Kids

Rating:
Summary: Arg.
Review: I feel dumber after watching this film. I think it is one of the worst ever. I didn't want to spend my time watching a bunch of kids with speech impediments have sex like rabbits.

Rating:
Summary: A bit close to reality....but come on!! hold your breaks
Review: The story somehow is quite interesting, and it does highlights several issues that people should be aware of, but for god's sake, it's exceeds the reality, i know there are kids like that and even more, i was one of them once, but the way it was let go was quite exadurated, specialy the last 15 minutes or so.
Anyway worth watching, i'm giving it three stars simply for the idea and the awarness it could cause (somehow), however the quality of picture (dvd) is not that good (2 out of five) sound is terrible.

Rating:
Summary: No doubt the best movie EVER
Review: I'm going to keep this short because I could talk about KIDS all day. All those who hate on this movie (lots of people do) need to wake up and see this movie for what it is. The characters, music and visual experience takes you back to a mad hot day around the city in '94. Sure there was a scipt, sure its a movie, but to people like me who grew up connected with the local scene depicted it can mean so much more. Justin Pierce may be gone - this movie will live on forever.

Rating:
Summary: Mirbeau had seen nothing yet.
Review: This film is not exploitation. It is not a morality play. It is not a wake-up call. It is simply the truth. It is so like a documentary that it becomes one. It is horrible. Many will find it genuinely difficult to watch. But it is the truth. And Clark had the courage to face it. It is an elegy. A funeral march. Yes, it does not depict "consequences" for the behaviour of its loathsome characters, but that is because there are none. It is not a film designed to shock. It should not shock anyone. The fact that it can shock anyone speaks volumes about either the hypocrisy or the cluelessness of many. (Harsh, pretentious-sounding words, are they not?) Usually, I don't praise things this unreservedly. And I'm not praising Kids. Because you can't praise the truth. It's irrelevant to praise or condemn the truth. It's just the truth.

Rating:
Summary: "Take that away, and i got nothing"
Review: If you are looking for a suger coated, teeny bopper, happily ever after movie, your looking in the wrong place. If you are looking for an uncut,make you think,even scare you a little,make you angry at the way people live their lives movie, KIDS is this and more.

The movie is 24 hours of the life of teenagers in NYC. The cinematography is great, and its in a way like a documentry. Like all movies, you get into it, and follow the charecters, and i myself felt sad when Jenny discovers she is sick, all due to the stupidity of one boy, our main charecter, Telly.

Words cannot describe this movie. It is a must see. Although, this is not rated, i suggest that if people under 17 are to see it, for it to be used as educational purposes only. The movie contains extremely foul language, 3 sex scenes, and drug/alchol use.

The movie is trying to get the point across that Teenagers think they are invinciable, and all the stories they hear about AIDS are just stories, and it could "never happen to them", until it does. Carelessness,stupidity,ignorance all contribute to 5 charecters, in this movie becoming infected with the uncurable disease.

Rating:
Summary: KIDS
Review: This is a realistic depiction of teenagers in this time period.

Rating:
Summary: Further proof that youth is wasted on the young
Review: I think this is the only time I was fooled. Many films attempt to achieve a documentary feel within a fictional narrative. Usually, they fail miserably. "Kids", however, got me hook, line, and sinker. I was amazed that director Larry Clark had managed to get seemingly unlimited access and unsparing raw footage of teenagers patrolling the streets of Manhattan. I only found out later that the whole thing was an expertly made fiction (although there are some clues; I should have wondered how Clark got the p.o.v. shot of the kid getting beaten in the park).

The credit, I suspect, should be doled out in three equal portions.

First, Clark himself. His cinema verite camera work is terribly effective. Some scenes consist only of him setting the camera up in the middle of the room, and swinging around from face to face to catch bits and pieces of conversation. An early sequence, shot in this way, contrasts what boys talk about (uh, sex and drugs apparently) with what girls talk about (more or less the same thing), in a way that never feels scripted or rehearsed, but also doesn't come across as amateurish or slapdash. The casualness of the direction allows for the casual story to unfold. It also allows those moments of high drama to stand out even more. Witness the aforementioned scene in the park, where dozens of young skaters beat up one unsuspecting tough guy. It's gruesome and brutal stuff, but Clark's camera never flinches. (Later, someone offhandedly asks, "Do you think we killed that guy?", a question that's quickly brushed aside without a second thought, perfectly detailing the inherent nihilism that makes these characters so fascinating to watch.)

