The Doom Generation
The Doom Generation | |
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Directed by | Gregg Araki |
Written by | Gregg Araki |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Jim Fealy |
Edited by |
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Music by | Dan Gatto |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 83 minutes[1] |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Budget | $800,000 |
Box office | $284,785[2] |
The Doom Generation is a 1995
Billed as "A Heterosexual Movie by Gregg Araki", The Doom Generation is the second installment in the director's trilogy known as the Teenage Apocalypse film trilogy, preceded by
Araki's major film debut, shooting primarily took place at night during January 1994 in Los Angeles on a budget of $800,000. The crew avoided well known landmarks and shot in undeveloped areas of urban sprawl to give an apocalyptic feel. The budget allowed Araki to hire professional crew, making it the first of his films not shot by himself.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 1995.[3] It received mixed reviews from critics. During the press screening, many critics left. However, at the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), it received critical acclaim, most proclaiming it as Araki's breakthrough. Distributed by Trimark Pictures, it was released in the United States on October 27, 1995. While not a financial success, earning only $284,785 at the box office, McGowan was nominated for Best Debut Performance at the 11th Independent Spirit Awards.
Plot
Teenage lovers Jordan White and Amy Blue pick up a handsome drifter named Xavier Red while driving home from a club. Jordan gives Xavier the nickname "X". A late-night stop at a convenience store leaves the three on the run when X accidentally kills the store's owner, forcing the trio to hide in a motel to avoid arrest. Jordan and Amy have sex in the bathtub, while X watches from an outside window. X then learns from the local television news program that the store owner's wife disemboweled her children with a machete before committing suicide. This leads X to believe that the trio won't be considered suspects or be found by police.
Later that evening, Amy has sex with X, despite their mutual dislike of each other. Eventually Jordan finds out, and things become tense as the two men develop a lingering sexual attraction for one another. As the trio journeys around the city of Los Angeles, they continue to get into violent (almost comedic; every item the trio buys always comes out to $6.66) situations due to people either claiming to be Amy's previous lovers or mistaking her for such. These incidents get the attention of the
Jordan, Amy and X spend the night in an abandoned warehouse, where they engage in a
Cast
- Rose McGowan as Amy Blue
- James Duval as Jordan White
- Jonathon Schaechas Xavier "X" Red
- Dustin Nguyen as Nguyen Coc Suc, the convenience store clerk
- Margaret Cho as Nguyen's wife
- Parker Posey as Brandi
- Lauren Tewes and Christopher Knight as TV anchorpeople
- Nicky Katt as Bartholomew, Carnoburger cashier
- Amanda Bearse as Barmaid
- Cress Williams as Peanut
- Skinny Puppy as Gang of goons
- Perry Farrell as Stop 'n' Go clerk
- Heidi Fleiss as Liquor store clerk
- Khristofor Rossianov as Don
Release
Home media
The film was initially acquired by The Samuel Goldwyn Company, but was dropped due to content objections, before being picked up by Trimark Pictures. Its home video release had many cuts and differed greatly from the original version seen at Sundance.[4] In March 2012, the UK company Second Sight Films released a DVD with anamorphic widescreen and director/cast commentary.[5] Previous releases up until this point lacked the commentary, with many lacking the widescreen format.
Director's cut
The first cut as shown at Sundance featured several scenes removed from future releases. It was shown at the
According to Araki, the new 4K restoration of The Doom Generation is the only one that he wants audiences to watch from here on out: "I hope that this new version of it wipes those old copies out entirely, because they're so inferior. There was an R-rated cut of Doom Generation that was made without my approval, and it's terrible. It's literally been butchered beyond recognition, and I'd prefer that people don't watch it at all than watch that copy of it."[3]
This version of the film will be released on Blu-ray from Strand Releasing on September 26, 2023.
Reception
The Doom Generation received mixed reviews, with critics often comparing the film both favorably and unfavorably to Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, gives the film a score of 55% based on 40 reviews.[8]
Giving the film its very first review, in
References
- ^ "The Doom Generation (18)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- ^ "The Doom Generation (1995)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ^ a b Keogan, Natalia (2023-04-03). "'Sex and Sexuality Have Been Central to All of My Movies': Gregg Araki on Restoring The Doom Generation". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- ^ Hemphill, Jim (31 March 2023). "'I Just Want Those Old Versions to Die Forever': Gregg Araki Restores 'Doom Generation' to His Original Vision". IndieWire. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ "The Doom Generation". DVD & Blu-ray Movie Film Catalogue. Second Sight Films. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015.
- ^ "From the Collection: "The Doom Generation" Cast and Creators Return to the Mountain After 25 Years | 2023 Sundance Film Festival". 2023-01-26. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (2023-03-07). "Gregg Araki's Erotically Charged Gen X Portrait 'Doom Generation' Returns in 4K — Watch the Trailer". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ "The Doom Generation". Rotten Tomatoes. 25 October 1995. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ Levy, Emanuel (1995-02-01). "The Doom Generation". Variety. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (November 12, 1995). "The Doom Generation". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 20, 2009 – via RogerEbert.com.
- ^ da Conceição, Ricky (May 17, 2011). "'Doom Generation' represented a major artistic leap forward for Gregg Araki". Sound on Sight. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2014.