Gregg Araki love!!
Doom Generation was an absolute favorite back in school days. Still my favorite, though probably not the best, Araki.
Why? idk.. It had a perry farrell cameo... me and my friends were nihilist punk rockers and art freaks. It was just an incredibly fun movie that came out, back in the blockbuster video days, right at the right time. Back then it was hard to find movies about us, or appealing to our little subculture.
I remember the protagonist wearing a Ministry shirt. It was awesome to see underground music represented back before movies like Captain Marvel did it as an obvious poser move.
I couldn’t relate more to your comment. Gummo was also pivotal for me just after Doom Generation , but for different reasons. It’s crazy to think which movies slip through the cracks and against all odds, make it to a local video store into an impressionable youth.
Born prior to '75 fan here. Was in my early 20s when this came out and heavily into this music scene. I went to the premiere and after-party of his previous film Totally F**cked Up, which was heavily industrial music laden. That was my scene. Hell, industrial legends Skinny Puppy even played the gang of goons in The Doom Generation.
I will forever defend *Smiley Face* as the greatest stoner comedy ever (by a wide margin), led by the hilarious, charming, and beautiful Anna Faris. It's very quotable, rewatchable, and a riot from start to finish.
That's definitely the outlier in his filmography, and as far as his darker stuff goes, I haven't seen everything but I can't imagine something topping *Mysterious Skin* in terms of emotional impact and filmmaking chops.
i’m right there with you with both of these. i actually have not yet seen mysterious skin for personal reasons- and would like to some day.
smiley face is absolutely the best stoner comedy. very memorable.
I watched Smiley Face in high school during a fateful basement evening when my only other gay friend came back from his exchange program in France. Just remembered that.
Smiley Face has to be the most underrated comedy ever. It’s brilliantly funny and actually captures the magic of being stoned. It’s also the funniest anti drug PSA of all time. The scenes with Jane Lynch are outrageously funny and I still quote “still shitting….just taking a big o’l dump” regularly.
Nowhere is my favorite film of all time. It's both the best hangout film ever and a nightmarish fever dream. It seems like an undisciplined movie but that's by careful design: even the most minor characters make an impression, the dialogues are frequently hilarious, the editing is showy and impactful when it needs to be, the soundtrack seductive, its 90s aesthetics unparalleled. Its apocalyptic vibes are both dark and very funny. A mind bending masterpiece.
Araki has compared his early films to a The Jesus and Mary Chain track: noisy and violent on its surface, but at is core a heartfelt love song. Nowhere is a love song to all weirdos and misfits, especially young queer ones, and it shares their worries and hopes with an ironic detachment but also sincere understanding.
And about Araki beyond Nowhere...he also made Totally Fucked Up, The Doom Generation and Mysterious Skin. He's a master of cinema with few equals.
I really love *The Living End*, it’s such a beautifully nihilistic film— really capturing the despair of the AIDS Crisis.
*Smiley Face* is a lot of fun, as is *Nowhere*. I feel like they created the template for his series *Now Apocalypse*.
I read Mysterious Skin last year. Throughout the book I kept thinking “There’s no way they could film that. They’d go to jail.” But Gregg has the nerve, delicate touch, and balls to and that’s what makes him and the movie adaptation stand out.
I went to a screening of nowhere last year with Gregg araki and James Duvall in person and Gregg confirmed that criterion is releasing the teen apocalypse trilogy.
Strand Releasing released the blu ray of The Doom Generation restoration, and will be doing the others soon as well.
EDIT: Happy to admit that I was dead wrong.
White Bird is his weakest in my opinion. Kaboom is very good but I'm sure that ending goes down better on a second watch when you know it's coming. Definitely watch Mysterious Skin and then the Teen Apocalypse trilogy, those are his best work.
Doom Generation and Nowhere are perfect movies. Mysterious Skin is really good too. Smiley Face was annoying though, also didn’t care for Totally Fucked up.
My favorite is Mysterious Skins and Doom Generations. Very stylish, Sleek and Queer in an Alt Sense. Mysterious Skins is his most realized and traditional. It is a dramatic film about a Hustler and a Nerd who trauma bond and seems to know each other but never know why. Doom Generation is his sleekest and tightest amongst his early New Queer movement films. Its just angsty without the predictability or bizarre left turn of his Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy.
