Totally Fucked Up

Written, directed, shot, and edited by Gregg Araki, Totally Fucked Up is the story about a group of six gay teens who deal with growing pains as well as relationships with each other. The first of a trilogy of films that explores teen angst in the 1990s that is known as the Teenage Apocalypse trilogy, the film is a continuation into Araki’s exploration into the world of gay culture but told through the eyes of teenagers. Starring James Duval, Roko Belic, Susan Beshid, Jenee Gil, Gilbert Luna, Lance May, Craig Gilmore, and Alan Boyce. Totally Fucked Up is a somber yet engaging film from Gregg Araki.

Told in 15 segments and an epilogue in a fragmented yet straightforward narrative style, the film revolves around the lives of four gay men and a lesbian couple wandering around aimlessly in Los Angeles as they’re being filmed by one of their friends who aspires to be a filmmaker. All of which has them going to clubs and other places around the city as they deal with not just the uncertainty of what will happen. Especially as they deal with loneliness and trying to be accepted for who they are as the six become a dysfunctional yet tight-knit family. Gregg Araki’s screenplay doesn’t play into conventional narrative where it focuses mostly on these six characters dealing with day-to-day situations where Steven (Gilbert Luna) is trying to document everything as he’s in a relationship with Deric (Lance May).

While Michele (Susan Beshid) and Patricia (Jenee Gil) are in more stable relationship and Tommy (Roko Belcic) trying to find himself. It is Andy (James Duval) who has an arc as he copes with being lonely as he tries to find love. While Andy would turn to friends for help despite his moody behavior, they would also have to deal with things in their life as the script shows the family sort of splintering apart. The script also plays into the world they delve into as it represents the sense of alienation and bigotry they deal with as well as that they’re still with the specter of AIDS though no one in the group has it yet and they’re trying not to.

Araki’s direction is quite stylish for its mixture of shooting everything on film and on a video camcorder to play into Steven’s own documentary about himself and his friends. With the usage of hand-held camcorders to play up the idea of a homemade documentary, Araki also has Los Angeles be a character as this world that is changing but also still alien to its characters who don’t feel comfortable in malls or anything that is mainstream. Instead, Araki shoots in very different locations in Los Angeles that makes it feel sort of relatable to how teenagers would feel in a world that is quite alienating. Araki’s usage of close-ups and medium shots along with the way he frames some of his actors into a shot does show that sense of loneliness and uncertainty.

While the fragmented approach to the narrative does make the film’s pacing a bit sluggish, Araki still manages to create moments that are engaging as it plays to the growing pains the character go through. Serving as the film’s cinematographer/editor, Araki would create a unique look that is quite colorful and playful to its look as well as in some of the way scenes are shot at night. In the editing, Araki uses a lot of jump-cuts and other stylish cuts to play into the fragmented tone but also use some stylish inter-title cards that is displayed on a television to play into the state of the world these characters are in. Even as it says some of the things they’re thinking of as it does relate to some of the tension over gay and lesbian culture/lifestyle that was happening in the early 90s. A world that was becoming slow to accept gay/lesbian lifestyle where these young kids struggle to define themselves in a growing new world. Overall, Araki crafts a stylish yet ravishing film about teens dealing with themselves and their sexuality in Los Angeles.

Sound designer Alberto Garcia does superb work with much of the film’s post-production sound to create textures and sound collages for the things the characters see or hear on TV. The film’s incredible soundtrack features an array of music ranging from industrial, shoegaze, and dream-pop from acts like This Mortal Coil, Ministry, Ride, My Life with the Thrill Kill Cult, 16 Volt, Unrest, Red House Painters, His Name is Alive, the Wolfgang Press, Recliner, Coil, the Pale Saints, the Jesus & Mary Chain, Numb, and Babyland.

The film’s phenomenal cast include a couple of notable small roles from Craig Gilmore as a guy that Steven meets and Craig Boyce as a college student that Andy falls for. Jenee Gil and Susan Beshid are fantastic in their respective roles Michele and Patricia as the lesbian couple who are definitely the most mature individuals of the group as they often can get their shit together while offering some of the guys advice. Roko Belic is terrific as Tommy as the youngest of the group who still is trying to find himself as he would get a bigger role in the third act as he is someone looking for a home.

Lance May is brilliant as Deric as Steven’s lover who knows a lot about the gay lifestyle but begins to feel detached from Steven. Gilbert Luna is excellent as Steven as an aspiring filmmaker who is trying to document everything around him while wondering if he’s a good person despite some of the bad things he does. Finally, there’s James Duval in an amazing performance as Andy as a brooding teenager who deals with ever-increasing loneliness as he tries to find love and happiness while lamenting over the world around him.

Totally Fucked Up is an excellent film from Gregg Araki. While it is quite flawed in terms of its pacing, the film does manage to create a look into the life of gay/lesbian teenagers dealing with loneliness in a modern world. In the end, Totally Fucked Up is an awesome film from Gregg Araki.

Gregg Araki Films: (Three Bewildered People in the Night) - (The Long Weekend (O’ Despair)) - The Living End - The Doom Generation - Nowhere - (Splendor) - (This is How the World Ends (TV pilot) - Mysterioius Skin - Smiley Face - Kaboom! - (White Bird in a Blizzard)

© thevoid99 2016

The Doom Generation

Written and directed by Gregg Araki, The Doom Generation is the story of two teenagers who go into a road trip with a drifter as they encounter all sorts of strange things in their journey as well as moments of violence. The second part in Araki’s Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy, the film explores a world where two teens and a young drifter deal with their existence and the world around them. Starring Rose McGowan, James Duval, and Jonathan Schaech. The Doom Generation is a thrilling yet stylish film from Gregg Araki.

The film is an unconventional road film where two teen lovers find themselves in all sorts of strange and violent situations where they’re joined by this young drifter who would save them from these situations as he is attracted to the young teens. Yet, it’s a film that doesn’t play towards any kind of conventions since the young woman Amy Blue (Rose McGowan) is a biting cynic who really despises everything and often says “fuck” while her boyfriend Jordan White (James Duval) is more easy-going about everything as well as being very open about new experiences. Upon meeting Xavier Red (Jonathan Schaech) who was being beaten by a gang, the three go in this road trip where Amy despises Xavier yet doesn’t mind having sex with him while an attraction between Xavier and Jordan also appear in this strange love triangle that emerges. Still, they would encounter all sorts of strange individuals in their journey as Amy is mistaken for another person while everything they buy in various places always cost a total of $6.66.

Gregg Araki’s screenplay doesn’t play into any kind of conventional structure in the course of the film yet it does have a lot of stylized dialogue that often features a lot of profanity as well as some obscenities that would often irk Amy. At the same time, there’s a sense of melancholia and despair that looms into the three as they all come from dysfunctional homes and feel like they don’t really belong anywhere. Especially as they have no idea where they’re going or how to cope with the realities of the world they’re in while being baffled by some of the stranger things that surrounds them. Some of which involve people who are oddballs or those that feels like they come from another world that Amy, Jordan, and Xavier have no clue about.

