Alfa Dawg

Offical Post Number Three
"Alpha Dog"
-Sam Leishman

It seems like every time I go to the movies the admission price has been raised again. This, to me, is very peculiar. I'm aware of inflation and the fact that most of the time, even if we're using more paper, chances are it's all worth the same amount.

I don't think this is the case with movie theaters. The price to go see a movie has all but reached ten dollars. (Maybe you've got seventy-five cents left over after paying for your ticket, but that's just gonna fall out of your pocket and get stuck to the floor when you sit in those movie theater seats.) And it's not like I'm going to walk into a convenience store and see that the price of Doritos has been magically raised to $6.50.

So now the people of the world have resorted to different methods, to avoid paying regular admission price.
-The Sneak Preview: Assorted radio and TV stations frequently hand out tickets to what are called "sneak previews" of new movies. This is a misnomer. The word "preview" suggests that we will be seeing only a portion of this new movie, when in fact, we get the whole movie, for free. All we've got to do is swing by the station and pick a pass up. And there are tons of people who go to these. You've got to get there at least thirty minutes early just to get a seat, even for the crappy movies that aren't even visually appealing.
-The Sneak-In: Everyone knows it's easy as hell to sneak into the movies, or to pay for one movie and then go see three or four more while you're at it. There aren't ushers anymore who come around to check tickets. Nobody cares that much. This is why we should just do away with the "17 and over" rule for R-rated movies. If you restrict kids, they're just going to sneak in to see them, and then you've got criminals on your hands.
-The Matinee: This method doesn't really help you out too much. All it does is save you maybe three dollars, which you'll promptly spend on those Sour Patch Kids candies (under that shiny glass box, right in your face) that you just can't resist.

I exercised this last approach as I went to see "Alpha Dog", the new movie about adolescent crime and how bad it's really gotten.

OK. First of all, the movie opens with home videos of each character as a young child. And it won't stop. We go through I think three minutes of credits before the movie actually starts. Being this far into it, I shouldn't already see that the director is trying to make a point, but I do. These small angel-faced children will be corrupted by society and turned into unbridled, drug-induced gangstaaas. And of course, this is what happens.

PLOT: (Based on actual events.) There's this guy named Johnny Truelove, who in real life is known as Jesse James Hollywood. He's one of those powerful drug dealers who lives in a mansion and has other wannabe gangstaaas waiting on him hand and foot. Now, there's this other guy who owes him $1200 and can't pay. So Johnny and the rest of his posse hold the guy's kid brother for ransom. Then the movie shows us all the witnesses to the crime and how dumb and reckless all of these kids actually are.

Things that are good about this movie:
-The acting is surprisingly good, and as realistic as anyone can hope it would be in this kind of movie.
-Justin Timberlake's in this. And he's really not bad. Another surprise.
-Ben Foster plays an absolutely insane speed freak, and does a very good job with it.

Things that suck:
-I'm aware that it's trying to make a point about youth and violence, but there are movies out there about the exact same thing that this one can't hold a candle to. Like this.
-Sharon Stone. In a fat suit.
-The dialogue is frequently hard to hear under the hardcore rap soundtrack.

All in all, it was probably not worth it to pay seven dollars to see this film.