Starring: Deborah Harry, Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, John Leguizamo, Alexis Arquette, Mena Suvari, Patrick Fugit, Jason Schwartzman
Synopsis: A three-day drug adventure awaits the speed junkies in "Spun". Jason Schwartzman ("Rushmore") stars as a young speed addict who embarks on an adventure with his dealer, played by John Leguizamo, and the drug chemist, played by Mickey Rourke. Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous") plays a fellow speed addict, while Brittany Murphy and Mena Suvari play girlfriends of the drug dealers.
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| Spun (2003) (Unrated Edition) | | | | | Spun (2003) (Rated Edition) | | | |
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So another former music video director has stepped up to the plate and tried their hand at helming a full-length feature. Okay, let’s take a look at the track record. Besides the successes of Spike Jonze as an actor and director, there is also McG, whose Charlie’s Angels was a fun, enjoyable rehash of the 70’s show. Tarsem Singh’s The Cell, although it lacked substance was still visually stunning. Even David Fincher, who I think is one of the best modern directors, started out doing commercials and music videos. That’s not to say that the transition is an easy one, I’m sure it isn’t, but it obviously helped the above gentlemen in the formative years of their craft.
Anyone who has seen Jonas Åkerlund’s work on The Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up video will know what to expect from this film. Images are thrown at you at an erratic pace. The film is shot in 16mm to catch you further off-guard. At some points, you want the characters to get their fix, just so things will calm down. The ‘fix’ sequences are reminiscent of Requiem For A Dream, in their (please excuse the colloquialism) boom-boom-boom fashion.
Spun also sports a whole line up of crazy characters. Mickey Rourke is his usual sleazy self as the drug lord, The Cook. Brittany Murphy’s role as The Cook’s girlfriend, Nikki is played with trashy resolve. Frisbee (Patrick Fugit) and Cookie (Mena Suvari) look like they already have one foot in the grave. John Leguizamo’s animated performance as Spider Mike is one of the more exhausting ones to watch. There are also several cameos, including Ron Jeremy and a hardly recognizable Eric Roberts.
Some of the other aspects of the production are interesting, as well. The fact that the screenwriter, Will De Los Santos pulled from his real-life experiences on drugs, makes the film’s characters seem all that more pathetic. Billy Corgan, of Smashing Pumpkin’s fame, scored the film and thankfully was able to mellow out some of the sequences with his trademark sound. Also peppering Spun, are some wild and irreverent animation sequences. These come when the main character, Ross (Jason Schwartzman) is tripping and blast their way onto the screen. I haven’t seen animation onscreen like that since the adult cartoons of the past like Heavy Metal and Fritz The Cat.
The colorful characters and eclectic editing of Spun make for a raw and exhausting piece of film. I enjoyed it, even though I did have to take a nap when I got home.
Copyright© DVDwolf.com
Copyright© Written By: Tom Servo
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DVD Information:
Cast and Director's Commentary
Deleted Scenes
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