Rating: 
Summary: Self-Important, Not Important
Review: There's something comically--and, perhaps, miserably--self-important about "Bully," starting with its proposition that although kids die every day in the inner city and in poor rural areas, it's when such deaths occur in the affluent white suburbs that we're supposed to take notice. Maybe the term I'm looking for isn't "self-important" but "self-indulgent," as there's no doubt that "Bully" is that, too. But separating what is intentional and ironic in this approach versus what is simply nacissistic and exploitative is difficult. I guess that leaves the miscreants themselves the intended audience--if so, is the film supposed to indulge their narcissism? With his semi-documentary approach, Clark stops short of giving the story any kind of moral perspective, which only adds to the sense that the audience is supposed to be titillated rather than enriched by "Bully." In the end, I was neither.
Rating:
Summary: Strong and Convincing Acting but the Film Is Exploitative
Review: Based on Jim Shutze's book which follows the horrifying event of killing a boy in Florida on July 14 1993, "Bully" is as shocking and disturbing as you may imagine. But the shock does not come from the violence, but from the excessive amount of nudity. That's no wonder because the director is Larry Clark, known for his film like "Kids" and photo books such as "Teenage Lust."Two kids Bobby (Nick Stahl) and Marty (Brad Renfro) have been friends, but the relations has got shaky recently. Each of them belongs to the different social groups, and these days Marty is likely to receive very humiliating treatment, verbally and physically, from Bobby. After several events including a case of date-rape, Marty comes to know that he is not the only one who wishes Bobby's demise. And to make matters worse, those kids ask for help from the wrong person Kaufman (Leo Fitzpatrick from "Kids"). The acting from male players are all credible, especially Renfro and Stahl while the female ones are too weak, probably because they are not required to do much except for throwing away the clothes. But at least Larry Clark deserves praise for not depicting these kids as monsters, and whether intentional or not, the most tragic scenes are morbidly fascinating, with good descriptions of teenagers who don't know what they are doing. The film doens't try to explain why this kind of terrible thing happened, and that turns out a wise choice. What I don't understand is the frequent use of the kids' nidity (not sex scenes themselves). If Larry Clark says sex is essential in drawing the picture of teeenagers, I don't disagree. But when he does shows naked girls's bodies too much as he does, even when there is absolutely no need to do that (like phone calling), the film becomes an exploitaion film you could see at drive-in theaters back in the 50s. I am not against these films (I actually like these films such as "High School Confidential"), but considering the subject matter and its serious nature, this way of shooting the teenagers is completely misguided. Lastly, I should have given more stars if Larry Clark stuck to his gun, claiming his right to do what he wants to do. OK, but it is embarrassing to know that his follow-up to "Bully" was simply awful "Teenage Caveman," poor recycle of 1950s monster flick, which would discredit anything. And again "teenagers."
