Drugstore Cowboy

Addiction is fucking relentless, isn't it? What started as a casual thing turns into something you need or you'll just die. (Or at least feel like you will.)

Watching Gus Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy, it certainly comes across that way with Bob Hughes (Matt Dillon). He has his wife Dianne (Kelly Lynch) and associates Rick (James LeGros) and Nadine (Heather Graham) help him steal pharmacies for his (and their) addiction. But it soon dawns on Bob that he should kick this habit and soon.

Some may view Drugstore Cowboy as simply a film about drug addiction. It could be viewed as an outlaw film in a similar vein to Badlands. The four leads are constantly on the run from the police because of their frequent robberies. They didn't want to live a life like this, but their addictions sealed their fates.

Like Van Sant's later film My Own Private Idaho, Drugstore Cowboy revolves around situated in Portland, Oregon. Thanks to the eye of cinematographer Robert Yeoman, the film depicts the city as a place where hopes and dreams die agonizing deaths. (The way Portland looks throughout drives that point home.)

Drugstore Cowboy isn't my favorite of the Van Sant films I've seen (that honor goes to either To Die For or Milk), but I did like it very much. Thanks to the lead work from Dillon, the film isn't just the typical "drugs are bad" spiel. It's willing to show how damn addictive those drugs are.

My Rating: ****1/2

Mala Noche

There are very few directors that, regardless of how well their films do, continue to work in Hollywood. One such name is Gus Van Sant. His filmography has been a mix of studio productions and independent features.

His debut Mala Noche falls into the latter category, and conveys many themes seen later in his work. (If you've seen any of his later works, you know what those themes are.)

Much like My Own Private Idaho and Good Will Hunting, Mala Noche features a lead character who's on the fine line of being out of place in society and belonging in it like a normal person. Throughout the film, he wavers on that line, staying on each side for some time.

In a similar vein of Milk and To Die For, the lead has aspirations he plans to achieve. He won't let anyone or anything get in his way, regardless of what others might think.

Mala Noche has you thinking about aspects of society, something Van Sant most definitely did with Milk. What's right with it? What's wrong with it? These are questions that are raised constantly when watching this transfixing film.

My Rating: ****1/2

To Die For

There are a number of movies based on real-life crimes (Zodiac, Monster) and there's a handful of movies where a crime is a major influence on them (Psycho, Dog Day Afternoon). If you're wondering, To Die For falls under the latter category.

It's based on the Pamela Smart case. Smart seduced her teenage lover into killing her husband, which he did. It's a juicy case to read up on, so I don't blame screenwriter Buck Henry for having a desire to turn it into a movie.

Nicole Kidman's Suzanne Stone is determined to get on TV, even if it means working as a weather girl for the local TV station of the aptly name town of Little Hope, New Hampshire. Her wardrobe looks like the 1950's threw up on her (same goes for her sense of decorating) and she always has a smile on her face as though she's forever on camera. Too bad neither her husband Larry (Matt Dillon) or her teenage lover Jimmy (Joaquin Phoenix) could see through her phony facade.

Oh man, To Die For is really funny. A tad too dark in some scenes, but it was fun to watch. Kidman's delightfully wicked performance is definitely the highlight, but I also liked Phoenix (though it looked like he was trying to channel his brother River). All in all, I liked it.

My Rating: ****

Milk

I try to avoid movie focusing on heavily debated subjects (ie, gay rights, capital punishment) because I know if I bring up the movie it'll start a heated discussion. But if the movie is one of the best-reviewed movies of its release year, then I'll see it.

Milk chronicles the career of openly gay politician Harvey Milk (Sean Penn). His acts to get gay rights in San Francisco garners not only respect and friends, but also more than a few enemies.

Penn delivers a strong performance as Harvey Milk. He acts alongside a stellar supporting cast which includes Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna and James Franco. The movie made my views on gay rights strengthen a bit. As I've stated a few times before, I'm for gay rights. And Milk opened me to the background of the movement.

My Rating: *****

Good Will Hunting

Matt Damon probably wouldn't have pictured that a screenplay he originally wrote for an English class while attending Harvard would garner critical acclaim. Well, he did and received an Oscar, along with his friend Ben Affleck, for writing it.

Although Will Hunting (Damon) has a high IQ, photographic memory and a gift for mathemathics, he has a job as a janitor at MIT and lives in a rundown building in a South Boston neighborhood. His talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skargard), a Fields Medalist. After Will is arrested for getting into a brawl, Lambeau gives Will an offer: either go to jail, or be released under Lambeau's personal supervision and see a therapist. Will chooses the latter, although he believes he doesn't need therapy. After going to five different therapists, Lambeau desperately goes with Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), his college roommate.

I really liked much of the movie, particularly Williams' performance. In my opinion, Williams and the screenplay were the highlights of Good Will Hunting.

My Rating: *****