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NEW PORT SOUTH **1/2 (two and a half stars)
PG-13, 97 m., 2002
Blake Shields (Maddox), Will Estes (Chris), Kevin Christy (Clip), Melissa George (Amanda), Todd Field (Mr. Walsh). Directed by Kyle Cooper, Produced by John Hughes & Billy Higgins, Written by James Hughes.
John Hughes is a name synonomous with teenagers and young adults. He's as well known and liked to them as Santa Claus is to small children, or at least he should be by now. He's been telling stories for over twenty years now, most notably ones dealing with the struggle of adolescence. Go into a college classroom and mention films like The Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and watch people smile. Even those who by some chance have yet to see those two films, even they perk up with interest.
The sad truth is, there's a whole new generation of teens out there who have yet to be educated on not only the two aforementioned movies, but most likely the entire filmography of John Hughes. Tell a young teen that Home Alone was written by the same guy who wrote Pretty In Pink or Uncle Buck, and they just might stare at you as if you were speaking a foreign language. However, ask a teenager to give you a list of their favorite "teen movies", and they'll spit out names like American Pie and anything involving Freddie Prinze Jr.
Today's youth needs some fresh blood, a new, intelligent writer they can look up to. It seems that the answer to that dilemma just might be James Hughes, son to you-know-who. James is only 22 (my age) and already he shows a confidence and potential that I'm sure his father couldn't be prouder of. If no one wants to listen to a man of 52, spinning yarn about disenchanted high school students, then hopefully they'll listen to this guy.
New Port South involves a sullen high school student named Maddox, and his desire to be in control of his own life, and to be free to creatively express himself. He feels suffocated by the school faculty who take his camera away from him for snapping pictures when he should've been doing sit ups in gym class. A friend of his, Chris is an equally creative artist. Chris too, begins to feel stifled when a teacher rips up one of his drawings, a drawing so good and large in scale, it would've taken a fellow artist like myself possibly an entire semester to draw.
Maddox is not a happy kid. He lives in a big, lonely house where his mother is bed ridden and almost like a ghost to him. He more or less takes care of himself. He has no one to go to for guidance, until he reads an article in the paper about a former student of New Port South, who was institutionalized two years ago without explanation. The student, John Stanton, has escaped from the Avco Asylum. This act is what sets Maddox, and the film itself, into motion. What follows is a crash course in revolting against "the system".
Maddox uses his knack for art and photography, along with the help of his friends, Chris and Clip, to create propaganda and distribute it to the students at school. The first act is through newsletters and flyers, informing teens of a teacher hitting another student. The rumors start to fly, and Maddox's plan takes off. What we never find out though, is if this violent act really happened or not, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Eventually, Maddox's intentions get lost in the slew of things. He exposes old wounds of a teacher that Chris actually likes, meanwhile Chris is being courted by Maddox's ex-girlfriend, Amanda. Maddox's obsession with John Stanton and his "cause" become an excuse for Maddox to make his own rules. In the end, he learns that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The Pros: The performances are well done all around. Blake Shields, while being oddly mis-cast as Maddox, is able to grab our sympathy, but not for long. He easily turns into something of a villain himself, doing exactly what he was trying to prevent the faculty from doing, but then again, we're not supposed to like him after a while. Even so, we still manage to care about what happens to him and how far his descent into madness will go. Shields may not have the right physical presence for a kid like Maddox (someone like Brendan Sexton might have been more fitting), but dramatically he pulls it off. Will Estes plays Chris, basically our voice of reason throughout the entire film. Estes handles Chris well, with a wounded sensibility and a likeable charm. He's probably the most relateable character in the film. Kevin Christy, who portrays Clip has an interesting, Steve Buscemi quality to him especially in the way he talks. His manner of acting would probably work better in a Kevin Smith film. That's not a bad thing, but it is noticeable that Clip is sort of a comic relief type, there mostly to push things along. Melissa George plays Amanda with the right kind of body language and grace. Not much is said regarding Amanda's relationship with Maddox. In fact, if you're not paying attention, you might miss it. Melissa is able to make it obvious through her performance, though. Already in her mid 20s, and having appeared topless as a hooker in Dark City, she looks very fresh faced and young in this film. A lot of that probably has to do with her short, boyish haircut that she dons in this picture. She hides her Australian accent quite well, too. Todd Field, who some of you may remember as the blind folded musician from Eyes Wide Shut, gives an almost scene stealing performance as Mr. Walsh. Walsh is the kind of teacher who would rather have children be seen and not heard, but throughout the course of the film we come to understand why he is that way in the first place and that he's basically all bark and no bite.
