Based on a true story, we meet Marty Puccio a troubled guy who is being abused by his friend Bobby Kent until one day his girlfriend Lisa decides to group a bunch of friends to kill him. After his brutal murder paranoia ensues within the group. Over the past few years I’ve noticed a startling resemblance among Clark’s films, so I didn’t expect much of a difference from this and “Kids.” The story plays out as we see the naive and brain dead Marty who only surfs and watches Television is bullied by his malicious best friend Bobby. The characters are fascinating because Bobby is at times very abusive at one point hitting Marty across the face in anger, but when they’re alone he sincerely tells him, “You’re my best friend.”
Tag Archives: Drama
Darkness Falls (2003)
“All this for a fucking tooth.”
In the town of “Darkness Falls” (There’s a name that will attract tourists), a kind old woman named Matilda Dixon used to give coins to children for their baby teeth out of kindness. One day she was caught in a house fire and became badly scarred; so much so she wore a porcelain mask to cover her wounds and hid in the dark due to sensitivity from sunlight. One day two children went missing and the town blamed her, and hung her. Before she died she inflicted a curse on the town until one day the two missing children appeared. The town hid the secret until modern times. We meet Kyle who encountered the demonic tooth fairy when he was a boy barely making it out alive and became institutionalized. Twelve years later, his childhood girlfriend Caitlin (Emma Caulfield) is experiencing an ordeal as her little brother is afraid to sleep claiming the tooth fairy will get him.
Tadpole (2002)
Aaron Stanford makes his debut as Oscar Grubman, a fifteen year old intellect with an obsession for Voltaire who returns home to New York to visit his family. He has a bad crush on his stepmother Eve (Sigourney Weaver) unbeknownst to his inept father Stanley (John Ritter) but accidentally gets entangled in an affair with her flirtatious friend Diane (Bebe Neuwrith) who becomes infatuated with Oscar’s intelligent personality and begins to play mind games with him as he desperately tries to conceal the affair from his stepmother. Aaron Stanford skillfully portrays this kid who’s always one step ahead of everyone… or at least he thinks he is.
Lovely & Amazing (2001)
I was pleasantly surprised at how “Lovely & Amazing” exceeded all my expectations. We get a truly incredible heart-wrenching story about these women that face what everyday struggles involving body image. Director Nicole Holofcener also explores how petty these issues about image can be to a woman, and how it so ironically affects their lives inadvertently. “Lovely & Amazing” tells the tale intense tale of four women facing life and its many challenges. We meet Michelle (Katherine Keener) a woman in the crossroads of her life as she faces a dead-end marriage. She is an aging woman who is a struggling artist with a husband who shows basically no interest in her sexually.
Hulk (2003)
Based on one of the most popular and beloved characters in Marvel Comics, we meet Bruce Banner, a timid and shy scientist who performs experiments on animals using Gamma radiation. An accident in his lab causes the gamma radiation to explode and exposes Bruce to a lethal dose. To the surprise of his girlfriend Betty Ross, he is fine but soon discovers that his suppressed rage, when released, unleashes an incredible large green beast known to him as “The Hulk”. An evil military scientist named Talbot wants the hulk to extract his DNA and create a race of super soldiers. All the while general Ross wants him dead at all costs. Now, Banner must confront his horrible past and come to grips with his curse all the while clashing with his psychotic father David who wants to use the hulk for his own benefit.
City by the Sea (2002)
For a film that’s identified as a bonafide thriller, the concept and entire plot is completely downplayed and low-key. I was never sure which direction it wanted go but it definitely does not become a thriller. It segues into all directions of plots never sure where it’s headed. The film is a story about relationships; the relationship Lemarca has with his ex-wife represents his past, the relationship with his new girlfriend represents his current life, and his son represents the past he abandoned. This could have been some amazing metaphors to mesh into the film, but it’s ultimately ruined.
The Ring (2002)
After the mysterious death of a loved relative, reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) discovers the source behind the death and begins to investigate. What she begins to discover will be a descent into darkness and evil that will forever change her life. This was based on the original Japanese horror series of movies that took Japan by storm and became a classic. The execs at America took notice and decided to remake it hoping to spawn an equally engrossing hit. What is spawned by it is a truly horrific movie that has the makings of a masterpiece. The one thing that stood out from this movie is the incredible cinematography.