I remember this movie from the video store I used to work at. When I started there, it was still on the “New Release” wall (all movies on video less than one year). No one, I repeat, NO ONE, rented this movie. EVER.
Lol, great review…I was thinking the same thing about Vincent. 🙂
That doesn’t surprise me lol. I used to go to a little mom and pop video store and the owner used to point out the movies that no one ever rented and asked me to please rent them. (I was there a lot) The one that really sticks out is The Tall Guy with Jeff Goldblum. I think I was the only person to ever rent that one.
Haha, The Tall Guy?! I remember that movie in the mom and pop I rented from, which was the one I went to work for. Jeff Goldblum knew how to make good movies, don’t you think? Planning on doing a review of it anytime soon? 😉
They used to play this on Skinemax all the time, and I actually caught it about three times, but always after they got to the lab, before I rented the dvd (remember those?) and watched it from the beginning. It really seemed like two different movies. Probably my least favorite Larry Clark movie (but one of my favorite softcore pornos), he used the great Tiffany Limos (Judith) again in Ken Park (as well as “Vincent” who gave a MUCH better performance in that one), but I dont think you can show that movie in the US without getting locked up (I downloaded it). Good pick, thanks for another great review man.
Remember DVDs? You should see my office! It does feel like two movies. I think it was because of Clark inexperience towards doing sci-fi. He didn’t do a terrible job but it wasn’t what he was best at. I think he went the Kids route and had them ad-lib much of the dialog which works fine in a drama but not so much in this. I need to see Ken Park again. I saw it shortly after I saw this and I think I was influenced by my dislike of the Vincent character. Tiffany Limos is quite lovely but I was more into Hayley Keenan, Heather the red head. (because, well, redheads)
I just checked and it seems Ken Park was never released on DVD in the US. Typical. That never ceases to amaze me. I can go on the internet right now and watch hardcore pornography (or buy it in a store) but I can’t get an unrated cut of a movie where they are simulating the act. Same with Eyes Wide Shut. I had to import a DVD from Europe of the full unrated cut because in the US they only sold the rated (inferior) version. This place sometimes, it just doesn’t make sense.
An old comment but just for the record, Kids was 100% scripted. And to the other comment further down, Ken Park has never been officially released on DVD (the DVDs out there aren’t giving profits to the producers/director/etc, I’m pretty sure…) supposedly because none of the music was paid for/licensed. I remember reading an interview with Clark where this was talked about. The producer told him all was settled and then later on he found out that none of the music was ever bought.
Cecil, is there any interviews or extras that explain WHY they chose Larry Clark to do this. I understand the movie had teenagers in it and they perhaps wanted to go for the sex angle, something Clark is good at, but there are plenty of ‘skin’ directors who can pack a punch with a message AND deliver the gore/horror. Clark seems like such a strange choice.
Clark feels like one of those director’s that goes to his own tune and I feel like his own hangups/issues/etc took center stage here then the actual plot. Plus, Clark kind of frightens me with his depiction of teens. Like ‘bastardjackll’ said, Ken Park makes you feel like you should be locked up (and if I’m not mistaken, I believe the sex is real, not simulated, at least in some parts). And have you seen Gummo or Bully? Those movies just make me feel. . .dirty. . .and pervy. . .and so does Teenage Caveman!
Good review but I don’t think I can ever ‘like’ this one.
If the series would have done better they may have actually done some more behind the scenes material. As it was, each DVD had like 2 minutes of behind the scenes stuff. In this one all they talked about was the wardrobe.
I don’t know any of the folks who worked on these, they seemed to just kind of churn them out quickly for Cinemax in an odd deal they made with Stan Winston.
Clark was a very odd choice for this. I think he is a decent director but seems to be a little too hung up on the whole pedo angle. I do think he shows teens in a more honest light than many movies and tv shows but it still can be uncomfortable.
I know there is a law (I don’t know the exact law off the top of my head) but it is something like you can only have simulated sex in movies, even if you can’t see anything. If they are having sex for real then it can’t be released as a film without being labeled X. (or something like that) This may be why Ken Park was never actually released in the US through normal channels. On that same note, it may be why I had to import my copy of Eyes Wide Shut to see the movie as it was intended, without stupid digitally imposed vases and lamps.
It would be nice to find out why any of the directors were chosen for the movies they did in the series. However, considering Stan has since died and the series was a massive failure, I think most involved would just like to sweep the thing under the rug.
