Another Day In Paradise
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.41 You Save: $5.57 (56%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.49 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Another Day In Paradise
Movie Review: Raw but rewarding
Summary: 4 Stars
Like any of Larry Clark's previous films "Another Day in Paradise" is full of explicit sex, drugs, violence, and language. This film also has four of the best and most overlooked performances in years. The acting is so brilliant and real that you find yourself caring about characters who are junkies, killers, and thieves. Not an easy feat but thanks to the actors, by the end of the film you hope that things end well for them. Bobbie (Vincent Kartheiser) and his girl Rosie (Natasha Gregson Wagner) are a couple of junkies in love. To support their habit Bobbie robs vending machines. At the conclusion of his last heist he was caught by a security guard and beaten to within an inch of his life requiring medical attention. A charismatic and mysterious man named Uncle Mel (James Woods) becomes Bobbie's doctor icing him down and shooting him full of heroin. Once Bobbie heals Mel offers him a job. Mel has been casing a pharmacist and plans on relieving him of a couple of thousand pills, he just needs one more man to go in on it with him. When Bobbie hears how much his end would be he packs Rosie up and the two hop into Mel's Cadillac and set off on a wild road trip. Accompanying them is Sid (Melanie Griffith) Mel's girl and another junkie. The new team pull off their first heist successfully and set to work selling the merchandise. Things are going well for Bobbie and Rosie, both of whom came from abusive homes, who think they have finally found real parents who love them and will look after them. When a buy goes south Mel and Bobbie are left shot and bleeding in need of a hideout. Since the other drugs can't be sold Mel's greed kicks in and he hastily assembles the robbery of a vault. Bobbie and Rosie are scared straight by their near death experience and want to go home but Mel won't let them. It is up to Bobbie to get them out since Rosie, who feared needles, is now shooting up regularly thanks to lessons from Mel. James Woods and Vincent Kartheiser are absolutely brilliant. Woods deserved to be Oscar nominated for this role it is so funny, scary, brilliant. Griffith and Wagner are also quite strong as the frightened and vulnerable women who can't say no to their dangerous men. The DVD has a great commentary from Clark who reveals that he had many confrontations with Woods that got pretty heated. He also admits his debt to Woods who put up his own money when the budget ran out. He credits him for not only saving the film but improving it since many of the best scenes were improvised by Woods on the spot. The ending, set to Bob Dylan's "Every Grain of Sand", is absolute poetry and the only way for this film to end. "Another Day in Paradise" is not only one of my favorite films but my personal favorite of both Woods and Clark. If you like either one of them don't miss it.Movie Review: Boo-yah!
Summary: 4 Stars
Another Day in Paradise is one of the better depictions of the lifestyle of minor criminals. It gets right to the point: an inept, druggy teen thief, looking for some quick money for him and his airhead girlfriend, is severely beaten while robbing some vending machines. His friend calls in "Uncle Mel" (James Woods), a career thief and junky, to patch (and shoot) him up. Mel thinks the kid has guts. He makes a deal to teach him the ropes, and soon the two teens are trailing Mel and his main squeeze Sid, a junky blonde (Melanie Griffith). This is a Larry Clark film, which might immediately put some people off. I like Clark's work, and his films are almost impossible to stop watching (the best example being the highly disturbing Bully). There is a lot of sex, a lot of nudity (most of it between the two young criminals) and some stark violence.
But the story of this movie is James Woods. The guy is flying off the screen, chewing apart nearly every frame; he's out of control. Think of his masterful portrait of sleaze, Lester Diamond in Casino, and turn that up to 11. Whether he's jabbing his finger at someone's head to make a point, or grabbing them by the collar to stress 'It's about MONEY!', or quick-drawing a pistol, he's totally in command of his craft. We've seen him do stuff like this before, but this is special. The highlight is one, long, extended take of him throwing a conniption in the backseat of a car, spittle flying, fists whaling, total acting.
The kids are young and naive and from broken homes. Since Mel and Sid are unable to have kids, they `adopt' the two youngsters and act as surrogate parents. Mel is one of the greatest depictions of a human cockroach I've ever seen. He's about survival, pure survival. The characters seem to wander in and out of blood-drenched situations with no cops in sight. They fire guns, deal drugs, shoot drugs, and kill people and don't seem to be in any hurry to leave the scene. It's a great portrait of a small time criminal life and its many pitfalls. Eventually, the life becomes too much for the youngster, but there's every indication Mel will stay in the game, no matter the cost.
(...)
The DVD is good, looks and sounds great, and includes a commentary by Clark himself. Unfortunately, parts of the commentary are cut out, I don't recall why, but you can tell while listening. There are long stretches of silence; I'm not sure if it was copyright issues or what, but it's not complete. Overall, though, this is a lower-priced DVD and worth it for Clark fans, and especially for James Woods fans.
