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Tag Archives: Corey Feldman

The Lost Boys

22 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 58 Comments

Tags

1980's, Barnard Hughes, Comedy, Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Horror, Jami Gertz, Jamison Newlander, Jason Patric, Joel Schumacher, Kiefer Sutherland, The Lost Boys

Film Title

The Lost Boys

Director

Joel Schumacher

Starring

  • Jason Patric as Michael Emerson
  • Corey Haim as Sam Emerson
  • Kiefer Sutherland as David
  • Corey Feldman as Edgar Frog
  • Jamison Newlander as Alan Frog
  • Jami Gertz as Star
  • Dianne Wiest as Lucy Emerson
  • Edward Herrmann as Max
  • Barnard Hughes as Grandpa

A film that manages to bridge the gap between horror and comedy and a successful one at that, The Lost Boys is an inventive and irreverent movie that has a good few twists and outrageous moments to add to the vampire mix.

Teenager Michael and his younger brother Sam relocate from Phoenix to the beach side Californian town of Santa Carla with their mother Lucy, following her divorce. the-lost-boys-posterThey move in with Lucy’s father, whose an eccentric man living on the outskirts of town. Exploring the Boardwalk, which is where everyone seems to go, (while their mother gets a job at the video store working for a quiet guy named Max), Michael and Sam both discover different things. Michael becomes curious and drawn to Star; a seductive young woman. She runs with a local gang of leather glad troublemakers headed by the charismatic David. David beckons Michael to join his and taunts him into an initiation that soon proves very dark for him. Meanwhile, Sam meets David and StarEdgar and Alan Frog, brothers who work in a comic store and speak of the town being overrun by vampires, which Sam sniggers at as being impossible. It soon becomes very apparent that David’s gang are not just teenagers but in fact savage vampires, who are probably behind all the cases of missing people around the town. Michael, who went through the initiation process without really knowing what it was, soon begins exhibiting strange powers and abilities that slowly take over. Sam notices this change within his brother and . Star is in fact in the same position of Michael as she isn’t a full vampire yet and wants to be rid of it. Worrying for his brother, Sam enlists the Frog Brothers in a fight to eradicate the vampires and save Michael and Star from the clutches eternal, blood-sucking life.

Joel Schumacher directs The Lost Boys with a clear control over it and a sense of fun that emerges throughout it. He wisely gets the humour and horror to both be effective, instead of a seesaw of up and down switches.  His flourishes of style are apparent yet don’t swallow the story. The best instance is the shots from the vampire’s perspective as they fly over the town, which is both creepy and exciting. As far as humour goes, The Lost Boys has it in abundance and forms a marvellous balance with tense horror within the tale. It captures both horror and laughs in quick succession, making sure you’re scared one minute and then laughing the next. The pace is very impressive as it introduces us to the characters and hints of weirdness, letting the darkness sink in as the presence of David and his gang becomes more known. I particularly enjoy the presentation of vampirism here as it has traditional elements, but boasts quite a few surprises in it. The vampires here are shown as seemingly cool and dangerous, the type of popular gang it would be easy to fall into. Yet once the vicious truth of them is known, they take on a different meaning altogether. This is twinned with a theme of peer pressure as Michael is shown to want to be one of the, but comes to see that it’s a living hell from which he needs to escape. David and his gang become the dark forces taking away the innocence of Michael with their powerful and unusual ways. kiefer-sutherland-the-lost-boysThe Lost Boys can also be seen as a teen movie due to this examination of adolescence, but thankfully it’s one of the better ones due to the main touches of horror and humour. And I must gives kudos to The Lost Boys for its absolute blast of a final act. The extended climax in which Sam and The Frog Brothers face off against the vampires is as creepy as it is exhilarating. And you have to love a horror movie that has inventive deaths aplenty, including death by stereo. In terms of visual style, one can view the movie as a great time capsule back to the 1980’s. The slick and glossy nature is still there, with the vampire lair a cool retreat that looks like something made for MTV. There is fun to be had in looking at the setting and style on show, in between the outrageous comedy and creepy shenanigans. A quintessential soundtrack of mostly 80’s songs does a great job by cutting the action to these grooves, including a great version of ‘People are Strange’ that opens the film and sets the foreboding tone.

A cool cast excellently does a good job in this horror flick. Jason Patrick has the required attitude and cool factor to play Michael, who soon becomes a victim of the vampires. sam-and-the-frog-brothersCorey Haim hits the right notes of youthful enthusiasm and brotherly concern as Sam fights to stop his brother becoming a full-on vampire. Kiefer Sutherland is one of the best things in the film. His performance as leader of the vampire pack David, is unnerving yet darkly charismatic. David is a character who embodies darkness from every angle but who you can’t help but feel intrigued by. A lot of this comes down to Sutherland’s good work that makes creatures of the night seem very cool. The duo of Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander as The Frog Brothers is inspired. These characters are geeky and amusing in their pursuit of vampires, you just have to here some of the one-liners between the two. It’s impossible not to have fun when these two are on screen doing their thing. Displaying a sensuality that is tempered by a deep-seated terror, Jami Gertz makes an impression as the beautiful half-vampire Star who is tired of the life she leads. Showing maternal anxiety and warmth is Dianne Wiest in the part of the boy’s mother, who doesn’t really know the kind of town she has moved them all into. Edward Herrmann excellently takes the role of the seemingly ordinary Max, who becomes interested in Lucy yet comes under suspicion from Sam and the Frog Brothers. And finally there is Barnard Hughes as the unusual but lovable Grandpa.

