In 1995, photographer Larry Clark burst onto the indie scene with the controversial KIDS, a tough, realistic look at a group of teenagers hanging around the seamier side of New York City, getting involved in sex and drugs amid the AIDS crisis. A decade later, Clark (BULLY, KEN PARK) went across the country to make WASSUP .. Read more
| Starring | Jessica Steinbaum, Carlos Velasco, Yunior Usualdo Panameno, Jonathan Velasquez |
|---|---|
| Director | Larry Clark |
| Genres | Drama |
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In 1995, photographer Larry Clark burst onto the indie scene with the controversial KIDS, a tough, realistic look at a group of teenagers hanging around the seamier side of New York City, getting involved in sex and drugs amid the AIDS crisis. A decade later, Clark (BULLY, KEN PARK) went across the country to make WASSUP ROCKERS, about a group of Latino teenagers experimenting with sex, playing and listening to punk rock, dressing in their own style, and looking for the perfect place to skateboard. The seven teens, led by Jonathan (Jonathan Velasquez), take two buses to get to Beverly Hills High, where they start boarding down difficult steps. They are excited when two white students, Jade (Laura Cellner) and Nikki (Jessica Steinbaum), invite them to their house, but they are soon on the run after being harassed by a racist cop (Chris Neville). They make it to the huge house, but they have to take off again when Jade and Nikki's rich white male friends catch them there, sending them off on a perilous journey through ritzy Beverly Hills as they try to get back to South Central--what one of them proudly calls the Ghetto. No matter how hard the kids try, they are unable to avoid violence; it is too entrenched in their dangerous world. In this gritty urban drama of class conflict, racism, and boys just trying to be boys, Clark displays how deep the ills of society still go, all set to a raging punk soundtrack featuring songs by such bands as South Central Riot Squad, the Remains, Moral Decay, and the Retaliators.
| Starring | Jessica Steinbaum, Carlos Velasco, Yunior Usualdo Panameno, Jonathan Velasquez, Ashley Maldonado, Luis Rojas-Salgado, Milton Velasquez, Jeremy Scott, Chris Neville, Iris Zelaya, Eddie Velasquez, Francisco Pedrasa, Claire Cellucci |
|---|---|
| Director | Larry Clark |
| Studio | REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 46 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 26 Feb 2006 Production year: 2005 |
| Format | DVD |
Larry Clark is back in familiar territory with his film about a group of punk-rocking Latino skateboarders who venture across LA from South Central to Beverly Hills to go skating; encountering sexual adventures and random violence during the day. Perhaps less successful than Clark's best, this is still a highly enjoyable film which benefits from the naturalistic acting (even though it is a little shaky at times) and the free-wheeling directorial style which gives space to the beauty of place and character. Unfortunately the film is uneven in tone and a couple of scenes jar badly, making this a film that is better in parts than as a whole. Still, fans of Clark and indie-cinema will find much to enjoy here.
Larry Clark is back in familiar territory with his film about a group of punk-rocking Latino skateboarders who venture across LA from South Central to Beverly Hills to go skating; encountering sexual adventures and random violence during the day. Perhaps less successful than Clark's best, this is still a highly enjoyable film which benefits from the naturalistic acting (even though it is a little shaky at times) and the free-wheeling directorial style which gives space to the beauty of place and character. Unfortunately the film is uneven in tone and a couple of scenes jar badly, making this a film that is better in parts than as a whole. Still, fans of Clark and indie-cinema will find much to enjoy here.