This film was horrible.
The acting was camp and cheesy, nothing had a purpose(please do not try and justify not having a purpose as being emphasis of 'Nowhere' because it just reinforces my point) everything contained in this film was for pure shock value.
It is almost too smug, because it believes it's clever and mysterious, but in reality its just some Dumb American sorry attempt of a film.
I completely agree...if you sincerely enjoyed this movie, I think you needd to sit back and think about your purpose in life. This "movie" is, at best, something cool to smoke a joint and laugh at.....and even thats a stretch.
If you want justice, go to a whore house. If you want to get f*cked, go to court.
Evaluate our purposes in life? If you are going to pan a film, and make generalizing and unflattering comments about the types of people who might find this film enjoyable, please do the world a favor and, as is so often said, please "Speak for yourself."
I happen to be a very big fan of this film, and I scored in the 5 percentile on the english portion of my SAT, pulled straight A's in English, Science, Social Studies, and Art, am currently in the process of writing a novel which, if I may say so myself, is no light undertaking, and while trying to maintain a modicum of modesty, am regarded by many of my family, friends, and associates, as a reasonably intelligent individual. I have drive, and I feel that my life has purpose, and I have good taste in films. Have you ever seen the Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoise? The Seventh Seal? The English Patient? Brokeback Mountain? The Birds? Dancer In The Dark? Have you seen Citizen Kane, the film widely hailed by many as the best film...ever? Titanic won the most awards of any film, surpassing or tying with Ben-Hur...I think. I do not feel like checking, but I do not think or feel that it's film worthy of enshrinement in the annals of time as one of the greatest films ever. I'm not saying Nowhere is on par with any of these films, but I have seen a great many films in my lifetime, more of the classics than, I am certain, any one else in my age group has willingly watched, and I know what makes a good film, and I can reasonably ascertain as to what constitutes a "bad" film, and Nowhere, while it may not be a "good" film, I would not dismiss it entirely. There is deeper meaning here. Haven't you ever had to "read between the lines"? This movie has a message, and it's up to those who see it to figure it out. Mulholland Drive is hailed as a cinematic triumph, and I think it's a load of tosh, so who's to say who's right?
Beyond pretentious.
Really a good laugh though; good luck on your novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this response dingno - can you please contact me and tell me where I can purchase your novel you were working on - your rampant self aggrandising ( with the sublime English expression "if i may say so myself ") is exquisite to read - i would devour your work !
at university the teachers told us to not overuse "I" even in an article or piece which demands opinion but I LOVE to read comments like yours on internet sites they are a wealth of insight at how low society has come ! ( if you are getting straight As that proves to me that the british education system is now rubbish , to qoute you " Haven't you ever had to "read between the lines"? This movie has a message, and it's up to those who see it to figure it out" its flipping obvious to me and im watching it in austria with my middling to fair ability at german (they dub everything here - terribly) that this is a ego piece by Araki a failed attempt at commenting on society that we have created a vaccous youth - this is one long music video, an exercise in casting beautiful californians - its not a bad film visualy, its a great little time capsule of the tropes and styles of that era but it is completely let down by the stylistic mashing and IN YOUR FACE weak message , a car crash with a great soundtrack - I saw mysterious skin and that was a big pile of poop as well
anway this is more about your pompous advert for yourself its 2012 I'm writing this and I hope you have grown up since this comment made in 2006 !! I really want to read your book as well I hope you had it published
arrogance is good in writers - look at Will Self - arrogant , funny. engaging, total *beep*
all the best !
Interesting to read someone go through an explanation of the use of "I" as degrading and use it as the opening to their post. The post did provide one of the closest impartial commentaries on the movie before falling into attacking the writer of another post. The other writer had given background information on his education which is what any good speaker would do to show some sort of credential for not being completely full of BS. There are films out there that really want to tow the line with their meaning and most american audiences cannot sit through most miniplot movies so will fall into bashing and declaring the films utter unimportance. Agree to disagree is what "I" always say.
shareThere are way too many running sentences in your reply for you to be a writer.
shareLMAO!
shareWhat about people who list "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" as one of their favorite movies?
share I do not believe Nowhere to be a very shocking film. If you want shocking (which from your post, I guess you don't), watch something like Irreversible, Ichi the Killer or even Romper Stomper. For a start, if Araki was only concerned with shock value, he could have quite easily put a lot of nudity into the many sex scenes and yet the most we see is Darks behind. Also for all the violence and violent imagery contained in the film, we see very little of it, Araki choosing only to show us the aftermath in many cases (we don't see Eggs rape nor death) or diverting the camera away from the violence (we see Elvis while he kills Handjob, not Handjob himself). What about the fact that there is hardly any swearing in the film, Araki instead choosing to come up with his own insults and curses? It seems for someone apparently so intent on shocking, Araki deliberately holds back a lot.
