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mikeatlarge
Reviews
Afterschool (2008)
Interesting Concept, Horrible Execution
Having liked Ezra Miller in City Island, and having liked seemingly similar festival films, I figured I'd enjoy Afterschool. Nope. Not even a little.
As other reviewers have said, Campos really blew it with this one. I'm not sure if he was trying to be really different than all the other dark teen angst films, if he honestly believes there's a big enough audience for a film like Afterschool, or if he just didn't care if it was a viable movie.
What makes this movie so painfully bad isn't the story, subject matter, or acting. It's the bizarre cinematography, and to a lesser degree, the mostly scattered, slow and dull script.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
Some impressive fake (CGI) driving, but not much else
I'm a car guy and this movie would be worth watching if the driving were real. But much of it is not. The driving scenes are often enhanced with CGI (computer graphics) and while the special effects team did a good job, that takes the thrill out of watching it for me. So when a driver is drifting to within an inch of a concrete wall, that wall likely wasn't there in real life.
Having Tokyo as a backdrop does add some interest. There aren't many US movies that spend much time in Japan. Lost in Translation was a notable exception.
The rest of the movie is worse than the other two. The acting is mostly dreadful, the story isn't believable, and neither are some of the characters. If you're thrilled with fake driving and fighting over women, it might be worth a watch. If you want to see real street racing at speeds far in excess of anything in these movies, check out the (hard to find) European Ghostrider series of motorcycle street racing DVDs. There's no plot, but the action is extreme, thrilling and very real.
Cowboys & Angels (2003)
Unexpectedly well done and worthwhile
It's rare to come across exceptionally well done movies like this one that manage to stay hidden for years? Cowboys is a genuine rare gem.
This cleverly written Irish drama is highly entertaining and realistic. But it's tilted just a few degrees off axis making it fresh and unpredictable. This is familiar subject matter given a genuine makeover with a few Irish twists. It's the sort of film that makes wading through all the junk at film festivals worthwhile.
On a more technical level, it never feels particularly low budget. The lead actors do a very credible job. The cinematography is honest and the sound, in particular, is way above average for this genre. There are a few stray threads hanging off the seams here and there, but the story and main characters are easily captivating enough to keep your attention elsewhere.
Others obviously consider this a gay themed movie but I don't agree. There's no gay romance and only a brief moments or hints of gay intimacy. There might be a tiny element of "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" here, but it's just one of many small subplots. It's much more a coming of age movie--and, as such, it clearly excels.