|
| Movie Review: Paranoid Park Alternate Title: Dead Man Skateboarding
Story: I like director, artist
and writer Gus Van Sant but I hated this film. Based
on the novel by Blake Nelson, Van Sant covers terrain
that has been his signature on the big screen. You all know his characters
- the disaffected, dispirited, withdrawn, outsider teenage boy filled
with angst, ennui and in most cases, without an on-screen reason that
is discernible to the audience. Young Alex' parents are going through a divorce. He finds solace in
skateboarding. He accidentally gets involved in a murder and the film
rewinds several times to go over what Alex does after the incident.
It is a long, arduous rewind. It is not a revealing depiction of what
someone might do if faced with this predicament. I found the character of Alex to be self-indulgent, deadpan and without
any redeeming qualities. It us hard to have any empathy for a character
who has no character. True, I did not like the film but I did like the music and the cinematography.
That said, I am not giving up on Gus Van Sant but cannot recommend this
film to anyone but boys around the age of 16. Acting: First time actors are everywhere and it shows.
The camera rarely leaves Alex (Gabe Nevins) and it
should have.
Predilection: I like Gus Van Sant.
Critters: A black dog in a brief cameo on the beach.
Food: No time to eat on a skateboard. There is a
frappucino and apple pie.
Sex Spectrum: A quickie first time sex act - without
any emotion.
Soundtrack: The soundtrack is the most interesting
part of the film.
Opening Titles: White type in the upper left hand
corner of the screen superimposed over a bridge in Portland.
Visual Art: There is some interesting camera work
but not enough to take the focus off of the bad film.
Theater Audience: A handful of Gus Van Sant, skateboarding
or teenage boy fans.
Weather: It was gloomy in Portland.
Sappy Factor: 0
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: The accidentally murder was very hard
to watch.
Drift Factor: Oh my - I was totally adrift.
Predictability Level: I did not care after awhile.
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: No - but it did win something at Cannes.
Big Screen or Rental: Neither. But for some of Gus
Van Sants' better films, you could rent: Elephant, Gerry, Finding
Forrester, Psycho, Good Will Hunting, My Own Private Idaho, Drugstore
Cowboy
Length: A very long 90 minutes.
LOBO HOWLS: 3
|