Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

This documentary on the bleak and rough lifestyle of homeless gutterpunk teenagers and young adults who eke out a thankless existence on the mean streets of Los Angeles paints a searing and startling portrait of a segment of society that's basically been ignored and abandoned by the mainstream culture. Director Penelope Spheeris does a remarkable job of getting these kids to open up and lays themselves bare emotionally for the camera: They are essentially toxic products of abusive and dysfunctional families who drink lots of beer and embrace the nihilistic ethos of punk as a means of surmounting the pain and anguish bubbling just underneath the surface of their devil-may-care posturing attitude. It's particularly depressing to witness how the gutterpunks have completely given up on hope for a better tomorrow: When asked where they will be in five to ten years, the bulk of them answer that they will most probably be dead -- and two of them it's revealed did indeed die prior to the release of this movie. Not surprisingly, the few punk bands featured herein are extremely bitter and more critical and resentful of both politicians and organized religion. (In a neat ironic touch, the various members of the group Naked Aggression turn out to be classical musicians!). An extremely sad and sobering film.

I like P. Shpeeris, so I might be a little biased toward this movie. I think she did a good job with it, but as an interviewer, she comes across as a frustrated mother. Then again, how can anyone not be frustrated with the kids depicted in this film. From the opening interview, it's apparent that the movie's subjects are lazy and pretty stupid. Yes, I know some of them came from broken homes, etc., but they all come across as degenerates. It's hard to be sympathetic toward these teen-age train wrecks, but it's even harder to turn away from this film. And one has to question why these kids are the way they are? Has our country bred a subculture of mohawked hobos? Or, are things really that screwed up for troubled youth? The answers will vary depending on whom you ask, but go into this movie knowing you will be either very sad or very angry.

From the Ashes Of the first wave of Punk Comes a New Generation Of Discarded Youth in LA. this Movie is humorous,exciting,sad,real, and absolutely brilliant. A must for fans of Punk or fans of Penelope Spheeris, and if you like this movie also see Suburbia,Dudes, and of Course The Decline of Western Civilization 1. The New Breed Of Punk will make you laugh,cry, and most of all think. Also Containing Live Performances From Final Conflict, Naked Aggression, Litmus Green, And The Resistance. Penelope Spheeris delves into the lives, mindsets, and culture of these youths, and is also there for various highs and lows which shows a terrific commitment to this terrific document.

The first film "Decline..." showed the birth of punk. This film shows almost 20 years later, what's happened to it. Basically the film is about homeless teenagers who are into punk, living off the streets of LA. It's harrowing to watch and hear what these kids go through each day. Also scary is when they're asked where they'll be 5 years from now, they all answer "dead". Despite what the former poster here said, the director is totally on the sides of the kids. She does not exploit them or ridicule them. She just basically interviews them--where they came from, how they survive, what about the future, etc. She's showing a small portion of society you never really see portrayed in films. Worth watching, but very sad.