CARRIE dvd

Sometimes a movie has a perfect storm of all the right elements coming together at once.  This happened in 1976 when an amazing cast and director Brian De Palma came together to adapt Stephen King's first novel for the movies.  The result was Carrie, a horror classic -- and the dvd release does it justice with its special features.

Somewhat prescient of both the impact of bullying and the dangers of school rampages, Carrie is the story of a high school outcast with a supernatural power.  Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is an introverted high school girl who gets no relief from either school at home.  When she gets her first period in the school shower, the other girls all taunt her and pelt her with tampons and towels.  At home, her mother Margaret White (Piper Laurie) is a religious fanatic who sees sin everywhere and locks Carrie in a dark closet to pray.  Carrie also has a power: When she gets emotional, she can move things with her mind.

Unfortunately, even the folks trying to help Carrie seem to hurt her.  Miss Collins (Betty Buckley) is the only teacher who wants to help Carrie, so she punishes the girls involved in the hazing.  Sue Snell (Amy Irving) feels bad for what she did, so she has her boyfriend Tommy (William Katt) ask Carrie to the prom.  By contrast, the girls' leader Chris (Nancy Allen) is banned from the prom, so she and her boyfriend Billy (John Travolta) plan their revenge against Carrie at the prom.  And with Carrie's ability manifesting itself when she's angry, things will not end well...

Carrie works on just about every level.  The acting is superb -- Spacek and Laurie got Academy Award nominations for this movie -- and the story moves at a quick pace, combining the humor and cruelty of high school and family.  Director Brian De Palma used many different ways of filming here -- split screen, slow motion -- and never overdoes any of them.  The dialogue is sharp and very quotable ("They're all going to laugh at you!") and this movie has numerous memorable scenes, from the prom inferno to the final dreamlike ending (which has been copied in most horror movies that followed).

For extras, the Carrie dvd did it right.  The director, screenwriter, and almost all of the movie's stars (except Travolta) are brought together to discuss everything from trying out for the movie (many auditioned for Carrie and Star Wars at the same time) to what it was like shooting the movie.  Betty Buckley also discusses her brief role in the the Broadway musical adaption.  There's also text from Stephen King about the movie; I'd have preferred it if he'd shown up to talk about the movie instead of just writing, but it's still informative.

Carrie is everything a horror movie should be: scary, funny, well acted, socially relevant, and memorable.

Overall grade: A+
Reviewed by James Lynch

Green Day, 21st CENTURY BREAKDOWN

It's been five years since Green Day launched a full-on musical assaunt on conservative America with American Idiot. So how do they follow that up in a new America? There's still plenty to worry about and rail against, as Green Day demonstrates with their latest album, 21st Century Breakdown.

"They're playing the song of the century/of panic and promise and prosperity" sings Billy Joe Armstrong on the album's opening, and this mix of optimism and pessimism permeates 21st Century Breakdown. Bush may be gone, but Green Day warns against the decline of America in songs like the title track and "American Eulogy." The brave rebel in "!Viva la Gloria!" becomes "so unholy" in "?Viva la Gloria?" The band also tackles banal music ("The Static Age,"), romance ("Last Night on Earth"), and weapons ("Peacemaker") and peace ("21 Guns").

Green Day remains in great form, both musically and lyrically. Armstrong's vocals support both tender moments and screaming jags. Tre Cool's percussion is great throughout, and guitar from Armstrong and bass from Mike Dirnt keep things rocking from start to finish. ("Horseshoes and Hand Grenades" is a contender for being the best loud song of 2009.) 21st Century Breakdown may not have the full thematic focus of American Idiot, but it's a great modern rock album. And the Target special edition (as a disclaimer, I must point out that I work for Target. I! Have! Disclaimed!) has six live tracks that show Green Day is great out of the studio too.

Overall grade: A
Reviewed by James Lynch