Pups (film)

Last updated
Pups
Pups FilmPoster.jpeg
DVD cover
Directed by Ash Baron-Cohen (as Ash)
Written byAsh Baron-Cohen
Produced byDaniel M Berger
Starring
CinematographyCarlos Arguello
Edited by Michael Schultz
Music by Erran Baron Cohen
Distributed byAllied Entertainment Group
Release dates
  • April 18, 1999 (1999-04-18)(premiere)
  • March 31, 2000 (2000-03-31)(limited)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Pups is a 1999 American independent crime drama film written and directed by Ash, and starring Mischa Barton, Burt Reynolds and Cameron Van Hoy. The film centers on two young adolescents who embark on a bank robbery on their way to school. It premiered at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival on April 18, 1999. Although well received critically, the film saw a limited release, which has been attributed to sensitivity surrounding the Columbine High School massacre that occurred two days after the premiere. [1]

Contents

Plot

Stevie finds a gun in his mother's closet, and on his way to school with his girlfriend, Rocky, decides to use the gun to rob a bank. The police come and surround the building. One FBI agent, Daniel Bender, tries to free the hostages. Initially he is calm and cooperative, giving food, condoms, beer and an MTV reporter by request.

As the situation furthers, Bender gets frustrated. After several failed attempts at impossible requests, Stevie decides to surrender. Rocky and he leave the guns, money, and hostages in the bank. As the two walk away, Stevie reaches for a flower in his pocket, and a sniper shoots him dead. Bender asks to get that "mother fucker down from that roof".

Cast

Production

The film is set in an unnamed American suburb and was shot in Chatsworth, Los Angeles. It was financed by Japan-based Team Okuyama in October 1998, with the condition that filming would be complete by December of the same year. [2] The film was shot in two weeks in December 1998. [3] The director, Ash noted that the film was timely within the context of real-life crimes during this period, alluding to the 1998 Westside Middle School shooting: "The film was a reflection of what was going on in Jonesboro and around the world." As well as the controversy of the Columbine killings, the release of the film was complicated by the arrest of one of its co-stars, Adam Farrar. Farrar had been arrested in March 1999 on suspicion of attempted murder and making terrorist threats against his girlfriend. [4] [5]

Critical reception

The film was well received by critics; it currently holds a 90% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [6] Robert Koehler of Variety praised the execution of the film "Applying all the assets of seat-of-your-pants indie filmmaking with few of its deficits, Ash has delivered a sinewy, disturbing sophomore work... Pups gives off the energy of a movie shot on the run with few of the rough edges that typically dog such rapid-fire filmmaking." Koehler continued to single out the picture as a "perceptive spin on the teen pic". Koehler also praised the casting "Van Hoy leads the way, with a startling, haunting film debut that matches pic's sense of impulse, rage and humanism. Barton quietly suggests a smart girl who knows she's in trouble but might find a way out. Besieged on all sides, Reynolds works against his character's cliches and indicates that Boogie Nights was no fluke." [2]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, congratulating Van Hoy and Barton for "two of the most natural and freed performances I have seen by actors of any age...Often Van Hoy and Barton waltz through long takes, working without the net of editing...So much depends on the performances. If instead of Van Hoy and Barton the movie had starred safer or more circumspect actors, the energy would have flagged and the flaws of the quick production would have been more of a problem." [3]

Lawrence Van Gelder of the New York Times described the protagonists, Stevie and Rocky as "Bonnie and Clyde for the MTV generation." He praised Ash for "taking a knowing look at adolescents informed but not educated by television and movies in a less than perfect United States." Van Gelder also praised Van Hoy for his portrayal of "a volatile, fast-talking compendium of pop culture, childish rage, adolescent mischief and adult stupidity and remorse." And Barton also, "in a layered performance, combines loyal girlfriend and voice of reason with deep cynicism toward the world she was born into and now is shaping." [7]

Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "B+", praising Ash as "a genuine provocateur-filmmaker." The review also congratulated the "energized performance" of Reynolds and Van Hoy, who "is amazing, like a Game Boy junkie-turned-virtual Jimmy Cagney." The reviewer also speculated that the film could have been a sensation at Sundance had it not been for the recent Columbine tragedy. [1]

Awards and honours

YearAwardCategoryResult [8]
1999 Chicago International Film Festival "Gold Hugo award for New Directors Competition" - AshNominated
Stockholm International Film Festival "Bronze Horse" - AshNominated
Festival du Film Policier de Cognac "'New Blood' Award" - AshWon
2000 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival "Grand Jury Prize-Feature" - AshWon

