We've mentioned previously that we have an international audience. Now EuroSeek� has made it official. After only being listed with Euroseek� for eight weeks,
Speedway Junky (also known as Speedway Junkie.)
Written and Directed by Nickolas Perry.
Executive Producer: Gus Van Sant.
Produced by Rodney A. Omanoff, Randall Emmett, George Furla, and Jeff Rice.
Starring: Jesse Bradford, Jordan Brower, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Daryl Hannah, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Patsy Kensit, Erik Alexander Gavica, Justin Urich, and Warren G.
Not yet MPAA rated. (It will probably get an "R.")
Here's the story in a nutshell: young Johnnie (Jesse Bradford) wants to go to North Carolina so that he can join a NASCAR racing team; instead, he gets stuck in Las Vegas. Eric (Jordan Brower), a Gay hustler, takes pity on Johnny and takes him under his wing when Johnny proves incapable of surviving even a single day on the mean streets of Las Vegas.
On those streets, Steve (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is the kid to whom all of the other kids look. Steve is a "buy-sexual" hustler -- anyone who buys him may have sex with him. Johnny, however, is revolted by the Gay aspects of Eric and Steve's lives, and insists on trying to make a go of it alone. Needless to say, he promptly gets his ass kicked -- through a plate glass window.
Eric offers Johnny the matress in the Spartan room which he calls home, but his caring feelings have gradually given way to love for Johnny, and Johnny freaks out when Eric kisses him.
Eventually, Johnny and Eric make up, and Jordan Brower delivers what is easily the best scene in the film when he breaks down after having left Johnny with a woman who can show him the ropes of heterosex. Brower's performance reminded me of a young Nicholas Cage, and Eric's heartbreak scene was very strongly reminiscent of Jack Lemmon's going berserk while looking for a bottle of liquor in Days of Wine and Roses.
Other notable performances are Daryl Hannah's as Veronica, an ex-prostitute friend of Eric's, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen who plays Wilma, the woman who proves to be nothing but trouble for Johnny, Justin Urich as car thief Scooby, and Erik Alexander Gavica as J.T.
What is refreshing about the supporting roles is that Nickolas Perry tried to make these characters realstic: there is no "reformed hooker with the heart of gold" attitude about Veronica: Eric's pleas for help for Johnny are a nuisance to her, and she complies only out of memory of Eric's mother, who was a friend of hers; Wilma isn't some sex-starved vamp, she's just a woman who has found herself in a truly bizarre circumstance; Scooby isn't some idealized street urchin, he's simply a street punk who steals for thrills -- until Johnny gives him a thrill he'll never forget; J.T. isn't some stereotypical Chicano gangster, he's just a hood like so many of the other street kids, but one who has the misfortune to be arrested by the police, who only "roust" the Anglo kids when they are going about their "business."
What is disappointing about Speedway Junky is that Perry, as a first time feature film director, seemed unsure of himself in a film of this size, and wasn't fully aware of just how far he could really push his talented cast. Perry has previously made a name for himself with such short films as the acclaimed Must Be the Music, and short films are usually done on a far more intimate scale than a feature like Speedway Junky. If Perry had demanded more, I think that every performer in the film would have delivered even more than they did. (Of course, who was to know, based on his earlier television work, that someone like Jordan Brower could actually act?! If his breakdown had been the first scene filmed, I'm sure Perry would have pushed everyone for 110% -- and they would have delivered.)
One sign of just how important those working on the film thought it was is that all of the cast members worked for the same low union pay scale, and some cast and crew members deferred their pay so that the movie wouldn't be delayed while the producers scrambled to raise the money to pay the big-money stars and the crew. Despite that, the cast and crew worked a 24 day shoot in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with so much night filming that for many days producer Randall Emmett says he never even saw the sun. (Which is typical of Las Vegas, though!)
This reviewer ordinarily rates movies by the value of what I think a ticket for a given film is worth paying for at a theater in the USA, from "W8: Worth $8", down to "NW2: Not Worth $2." Since Speedway Junky is currently only showing at film festivals and special screenings, that rating system can't apply to it, so I'll say this: if you are a fan of any of the stars, or if you like the subject matter, go see Speedway Junky. If neither the stars nor the subject matter really light your fire, wait for it to show up at a bargain matinee or on cable television. It is worth seeing.
While you are waiting for the movie to come to your town, you may visit fan pages for stars Jesse Bradford and Jordan Brower.
You might like the similarly-themed film, johns, which stars David Arquette and Lukas Haas as street hustlers in Hollywood, and which also features Richard Kind of "Spin City."
On Sunday, 11 July 1999, Speedway Junky is scheduled to screen at the prestigious Director's Guild of America Theater on the world-famous Sunset Strip as part of the Outfest film festival. Outfest is the largest film festival in the Hollywood/Los Angeles area, and tickets go FAST! If you are a film lover and live in Los Angeles (or were thinking about a vacation here during the summer), 9 July to 18 July, during the festival, is one of the best times to visit Hollywood.
Here is the ticket information: General Admission prices are US $9.00 for non-Outfest members and US $8.00 for Outfest members (at some membership levels, the tickets are included as part of the membership package).
There are several degrees of membership in Outfest ranging from $25 for students, seniors and people with low income, to the "Executive Producer" level at US $1000 (of which $850 is tax deductible). There are various benefits to each level of membership, and anyone interested in joining should definitely visit their website to find out more about membership. One of the benefits is . . . priority ticket purchasing. Members at the "Director" level -- $350, with $250 tax deductible -- and above -- can buy tickets to any screening at Outfest TODAY (7 June, California time). Members at the "Assistant Director level is $150, with $100 tax deductible, can begin ordering tickets TOMORROW (frankly, we consider this an excellent bargain membership for vactioners or for people who just want to see some movies and go to the Filmmakers Party). General ticket sales do not begin until 19 June, by which date some screenings may have already sold out.
However, one of the reasons that Outfest is so popular is that they are responsive to their audience members: if a film sells out quickly (which Speedway Junky may well do, considering how popular it was at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival), Outfest leaves at least four "To Be Announced" slots open and they re-open ticket sales for the most popular films and have second (or even third) screenings.
Check the Outfest website daily if you want to keep track of the availability of Speedway Junky tickets, and note the following telephone number for ordering tickets (remembering that Outfest members can order before non-members)
This is a Los Angeles, California, USA telephone number, and office hours are dependent on Pacific Daylight Savings Time.
Special warning to foreign visitors to Los Angeles: it is absolutely illegal to smoke tobacco (or anything else!) inside a theater auditorium here. If you are a nicotine addict, bring along "the patch" and/or some nicotine gum before entering a theater, unless you want to have to leave during the film to have a smoke. You may think it is a silly law, but it is very strictly enforced in Los Angeles by both the Police and Fire Departments, and they will not be sympathetic to your claiming that you are "just a tourist" -- theaters run warning advertisements before each program to advise audience members that it is illegal to smoke in the auditorium. This is not a film festival rule -- it is the law, and applies to all theaters, not just those participating in film festivals.
