Ken Park (Uncut Uncensored Director's Version

Average customer rating:

intense movie

Had to see what the hoopla was about

A powerful film

A perfect look into a teens life...

Trash movie about life of trashes.

Ken Park (Uncut Uncensored Director's Version - Import)

Manufacturer: CP Digital
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000298WFE

Product Description

This is PAL VIDEO FORMAT (not NTSC and will not play in regular American DVD-player) and an only official release of Larry Clark's "Ken Park" movie on DVD over the world by Russian company "CP Digital". Larry Clark's Ken Park has sent ripples with explicit scenes, and acts, overshadowing other movies on display. The story of four dysfunctional families in the skateboarding hotbed of Visalia, Calif., unspooled in the experimental Upstream competition. "But I didn't want to cut a single frame," the cult film director and photographer told. "All my life I've seen the camera turn away, but these scenes are part of the reality ... of this generation." The film was co-directed by Clark who made the controversial 1995 movie "Kids", renowned cinematographer Ed Lachman, who shot Steven Soderbergh's award-winning "Erin Brockovich" and Todd Haynes' "Far From Heaven". The movie features violence involving not only the restless teenagers in the small town, but also their parents. But Clark says the film is an "uplifting" look at modern youth that shows some of the kids overcoming the odds..."My first film Kids was about the secret world of children, where parents are not allowed. In Ken Park we go inside the houses of four families and meet the parents. Ken Park is the story of children and their parents in Visalia, California, an isolated inland town between Los Angeles and Fresno. The story flows through the lives of three young boys and one girl, all childhood friends, and their parents. The childrens and parents lives are unmasked and you see the ascent of violence, sex, hatred, love and the manic episodes of emotional confusion." - Larry Clark

Customer Reviews:

intense movie.......2007-09-09

i saw this movie one night being aired on a movie channel in reykjavik, iceland. this would probably never air on a cable channel in the states. some of the scenes are pretty unsettling and i actually didnt know what it was called or who directed it until i searched for it here. definitely worth seeing, very larry clark.

Had to see what the hoopla was about.......2007-08-06

Hard to watch at times due to its unflinching realism and unsympathetic characters, Larry Clarke's hard to find "Ken Park" centers around a quartet of dysfunctional friends in Visalia, California after the death of a fellow student (named Ken Park). Clarke takes his camera into the lives of the teens whose own lives aren't exactly rosy. Shawn is having an affair with his girlfriends mother; Peaches is the surrogate wife for her widowed father who is still in mourning; Claude is having difficulty with his parents (particularly his obnoxious father), who are about to have another child, but should have instead been sterilized; and lastly there is Tate, the psycho who lives with his parents and has a passion for women's tennis. With real actors playing alongside the teens, it is difficult to watch at times due to the lack of acting talent, but the adults rounding out the cast - including the always riveting Amanda Plummer as Claude's pregnant mother - make up for it.

It's explict and really hard to find - pretty much banned in the US, but I purchased my copy off eBay for $10.

A powerful film.......2007-07-08

Ken Park has so much controversy and disagreement surrounding it that it's impossible to know what is true and what isn't without seeing the actual film yourself. Allow me to address some of these issues here:

Those who see Larry Clark as a pedophiliac fetishist are largely ignorant of his previous work and his motivations for filming the things that he does. It's not as simple as a 60-year-old director filming naked adolescents - Clark has been interesting in telling the story of adolescents since he was their age. It's simply that he's gotten older while his interest has stayed the same. Unfortunately for him, society has a complex structure of taboos that he appears to break at times. This does not make him an exploiter of young people. He has valid artistic reasons for showing what he does.

Clark has always been about showing the unaffected reality of youth whether it's in the city (Kids), the ghetto (Wassup Rockers), or suburbia (Ken Park). Clark doesn't turn his camera away because to fide behind the conventions of film and ideas of "morality" is to compromise the honesty that Clark finds in his young actors. Zavattini speaks of filming the common man for the purpose of social change - Clark is operating along similar premises here.