Araki’s direction is quite stylish in terms of the compositions he creates as well as his approach to the film’s humor. Much of the humor is very offbeat as it wouldn’t just feature celebrity cameos but also into the world of pop culture that the characters are at. Much of it shot in Southern California where it does feel like a world that has a sense of the unknown while being meshed with an alternative culture that is quite removed from the mainstream. Araki would also do things to play into the discovery of sex as Amy and Jordan start the film off trying to lose their virginity as they would later discover through its powers while there’s some scenes that will definitely provoke reactions. One scene which includes elements of voyeurism and bodily fluids as it is Araki just wanting to gross people out yet also showcase that sense of fascination as far as sex is concerned. It is balanced by some of the darker elements of the film where the violence is quite gruesome as it would play into the film’s very intense climax where the trio deal with a group of sadistic Neo-Nazis. Overall, Araki crafts a very sensational and provocative film about three lonely people going on a road trip to nowhere.

Cinematographer Jim Fealy does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography with its use of colorful lights for some of the film‘s nighttime interior/exterior scenes as well as some low-key look of the daytime exterior scenes . Editors Gregg Araki and Kate McGowan do amazing work with the film‘s editing with its stylish approach to jump-cuts and montages while creating offbeat rhythms in the cutting as it adds to the film‘s unconventional tone. Production designer Therese DePrez, with set decorator Jennifer M. Gentile and art director Michael Krantz, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the motel rooms the characters stay in to a bar where they get themselves into trouble as it has this offbeat tone to the strange reality the characters are in.

Costume designer Catherine Cooper-Thoman does terrific work with the costumes as it is quite stylish in the clothes that the characters wear as well as the people they meet. Sound mixer Mark Weingarten does superb work with the film‘s sound to capture some of the moments that goes on in many of the film‘s locations and such. The film’s excellent soundtrack is supervised by Peter Coquillard who brings in a wide mix of music ranging from electronic music, shoe gaze, industrial, and noise-rock from such acts as Nine Inch Nails, Ride, Slowdive, the Jesus & Mary Chain, Meat Beat Manifesto, Lush, Front 242, God Lives Underwater, Medicine, Cocteau Twins, Aphex Twin, Porno for Pyros, Coil, Curve, and many others plus some ambient music pieces by Dan Gatto that often appears in a few of the locations that the characters encounter.

The casting by Joseph Middleton is incredible as it features cameo appearances from Perry Farrell and Heidi Fleiss as a couple of store clerks, Amanda Bearse as a barmaid, Lauren Tewes and Christopher Knight as a couple of news reporters, the industrial band Skinny Puppy as a bunch of guys trying to beat up Xavier early in the film, Dustin Nguyen as a convenience store clerk, Margaret Cho as the clerk’s wife, and Don Galloway as a FBI agent leading the manhunt to find Amy and Jordan. Other notable appearances in the film include Nicky Katt as a fast-food cashier and Parker Posey as a mysterious woman who would both mistake Amy as someone else as it adds to the film’s offbeat tone.

Jonathan Schaech is great as Xavier Red as this very off-the-wall and antagonistic individual who is full of charm and wit as he also proves to be resourceful to the group. James Duval is fantastic as Jordan White as the sensitive and very open teen who finds himself attracted to Xavier while dealing with the situations in a calm way. Finally, there’s Rose McGowan in a brilliant performance as Amy Blue as this young woman who is quite fiery and often cynical as she feels like the world has nothing to offer as it’s a role full of energy and charisma.

The Doom Generation is a remarkable film from Gregg Araki. Armed with superb performances from Rose McGowan, James Duval, and Jonathan Schaech as well as some stylish cinematography and a kick-ass soundtrack. The film is definitely one of Araki’s most abrasive films but also one of his most compelling in the way he explores the sense of despair that looms around teenagers during the mid-1990s. In the end, The Doom Generation is a phenomenal film from Gregg Araki.

Gregg Araki Films: (Three Bewildered People in the Night) - (Long Weekend (0’ Despair)) - The Living End - Totally Fucked Up - Nowhere - (Splendor) - (This is How the World Ends (TV)) - Mysterious Skin - Smiley Face - Kaboom! - (White Bird in a Blizzard)

© thevoid99 2014

Kaboom

When Gregg Araki returned to the film world following a five-year hiatus with 2004’s Mysterious Skin. The film became a surprise hit in the world of art house and indie theaters as Araki was back in a big way. In 2007, Araki made his most accessible and surprising film of his career in a stoner comedy called Smiley Face that starred Anna Faris. The film proved to be another surprise proving that the often controversial Araki could make a film that was entertaining. Following another break in trying to develop projects, Araki would finally return in 2010 with his first original project in more than a decade with the sci-fi comedy entitled Kaboom.

Written, edited, and directed by Gregg Araki, Kaboom tells the story of an 18-year old film student having a sexual awakening as he tries to find himself. Along with his other friends discovering their own sexual awakening, the film student would also have surreal fantasies featuring two different women leading to questions about a possible apocalypse. The film recalls Araki’s mid-1990s Teenage Apocalyse Trilogy of films that included Totally Fucked Up, The Doom Generation, and Nowhere but with a new, post-millennium sensibility. Starring Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Juno Temple, Roxane Mesquida, Chris Zylka, Kelly Lynch, and longtime Araki-cohort James Duval. Kaboom is a witty, colorful sci-fi thriller/comedy from Gregg Araki and company.

Smith (Thomas Dekker) is an 18-year old film student confused about his sexual preference as he rooms with a hunky, blond surfer named Thor (Chris Zylka). Smith is bothered by a recurring dream he has featuring Thor, his mother (Kelly Lynch), and his lesbian best friend Stella (Haley Bennett) along with two women he doesn’t know. Already having a weird experience in college that includes a stoned resident advisor named the Messiah (James Duval). Things get weirder during a party where one of the women in his dreams is Stella’s new girlfriend Lorelei (Roxane Mesquida). He later meets a British student named London (Juno Temple) where the hallucinogenic cookies he ate has him seeing strange things including an encounter with the other woman (Nicole LaLiberte) in his dreams.

After getting a USB flash-drive in his coat pocket and seeing a strange ritual that involved the woman, later to be revealed as Madeleine O’Hara. Smith wants to know who she is as London reveals that she knows her from her sociology class. Smith would later have weird encounters with three animal-masked men as London reveals more news while Stella would reveal some strange things about Lorelei. At a nude beach, Smith meets Hunter (Jason Olive) whom he would have sex with while Stella is trying to break things off with Lorelei who is revealed to be a witch with powers. With London helping Smith out in the investigation while taking time to have sex with Thor’s friend Rex (Andy Fischer-Price), Smith gets a mysterious message that would about Madeleine’s missing body.

With Smith’s 19th birthday happening, he gets another weird message along with more sexual encounters with Hunter, London, and a surprise. The birthday gets more surprising as he attends a concert where he meets a young guy named Oliver (Brennan Mejia), whom he had been contacting and saw at a party weeks before. Still, Smith’s night gets stranger when he sees a woman who looked like Madeleine as he asks her questions. The night gets stranger when Smith and Stella would have their own strange encounters where Smith makes a breakthrough over what is happening. Even as London helps with an answer leading to a cult as it becomes clear that something is happening.

The film is essentially a genre-bending film that recalls not just Araki’s past teen-angst films of the 1990s but also his exploration with surrealism as it features clips from a couple of films by Luis Bunuel. Yet, the movie is about a young man’s sexual awakening as he encounters mysterious, surreal surroundings leading him to the discovery of a strange cult. Still, it’s a film where Araki gets to refine his filmmaking and his themes of sexual exploration and teenage identity. This time around, he doesn’t fuse it with a lot of pop culture references or cameos that sometimes become a distraction with his past work.

