Bully (Larry Clark, 2001) -- Based on a true story. Naive teenagers plot to murder one of their own, who has been too much of a bully to them. From the same director who brought us
Kids (1995) comes a movie that indeed pushes the envelop about as much as that movie did, yet this one is actually based on a true story and from the accounts I've read, it's actually very accurate, although much as hard to watch as the one I mentioned before. The teens portrayed in the movie seem very current in that same aimless way as they seem nowadays, in the sense that they have sex almost on a constant basis, drink, smoke weed, drop acid, and have reckless, meaningless lives.
Much has been said about how crude and violent and exploitive this movie is, yet despite the amount of sex and nudity in this movie, it actually caprures the reality of today's troubled youth - how sex and drugs are pitiful attempts at giving meaning to their lives.
Bully is an excellent exploration of the youth of today's dark and troubling times. Much like
Kids, it's a movie that's meant for intelligent discussion, beyond the usual controversy and rage that is ordinary for movies like this. Albeit, very hard to watch, 8/10
Død snø (a.k.a.
Dead Snow) (Tommy Wirkola, 2009) -- A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies. Not much more to say about it, except it has all the ingredients a zombie movie must have: horrible acting, needless sex, improbable settings, and lots and lots of gore. The plot is very linear and draws a lot from the typical slasher movies, but turns pretty wildly with the addition of Nazi zombies (WTF, right?), yet it manages to be well written an directed. It goes to show that foreign horror (especially European) is loads better than most American trash released nowadays. Død snø is a shining example that is simple in its execution, with a group of like-able characters, a witty script and much disemboweling and de-limbing. 6/10
Happiness (Todd Solondz, 1998) -- The lives of many individuals connected by the desire for happiness, often from sources usually considered dark or evil. Little did I know a movie with such an optimistic title could turn out to be so sad and depressing, dealing less with actual happiness and more with the things people do to obtain it, and the things they avoid to er... avoid it. At many times I almost turned it off because it's very, very sick and condoning of horrible circumstances, to which there doesn't seem to be a happy ending. I do get all the references to the quiet desperation that living on one's own came come to be and how sad and empty life may seem, but I really couldn't stand most of it. Acting is superb, but the 'evil' parts really overshadowed it. 5/10