Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Fall of the Acid House
Since quite a bit has happened over the past weeks and months I have let the Acid House fall by the wayside but I fully plan on finishing my endeavor. I have watched plenty of the movies from the list but have not been doing the reviews thus I will restart the project. I may be posting more and more infrequently but I will finish the project of that I promise. The new Acid House begins tomorrow where the letter "C" will continue.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Movie Log: Day 38 Weekend Review
And now after a short reprieve and enjoying some fine weather we get into the very short letter of "c". Starting off with the dearly departed Heath Leger and finishing with an oldie but a goodie from the great Stanley Kubrick.
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Candy
DIRECTOR: Neil Armfield
YEAR: 2006
DRUG INVOLVED: Heroine
When Dan meets Candy for the first time, everything is perfect. The love story of Dan and Candy starts out like many others a boy meets a girl, they fall in love, and everything is perfect. When they become not only addicted to each other but to pharmaceutical grade heroine things get very complicated especially when their cash supply is constantly in flux. The pair go through marriage, birth, addiction, a whole pantheon of emotions before the last frames of the film drop.
This is an extremely interesting film and I believe it is the Australian's answer to "Requiem for a Dream". The most obvious comparison between the two is the format that both films take on. Where in "Requiem" the film was broken into Summer, Fall, and Winter in "Candy" its broken into the appropriately named Heaven, Earth, and Hell. I found a number of things were effective about this movie including its plot break down with the Heaven section ending in their marriage, the Earth section ending in the abortion of their child, and the Hell section rounding out the end of the film. There were a number of cinematography choices that I believed were effective including a number of motionless shots that would hang for almost a minuet or more. The camera work, a style that is quickly becoming the favorite in these sub genera, was almost all hand held. The story could be aimless but effectively shows the pains that the addictions of flesh and needle can bring with them. With a very small cast and a strong film narrative this film is both simple and complex all in one intricate breath.
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: The carousel shot at the beginning sold it
FAVORITE SCENE: Heath reading the painting on the walls was amazing
ACID SCORE: A good 8 out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Cadillac Records
DIRECTOR: Darnell Martin
YEAR: 2008
DRUGS INVOLVED: Alcohol, Heroine
The incredible true story: When Muddy Waters, a country boy and farm hand meets up with Leonard Chess, a Jewish boy from the city something amazing happens. With Muddy's help the blues were born and soon after rock and roll itself and in the middle of it all was Chess Records, nicnamed Cadillac Records because of the wealth the label provided. The vision of success put forth by this record label however were something a little less then stellar. Addiction, infidelity, and deceit all played out in an age that would see the birth of several forms of music that would define an era and change the world of musical entertainment forever.
You could not ask for a better cast or better performances from the entire bunch assembled here. Adrien Brody, Beyonce, Jeffery Wright and Gabrielle Union all fill out the cast nicely. The story speaks for itself, the incredible true story of the birth of rock and roll and its key early players. This movie was exceptional but was certainly not an acid house film since it is an incredible biopic more then anything else.
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: More of a historical film then anything else
FAVORITE SCENE: Watching Muddy Waters play the blues for the first time was pretty cool
ACID SCORE: An awesome 9 out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Candy
DIRECTOR: Neil Armfield
YEAR: 2006
DRUG INVOLVED: Heroine
When Dan meets Candy for the first time, everything is perfect. The love story of Dan and Candy starts out like many others a boy meets a girl, they fall in love, and everything is perfect. When they become not only addicted to each other but to pharmaceutical grade heroine things get very complicated especially when their cash supply is constantly in flux. The pair go through marriage, birth, addiction, a whole pantheon of emotions before the last frames of the film drop.
This is an extremely interesting film and I believe it is the Australian's answer to "Requiem for a Dream". The most obvious comparison between the two is the format that both films take on. Where in "Requiem" the film was broken into Summer, Fall, and Winter in "Candy" its broken into the appropriately named Heaven, Earth, and Hell. I found a number of things were effective about this movie including its plot break down with the Heaven section ending in their marriage, the Earth section ending in the abortion of their child, and the Hell section rounding out the end of the film. There were a number of cinematography choices that I believed were effective including a number of motionless shots that would hang for almost a minuet or more. The camera work, a style that is quickly becoming the favorite in these sub genera, was almost all hand held. The story could be aimless but effectively shows the pains that the addictions of flesh and needle can bring with them. With a very small cast and a strong film narrative this film is both simple and complex all in one intricate breath.
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: The carousel shot at the beginning sold it
FAVORITE SCENE: Heath reading the painting on the walls was amazing
ACID SCORE: A good 8 out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Cadillac Records
DIRECTOR: Darnell Martin
YEAR: 2008
DRUGS INVOLVED: Alcohol, Heroine
The incredible true story: When Muddy Waters, a country boy and farm hand meets up with Leonard Chess, a Jewish boy from the city something amazing happens. With Muddy's help the blues were born and soon after rock and roll itself and in the middle of it all was Chess Records, nicnamed Cadillac Records because of the wealth the label provided. The vision of success put forth by this record label however were something a little less then stellar. Addiction, infidelity, and deceit all played out in an age that would see the birth of several forms of music that would define an era and change the world of musical entertainment forever.
You could not ask for a better cast or better performances from the entire bunch assembled here. Adrien Brody, Beyonce, Jeffery Wright and Gabrielle Union all fill out the cast nicely. The story speaks for itself, the incredible true story of the birth of rock and roll and its key early players. This movie was exceptional but was certainly not an acid house film since it is an incredible biopic more then anything else.
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: More of a historical film then anything else
FAVORITE SCENE: Watching Muddy Waters play the blues for the first time was pretty cool
ACID SCORE: An awesome 9 out of 10
Friday, February 26, 2010
Movie Log: Day 28
Well i was going to write a blog last night but then I got a gift from the world of stomach viruses and spent my evening getting acquainted with my toilet bowl. That being said I am much better and already watched all the movies i need to in order to finish off the letter B. It was a pretty decent section of the alphabet in all with great movies like Bobby, Brick, and Boogie Nights with some fairly lousy ones like Broken Down Palace, and Bongwater. We finish off with another mixed bag starting off with a conspiracy theory film that is a little on the fucked up side.
