AN APT TITLE FOR WHINY `NOWHERE'.Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Critic Gregg Araki has been dissecting youthful L.A. angst for so long that - now that his own teen years are probably a fading memory - he's finally developed a little insight into the subject. ``Nowhere,'' Araki's latest gang whine, is loaded with self-mocking satire, alarmingly accurate-sounding vapid dialogue, visual invention and a dedicated transgressive trans·gres·sive adj. 1. Exceeding a limit or boundary, especially of social acceptability. 2. Of or relating to a genre of fiction, filmmaking, or art characterized by graphic depictions of behavior that violates socially spirit that would be invigorating in·vig·or·ate tr.v. in·vig·or·at·ed, in·vig·or·at·ing, in·vig·or·ates To impart vigor, strength, or vitality to; animate: "A few whiffs of the raw, strong scent of phlox invigorated her" and bold if he wasn't so sensationalistic sen·sa·tion·al·ism n. 1. a. The use of sensational matter or methods, especially in writing, journalism, or politics. b. Sensational subject matter. c. Interest in or the effect of such subject matter. about it. These are all generally admirable traits in self-proclaimed rebel filmmakers. They are in Araki, too. If he ever learns to direct actors so they don't sound like their toenails are being yanked out, his movies may even become watchable watch·a·ble adj. 1. Capable of being watched; viewable: watchable wildlife. 2. Good enough to watch: "The fastest modem ... . Not at that stage yet, though. ``Nowhere'' is basically about a bunch of intoxicated in·tox·i·cate v. in·tox·i·cat·ed, in·tox·i·cat·ing, in·tox·i·cates v.tr. 1. To stupefy or excite by the action of a chemical substance such as alcohol. 2. teens wandering the streets for a day, going to a big party at night, making out, getting abducted abducted Distal angulation of an extremity away from the midline of the body in a transverse plane and away from a sagittal plane passing through the proximal aspect of the foot or part, or away from some other specified reference point by aliens and committing grotesque suicides. Its nominal hero is a typically complaining artist named Dark (James Duval from Araki's ``Doom Generation'') who's in love with party girl Mel (``The Craft's'' Rachel True), who loves him, too, but wants to see other people, especially female people. Since Dark doesn't seem too certain about his own sexual orientation, you'd think he'd understand this. Instead, Mel's attitude just causes him more anguish. A few dozen other sketchy, self-destructive losers wander in and out of Dark's orbit, some played by fading media hipsters (Shannen Doherty, an unrecognizably deglamorized Christina Applegate, ``Baywatch's'' Jaason Simmons as pretty much himself except for the battering rapist part). There's shocking violence, a lizard creature with a ray gun and a Kafkaesque travesty of an ending that lets you know Araki knows this is all pretty silly - which is an improvement over the serious blubbering blub·ber 1 v. blub·bered, blub·ber·ing, blub·bers v.intr. To sob noisily. See Synonyms at cry. v.tr. 1. To utter while crying and sobbing. 2. in the director's squirm classics ``The Long Weekend (O'Despair)'' and ``Three Bewildered People in the Night.'' Still, whining is whining, and even if the filmmaker's making fun of his signature motif, that doesn't make it any easier to listen to. THE FACTS The film: ``Nowhere'' (R; nudity, violence, sex, language, drug use, children in jeopardy). The stars: James Duval, Rachel True, Kathleen Robertson, Christina Applegate. Behind the scenes: Written and directed by Gregg Araki. Running time: One hour, 25 minutes. Playing: Sunset 5, West Hollywood. Our rating: Two Stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Lucifer (Kathleen Robertson), left, Mel (Rachel True) and Dingbat ding·bat n. 1. Slang An empty-headed or silly person. 2. An object, such as a brick or stone, used as a missile. 3. (Christina Applegate) are a few of the sketchy, self-destructive losers who wander in and out of the main character's orbit in ``Nowhere.'' |
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