Also, I don't think Araki thought he was being particularly clever or mysterious with the film. He certainly put a few trademark obscurities in the mix (the towel with HOPE on it or Montgomery standing by the God Help Us sign) but if he were really trying to make the film appear clever and mysterious, I sincerely doubt he would have ended on such a ludicrously hilarious note such as that of a man exploding into a giant bug, say 'I'm outta here' in a comedic voice before crawling out the window! I suggest either Matrix sequels as real examples films which believe they are clever and mysterious.
As for the person who claimed Nowhere was 'mindless eye candy', I prefer to think of it as a visual feast. Never had I seen such a vibrant film and personally I believe the set pieces are the most magnificent feature in Nowhere. Sure the actings a bit rubbish, but sos the acting in Clerks and that is a wonderful film. Also, the film is surreal so why should the actors be acting naturalistically? Instead, they have fun and as you said, are camp and cheesy. Plus, seeing how the film is made by one of the pioneers of queer cinema and features many gay/bi characters, its seems an odd that you use their campness in a negative way.
As a film lover, I believe that linear narrative and great acting are not essentials for a film to be good. Film is an audiovisual medium and as such, the set pieces alone make it worth a purchase. Also, the dialogue is indeed ropey, but its fun, what with the aforementioned use of insults. I, as you may have figured out, loved this film but I am not Araki mad, finding the much hyped Doom Generation to pale in comparison (and if you havent seen that, stay away because it fits your shock value opinion much more accurately).
I found Nowhere to be one of the most interesting, visually stunning, funny and surreal films I'd seen in a while. Out of all my friends who I have showed it to, only one disliked it and that was because it made no sense (fair comment, but I like the challenge of trying to make sense of it all the same). I ask people who view Nowhere as some pretentious, poorly acted trash to look again with an open mind and just have fun, look at the odd rooms, laugh at the corny dialogue and questionable acting and even grimace and frown at the nonsensical narrative.
As a good friend of mine said after I showed Nowhere to him,
"I have no idea what just happened but I was entertained throughout".
Shock value? Wow, you really don't know shock value. If you want shock value, see the unrated version of The Doom Generation. THAT is shocking.
Nowhere was, without a doubt, a complete visual feast. Gregg really showed all of his creativity in this film, because, well, he actually had enough money to put more creative things in it.
The cast was great, and yes, this movie is kind of campy, but it's campy in a wonderful way. I would just like to say that people who have no good things to say about this movie should really shut the hell up, and not post comments on a fan board.
"Wake up and smell the cappucino, geek."share
This obviously isn't a fan board, being that it reads "'Nowhere' defines everything I hate in a film", you worthless pile of swine. Think before you post. Oh wait, you thought "Nowhere" was a good movie, so I guess thinking isn't your strong suit. "Nowhere".......thats exactly where this "film" went.
If you want justice, go to a whore house. If you want to get f*cked, go to court.
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btw mindless eye candy is not an insult
share[deleted]
I am sure, that certain people have settled down to watch this movie thinking that it would be 'just another teen movie' or TV series like The O.C. When I first saw it, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. It made me think to myself 'What the hell was all that about?'. And I just had to watch it again. The reason why is because of the actors playing against type like the late John Ritter as a seething TV preacher. Beverly DeAngelo played a quite loathsome boarish matriach in face pack. Duval's acting left something to be desired but, it still intrigued me.
If you want your films neatly tied up at the end...Leave this alone. If like me you don't mind something out there from time to time...check it out.
Araki's done well to irk so many people.