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Bug
DIRECTOR: William Freidkin
YEAR: 2006
DRUGS INVOLVED: Cannabis, Crack Cocaine, Cocaine
Agnes is a waitress in a small Oklahoma town living out of a motel and barely scraping a living by. As the movie begins her ex-husband Jerry has just gotten out of prison and she had been receiving strange phone calls with no voice on the other line. At the bar she works at she is introduced to Peter a strange and quiet man that Agnes is very taken by. He eventually tells her that he spent most of his life in the Army and recently at an army hospital in Groom Lake (better known as Area 51) and he went AWOL. Peter believes that the army doctors experimented on him and placed bugs in his blood stream and eventually convinces Agnes that she is infected too, what follows is a trip down the rabbit hole into the insanity of a paranoid schizophrenic.
Most of the movies I watch for this blog are strange, some are I would even characterize as really weird but this one takes the taco for disturbing. I am not one for horror films, and I wouldn't really characterize this as a horror film but more of a psychological thriller, however there is lots of blood. Ashley Judd, and Michael Shannon headline with support by the venerable Harry Connick Jr. who all play their parts extremely well. The visual design of this film in a word is raw, raw and in your face with drugs, blood, and lots of nudity. This film isn't really all that scary but if you are squeamish you might want to pass on it. I am not sure if I like it or not, partly because it may not be my type of film, but I have to respect the acting and very disturbing storyline which all plays out well. I don't think I would be honoring the code of the acid house film if I gave this one a pass into the club but if you really want to watch a "what the fuck" type of movie this is your thing.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: NO
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: Not the right type of film but it was close
FAVORITE SCENE: The conspiracy theory rant (bildiburg)
ACID SCORE: More like a 7.5 out of 10, the beginning was slightly dull
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Bullet
DIRECTOR: Julien Temple
YEAR: 1996
DURG INVOLVED: Heroin
The story of Butch "Bullet" Stein after he leave prison serving an 8 year term to protect a friend of his. It doesn't take long for him to fall back to his old ways, as he rips off a heroin dealer shortly after his release and starts using again. One of the problems facing him after his release is the vengeful Tank, a drug lord who lost his eye during a fight with Bullet while they were serving time together. All this happens while Bullet tries to keep his highly dysfunctional family from falling apart all around him.
With a cast like this you would think that this film would be a slam dunk: Micky Rourke, Adrien Brody, Ted Levine, and repping the west side Tupac Shakur as Tank. You would think, but you would be wrong. From the first fram to the last this film is dull, dull, dull, and the story seems to bounce and ramble around with no real purpose or definite end in sight. The cinematography, script, and execution for a movie like this is relatively poor. Its a shame to waste such a great bunch of guys on a poor piece like this but the one bright spot in the movie was just that. Excellent performances from Tupac and Ted Levine the paranoid war veteran brother to Micky Rourke were both excellent but that in no way bails this movie out.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No way
REASON APPROVAL WAS DENIED: Not an interesting film
FAVORITE SCENE: Ted Levine instructing a bunch of elementary school students how to kill a person with a buck knife
ACID SCORE: An even 5 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Bully
DIRECTOR: Larry Clark
YEAR: 2001
DRUGS INVOLVED: LSD, Meth, Cannabis
We finish the letter B with a true story! Bully is the story of So Cal Vally kids Bobby and Marty who hook up with 2 girls Ali and Lisa, decide to take them out, and eventually end up having sex with them. On the surface Bobby and Marty are friends but Bobby like pushing Marty around and has an intensely violent nature. After Bobby rapes Ali the other three kick around the idea of putting an end to Bobby's life. At first it starts as a joke but after they decide to hire a gangbanger to help them take Bobby out there is no turning back. Plagued with the guilt of what they did the group of people that aided in the murder of Bobby begin to turn on each other as the well thought out plan quickly disintegrates.
Knowing that this is a true story makes me happy that I am a nice guy. The screenplay is based on the book "Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge" and is quite a tale. Starting out with an excellent cast including my boy Nick Sthal as the titular bully with Brad Renfro, Rachel Miner, Michael Pitt, and Bijou Phillips doing what she does best and slutting it up with some very fetching outfits. Director Larry Clark knows something about acid house films as he directed two others that will be up for contention later in the series. The camera work was great, almost entirely hand held giving you a real fly on the wall feel. The valley slang and great story progression all tie this one together nicely and let you remember that crime really does not pay.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: Before killing their friend they all decide to drop acid, who the hell does that
FAVORITE SCENE: The very "That 70's Show" esque rotating pan of the group as they decide exactly how they are going to kill Bobby
ACID SCORE: a solid 8 hits out of 10
Soon and very soon the letter C begins!!
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Bug
DIRECTOR: William Freidkin
YEAR: 2006
DRUGS INVOLVED: Cannabis, Crack Cocaine, Cocaine
Agnes is a waitress in a small Oklahoma town living out of a motel and barely scraping a living by. As the movie begins her ex-husband Jerry has just gotten out of prison and she had been receiving strange phone calls with no voice on the other line. At the bar she works at she is introduced to Peter a strange and quiet man that Agnes is very taken by. He eventually tells her that he spent most of his life in the Army and recently at an army hospital in Groom Lake (better known as Area 51) and he went AWOL. Peter believes that the army doctors experimented on him and placed bugs in his blood stream and eventually convinces Agnes that she is infected too, what follows is a trip down the rabbit hole into the insanity of a paranoid schizophrenic.