Second share of the credit goes to the actors. A quick perusal through their filmmographies reveals no one had much more than amateur experience beforehand, and really only Chloe Sevigny has made any waves since. But in the context of "Kids", they're all wonderful. Leo Fitzpatrick, in what could have been a very unlikable role as Telly, is terribly charming when he needs to be, in a seedy kind of way. His buddy Casper, a near-brain-dead space cadet with a mean streak, is perfectly essayed by Justin Pierce. And Sevigny herself takes a wonderfully rigid, and then totally freaked-out turn as Jennie. These are the three biggest roles. But peopling the backgrounds are a vast menagerie of unknown actors and real-life street kids, none of whom ever strikes a wrong or false note. Most striking is a group of boys who Clark focuses on for one long moment at a party: they're shirtless, stuffed four wide into a couch, and sharing a joint. They are obviously much younger than the main circle of kids we've been following (presumably someone's younger brothers), and their brief appearance lets you realize that the people you are watching aren't just an isolated incident; they are a trend that will be followed for generations to come.

The third and final credit share goes to Harmony Korine. Korine, an apparent child prodigy, was only 19 when he wrote "Kids". It thus doesn't surprise me nearly as much as it should that he got the lingo and slang of teenagers just right. The dialogue feels genuine and authentic. The screenplay's greatest strength, though, is that it is fairly tight structurally, but the audience never feels like a story is being told. It may seem at first like a mosaic of a movie, randomly put together around themes and not much else. But closer inspection reveals a very strong, if hidden, narrative. Jennie finds out some bad news that she must tell to Telly. She spends the rest of the movie searching for him, but is always one or two steps behind him. Telly, for his part, is searching for something of his own: a new virgin to deflower (his randy/amoral little hobby). The narrative stretches out over the course of one, hot Manhattan day, and even though there is no real deadline, Korine (along with Clark's direction) makes it feel like Jennie must catch Telly before the sun goes down. In doing so, he/they give the film a thrust that an ordinary documentary-style would never be able to achieve. And still, what could have come across as a ham-handed suspense thriller is, as written, more like a visceral slice of life.

And for those who think this film offers only a glimpse into the kids' world, and not a moral lesson, I ask you this: What do you think will happen to Telly, Jennie, and Casper in the year after the movie ends? I imagine their carefree days will be over soon, and the consequences of their actions will be felt full force. It's quite a powerful film, if you think of it that way. And even if you don't, it still moves you.

Rating:
Summary: These are NOT like the kids in my neighbourhood!
Review: Kids choses a tender subject to talk about : Aids among teenagers . Here we see young people who haven't yet had the chance to taste life and experiences like marriage and motherhood spread the deadly virus . Yet like Bully , in Kids as well i get the feeling than Larry Clark lost the control of his material . What is meant to be bold and challenging seems actually excessive to the average viewer . The parents in this movie are totally alieneted in their own dreamy world. Chloe Sevigny gives a promising first perfomance while Pierce and Fitzpatrick are also convicing yet " Kids " , for all it's brutal truths doesn't touch the viewer as much as it should have .