I was able to find the answer on Richard Hillmans death. this is the source (h**p://www.findadeath.com/forum/showthread.php?21956-Richard-Hillman commented by Skiptumaloo )
From A Friend of Richards…
Hi everyone, Richard and I were close friends. First I want to say that friendship with Richard was a double edged sword. I cared about him very much, but he could be a real pain in the ass at times “I say that lovingly”. He was a spoiled rich kid from a prominent local family in the Pacific Palisades/Santa Monica area “again I say this with the utmost respect”.
As an actor he was highly rated and was destined for stardom. He had it all the looks, the chops, and the charisma. There was not a chick on this planet who could resist his charm. In fact he dated Daryl Hannah for awhile, and a host of other female celebrities, even John Denver’s widow for a spell. He was also close friends with Edward Furlong. Richard had a good heart, and he would have done anything for anyone.
He lived a fast life, and was not without his demons, and for good reason. Circa 1998/99 he was diagnosed as being HIV positive. He contracted the virus through intravenous drug use, particularly sharing a dirty needle with his then girlfriend. However being HIV positive is NOT what killed him. It was the guilt and shame his father Dick Hillman cast upon him. This estranged relationship with his father took its toll. Dick was always ashamed of Richard. I could go on and on about the two of them but I won’t. I have no doubt that it’s Dick who deleted that Wikipedia reference in fear that people would read about what really happened and about his son being HIV positive. Because believe you me Richard is very well deserving of his own Wikipedia page and then some.
But I digress, . . . in the end what killed Richard was himself. It was a long drawn out suicide of drugs and alcohol that took years to take effect. The funny thing is the HIV was never really a factor because in that respect he was VERY healthy. He refused to take the bullshit drugs like AZT, consequently Richard became a leading authority on the subject of HIV. Plain and simple he just wanted his pain to end.
One time I saw Richard take a handful of Codeine only to find out he was allergic to it his face turned into the staypuff marshmallow man for a full day . Another time I sat and watched a drug dealer slip an envelope through the car window at a gas station in Santa Monica only to have Richard look at me minutes later and say “watch this” as he took almost every pill in the envelope and dumped it into his mouth “were talking Codeine, Vicodin and whatever else” and he sucked it down with a swig of Patron Tequila. I was convinced, that he was convinced, this would kill him. Weirdly it didn’t seem to affect him at all.
To Richard these were merely kiddie drugs, party favors if you will. No, his drug of choice was heroin. He hated needles for obvious reasons so he would always smoke it. I always hated it when he got high on that crap because he became downright scary.
It wasn’t until late July of 2009 that I caught wind of Richards passing. I saw it coming down the pipe years before, all of us did. If you were to ask me I would say that Richard died of a broken heart. He always felt betrayed by the people closest to him because of how his father treated him, but the facts are he died of a heroin overdose. I would say accidental however when it came to Richard what could ever be construed as accidential. Suffice it to say Richard was not some dumb actor his level of intelligence soared off the charts sometimes too much for his own good.
My words are something his family never wanted anyone to hear. His father has gone to great lengths to cover it up. Richard was considered the black sheep of his hoity toity family. He never really fit in, and he went to great lengths to lash out at his father most times in a very humours way. I would NEVER in a million years condone the use of narcotics, but in Richards case it was the only way he could escape the massive amount of pain Richard Hillman Sr. bestowed upon him. I never envied him, not in the very least.
I miss my friend a great deal, and I miss him even more now that he is gone. There will never be another one like him and where ever he is I imagine he’s now at peace. I hope my words will help shed some light on the great Richard Hillman mystery/Dick Hillman coverup. I swear his father is paying people to remove any information about his existence from the internet.
However I know the good people here at Find a Grave will see to it that does not happen. I’ve been a fan for many years. In fact Richard and I would browse the site back in the early otts.
Richard deserves to be recognized for his accomplishments and shame on anyone for trying to sweep his memory under the carpet.
Wow, excellent find. Very sad, I figured it had to be drug related. Such a bummer that he could have had just about anything he wanted and ruined his own life.
I love most of Larry Clark`s work that I`ve seen so far, it`ll be cool to see what he does with a horror format. So folk think of the man as a pervert because of how he films his movies with a lot of emphasis on naked young people(teens), but I don`t know, I personally don`t see that when I see his movies.. Good review mr. By the way I bought Bad Channels because of your review of it and I loved it, so thank you!
follow:
I remember this movie from the video store I used to work at. When I started there, it was still on the “New Release” wall (all movies on video less than one year). No one, I repeat, NO ONE, rented this movie. EVER.