Most of the movies I watch for this blog are strange, some are I would even characterize as really weird but this one takes the taco for disturbing. I am not one for horror films, and I wouldn't really characterize this as a horror film but more of a psychological thriller, however there is lots of blood. Ashley Judd, and Michael Shannon headline with support by the venerable Harry Connick Jr. who all play their parts extremely well. The visual design of this film in a word is raw, raw and in your face with drugs, blood, and lots of nudity. This film isn't really all that scary but if you are squeamish you might want to pass on it. I am not sure if I like it or not, partly because it may not be my type of film, but I have to respect the acting and very disturbing storyline which all plays out well. I don't think I would be honoring the code of the acid house film if I gave this one a pass into the club but if you really want to watch a "what the fuck" type of movie this is your thing.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: NO
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: Not the right type of film but it was close
FAVORITE SCENE: The conspiracy theory rant (bildiburg)
ACID SCORE: More like a 7.5 out of 10, the beginning was slightly dull
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Bullet
DIRECTOR: Julien Temple
YEAR: 1996
DURG INVOLVED: Heroin
The story of Butch "Bullet" Stein after he leave prison serving an 8 year term to protect a friend of his. It doesn't take long for him to fall back to his old ways, as he rips off a heroin dealer shortly after his release and starts using again. One of the problems facing him after his release is the vengeful Tank, a drug lord who lost his eye during a fight with Bullet while they were serving time together. All this happens while Bullet tries to keep his highly dysfunctional family from falling apart all around him.
With a cast like this you would think that this film would be a slam dunk: Micky Rourke, Adrien Brody, Ted Levine, and repping the west side Tupac Shakur as Tank. You would think, but you would be wrong. From the first fram to the last this film is dull, dull, dull, and the story seems to bounce and ramble around with no real purpose or definite end in sight. The cinematography, script, and execution for a movie like this is relatively poor. Its a shame to waste such a great bunch of guys on a poor piece like this but the one bright spot in the movie was just that. Excellent performances from Tupac and Ted Levine the paranoid war veteran brother to Micky Rourke were both excellent but that in no way bails this movie out.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No way
REASON APPROVAL WAS DENIED: Not an interesting film
FAVORITE SCENE: Ted Levine instructing a bunch of elementary school students how to kill a person with a buck knife
ACID SCORE: An even 5 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Bully
DIRECTOR: Larry Clark
YEAR: 2001
DRUGS INVOLVED: LSD, Meth, Cannabis
We finish the letter B with a true story! Bully is the story of So Cal Vally kids Bobby and Marty who hook up with 2 girls Ali and Lisa, decide to take them out, and eventually end up having sex with them. On the surface Bobby and Marty are friends but Bobby like pushing Marty around and has an intensely violent nature. After Bobby rapes Ali the other three kick around the idea of putting an end to Bobby's life. At first it starts as a joke but after they decide to hire a gangbanger to help them take Bobby out there is no turning back. Plagued with the guilt of what they did the group of people that aided in the murder of Bobby begin to turn on each other as the well thought out plan quickly disintegrates.
Knowing that this is a true story makes me happy that I am a nice guy. The screenplay is based on the book "Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge" and is quite a tale. Starting out with an excellent cast including my boy Nick Sthal as the titular bully with Brad Renfro, Rachel Miner, Michael Pitt, and Bijou Phillips doing what she does best and slutting it up with some very fetching outfits. Director Larry Clark knows something about acid house films as he directed two others that will be up for contention later in the series. The camera work was great, almost entirely hand held giving you a real fly on the wall feel. The valley slang and great story progression all tie this one together nicely and let you remember that crime really does not pay.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: Before killing their friend they all decide to drop acid, who the hell does that
FAVORITE SCENE: The very "That 70's Show" esque rotating pan of the group as they decide exactly how they are going to kill Bobby
ACID SCORE: a solid 8 hits out of 10
Soon and very soon the letter C begins!!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Movie Log: Day 26
Today was some of the most relentless and bitter rain I have seen in a while so it was a perfect day to stay indoors and watch some good movies... Well not all of them were good. As I get deeper into discovering the true hit-list of this genre I find that it is a pretty mixed bag and while most of my exposure to it before this has been good I now find that drug movies just like any other class of films certainly have their home runs and their strike outs. Today a great tit for tat, one good movie and one bad one.
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Brokedown Palace
DIRECTOR: Jonathan Kaplan
YEAR: 1999
DRUG INVOLVED: Cocaine
Alice and Darlene are best friends and could not be more different. Darlene comes from a wealthy family and is on the road to great things after she finishes high school while Alice comes from a neglectful family and is a "bad egg" with no aspirations for the future. When Alice convinces Darlene to lie to her parents about summer vacation in Hawaii and instead go to Thailand it is one of the last mistakes the pair will make. They meet up with the handsome and urbane Nick who offers to pay for the girls to visit him in Hong Kong while he is there on business. At the airport they are arrested with bags of cocaine on them, and not speaking the language or knowing the justice system in Thailand they are quickly thrown into a harsh prison and sentenced to 40 years. With the help of Hank Green, an American who takes cases for other American nationals attempts to help the girls out but even this ends up proving difficult.
With a regularly played out storyline and poor execution this film falls flat very quickly. Two hotties Clare Danes (Alice) and Kate Beckinsale (Darlene) take point on this one but I have seen much better work from both of them and the writers only decided to keep them in bikinis for a very short time. By the end of the movie when the inevitable tough decision comes you really don't care what happens to who. The sequences in jail at times were intense but those moments are few and far between. After the girls get put into jail, for me at least, the story just kind of sits and eventually rots and by the end of the film just plain stinks. What is worse is that this is more of a stereotypical POW type prison story which had very little to do with the drugs. I did manage to get a snapshot of the one section with a shot of drugs in them however this was the only real fun I had while watching this movie... and seeing the part with Clare and Kate in bikinis.
SUMMARY
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No way
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: Not a drug film in any way
FAVORITE SCENE: Read the last sentence of the review
ACID SCORE: A pathetic 4 out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Buffalo Soldiers
DIRECTOR: Gregor Jordan
YEAR: 2001
DRUGS INVOLVED: Heroin and MDMA
Ray Elwood is brought up on drug dealing charges and was given a choice, 6 years in prison or 3 years in the army and he chose the army. After going through basic training he is placed in an army base out of West Germany and goes right back to his old tricks selling everything from mop and glo to Heroin. When a fellow officer and junkie dies his tox panel brings up a few questions about what is going on inside the base and a new commanding officer is assigned to look into the problems and becomes a thorn in Elwood's side. All of this happens in the midst of Elwood stealing millions of dollars in army weapons from a neglected supply transport.