It's possible that moralists would have problems with Clark's vision if he was in his 20s, but it's more likely that these people are just using it as an easy excuse to attack frank, open sexuality on film.

Ken Park is the work of an artist at the top of his game. It's brutal honesty is what is missing from Hollywood cinema today. I enjoy big budget movies as much as anyone, but it's nice to have a refreshing alternative. This film has a purpose beyond "entertainment" (indeed - it's not a fun, or easy film to watch), but it's a film worth watching provided you don't mind seeing some truly horrible sights.

The film IS graphic and you'll see things that will stay with you for a long time, but it never crosses into exploitation. If you look at the work, its structure, and its system, you can justify everything in the film. However, that is not to say that everyone should watch this film. There's nothing wrong with not enjoying extreme content (whether visual or textual) and if that's you, I would avoid this. If you can handle it though, this is a very powerful film.

Finally, there's the issue of the lack of a domestic release. The PAL DVD from Russia has decent video and sound quality. It comes with Russian subtitles, but they are removable. The only difficulty is the menu system which is in Russian. I can't speak for all sellers, but RussianDVD-Com (the seller I used) provided excellent instructions for deactivating subtitles and starting the film. Since the DVD is all-region, you can watch it in a computer or a DVD player with a PAL converter. It's a shame we can't get this film a proper release in the USA.

A perfect look into a teens life..........2007-04-24

I think this person is totally missing the point of Larry Clark and his total body of work. Had you done your homework you would have known that Larry Clark started his career as a photographer. He went underground with a group of kids in the 60' and 70' to photograph how they lived etc. Most were drug addicts and had casual sex (take a look at Tulsa). All of this was boldly documented in Larry's photos. He does not flinch from life as you would seem to have him do. You say that none of these characters are interesting to you. Well would they be if you met them on the street? They are kids. You would ignore them. You have no idea how they live, what they think and what makes them do the things they do. Nor it seems do you care. This is a movie about life. It has not beginning or end, it has not climactic scene, and this is not a Johnny Deep film. Wake up! You may not like Ken Park but despite your shortcomings on understanding film it is and important piece. You should also watch Short Bus. Not buy Clark but an excellent film as well. But watch out it has graphic sex in it. It also has no Disney ending so you might be disappointed with that as well. What did you think of Kids? Gummo? Julian the Donkey Boy? And please list the million other ways in which teenagers can act out their messed up lives. Just a few will do. Do you know any teenagers? Have you talked to them? Guess what. They are lying to you. That is Larry Clark's skill as an artist. His kids tell the truth and some people can't take it, don't understand it or want to ignore it. Where do you belong? I think you should go underground with some homeless kids. Live with them for a year and document what you see. It might just open that closed mind of your and allow you to see what is actually in front of you.

Oh, one other thing, what is this Jerry Springer situation you keep referring to? Were you on the show giving your point of view on this film? If so, I'm sorry I missed it.

Trash movie about life of trashes........2007-03-31

Trash movie about life of trashes. That's all I can say.

Average customer rating:

Loveable
Paradise Lost!
Impressed
Disturbing crime/drug romp has more depth than given credit for
The Best Larry Clark Film

Another Day In Paradise
Starring: James Woods , Melanie Griffith , Vincent Kartheiser , Natasha Gregson Wagner , and James Otis
Director: Larry Clark
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000IBL1
Release Date: 1999-05-11