Lol, great review…I was thinking the same thing about Vincent. 🙂
That doesn’t surprise me lol. I used to go to a little mom and pop video store and the owner used to point out the movies that no one ever rented and asked me to please rent them. (I was there a lot) The one that really sticks out is The Tall Guy with Jeff Goldblum. I think I was the only person to ever rent that one.
Haha, The Tall Guy?! I remember that movie in the mom and pop I rented from, which was the one I went to work for. Jeff Goldblum knew how to make good movies, don’t you think? Planning on doing a review of it anytime soon? 😉
Eek…I don’t know. I only ever saw it once and I don’t remember liking it. I’ll check it out and if I like it more I’ll add it to the list.
This movie looks very blue and orange. I think the color correction software went nuts. Maybe that’s why the plants went neon.
They went bananas with the color correction outdoors. I know they were trying to give it a “look” but unfortunately the “look” they got was “stupid”.
They used to play this on Skinemax all the time, and I actually caught it about three times, but always after they got to the lab, before I rented the dvd (remember those?) and watched it from the beginning. It really seemed like two different movies. Probably my least favorite Larry Clark movie (but one of my favorite softcore pornos), he used the great Tiffany Limos (Judith) again in Ken Park (as well as “Vincent” who gave a MUCH better performance in that one), but I dont think you can show that movie in the US without getting locked up (I downloaded it). Good pick, thanks for another great review man.
Remember DVDs? You should see my office! It does feel like two movies. I think it was because of Clark inexperience towards doing sci-fi. He didn’t do a terrible job but it wasn’t what he was best at. I think he went the Kids route and had them ad-lib much of the dialog which works fine in a drama but not so much in this. I need to see Ken Park again. I saw it shortly after I saw this and I think I was influenced by my dislike of the Vincent character. Tiffany Limos is quite lovely but I was more into Hayley Keenan, Heather the red head. (because, well, redheads)
I just checked and it seems Ken Park was never released on DVD in the US. Typical. That never ceases to amaze me. I can go on the internet right now and watch hardcore pornography (or buy it in a store) but I can’t get an unrated cut of a movie where they are simulating the act. Same with Eyes Wide Shut. I had to import a DVD from Europe of the full unrated cut because in the US they only sold the rated (inferior) version. This place sometimes, it just doesn’t make sense.
Oh, and thanks! 🙂
An old comment but just for the record, Kids was 100% scripted. And to the other comment further down, Ken Park has never been officially released on DVD (the DVDs out there aren’t giving profits to the producers/director/etc, I’m pretty sure…) supposedly because none of the music was paid for/licensed. I remember reading an interview with Clark where this was talked about. The producer told him all was settled and then later on he found out that none of the music was ever bought.
Wow, really? I thought it was loosely scripted. Good for them then for being able to pull off everything feeling ad libbed.
Ken Park is out there but they are all bootlegs. I still haven’t seen it.
Cecil, is there any interviews or extras that explain WHY they chose Larry Clark to do this. I understand the movie had teenagers in it and they perhaps wanted to go for the sex angle, something Clark is good at, but there are plenty of ‘skin’ directors who can pack a punch with a message AND deliver the gore/horror. Clark seems like such a strange choice.
Clark feels like one of those director’s that goes to his own tune and I feel like his own hangups/issues/etc took center stage here then the actual plot. Plus, Clark kind of frightens me with his depiction of teens. Like ‘bastardjackll’ said, Ken Park makes you feel like you should be locked up (and if I’m not mistaken, I believe the sex is real, not simulated, at least in some parts). And have you seen Gummo or Bully? Those movies just make me feel. . .dirty. . .and pervy. . .and so does Teenage Caveman!
Good review but I don’t think I can ever ‘like’ this one.
Will
If the series would have done better they may have actually done some more behind the scenes material. As it was, each DVD had like 2 minutes of behind the scenes stuff. In this one all they talked about was the wardrobe.
I don’t know any of the folks who worked on these, they seemed to just kind of churn them out quickly for Cinemax in an odd deal they made with Stan Winston.
Clark was a very odd choice for this. I think he is a decent director but seems to be a little too hung up on the whole pedo angle. I do think he shows teens in a more honest light than many movies and tv shows but it still can be uncomfortable.
I know there is a law (I don’t know the exact law off the top of my head) but it is something like you can only have simulated sex in movies, even if you can’t see anything. If they are having sex for real then it can’t be released as a film without being labeled X. (or something like that) This may be why Ken Park was never actually released in the US through normal channels. On that same note, it may be why I had to import my copy of Eyes Wide Shut to see the movie as it was intended, without stupid digitally imposed vases and lamps.
