Les Loubards

Good story that is fun to follow - 1/2 Star Memorable dialogue - 1/2 Star Feel a pull to watch it a second time - 1 Star Music/Score stands out - 1/2 Star No noticeable plot holes - 1 Star Story gets resolved in some way - 1 Star I personally like the story - 1 Star Memorable likable characters - 1 Star Most things about the story are believable - 1/2 Star Doesn't get boring - 1 Star This film is a cool story that doesn't have much of a plot but it has great characters that carry it along. The acting is funny and the way they say some of their lines just kind of makes you laugh out loud. The project sports a touching, tragic ending that messed one of my childhood friends up for a few days but is a great addition to the intensity of the movie.

I really enjoyed Suburbia. I accidentally stumbled upon it, and then while watching could not take my eyes off the screen. It was clear the intention of this movie was not simply to tell a story but to portray an experience. It makes sense to me that the actors were not just actors but also punks in real life... it gives a slight feel of "reality TV" to the story. I've always been intrigued by Crusties and kids who choose to become homeless, and so forth. This movie has done the best I've seen so far in explaining their perspective, granted it being quite dated now. I do feel like it does filter the image of them through rose-colored lenses, as kids just trying to get by, raising kids, acting like a family and whatnot. The drug scene and alcohol scene was not portrayed - nor the rude, abrasive, anarchist, apathetic attitude toward one another. Even so, I thought it was an excellent movie and stunning to watch at some moments.

Penelope Spheeris used actual Hardcore Punk Rockers to make up the bulk of her cast for this classic film and accidental documentary of the Hardcore Punk movement of Los Angeles in the late 70s and early 80s. The acting is sub-par, but the fact that these kids weren't really acting makes up for it. Films like BOMB CITY would have never been made if Spheeris hadn't broken open new ground by focusing on what was then a very underground movement in her films DUDES, DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION, and SUBURBIA.

Suburbia is one of my favourite films. Its cheap in places with tacky sounds, however that only adds to its charm. The characters have appeal and the situations seem real. There is nothing pretentious about it, the protagonists are not made out to be either good or evil, just drifting teenagers who don't think through what they do. The director draws us along with some sympathy for the TR even when they are up to no good, as its clear that deep down they don't actually mean any harm to anyone. A lot of people have rated this film with 10's, I can't see that (and gave it a 7) as it is still basically a cheap B movie. But definitely a good one.

What Penelope accomplished here on her budget could only have been done with great inside connections and charisma. The Walking scene on the cover is one of the best movie moments ever made - no exageration. So much is communicated there without a single word spoken. Watch it!

The Wild Side (I personally know it as Suburbia) is a very well done film. It may not have a lot of heart or plot or other things some good films have, but it does have one thing- attitude. And that is something that counts in this type of film. It also has some good acting (Flea makes his screen debut in this film) and good scene design. And I think the film is insightful because it shows ordinary film buffs about a world not many of us know or want to know about- the world of punks. The film does have plenty of drama to go around (if you don't believe me, just look at the first scene where a rabid dog attacks a defenseless baby) and even though it doesn't have enough heart to back it up, it brings it back up with it's cool punk rock scenes, stylish techniques, and other small things. In short, besides Wayne's World, this is Penelope Spheeris' best film yet and most likely nothing like this will come around again.

While arguably not Spheeris' best work, it was her first, and in my opinion, most ambitious. The film was shot on a threadbare budget with non-professional actors, with most of the action taking place in an abandoned tract house in a suburb slated for demolition (the area is now a highway). The punk rockers are outcasts from society who attempt for form a "family" of their own, that they call "The Rejected" (The irony of it all, outcasts being anti-social together). The film bogs down at times, and often relies on reversed clichés, but was a very good effort for a documentary film-maker who was making her first dramatic feature (Some of the themes of being an outsider were used, with greater success, in Spheeris' feature DUDES). Yes, it could be called "punxploitation", but I was one of those scruffy kids with a ragged haircut and ripped jeans when this film was released, and I identified with it. (Not to be confused with Richard Linklater's "subUrbia").