This is for one thing an interesting spin on the old drug dealer plots that I have been seeing recently. Putting a drug dealer in the army out in West Germany made things very interesting indeed. The plots main idea isn't the only thing that is good about it, the writing and the minutia of the story are also pretty solid. The movie is funny, exciting, and kind of makes you think what soldiers do when you are bored. Another appearance by Anna Paquin taking x was a nice tough as was the always calm, cool, and collected Joaquin Pheonix who played his part well. Add in a few explosions, fire fights, and dream sequences and what we have is a great acid house film.
SUMMARY
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: When a group of high tank operators blow up a gas station by driving the wrong way to their contact point
FAVORITE SCENE: I would say the end of the film was a great way to go and gave a nice final chuckle
ACID SCORE: a solid 8 hits out of 10
Tomorrow the end is nigh as the letter B wraps up.
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Brokedown Palace
DIRECTOR: Jonathan Kaplan
YEAR: 1999
DRUG INVOLVED: Cocaine
Alice and Darlene are best friends and could not be more different. Darlene comes from a wealthy family and is on the road to great things after she finishes high school while Alice comes from a neglectful family and is a "bad egg" with no aspirations for the future. When Alice convinces Darlene to lie to her parents about summer vacation in Hawaii and instead go to Thailand it is one of the last mistakes the pair will make. They meet up with the handsome and urbane Nick who offers to pay for the girls to visit him in Hong Kong while he is there on business. At the airport they are arrested with bags of cocaine on them, and not speaking the language or knowing the justice system in Thailand they are quickly thrown into a harsh prison and sentenced to 40 years. With the help of Hank Green, an American who takes cases for other American nationals attempts to help the girls out but even this ends up proving difficult.
With a regularly played out storyline and poor execution this film falls flat very quickly. Two hotties Clare Danes (Alice) and Kate Beckinsale (Darlene) take point on this one but I have seen much better work from both of them and the writers only decided to keep them in bikinis for a very short time. By the end of the movie when the inevitable tough decision comes you really don't care what happens to who. The sequences in jail at times were intense but those moments are few and far between. After the girls get put into jail, for me at least, the story just kind of sits and eventually rots and by the end of the film just plain stinks. What is worse is that this is more of a stereotypical POW type prison story which had very little to do with the drugs. I did manage to get a snapshot of the one section with a shot of drugs in them however this was the only real fun I had while watching this movie... and seeing the part with Clare and Kate in bikinis.
SUMMARY
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No way
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: Not a drug film in any way
FAVORITE SCENE: Read the last sentence of the review
ACID SCORE: A pathetic 4 out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Buffalo Soldiers
DIRECTOR: Gregor Jordan
YEAR: 2001
DRUGS INVOLVED: Heroin and MDMA
Ray Elwood is brought up on drug dealing charges and was given a choice, 6 years in prison or 3 years in the army and he chose the army. After going through basic training he is placed in an army base out of West Germany and goes right back to his old tricks selling everything from mop and glo to Heroin. When a fellow officer and junkie dies his tox panel brings up a few questions about what is going on inside the base and a new commanding officer is assigned to look into the problems and becomes a thorn in Elwood's side. All of this happens in the midst of Elwood stealing millions of dollars in army weapons from a neglected supply transport.
This is for one thing an interesting spin on the old drug dealer plots that I have been seeing recently. Putting a drug dealer in the army out in West Germany made things very interesting indeed. The plots main idea isn't the only thing that is good about it, the writing and the minutia of the story are also pretty solid. The movie is funny, exciting, and kind of makes you think what soldiers do when you are bored. Another appearance by Anna Paquin taking x was a nice tough as was the always calm, cool, and collected Joaquin Pheonix who played his part well. Add in a few explosions, fire fights, and dream sequences and what we have is a great acid house film.
SUMMARY
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: When a group of high tank operators blow up a gas station by driving the wrong way to their contact point
FAVORITE SCENE: I would say the end of the film was a great way to go and gave a nice final chuckle
ACID SCORE: a solid 8 hits out of 10
Tomorrow the end is nigh as the letter B wraps up.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Movie Log: Day 25 The Weekend Review
Just to be clear here the definition of an acid house movie is thus: A movie that has drug themes relating to drug use, experience, or addiction. Visually it must play like a drug film, demonstrating unique cinematography, editing, and visual design choices. Its genre must not dip too far into a true historical film, cop film, or any thing other then a true drug film. That having been said lets take a look at two more entries from the letter "B" one that was near perfect and one that was not quite so perfect.
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Brick
DIRECTOR: Rian Johnson
YEAR: 2005
DRUG INVOLVED: Heroin
When streetwise high school student Brendan receives a distressed phone call from his ex-girlfriend Emily he begins attempting to help her out, at first perhaps to win her back but it soon becomes much more complicated then that. With the help of his friend "The Brain" Brendan tracks down and gets to the bottom of a complex mystery involving vengeance, exploitation, drug dealers, and a missing brick of heroin.
What can I say about this fine piece of cinema other then perfect, perfect, perfect. Every phase of this film is just done so well starting with a story with twists and turns to spare, a killer ending, and keeps you glued to your seat from the first frame to the last. Next the killer script rife with lush old school film noir language in the vein of writer Dashiell Hammett. Moving right along to the cast of the film, which is also damn fine starting off with main character Joseph Gordon Levitt who's streetwise, cool and calculating Brendan is played with passion and also includes a litany of mainly unknown young men and women who all finish out this cast well. It finishes with some amazing camera work and visuals with interesting angle work, black versus white themes, and intense transitions. This is not only an excellent noir, drug film, and just film in general but it also passes the acid house test with flying colors and is giving the distinct honor of getting a perfect score. If you love films then you will be hard pressed not to like this one.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes, Yes, Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: I would say within the first few scenes
FAVORITE SCENE: The Tug/Pin showdown at the end of the movie
ACID SCORE; a perfect 10 hits out of 10 I only wish I could give it more
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Bright Lights, Big City
DIRECTOR: James Bridges
YEAR: 1988
DRUG INVOLVED: Cocaine
When Jamie Conway, a disillusioned writer who recently moved to New York City, gets dumped by his fiancee he starts to go off the deep end. In an attempt to bury the misery of his breakup and before that his mothers death at the hands of cancer he begins hanging out with a drug dealer named Tad and doing cocaine. Slowly his dive into depression begins to effect his professional life and his health as he spirals out of control.
