Friday, June 16, 2006

Wassup Rockers? More of Larry Clark and more of his 'kids'

"Wassup Rockers" is Larry Clark's latest delve into teenage angst. I'll be up front and admit that I am NOT a big Larry Clark fan. His films are just uncomfortable. However, this time, he focuses on a group of Hispanic skateboarders from South Central Los Angeles and their surrealistic journey through Beverly Hills. As is his trademark, he uses non-performers which lends it a nearly documentary feel, and is additionally abetted by their improvisations. He maintains this style until the climax, which oddly enough features Janice Dickerson. The seven guys are charming and appealing enough that following them is pretty painless. This also only makes the violence they encounter that much more painful, whereas what Clark did in "Bully" felt exploitive. There isn't as much sex in this as in Clark's "Kids", which is sort of a good thing, as "Kids" felt sort of dirty. Overall, and this is coming from a non-fan, I found this much easier to watch and fairly enjoyable, compared to his previous work. However, that said, had I not been invited to a preview screening, I probably would never have seen it. Recommend it? Sure. But it isn't your typical summer escapist flick.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"Time for shower!"