ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: American Gangster
DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott
YEAR: 2007
DRUG INVOLVED: Heroin
This I believe is the most mainstream movie to make my consideration. At first I wanted to discount this film as purely a cop flick but since it is an actual piece of history I figured I would give it a shot and see if it would make the cut. I am glad I did because this is a fine piece of cinema. The story is a familiar one, in Harlem New York a major crime figure and drug dealer passes leaving a vacancy in territory control. Frank Lucas the protege takes over and in order to cement his status as a crime lord he travels to the deposed army of chang chai shek and purchases heroin direct from the source making him an overnight millionaire. In Newark NJ narcotics detective Richie Roberts loses his partner to an overdose of heroin, the same kind that Frank Lucas is selling. The rest of the movie is a slow moving collision of these two forces and the effect they have on each others lives.
As I said before I penned this to be a cop flick which would leave it out of contention but I must say I was pleasantly surprised with how much artistic development went into the creation of this film. Though it sounds cliche, Russel Crowe and Denzel Washington were definitely a tour de force and both preform admirably. The movie was dark and gritty and had an incredible edge to it. I do not believe it was perfect however, first of all the movie was way too long (clocking almost 3 hours runtime) and as such can drag at times. The story can be a bit frenetic and jumpy at times but I believe this is a good film, and even though the drug usage is very much punched up and it did play slightly like an acid house film I do not believe it is truly the type of film we are looking for.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: More of a historical crime story then anything else.
FAVORITE SCENE: The broad daylight execution the Frank uses to cement his authority
ACID SCORE: I give it a good 8 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: American Psycho
DIRECTOR: Mary Harron
YEAR: 2000
DRUGS INVOLVED: Cocaine, Halcion, Xanax and Cannabis
How does a cockney British boy benefit from edgy fiction writer Brett Easton Ellis? By starring one of his first major American roles as a Brett Easton Ellis character that's how!! When you are thinking about acid house type movies this one has to be brought up in the conversation. The tale is a twisted one, Patrick Bateman is a young ambitions wall street broker who has everything, money, good looks, power, and is totally a psychopath. By day Patrick masquerades as a normal man but at night he lets his ambitions get the better of him and after he murders a work associate of his he digs himself in deeper every minuet trying to cover it up.
I could go on forever about the rich visuals, the excellent camera work, and even the chilling performance of the leading man. This movie has got a dark twisted story and good production value to back it all up. Almost anything Brett Easton Ellis is involved with will most likely be up for Acid House contention but I truly believe that this study of a sociopaths psyche is a fine example of pushing the film medium to its limit. This however is not truly an acid house film, as the theme of drugs is a big time back seat driver. This movie will however be the first honorable mention on the list.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No, however it is awarded an honorable mention
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: Simply was not drug themed enough
FAVORITE SCENE: Patrick kills Paul while listening to "Hip to be Square"
ACID SCORE: An easy 9 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Another Day in Paradise
DIRECTOR: Larry Clark
YEAR: 1998
DRUG INVOLVED: Heroin and cocaine
So James Woods is in this one... Oh yea and Angel's son from the "Angel" tv show Vincent Kartheiser. This is quite possibly one of the most random movies I have ever seen and I didn't like it very much so I will get this one done quick. Robbie is a petty theft who hooks up with Mel a big time drug dealer and thief. After tossing Robbie some work they strike up a friendship and the movie follows the pitfalls and perils of this relationship.
Let me start off by saying this movie does have a few redeemable qualities. First of all there was some nice hand held camera work in this flick, in fact the movie is almost all hand held. The action and drug use in the film is very visceral, and above all is very realistic and is not padded by trippy visuals which is a nice and different spin on the acid house film sub-genera. HOWEVER!!! The acting is terrible, James Woods can be good but in this movie he comes off less as a slick thief and drug dealer and more as a hokey moron. Kartheiser is just as whiny and annoying as he is in the Angel TV show. Though the camera work could be nice at times the lighting was horrendous, many scenes were almost unwatchable because of the extremely low light. So this movie comes off like a really bad episode of "The Sheild" but on a slightly positive note it does have a good soundtrack.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: No
WHY WAS APPROVAL DENIED: Movie really was not too great
FAVORITE SCENE: A very realistic looking gun battle where Ronnie and Mel get badly hurt
ACID SCORE: A mediocre 5 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Anniversary Party
DIRECTOR: Alan Cumming and Jenifer Jason Leigh
YEAR: 2001
DRUG INVOLVED: MDMA
When Hollywood power couple Joe and Sally Therrian decide to throw their 6th wedding anniversary party with some friends things go from normal to downright bizarre. Sally is a famous Hollywood starlet and Joe is a writer who just got his book green-lighted for a movie. On the surface they are the pinnacle of success and appear to be a happy couple but after the female lead of Joe's film gives the couple ecstasy for their anniversary gift the rather boring party gets spiced up and the cracks in Joe and Sally's relationship are exposed.