The story is interesting though uneven as the first half is this zany, free-wielding comedy with elements of sex and bits of suspense. The second half becomes more of a suspenseful, sci-fi kind of film with lots of ideas about cults. Still, Araki manages to make things engaging and also entertaining in the way he presents stories with stylized dialogue and dazzling sequences.

Araki’s direction is definitely as potent as ever as he is given more to do with his camera while creating scenes that are fun to look at. Even in creating sex scenes that are surreal from the viewpoint of its characters. Yet, Araki manages to create a lively world of college life that is about having sex, going to parties, and all of those things. Yet, the framing of the scenes along with the suspenseful, surreal moments he creates is definitely mesmerizing in its imagery. Despite the limited budget he has, Araki was able to create sci-fi moments that are very strange yet electrifying to watch.

Since it’s a largely stylized film that includes some weird transitional wipes and other stylized cuts to create something vibrant due to Araki’s work as the editor. Even as he creates a lot of intense moments for the film’s suspenseful scenes as it’s clear that Araki is becoming more confident as a director. While the film’s abrupt, what-the-fuck ending will definitely turn off a lot of people. It’s Araki’s way of subverting things since the film was to lead to a climatic ending as it does end things with a bang, literally. Whatever flaws the film has, it is proof that Araki is getting better as a director.

Cinematographer Sandra Valde-Hansen does a fantastic job with the film’s vibrant yet colorful photography. Notably in the party scenes where the lights are filled with dazzling colors mixed in with blue and pink while the nighttime scenes are exquisite in its haunting presentation. Valde-Hansen’s photography is definitely the film’s technical highlight for the way it allows the film to be stylized without over-doing it.

Production designer Todd Fjelsted, along with set decorator Kristen Rajterowski and art director J.B. Popplewell, does an excellent job with the film‘s art direction from the blackish look of the restaurant where the students eat to the parties they attend. The art direction and set pieces created for the film are amazing to look as it plays to Araki’s style. Costume designer Trayce Gigi Field does a spectacular job with the film‘s costumes from the big earrings that Stella wears to the 80s-like clothing that London wears. The costumes are fun to look at as its’ another of the film’s technical highlights.

Visual effects supervisor Wesley Cronk does some very good work with the minimal visual effects needed for the hallucination scenes as well as weird sex scenes involving Stella and Lorelei. Sound editor Trip Brock does a fine job with the film’s sound in capturing the atmosphere of the parties along with the climatic suspense scene towards the end of the film.

Music composer Robin Guthrie, along with Vivek Maddala, Ulrich Schnauss, and Mark Peters, does a wonderful score that is a mixture of shoe gaze, dream-pop, and ambient music. Notably in playing some of the dream sequences that Smith encounters throughout the film. Music supervisor Tiffany Anders helps create a diverse yet intoxicating soundtrack that features A Place to Bury Strangers, the Horrors, the xx, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, Friendly Fires, Metro Area, Airiel, Tears Run Ring, Cut Copy, Helen Stellar, Placebo, Explosions in the Sky, the Big Pink, the Depreciation Club, and Ladytron. The mixture of indie and electronic music is definitely amazing as with any of Araki’s films. The soundtrack and score is always a highlight of his films.

The casting by Jenny Jue and Johanna Ray is superb for the use of young actors needed as well as veterans. Small yet notable performances include Michael James Spall as a mysterious cult figure, adult film star Christine Nguyen as a girl Thor sleeps with, Carlo Mendez as a trailer for Smith’s mom, and Nicole LaLiberte as the mysterious Madeleine. Other notable small but memorable roles include Andy Fischer-Price as Thor’s surfer buddy Rex, Brennan Mejia as Oliver, Jason Olive as the nude-beach guy Hunter, and James Duval in a hilarious performance as stoner resident advisor the Messiah.

Roxane Mesquida is incredibly sexy and cool as the witchy yet mysterious Lorelei who seduces Stella and freaking her out. Chris Zylka is funny as the very attractive blond surfer Thor who often says silly, stupid things around Stella while is often impressed by Smith’s sexual appetite. Kelly Lynch is very good in a small role as Smith’s workaholic mom who is carrying a big secret about what is going on with him. Juno Temple is great as London, the British student who helps Smith in his journey to find out what is going on while having a great sexual appetite where Temple has a great monologue about how to perform oral sex on a woman.

Haley Bennett is excellent as Stella, Smith’s sarcastic arty friend who helps him out while dealing with her own strange encounters with Lorelei as Bennett gets to play cool. Finally, there’s Thomas Dekker in a superb role as the sexually-confused Smith. Dekker plays up to the character’s naiveté in his sexual exploration while learning about the dreams he’s having in relation to the strange things he is dealing with as Dekker does a fantastic job.

While it may not live up to the brilliance of Mysterious Skin or past films like The Living End and The Doom Generation. Kaboom is still a stellar yet entertaining film from Gregg Araki. Armed with a great ensemble cast that includes Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple, and James Duval. It’s a film that fans of Araki’s work will enjoy in its style and how he engages the characters in their situations. While it’s not a perfect film that has a very odd ending, it is a film that definitely plays with people’s expectations of a genre-bending film like this. In the end, Kaboom is a colorful, mesmerizing, and funny film from Gregg Araki.

Gregg Araki Films: (Three Bewildered People in the Night) - (Long Weekend (0’ Despair)) - The Living End - Totally Fucked Up - The Doom Generation - Nowhere - (Splendor) - (This is How the World Ends (TV)) - Mysterious Skin - Smiley Face - (White Bird in a Blizzard)

© thevoid99 2011

Smiley Face

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/20/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed and edited by Gregg Araki and written by Dylan Hagerty, Smiley Face tells the story of an aspiring actress whose lack of ambition and love for marijuana collide when she goes through an entire day of journeys to pay the electric bill, do an audition, and everything else while under the influence of some high-octane marijuana. A stoner comedy that relies on low-brow humor and surreal imagery, it's a film that is led by Anna Faris playing the role of its leading stoner Jane. Also starring Adam Brody, Danny Masterson, Jane Lynch, Marion Ross, John Krasinski, Danny Trejo, John Cho, and Roscoe Lee Brown as himself and narrator. Smiley Face is a hilarious, witty stoner comedy from renowned indie auteur Gregg Araki.

Jane is an aspiring actress who doesn't do much in her life but get stoned and get stoned. Yet, her laziness and lack of ambition along with her mass consumption of marijuana has annoyed her roommate Steve (Danny Masterson) who is planning a party with fellow sci-fi/horror geeks. With Steve leaving some instructions for Jane to pay the electric bill while not eating some cupcakes that he made for his buddies. Jane instead eats the cupcakes which revealed to have marijuana inside. Stoned out of her mind and with an acting audition at around 11 in the morning. She realize she needs to make cupcakes for Steve's buddies as she calls in her dealer also named Steve (Adam Brody) who gives her some pot though she owes him some serious money. Steve the dealer warns her to give him the money she owes by 3 in the afternoon at a hemp festival in Venice Beach or he'll have to take away some of her furniture.