Amazon.com

Having apparently anointed himself the American cinema's poet of decadence, filmmaker Larry Clark follows his critically acclaimed Kids with yet another tour through the darker regions of American squalor. Another Day in Paradise--even the title screams of amateurish irony--may be powerfully acted by a fine cast of new and familiar faces, but how many times can we eavesdrop on the lives of murderous, self-destructive heroin junkie thieves before we just get morosely depressed? James Woods and Melanie Griffith are superb as a pair of surrogate parents to the young couple (Vincent Kartheiser, Natasha Gregson Wagner) whom they recruit as accomplices in a series of robberies and dangerous deals, but what exactly is the point of this overindulgent, gutter-mouthed, and ultimately sickening portrait of sickening people? Clark may be good at providing an authentic vision of America's ugly underbelly, but before this movie's half over you're likely to be screaming, "Enough already!" By the time Kartheiser's character has finally escaped from his dreadful "parents," it's clear that Clark has very little story to tell, and not much of it is really worth telling. As for why Woods's character gets such a kick out of saying "Boo-Yah!"--well, your guess is as good as ours. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Loveable .......2007-08-12

I discovered this wonderful movie a few years after it was made.
The music took me back to my youth when I would travel the 30 miles from Texas to louisiana, where the drinking age toget into clubs was 18. Even
though I was only 15 at the time I would try to dress older to get in and listen to the bands. Somehow this movie and Larry Clarks explanations
helped me to understand my own crazy youth. I fell in love with all the characters and cried when Bobby found Rosie dead. Who could ever forget Mel and Bobby's scene in the Country with the fingers in the forehead?
Sid became such an endearing character with her love for Bobby and Rosie. I definetly prefer the European Version of the movie. I thought all the four principal actors were absolutely wonderful. Even though this movie is a socalled Independent film, in my mind it ranks right up there with my favorites of all time. Vincent Kartheisr is the best
trained young actor I have seen since James Dean. His eye and facial movements are the best. I have begun to follow all four actors to see what is next.

Sincere,

Barker D. Chunn, Jr.

Paradise Lost!.......2007-05-25

Larry Clark has never been one to beat around the bush. Sugar-coat the truth. And once agin he does this by pushing reality in our faces and make us go WOW! "THIS IS THE F**KING WORLD I LIVE IN?"

And of course the soundtrack is amazing and sets the mood in every aspect.

I recommend this movie to anyone. But some will be offended but Hell! life is offensive.

Impressed.......2006-08-14

James Woods and Melanie Griffith play junkie thieves who deal with some pretty shady characters. They take under their wings a teenage street punk and his girlfriend who are not as tough as they pretend to be. After having fun for a short time, the kids want out when it gets a little too real.

It's a violent movie and not for the squeamish. But for people who can handle the grittiness it is a gripping and mind grabbing story. The acting by all four is superb. Of course James Woods is excellent when he plays an intense bad guy. Melanie Griffith is believable as Woods gun moll with a heart.

Disturbing crime/drug romp has more depth than given credit for.......2006-07-07

Director Larry Clark has a knack for penetrating the lost hopes and dreams of the young adult. He also has a knack for discovering talented young artists for his films. In the case of 'Another Day In Paradise', he also offers up James Woods (who always plays sleazy to a T) and Melanie Griffith (who gives her best performance on film in this movie).

Young lovers, Bobbie (Vincent Kartheiser) and Rosie (Natasha Gregson Wagnor) live in a flea-hole, using drugs and getting by on Bobbie's petty theft. Bobbie runs into serious trouble while pilfering coins from snack machines, and "Uncle Mel" is called in to treat his injuries. Mel (James Woods) takes a shine to Bobbie, and brings him up a notch in the world, from petty theft to big-time burglary. Bobbie and Rosie take off with Mel and his long-time girlfriend Sid (Melanie Griffith), riding in a nice car, shopping for new clothes, and eating good meals in restaurants.

Mel masterminds a burglary on a medical office, and the foursome are now in business. While business is good for a while, all good things must come to an end. When one of the drug deals goes wrong, the foursome flees to the residence of The Reverend (James Otis). (Look for Clark's usual suspect Leo Fitzpatrick in a bit role as The Reverend's gate guard)

The relationship between Mel & Sid, and Bobbie & Rosie begins to fall apart, though Mel & Sid have been like parents to the younger couple. Mel wants one more big hit, but he is becoming more and more unstable. Rosie's drug use has deteriorated from snorting to spiking. At this point, as the foursome begins to turn on each other, you are left to wonder just who will be left standing in the end.

