a Labor Day parade. It's a languorous, amiable film that, despite the surplus of social topics it raises, doesn't hammer any of them home with undue force.
Girl Power: Washington, Anna Simpson & Melissa Martinez in Our Song
Kerry Washington,...
Today: Kerry Washington
Take One: And the band played on
Jim McKay's Our Song (2000) was one of those New York high school coming-of-age films that often crop up from time to time. There were plenty on the late'80s/early '90s indie scene, but nowadays they're few and far between. The film follows three girl friends experiencing formative tribulations on their paths to adulthood. They navigate themselves through a summer of issues - teen pregnancy and suicide, their school's impending closure, family strife - in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, all whilst practising with The Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band in local parking lots for a Labor Day parade. It's a languorous, amiable film that, despite the surplus of social topics it raises, doesn't hammer any of them home with undue force.
Girl Power: Washington, Anna Simpson & Melissa Martinez in Our Song
Kerry Washington,...
- 7/18/2010
- by Craig Bloomfield
- FilmExperience
America’s fascination with the scared straight routine has long since run its course, but that doesn’t mean the shock tactics involved don’t still carry some weight. Boot Camp tells a story inspired by true events about the “correctional facilities” that still exist across the world, nestled away in countries whose laws don’t have as much red tape as those in the good ol’ U.S. of A. These boot camps aren’t mini-Guantanamo Bays, their clientele never conspired to fly a plane into a building; the people being held here are problematic teenagers whose parents have run out of options and just don’t know what else to do. If you’ll believe it, there are in fact camps like this in the world and their purposes aren’t far off from what you’ll see in this thriller starring Mila Kunis – but the film’s...
- 8/30/2009
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
MGM Home Entertainment is set to release the 2007 psychological suspense thriller "Boot Camp" on Unrated DVD on August 25.
"Boot Camp" stars former "That '70s Show" star Mila Kunis as Sophie, a rebellious teenager who gets sent to a high-tech "tough love" rehabilitation program for troubled teens called Camp Serenity on a remote island in Fiji. The facility turns out to be a penitentiary-style boot camp where teenagers are brutalized and brainwashed.
Also starring are Gregory Smith, Peter Stormare, Christopher Jacot, Tygh Runyan, Colleen Rennison, Regine Nehy, and Grace Bauer.
The Unrated DVD, in widescreen format, will be available for .98 on August 25.
"Boot Camp" stars former "That '70s Show" star Mila Kunis as Sophie, a rebellious teenager who gets sent to a high-tech "tough love" rehabilitation program for troubled teens called Camp Serenity on a remote island in Fiji. The facility turns out to be a penitentiary-style boot camp where teenagers are brutalized and brainwashed.
Also starring are Gregory Smith, Peter Stormare, Christopher Jacot, Tygh Runyan, Colleen Rennison, Regine Nehy, and Grace Bauer.
The Unrated DVD, in widescreen format, will be available for .98 on August 25.
- 8/20/2009
- icelebz.com
Entertainment Weekly just posted Stephen King’s picks for best movies of 2008. Here ya go! #1 The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale (Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins), Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain) and Michael Caine. #2 Slumdog Millionaire, starring Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla. #3 Wall-e, starring Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Fred Willard and Sigourney Weaver. #4 Tropic Thunder, starring Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Nick Nolte, Tom Cruise, Tobey Maguire and Ben Stiller. #5 Funny Games, starring Naomi Watts and Tim Roth. #6 The Bank Job, starring Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows. #7 Lakeview Terrace, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Regine Nehy, Jay Hernandez and Jaishon Fisher. #8 The Ruins, starring [...]...
- 12/13/2008
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
Watch the latest Spill.com animated movie review of the Screen Gems thriller “Lakeview Terrace” by director Neil Labute (The Wicker Man) and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Regine Nehy, Jay Hernandez and Jaishon Fisher. Click Here for more Spill.com movie reviews. Synopsis: An interracial couple moves into their California dream home, only to find themselves the target of their volatile next-door neighbor — a racist Lapd officer — in this tightly wound thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest “Lakeview Terrace” movie news and posters.
- 10/13/2008
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
Actor Samuel L. Jackson talks with Cinetorium about his role as Abel Turner in the Screen Gems film “Lakeview Terrace” by director Neil Labute (The Wicker Man) and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Regine Nehy, Jay Hernandez and Jaishon Fisher. Synopsis: An interracial couple moves into their California dream home, only to find themselves the target of their volatile next-door neighbor — a racist Lapd officer — in this tightly wound thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest “Lakeview Terrace” movie news, interviews and movie posters.