It would be nice to find out why any of the directors were chosen for the movies they did in the series. However, considering Stan has since died and the series was a massive failure, I think most involved would just like to sweep the thing under the rug.
I was able to find the answer on Richard Hillmans death. this is the source (h**p://www.findadeath.com/forum/showthread.php?21956-Richard-Hillman commented by Skiptumaloo )
From A Friend of Richards…
Hi everyone, Richard and I were close friends. First I want to say that friendship with Richard was a double edged sword. I cared about him very much, but he could be a real pain in the ass at times “I say that lovingly”. He was a spoiled rich kid from a prominent local family in the Pacific Palisades/Santa Monica area “again I say this with the utmost respect”.
As an actor he was highly rated and was destined for stardom. He had it all the looks, the chops, and the charisma. There was not a chick on this planet who could resist his charm. In fact he dated Daryl Hannah for awhile, and a host of other female celebrities, even John Denver’s widow for a spell. He was also close friends with Edward Furlong. Richard had a good heart, and he would have done anything for anyone.
He lived a fast life, and was not without his demons, and for good reason. Circa 1998/99 he was diagnosed as being HIV positive. He contracted the virus through intravenous drug use, particularly sharing a dirty needle with his then girlfriend. However being HIV positive is NOT what killed him. It was the guilt and shame his father Dick Hillman cast upon him. This estranged relationship with his father took its toll. Dick was always ashamed of Richard. I could go on and on about the two of them but I won’t. I have no doubt that it’s Dick who deleted that Wikipedia reference in fear that people would read about what really happened and about his son being HIV positive. Because believe you me Richard is very well deserving of his own Wikipedia page and then some.
But I digress, . . . in the end what killed Richard was himself. It was a long drawn out suicide of drugs and alcohol that took years to take effect. The funny thing is the HIV was never really a factor because in that respect he was VERY healthy. He refused to take the bullshit drugs like AZT, consequently Richard became a leading authority on the subject of HIV. Plain and simple he just wanted his pain to end.
One time I saw Richard take a handful of Codeine only to find out he was allergic to it his face turned into the staypuff marshmallow man for a full day . Another time I sat and watched a drug dealer slip an envelope through the car window at a gas station in Santa Monica only to have Richard look at me minutes later and say “watch this” as he took almost every pill in the envelope and dumped it into his mouth “were talking Codeine, Vicodin and whatever else” and he sucked it down with a swig of Patron Tequila. I was convinced, that he was convinced, this would kill him. Weirdly it didn’t seem to affect him at all.
To Richard these were merely kiddie drugs, party favors if you will. No, his drug of choice was heroin. He hated needles for obvious reasons so he would always smoke it. I always hated it when he got high on that crap because he became downright scary.
It wasn’t until late July of 2009 that I caught wind of Richards passing. I saw it coming down the pipe years before, all of us did. If you were to ask me I would say that Richard died of a broken heart. He always felt betrayed by the people closest to him because of how his father treated him, but the facts are he died of a heroin overdose. I would say accidental however when it came to Richard what could ever be construed as accidential. Suffice it to say Richard was not some dumb actor his level of intelligence soared off the charts sometimes too much for his own good.
My words are something his family never wanted anyone to hear. His father has gone to great lengths to cover it up. Richard was considered the black sheep of his hoity toity family. He never really fit in, and he went to great lengths to lash out at his father most times in a very humours way. I would NEVER in a million years condone the use of narcotics, but in Richards case it was the only way he could escape the massive amount of pain Richard Hillman Sr. bestowed upon him. I never envied him, not in the very least.
I miss my friend a great deal, and I miss him even more now that he is gone. There will never be another one like him and where ever he is I imagine he’s now at peace. I hope my words will help shed some light on the great Richard Hillman mystery/Dick Hillman coverup. I swear his father is paying people to remove any information about his existence from the internet.
However I know the good people here at Find a Grave will see to it that does not happen. I’ve been a fan for many years. In fact Richard and I would browse the site back in the early otts.
Richard deserves to be recognized for his accomplishments and shame on anyone for trying to sweep his memory under the carpet.
Wow, excellent find. Very sad, I figured it had to be drug related. Such a bummer that he could have had just about anything he wanted and ruined his own life.
I love most of Larry Clark`s work that I`ve seen so far, it`ll be cool to see what he does with a horror format. So folk think of the man as a pervert because of how he films his movies with a lot of emphasis on naked young people(teens), but I don`t know, I personally don`t see that when I see his movies.. Good review mr. By the way I bought Bad Channels because of your review of it and I loved it, so thank you!
Excellent! Bad Channels is an all time favorite.