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February 18, 2005

Hollywood is Hell

laist_constantine.jpg

Speaking of Starring LA, Constantine opens this weekend with Los Angeles, Sunset Boulevard in particular, as it's major backdrop (well when Keanu Reeves isn't spending time in Hell). Hank Steuver in his review of the film says, "Hollywood really believes it's got a lock on the infernal...in the Goth mind-set of who-knows-how-many screenwriters, there can apparently be nothing creepier than a dive/dance bar populated by the demonic undead, in which you'll find your Lestats, your Lost Boys, your Catherine Deneuves."

To which we say, huh? Maybe we're just confused but doesn't The Lost Boys take place in the fictional town of Santa Clara (i.e. Santa Cruz) and what, exactly, does Catherine Deneuve have to do with hellbound movies based in Los Angeles? Dive bars in Los Angeles no less (full disclosure: she could very well be the starring demon in "The Devil Wears Prada" or some such film but we're not much up on our Catherine Deneuve beyond Indochine). Actually, we're scratching our heads a bit so maybe you can help us out. While we figure out which day we're going to see Keanu underact his way to another big box office weekend, you can tell us what other movies with hell-focused plots are based in Los Angeles.

We're probably just misreading his point though because we're thinking that the gothic architecture of New York City has been much more common in those kinds of flicks and a film critic obviously knows that.

But our question remains: When has the devil come west?

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Comments (6) [rss]

He's referencing "The Hunger" - the dark, sexy, supernatural film archetype that prominently featured clubgoing. More of a reference to that then hellbound L.A.

 

The Hunger is the cheesy movie with Denueve and Susan Sarandon that every baby dyke is forced to watch as part of her coming out process. I can't believe you missed it. ;)

 

this movie is a skip. i have nooo idea how they spent $105 million on this one. I guess keanu took a solid quarter of it. After seeing the trailer and knowing music video director, francis lawrence was behind the camera, I expected some kick ass, mind blowing visual effects. The effects were far from mind blowing or anything ground breaking and the story was soso...pretty uninteresting. I'd say the only thing this film accomplished well was a morose hollywood blvd. tone.

 

>When has the devil come west?

he hasn't. nice images but the story is a drama from the mind of paris hilton at best.

 

The devil came west the day that the film industry relocated from New York..

Probably sometime in the 1920's..

'Constantine' doesn't suck any more than any other big studio fare.

 

Jason,
I'm only telling you this, because you're a friend ... it's the fictional town of Santa Carla. Santa Clara really exists and is only 30 minutes from Santa Cruz. Typos kill!!

 
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