A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints
2006 Directed by Dito Montiel
Synopsis
Sometimes the only way to move forward is to go back.
The movie is a coming-of-age drama about a boy growing up in Astoria, N.Y., during the 1980s. As his friends end up dead, on drugs or in prison, he comes to believe he has been saved from their fate by various so-called saints.The Movie starsRobert Downey Jr. ,(Shia LaBeouf as his younger self), Rosario Dawson (Melonie Diaz), and Eric Roberts (Channing Tatum). It is based on a 2001 memoir of the same name by author Dito Montiel, which describes his youth in Astoria, New York during the 1980s. The story revolves around Dito, a writer in L.A., who goes home to Astoria, Queens, after a 15-year absence when his mother calls to say his father's ill. In a series of flashbacks we see the young Dito, his parents, his closest friends and his girl Laurie, as each tries to navigate family, race, loyalty, sex, coming of age, violence, and wanting out.
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Film #29 of No Rewatch November
All around great performances. I wasn't a fan of the visual style for the most part, though the flash/fade to black scene was fantastic. The film feels very real though. The characters are very relatable too, which makes it easy to invest yourself emotionally. The film for the most part successfully juggles a wide range of different characters without it ever feeling like it's too much.
The score was great as well. Very subdued for once.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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Some great performances from a great cast help lift this film from being just ok to being actually quite decent.
You can imagine that if the script had been polished by an experienced screenwriter then this could have been even better.
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Eigentlich ist “Kids – In den Straßen von New York” kein schlechter Film. Leider aber auch kein wirklich guter. Ist Dito Montiels autobiografische Literaturverfilmung mit Robert Downey Jr., Shia LaBeouf, Chazz Palminteri (Running Scared, Push) und Channing Tatum (She’s the man, Fighting) mit einigen bekannten Namen besetzt, hapert es leider an einer überzeugenden Erzählweise. Für meinen Geschmack macht Montiel zu viele “Baustellen” auf und hat dann zu wenig Zeit diese überzeugend abzuarbeiten. Auch braucht der Film unheimlich lange um in Fahrt zu kommen. Ist eine langsame Erzählweise in Drama-Genre oft von Vorteil, hätte es diesem Film gut getan, doch ein wenig mehr Tempo an den Tag zu legen und dabei trotzdem die einzelnen Stationen Ditos Leben packend abzuhandeln.
So bleibt…
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A very well made film, by a first time writer and director. Though the plot is slow from the start, and never a lot of action, it is hard to stay still. A rental at the least, but with possibly Shia's best performance yet, it is recommended.
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If punk rocker turned writer turned indie filmmaker has at least one really good movie in him, I guess it's this one. -- A potent, often moving, memoir about facing impending adulthood in Astoria, NY.
It's not a flawless film. In particular, like a lot of movies of this type, it tries just a little too blatantly to be Mean Streets. Right down to having era-specific music breathing a rich life into the sequences. But the era in question is 1980s Queens. And, good as it is, "New York Groove" doesn't quite have the same kick to it as - say - "Be My Baby." Though I will grant that the use of "Baker Street" is kind of perfect and…
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Der Schriftsteller Dito (Downey Jr.) kehrt dahin zurück wo er aufgewachsen ist. Nach New York. Dort sucht er nach alten Bekannten, seiner Familie und seiner Jugendliebe (Rosario Dawson). In den Rückblenden auf Ditos aufreibende Jugend (die den Hauptteil des Films ausmachen) erfährt man was man als Jugendlicher im extrem heißen Sommer 1986 so alles erlebt hat. Den jungen Dito spielt Shia LaBeouf, sein Kumpel wird von Channing Tatum gespielt.
Im Nachhinein betrachtet ein gut besetzter Film mit Coming-of-Age Anlagen, Familiendramaanleihen und etwas Beziehungsdrama. Das alles eher konventionell gefilmt und mit einigen schönen Songs untermalt. Das Ende kommt abrupt und ist eher unbefriedigend. Insgesamt aber ein durchaus anschaubarer, kleiner Film. -
This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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"Very gritty, intense & powerful. Shows you the true side of the very violent streets of Astoria, Queens (New York). One of the most underrated films of the decade. With an all-star cast that gives powerful performances especially Shia LaBeouf, Chazz Palminteri, Robert Downey Jr, Channing Tatum & Melonie Diaz."
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Dito Montiel's A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints takes the style and approach similar to Robert De Niro's A Bronx Tale and Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, which both overshadow this film for their grandscale look on issues and the exploration into certain relationships and how they grow and decimate over time. All three films possess common attributes; all three take place in a part of New York, they are directed by first-timers, they are stories that the men hold close to their hearts, all utilize the storytelling method of narration or breaking the fourth wall in some way, and they focus on a large group of characters all with something to say. Whether it's worth hearing or not…
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Film #29 of No Rewatch November
All around great performances. I wasn't a fan of the visual style for the most part, though the flash/fade to black scene was fantastic. The film feels very real though. The characters are very relatable too, which makes it easy to invest yourself emotionally. The film for the most part successfully juggles a wide range of different characters without it ever feeling like it's too much.
The score was great as well. Very subdued for once.