Jane's attempts to make a cupcake becomes a disaster due to a phone call as she hopes to get money from her bank account while realizing her only source of financial income is to sell some high-quality, government made marijuana. Still stoned and unable to drive her car due to her paranoid mind, she ends up riding the bus where she made a boy upset by crushing his car and being late for her audition. At the audition for a casting director (Jane Lynch), it becomes a disaster as she even tried to sell pot to the director. On the run, she is forced to dump the weed and find money by calling in one of Steven's sci-fi buddies in Brevin (John Krasinski) who has a crush on Jane. Brevin gives her a ride and is willing to loan her money which he doesn't have at the moment but Jane's stoned state of mind only troubles things. Even when his wallet is stolen while Jane goes to the house of a former professor where his mother (Marion Ross) gives her a rare manuscript of The Communist Manifesto.

After a troubling encounter with a man (Michael Hitchcock) at a laundry room, Jane goes on the run where she meets a couple of meat delivery guys (John Cho & Danny Trejo) while making some weird political rants to a meat delivery boss (Richard Riehle). With The Communist Manifesto in her hands and hopes to get to Venice with help from a motorcycle girl (Natashia Williams), can Jane get the money she owes and return the famed Marxist document back to its owners? Or will her stoned state of mind ruin it?

Stoner films often are driven by ludicrous plots and plot-points of how one character goes from one place to another. What screenwriter Dylan Hagerty does is take a character on a journey while remaining stoned throughout. Therefore, a series of misadventures happen with lots of mayhem ensue. The script isn't meant to be high-octane as its emphasis is on low-brow humor yet it works because Hagerty creates a protagonist that people can laugh at. It's not because she's cruel, she's just a stupid stoner that has no idea what she's doing.

Director Gregg Araki does play it straight with the film while adding some stylish shots to the film for its atmospheric take on what is going through the mind of the stoner with wavy shots and sequences that are downright funny. While the filmmaking is a step-down to what Araki did in his previous film Mysterious Skin. Araki understands that this is a genre film as he plays up to the cliches of the genre with some visual tricks including some CGI and shaky cameras. With Araki serving as editor, he creates a film that is rhythmic and to the point with some jump-cuts to emphasize on the character's state of mind. Overall, it's an excellent, funny, and smart comedy from Gregg Araki whose filmmaking techniques proves to be masterful in a stoner comedy.

Cinematographer Shawn Kim does nice work with the film's photography as it's mostly show on location in Los Angeles with nice exteriors shots and camera tricks that play up to Jane's stoned state of mind. One of the best shots includes a scene in which Jane's roommate is doing things with a skull where everything is in red. Production designer John Larena with set decorator Peggy Paola and art director Helen Harwell is excellent in recreation of The Communist Manifesto along with sci-fi toys that the character Brevin owns. Costume designer Alix Hester does a fine job with the contemporary look which included fake dreadlocks for Adam Brody, hippie clothes for some of the characters while everything else is straightforward. Sound designer Steve Avila and editor Trip Brock do fantastic work with some sound layering for scenes where the character of Jane hears multiple things in her head. Visual effects supervisor David A. Davidson does excellent work in the look of some animation in Jane's head like the smiley face and the opening credit sequence with some nice animation.

Music composer David Kitay brings a nice score with melodic arrangements to play up to the film's humor as well as adventurous side. Yet, the soundtrack which have been one of Araki's strengths in his films is phenomenal. Featuring tracks from Mojave 3, the Chemical Brothers, Starlight Mints, Ladytron, Talking Heads, A Flock of Seagulls, a remixed track of the Stone Roses' Waterfall, and two hilarious cuts from Arena rock stalwarts like Styx and REO Speedwagon are used greatly. Notably the Styx and REO Speedwagon to emphasize Brevin's love for Jane.

The casting by Monika Mikkelsen is superb with cameo appearances from the likes of comedian Brian Posehn, Carrot Top, Dave "Gruber" Allen, Jayma Mays as an auditioning actress, and 80s film legend William Zabka are memorable and funny. Other small appearances from Danny Trejo and John Cho as meat delivery guys, noted character actor Richard Riehle as the meat boss, TV legend Marion Ross as a professor's mother, Michael Hitchcock as a laundry guy, BBC TV star Natashia Williams as a motorcycle rider, and Jane Lynch as a casting director are all funny. Danny Masterson is excellent as Jane's creepy roommate while Adam Brody is very funny as a pot dealer who tries to deal with a stoned Jane about her debt. John Krasinski is great as Brevin, a nerdy guy who has a crush on Jane as he's willing to do anything for her though is unclear on how stoned she is. Though he doesn't appear in the film, Roscoe Lee Brown does do some funny narration, even as he talks to the audience and to Jane about her hilarious situation.

Finally, there's Anna Faris in what is truly an amazing performance. Faris is a master in comedic acting and she does so with such physicality and exuberance that she knows how to make audiences laugh. Even without having to delve into cheap gags or crude humor, Faris is aware that her character is a complete imbecile but doesn't make her seem dumb. Faris' performance is truly the great work of an actress that is at the top of her game in a genre where she knows how to make people laugh while being the butt of jokes throughout.

While it's nowhere near the brilliance of Mysterious Skin, Smiley Face is still a fine, well-made film from Gregg Araki featuring a superb performance from Anna Faris. Fans of Faris will no doubt see this film as one of her best work proving that she's one of the best comedy actresses working today. Fans of stoner films will enjoy the film's unique sense of humor while seeing a director like Araki bring some charm and wit to the genre. In the end, Smiley Face is a film that delivers its namesake as Gregg Araki and Anna Faris make sure audiences have a good time watching a nice stoner film.

Gregg Araki Films: (Three Bewildered People in the Night) - (The Long Weekend (0' Despair)) - The Living End - Totally Fucked Up - The Doom Generation - Nowhere - (Splendor) - (This is How the World Ends) - Mysterious Skin - Kaboom - (White Bird in a Blizzard)

(C) thevoid99 2011

Mysterious Skin

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 6/12/06 w/ Additional Edits.

After the turmoil from his 90s teen-angst trilogy of 1993's Totally Fucked Up, 1995's The Doom Generation, and 1997's Nowhere along with 1999's Splendor. Gregg Araki had already made a career out of creating all sorts of chaos which helped pertain to his bad boy status in not just New Queer Cinema but also independent cinema. In 2000, Araki attempted to create a pilot for a show on MTV but when the pilot was rejected, Araki immediately went into hiding. Then in 2004 at the Venice Film Festival, Gregg Araki made his unexpected return to the cinema with what some called his most mature and sprawling work to date in the film about child abuse and growing up entitled Mysterious Skin.

Based on a novel by Scott Heim, Mysterious Skin tells the tale of two childhood friends who reunite to uncover some secrets while dealing with their own individual troubles relating to child abuse. Written for the screen and directed by Araki, Mysterious Skin goes into full and gritty detail on the effects of child abuse as Araki moves away from the nihilism and cynical view of the world from his earlier films to more mature, sprawling territory. Starring Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Brady Corbet, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jeff Licon, Bill Sage, Chase Ellison, George Webster, and Elisabeth Shue. Mysterious Skin is a shocking yet harrowing masterpiece from the often controversial, nihilistic Gregg Araki.

