Shopping

Ghostman

The debut film by PWSA & it seems to show the best & worst aspects of his talents. PWSA is a gonzo confectioner with a socio-political conscience, a masterful craftsman & technician, but he isn't a borne storyteller or script writer. The day he hires someone else as his screenwriter will be the day he'll become unstoppable.

Lights in the Dusk

Feels more like something made to exemplify Anderson's future credentials as a director for hire as opposed to something made out of a genuine concern. The vaguely post-apocalyptic setting is interesting but not fully developed, while the satirical swipes at consumerism and desensitised youth culture are obvious and second-hand. Nonetheless, Anderson turns in a great Ridley Scott impression and the action is salient.

TheCentralRuhr

A delightful artifact of adolescent rebellion circa-90s Britain. The anti-capitalist themes which would become trademarks in Anderson's subsequent films present themselves here in a uniquely youth-oriented context as the characters paradoxically find their whole lives ahead of them and no viable direction to travel within society (cont.)

John Matrix

Anderson has crafted an interesting dystopian drama that doesn't indict society for the crimes of its youth (like A CLOCKWORK ORANGE). Instead, the film focuses on the pains and joys of a group of delinquents, slaves to a self-destructive lifestyle who enjoy their slavery. Blessed by good performances, beautifully nasty urban imagery, and a kick-ass soundtrack, SHOPPING is fascinating and entertaining throughout.

Allison Rung

Maybe worth seeing early development of JL's signature pouty glare. But he's weak, even silly, as a tough-guy daredevil. The film might have been fun as a less talky FABLE, but instead it demands historicity, with leaden cues like, "It's the 90s. Sex isn't safe anymore." You might put together a pat Freudian reading with this sex-phobia and all the sticks, fingers, and ramming here. But you'd have to watch it again.

Nathan Hopkins

There are fun moments, interspersed with occasional character development. To be honest, I would rate the last half of the movie much higher than the first, as the first is mainly uninteresting, trite sequences (which make the movie look quite dated). Acting and writing are a mixed bag, but the gritty aesthetic and cinematography are decent in places. Nothing special, but the inevitable conclusion is worth it.

George Elkind

Fantastic mood and style in this portrait of England's equivalent of rust belt malaise. Deserves much of the credit for capturing moody '90's cool that often goes to (say) Linklater's sophomore work or Reality Bites. Without being too psychological about it, Shopping delves into the hungry fantasies that so often lie opposite fantastic wealth and consumer showmanship. The subject is not one but two juvenile contests.

Edmund Poliks

Evidence of Paul W. S. Anderson's soundtrack preferences for Mortal Kombat. An ultimately unfocused and turgid affair by its end, the performances of Sadie Frost, Sean Pertwee, and the highly underutilized Sean Bean make for some entertaining spots.