- 9/15/2008
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
Screen Gems released the latest movie clip “Back Off” from the upcoming thriller film “Lakeview Terrace” by director Neil Labute (The Wicker Man) and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Regine Nehy, Jay Hernandez and Jaishon Fisher. Synopsis: An interracial couple moves into their California dream home, only to find themselves the target of their volatile next-door neighbor — a racist Lapd officer — in this tightly wound thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest “Lakeview Terrace” movie news and posters.
- 9/9/2008
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
Screen Gems released another new movie clip “Is That The Prius?” from the upcoming thriller film “Lakeview Terrace” by director Neil Labute (The Wicker Man) and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Regine Nehy, Jay Hernandez and Jaishon Fisher. Synopsis: An interracial couple moves into their California dream home, only to find themselves the target of their volatile next-door neighbor — a racist Lapd officer — in this tightly wound thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest “Lakeview Terrace” movie news and posters.
- 8/30/2008
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
Screen Gems released the brand new movie clip “Where I live” from the upcoming thriller film “Lakeview Terrace” by director Neil Labute (The Wicker Man) and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Regine Nehy, Jay Hernandez and Jaishon Fisher. Synopsis: An interracial couple moves into their California dream home, only to find themselves the target of their volatile next-door neighbor — a racist Lapd officer — in this tightly wound thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest “Lakeview Terrace” movie news and posters.
- 8/29/2008
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
Screen Gems released a brand new movie poster featuring actor Samuel L. Jackson from the upcoming thriller film “Lakeview Terrace” by director Neil Labute (The Wicker Man) and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Regine Nehy, Jay Hernandez and Jaishon Fisher. Synopsis: An interracial couple moves into their California dream home, only to find themselves the target of their volatile next-door neighbor — a racist Lapd officer — in this tightly wound thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest “Lakeview Terrace” movie news and posters.
- 8/6/2008
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
Watch the latest movie trailer from the upcoming film “Lakeview Terrace” by director Neil Labute (The Wicker Man) and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Regine Nehy, Jay Hernandez and Jaishon Fisher. Synopsis: An interracial couple moves into their California dream home, only to find themselves the target of their volatile next-door neighbor — a racist Lapd officer — in this tightly wound thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest “Lakeview Terrace” movie news and trailers.
- 7/21/2008
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
PARK CITY -- Weapons brings the perennial problems of teenagers into the twenty-first century with a decidedly downbeat treatment. The film's stylish and innovative look, influenced by the slowed-down rhythms of Southern hip-hop, doesn't quite carry the elemental story of love and revenge. Its heart and soul may appeal to the new lost generation, but not the standard indie crowd.
Shot in the suburban nowhere of Southern California, the film could really take place wherever kids are restless, bored and disaffected. That's always been a recipe for violence, and director Adam Bhala Lough does not disappoint on that count. Film opens with a particularly gruesome shooting in which a kid's head is blown off in a hamburger joint. The story bobs and weaves backwards in time to eventually reveal how this came about.
Weapons centers on two groups of friends, one white and one black, who, in a nice touch, seem to more or less peacefully coexist until the explosion. On the white side is Jason (Riley Smith), a one-time high school basketball star who has fallen into a life of drugs and easy sex. His best buddy Sean Mark Webber) has, somewhat unbelievably, just returned to the neighborhood from his first year in college. Rounding out the trio is the Loose Cannon Chris (Paul Dano), a classic misfit who goes around sticking a video camera in everyone's face.
The story ignites when Reggie (Nick Cannon) discovers his kid sister Sabrina (Regine Nehy) with a black eye. She says Jason did it and in a rage Reggie sets out for revenge accompanied by his best friend Mikey (Jade Yorker) and Mikey's younger brother James (Brandon Mychal Smith). Although he's probably no more than sixteen Reggie is intent on getting a gun from Mikey's crazy uncle (Arliss Howard), who seems to be channeling the stoned-out Dennis Hooper from Apocalypse Now. After Reggie bludgeons him with a fire extinguisher all bets are off.
In between constantly getting high and stumbling around in a daze, the aggrieved parties are gradually drawn together with tragic results. But despite the buildup, the killings don't carry much weight when they finally happen. These are not characters most people can sympathy with. One tends to watch dispassionately as the inevitable plays out.
Constructed around the music of the southern hip hopper DJ Screw, which aims to simulate the laconic sound of a codeine high, the film relies on endless handheld shots and slow motion sequence in cars and at parties. There is a lot of super-saturated color meant to suggest the drug-induced state.