I am having a really hard time deciding if this is a movie that I like or not. Its really two movies you have what happens before ecstasy and what happens after. The first part of the film is a boring fly on the wall look at a relatively normal get together among friends that don't really like each other. After the ecstasy I dont know what happens the acting gets better, the story gets more interesting, the movie becomes more visually appealing and the ending actually does not suck. The second half of the movie totally saves it and I must say a rather strange group of characters are assembeled on the screen here like John C. Riley, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Gweneth Paltrow, Kevin Kline, and Parker Posey this film just barely makes the acid house.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: Alan Cummings hair after he takes X
FAVORITE SCENE: The last frames of the film (I happen to like dogs)
ACID SCORE: A shakey 6 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: Around the Fire
DIRECTOR: John Jacobson
YEAR: 1998
DRUGS INVOLVED: Cannabis, LSD
This one is another head scratcher as far as if its a good film or not. The story however is pretty straight forward: Simon Harris has been arrested for possesion and usage of illegal substances and is forced to go to rehab. While in rehab he takes a look at his life as he goes from a honor roll student looking to go to Princeton University to a criminal. When he goes to boarding school after a mistaken shoplifting incident he is introduced to a classmate that smokes pot and exposes him to "Shows" or drug trade fairs. After getting involved with these "Shows" he slowly falls into drug addiction and the addiction to the money he is making selling the drugs.
Visually this movie is very appealing and very intelligently designed. Scenes use color themes to punch up the non-linear story line. Scenes in rehab are colored black and white while remembering the past is given a tint of red or yellow. The non-linear story line is well designed jumping back and forth from rehab to the the near past and then to the distant past and back again. The acting in this however is pretty bad, I mean Tara Reid is basically the female lead. I think this movie had a lot of potential and much like "Another Day in Paradise" could have been a lot better with actors that could have brought more to their parts.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Yes but just barely
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: The main character eats a Ganja ball at one of the drug shows and then proceeds to vomit
FAVORITE SCENE: Simon tripping out looking at a water fountain
ACID SCORE: a not all that impressive 7 hits out of 10
ACID HOUSE PROFILE
MOVIE: A Scanner Darkly
DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater
YEAR: 2006
DRUG INVOLVED: Substance D (fictional)
When it comes to drug stories you can really do a hell of a lot worse then this little gem from Warner Independent Studios. With a great group of dudes like Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Junior, and Woody Harrelson how could you go wrong. The plot line follows the exploits of undercover narcotics operative Robert Arctor who lives a double life as a narc and as an addict. When he is set to place surveillance on himself the wall between those two worlds comes crashing down.
Love it or hate it Richard Linklater is trying to patent a distinctive look to his movies and I think he has not only done that but also cemented himself into cult film lore for all time. The rotoscope corrected digital stock, the same effect used in Linklater's "The Waking Life", allows some very cool visual tricks including the awesome looking "scramble suit" that narcs wear to avoid detection by the outside world. The book must have been some great source material because the story is lush, dark, and has plenty of twists in it to keep you drawn in. The acting, even from the classically stoic and spacey Reeves is actually great. To top it all off it is a visual treasure trove with nuances that you will continue to discover each time you watch it after. Not only is this a top rated acid house film but I believe this is a true love poem to the world of the counter-culture.
SUMMARY:
ACID HOUSE APPROVED: Hell yea!!
WHEN WAS APPROVAL CONFIRMED: When Charles Frek is scrubbing imaginary bugs out of his hair tripping on substance D
FAVORITE SCENE: The opening monologue for Reeves character as he is talking to the lounge members (hopefully a moral problem shared by some DEA agents of today)
ACID SCORE: an easy 9 hits out of 10
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