Rating: 
Summary: Heavy
Review: I highly hesitate to say this film represents reality so well...in my opinion, it really does (even though I'll have to bring some nuances on that point), but I would not recommend this to paranoiac parents...okay, this is a Larry Clark film, he made KIDS, and this looks like KIDS a lot. For parents out there, watching this, don't freak out, there are some cases like these children's, but Clark exaggerated the thing a bit, especially when the parents of the kids appear and the kids look okay...they're high or drunk all the time, but when they're talking to their parents, it's like they forgot that their characters were high...anyways, that's a negative point of the movie, but they are rare. The film is truly disgusting to watch, (Spoilers, but I would qualify the following as the offensive material for some viewers) teenagers dressing like prostitutes and having sex with multiple partners, while being high or drinking are always on screen. There is some plenty of drug use and detailed reactions. I'll have to say that the film reminded me some old bad trips or nights being sick because of substance/alcohol use. This movie will touch you even more if you have a past that makes a certain parallel with the character's lives. The film criticizes today's youth, showing 8 year old boys drinking beer, teenagers killing someone, boys raping girls, among so much more stuff "you wouldn't want your children to be involved in"...but still, sincere congratulations to Mr.Clark, who wasn't afraid to show what was needed to give his message. The realistic aspect of the film makes it so disturbing, and pretty hard as well as easy to watch. The sexuality is disturbing, so realistic, the drug abuse too, and, of course, the murder too. It really demonstrates how it should feel like for first-time (and young) murderers. The directing had something very special, especially at one particular part of the movie, when five or six teens are talking about murdering a friend, and they're all high, and the camera turns around them while they're speaking, and it's important for the story to listen to the dialogue of that scene, but the camera makes you feel high by turning repeatedly around the actors. The main problem of the film (the biggest, which is, in this film, not so important) is the SOOO short time spent on the idea of killing the "bully"...their idea seems so stupid, and some of the murderers don't even know him yet in the story, and already hate him, it seems almost like Clark had forgot to introduce the story, because of the long amount of time spent on showing how messed up the characters are, and he just had to rush for the story introduction. But "Bully" delivers more than we expect. It's realistic, but here's an important nuance to make; it's not all the teenagers that are like this, so, parents, don't worry, this is some of the worse cases you could imagine...but the murder idea in the film has nothing very realistic, seriously, for the beer and drugs, okay, for the sexuality, well that's a little forward (at least usually), but for the idea of killing someone...nah, even though the murder sequence is rendered wonderfully, its basis is exaggerated. I don't know how this movie could be released with only an R rating (it really deserves an NC-17!). Oh yeah, by the way, the ending is a good conclusion and interesting. Overall, this movie is a great one, really, it's raw, powerful, but exaggerated a bit...Excellent actors, except for Mrs.Bijou Phillips...Heavy advisory, this contains graphic, realistic sexuality, violence and gore, substance abuse, and pervasive strong language. This is NC-17 stuff, that's obvious...anyways, I give "Bully" a 8/10. A 9 would have been possible too...
Rating: 
Summary: Very powerful. Sexy. Earthy.
Review: If the real-life kids were anything like this the murdered kid deserved it. The other kids were raising themselves without any kind of parental control or example, and were too young and stupid to understand what they were doing. Some kids really are that stupid, I guess, so I wonder if some of the prison terms were excessive. But this is NOT a documentary. It's a vehicle for sex and violence, intended to have an impact. The rape scene is really disturbing, and surely the real girls were not this gorgeous. It makes them out to be something they weren't. The accurate part of this probably is that these girls (and guys, for that matter) were using sex to define a place for themselves in the world. A lot of the impact comes from exaggerating things -- sexuality, stupidity, violence, parental cluelessness. Well, the last two probably aren't exaggerated much. Anyway, for my money the purpose of art is to turn your stomach a little, turn you on a little, make you think a little, and have you walk away a little bit changed. In those terms, "Bully" really succeeds. VERY well done, even if you don't like the film's mission statement.
Rating:
Summary: explicit, brutal and raw. A in your face picture
Review: this one goes all out. You got a lot of nekkidness in this flick, mostly towards these girls(Bijou Phillips and Rachel Miner). You got a perfect, straight A student(Nick Stahl) who's hobbies include bullying people, rape and watching gay porn movies. You got his friend(Brad Renfro) who's a surfer, dropped out of school and is pushed too the limit by his friend and he wants out, so him and his other friends(Michael Pitt, Kelli Garner and the fat guy), along with a hitman(Leo Fitzpatrick from KIDS fame), plan the bully's death. they end up, bashing, slashing and diceing him up, dumping his body somewhere and then swearing they wont tell, but some promises do break. Soon, they all end up getting arrested and brought to court where their anger and rage are brought before their parents and siblings. Very brutal, explicit. Clark goes way beyond the border here. Recommended for fans of Clark. others beware
Rating:
Summary: As a teen, your worst nightmare, come alive...
