Rating: Summary: More horrifying than any other film Review: This is the most horrific, disturbing film that, in my opinion, has ever been made. It is more disturbing than 'Salo', or anything else I can think of. It is extremely brutal and absolutely unrelenting. But it may also be one of the most important social documents that has ever been made as well. It's characters are completely devoid of any redeeming quality whatsoever, more so than almost any movie villian I can think of. And yes, people like this really do exist, as has been questioned by several critics of the film. These characters are extremes of something that is common all over the world. I have never known anymore as terrible as these people, but I have known hundreds of people that embody many of the same characteristics as these characters do. So yes, the epidemic that these characters are a part of is very very real. But this film is also very humanistic I believe. There is a genuine concern for the world that we live in on the part of director Larry Clark and writer Harmony Korine (who's 'Gummo' is also incredible, and even better than this). There is genuine care in this film. These kids are product of a society and a culture that has almost completely lost touch with it's humanistic side, in pursuit of mindless hedonism. This film is a portrait of that loss. The only problem (and perhaps danger) with this film is that I knew a lot of people in high school who thought this film was 'cool'. It is disturbing that people have managed to watch this, and relate to it. That's probably the most frightening thing of all.
Rating: Summary: Achieving the effect it desired. Review: Yes the film is stark, filled with unredeming characters,unapologetic, remorseless, rude and possibly obscene. None of thecharacters gets what they deserve and none seem to have any real conception of life or fun. This film is painful to watch and shows only the dark grim side of life for these kids. Is there a light side? I don't know, should it show a light side, should it have even a single character we can feel sympathy for? NO. The film is very pure and plays very strictly by it's own rules, pulling no punches. whether it's stupidity, drug use brutality or the rape of a minor there is no turning away, and no polite little nods to help you accept that this only a movie. Whether you believe that people like this exist or not, the movie doesn't care, as far as it is concerned they do and having made that decission it plays entirely fair, maybe too much so. No there are no heroes or angels here and morality does seem on a holliday, but it could be worse, it could be Disney.
Rating: Summary: The Facts of Life Review: The movie kids is a cruel look into reality. Parents may not want to admit it but this is what is really going on in the real world. The film portrays the lives of NYC teens who do what they want. They have sex, do drugs, go to parties and get into a lot of trouble. It shows the world how easy it is to spread an STD or even worse as in the movie AIDS. It just takes one time and this can be seen in the movie. I think every teen should see it and their parents it will help the teens to realize that it only takes one time and it will help the parents to face reality and to try to help their kids. If it were not so apulsive to many this would make an excellent health video. Teens would also find this amusing.
Rating: Summary: NOT recommended Review: An aimless, depressing and unrelentingly dismal movie about the mindless and emotionless lives of a group of kids. The film lacks any redeeming virtues. Having a leg amputated would be more enjoyable than seeing this movie again!
Rating: Summary: Amazement and Shock Review: I was bored, amazed and shocked by this movie. I was amazed that this was shown.... and sad at the listlessness in these young people's lives... and at the fact that these kids had nothing doing in their lives. I was laughing at the comparisons of the boys and girls talking. I was shocked at the callousness and indulgency of the rape scene. It still leaves me with anger. What this showed was the lack of respect for women and also every woman's fear of being raped while in such a vunerable space. It was amazing to see the beginnings of such addictive behavior and obvious at the lack of personal time and care in their homes. A very raw movie.
Rating: Summary: a certain valid humanity, finally up on the screen Review: This film reminded me of a quote of Spike Lee's early in his career, when asked why he made films: "To put our humanity up on the screen." Spike meant black folks seen unfiltered through a white sensibility; I felt something similar seeing my 1970's/80's adolescence puked up in video in "Kids." Oh yes, it was that unsupervised, amoral, and drugged-out; it was that brutal and ugly and without forethought; the only difference is that for folks my age, it was less suicidal (HIV then being in its infancy). In the mid-eighties I was an HIV counselor to homeless youth, whose participation in a study necessitated their revealing their personal i.e. sexual lives. I knew I could be trusted; they didn't, but eventually many of the kids did tell me what was truly up. I paid a lot of attention to how the straight media responded to this film, and most of it was infuriating. I suspect it's a form of denial to say that most kids don't live lives like those in the film; maybe most don't, but some do. And those kids are not throwaways, just like I wasn't. One small quibble: screenwriter Harmony Korine has claimed in interviews that the dialogue was written to the word and that there was no improvisation. I doubt that (not to take away from Korine's achievement). The early scene between the girls, especially, sounds improvised. If it was, he should acknowledge it.
Rating: Summary: Wow ! Review: When I first saw it in the cinema, I was amazed ! Now that I own it, I really love to watch it.. I always liked teenage movies and this one is by far my favorite. It's so true, it's reality. I mean this movie has everything, kids problems, sex, parties, drugs .... It's maybe sad to see but this movie reflect, even if it was made in '95, the problems that youth a to go through by finding a job, being confront to drugs and of course safe sex. Some people might find it violent and stupid, but it's not the message of this movie, watch it two or three times and you'll see what I mean. If you guys liked this movie, just take a look at the french movie "La Haine" by Mathieu Kasovitch ! I think it's a kind of therapy to those that think "we live in a beautiful world" ...
Rating: Summary: This Is America As It Really Is Right Now Review: "Kids" is one of the best films of the 1990s. Over five years since it has been released nothing has changed, this I know from personal observation. Larry Clark and Harmony Korine created an incredibly accurate portrait of today's youth. No parents present (because they have to work or because they don't care), no hope, no conscience, and plenty of time to waste. It is episodic like real life and the kids playing the kids are frighteningly real. Anyone who is disgusted and shocked by "Kids" is likely to be one of the people who would say, "my kid isn't like that" and be absolutely wrong. I'm sorry to say that I think that the kids as portrayed in "Kids" are not the minority, but the majority. Alcohol and drug abuse is widespread amongst teenagers and even pre-teens. So is reckless sex. "Kids" is absolutely authentic.
Rating: Summary: True to life. Review: This movie is the best movie about NY life. If your my age(17)then this movie is for you. It taught me alot of stuff about things like choices. This movie is great Justin Pierce is gonna be a great actor
Rating: Summary: Dreck for Dreck's Sake Review: You have to have an affinity for what is most loathsome in human nature to appreciate the unrelenting vileness and a-morality celebrated in this movie. Okay, whether it is actually celebrated is, of course, arguable. However, this movie does nothing more than show us sordidness after sordidness: Teenage Telly practicing his favorite pasttime (next to getting high, perhaps)--painfully deflowering very young virgins; Telly kicking some poor slob nearly to death. Sex, drugs, sex, drugs, ad tedium. This movie might show us what *some* kids indulge in, but it really shows us nothing new, leads us to no new understanding of, well, anything under the sun except perhaps our own stoicism should we heroically make it through the entire movie. In a word: Blech!
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