The ending is poignant when Casper asked: "Jesus Christ, what happened?" Shocking, edgy, raw, and real, Kids is a highly relevant picture. The situation depicted may be extreme, but there's a point being made. I love how the characters come to a full circle, beginning with Telly infecting Jennie with AIDS and ending with Casper getting the virus by raping Jennie.

On the same level as River's Edge, Bully lives up to its promise of being raw and unflinching. There are some disturbing scenes that seem shockingly exploitative, but Larry Clark has a story to tell. Things become more tame during the second half as hilarity is ratcheted up by the characters showing off their shit-for-brains level of thinking.

There have been so many films about characters experiencing a series of misadventures during the 80's with After Hours being the best example that I didn't think the genre had any gas left. Then, Larry Clark comes along to reinvent the wheel, and the result is Wassup Rockers. The naturalistic acting is accurate in terms of how the out-of-it teenagers behaved back then and still do today.

If you are looking for a combination of Bonnie and Clyde and Drugstore Cowboy, Another Day in Paradise is your best bet. As expected, James Woods dominates the show. The material is perfect for him, and he carves out a believable bad person who uses people at will. The writing is consistently excellent, making it easy to be absorbed by what's going on.

Nobody beats Larry Clark when it comes to teenagers and realism in film. Marfa, Texas, is where Giant was filmed in, and Fandango made a big deal out of it. But I don't think the currently dying town wants to be associated with Marfa Girl. There's not much going on but sex, sex, sex...lots, lots, and lots of it with everything shown. Regardless, it's a very realistic movie in the vein of Wassup Rockers

Both films of the Marfa Girl duology have to be seen for full appreciation. The outcomes are very realistic. This kind of stuff is rarely talked about in other movies: dead-end towns, no jobs, lack of education, bunch of babies all over the place, the shifting around of parental responsibilities, messed-up priorities, and too much fucking.