Film ReviewsThe Lost Boys
Jan 17, 2018 Anchorage Press
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Before Twilight came along and sucked the fun out of being a vampire, the lost boys were living it up in Santa Carla, the fictional California town that used Santa Cruz as its main shooting location and blueprint. The boys ran amok, gallivanted, rode carousels and feasted on party-goers. The Lost Boys is celebrating its 30th anniversary and showing on the big screen again, which is the way it should be seen to get the full effects of young vamps in the late 80s. The film is directed by Joel Schumacher who also directed another 80s iconic film, St. Elmo’s Fire, and later directed two adaptations of John Grisham’s novels, The Client, and A Time to Kill.
The Lost Boys is an all-American story of a newly divorced Mom (Dianne Weist) and her two sons as they move towns and move in with the grandfather, an eccentric taxidermist and ladies’ man. The sons are Michael, a cool cat with a leather jacket, sunglasses, and motorcycle played by the sultry and pouty Jason Patric, and Sam, his little brother played by Corey Haim. Sam is somewhere between comic books and discovering girls (or boys, one never knows) but for the time being his main companion is his dog. It doesn’t take long for Michael and Sam to go exploring the nightlife. Almost immediately Michael is love-struck with Star (Jamie Gertz). As the story unfolds, Michael falls in with Star’s gang and the bloody game’s afoot.
The real lost boys, with digs resembling something out of Never-never land and adorned with a poster of Jim Morrison, are led by David, played by the young and talented Keifer Sutherland. David and his gang are unapologetic, as vampires should be. And on their trail are Sam’s buddies, Edgar and Alan Frog (yes, it’s a cheeky reference to Edgar Allan Poe). Edgar and Alan (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander, respectively) are would-be vampire slayers with a robust comic-book based knowledge base of slaying and no real experience. Their supporting roles provide a large part of the comic relief and extreme silliness.
The Lost Boys had its big moment when it was released in the late 80s, and as it turns out, helped form the identity of a generation along with shoulder pads, big hair, Molly Ringwald, and homoerotic posters of Rob Lowe. As evidenced by its re-release three decades later, The Lost Boys has held its own and has a following fueled by nostalgia-chic. After its release and subsequent success the film franchise tried to launch and the Frog brothers made it into the subsequent prequel, The Lost Boys: The Tribe, and sequel The Lost Boys: the Thirst; but these were a bust, don’t bother with them.
Vampire movies are a dime a dozen, and they span genres from classics like Nosferatu, to beautifully philosophical ones like Alfredson’s Let the Right One In, to truly bloody ones like Underworld, and of course, ridiculously funny ones like What We Do In The Shadows. The Lost Boys is a nice balance of the genres, thus appealing to wide tastes. The film is fun, and not too frightening, and delivers lines with impeccable timing. The film’s memorable soundtrack sets the tone for the shifts in mood and is a nice accompaniment to the plot and action, making The Lost Boys as tasty as ever.
Beartooth
The Lost Boys (1987) ~ 30th Anniversary Presentations
Rated R
Runtime: 1:40
Thursday January 18, 10:30PM
Friday January 19, 10:30PM
Saturday January 20, 10:30PM
Tuesday January 23, 5:30PM
The Lost Boys is an all-American story of a newly divorced Mom (Dianne Weist) and her two sons as they move towns and move in with the grandfather, an eccentric taxidermist and ladies’ man. The sons are Michael, a cool cat with a leather jacket, sunglasses, and motorcycle played by the sultry and pouty Jason Patric, and Sam, his little brother played by Corey Haim. Sam is somewhere between comic books and discovering girls (or boys, one never knows) but for the time being his main companion is his dog. It doesn’t take long for Michael and Sam to go exploring the nightlife. Almost immediately Michael is love-struck with Star (Jamie Gertz). As the story unfolds, Michael falls in with Star’s gang and the bloody game’s afoot.
The real lost boys, with digs resembling something out of Never-never land and adorned with a poster of Jim Morrison, are led by David, played by the young and talented Keifer Sutherland. David and his gang are unapologetic, as vampires should be. And on their trail are Sam’s buddies, Edgar and Alan Frog (yes, it’s a cheeky reference to Edgar Allan Poe). Edgar and Alan (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander, respectively) are would-be vampire slayers with a robust comic-book based knowledge base of slaying and no real experience. Their supporting roles provide a large part of the comic relief and extreme silliness.
The Lost Boys had its big moment when it was released in the late 80s, and as it turns out, helped form the identity of a generation along with shoulder pads, big hair, Molly Ringwald, and homoerotic posters of Rob Lowe. As evidenced by its re-release three decades later, The Lost Boys has held its own and has a following fueled by nostalgia-chic. After its release and subsequent success the film franchise tried to launch and the Frog brothers made it into the subsequent prequel, The Lost Boys: The Tribe, and sequel The Lost Boys: the Thirst; but these were a bust, don’t bother with them.
Vampire movies are a dime a dozen, and they span genres from classics like Nosferatu, to beautifully philosophical ones like Alfredson’s Let the Right One In, to truly bloody ones like Underworld, and of course, ridiculously funny ones like What We Do In The Shadows. The Lost Boys is a nice balance of the genres, thus appealing to wide tastes. The film is fun, and not too frightening, and delivers lines with impeccable timing. The film’s memorable soundtrack sets the tone for the shifts in mood and is a nice accompaniment to the plot and action, making The Lost Boys as tasty as ever.
Beartooth
The Lost Boys (1987) ~ 30th Anniversary Presentations
Rated R
Runtime: 1:40
Thursday January 18, 10:30PM
Friday January 19, 10:30PM
Saturday January 20, 10:30PM
Tuesday January 23, 5:30PM