Sex, Drugs & Rythm N' Blues
This Larry Clark drama plunges you into the miserable life of junkie Bobbie. After a minor vending-machine robbery gone bad, Bobbie gets fixed up by the infamous thief Mel. The latter decides to hire the kid to nail one last deal that should set them up for life. Mel and his girlfriend Sid become the mentors of Bobbie and his girlfriend Rosie. Neither the characters nor the audience escape unhurt from this funky adventure. Another Day In Paradise
is an ironic title for a movie fueled with violence, abuse, and misery. The frantic angles and camera movements used by Clark perfectly depict this atmosphere. The somewhat cheerful R'n'B soundtrack sweetens the painful road trip of our 'heroes' and contrasts with the pitiful path they've chosen. I follow those basket cases taking desperate measures with a certain sorrow but never do I root for them as they've burried themselves in this mess of a situation. This film is an efficient tale on how drugs can make you reach a point of no return and how everything from there is a downhill race to a filthy abyss. Another Day in Paradise seems so real, it makes me feel uneasy and almost sick. I would not recommend it if you don't feel alright because it will mess you up. Vincent Kartheiser in the lead role faultlessly pierces the screen with such a seedy and sore character. The sordid sexuality of our teenagers is only matched by the destructive relationship between James Woods (Mel) and Melanie Griffith (Sid). Woods as the manifest unstable and alcoholic crime king delivers an irreproachable interpretation. Another Day In Paradise
is one of these movies that makes you feel glad your only drug consumption is your daily 3-cup-o'-joe intake and your occasional carbs overload.
is an ironic title for a movie fueled with violence, abuse, and misery. The frantic angles and camera movements used by Clark perfectly depict this atmosphere. The somewhat cheerful R'n'B soundtrack sweetens the painful road trip of our 'heroes' and contrasts with the pitiful path they've chosen. I follow those basket cases taking desperate measures with a certain sorrow but never do I root for them as they've burried themselves in this mess of a situation. This film is an efficient tale on how drugs can make you reach a point of no return and how everything from there is a downhill race to a filthy abyss. Another Day in Paradise seems so real, it makes me feel uneasy and almost sick. I would not recommend it if you don't feel alright because it will mess you up. Vincent Kartheiser in the lead role faultlessly pierces the screen with such a seedy and sore character. The sordid sexuality of our teenagers is only matched by the destructive relationship between James Woods (Mel) and Melanie Griffith (Sid). Woods as the manifest unstable and alcoholic crime king delivers an irreproachable interpretation. Another Day In Paradise
is one of these movies that makes you feel glad your only drug consumption is your daily 3-cup-o'-joe intake and your occasional carbs overload.
when writing a review about Only God Forgives. There are apparent similarities to the movies. For one thing, Only God Forgives marks the return of the grand trio Refn-Gosling-Martinez 2 years after the universally-acclaimed Drive. Ryan Gosling is Julian, a narco-trafficker covering up as a boxing-club owner and hiding in Thailand. When his older brother gets killed after raping and slaughtering a 15-year-old girl, their mom flies from the USA to claim the corpse of her first-born son and get revenge. Kristin Scott Thomas, the mother, is a sensational addition to the cast. I am thrilled to see her in the role of a merciless mafia godmother. It is unusual and surprising in her career. She is definitely persuasive. You will find similar aerial city shots at night in both movies. And similar character features: Nicolas Winding Refn sure likes his muse to be quiet and plots about revenge. On a different note, he also explores an odd fascination for hands and thighs in this feature film. There is one major thing I find drastically different from Drive. While you root for the driver and his quest to make things right, you can't really support Julian since his nemesis (Vithaya Pansringarm) is kind of the actual hero and good guy of the story. I am extremely satisfied with 
composed by Cliff Martinez who already created 
. His input is like a rumble of thunder seasoned with bits of peaceful melody. It replaces some of the dialogue and most of the screams. The score is a fully-fledged cast member. This extremely violent movie keeps its cool thanks to the music and Refn's use of slow motion, and silence. The director makes a clear theme choice with the pervasive color red. This oppressing red color is smoothed by the slow and silent journey of the main character and his nemesis. In addition, most of the cast and the entire crew are locals from Thailand. I think it's a precious and respectful directorial commitment. From the poisonous relationship between Julian and his mother to the rare way Thailand is shown, I perceive Only God Forgives to be a future classic reference.
has never seemed more relevant than today. Director/Screenwriter Richard Linklater adapts here 
and his original reflexion on government with this non-typical sci-fi piece. It deals with social issues, surveillance and drug-caused paranoia while abandoning the usual features of sci-fi spectacular like spaceships and other aliens. I am truly impressed by the vision of Linklater who literally made 2 movies. The first one was shot like a normal feature-film and the second movie was made by animators and drawers who painted over each and every frame of the first movie. The animation crew worked for 18 months: that's more than 350 man-hour per minute of film you will watch. You should watch A Scanner Darkly even only out of respect for the creation process and the originality of the project. Linklater turns the psychotic fate of an undercover cop into a dark comedy. Behind the drug addiction, the governmental surveillance, and the paranoia of its characters, A Scanner Darkly is definitely funny. Keanu Reeves who plays (once again) the misfit hero is actually not the best character of the story. Woody Harrelson, on the other hand, is a total blast. But in my opinion, Robert Downey Jr. totally steals the screen with his interpretation of the eloquent and sciency junkie. Winona Ryder is mysterious and Rory Cochrane is the psychotic druggie of the crew that loses it the most (he is exceptional too). I admire the artwork of the movie that makes me think of a complex underground graphic novel minus the geeky superheros. I feel that the characters are as normal as they can be considering they've been brain-damaged by the highly addictive 'substance D': yes, they are paranoid and have no future but they are also relatable which is the key to a good sci-fi movie. I believe good sci-fi is credible sci-fi. A Scanner Darkly is incredibly credible and can be adapted to any era: it worked back in the 70s and it works now more than ever.