The Answer Is...(2)

Larry Clark's 1995 film, Kids.

Looks like !thenitefalls is the winner of Tuesday's lil' trivia game.

you guessed right my friend, and earned my movie nerd respect. Dude already had my music nerd respect (as I'm sure he has most of yours, he's got like 9000 followers!) so now, you got both.

For those of you who haven't seen Kids, be afraid. Be very afraid. It's one of those movies that just might scar you for life. Unless you're a completely jaded re(/b/)tard, watching Kids for the first time might be akin to getting punched in the stomach. I can't go over much of the plot without spoiling the movie, but lets just say it's about a bunch of teenage kids roaming the streets of NYC and their experiences with drugs, violence, and lots of sex. The ultra grimy landscape of early/mid 90's New York, reeling from the crack epidemic of the 80's and the reality of HIV/AIDS (not the Giuliani corporate Disney Land that existed just before 9/11) provides a haunting backdrop throughout the film.

Clark and Justin Pierce: R.I.P. "Casper"

Larry Clark's direction in Kids has been called everything from genius to obscene. It really all depends on your perception, and the strength of your stomach. Visually, the film is stunning. Clark made his bones as a photographer long before he started making movies and his prowess with the camera pays off big time here. Shot in a pseudo-documentary style, Clark's choice of shots, camera angles and locations across the city helps give Kids its jarring sense of realism.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Kids is the it's cast, or lack of. Clark used real New York teens and unknown first time actors for the film. He found Justin Pierce skating in the park one day and cast Rosario Dawson after seeing her on her building's porch. Yes, Rosario Dawson and Chloe Sevigny both make their first appearances in Kids.

So here's a clip from Kids featuring the song from Tuesday's trivia challenge, Daniel Johnston's ultra fitting, "Casper The Friendly Ghost."



Sadly, Justin Pierce, the actor who plays "Casper" in Kids committed suicide in 2000 at the age of 25. Harold Hunter, a pro skater and featured actor in the film also died in 2006 from a cocaine induced heart attack. He was 31.