Rating:
Summary: A convincing horrifying 24 hour saga
Review: Larry Clark's powerful film is about kids(obviously). The movie feels like a documentary. That's because the movie knows its subject very well. Early on after Telly(Leo Fitzpatrick) makes love to a young girl with shameless voyeurism he walks out the door to meet his best friend Casper(Justin Pierce). They begin to walk through downtown Manhattan on a really hot day. Telly talks about how he likes to [have sex with] young girls how he like to do it. They say it even as they pass by adults. Casper even takes a leak in the open in front of everybody. This first scene after the credits is the most powerful in the film. We realize that to these kids at least adults don't exist. If we look even deeper we pickup that these two have no curiosities, interests, values, ideals or rules to live by. They simply do what they want when they want. It is hard to listen to young kids speak like this but still thats the way many kids talk and act in America these days. We go on and see that these two are part of a larger circle of friends. We meet them mainly in Central Park. Here is another poignant scene. Casper gets into a fight with another kid in the park for running into him on his skateboard. His friends come and help him and they beat up this kid so bad that he nearly dies. Do they care no they even spit on him when there done. These kids are basically wild animals on the loose. They have no feelings no regrets all they care about apparently is [having sex]young girls and getting money from their parents. Larry Clark's powerful first film is right on one of the most disturbing i've ever seen in my life. It's also all true. Later we meet Jennie(Chloe Sevigny). She had sex only once with Telly but now she is infected with HIV. As for Telly he could care less as he tries to make love to two virgins in one day. She runs after Telly to save the next girl who he tries to make love to. Unfortunately shes too late. Eventually they all wind up at someones house where these kids makeout have sex, do drugs and other crap. Even young kids who look only ten are in on the act. Yes its difficult to watch but Larry Clark's film tells nuttin but the truth. It is difficult to believe that some kids go through this day in and day out but they do and they represent a failure at home church, school, society, and with friends.They would've been netter off being raised in an animal farm raised only to basic and needful instincts of survival.
As for performance these are the most realistic i've ever seen in my life. We believe everything they say and or do is happening. The characters all look especially Telly and Casper fifteen years old. Leo Fitzpatrick gives the best performance in the movie. As Telly he sounds rude crude and has a bad attitude. His only interest in life is to "devirginize" young women. Everything he says sounds unwholesome and bad we almost want to deny this type of kid exists in America. Justin Pierce gives an excellent performance as Casper. He is basically along for the ride but nevertheless central to the action. He has the final line in the movie. It is "Jesus Christ, what just happened". We wonder along with him to as we stare at him knowing he too has HIV now because he just made love to infected Jennie. Chloe Sevigny gives a powerful performance as Jennie. She is helpless, distraught and shocked. She runs around Manhattan looking for Telly and we struggle with her in an undeniably difficult quest.
"Kids" needs to be talked about after its been seen for real man. "Kids" doen't tell us exactly what it is all about. There is some form of a message involving safe sex(obviously a film loaded with promiscuous sex is). But safe sex won't change these kids lifestyles or make them better people. When you watch Telly you realize something about him. His only things in life are to have intercourse, drink booze, do drugs and skateboard. The last thing he says is another powerful phrase in the film. He says "take sex away from me and I really got nothing." Looking at his life you can't help but accept this as true no matter how hard. You listen to his voice and everything he says and understand why veryone needs their own mixture of philosophy,religion,ideals,curiosities,values,and rules in life that works for them and them only. All teenagers should see this film and if i could i would make standard viewing for everyone between the ages of 13 and 17. This way we understand that without something to open our eyes to the better possibilities of life we might as well sit back and all just be like Telly and swing around with absolutely no curiosities or interests and have sex,drink booze,do drugs and watse away.

Note: This story takes place in Manhattan. We realize that quickly. But this horrifying story of young fifteen or sixteen year old kids could quite possibly happen anywhere in America at any moment in time. In fact its probably going on now in at a least hundred different areas in the United States and most likely the world.

Rating:
Summary: Call me jaded, but.....
Review: ...I believe the knuckleheads who claim this is what their life is like just as much as I believe the people who make the same claim about the television show 'Friends'. Our protagonists are a pair of mush-mouthed idiots, Telly and Casper, who engage in alcohol abuse, drug abuse, sexual abuse/rape, petty theft and assault as a lifestyle. We all know that adolescence can seem pretty grim, but we are given no reason at all to sympathize with or identify with these two or any of the film's other characters. We just watch the boys bully their female friends, parents, local shopkeepers and anybody else who enters the frame. That said, I really didn't find this to be a 'wake up call' to anything no matter how stridently its proponents howl. I'm already well aware of what happens to children when they are raised by Viacom/MTV instead of mommy and daddy. And although this film may be an exaggeration of those consequences, we only see the effect on society. From Kids, the message continues to be that crime is cool, urban culture is the only culture (as evidenced by the list of trendy concerns in the special thanks section of the credits), and you won't be held accountable for your actions. The only thing really shocking about this movie was watching Telly try to taste the stomach contents of his victims. Gross. But I did sit through the whole thing, and probably will again.