It's 1981 in Kansas as a young boy named Brian (George Webster) is at a little league baseball game and then suddenly, he finds himself in a cellar at home with his nose bleeding. Around that same year, his teammate Neil (Chase Ellison) has become a favorite for his coach (Bill Sage) for his playing skills in the game. Then one night, Neil and his coach have a night of fun that would immediately affect Neil's young life. Two years later, Neil and his friend Wendy (Riley McGuire) are trick-or-treating on Halloween as Neil reveals a shocking secret to Wendy on a young boy (Ryan Stenzel). Around that same time, Brian with his older sister Deborah (Rachael Kraft) trick-or-treating where everything goes into chaos where he blacks out again and finds his nose bleeding again where for several years, he would often pass out, have nose bleeds, and have recurring nightmares about a possible incident that he might've been abducted by aliens.

In 1987, Neil turns 15 as he starts a new career as a young hustler where he’s become a beautiful young man who hustles sex with older men in Kansas. After an encounter with an elder man (Richard Riehle) that becomes his first real job, Neil tells Wendy (Michelle Trachtenberg) that he is now officially a hustler. Four years later, Neil has become a profitable hustler who now hopes to go New York City. While still living with his liberal yet caring mother (Elisabeth Shue), he hopes to leave his dead-end town in Kansas while still hanging out with friends Eric (Jeff Licon) and Wendy, who is also set to depart for New York City. In that same town, Brian (Brady Corbet) is still reeling from his nightmares as he now collects his recollections into a diary. Still living with his mother (Lisa Long), Brian's interest in UFOs after claiming he saw one when he was eight with his sister and mother has peaked. He recorded a TV program where a woman named Avalyn (Mary Lynn Rajskub) from a town 30 miles away who claimed she had been abducted by aliens.

Brian drives to meet Avalyn where they recall their own recollections of aliens as Brian remembers that another boy was in his dream. He finds a picture of his old baseball team and recognized the boy in his dream from that picture. After Wendy departs for New York City, Neil still hustles to make funds for his trip to New York City while maintaining a behavior that is often cynical which makes his friendship with Eric very complicated since Eric has a crush on him. Even Eric isn't aware of all of Neil’s secrets that he only shares with Wendy as Neil finally departs for New York City. After dropping off Neil at the bus station, Eric and Neil's mother find Brian on the doorstep who is looking for Neil.

Neil arrives to New York City where he got a dose of culture-clash as he remains a hustler but his customers including a strange man (Billy Drago) have been very strange. Back in Kansas, Eric befriends Brian as the two discuss Brian’s discovery of alien abductions and his dreams after Brian had a falling-out of sorts with Avalyn. Knowing that the dreams involve Neil, they hope for Neil to return to the holidays as Eric changes a bit of Brian's lifestyle as he introduces him to alternative music. Still living with Wendy, Neil hopes to return to Kansas as he finds his lifestyle taking a toll on him as he starts to take a minimum wage job. Yet, Neil couldn't escape his lifestyle which takes an ugly turn as he returns to Kansas. After a confrontation with his father (Chris Mulkey) who asks about what happened to him, he finds no answers until Neil's return where Neil finally tells Brian about what had happened to him on that night in 1981.

The subject of pedophilia and its repercussions are often issues that is never discussed on cinema since Hollywood would often sugarcoat it or just dismiss it entirely. For Gregg Araki, the subject proved to be powerful enough to explore and observe as Araki restrains himself a bit to focus more on the characters and its dramatic aftermath. Taking careful consideration into Scott Heim's novel, Araki manages to put more of Heim's work into the script as Araki strays away from his often nihilistic persona of his earlier work for a more mature observation. The end result still has elements of shock that Araki is known for but he restrains some of those shocking moments, often involving homosexual sex scenes but not showing them explicitly.

Still, Araki manages to take two protagonists and their individual stories feel cohesive since it's structured that their stories will merge together in the end. Araki's set-up and writing structure carefully tells the tale of these two young boys while its core subject of pedophilia is still hanging over their head. Araki knows it's a bad thing but from the perspective of one of its characters, it seems like it could be something far more troubling and psychological. Particularly when Araki's narrative which is told by the two boys reveals a lot of the emotional and troubling aspects of the incident that could've happened. Araki even manages to make the idea of UFOs and alien abductions to not be distracting as he explores more emotional centers and development of the characters. It's not just Araki's script that is filled with some wonderful, observant moments but its his directing that is more harrowing in its subject matter.

Taking a dreamy yet ominous atmosphere to the film, Araki takes his directing style to new heights while making the shocking moments of the film become more of a service to the story. Especially right in the film's ending where Neil and Brian discuss the night that Brian blacked out which leads to a huge, emotional payoff that is heartbreaking. While Araki is aware that audience is going to know what will happen, it's the emotional aftermath that really pays off for the audience to observe and understand what happened and how it affected their own lives. While the film may not be entirely Araki's work, it still has many elements that Araki has delved in the past which includes alienation, culture shock, cynicism, and growing up. In many ways, Araki truly captures a unique vision as he matures into becoming an amazing director.

Helping Araki in his visual presentation is cinematographer Steve Gainer whose colorful palettes and filters present a dreamy yet atmospheric feel to the film where many of the dream sequences are shot in blue. Even the film's exteriors in the Kansas scenes shot in California are wonderfully colorful to convey its dreariness as well as the night scenes in New York City as Gainer helps Araki present a wondrous vision. Production designer Devorah Herbert and art director Morgan Blackledge also do great work in capturing the look of 1981 Kansas with all of its props and appliances and its more decaying contrast in 1991 Kansas. Costume designer Alix Hester also does great work with the film's costumes as he presents Brian with a nerdy look and Neil as a more iconic look of a leather jacket, white shirts, and thing that shows their parallel lifestyles.

With Araki serving as his own editor and cutting on a Final Cut 4 Pro, Araki does wonderful cutting work of dissolves and fade-outs to convey the sense of behavior and atmosphere of the film and its characters while using long shots and jump-cuts for a stylistic presentation and subtle pacing for its 99-minute running time. Sound editor Trip Brock does wonderful work in conveying the film's atmosphere with its sound design.

Known for his love of alternative and underground rock, Araki enlisted the help of former Cocteau Twins guitarist Robin Guthrie and ambient music composer Harold Budd to create a moody, dreamy film score that is extremely haunting to convey the film's mood. Helping out in the music is a wonderful film soundtrack that opens with a cover of Syd Barrett's Golden Hair by the shoegaze band Slowdive who contribute three tracks to the soundtrack. Also included are the Cocteau Twins, Curve, Sigur Ros, composer Dag Gabrielson with Alex Lacamoire, Ride, and actress Evan Rachel Wood who is one of many singers in a cover of the classic Christmas song Silent Night.

The film's cast is inspiring since it includes several noted characters actors as Richard Riehle, David Alan Graf, John Ganun, and Billy Drago as some of Neil's customers with Drago standing out in a very disturbing scene. Chris Mulkey is also good as Brian's often neglectful but caring father who couldn't find any answers for his son's troubles despite their time apart together. Kelly Kruger is good in her small role as Brian's sister Deborah while Rachael Kraft is even better as the young Deborah. Lisa Long is excellent as Brian's more conservative, caring mother while Elisabeth Shue stands out as Neil's more liberal, flirtatious mother who despite her own promiscuous lifestyle, is a caring woman. Jeff Licon is great as Eric who starts out as a gay partner for Neil only to become a real friend for the very nerdy Brian.