Recommended, at the very least, for the amazing performance of James Woods.
Movie Review: Disturbing crime/drug romp has more depth than given credit for
Summary: 4 Stars
Director Larry Clark has a knack for penetrating the lost hopes and dreams of the young adult. He also has a knack for discovering talented young artists for his films. In the case of 'Another Day In Paradise', he also offers up James Woods (who always plays sleazy to a T) and Melanie Griffith (who gives her best performance on film in this movie).
Young lovers, Bobbie (Vincent Kartheiser) and Rosie (Natasha Gregson Wagnor) live in a flea-hole, using drugs and getting by on Bobbie's petty theft. Bobbie runs into serious trouble while pilfering coins from snack machines, and "Uncle Mel" is called in to treat his injuries. Mel (James Woods) takes a shine to Bobbie, and brings him up a notch in the world, from petty theft to big-time burglary. Bobbie and Rosie take off with Mel and his long-time girlfriend Sid (Melanie Griffith), riding in a nice car, shopping for new clothes, and eating good meals in restaurants.
Mel masterminds a burglary on a medical office, and the foursome are now in business. While business is good for a while, all good things must come to an end. When one of the drug deals goes wrong, the foursome flees to the residence of The Reverend (James Otis). (Look for Clark's usual suspect Leo Fitzpatrick in a bit role as The Reverend's gate guard)
The relationship between Mel & Sid, and Bobbie & Rosie begins to fall apart, though Mel & Sid have been like parents to the younger couple. Mel wants one more big hit, but he is becoming more and more unstable. Rosie's drug use has deteriorated from snorting to spiking. At this point, as the foursome begins to turn on each other, you are left to wonder just who will be left standing in the end.
I was surprised, but pleased, at the violence in this film; I wasn't expecting it. For some reason, I thought the film would be milder, with less action. You will be surprised by the quality of the script and the amazing acting from the four main characters. Look for a small role from Lou Diamond Phillips as Jewels, an overtly gay and violent character. This is most likely Phillips best performance.
My only real complaint with the movie was the lack of subtitles (English or other languages) on the Director's. Other than that, look forward to a faster pace than 'Spun' and more violence than 'Salton Sea'. Enjoy!
Movie Review: No-one Plays a Sleaze Better Than James Woods
Summary: 4 Stars
Especially when the movie takes place in the 70's (see "Casino" also) and he's all tricked out in those greasy retro seventies duds. I suspected this before, but having seen this movie I have decided no other actor in the business can come close to him when it comes to playing a sleazy hustler-type. Or just a sleaze. Anyway, he and the rest of the cast in the movie are great. Melanie Griffith, not a favorite of mine, does her best performance I've yet to see as Sid, Mel's junkie girlfriend with the heart of gold, a woman who can shoot smack directly into her neck without flinching but who can also sing a sweet lullaby to soothe Natasha Wagner's character. I especially like the way the movie does not glamorize drug use--the characters all look like crap, and Wagner's character has spotty skin and thinning hair. I was really expecting throughout the movie that all the 4 main characters will end up dead, probably from killing one another, but this didn't happen--the people left alive at the end were not the ones that I thought would be. All the actors did the movie for scale and from what I understand Woods even ended up funding most of the movie when the production ran out of money at one point. Lots of good black humor, and Woods is always great in everything, but best when cast in really nasty roles like this, which was probably written for him. Completely disgusting, but still somehow likeable, and always hilarious. Some of the clothes are to die for (though they look more late 60's than 70's if you wanna get picky, but who cares?) One of those drug movies such as "Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas" where, if you had any temptation at all to do drugs, that urge will definitely be gone by the end of the movie.Movie Review: Definitely a well-acted downer of a good movie (get that? )
Summary: 4 Stars
I became a fan of James Woods after seeing him in the movie "The Hard Way" -- he rarely disappoints. I know Hollywood's latest hard-nosed action golden boy leading man is Nicholas Cage, but Woods is the real deal. After reading the previous comments on this movie, it's apparent that many agree. "Another Day in Paradise" is a raw look at a troubling mix of drugs and crime. Melanie Griffith is very believable and it's nice to see her with a meatier role than what she gets in movies like "Milk Money." Vincent Kartheiser makes the transition from children's movies (like "Alaska") to adult fare in a big way. The theatrical version doesn't give you the full dose, but on the DVD flip side, the unrated director's cut was astonishing. If you are a fan of this young actor, this will give you a complete 180 from his previous work. I can't recall so graphic and extended a sex scene as was in the director's cut of this movie. All in all, the performances were incredible -- even Lou Diamond Phillips does a great turn (unbilled) as a gay "crime lord" (or "crime queen," your choice). Drug use was definitely not glamorized, nor were the crimes... this paints a bleak, lonely, and tragic picture of what this kind of life can be like. This movie is not for the timid, so if you can handle it, check it out... you won't likely be disappointed.