Review: The story was interesting, and considering I love to read true crime it was a ball, but the film was nearly Kiddie PORN! These young girls, most barely 18, showing their chests, and other too easily. The director had a vision, well it was wrong. I do not reccommend this movie, unless you can brush off the pornography. As wrong as it was to murder this kid, you question what should have actually been done? Nothing could really be done about the guy. He was unstoppable, well they found a way to stop him.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: This movie is a great one . Ive watched it so many times . Seven at the least . The story is too good to be true . What comes in the end is unbelievable!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic group of talented young actors!
Review: The acting in this film is phenomenal! Nick Stahl proves why he is fast approaching the A-list with his portrayal of sadistic Bobby Kent. My only arguement would be a few differences from the book and reality. First off, Lisa is not as svelte as Rachel Minor. In fact the real-life Lisa is upwards of 250 lbs which is a factor in her pursuit of the perfect male physique that she finds in Marty Puccio. Also, important background was omitted that really pushed home the case that Kent was deserving of his fate, such as his torture and abusiveness to the neighborhood child who was retarded. Otherwise this is a great film!
Rating:
Summary: Do you know where your children are?
Review: Sun, sand, surf, sex, S&M, murder... Photographer-turned-director Larry Clark's third feature is really a follow-up to his first, the controversial KIDS, only this time the shocking story of bewilderingly amoral adolescence is all too true. In 1993, a group of seven Ft. Lauderdale teenagers were convicted of luring 20-year-old Bobby Kent out onto the swampy edge of the Everglades where they brutally beat and stabbed him to death. The reason? He was a bully, and not one of the schoolyard variety. According to testimony, Bobby Kent was a full-blown psychopath, a sexual sadist who physically and psychologically abused his friends and who could name hustling, rape and amateur pornography among his hobbies. What emerged from the whole shocking story, chronicled down to the last unsavory detail by Jim Schutze in his true crime opus Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge, was a shocking vision of suburban, middle-class America as a breeding ground for a generation of teenagers for whom life and death lack any real significance. Unpleasant stuff, and Clark pounces on the material with his usual relish and a discomfiting combination of moralizing and prurience. At the center of Clark's clique of killers is Bobby's best "friend" Marty (Super Hottie Brad Renfro), a dimwitted high-school dropout whose only discernible skills are surfing and remembering some of the words to Emimem's rhymes. Like any partner trapped in an abusive relationship, Marty puts up with Bobby (Nick Stahl) and his violence (which, the film strongly suggests, is rooted in repressed homosexual desire), forgiving him even after Bobby punches him in the face, forces him to dance for dollars at a local gay club and rapes his new girlfriend, Lisa (Rachel Miner). Marty, meanwhile, is no angel; he just passes the bruises on to Lisa. Realizing that her life with Marty would be infinitely better without Bobby in it, Lisa hits on a simple plan: Get her friends together and kill the bastard. What follows is surely meant to be harrowing, but Clark never quite strikes the balance between the abject horror the crime requires and the black humor of the circumstances surrounding it; a balance Tim Hunter managed to great effect in the similarly themed but far superior RIVER'S EDGE. Clark's great talent as a photographer lies in his ability to find a kind of beauty within even the most soiled lives, but here his search for that beauty is undone by his salaciousness; his leering treatment of teenage flesh is likely to call forth even the biggest libertine's inner prude.
Rating:
Summary: One Word Describes This Movie...HOT
Review: I will admit that I am a teenage boy. This movie has the hottest stars. Brad Renfro (The Client), Nick Stahl (T3), Michael Pitt (Murder By Numbers), and many more. In this movie we get to see Brad, Nick, Michael, and several others rip off their shirts and pants. In a few scenes we get to see Brad, Nick, and Michael in great erotic scenes. We also get to see Brad's and Nick's behinds. (Brad looks fatter and balding, not as cute as before, what happened to him?) A few of my favorite scenes include: The club, Brad and Rachel, Nick and Bijou on the car, and Michael and Bijou.
|