Riley McGuire is excellent as the young Wendy while Michelle Trachtenberg really shines as the older, maternal Wendy who cares for Neil as she is the only who shares his secrets while grounding him to reality. Mary Lynn Rajskub is great as Avalyn who shares many of Brian's paranoia as she reveals to him some dark secrets while naively trying to seduce him in a somewhat comical scene as Rajskub stands out. Another notable standout is Bill Sage as the coach who might seem like a nice, playful guy but conveys a dark secret though Sage manages to make him not as creepy as he seems. In the performance of the young Brian, George Webster is amazing in his role as a young, troubled kid who is in a state of shock as everything he does, he couldn't explain as Webster sells the character's despair. Chase Ellison is also great as the young Neil with his exuberant, playful performance that is the right tone for what is to come from the older Neil.

Brady Corbet truly gives the performance of his career as the nerdy, troubled Brian with his stoic image and often troubled personality. Corbet sells all of the moments of innocence throughout the film as he tries to figure out the nightmares while having some great scenes with Rajskub, Licon, and Lisa Long while he brings many of the film's emotional moments to great heights. Corbet really brings a lot of sympathy and angst to his role in what is truly a standout performance. Joseph-Gordon Levitt gives probably a really magnificent performance as the more extroverted Neil. Levitt displays all of the sexuality, charm, and complexity of his character who starts off being this playful but hostile hustler who seems to have it all figured out. Then when he's in New York, Levitt conveys all of the confusion of his character as he tries to fill answers for Corbet in a truly devastating yet powerful moment where both actors shine. Levitt is a real breakthrough considering his work as a kid in films like Angels in the Outfield and the TV show 3rd Rock from the Sun to more recent ventures in films like Manic and 2005's Brick.

While the film and its subject matter might not be for all audiences, Mysterious Skin remains a harrowing yet touching film from the often controversial Gregg Araki thanks to a great cast led by Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Brady Corbet. Anyone who wants an insight into Araki's work will indeed find this film his most fulfilling while it's not as accessible as his romantic comedy love-triangle in 1999's Splendor. Still, it's this film is the one to see that shows Araki's ability as a storyteller while more conservative audiences will be shocked by its homosexual overtones and pedophile context. While Araki fans will no doubt, enjoy this film. New to Araki's work who aren't into his nihilistic earlier work will no doubt find Mysterious Skin to be a poignant, emotionally-powerful film from the controversial director.

Gregg Araki Films: (Three Bewildered People in the Night) - (The Long Weekend (0' Despair)) - The Living End - Totally Fucked Up - The Doom Generation - Nowhere - (Splendor) - (This is How the World Ends) - Smiley Face - Kaboom - (White Bird in a Blizzard)

(C) thevoid99 2011

Nowhere

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 6/9/07 w/ Additional Edits.

When controversial Japanese-American director Gregg Araki came onto the indie film scene with his confrontational, nihilistic 1992 feature The Living End. The film was hailed as a landmark for the New Queer film scene while giving Araki an audience of disaffected youth, notably those who are homosexual. A year later, Araki embarked on his most ambitious project to date on a trilogy of film relating to teen angst which was known as the Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy. 1993's Totally Fucked Up and 1995's The Doom Generation won fans among the young and disaffected Generation X audience but was hated by more conservative film critics. In 1997, Araki completed his trilogy with a film that not only heralded the end of Generation X but the era of angst for his film Nowhere.

Written and directed by Gregg Araki, Nowhere tells the story of an alienated young man dealing with problems with his girlfriend as well as his own sexuality. Meanwhile, during this strange day, an entire group of young people deal with all sorts of troubles leading up to a party that would signify their own doom. Described by Araki as he quoted, "Beverly Hills 90210 on acid", the film is an exploration of pop culture, celebrity, and such featuring numerous cameos and appearances from then-unknown stars and such. Nowhere, despite its stylish imagery and quirky characters, falls into its overwhelming sense of angst as the days of 90s teen-angst comes to an end.

Taking a shower and masturbating at the same time, Dark (James Duvall) is fantasizing about his relationship with not just girlfriend Mel (Rachel True) but also his new classmate Montgomery (Nathan Bexton). The dream becomes more intense with the involvement of a couple of sadomasochistic women named Kriss (Chiara Mastroiannai) and Kozy (Debi Mazar) as Dark is woken up by the knocks of his mother (Beverly D'Angelo). Dark is an aspiring filmmaker wanting to finish a project for a class while dealing with his already failing relationship with Mel. Later getting picked up by Mel and her best friend Lucifer (Kathleen Robertson), they meet up with Montgomery as they eat breakfast at a coffeehouse. Learning that a party by a guy named Jujyfruit (Gibby Haynes) is being held tonight, Dark and his friends including Dingbat (Christina Applegate), Egg (Sarah Lassez), Alyssa (Jordan Ladd), and Cowboy (Guillermo Diaz) are excited. Cowboy is feeling frustrated by his boyfriend Bart (Jeremy Jordan) and his growing addiction to heroin.

While in the bathroom, Egg finds herself meeting up with a former teen idol (Jaason Simmons) while Alyssa leaves with her big, biker boyfriend Elvis (Thyme Lewis). With Dark, Dingbat, Ducky (Scott Caan), Lucifer, Mel, Montgomery, and Cowboy deciding to play a drug-version of kick the can later on, the day gets stranger when Dark sees a trio of Valley girls (Traci Lords, Rose McGowan, and Shannen Doherty) get zapped by an alien. Egg meanwhile, has a conversation with the teen idol only to have their romance become violent. Bart's descent into pain and addiction leads him to a drug dealer named Handjob (Alan Boyce) furthering his break with Cowboy. With the party happening later tonight, Mel's little brother Zero (Joshua Gibran Mayweather) is hoping to go bringing along his young girlfriend Zoe (Mena Suvari).

After a pre-game sex with Mel, Dark ponders his loneliness as Mel scoffs off his own feelings as they leave for the kick the can game with Dark providing Ecstacy. High on Ecstacy mixed with alcohol, the game ensues into something stranger when Montgomery encounters an alien. While looking for directions into Jujyfruit's party, Zero encounters Alyssa's nihilistic brother Shad (Ryan Phillippe) and his girlfriend Lilith (Heather Graham) going into a game of nihilistic sex. Zero eventually finds the direction as he tries to follow a trio of drag queens before getting his mom's car stolen by a trio known as the Atari gang. Egg and Bart, each descend further into their own troubles as they watch a preacher (John Ritter) on TV spreading his message.

After the game of kick the can, the rest of the gang minus Montgomery go to Jujyfruit's party where things become confusing. Dark’s melancholic behavior and Mel's desire for more open relationships only trouble Dark's behavior and the party later on. When Handjob arrives and news about Egg and Bart are revealed, things begin to fall apart on this day which was claimed by Alyssa to be the apocalypse. For Dark, the young man ponders about his own existence and wondering if he'll ever find true love.