While "Brick" kept you nailed to the edge of your seat this film has you yawning more then watching. Two of my favorite guys star in this tale, Michael J. Fox ("Back to the Future") and Keifer Sutherland (TV's "24") however I was very unimpressed with their performances and the performances of the rest of the cast. What is supposed to be a heart wrenching look into the decline of a regular old guy with a dream plays more like another preachy anti-drug film. Nothing is all that interesting visually and it has a rather annoying sound track to put the finishing touch on this one. It was interesting enough to keep me watching to the end but I must say that is film is quite standard and if I may ascribe a flavor to it... bland.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Negative
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: a rather boring film
FAVORITE SCENE: Keifer Sutherland giving Michael J. Fox the blowjob sigh standing behind a girl at his club
ACID SCORE: A rather bland 5 out of 10
Tune in tomorrow as the letter "B" begins to wind down.
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Brick
DIRECTOR: Rian Johnson
YEAR: 2005
DRUG INVOLVED: Heroin
When streetwise high school student Brendan receives a distressed phone call from his ex-girlfriend Emily he begins attempting to help her out, at first perhaps to win her back but it soon becomes much more complicated then that. With the help of his friend "The Brain" Brendan tracks down and gets to the bottom of a complex mystery involving vengeance, exploitation, drug dealers, and a missing brick of heroin.
What can I say about this fine piece of cinema other then perfect, perfect, perfect. Every phase of this film is just done so well starting with a story with twists and turns to spare, a killer ending, and keeps you glued to your seat from the first frame to the last. Next the killer script rife with lush old school film noir language in the vein of writer Dashiell Hammett. Moving right along to the cast of the film, which is also damn fine starting off with main character Joseph Gordon Levitt who's streetwise, cool and calculating Brendan is played with passion and also includes a litany of mainly unknown young men and women who all finish out this cast well. It finishes with some amazing camera work and visuals with interesting angle work, black versus white themes, and intense transitions. This is not only an excellent noir, drug film, and just film in general but it also passes the acid house test with flying colors and is giving the distinct honor of getting a perfect score. If you love films then you will be hard pressed not to like this one.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes, Yes, Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: I would say within the first few scenes
FAVORITE SCENE: The Tug/Pin showdown at the end of the movie
ACID SCORE; a perfect 10 hits out of 10 I only wish I could give it more
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Bright Lights, Big City
DIRECTOR: James Bridges
YEAR: 1988
DRUG INVOLVED: Cocaine
When Jamie Conway, a disillusioned writer who recently moved to New York City, gets dumped by his fiancee he starts to go off the deep end. In an attempt to bury the misery of his breakup and before that his mothers death at the hands of cancer he begins hanging out with a drug dealer named Tad and doing cocaine. Slowly his dive into depression begins to effect his professional life and his health as he spirals out of control.
While "Brick" kept you nailed to the edge of your seat this film has you yawning more then watching. Two of my favorite guys star in this tale, Michael J. Fox ("Back to the Future") and Keifer Sutherland (TV's "24") however I was very unimpressed with their performances and the performances of the rest of the cast. What is supposed to be a heart wrenching look into the decline of a regular old guy with a dream plays more like another preachy anti-drug film. Nothing is all that interesting visually and it has a rather annoying sound track to put the finishing touch on this one. It was interesting enough to keep me watching to the end but I must say that is film is quite standard and if I may ascribe a flavor to it... bland.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Negative
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: a rather boring film
FAVORITE SCENE: Keifer Sutherland giving Michael J. Fox the blowjob sigh standing behind a girl at his club
ACID SCORE: A rather bland 5 out of 10
Tune in tomorrow as the letter "B" begins to wind down.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Movie Log: Day 20
In my constant game of catch up I am bringing three more films from the wikipedia list in an attempt to find more candidates for the acid house. This days three were a surprising bunch with an bizarre cast for each one. First lets start with the craziest cast and work our way down.
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Bobby
DIRECTOR: Emilio Estevez
YEAR: 2006
DRUGs INVOLVED: Cannabis and LSD
Let me just get this out of the way first before I say word one about this movie and give you a brief cast list:
Nick Cannon as Dwayne Clark
Emilio Estevez as Tim Fallon
Laurence Fishburne as Edward Robinson
Heather Graham as Angela
Anthony Hopkins as John Casey
Helen Hunt as Samantha
Joshua Jackson as Wade Buckley
Ashton Kutcher as Fisher
Shia LaBeouf as Cooper
Lindsay Lohan as Diane Howser
William H. Macy as Paul Ebbers
Demi Moore as Virginia Fallon
Freddy Rodriguez as José Rojas
Martin Sheen as Jack
Christian Slater as Daryl Timmons
Sharon Stone as Miriam Ebbers
Elijah Wood as William Avary
No I am not pulling your leg all of those people are indeed in the same film, I am pretty sure if you threw the cast of friends in you would have everyone who has every worked with anyone in that film. Getting over the very recognizable cast the story is a very familiar one, 1968 the Ambassador Hotel in LA the day of the California Primary. At this time Bobby Kennedy was getting ready to essentially wrap his bid for the presidency up claiming to want change and an end to the war... sound familiar? The night of Bobby's win of the California Primary he was however gunned down by Iranian Sirhan Sirhan, what a lot of people don't know is that several other people were shot that night too and instead of it being Bobbies story it is their story encompassing the entire day of the California Primary.
I will say it once more for posterity sake, this cast is phenomenal and each individual performance is stellar. I think taking a look at a historical event from the perspective of ordinary people is a stroke of pure genius and I must give credit to writer, director, and actor in this film Emilio Estevez. The camera work is all great, the shot choice and editing take you on a very stream of consciousness view of the days events. I know what you are all thinking however, with all this historical stuff how could this be a candidate for the acid house? Well in the midst of a very important day 2 Kennedy aids that were supposed to go out knocking on doors getting people to vote instead decide to drop acid which gives us ample drug use footage. At then end of the day however this is just a great period piece, very accurately retelling the events of a tragic and historical event and nothing more. Still a really great film!