Related Research Articles

<i>Elephant</i> (2003 film) 2003 drama film directed by Gus Van Sant

Elephant is a 2003 American psychological drama film written, directed and edited by Gus Van Sant. It takes place in Watt High School, in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, and chronicles the events surrounding a school shooting, based in part on the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The film begins a short time before the shooting occurs, following the lives of several characters both in and out of school, who are unaware of what is about to unfold. The film stars mostly new actors, including John Robinson, Alex Frost, and Eric Deulen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mischa Barton</span> British-American film, television, and stage actress

Mischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American film, television, and stage actress. She began her career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner's Slavs! and took the lead in James Lapine's Twelve Dreams at New York City's Lincoln Center. She made her screen debut with a guest appearance on the American soap opera All My Children (1995), and voicing a character on the Nickelodeon cartoon series KaBlam! (1996–97). Her first major film role was as the protagonist of Lawn Dogs (1997), a drama co-starring Sam Rockwell. She appeared in major pictures such as the romantic comedy Notting Hill (1999) and M. Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller The Sixth Sense (1999). She also starred in the indie crime drama Pups (1999).

<i>Taxi</i> (2004 film) 2004 film by Tim Story

Taxi is a 2004 action comedy film directed by Tim Story and starring Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon, Gisele Bündchen, Jennifer Esposito, and Ann-Margret. An incompetent New York City police officer is banned from driving and comes to rely on a talented taxi driver to help him solve a series of bank robberies. The film is a remake of the 1998 French film of the same name and was panned by critics.

<i>Big Daddy</i> (1999 film) 1999 film directed by Dennis Dugan

Big Daddy is a 1999 American comedy-drama film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy, and Adam Sandler from a story conceived by Franks, and produced by Sid Ganis and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Stewart, Rob Schneider, Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, and Leslie Mann, with Allen Covert and Josh Mostel in supporting roles. The plot follows a 32-year-old man who gets dumped by his girlfriend for not accepting responsibility and then tries to be responsible by adopting a five-year-old boy who appears on his doorstep.

<i>Blue Streak</i> (film) 1999 film by Les Mayfield

Blue Streak is a 1999 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Les Mayfield. Inspired by the 1965 film The Big Job, the film stars Martin Lawrence, Luke Wilson, Dave Chappelle, Peter Greene, Nicole Ari Parker and William Forsythe. Lawrence plays Miles, a jewel thief who tries to retrieve a diamond he left at a police station, whereupon he disguises himself as a detective and gets paired with a real policeman to investigate burglaries. The film was shot on location in California. The prime shooting spot was Sony Pictures Studios, which is located in Culver City, California.

<i>A Life Less Ordinary</i> 1997 romantic black comedy film

A Life Less Ordinary is a 1997 British romantic black comedy film directed by Danny Boyle, written by John Hodge, and starring Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz, Holly Hunter, Delroy Lindo, Ian Holm and Dan Hedaya. The plot follows two angels who are sent to Earth to help make a disgruntled kidnapper (McGregor) and his hostage (Diaz) fall in love.

<i>Varsity Blues</i> (film) 1999 film by Brian Robbins

Varsity Blues is a 1999 American coming-of-age sports comedy-drama film directed by Brian Robbins that follows a small-town high school football team through a tumultuous season, in which the players must deal with the pressures of adolescence and their football-obsessed community while having their overbearing coach constantly on their back. In the small fictional town of West Canaan, Texas, football is a way of life and losing is not an option. The film drew a domestic box office gross of $52 million against its estimated $16 million budget despite mixed critical reviews. The film has since gone on to become a cult film.

<i>Lawn Dogs</i> 1997 film by John Duigan

Lawn Dogs is a 1997 British fantasy-drama film directed by John Duigan and starring Mischa Barton and Sam Rockwell. The film tells the story of a precocious young girl (Barton) from a gated community who befriends a landscape worker (Rockwell), and examines the societal repercussions of their friendship. Written by Naomi Wallace, the film was released by Rank Organisation, and was the company's last production.

<i>Malevolence</i> (film) 2003 film by Stevan Mena

Malevolence is a 2004 independent American slasher film written, produced and directed by Stevan Mena, and starring Samantha Dark and R. Brandon Johnson. The plot follows a mother and her adolescent daughter who are held hostage by bank robbers at an abandoned house; the robbers' plans are disrupted when they are all confronted by a serial killer who resides on a nearby property.

