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Another Day In Paradise
: Amen, Jeff Shannon
 great flick.saw it at least 3 times...goes down as one of my favorites...the sound track is to die for get the cd ya wont be sorry.....james woods deserved an award for this one...he plays it to the max....fast moving, violent,sex, great music..action.great acting by 4 main characters...good cars, far out retro clothes.....life is good.......
Another Day In Paradise wasn't a feel-good film or a romantic comedy, and it certainly didn't enjoy the sort of megamoney ad campaign enjoyed by many productions, so it wasn't as easy to sell to the Academy voters, perhaps, as other films. (It's box office certainly suffered because it didn't even get offered to most of the CineMall crowd.) Still, it was a very gritty, real, and believable movie, and it deserved a special award from someone for leaving the dirt under the fingernails of its subject, not scrubbing it up like Judd Frye in his hypothetical coffin -- that is, viewing it through rose-tint glasses because it's gone. While all the actors demonstrated skill and ability, I was personally stunned by James Woods. If I picked the Oscars, I'd have given him Best Actor for this one. His Melvin was so real, so genuine to the junkies/drunks I've seen while working in a walk-in medical clinic, and so incredibly *repellent* that it was some of the best acting I have seen in a long time. Yes, I'm a fan, but that's the point: he's one of the few stars whose charisma often gets to me even when he's playing the bad guy, like in The Getaway, but in Mel's overall vibe was horrifying, disgusting, sleazy, and drug-fried. It was professional pretending of the highest order and the film should not be missed if only for this accomplishment of theater arts!
Extremely bleak, gritty drama about a young pair of novice hoodlums (Vincent Kartheiser and Natasha Wagnor) adopted by two adult criminals (James Woods and Melanie Griffith) and the madness that ensues. Depressing look at the lives of criminal junkies and the lack of contempt for themselves. You despise these people, yet can not turn away. This is a well-made and tough film from the director who brought us the unrelenting Kids, Larry Clark. Not quite as severe, but also taking a rough look at the depraved lifestyles of particularly unpleasant human beings. Clark proves himself once again that he's a master of the American nightmare. Not for all tastes but exceptionally well-done filmmaking for people who can stand it. Though R it leans more toward an NC-17. Rated R for some strong scenes of graphic bloody violence, extreme profane language, strong graphic drug use and content including a related death, depravity, a strong sexual situation with nudity, and some graphic sexual dialogue.
If William Faulkner was still alive and writing screenplays, he would have inevitably written ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE. The film is graphic and, at times, disturbing, but it also expresses a theme of redemption and hope, unlike KIDS. It is a step in the right direction for this director.
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