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: Historical film
FAVORITE SCENE: The LSD trip scene, how could it not be
ACID SCORE: an easy 8 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE:
MOVIE: Bongwater
DIRECTOR: Richard Sears
YEAR: 1997
DRUGS INVOLVED: Cannabis, LSD, and cocaine
The plot centers on a lazy pot dealer (Luke Wilson) who is a painter with little to no aspirations. He meets a quirky, beautiful, free-spirited girl (Alicia Witt), who turns his life around, and not always for the good. He manages to get her out of his life when she moves to New York, but he can't get her off his mind. The movie also follows her adventures in New York City where she hooks up with a gun-toting rock star (Jamie Kennedy).
I will be deadly honest with you I stole that synopsis from IMDB because I really didn't know what the hell I was watching. The very poor attempt to roll a romance into a standard pot movie was not terribly successful. The storytelling was frenetic and aloof and it was easy to lose your place in the story and really wonder where the movie is going next. Honestly this form can work in acid house type films but I really think this one just didn't get it quite right. I think that the shooting and visual effect could be cool at times and Jack Black singing was pretty sweet too but all in all I think this was just a very mediocre attempt at a making a run of the mill pot film.
SUMMARY
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: Did not work as a drug film
FAVORITE SCENE: Jack Black singing Jesus Ranch a Tenacious D song
ACID SCORE: a lowly 4 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Boogie Nights
DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson
YEAR: 1997
DRUGS INVOLVED: Cocaine and Meth
This look at the early days of pornography is not only a cult classic but is in my opinion one of the only films that Mark Wahlburg really nailed his part. The story takes us back to 1977 in the San Fernando Valley where director Jack Horner recruits a young bus boy to be in his adult films. The movie follows the career of this bus boy who renames himself Dirk Diggler. In the early days its everything goes great but as the 80's roll around and the decline of professional adult film production infringes on the success of all those involved things fall apart quickly.
"Boogie Nights" is the film when it comes to the history of porn, one of the most successful industries in the history of America which has had few if not nearly no coverage in the popular mediums of television or film. The cast which includes Wahlburg, Burt Reynolds, Heather Graham, Julianne Moore, and John C Riley is a total slam dunk. The production value of the film is great, with accurate recreations of the eras involved inter-cut with old 8 and 9mm film reels of the films "made" within the film. The drug use is prevalent, in your face, and bears heavily on the plot line, that combined with the great filming style and cast make this an acid house slam dunk.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: When a new arrival at Jack's party asks if there will be any coke at the party he replies "I am sure we could find some around here somewhere"
FAVORITE SCENE: The drug scam is high tension and visually appealing
ACID SCORE; A respectable 7 Hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Bobby
DIRECTOR: Emilio Estevez
YEAR: 2006
DRUGs INVOLVED: Cannabis and LSD
Let me just get this out of the way first before I say word one about this movie and give you a brief cast list:
Nick Cannon as Dwayne Clark
Emilio Estevez as Tim Fallon
Laurence Fishburne as Edward Robinson
Heather Graham as Angela
Anthony Hopkins as John Casey
Helen Hunt as Samantha
Joshua Jackson as Wade Buckley
Ashton Kutcher as Fisher
Shia LaBeouf as Cooper
Lindsay Lohan as Diane Howser
William H. Macy as Paul Ebbers
Demi Moore as Virginia Fallon
Freddy Rodriguez as José Rojas
Martin Sheen as Jack
Christian Slater as Daryl Timmons
Sharon Stone as Miriam Ebbers
Elijah Wood as William Avary
No I am not pulling your leg all of those people are indeed in the same film, I am pretty sure if you threw the cast of friends in you would have everyone who has every worked with anyone in that film. Getting over the very recognizable cast the story is a very familiar one, 1968 the Ambassador Hotel in LA the day of the California Primary. At this time Bobby Kennedy was getting ready to essentially wrap his bid for the presidency up claiming to want change and an end to the war... sound familiar? The night of Bobby's win of the California Primary he was however gunned down by Iranian Sirhan Sirhan, what a lot of people don't know is that several other people were shot that night too and instead of it being Bobbies story it is their story encompassing the entire day of the California Primary.
I will say it once more for posterity sake, this cast is phenomenal and each individual performance is stellar. I think taking a look at a historical event from the perspective of ordinary people is a stroke of pure genius and I must give credit to writer, director, and actor in this film Emilio Estevez. The camera work is all great, the shot choice and editing take you on a very stream of consciousness view of the days events. I know what you are all thinking however, with all this historical stuff how could this be a candidate for the acid house? Well in the midst of a very important day 2 Kennedy aids that were supposed to go out knocking on doors getting people to vote instead decide to drop acid which gives us ample drug use footage. At then end of the day however this is just a great period piece, very accurately retelling the events of a tragic and historical event and nothing more. Still a really great film!
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: Historical film
FAVORITE SCENE: The LSD trip scene, how could it not be
ACID SCORE: an easy 8 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE:
MOVIE: Bongwater
DIRECTOR: Richard Sears
YEAR: 1997
DRUGS INVOLVED: Cannabis, LSD, and cocaine
The plot centers on a lazy pot dealer (Luke Wilson) who is a painter with little to no aspirations. He meets a quirky, beautiful, free-spirited girl (Alicia Witt), who turns his life around, and not always for the good. He manages to get her out of his life when she moves to New York, but he can't get her off his mind. The movie also follows her adventures in New York City where she hooks up with a gun-toting rock star (Jamie Kennedy).
I will be deadly honest with you I stole that synopsis from IMDB because I really didn't know what the hell I was watching. The very poor attempt to roll a romance into a standard pot movie was not terribly successful. The storytelling was frenetic and aloof and it was easy to lose your place in the story and really wonder where the movie is going next. Honestly this form can work in acid house type films but I really think this one just didn't get it quite right. I think that the shooting and visual effect could be cool at times and Jack Black singing was pretty sweet too but all in all I think this was just a very mediocre attempt at a making a run of the mill pot film.