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it is obvious that the people like this movie because it doesn't fit inside the boundaries of ordinary movie making. i enjoy movies that are far from the norm, like Cronenberg movies or 2001: A Space Odyssey. Making a movie confusing doesn't make it good. Just placing images on the screen that look interesting does not make a good movie. in this case, it doesn't even make an interesting movie. if you like movies that make you think, that's awesome, i do too. the only thing this movie made me think was, "what a pile of crap" this movie was so bad that everyone i was watching it with made a pact to never utter the title of this movie ever again. and i'm all well and fine with people having different opinions, except in this case where if you like this movie you are just wrong. it's a fact, trust me, opinion shouldn't even enter in to it. this is one of the rare pieces of art that fits into that catagory.
share[deleted]
I agree with you Belair - this movie is AMAZING. I have never seen a movie with such an insane breakneck pace as Nowhere. Many times I was stunned and awstruck just at how fast everything developed. But then again I do like camp a lot. But still, the style and pace of this movie is truly exceptional.
shareNowhere is a very fun movie, its a total joke also, so dont try to take it seriously. This has the camp of a horror movie without (as much of) the violence. It should be watched with the same frame of mind as the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels, be ready to laugh!
shareThis film was nauseating
share oh i totaly agree this film is gorgeus, i myself neva noticed the "crap" acting, everyones gota relate to this film! cum on! wanting to be the colest most individual, the love/sex, drugs, drink, *beep* parents, being depressed ect..
the fact that all the shockin bits wer glossed over with pop bubblegum is a very honest observation, this is how we live,
i saw this film for the 1st time last night. at 1st, i was pretty much like this---> (o.O), but after a few scenes i realized what i was watching; a piece of friggen art! i had to get my mind past the idea of plots and good acting, and go to that place that i view obscure paintings with. once i got to that happy place in my mind, the rest was an experience quite unlike any film watching experience i've ever had. i absolutely could not stop watching, and i loved very second of it.
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currency and idiocy are man's greatest sins.
Wow! this was so well written of a response!
I agree. Araki could have gone nuts with loads of fanservice sex, and cussing, and extremely violent scenes but he chose to cleverly leave it out. Heck, Dark pretty much censors Mel while theyre on bed, covering her certain areas.
The color use is really clever in this. Barts room with workds all over, Mel's insanely polka-dotted room, just great visuals. and yes while this will never win an OSCAR or get any of the actors lead roles (but theyre big stars already so who cares), itll always be a classic you can show to anyone.
Humor wise, you cant say this movie's ridiculous vocabulary and lewd perversion didnt get a laugh or two. I still get a kick out of hearing some of the things they say in this movie, its loaded with great quotes.
Nowhere is unlike anything ive ever watched and while it really caters to a certain audience, i must say that i fit that audience and love every moment of this flick.
YES! not one of Araki's characters utters an "f" or "s" word... one of the most clever script gimmicks (yeah, that's all i think it was) but VERY effective! i din't even realise it until i'd seen the movie for the second time and thought "hey, these guys are saying some dirty things but don't use commonplace expletives at all!". i mean, i find this movie immensely entertaining, have heard plenty against it and it almost always sounds the same, and can't ever find a reason to NOT like the movie. it's gleeful fin-de-seicle trash. no socially redeeming value, and funny as hell.
i miss Araki's work and can't wait for "mysterious skin"... it's making its US premiere at sundance and i've heard good things so far.
Amen to that! I totally agree. This film is an outstanding piece of cinematic vision, and Araki pulls it off amazingly well. I think it really captures the emptiness of a drug fuelled, empty teenage lifestyle, whilst also being *beeping* hilarious! Yeah, it can be stupid, poorly acted and lacking in 'conventional' film like-a-bility, but at the end of the day, I've never seen anything quite as weirdly compelling as this film.
shareYou're brilliant.
And I loved the Doom Generation, but your analysis of Nowhere was dead-on...