A gloriously enjoyable marriage of horror and dark comedy, The Lost Boys is deservedly a cult movie and it’s not at all difficult to decipher why.

Stand by Me

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 47 Comments

Tags

1980's, Coming-of-Age, Corey Feldman, Drama, Jerry O'Connell, John Cusack, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss, River Phoenix, Rob Reiner, Stand by Me, Stephen King, Wil Wheaton

Film Title

Stand by Me

Director

Rob Reiner

Starring

  • Wil Wheaton as Gordie Lachance
  • River Phoenix as Chris Chambers
  • Corey Feldman as Teddy Duchamp
  • Jerry O’Connell as Vern Tessio
  • Kiefer Sutherland as Ace
  • Richard Dreyfuss as Adult Gordie
  • John Cusack as Denny Lachance

Based on a Stephen King novella, Stand by Me is a seminal coming-of-age tale that is filled with humour, pathos and the nostalgic longing for the adventures of childhood.

After reading of the death of a childhood friend, a writer named Gordie Lachance begins to recall an eventful summer adventure with his friends back in 1959 Oregon. We flashback to this time and are introduced to the main characters, four twelve-year old boys. Gordie is a quiet and sensitive young boy who is struggling to cope following the death of his older brother. He has a gift for writing but his strict father who always preferred his older brother berates him for it and neglects him constantly. Gordie finds solace in the company of his friends. Stand By Me groupThe rest of the group comprises of Chris Chambers, a natural leader who is from a family of criminals and often suffers the stigma surrounding this; Teddy Duchamp, a funny but internally troubled boy who is scarred from an incident when his father held his ear to the stove and Vern Tessio, a chubby tag along who is often picked on for his appearance and scared personality. Vern overhears his brother revealing the location of the dead body of a local kid who has been missing for a while. Curious about this, Vern informs his friends and they decide to search for the body, hoping they will get money and fame if they discover it. Hiking through the woods, the four friends go through a journey of self-discovery all while trying to find the body before Ace, the vicious local bully can find it and claim a reward.

Rob Reiner directs with a lyrical eye for detail, capturing the wildlife beauty of the Oregon woods and the boyhood exuberance of going on an adventure with your friends. He also creates fully rounded characters who we can all relate to in one way or another. The four boys could be any group of friends and this quality gives the film a touching sensitivity. Stand by me SwampThe childlike sense of adventure is both funny and poignant as we watch them laugh, go through mishaps such as dodging an oncoming train and falling into a swamp infested with leeches and begin to grapple with mature issues of adulthood. A well-chosen soundtrack of 50’s classics gives the film a brisk edge and the fleeting sense of innocence beginning to be lost as the boys journey deeper into the woods by following train tracks. For me, it is the little things that make Stand by Me such a nostalgic and bittersweet watch. Gordie observing a young deer and deciding to keep the memory to himself, Vern and Teddy singing along to ‘Lollipop’, the campfire debate surrounding what animal Goofy is and the boys running away from Chopper, supposedly the most feared dog around who is far from it. I don’t think I’ve seen a film that evokes the feelings of growing up and the various issues surrounding quite as well as Stand by Me. And it does it all without being sentimental, it instead gives us many life lessons and captures the innocence of childhood in all its awkward and strange glory.

Stand By Me coinThe four leads in Stand by Me all contribute believable and relatable performances. Wil Wheaton combines maturity with vulnerability to get to the heart of Gordie, who feels as if he’s in the shadow of his deceased brother. River Phoenix is particularly touching, soulful and intense as Chris, who fears he won’t succeed in life because of the prejudice aimed towards him as a result of his familial ties. Corey Feldman is funny and manic as the scarred Teddy, whose often smiley demeanor hides the pain of his experiences with his father. Rounding out the quartet is Jerry O’Connell as the lovable and timid Vern, who often says things that cause his friends to roll their eyes but who has an earnest and caring heart when it comes to his friends. In other roles, Kiefer Sutherland is menacing as the town bully who delights in tormenting those who aren’t as strong as he is. Richard Dreyfuss utilises his commanding voice as he narrates the adventures of his youth with maturity and wisdom. John Cusack, in flashback, portrays Gordie’s deceased brother whose death has left a void in his life.

Nostalgic, poignant and filled with charm, the joys of Stand by Me still resonate to this day and will probably live on for a long time because of its moving story and wonderful performances.

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