Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Like REACH THE ROCK, another recent film with the name "John Hughes" associate with it, this film seems to be slipping out under the radar. What, is John Hughes a leper or something? Did he fart on someone's salad? Why is he cursed ever since CURLY SUE?
Oh, wait... I think I just answered my own question.
Hey Harry,
This is the second time I've written. I wrote about a year ago while this movie was still in post-production and such. While New Port South was shooting here in Libertyville (where I live), I was able to take a tour of the set with a few other kids.
The film is premiering only in the Midwest right now for some odd reason, and it isn't playing elsewhere in the country. Supposedly it is to be released nationwide in the near future. Going in, all I knew was that it was written by John Hughes' son and it starred Todd Field (you may know him as Nick Nightingale in Eyes Wide Shut). Other actors in the film include Blake Shields (the Homecoming Knight from Boys and Girls), Will Estes (U-571), Kevin Christy (he played Zellner in Dude, Where's My Car?), Gabriel Mann (Josie and the Pussycats, Summer Catch), and Melissa George (she played Jenny in The Limey and Cleo from Sugar and Spice).
Anyways, I finally got a chance to watch the film the other night...The basic plot of the film is as follows...Beware of spoilers... A young, rebellious type (whom I believe to be Blake Shields, but I could be wrong) is currently going to an extremely strict suburban school in the winter time. The teachers are mean, the students abide by the rules, and so far the story is set up to be very bleak yet somewhat compelling. As we are told in a flashback (which begins the film), we are told of another young rebel (much like this one) named Stanton who went somewhat insane and tried to destroy the school building and deface it. The main character gets in touch with Stanton and decides that he wants to pick up where Stanton left off. He gets a couple of his friends in the mix (Kevin Christy and Will Estes) to help him create flyers and post them up around the school.
Word gets around and the students begin to agree that their school is much like a prison, and something needs to be done about it. It is at this point that Shield's character pulls the fire alarm and evacuates the building. Once the teachers are outside and ask the students to return, the students simply walk away. Thus begins an interesting conflict between the students and the teachers, who now don't know what to do (other than punish them).
At this point in the film, other things begin to go awry. Shield's character gets out of hand with posting up flyers and getting everybody to follow his movement to end the strict fashion of this school. He then proceeds to lock a handful of students in a room with him while he tries to erase the school elsewhere in the building (via his best friend). The operation fails, and Shields' character has suddenly become the new Stanton.
The film ends on an awkward note, when Todd Field's teacher has a talk with this young man, telling him that he will be in an institute much like Stanton in a matter of weeks. We are left with the image of this student sitting in his chair, alone.
First off, I want to say that it's been a long time since I've seen such a bad film. There's a reason why this is only premiering in the Midwest. To sum it up simply, the film fails on many levels. It is filled with overdone performances and a completely out-of-place robotic techno soundtrack. Although it is interesting to see someone create a dark, moody vision of high school rather than a typical teen movie, it seems as though director Kyle Cooper (who created the opening credits for Seven) is trying a bit too hard. He uses an excess of jump cuts and flash backs and stylistic quirks that seem very much unnecessary. Todd Field, probably the largest name in this project, gives what is probably the best performance in the film (which is not saying much). The other actors do not fit the shoes of their characters very well, but they do show promise of talent (if they pick better roles).
If you're curious, check the film out (if you've seen everything else). Other than that, there aren't too many redeeming qualities in this promising yet unfulfilling film to make it worth your while.
Your Local Suburban Source, Stinky Marco
Wow. Sorry to hear all this. I like Kyle Cooper, and I was certainly rooting for him to make an interesting cross over into directing. Let's see if this one ever makes it out of regional bookings so the rest of us can get a peek, eh?
"Moriarty" out.