-ac
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*beep* A. And if I directed films I'd do exactly the same ;-)
sharethis is how you make a film , state that it will go nowhere and do just that but make somemoney in the end .
no shocksof it going nowhere cause it already told what it was going to do . so no expectations and everyone just getsconfused or likes it for silly reasons .
i may oen day see it when i am drunk but i dont care to even see it again . it did nothting for me . it didnt even bother me . it just didnt do anything .
i feel like the guy in garden state after it ended .. i just felt all -_-
The acting was poor too. Duvall was terrible and it makes you wonder if he slept with the director.
sharegreg araki, pretty stylish movie maker... even though all you haters obviously believe style to be a false god (which im not putting down as a school of thought), maybe you could lighten up and see an insy winsy bit of what might make the film better than others, in some aspect?
alot of people seem to finish with quotes so here's one of mine, "life's about the means not the ends."
did you like that?
p.s. dont start slagging my OPINOIN off, for i have not even seen this film.
thats the end of the discussion then?
come on, someone verbally abuse me...
after reading about half of the posts on this one thread alone i am sensing this film is either a love it or hate it thing. rarely do you see a film that evokes such a split, and yet so passionate reaction in people (a sign of a truly gifted filmmaker) well, i must say i am a fan of this and other gregg araki films. there is no use arguing about why i liked this film. but gregg araki films (like david lynch or john waters) are an acquired taste. i didn't get the film "Pecker" the first time i saw it, and i have always been a john waters fan. i promised myself i would give it (Pecker) a second chance when it came out on video. it's now my favorite john waters movie ever (although "a dirty shame" may claim that title soon, i watch it constantly) if you didn't make sense of "nowhere" the first time, watch it again. you probably won't make any sense of it on a second viewing but you might see why that isn't the point. if you absolutely hated it, maybe you should learn more about a film before you watch it. i know i don't like films like Troy or Gladiator, so i don't watch them. but i know there are people out there who do like those films and i understand that almost all films have some merit, even if its not my thing.
shareWatched this last night. Zipped right up to #3 on my most hated movies of all time list. Tried so hard to be "snarky" and "shocking"--ooh, they're all so blank-eyed and aimless and pointless. How shocking! When a movie tries this hard to make you blanch, you know the director really has nothing to say at all. Throwing a bunch of repugnant behavior onscreen and expecting the audience to do all the work is not art--it is pretensiousness, lack of point-of-view, and mostly ridiculous. This reminds me of "Bully" (#2 on my list), but shorter and with better music. The ONLY good thing in this entire mess was The The singing "Love Is Stronger Than Death" over the closing credits (and I enjoyed the closing credits, too--it meant "Nowhere" was finally over). If there is another movie with this much consistently bad acting, I've yet to find it (outside Ed Wood or Russ Meyer movies, or porn).
shareYou must have been high when you watched this movie. Elvis did not "all of a sudden" get mad at Hanjob. It did -not- look like they were at that party together. You obviously don't get out a lot; they just happened to be two people that knew eachother that were at that part. Until he saw Handjob, the drug dealer, he didn't even know he was there. Then he saw him, and obviously he had bough something from Handjob- it's clear when he says "You sold me bad drugs." So I advise you rewatch the movie before you try and give a critique, because apparently you weren't even paying attention.
shareSo I read all the comments (yes, I'm that much of a loser!).
I watched this movie just last night, and it rocketeered Araki into my top 1 of directors!
As I read it, the people disliking this movie, are the people looking for entertainment, not art and beauty. I also believe that they are so deeply fooled by the american spirit, that they do notsee the perspective and irony in this movie.
As other commented, I find this movie extremely suttle, and not at all shocking. If you want people shocking your all american moral watch Raspberry Reich by Bruce LaBruce. Or actually just watch anything by LaBruce, Stern, Waters or feat. Divine.
This is a piece of art as a critique of society (like e.g. the Trier thrilogy, Raspberry Reich or my personal favourite Harold and Maude.
The actors acted as they should, and the setting were perfect. And in my opinion, Nathan Bexton as Montgomery was the best act all together in the movie.
Were all these posts made by brits who think true complex humor is benny hill?
I live in hollywood and I think its a pretty good glimpse at life here.
I just can't fathom writing angry posts about something I don't care for. However, I can understand wanting to share your opinion (doubled edged sword...heh).
It just reminds me too much of the lady that sued McDonald's because she coffee was hot. Did she want it to be cold??
I'm just bored.
you're all gay, this movie kicked ass and my purpose in life is for all you to bend over and take Gregg Araki's "Nowhere" for what it is. This dude obviously made a movie HE wanted to make and artfags like yourselves should be condemned 90 yrs of eating dog balls and spam like whale cum. you're all gay!!!
sid jr.
Hahahahaha.
share