The production is sharp and nice to look at as well. Some scenes and sets are washed out to imply a more somber mood, while others, like the red curtains that adorn some parts of the school are filled to the brim with color and they demand your attention. The interactive menus on the dvd are nicely done and easily give you an idea of the film's style. I especially liked the chapter selections being polaroids of the film, which keeps in with the mixed media and photography talents that Maddox has. The music, by Telefon Tel Aviv I can't say enough nice things about. Their manipulation of train noises fit perfectly with the Chicago setting. Their music is fast, without being intrusive, off beat, but not off putting. It's not distractive. It's sad and haunting at the same time. Very affective. Kyle Cooper handles the directing job very well for his first time out. He's got a strong visual style, and he seems to work well with the actors in getting the right mood across. There's a particular shot that tracks all the way through a hall way and up to a busy Maddox, only to then pull back away from him, giving the perfect sense of alienating the audience from the main character.
The Cons: Apparently, a soundtrack for the film doesn't seem to be available, which is a shame. Why is it that a cd with great music on it can be released for Reach The Rock, but not this film? There seems to be six songs that can eventually be tracked down, but it has proved exceedingly difficult as I've only obtained three. The score is equally as deserving. There's a beautiful, yet simple piece of piano music within the first five minutes or so that I'd give my right arm to have on a disc. Sadly, the film is likely to be the only place this music will be heard.
The dvd is so bare bones it's not even funny. There's a trailer for Bubble Boy (of all things) and that's it. John Hughes works are either released on dvd with the least amount of goods as possible, or not released at all. The only one that somewhat gets it right is Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which has a very worthwhile and rare commentary track by John Hughes. This only leaves me wanting more, but for the most part the only thing I'll be lucky to squeeze out of the man is production notes. There's not even a trailer for New Port South itself on the disc, and I can't seem to find one at all for that matter.
Touchstone Pictures should be ashamed of itself for treating its movies so poorly. I had to pay twenty dollars for the dvd, which I had to order online in the first place. Most video stores don't even carry the film for rent anyway. I was lucky enough to be in Corsicana, Texas. I was visiting a friend who worked at a privately owned video store that just happened to get an advanced copy of the film. The best place to purchase the dvd (and the cheapest apparently), would have to be www.deepdiscountdvd.com.
The ending for the film is very abrupt, and I do mean abrupt. If there's one flaw in the story, it's that the filmmakers didn't seem to be able to follow through on their own convictions. There is a young man who becomes a hall monitor and the girl who makes his ID badge for him obviously has a thing for him. Nothing is ever done with this subplot. It doesn't go anywhere. John Stanton and Maddox never meet. In fact, we never see Stanton except through flashbacks, and he doesn't really have any lines. A confrontation between John and Maddox would have been more fulfilling, no matter what the outcome, at least it would've been something. The faculty not once seems to take responsibility for the monsters they've created. Sure, they feel bad about Stanton, but they don't seem to care much when it happens again with Maddox. In the very beginning, the school coach even says, "Every year I get guys like you, and you never surprise me." One wonders what exactly it would take before the school administrators got the hint that they're bringing a lot of this on themselves. That's not to say that Maddox's actions (or Stanton's for that matter) are justified, but what do these people expect? It won't turn out any other way. If you keep cutting off someone's breathing room, of course they're going to explode. The last ten minutes of the film are obviously heavily edited. I think this might've been the work of some Hollywood executives, especially given the light of recent school violence, which would explain the movie's year long delay of release. I don't necessarily hold the filmmakers responsible for this act, though some deleted scenes on the dvd would've made the whole film much better and would've answered a lot of questions.
In the end, what this all comes down to is one question: Is the film worth seeing? Yes, I think it is. Even with it's obvious flaws and the chopped up ending, there are still many worthwhile elements in the film. It'll keep you in a thought provoking conversation long after the movie is over, good or bad, which is much more than I can say for other "teen" films lately. Take a look at this particular exchange of dialogue:
CHRIS: You can't go walking around an institution in the middle of the night.
MADDOX: You walk around one every morning.
CHRIS: Okay, so now you're saying you think school's an asylum?
MADDOX: Don't you? Think about it. Administrations make our decisions for us. They don't want us to complain, or think, so they keep us busy with homework and schedules and exercise.
CHRIS: There are no bars on the windows.
MADDOX: We don't wear straight jackets either, but we still have rule books. Haven't you ever wondered why there isn't a minute in the day when you aren't being watched or evaluated? Whether it's a teacher who studies you and categorizes your behavior, who pressures you and makes you feel inferior, like your IQ is too low or your class rank isn't high enough?
CHRIS: You know, if you're so sick of it, why don't you just drop out? Nobody's stopping you, Maddox.
MADDOX: Think about what you're saying. It is set up so that we are dependant on it. I mean, what if I can't get a job because I don't have a diploma? Because I didn't wear my gym uniform every day, because of one stupid infraction, the entire course of my life can be altered.
Try your best to find this film. It may not be great by any means, but it is executed well and has an engaging story. Plus, I promise you'll get uncomfortable the next time you see a stapler (when it happens, you'll know what I'm talking about). Anyone with comments, questions, or just an urge to discuss movies in general, feel free to e-mail me at: kungfubear@msn.com
-John A. Pavlich