I was surprised, but pleased, at the violence in this film; I wasn't expecting it. For some reason, I thought the film would be milder, with less action. You will be surprised by the quality of the script and the amazing acting from the four main characters. Look for a small role from Lou Diamond Phillips as Jewels, an overtly gay and violent character. This is most likely Phillips best performance.

My only real complaint with the movie was the lack of subtitles (English or other languages) on the Director's. Other than that, look forward to a faster pace than 'Spun' and more violence than 'Salton Sea'. Enjoy!

The Best Larry Clark Film.......2006-04-05

Larry Clark is probably best known for the film "Kids". Clark has only directed four films. "Kids", this film, "Bully", and "Ken Park" the latter was banned in America. This is probably his least known film, odd because it has the most recognizable actors of any of his previous movies. Also, I've seen
"Kids" & "Bully" and this is easily my favorite of those. "Kids" had a really good message; "Bully" was entertaining and informative. This movie is really a mixture of "Kids" and "Bonnie & Clyde" and happens to be extremely entertaining. The movie is about two lovers named Bobbie & Rosie (Vincent Kartheiser & Natasha Gregson Wagner) who are each about 15 or 16 years old. They live in a run down apartment with a few other people and manage to survive because Bobbie robs vending machines. But then, a couple of crooks named Mel & Sid (James Woods & Melanie Griffith) take them under their wing and take them to the big time. Well, their version of the big time. Which means stealing speed from a doctor and then selling it. Meanwhile, Rosie is pregnant and still smoking/drinking/using. This movie, like kids, is really a raw no-holds-barred look at the life of these people. Clark has never been a director who's worried about what's socially acceptable. Which is why his films have such an impact and are all so good.
This movie held my attention completely and was never dull. It's also a movie you can watch more times after, which I don't really feel "Kids" was. James Woods (who also co-produced the movie) is absolutely spectacular. I think his performance (for which he recieved almost no attention or awards for) was better than the Oscar winner for 1998 Roberto Benigni was. Woods litereally keeps you watching. Griffith was good, but not standout. Kartheiser & Wagner were believable in their roles as the two young lovers Bobbie & Rosie, but these kind of performances aren't just about being believable but also about being able to get sympathy from the viewer which both of them do. All of the characters are well written, the dialouge is great. "The Flinstones" joke (and delivery) was hilarious. This movie is truly an experience and really an important movie that you shouldn't pass up.

GRADE: A-

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Another Day in Paradise [Region 2]
Starring: James Woods , Melanie Griffith , Vincent Kartheiser , Natasha Gregson Wagner , and James Otis
Director: Larry Clark
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004VYI9

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ASIN: B00004SGMG

Charlie Rose with Joe Klein & Nina Totenberg; Seymour Hersh; Melanie Griffith (January 14, 1999)

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Charlie Rose with Joe Klein & Nina Totenberg; Seymour Hersh; Melanie Griffith (January 14, 1999)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

Joe Klein and Nina Totenberg discuss President Clinton's Senate impeachment trial, the definition of perjury, and the role of partisanship. Then, Seymour Hersh talks about his New Yorker story about spy Jonathan Pollard, and how his actions have affected the Middle East peace process. Finally, actress Melanie Griffith discusses playing a heroin addict in Another Day in Paradise, her career, and working with Woody Allen.

Average customer rating:

Loveable
Paradise Lost!
Impressed
Disturbing crime/drug romp has more depth than given credit for
The Best Larry Clark Film

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00004D0B6

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Loveable .......2007-08-12

Paradise Lost!.......2007-05-25

Impressed.......2006-08-14

Disturbing crime/drug romp has more depth than given credit for.......2006-07-07

The Best Larry Clark Film.......2006-04-05

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