SUMMARY
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: Did not work as a drug film
FAVORITE SCENE: Jack Black singing Jesus Ranch a Tenacious D song
ACID SCORE: a lowly 4 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Boogie Nights
DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson
YEAR: 1997
DRUGS INVOLVED: Cocaine and Meth
This look at the early days of pornography is not only a cult classic but is in my opinion one of the only films that Mark Wahlburg really nailed his part. The story takes us back to 1977 in the San Fernando Valley where director Jack Horner recruits a young bus boy to be in his adult films. The movie follows the career of this bus boy who renames himself Dirk Diggler. In the early days its everything goes great but as the 80's roll around and the decline of professional adult film production infringes on the success of all those involved things fall apart quickly.
"Boogie Nights" is the film when it comes to the history of porn, one of the most successful industries in the history of America which has had few if not nearly no coverage in the popular mediums of television or film. The cast which includes Wahlburg, Burt Reynolds, Heather Graham, Julianne Moore, and John C Riley is a total slam dunk. The production value of the film is great, with accurate recreations of the eras involved inter-cut with old 8 and 9mm film reels of the films "made" within the film. The drug use is prevalent, in your face, and bears heavily on the plot line, that combined with the great filming style and cast make this an acid house slam dunk.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: When a new arrival at Jack's party asks if there will be any coke at the party he replies "I am sure we could find some around here somewhere"
FAVORITE SCENE: The drug scam is high tension and visually appealing
ACID SCORE; A respectable 7 Hits out of 10
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Movie Log: Day 19 The Weekend Review
Snow continues to plague the state of New Jersey but this did not stop me from having an enjoyable and productive weekend. For anyone who cares about things like this Cornell tied my alma mater William Paterson 3 to 3 in hockey on Saturday and I know this because I was working a sports cast of the game which was actually quite fun. I know there is much work still to do on the acid house but the letter "B" is starting to wind down and thus, here are the next 4 entries.
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Blueberry
DIRECTOR: Jan Kounen
YEAR: 2004
DRUG INVOLVED: Peyote
No folks do not attempt to adjust your computer screens, those pictures above are all from the very same film. "Blueberry" draws its source material from a very lesser known Franco Belgian comic book of the same name. Since lots of popular movies today are based in comic books why not this one right? The story revolves around Mike Donovan who is young when the movie starts and loses his first love in a violent shootout and fire. After this tragic event, nearly dying from his wounds Mike is revived by a tribe of natives. Years later Mike Donovan is a U.S. Marshall and an unofficial member of the tribe who saved his life, he keeps an uneasy balance between the citizens he protects and the tribe who he owes his life and after the man who murdered his girl and nearly killed him years ago things get complicated quickly.
Now its hard to say that this is the weirdest thing I have ever seen since strange movie quirks are commonplace in movies like this but I would be impressed if someone topped this one as far as strange drug trips go. Much like "The Anniversary Party" this is mainly a tale of two movies. While interesting at the beginning it loses the audience through the bulk of the film but manages to finish strong. The plotline does not revolve specifically around drugs, in this case peyote, but the drug use and the after effects are largely featured in the end of the film. The story is a pretty standard western with guns, girls, and buried treasure however I was not terribly impressed with the acting (Vincent Cassel of "Oceans 12 and 13" and Michael Marsden of "Reservoir Dogs") and there were a few characters and plot devices I think this movie could have done without. The final act, essentially a shamanic battle between the protagonist and antagonist was visually stunning and to be honest quite disturbing. I think its tantamount to the cyberspace battle in "Lawnmower Man" just a little more strange and eye popping. With only half decent acting, story, and above average visuals this movie will be given a mediocre score but will win it's place in the acid house.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: Mikes first "spirit walk"
FAVORITE SCENE: Has to be the final battle between Cassel and Marsden
ACID SCORE: A middle of the road 6 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Blue Velvet
DIRECTOR: "The" David Lynch
YEAR: 1986
DRUG INVOLVED: Nitrous Oxide
This piece of Lynch art film is brough to you by a 1963 song by Bobby Vinton of the same name, and you guessed it the title song of the film happens to be "Blue Velvet". The story goes a little something like this: Jeffery Beaumont, a returning college student, comes home to visit his father who just suffered a stroke. Upon returning home from the hospital he finds a severed ear in a field and takes it to a detective at the police station. Too curious to walk away from a case that his evidence started he enlists the help of the detectives daughter Sandy and together they spy on the lead suspect in the case. What ensues is a strange trip into the darkness that is man's obsession with dominance and destruction.
Love him or hate him David Lynch makes cult films like no bodies business, this movie is no different. Like "Blueberry" had many elements of classic westerns this film has many elements of classic film noir, a mystery case, a private eye, and a complex romance. The story is nothing short of brilliant, I happen to be a noir fan and this has to be high on your list in that category too. The editing and shot choices can only be classified as slightly eccentric but I think it all works very well, and is placed over the foundation of an excellent dark and ethereal soundtrack. The visual effects are pretty nice too, using light and shadow, the dark "blue velvet" color, and an excellent period piece polish. The acting by lesser known folks like Kyle McLaughlin and Laura Dern, with cult favorite Dennis Hopper as Frank the antagonist and Isabella Rossellini as the films pseudo femme fatal was quite good. Now while not a true drug film the drug use was enough and obviously the stylizing was more then enough to qualify this movie for the acid house, unlike some Lynch films where you need a road map to find the ending this one is fairly straight forward.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: The super zoom into the ants at the beginning of the film
FAVORITE SCENE: The Dennis Hopper sex scene was both creepy and effective
ACID SCORE: a decent 8 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Boiler Room
DIRECTOR: Ben Younger
YEAR: 2000
DRUG INVOLVED: Cocaine/Money
I accept all types of drugs in my house, including a drug stronger then any opiate out there that has claimed more lives then all other illegal drugs combined... Greed. Our storytelling weaves a tale of college dropout Seth Davis who in order to make some scratch runs an underground and illegal casino. His father, a New York City judge, highly disapproves and thanks to a chance meeting with two stock brokers Seth is inducted into the world of J.P. Martin which is a high gain brokerage firm whose office happens to strangely be far away from the financial district of Manhattan.