While the film is directly inspired by Bret Easton Ellis' novel Less Than Zero, Araki chooses to go more into the world of 90s teen angst where by the time of its production, it's clear that angst was out. Despite some wonderfully stylish dialogue, intense direction, and such. The film lacks a very central plot where there's all of these little stories but some of them don't gel well together. The most interesting story surrounds Dark who is really the central character of the film and the film's main protagonist. The other stories, as interesting as most of them are, tends to make the film feel a bit episodic and uneven. While Araki definitely goes for ambition in this ensemble-driven, Altman-like style, it doesn't work as a whole.

Then there's Araki's ode to pop culture where at times, it's fun for whatever the characters are referencing and such. Yet, at the same time, it feels a bit distracted and being that it's in set in the mid-90s. A lot of these references feel very dated. There's no doubt that Araki is into style, even with his script, editing, and direction. There is a tendency where the film does feel like it's style-over-substance. It's not entirely his fault. It's just that he had set his ambitions to high where the film, like the title itself, goes nowhere on some parts. Yet, it does become a bit interesting in the third act where an act of violence and the aftermath surrounding Dark's behavior reveal a sense of loss in a world that's definitely changing. Despite a lot of the film's flaws, Araki does bring in some redeeming moments along with some memorable characters.

Cinematographer Arturo Smith creates a wonderfully colorful, stylish look to the film with its use of filters to reveal the mood of where the characters are at. Smith’s photography is definitely a highlight of the film that is vibrant and intense as Araki's unique style. Araki serves as the editor where despite the numerous storylines, does create some unique cuts, even the use of jump-cuts for a film with a running time of 82 minutes.

Production designer Patti Podesta and art directors Dan Knapp and Pae White create some great sets in the rooms some of the characters are in. Whether it's the polka-dots that Mel lives in, the room with Babyland lyrics that Bart lives, even the coffee house that the gang hangs out looks unique. Costume designer Sarah Jane Slotnick even goes for the film's unique style from the grunge-like clothes that the guys wear to dresses that Mel wear and wigs that Lucifer wears as well. Sound designer Mark A. Rozett does some excellent work in the sound from the noise of the alien blaster to the haunting sound during the kick the can game sequence.

A highlight in any of Araki's film is the soundtrack. Supervised by Peter Coquillard, Howard Paar, and Budd Carr. The film's soundtrack is a mix of Brit-pop, shoegaze, dream pop, industrial, and anything relating to the 90s alternative music scene. Featuring cuts by Suede, 311, Marilyn Manson, The The, Slowdive, Catherine Wheel, Hole, Babyland, James, the Cocteau Twins, Filter, Daft Punk, Nitzer Ebb, Sonic Youth, Curve, Blur, Mojave 3, the Verve, the Future Sounds of London, Ruby, Portishead, Jesus & Mary Chain, Coil, Elastica, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, and Nine Inch Nails doing a cover of Soft Cell's Memorabilia. It's a killer soundtrack of what was the mid-1990s.

Finally, we have the film's cast that includes cameos from My So Called Life's Devon Odessa and Step By Step's Stacy Keenan as two girls whose respective names are What and Ever, The Brady Bunch's Christopher Knight and Eve Plumb as Bart's Swedish Parents, Charlotte Rae as a fortune teller, Denise Richards as Lucifer's sister, David Leisure as Ducky & Egg's dad, video director Stephane Sednaoui as a photographer in the party, Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers, Traci Lords, Rose McGowan, Shannen Doherty, Chiara Mastroianni, Debi Mazar, and Beverly D'Angelo.

While most of these cameos are fun to watch and such. They tend to be a distraction of sorts where the audience it's like "Hey, there's you-know-who" and such. While it worked in Araki's last film The Doom Generation to some extent, it doesn't work this time around though it was funny to hear Chris Knight and Eve Plump talk in Swedish. Another cameo from the late John Ritter as a preacher is also a hoot to watch.

Former Baywatch star Jaason Simmons brings an unsympathetic, over-the-top performance as a teen idol who is really violent and such. Then again, it's not a performance until he becomes violent and not a very good one. Alan Boyce is good as the drug dealer Handjob whose dealing eventually leads him into trouble. Ryan Phillippe and Heather Graham give excellent, over-the-top role as nihilistic lovers who just love to have sex.

Jordan Ladd is nice as the luscious Alyssa while Thyme Lewis is good as the submissive, tough Elvis. In her film debut, Mena Suvari is good as Zoe while Joshua Gibran Mayweather is also good as Zero. Scott Caan is good as the stoner Ducky while Sarah Lassez is also wonderful as Egg, whose life crashes down after a violent encounter with the teen idol. Former teen-pop idol Jeremy Jordan gives a fantastic yet harrowing performance as the self-destructive Bart.

Guillermo Diaz is really good as the despondent Cowboy who mulls over Bart's self-destructive behavior. Nathan Bexton is good as shy, different-eye colored Montgomery who becomes an unlikely companion for the melancholic Dark. Kathleen Robertson is excellent as the cynical Lucifer who hates Dark and loves Mel yet only shares Dark's heartbreak over Mel's open lifestyle. Christina Applegate gives an excellent performance as Dingbat, who is really one of the rare observant characters in the film who tries to understand what's going on with the people around her.

Rachel True is one of the film's weak points not because of her performance but the character itself. It's understandable that she want an open relationship and such but her character really feels like it belongs in a different film. Then there's Araki regular James Duvall who is good in playing the despondent, depressed Dark who is trying to deal with relationship problems and such.

The film was released in 1997 in a lot of anticipation among Araki's fanbase. Being the third and final film of his Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy, it's often considered to be the weakest of the three. Especially for the fact that the film came out around the time 90s alternative rock was pretty much over with the rise a teen-pop movement. Another controversy surrounded over the fact that Araki briefly dated co-star Kathleen Robertson despite the fact that he was gay. Even as the two collaborated again for Araki's 1999 love-triangle romantic comedy Splendor.

In the end, despite some great performances, stylish imagery, and a great soundtrack, Nowhere is a good but messy affair by Gregg Araki. While more hardcore, independent audiences will enjoy his earlier work and more mainstream audiences will enjoy his recent feature, 2004's Mysterious Skin. Nowhere is a film that unlike some of his features, is a film that might be a nostalgic trip to watch now but a trip that won't be a total joy.

Gregg Araki Films: (Three Bewildered People in the Night) - (The Long Weekend (0' Despair)) - The Living End - Totally Fucked Up - The Doom Generation - (Splendor) - (This is How the World Ends (TV)) - Mysterious Skin - Smiley Face - Kaboom - (White Bird in a Blizzard)

(C) thevoid99 2011

The Living End

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/14/06 w/ Additional Edits.

The 1992 Sundance Film Festival is often considered to be a great class where a bunch of new film directors emerged. Two directors that came out to become the most successful from that class were Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, both of whom released their respective debut features, Reservoir Dogs and El Mariachi. The winner of the Grand Prize that year was Alexandre Rockwell for his feature film In the Soup that also starred Reservoir Dogs co-star Steve Buscemi. Two other films got attention that were from female directors, first is Alison Anders' drama Gas, Food, & Lodging, and Poison Ivy by Katt Shea while Jim Jarmusch's longtime cinematographer Tom di Cillo also broke through with his debut feature Johnny Suede that starred Brad Pitt and Catherine Keener. Another film that got attention at Sundance was a nihilistic, gay road movie that was described as a gay version of Thelma & Louise called The Living End from director Gregg Araki.

