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Bloated Pussy
Jun 9, 2002

dont read my posts
Directed by: Jonas Åkerlund
Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Brittany Murphy, Mickey Rourke

Spun is a great movie that is visually exciting and filled with fantastic characters (Spider, Frisbee, and The Cook are all still fresh in my mind even though I haven't seen the movie in a year).

The music (provided by Billy Corgan, I believe) is excellent (especially the opening sequence) and Åkerlund fast-cut direction keeps your eyes busy even when there's just dialouge going on. It perfectly conveys the hyper, distracted, and overly sensitive minds of the characters. I can see it becoming annoying to some, but I didn't mind it.

The story is really nothing too special, but it keeps things moving and provides some decent drama (Ross meeting up with his estranged girlfriend is an excellent scene -- we've seen nothing but tweakers the entire movie, and meet the first "normal" person: his (ex)girlfriend. It's a painful moment as you see her confirm her suspicions that her (ex)boyfriend is now really nothing more than a drug addict.). I differ with IMDB and classify this as a Drama (rather than Comedy) because I felt the majority of the movie isn't really providing too much to laugh at. There are however some funny moments, many of which revolve around a pair of drug-using cops who are straight out of the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" video.

I can't comment on the movie's accuracy, but it stands up as one of my favorite movies, and definitely one of the best drug-related movies I've ever seen. It manages to have a lot more fun than a movie like Requiem For a Dream and still has some scenes which pack the same emotional punch.

I didn't really enjoy Brittany Murphy's character or really care what happens to her -- I found her annoying for the most part.

RATING: 4.5

PROS: Funny story filled with interesting characters, music, interesting direction
CONS: Fast-cut direction style might grate some

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283003/

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NeuroticErotica
Sep 9, 2003

Perform sex? Uh uh, I don't think I'm up to a performance, but I'll rehearse with you...

I really enjoy this movie - every time I see it on I enjoy it - even if it is without sound at a bar.

This movie has a lot of themes that I enjoy. A man and his car, the loves that nothing becoems of, a man and his drug.

It's really well crafted and gives you a feeling of having been on the drug.

As for accuracy - the writer drove around with a real cook for a week.

bigzak
Aug 15, 2003
Great acting and very funny.

4/5

Gudas
May 22, 2003
A bit of a shout.
I always thought about renting this movie, but never felt like it would be worth my precious four dollars. Fortunately, it came on the tube the other night and I got to see what it was all about.
I’m glad I didn’t waste my money on it. It was way too contrived, too cheesy, and hotshot bubbly actors like Mena Suvari and Britanny Murphy are totally unbelievable as real trailer-trash druggies. Save for Jason Schwartzman’s performance (cause Jason Schwartzman rocks my socks) and a few moments of comedic relief from Patrick Fugit (the awkward guy with overly-done pimples) this movie is a slightly funny but pretty dull rip-off of Requiem for a Dream, which isn’t all that great of a movie either.

h_double
Jul 27, 2001
One of my favorite "drug" movies, this has more in common with "Trainspotting" than it does "Requiem For a Dream", insofar as it's basically a slice-of-life of a week or so in the lives of a bunch of speed freaks.

"Spun" falters a bit when it tries too hard to sustain a narrative, but when it just lets its characters be their gibbering freewheeling tweaked-out selves, it's terrific; the acting and directing do a great job to give a convincing sense of the fascinating and horrifying world of meth. The cast is generally pretty good; Jason Schwartzman is convincing as a directionless schmoe caught up in the middle of things, Mickey Rourke is cool as hell as The Cook, and John Leguziamo, Patrick Fugit, and Mena Suvari are highly entertaining in supporting roles. And look out for great cameos from Debbie Harry as a leather dyke phone sex operator and Rob Halford as a porn store clerk.

Make sure you get hold of the unrated version for maximum depraved antics.


4 / 5

h_double fucked around with this message at 23:44 on Jul 6, 2004

Petrockstealer
Sep 1, 2003

by Eris Is Goddess
One of the only movies I can watch over and over.

5.5/5

Dr. Klahn
Nov 24, 2003

hi
Probably the best of the crop of drug films to come out in the last few years. Almost everyone turns in a surprisingly good performance; Brittany Murphy in particular stood out for me. Requiem for a Dream seemed too pleased with itself and Trainspotting didn't really grip me but Spun felt honest. I was frankly surprised by the grittiness that Åkerlund managed to capture.

Also, this is one of the few films where music video style quick cutting worked, in my opinion. Most of the time it's just distracting.

4/5

CLUCK
Jun 10, 2005
I feel that, not only does this movie accurately depict meth-culture in modern America, but it gives you the feeling of alert paranoia as if you were in the movie itself. It's also fun to play spot the cameo by the big(ger) naem actors.

4/5

soupb
Jul 21, 2001

by angerbot
i'll just say that john leguizamo's performance was rather outrageous.

Molotov Yogurt
Nov 29, 2000

buff man riddim
'The Number of the Beast' cover is the only good thing in this crapfest of a movie. Every single aspect of this movie just grated on my nerves to no end and I could barely make it all the way through. It's one of those movies that just tries so, so hard to be 'edgy, shocking, and in-your-face', but just comes off as amatuerish and insulting to the viewer.

1/5

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kitaroh
Feb 13, 2005

I thought it owed something to "Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas" - mostly the animated sections, but also the narrative style - and it had a certain amount of road movie to it, too. But what was up with The Cook's gay friend who lends him money? That doesn't fit in at all.

Jason Schwartzman was great, as always, Mickey Rourke really had his character down, the cops were really amusing, but Mena Suvari's character was annoying, and I didn't care for the character Brittany Murphy played at all.

Voted: 4/5

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