Kaboom

This highly sexual but not particularly graphic flick by Gregg Araki caroms from good to bad to so-bad-it's-good and back around again. I'm of two minds about it: Araki probably would approve of that. Despite reservations, I'll give it a thumbs-up, but, as other reviewers have warned, some folks will hate it, so choose your co-viewers carefully.Smith (Thomas Dekker) is a college student with a thing for his apparently straight roommate Thor and also for a young woman named London (Juno Temple). Araki doesn't seem to like labels, and most of the characters are sexually flexible. Some more openly acknowledge it than others. London specifically discusses Kinsey's 0-6 sliding scale of orientation on which very few people score a 0 or 6. Strange things start to happen around Smith. An enigmatic note identifies him as the "chosen son." He has disturbing encounters with men in animal masks. Smith thinks he might have witnessed a murder (he was high at the time), which leads him to question the story told to him by his mother about his father's death. He grows to believe his father is alive and is a leader of some bizarre secret cult that has selectively bred people with some psychic abilities, that has infiltrated governments, and that has an apocalyptic mission. Don't expect this ever to be a cult classic, but it has its pleasures for the type of viewer likely to choose it in the first place.

Fun to see director Greg Araki put his fantasies on film. Eye candy of pretty boys & girls having mild sex and no full frontal. Sex not hot. Technicolor college romp, religious cult, sci-fy, and end of the world.

The erotics of this are so intense, you might want to watch "Enter the Void" first so it seems calmer.Really!#heyHO

an interesting, strange film, yet entertaining somewhat. I never knew where it was going and I still don't know where I've been.

Although blu ray and plays on American player and In English you are stuck with French subtitles you cannot turn off

Unfortunately like all of Gregg Araki's other films Kaboom hasn't been made available for sale in North America on Blu-ray leaving fans like me coughing up extra money for imports. I figured that since this disc is compatible with my blu-ray player that I'd be more than happy to pay a little extra. I mean, hey, you even get a sexy white case which is pretty uncommon.This French release doesn't allow you to change audio or subtitle tracks on the fly. If you'd like to enjoy this film as it was originally presented you'll be sad to know that the French subtitles are forced when playing the English audio track. Even if you were living in France you would not be able to appreciate this movie in it's original language without subtitles polluting this visually beautiful film.I thought the dark ages of DVD were over, but it's stuff like this that makes me regret trying to legally purchase the things that I like. I guess what this ultimately comes down to is I wish that there was a way for me to support Gregg's films in the United States without always being forced into the standard definition ghetto. I have a feeling the age of physical media will be dead and gone before I get what I want.If you happen to be a French fan of queer cinema that has no problem with watching dubbed over foreign films then this is absolutely the release for you, but I somehow doubt you exist.From what I have read online it seems the German release of this film is the way to go as it does not force subtitles and is region free.

A seduction. Perfect. Cannot remember why I missed this years back. Nice to find. My husband and I really really enjoyed this. Will watch again.