Drugs come in all shapes and sizes and though there is some cocaine usage in the very beginning of the film I think this movies main drug is money. This very lesser known film has an obscure but surprising cast, tell me if any of these names mean anything to you: Ben Affleck, Vin Diesel, Jamie Kennedy, Ron Rifkin, and Tom Everett Scott. An interesting cast who on their own are slightly lackluster (actually Affleck just plain sucks) but when they came together here in an act of pure synergy actually manage to pull some decent work off. The brokers in the movie are big fans of the movies "Wall Street" and "Glengary Glenross" and this film clearly draws on plot line and theme from these two films. The story, visuals, and audio are all pretty mediocre which only makes this movie sub par in my mind but worth a watch. Now when you bring up the conversation of acid house approved or not I have to give this one a no, though money is a good drug substitute the film does not play much like a drug film on screen.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: does not visually play like a drug film
FAVORITE SCENE: Seth's first closer
ACID SCORE: a decent 6 hits out of 10
Join us tomorrow for 3 more movie reviews.
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Blueberry
DIRECTOR: Jan Kounen
YEAR: 2004
DRUG INVOLVED: Peyote
No folks do not attempt to adjust your computer screens, those pictures above are all from the very same film. "Blueberry" draws its source material from a very lesser known Franco Belgian comic book of the same name. Since lots of popular movies today are based in comic books why not this one right? The story revolves around Mike Donovan who is young when the movie starts and loses his first love in a violent shootout and fire. After this tragic event, nearly dying from his wounds Mike is revived by a tribe of natives. Years later Mike Donovan is a U.S. Marshall and an unofficial member of the tribe who saved his life, he keeps an uneasy balance between the citizens he protects and the tribe who he owes his life and after the man who murdered his girl and nearly killed him years ago things get complicated quickly.
Now its hard to say that this is the weirdest thing I have ever seen since strange movie quirks are commonplace in movies like this but I would be impressed if someone topped this one as far as strange drug trips go. Much like "The Anniversary Party" this is mainly a tale of two movies. While interesting at the beginning it loses the audience through the bulk of the film but manages to finish strong. The plotline does not revolve specifically around drugs, in this case peyote, but the drug use and the after effects are largely featured in the end of the film. The story is a pretty standard western with guns, girls, and buried treasure however I was not terribly impressed with the acting (Vincent Cassel of "Oceans 12 and 13" and Michael Marsden of "Reservoir Dogs") and there were a few characters and plot devices I think this movie could have done without. The final act, essentially a shamanic battle between the protagonist and antagonist was visually stunning and to be honest quite disturbing. I think its tantamount to the cyberspace battle in "Lawnmower Man" just a little more strange and eye popping. With only half decent acting, story, and above average visuals this movie will be given a mediocre score but will win it's place in the acid house.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: Mikes first "spirit walk"
FAVORITE SCENE: Has to be the final battle between Cassel and Marsden
ACID SCORE: A middle of the road 6 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Blue Velvet
DIRECTOR: "The" David Lynch
YEAR: 1986
DRUG INVOLVED: Nitrous Oxide
This piece of Lynch art film is brough to you by a 1963 song by Bobby Vinton of the same name, and you guessed it the title song of the film happens to be "Blue Velvet". The story goes a little something like this: Jeffery Beaumont, a returning college student, comes home to visit his father who just suffered a stroke. Upon returning home from the hospital he finds a severed ear in a field and takes it to a detective at the police station. Too curious to walk away from a case that his evidence started he enlists the help of the detectives daughter Sandy and together they spy on the lead suspect in the case. What ensues is a strange trip into the darkness that is man's obsession with dominance and destruction.
Love him or hate him David Lynch makes cult films like no bodies business, this movie is no different. Like "Blueberry" had many elements of classic westerns this film has many elements of classic film noir, a mystery case, a private eye, and a complex romance. The story is nothing short of brilliant, I happen to be a noir fan and this has to be high on your list in that category too. The editing and shot choices can only be classified as slightly eccentric but I think it all works very well, and is placed over the foundation of an excellent dark and ethereal soundtrack. The visual effects are pretty nice too, using light and shadow, the dark "blue velvet" color, and an excellent period piece polish. The acting by lesser known folks like Kyle McLaughlin and Laura Dern, with cult favorite Dennis Hopper as Frank the antagonist and Isabella Rossellini as the films pseudo femme fatal was quite good. Now while not a true drug film the drug use was enough and obviously the stylizing was more then enough to qualify this movie for the acid house, unlike some Lynch films where you need a road map to find the ending this one is fairly straight forward.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: The super zoom into the ants at the beginning of the film
FAVORITE SCENE: The Dennis Hopper sex scene was both creepy and effective
ACID SCORE: a decent 8 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Boiler Room
DIRECTOR: Ben Younger
YEAR: 2000
DRUG INVOLVED: Cocaine/Money
I accept all types of drugs in my house, including a drug stronger then any opiate out there that has claimed more lives then all other illegal drugs combined... Greed. Our storytelling weaves a tale of college dropout Seth Davis who in order to make some scratch runs an underground and illegal casino. His father, a New York City judge, highly disapproves and thanks to a chance meeting with two stock brokers Seth is inducted into the world of J.P. Martin which is a high gain brokerage firm whose office happens to strangely be far away from the financial district of Manhattan.
Drugs come in all shapes and sizes and though there is some cocaine usage in the very beginning of the film I think this movies main drug is money. This very lesser known film has an obscure but surprising cast, tell me if any of these names mean anything to you: Ben Affleck, Vin Diesel, Jamie Kennedy, Ron Rifkin, and Tom Everett Scott. An interesting cast who on their own are slightly lackluster (actually Affleck just plain sucks) but when they came together here in an act of pure synergy actually manage to pull some decent work off. The brokers in the movie are big fans of the movies "Wall Street" and "Glengary Glenross" and this film clearly draws on plot line and theme from these two films. The story, visuals, and audio are all pretty mediocre which only makes this movie sub par in my mind but worth a watch. Now when you bring up the conversation of acid house approved or not I have to give this one a no, though money is a good drug substitute the film does not play much like a drug film on screen.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: does not visually play like a drug film
FAVORITE SCENE: Seth's first closer
ACID SCORE: a decent 6 hits out of 10
Join us tomorrow for 3 more movie reviews.
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