From a sundrenched summer afternoon to a dusk filled with doubt and dread, the atmosphere was ethereal and the film a delight. It was a pastiche of 2 of my favourite genres: grindhouse horror and adult exploitation. Ti West proves again why he is one of the more interesting/unique(in this reviewer’s humble opinion) directors out there making contemporary horror films. So many lovely shot selections and cool editing tricks on display(love the De Palma style use of split screen).
Mia…
So many bad ass bad boyz. Teenage delinquency at its' finest; raw and real. It really goes off in a lot of directions that I was not anticipating and it made for a wild ride. Amazing score. Some cool shots of Chicago locations; shout-out to a special L-Train sequence. Was also pleasantly surprised by how stacked the cast was.
Nonsensical chaotical farce. Digeridoo mesmerization, bandaged kangaroos and an independent soda tycoon’s daughter. Eric Roberts seemingly doing some kind of Reagan impression. This is what happens when Black Wave ideals collide with 80s mainstream pop sensibilities. I love Coca Cola and the strangeness of it all.
I don’t know why exactly I waited like 12 years to experience this but it made for superb insomniac viewing. There are some very specific stylistic choices made here with the actors’ cadences and physical blocking; all of it worked for me. Had fun clocking my hometown(Toronto) as a stand-in for NYC at roughly 4-5 min into the runtime.
Director’s cut. Such a maximalist oddity, kinda love it. Vibes-wise neighbours with Cemetery Man. Killer Sonic Youth needledrop. I love Trini Alvarado in this & almost everything. Jeffrey Combs’ hair & well, everything is outstanding. Finally Dee Wallace doesn’t play someone’s mom lol.
PS. I really wanted to see this at the drive-in when it came out but my parents wouldn’t take me.