<i>Bait</i> (2000 film) American-Canadian action comedy film

Bait is a 2000 American action comedy film starring Jamie Foxx and David Morse. It was directed by Antoine Fuqua. The film was a huge financial failure, costing Warner Bros. $51 million but only grossing approximately $15 million.

<i>Treehouse Hostage</i> 1998 film by Sean McNamara

Treehouse Hostage is a 1999 family film directed by Sean McNamara and starring Jim Varney and Joey Zimmerman. It was Varney's final on-screen role before his death; he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer during production of the film in August 1998.

<i>You and I</i> (2008 film) 2008 drama film

You and I is a 2008 drama film directed by Roland Joffé depicting a fictionalised version of real events adapted from the novel t.A.T.u. Come Back. The film features Mischa Barton, Anton Yelchin, Charlie Creed-Miles, Helena Mattsson, Alexander Kaluzhsky, Bronson Pinchot and Shantel VanSanten. The film is about a teenage girl, Lana, who moves from a rural town in Russia to Moscow, completely unaware that meeting an internet girlfriend, Janie, will result in a string of adventures.

<i>Assassination of a High School President</i> 2008 American comedy film

Assassination of a High School President is a 2008 American neo noir comedy film directed by Brett Simon and starring Reece Thompson, Bruce Willis, Mischa Barton, Emily Meade and Michael Rapaport. It was written by Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski. It premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

<i>Homecoming</i> (2009 film) 2009 American independent horror-thriller film by Morgan J. Freeman

Homecoming is a 2009 American independent horror-thriller film, directed by Morgan J. Freeman and written by Katie L. Fetting, Jake Goldberger and Frank Hannah. The film follows a student couple, Mike and Elizabeth, on their homecoming. Elizabeth is taken home by Mike's ex-girlfriend Shelby after a road accident. Shelby is soon revealed to be fixated on Mike and subsequently treats Elizabeth in a cruel and deranged manner. The film was poorly received by critics but was a box office success, grossing $8.5 million against a $1.5 million budget.

<i>Mothers Day</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Darren Lynn Bousman

Mother's Day is a 2010 American psychological horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. It is a loose remake of Charles Kaufman's Mother's Day and was written by Scott Milam and produced by Brett Ratner.

<i>S.W.A.T.: Firefight</i> 2011 American film

S.W.A.T.: Firefight is a 2011 American direct-to-DVD action crime film directed by Benny Boom. It is a sequel to the 2003 film S.W.A.T., based on the 1975 S.W.A.T. television series. Despite its name, the film does not feature any of the original cast nor are there any mentions of the previous film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everybody's on the Run</span> 2012 single by Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds

"Everybody's on the Run" is a song by the English rock band Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, written by frontman Noel Gallagher from their self-titled debut album Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (2011). The song was released on 29 July 2012 as the fifth and final single from the album. The song was used for BT advertisements. "Everybody's on the Run" peaked at number 61 on the UK Singles Chart.

Cameron Van Hoy is an American director, producer and writer. He first came to attention as the protagonist of Pups (1999), a critically acclaimed indie crime drama he starred in as a teen opposite Burt Reynolds. He has gone on to produce multiple films. Now Van Hoy has moved into the director's chair after his debut feature Flinch, the neo-noir crime thriller about a young hitman who falls for the witness to a murder he commits.

<i>L.A. Slasher</i> 2015 film

L.A. Slasher is a 2015 American comedy slasher film co-written and directed by Martin Owen. The film stars Andy Dick, Drake Bell, Mischa Barton, and Dave Bautista. The film was released on June 26, 2015 in a limited release by Arthur Jones.

References

  1. 1 2 Pups Entertainment Weekly. 3 March 2000
  2. 1 2 Pups Variety. 26 April 1999
  3. 1 2 Pups Chicago Sun-Times. 10 December 2000
  4. Violent Young 'Pups' Bound for Controversy Los Angeles Times. 27 March 2000
  5. DiCaprio stepbrother accused of violence The Guardian. 17 March 2000
  6. Pups (1999) Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 20 July 2012
  7. FILM REVIEW; They've Got Hostages, and They Want Their MTV New York Times. 14 February 2000
  8. "Awards". Internet Movie Database.