Prior to The Living End, the Asian-American director had created two features at the time, 1987's Three Bewildered People in the Night and 1989's The Long Weekend (O’Despair) before channeling his rage and frustration over the way gays are treated, especially in the world of AIDS, Araki wrote, directed, shot, and edited The Living End. The film centers around a gay film critic who just discovered he's HIV-positive as he meets another HIV-positive gay drifter as the two go on the road after the drifter kills a cop. Sharing a vision of nihilism and the idea that they're dead anyways, they drift into nowhere on the road while embarking on a love/hate relationship. Starring Mike Dytri, Craig Gilmore, Darcy Marta, Mary Woronov, Johanna Went, Paul Bartel, and Scot Goetz. The Living End is a powerful, in-your-face road movie from the always talented and provocative Gregg Araki.

For a young film critic named Jon (Craig Gilmore), his often boring living in Los Angeles has just gotten worse. He just received test results that he's HIV-positive. His mood only increases his hatred for the world and the only person he can count on is his friend Darcy (Darcy Marta). While driving around L.A., Jon would often see a drifter walking by who is looking for places to stay or things to steal. The drifter's name is Luke (Mike Dytri) whose anarchistic view on life leads him to hate everything as he gets picked by a couple of lesbians named Fern (Johanna Went) and Daisy (Mary Woronov) where Daisy flirts with him only to hold him at gunpoint. Fortunately, Fern goes to the bathroom where she screams as Daisy leaves the car leaving Luke to steal it, briefly. Still in a state of shock and despair, Jon goes on a drive where he sees Luke again who has been running after killing a few guys with a gun.

Jon takes him in as the two immediately befriend each other as Luke is amazed by the things he has in his apartment as an attraction happens. The two have a share for their distaste of the world and how the previous generation get to do all crazy things while the generation they're living is paying for the sins of the old generation in the sexual revolution. Jon enjoys Luke's company until he sees his violent behavior after a gay-basher tells them that AIDS stands for something else as Luke beats him up. After a brief separation, Luke returns to his apartment telling Jon that he had killed someone who could be a cop. Jon realizing that he's an accessory to murder, the two decide to leave L.A. and go on the road.

Deciding that since they're both HIV-positive and don't have a lot of time to stay alive, the two fugitives go on the road with no clear destination as they just decided to forgo conventions and rules and go on an anarchistic road trip. For Darcy, Jon's departure bothers her since she's the only real friend he has while her boyfriend Peter (Scot Goetz) insists that he'll be back saying that he was really depressed for about two weeks when Echo & the Bunnymen broke up. After a stop in San Francisco, Luke tries to get a place to live from a guy he knew named Gus (Peter Grame) who has no idea who Luke is. Jon meanwhile, calls Darcy through a series of infrequent collect calls which leaves Darcy emotionally upset since she is fully aware of Jon’s declining health.

With the two moving on towards the American West, Luke's nihilistic beliefs only makes Jon feel disillusioned as he finally gets sick. Luke insists that they're going to continue on this road trip but his own behavior gets the best of him as Jon has simply had enough and declares that he wants to go home. For Luke, he must find a way to win Jon’s love, even if he has to go everything he’s fighting against.

While it's been nearly 20 years since the film's release, especially since the recent acclaim of Ang Lee's gay cowboy romantic drama, Brokeback Mountain. Gays are now accepted as fully develop characters but in The Living End, the main protagonists aren't as likeable as Jack and Ennis but they're not people to hate either. Sure, Jon is a bit whiny, moody, and often neurotic while Luke is more outgoing and violent yet they're both fully developed characters. The real difference is timing yet both couples have issues to deal with in being gay. For Luke and Jon, they're both HIV-positive and feel like they're going to die anyway as they go for one last ride yet their idealism about things clash against each other. Plus, the film has more political context in the way they talk about George Bush and Republicans' attitude towards gays at the time.

Still, Araki chose not to go into the politics yet use that time to reflect the often disillusioned behaviors of the characters. Yes, the early 1990s are filled with a sense of cynicism but the reasons behind them are very understandable. Due to the 1980s era when AIDS was starting to come out and gays being the targets, it seems that they are the ones responsible for what happened. That sparks the behavior of the protagonists as it would later lead to some tragic circumstances. Still, it's Araki's script and his observant yet nihilistic direction. While some have called this film a low-budget, gay version of Thelma & Louise, it really owes more to the style of Jean-Luc Godard plus some of the narrative style of Terrence Malick. Still, Araki's approach to storytelling is unique, even if he had to use a small budget for the film which gives the film a sense of reality.

That low-budget look though does give the film a grainy presentation with the camera yet Araki's camera work does shine in his locations and ideas about sex and dialogue. The dialogue is often filled with pop culture references and politics while the sex isn't as explicit as one might would think yet watching what they do would get the audience the idea of what's going on. Araki also brings in a nice style of editing to the film that is often reminiscent of his love for Jean-Luc Godard, especially in the jump-cut styles where it would briefly cut to black and then back to a road shot. Though the film's look in its camera may not be perfect, its story and stylish presentation makes up for those shortcomings.

Helping Araki with the film's look is props master Johanna Went who brings an arty look to the film’s edgy, L.A. art scene, especially for the character of Darcy whose boyfriend is a performance artist. Then there is the soundtrack that Araki has assembled that would be the catalyst for his entire career. For this film, Araki employed the likes of such industrial bands like Coil, Psychic TV, and KMFDM plus groups like Chem Lab, Braindead Sound Machine, Babyland, 16 Volt, Drance, Chris & Cosey, Fred, Cambodia, and Biohazard PCB. The music for the film helps conveys the film's angst and attitude that is used very well.

The film's cast doesn't bring much to offer yet the cameos from obscure German actor Peter Grame, Eating Raoul director Paul Bartel, performance artist Johanna Went, and Warhol protégée Mary Woronov are fun to watch since they all represent many of the quirky cameos in Araki's early films. Scot Goetz is good in a brief role as Darcy's performance artist boyfriend who is just sexually frustrated in Darcy's worrisome behavior over Jon. Darcy Marta gives the most realistic performance of the film as Jon's worrisome friend who seems to be the only character in the film that brings any sympathy throughout the entire film. Craig Gilmore is pretty good as Jon though at times, his despaired behavior and whining does make his character very unlikeable but at least Gilmore sells the performance in the third act when he's playing sick. Mike Dytri is also good as Luke with his charming, anarchistic performance with his good looks and cool demeanor though he doesn't bring some more depth into his anger despite giving a few reasons.

While The Living End isn't as accessible as Splendor or as revered as Mysterious Skin, the film does serve as a nice introduction to the work of Gregg Araki. Those interested in the New Queer Cinema movement will indeed find this film essential. While the film is available on DVD, someday the film will get a great DVD release with special features and insight from Araki. While the film's low-budget look and feel and the often-amateurish performances won't be for everyone, the film does hold itself thanks to its attitude and idea of gay life. Still, anyone looking for a road movie with a lot of attitude and cool music on the gay side, The Living End is likely to fulfill those expectations.

Gregg Araki Films: (Three Bewildered People in the Night) - (The Long Weekend (0' Despair)) - Totally Fucked Up - The Doom Generation - Nowhere - (Splendor) - (This Is How the World Ends) - Mysterious Skin - Smiley Face - Kaboom - (White Bird in a Blizzard)

(C) thevoid99 2011