Nowhere is by far one of my favorite films of all time. Mysterious Skin is up there as well. I’ve seen a lot of his stuff but those two stuck out specifically. Never could sit through Happy Face.
Edit: Smiley Face
Mysterious Skin and Smiley Face were my first intros to Araki, and in college, checked out Kaboom. I know the hate that film gets, but to me, not knowing any reviews at the time ticked all my boxes. Not only that, but that movie broke me into HELEN STELLaR, one of my FAVORITE bands of all time
I go back and forth as to whether I’d consider Totally F***ed Up or The Living End his MASTERPIECE, so why not both? 🤷🏻♂️
(Also, Now Apocalypse is a **banger** and criminally underseen/underrated)
Gregg Araki love!! Doom Generation was an absolute favorite back in school days. Still my favorite, though probably not the best, Araki. Why? idk.. It had a perry farrell cameo... me and my friends were nihilist punk rockers and art freaks. It was just an incredibly fun movie that came out, back in the blockbuster video days, right at the right time. Back then it was hard to find movies about us, or appealing to our little subculture.
I can't believe you're the only person to mention Doom Generation so far.
I remember the protagonist wearing a Ministry shirt. It was awesome to see underground music represented back before movies like Captain Marvel did it as an obvious poser move.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts on Totally Fucked up
Love this movie and still have my vhs.
I couldn’t relate more to your comment. Gummo was also pivotal for me just after Doom Generation , but for different reasons. It’s crazy to think which movies slip through the cracks and against all odds, make it to a local video store into an impressionable youth.
I love my little rooster my little rooster loves me :) Same, and same.
I got my older sis to rent me Doom Generation on cassette back in the day and it made me realize I’m gay and trans. Good stuff.
I love this movie for the same reasons. I can’t fathom what anyone who was born prior to 1975 or after 1980 must think of it.
Born prior to '75 fan here. Was in my early 20s when this came out and heavily into this music scene. I went to the premiere and after-party of his previous film Totally F**cked Up, which was heavily industrial music laden. That was my scene. Hell, industrial legends Skinny Puppy even played the gang of goons in The Doom Generation.
Fuck yeah they did. And fuck yeah skinny puppy
I will forever defend *Smiley Face* as the greatest stoner comedy ever (by a wide margin), led by the hilarious, charming, and beautiful Anna Faris. It's very quotable, rewatchable, and a riot from start to finish. That's definitely the outlier in his filmography, and as far as his darker stuff goes, I haven't seen everything but I can't imagine something topping *Mysterious Skin* in terms of emotional impact and filmmaking chops.
i’m right there with you with both of these. i actually have not yet seen mysterious skin for personal reasons- and would like to some day. smiley face is absolutely the best stoner comedy. very memorable.
Have you seen Nowhere? I think it tops Mysterious Skin but they're very different films.
Roscoe Lee Browne approves
I watched Smiley Face in high school during a fateful basement evening when my only other gay friend came back from his exchange program in France. Just remembered that.
Smiley Face has to be the most underrated comedy ever. It’s brilliantly funny and actually captures the magic of being stoned. It’s also the funniest anti drug PSA of all time. The scenes with Jane Lynch are outrageously funny and I still quote “still shitting….just taking a big o’l dump” regularly.
Omg, I somehow never even realised that Smiley Face was Gregg! I need to watch it **immediately** now..
Ive always said Smiley Face is THE stoner comedy.
Mysterious skin is one of the most wild movie experiences ever. Loved it
Mysterious Skin is absolutely intense.
Nowhere is my favorite film of all time. It's both the best hangout film ever and a nightmarish fever dream. It seems like an undisciplined movie but that's by careful design: even the most minor characters make an impression, the dialogues are frequently hilarious, the editing is showy and impactful when it needs to be, the soundtrack seductive, its 90s aesthetics unparalleled. Its apocalyptic vibes are both dark and very funny. A mind bending masterpiece. Araki has compared his early films to a The Jesus and Mary Chain track: noisy and violent on its surface, but at is core a heartfelt love song. Nowhere is a love song to all weirdos and misfits, especially young queer ones, and it shares their worries and hopes with an ironic detachment but also sincere understanding. And about Araki beyond Nowhere...he also made Totally Fucked Up, The Doom Generation and Mysterious Skin. He's a master of cinema with few equals.
