L is for Less Than Zero and The Lost Boys

There were some good Ls to chose from today: Labyrinth, Lucas, The Last Unicorn, Legend, Lean On Me, License to Drive, Little Women and, of course, The Lord of the Rings trilogy (for crying out loud, guys, watch this, would you?!)

Less than Zero: Loosely based on the Ellis novel, this movie was always one of my favourites because it depicted that shallow, rich kid in Los Angeles that we saw a bit too glamorized in other television shows like 90210. Robert Downey Jr. is Julian, a druggy who continues to try and pay back his dealers, just to end up getting deeper and deeper into a dangerous world of debt. This movie is particularly good for the fact that most students remember Downey as Iron Man but we’ve known for a long time of his acting chops that we thought were lost long ago. (Granted he’s playing another non-sober character that just works for him.) Andrew McCarthy and Jamie Gertz (also in Lost Boys) plays Blair, the poor little rich girl (sound familiar, Gossip Girl fans?) who is going to end up just like Julian if she isn’t saved ultimately saved by the hero, Clay played by our beloved Andrew McCarthy (or, Blaine, as you may know him from Pretty in Pink.) I really like the odd, messed up friendship that these three characters share and I like how Clay had gone to college in the East to get away from these fools, only to be thrown right back into the drama during his Christmas vacation. Of course, as is in Pretty in Pink as well, no one can play a bad guy like James Spader who is Rip (great name for a bad guy), Julian’s creepy, evil drug dealer. Plus, the soundtrack is pretty good in this film too. If you read the book, I warn you, it’s not exactly what you’d expect after seeing this film.

Blair: Did you talk to Julian yet?
Clay: No.
Blair: Clay, I asked you to talk to him.
Clay: Okay, I'll call Betty Ford, you want me to get him a room, fine.
Blair: No, just talk to him, I mean, he's your friend, too.
Clay: It's funny. When you called me, I thought I was coming home to see you.

Lost Boys: I didn’t realize I liked vampire films this much but since this is my second mention of a film that people should see to compare to Twilight. Someone online recently was saying that Lost Boys was funny because it didn’t stand the test of time. I don’t really agree with that – the film is categorized as “comedy/horror” so it wasn’t supposed to be scary (even though I distinctly remember watching this as a kid at my friend's house during a slumber party and her little sister was scared out of her mind.) As someone put it Lost Boys had a cool factor, a great cast and an awesome soundtrack. They were a biker cult, killers, those who cannot be trusted. That is what a vampire movie needs – a danger factor. People don’t want to be vampires because eternal life in “the blood sucking Brady Bunch” would, well, suck. Kiefer Sutherland is a good bad guy and he’s a great vampire. Granted this movie has some hokey shots, questionable yellow eye/makeup tricks and odd costume choices (even though I wanted to be hippie-chic like Star) but all in all it’s good, solid entertainment. I watch this every time it’s on. Plus, hello, it has Echo and the Bunnymen’s version of “People are Strange” during the opening credits. And most importantly, this film stars Corey Haim during his prime. Rest in peace, Corey, you will always be missed.

Alan Frog: He's a vampire all right.
Edgar Frog: All right, here's what you do: get yourself a good sharp stake and drive it right through his heart.
Sam Emerson: I can't do that; he's my brother.
Alan Frog: OK, we'll come over and do it for you.
Sam Emerson: No!
Edgar Frog: You'd better get yourself a garlic T-shirt, buddy, or it's your funeral.

Technorati Tags: Kiefer Sutherland,Andrew Mcarthy,Robert Downey Jr.,Jamie Gertz,Corey Haim,Corey Feldman,90s,80s,Echo and the Bunnymen,The Doors,James Spader,atozchallenge,a-z

Pin It