From my favorite movies..
... View MoreThis is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
... View MoreI have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.
... View MoreIt's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
... View MoreI was really really bummed.. This movie was Terrible which emphasis on the capital T. I loved the first one and always will and respect Mr. Merendinos efforts to try and create another punk inspired movie with a uniqueness all its own. But this was a huge, HUGE fail. Probably my least favorite moment was the use of the word "fag" which I have zero tolerance for and in this day and age should never be used in a script. You couldn't find a better pejorative, Mr. Merendino? Moving on..The acting was mediocre at it's best. Sarah Clarke brought nothing new to the character of Trish. Her acting was bland, boring and could barely keep my attention. There was none of the quirkiness that I came to love with Annabeth Gish's portrayal of Trish. Jenny Jaffes character (can't remember the name and Ijust watched it) was ridiculously overdone by over dramatic acting and just plain, not believable. If acting is her career of choice she needs to rethink it. Ross was plain boring. Penny and Crash were pretty decent as far as acting goes. I give MGK props on his acting as this is, what I believe to be, his first major acting job. Bob really disappointed me. I felt his narration and acting were forced. As for Johnny Jekyll and Sean, well what can I say, they carried this movie. They were the only characters and narratives that brought even a hint of entertainment to this dull, lifeless film by bringing the nostalgia I had waited for. They were the only ones who's acting I can say was good. The worst part of this movie was the utter lack of character development and aimless plot. They could have developed Pennys character, for instance, when we see her (a little dramatically) bashing her father's car with no real explanation of motive (aside from the hit to the face) Merendino had a perfect chance to develop Pennys character but for whatever reason he chose not to. So, then, why did he even put that scene in the movie if he had no intention of expanding on it? Who knows but it's a good question to ponder. It was not just Penny though, the entire movie lacks any real character development necessary to bring this movie to life with characters that are relatable and interesting. Huge fail. And the plot? Boring and aimless with no real point. I mean, my 13 year old son could have written a better screenplay. The concert scene was drawn out and way to long. And the pivotal climax? Well that never happened. *Yawn* I could go on and on. When the credits hit, I was left scratching my head in astonishment asking myself "Did the movie really just end like that? Apparently, yes it did. Maybe he wanted to end it like that because he has plans for a trilogy? Scary thought. I'm also curious as to why he claimed there would be a couple awesome surprise cameo appearances. I suspect it was to get people excited about whom they could be. Will it be Mark? Could it be Stevos dad? Or maybe Sandy? Although Merendino made it clear Stevos (Lillard) and Mike (Segel) would not return, many fans still held onto hope that maybe they would at least make a brief cameo. So, in essence, I believe these supposed cameo appearances were just a ploy to excite fans enough to donate money to the indiegogo platform. Why, you ask? Because exploiting fans excitement was the only way they were going to get enough money to make this God awful POS. Again, I LOVE SLC Punk! I was a fan of Punks Dead page for years and kept myself updated on everything that was happening in the making of the film. Although I was skeptical I kept an open mind. I wanted so badly for this to be another cult classic. What it ended up being was another ultimate sequel fail and huge disappointment to many fans. And the fans that claim to love it? They must be delusional. Sorry. Not. Sorry.
... View More'PUNK'S DEAD: SLC PUNK 2': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)A sequel to the 1998 cult classic 'SLC PUNK!'; once again written and directed by James Merendino. Actors Michael A. Goorjian, Devon Sawa, James Duval and Adam Pascal all reprise their roles (from the original film); as Heroin Bob, Sean, John the Mod and Eddie. Matthew Lillard (the star of 'SLC PUNK!') did not agree to return, to his most iconic role. The film also stars Ben Schnetzer, Machine Gun Kelly, Hannah Marks and Sarah Clarke (replacing Annabeth Gish, as Trish). The film tells the story of three outsider rebels, on a road trip to a punk rock show. It's definitely nowhere near as good (or as classic) as the original. The story, this time, revolves around a 19-year-old misfit, named Ross (Schnetzer); the son of Heroine Bob (Goorjian) and Trish (Clarke). Bob died before Ross was born, but he still narrates his story; from beyond the grave. Ross just got dumped by a girl, and has decided to go on a road trip with two punk friends, Penny (Marks) and Crash (Kelly), to a punk rock show. Along the way he does drugs and alcohol, for the very first time, and his mother becomes very concerned; upon hearing about it.The movie is extremely low-budget, and amateurish looking; which is very fitting for a movie about punks, and punk rock music. I admire the message of the film, and a lot of things the filmmakers were trying to say, but I just don't think it came together right (as a whole). The jokes are not funny, and the characters all seem like bad fake stereotypes. In a way, the movie kind of becomes what it's supposed to be fighting against. I respect it's ambition, and effort though; but it definitely doesn't live up to the original. There are some good live performance in it (from the likes of Dwarfs and Screeching Weasel), and the soundtrack is pretty cool though!Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/n2qWxeZ0Tck
... View MoreFirst off let me start by saying that this holds no candle to the first one. This film is probably the worst film I have seen this year. I don't know which was more terrible, the soundtrack, the bad acting or the terrible costumes. The wigs alone looked old and cheap. This is NOT a punk movie. The acting is so bad, just as bad as Michael Goorjian's fake mohawk (which you can clearly see the line of across his forehead. BTW Bob's mohawk was never that long in the original movie, something they must have overlooked, but die hard fans of the first would never overlook. Bob did not even sound like Bob anymore. His voice was not edgy as the Bob in the original. Big fail on Michael's part. They call that a punk soundtrack? Really? It sounded like mainstream bullsht to me. When did 'punk' become mainstream? There are so many fails in this movie that I could go on for hours about, but I won't. In my opinion, this movie should have never been made. It was horrible! The plot was horrible, the wigs were horrible, Bob was horrible, and it was a cheese fest. Avoid this movie! It is a waste of time, money, and I cannot believe they did this to what could have been something really good. I would give it zero stars if I could. Everyone in this film looked and acted like posers! No Steve-o, no film. BIG FAIL!
... View MoreI loved this movie! I saw the Orlando release on opening night and I wasn't really sure what expect. I adored the first one so much and sequels aren't usually known for being as good as the original, but like Heroin Bob would've recommended, I gave it a chance. **SPOILERS** If you grew up thinking that being a punk or a mod or whatever was just a phase and once you hit a certain point, you have to grow out of it, this movie is for you. Why can't you still give in to your passions and just adjust them to your adult life? The film follows Heroin Bob's goth offspring soon after his first heartbreak, on a road trip with his friends, Crash and Penny, to a punk show. Meanwhile, his still odd mom, Trish, is calling her old friends to find out where her son is and why he'd suddenly dropped his straight edge sensibilities and gone AWOL. a lot of your old favorites are back and there all plenty of call backs to the original to give you a nice laugh and let you feel that nostalgia. Its really just a day of self discovery, and even though bob is dead, his narration is almost like he's watching over Ross. it wasn't the original with new characters, it was something different, which is part of its appeal. the old characters i loved are older and different, but they still enjoy their eccentricities, they didn't turn their backs on them, and i think its what i love most. it makes the idea of growing out of something feel ridiculous. punk has no age limit. don't go in expecting slc punk. that time is over. punk's dead is what happens when the scene has changed and you're the older statesman of it, relaying the history to the younguns, OR the new kid just coming out to experience your own scene. just one piece of advice: GIVE IT A CHANCE. its new.
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