John Waters approached Gregg Araki at the premiere of either "Mysterious Skin" or "Smiley Face" (I can't remember which) and personally requested that Gregg's next film take a trip back to "classic Araki territory." Hence, "KABOOM"!I won't spoil the plot because I feel that one should definitely go into this foray as clueless as possible for the purpose of expository surprises and shock preservation. However, I will start this review by saying that those unfamiliar with the director's previous work (and unacclimated to the social commentaries wrapped inside unbelievably tawdry plotlines fraught with originally insane one-liners) might loathe this picture, as it is sort of set up to be a film for Araki purists. All the familiar elements are here: the angst filled, witty dialog from the Teen Apocalypse Trilogy ("Totally F***ed Up", "The Doom Generation" and "Nowhere"), the psycho and sexual tension of "The Living End" and "Splendor", the absurdity of "Smiley Face" and at times, the intensity of "Mysterious Skin".But being more than just a throwback for fans, to me I think this piece of celluloid is a visual and auditory poem of sorts. The soundtrack selections (featuring artists such as Ladytron, Cut Copy & Explosions In The Sky) connect scenes like perfect puzzle pieces to reveal each enigmatic plot point as the film carries us along an initially confusing, yet thoroughly intriguing path. But it's the VISUAL poetry that gives "Kaboom" its true beauty ~ the wash of blue light adorning Smith's fantasy of Thor after the film opens, for example, as well as the scene of Smith discovering the mysterious red head in the bathroom stall.Whatever thier agenda, be it shady or sexual, each character is extremely likeable, which is a first for an Araki film in my humble opinion. The cast (Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Juno Temple) is stellar (HELEN STELLAR...;) and each role has been perfectly assigned to both thier respective actor's strengths and weaknesses ~ the one exception being Kelly Lynch as Smith's mother. As much as I love her as an actress and an individual, she (literally) phones in her performance here, which is my only complaint in the casting department.Araki trademarks? Yep, they're all here as well! The close up shots on each character's appetizing/disgusting food choices that are either in the process of, or about to be ingested...the vibrant colors seen in both the wardrobe and the uniquely designed dream-like sets that one will never get to see in real life...and more important, Araki's innate ability to stay in touch with mankind's awkward confusion in transitioning from teenager to adult, whatever the generation may be.As much as I loved the way it ended, I think the pacing contributed to what I DIDN'T like about the film as a whole. It's nothing but a fast cavalcade of dialogue which culminates into the big reveal, then KABOOM...the film is over. It's almost the the first draft of the third act was filmed and printed instead of being fleshed out in rewrites. The film's conclusion might have benefited with less talk and more action, despite being extremely action packed already...which will make sense when you view it for the first time.So is this film a drama, comedy, science fiction, suspense or horror film? The answer is YES to all five. A feat that I think only Gregg Araki can pull off. I believe that fact, in and of itself, will either make or break this film for the viewer. As for me, I count it as a new future "cult classic" for the 21st Century, and a film I'm proud to include in both my DVD and Araki collections, respectively. :)

Good film, both funny and scary, yet at times was slighlty silly in its plot - but then that was rather the point.

... weiß man nicht, dass man etwas verpasst hat.Format: Blu-rayTon: Deutsch/Englischgeschauter Ton: DeutschIm Grunde wie ein Stephen King Film: Es geht alles ganz harmlos los... (aber dann doch völlig anders als bei King)Im Mittelpunkt dreht sich die Story um den sexuell noch unentschiedenen, und daher erst einmal bisexuellen Smith, und dessen Eroberungen. Man denkt zuerst, dass es sich hierbei um einen Selbstfindungs- und Beziehungsfilm handelt. Dieser Film nimmt einen erst unmerklich, aber immer mehr und mehr mit auf einen Trip, so dass man langsam, aber unaufhaltsam immer weiter in eine Geschichte gezogen wird, die nach und nach erst zu einem Krimi, und dann sogar zu einem Verschwörungs-Film wird.Der Film ist wie andere Rezensenten bereits geschrieben haben, etwas abgedreht, aber genau das macht meiner Meinung nach auch den Charme des Films aus. Angefangen vom Make-Up des Hauptdarstellers Thomas Dekker, der seinen Charakter wirklich sehr gut versteht glaubhaft rüber zu bringen, über die beiden Frauen in seinem Leben, seine lesbische beste Freundin (Haley Bennett) und seine lockere, immer ein Stück fester werdende Freundin London (Juno Temple), die beide mit Thomas Dekker zusammen "den ganzen Film tragen", und das wirklich gut machen.Ich hatte null Erwartungen an den Film, und bin nachdem ich ihn zu Ende geschaut habe, froh ihn mir gekauft zu haben. Man sieht, auch ein Low-Budget Film, den man das stellenweise, wenn nicht sogar öfter, auch anmerkt, kann gut sein!

Sehr abgedrehter Film abseits des Mainstreams...so anders, dass man ihn kaum beschreiben kann. Ich bin durch die beiden Schauspieler in "Secret Circle" darauf gestoßen. Leider haben die beiden nicht so viele prickelnde Szenen gemeinsam, wie ein Ausschnitt vermuten ließ. Auf jeden Fall ein verrückter filmischer Ausflug...

Era ora che venisse pubblicato anche in italia questo piccolo gioiellino della filmografia del visionario Araki! Il film é visivamente pazzesco, piacevolissimo da guardare, ovviamente come tutti i film di Araki pieno di musica e colori, storia ai limiti della realtá/pazzia e un protagonista che cattura e affascina per tutta la durata del film! Consigliatissimo!!!!

Da vedere. Film che stupisce ed avvince. Tutto ben strutturato. Bravissimi gli attori. Storia che lascia un segno e fa' riflettere. Consigliato per chi vuole andare oltre e capire. 10 e lode