For their part, the kids are so high most of the time they have become matter-of-fact about the violence around them. Performances by the ensemble cast feel authentic, especially Dano as the loser Chris and Smith as the burnt out Jason. Amy Ferguson, as one of the neighborhood girls who has been around the block at sixteen, captures the dead-end feeling of a life evaporating before it starts.
With a keener eye for detail than story, Lough has definitely tapped a vein in the underbelly of America's youth. But for all its snappy editing (by Jay Rabinowitz) and visual bravado (by cinematographer Manuel Albert Claro), Weapons is not a pretty picture.
Weapons
Fried Films/Pantry Films
Credits: Director: Adam Bhala Lough; Writer: Lough; Producers: Rob Fried, Dan Keston, Bill Straus; Executive Producers: Jason Lust, Sol Tryon; Director of Photography: Manual Albert Claro; Production Designer: Alan E. Muraoka; Music: DJ Screw; Costume Designer: Tere Duncan; Editor: Jay Rabinowitz.
Cast:
Reggie: Nick Cannon; Chris: Paul Dano; Sean: Mark Webber; Jason: Riley Smith; Sabrina: Regine Nehy; Nikki: Amy Ferguson; Mikey: Jade Yorker; Mikeyis uncle: Arliss Howard; James: Brandon Mychal Smith
No MPAA rating, running time: 85 minutes...
Shot in the suburban nowhere of Southern California, the film could really take place wherever kids are restless, bored and disaffected. That's always been a recipe for violence, and director Adam Bhala Lough does not disappoint on that count. Film opens with a particularly gruesome shooting in which a kid's head is blown off in a hamburger joint. The story bobs and weaves backwards in time to eventually reveal how this came about.
Weapons centers on two groups of friends, one white and one black, who, in a nice touch, seem to more or less peacefully coexist until the explosion. On the white side is Jason (Riley Smith), a one-time high school basketball star who has fallen into a life of drugs and easy sex. His best buddy Sean Mark Webber) has, somewhat unbelievably, just returned to the neighborhood from his first year in college. Rounding out the trio is the Loose Cannon Chris (Paul Dano), a classic misfit who goes around sticking a video camera in everyone's face.
The story ignites when Reggie (Nick Cannon) discovers his kid sister Sabrina (Regine Nehy) with a black eye. She says Jason did it and in a rage Reggie sets out for revenge accompanied by his best friend Mikey (Jade Yorker) and Mikey's younger brother James (Brandon Mychal Smith). Although he's probably no more than sixteen Reggie is intent on getting a gun from Mikey's crazy uncle (Arliss Howard), who seems to be channeling the stoned-out Dennis Hooper from Apocalypse Now. After Reggie bludgeons him with a fire extinguisher all bets are off.
In between constantly getting high and stumbling around in a daze, the aggrieved parties are gradually drawn together with tragic results. But despite the buildup, the killings don't carry much weight when they finally happen. These are not characters most people can sympathy with. One tends to watch dispassionately as the inevitable plays out.
Constructed around the music of the southern hip hopper DJ Screw, which aims to simulate the laconic sound of a codeine high, the film relies on endless handheld shots and slow motion sequence in cars and at parties. There is a lot of super-saturated color meant to suggest the drug-induced state.
For their part, the kids are so high most of the time they have become matter-of-fact about the violence around them. Performances by the ensemble cast feel authentic, especially Dano as the loser Chris and Smith as the burnt out Jason. Amy Ferguson, as one of the neighborhood girls who has been around the block at sixteen, captures the dead-end feeling of a life evaporating before it starts.
With a keener eye for detail than story, Lough has definitely tapped a vein in the underbelly of America's youth. But for all its snappy editing (by Jay Rabinowitz) and visual bravado (by cinematographer Manuel Albert Claro), Weapons is not a pretty picture.
Weapons
Fried Films/Pantry Films
Credits: Director: Adam Bhala Lough; Writer: Lough; Producers: Rob Fried, Dan Keston, Bill Straus; Executive Producers: Jason Lust, Sol Tryon; Director of Photography: Manual Albert Claro; Production Designer: Alan E. Muraoka; Music: DJ Screw; Costume Designer: Tere Duncan; Editor: Jay Rabinowitz.
Cast:
Reggie: Nick Cannon; Chris: Paul Dano; Sean: Mark Webber; Jason: Riley Smith; Sabrina: Regine Nehy; Nikki: Amy Ferguson; Mikey: Jade Yorker; Mikeyis uncle: Arliss Howard; James: Brandon Mychal Smith
No MPAA rating, running time: 85 minutes...
- 1/21/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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