`SUBURBIA' UTILIZES ANGRY, EASYGOING TALENTS WELL.Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Critic Angry theatrical guerrilla Eric Bogosian Eric Bogosian (born March 24 1953 in Woburn, Massachusetts) is an Armenian-American actor, playwright, monologist, and novelist. and easygoing eas·y·go·ing also eas·y-go·ing adj. 1. a. Living without undue worry or concern; calm. b. Lax or negligent; careless. c. chronicler of youthful drift Richard Linklater meet with ``subUrbia,'' the latter's film of the former's stage play. It's an interesting, not entirely comfortable collaboration, but one that gains more from the clash of creative personalities than it loses. The latest in Linklater's line of all-night gab fests (``Slacker,'' ``Dazed daze tr.v. dazed, daz·ing, daz·es 1. To stun, as with a heavy blow or shock; stupefy. 2. To dazzle, as with strong light. n. A stunned or bewildered condition. and Confused,'' ``Before Sunrise''), ``subUrbia'' has a meaner spirit and darker intentions. But Linklater's natural amiability also takes some of the intense, stagy stag·y also stag·ey adj. stag·i·er, stag·i·est Having a theatrical, especially an artificial or affected, character or quality. stag edge off of Bogosian's bile, making it more film-friendly and persuasive. Linklater also ensures that this essentially depressing tale has a good strain of rambunctious humor. A bunch of aimless 20-year-olds hang out around a convenience store in characterless, soul-deadening Burnfield, U.S.A. They're waiting for their old buddy Pony, who's now a rock star, to drop by. Otherwise, it's the usual evening's entertainment. Jeff (``Friends'' semi-regular Giovanni Ribisi) is a whiny, community college Hamlet who doesn't want his exuberant, punk artist girlfriend Sooze (Amie Carey) to go to New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , but can't think of a decent reason for her to stick around, either. Buff (Steve Zahn, even more of a witless wit·less adj. Lacking intelligence or wit; foolish. wit  less·ly adv.wit party animal than he was in ``That Thing You Do!'') plays in-line skate hockey with empty cans and likes stealing dwarf planters. His drinking buddy is Tim (Nicky Katt), an Air Force dropout (1) On magnetic media, a bit that has lost its strength due to a surface defect or recording malfunction. If the bit is in an audio or video file, it might be detected by the error correction circuitry and either corrected or not, but if not, it is often not noticed by the human who comes off like a sadistic sa·dism n. 1. The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. 2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty. Fonz. They spend most of the evening tormenting the Pakistani couple (Ajay Naidu and Samia Shoaib) who run the mini-mart. But when the limo carrying condescending Pony (Jayce Bartok) and his leather-clad publicist Erica (Parker Posey) arrives, resentment, recrimination A charge made by an individual who is being accused of some act against the accuser. Recrimination is sometimes used as a defense in actions for Divorce. Traditionally the underlying theory was that a divorce could be granted only when one individual was innocent and the , a lot more liquor and, maybe, some blood will be spilled all over the parking lot. While a lot of the characters' complaints are pretty generic teen angst insights, Linklater and his fine young cast do a nice job of making even Bogosian's brattiest rants sound heartfelt. A few clever plot ploys help alleviate the story's built-in tedium, and cinematographer Lee Daniel does what he can to give the strip-malled landscape some sense of a living, if hopeless environment. The soundtrack isn't exactly inspired; Sonic Youth, Skinny Puppy and Elastica's cover of X's ``Unheard Music'' set the alienated tone. But there is more than just overdramatized anger running loose across ``subUrbia's'' mean macadam macadam Form of pavement invented by John McAdam. McAdam's road cross-section consisted of a compacted subgrade of crushed granite or greenstone designed to support the load, covered by a surface of light stone to absorb wear and tear and shed water to the drainage ditches. . There is Linklater's saving knowledge that however long it takes these empty nights to end, this state of social growth, too, will pass. THE FACTS The film: ``subUrbia'' (R; language, racism, nudity, substance abuse). The stars: Giovanni Ribisi, Steve Zahn, Amie Carey, Nicky Katt, Jayce Bartok, Parker Posey, Ajay Naidu, Dina Spybey. Behind the scenes: Directed by Richard Linklater. Written by Eric Bogosian, based on his play. Produced by Anne Walker-McBay. Released by Sony Pictures Classics. Running time: One hour, 57 minutes. Playing: Selected theaters. Our rating: Three Stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: In ``subUrbia,'' exuberant, punk artist Sooze (Amie Carey) wants to go to New York. Whiny boyfriend Jeff (Giovanni Ribisi) can't think of a decent reason for her to stick around. |
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