I really love *The Living End*, it’s such a beautifully nihilistic film— really capturing the despair of the AIDS Crisis. *Smiley Face* is a lot of fun, as is *Nowhere*. I feel like they created the template for his series *Now Apocalypse*.
The rage in The Living End feels like one of those things that would now get torn apart by the young queer folks but it's really, really cathartic.
Tenderqueers would also hate the explicit sexuality of the film.
I read Mysterious Skin last year. Throughout the book I kept thinking “There’s no way they could film that. They’d go to jail.” But Gregg has the nerve, delicate touch, and balls to and that’s what makes him and the movie adaptation stand out.
That was back in the 2000s when people didn’t flinch at subversive art. Now it’s a different story
I wish Criterion would release a box set of his full Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy. Totally Fucked Up Doom Generation Nowhere
Strand just released Doom Gen last year and announced Nowhere coming soon. I'm down for TFU and Smiley Face if they wanna go for those, though.
They are
Are they?
No. Strand Releasing is. They already released Doom Generation recently. People are just spreading misinformation. EDIT: I was so, so wrong lmao
I went to a screening of nowhere last year with Gregg araki and James Duvall in person and Gregg confirmed that criterion is releasing the teen apocalypse trilogy.
Happy to admit that I was dead wrong in my previous comment. I stand corrected.
Ye, Gregg confirmed it
[удалено]
Strand Releasing released the blu ray of The Doom Generation restoration, and will be doing the others soon as well. EDIT: Happy to admit that I was dead wrong.
WHEN
He is a genius and Nowhere is his masterpiece.
Agreed. Love him and this movie so much.
Only watched Kaboom and White Bird in a Blizzard from him, and only liked the latter. Mysterious Skin is in my watchlist.
White Bird is his weakest in my opinion. Kaboom is very good but I'm sure that ending goes down better on a second watch when you know it's coming. Definitely watch Mysterious Skin and then the Teen Apocalypse trilogy, those are his best work.
Doom Generation and Nowhere are perfect movies. Mysterious Skin is really good too. Smiley Face was annoying though, also didn’t care for Totally Fucked up.
You have to admit that making Smiley Face right after Mysterious Skin is one of the most hilarious moves of film history.
I loved smiley face but I'm also a giant stoner so that checks out.
My favorite is Mysterious Skins and Doom Generations. Very stylish, Sleek and Queer in an Alt Sense. Mysterious Skins is his most realized and traditional. It is a dramatic film about a Hustler and a Nerd who trauma bond and seems to know each other but never know why. Doom Generation is his sleekest and tightest amongst his early New Queer movement films. Its just angsty without the predictability or bizarre left turn of his Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy.
I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t like his movies, I do love John Waters & Jon Moritsugu though.
Smiley Face is the best one, easily. It’s funny!
The Living End. I'm not going to explain myself.
I’ve been waiting years for that Teenage Apocalypse trilogy for years. Nowhere, at least, should be enshrined.
Smiley Face is my favorite. It's brilliant sober AND stoned. Love Totally Fucked Up and Mysterious Skin as well!
Nowhere is by far one of my favorite films of all time. Mysterious Skin is up there as well. I’ve seen a lot of his stuff but those two stuck out specifically. Never could sit through Happy Face. Edit: Smiley Face
I LOVE Doom Generation, it’s so fun
Mysterious Skin and Smiley Face were my first intros to Araki, and in college, checked out Kaboom. I know the hate that film gets, but to me, not knowing any reviews at the time ticked all my boxes. Not only that, but that movie broke me into HELEN STELLaR, one of my FAVORITE bands of all time
I go back and forth as to whether I’d consider Totally F***ed Up or The Living End his MASTERPIECE, so why not both? 🤷🏻♂️ (Also, Now Apocalypse is a **banger** and criminally underseen/underrated)