May
17
2007
Writ & Dir: Nick Cassavetes based on the true story of Jess James Hollywood
- Emile Hirsch … Johnny Truelove
- Justin Timberlake … Frankie Ballenbacher
- Shawn Hatosy … Elvis Schmidt
- Ben Foster … Jake Mazursky
- Anton Yelchin … Zack Mazursky
- Sharon Stone … Olivia Mazursky
- Bruce Willis … Sonny Truelove
- Matthew Barry … Interviewer
- Vincent Kartheiser … Pick Giamo
- Dominique Swain … Susan Hartunian
- Amanda Seyfried … Julie Beckley
You know this films isn’t half bad. I went to see it expecting a somewhat mindless popcorn film. But is actually a fairly watchable, half way decent flick.
Johnny Truelove and his pals are half-arsed weed-dealer-kids, hanging out and doing drugs, making money through dealing. But when real bad-boy Jake Mazursky owes money to Truelove things begin to escalate, leading to Truelove and “his boys” kidnapping Jake’s half brother. But the 15 year old Zack doesn’t seem like much of a victim. He gets to live the life of drugs, drink and parties; he is having a good time. But the kidnapping was a spur of the moment thing, and when he consults his lawyer Truelove realises that the implications may be quite serious.
His solution? Why get rid of the hostage of course.
Most of the film consists of the “boys” hanging out, having a good time, getting stoned, watching video games and playing games. But of course you know that it isn’t going to end happily. The opening scene is an interview with Johnny Truelove’s father, there is a time line, and every peripheral character is identified as a witness. You know that trouble can’t be far away.
Surprisingly, all the actors do a good job. Hirsch reminded me a little too much of Leonardo diCaprio for some reason, but played his role well. Timberlake had little to do for much of the film, handing around, getting high, but in the final scenes he was really good as his character suddenly realises what he has gotten himself into. Anton Yelchin, playing Zach, was perfectly cast as he comes across as a nice boy, likeable and innocent. But it is Foster who really steals the show as the violent and unpredictable Jake. Sharon Stone too does a great job, although the make-up effects in the interview scenes felt a little too much for me.
It isn’t an excellent film, but there is plenty to like about it.
Official Site | IMDb | Wikipedia entry | Fantasy Moguls | Pop Syndicate | Pop Matters
Tags:
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Ben Foster,
Bruce Willis,
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drugs,
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May
17
2007
Image nicked from Everybody lies
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Thirteen of my favourite episodes of Firefly, not including the pilot Serenity which introduced all the characters and the ship. The whole ‘verse.
MAL: Now you only gotta scare him.
JAYNE: Pain is scary.
- The Train Job - the second pilot, cause somebody didn’t think the first was all that good! Wherein we get to see a proper bar fight, a holographic type window, a drugged Jayne, a train robbery, and Mal being slightly chippier than in the first pilot.
JAYNE: These are stone killers, little man. They ain’t cuddly like me.
- Bushwhacked - Reavers! Alliance!
JAYNE: He looked bigger when I couldn’t see him.
- Shindig - Pretties. Smuggling and duelling. Well I do declare
MAL: Sure, it’s humiliating. Having to lie there while the better man refuses to spill your blood. Mercy is the mark of a great man. (Stabs Atherton in the side.) Guess I’m just a good man. (Stabs him again.) Well, I’m all right.
- Safe - Does River weigh the same as a duck?
RIVER: They weren’t cows inside. They were waiting to be, but they forgot. Now they see the sky and they remember what they are.
MAL: Is it bad that what she said made perfect sense to me.
- Our Mrs Reynolds - these crazy planets and their crazy wedding ceremonies. And crazy ship-stealing women.
WASH: Some people juggle geese!
- Jaynestown The hero of Canton, the man they call Jaaaaayne.
RIVER: TOO MUCH HAIR!
- Out of Gas -remember that compression coil Kaylee warned you about way back in episode 1. Yeah, it bust. Which means no life support. And flashbacks.
JAYNE: Yeah, ‘cos sick people are hi-larious.
- Ariel Robbing a hospital. And scanning brains. What fun. Till Jayne decides that the money really is good enough.
RIVER: Two by two. Hands of blue. Two by two
- War Stories Tiffs and torture. Lots of torture.
JAYNE: Smellin’ a lot of “if” comin’ off this plan.
- Trash Mrs Reynolds makes a return. And of course the job doesn’t go smooth.
RIVER: Also, I can kill you with my brain.
- The Message An old war buddy shows up. There is also snow, and a funeral. Not forgetting the alien foetus in a jar. Or calf, whatever.
KAYLEE: Nee GAO-soo NA niou, TA yo shwong mei-moo? (”Why don’t you tell the cow about its beautiful eyes?”)
- Heart of Gold Whores!
KAYLEE: Look, they got boy whores! Isn’t that thoughtful?
- Objects in Space A bounty hunter, who isn’t a lion. A girl who may be a ship. Space. And the spaces in space. Look it all gets a little metaphysical, existential and philosophical. Isn’t it great?
JAYNE: She killed ‘em with mathematics. What else could it have been?
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
- While Sleeping
- Everybody lies
- Too many Ideas
- I Used To Be, But I’m Alright Now
- Lil Duck Duck
- Joystory
- SciFiChick
- Planck’s Constant
- (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)
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