A Midsummer Night's Rave

I am a massive fan of Jeremy London and his fine twin so I bought this film without even having seen it. Jason played a brief but significant part in this rather good film. He - however was not the highlight for me this time.

I'm afraid to say I've never heard of Corey Pearson but I am seeking his films like a lunatic now. What a divine creature. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I have now seen "Summer Catch" and "Going Greek" is on it's way. I think all the actors portrayed the euphoria of a rave quite well. But in a real rave you would see a lot more face-pulling and loss of inhibitions. The scene were Damon spots Elena after the drugs start to kick in is brilliant. I think that depicts the whole movie and the fact that a sweaty Corey Pearson is rather a delight to watch in this amorous state!!!!!! A solid effort for a Shakespearean Classic. I think he'd have been partying among the ravers at large had he been born a few centuries later!

I've never read or seen A Midsummer Night's Dream, so the comparison is lost on me, but if you've been to a rave (and under the influence while there) this movie rocks. The acting (during the rave) is pretty amazing, and until I saw the "behind the scenes" from the DVD, I wondered if some of them were really on something (drugs). It was very good acting except that the characters seemed to be able to become completely lucid when they felt like it (and who would want to at a rave?). Some of the scenes were so realistic, I give this movie high ratings. The plot was actually more of an interruption, and I would have preferred watching people dance for two hours of uninterrupted hardcore 90s techno.

There were three aspects of this that made it real, the dialog (at times during the rave), the music, and the lighting (alright, the camera work at times made it real too: the jump cuts of the guy looking for his jacket as he walked through the crowd, and the girl, Amanda, who came out of nowhere and started kissing Xander--their dialog was perfect: "what are you doing?" "what do you mean?", and their mannerisms as they went back and forth is something you will have seen or experienced if you've been to a few raves). The music was awesome, I spent hours looking for the soundtrack and still can't find it (I'm guessing there isn't one... I read an interview with one of the DJs in the movie (DJ Irene) who said the hardest part was straightening out licensing issues, so maybe that's related to there being no soundtrack available). I watched the credits and searched for the 50 or so songs that were listed, and haven't found much. What a bummer.

The lighting is also great, and really captures the mood. There are parts where everything has a blue, washed-out look, which is cool, but the music is barely audible, and that kind of prevents a viewer from being able to maintain the feel of the rave when the movie goes to the blue areas. However, the lighting looks good and when Xander finds Elena in the blue area, their conversation and acting is dead-on, right down to the "did I just say that?". The lighting when Damon is feeling it kicking-in and watching Elena is perfect. The glistening bodies bouncing up and down while the music jams is great, and the different colored lights falling across them, almost changing the way they look, will be like a flashback for those who've been there and done that. The only part that was better (in my opinion) was when Xander was feeling it while dancing with Elena. When he says, "I'm loving this" and it blends in with the music, it's absolutely perfect. The worst part was that it stopped. The music changed and suddenly I was wishing for two hours of a continuation of that scene.

Other highlights were the guy (Nick) who took too much, especially at the end where he asks the girl (Brit), "Are you real? Why, why, why would you be talking to an ass?" His mannerisms were truly authentic except that when she started talking about her next gig he seemed able to shake it off and become straight and coherent again. Not very realistic for someone who is still hallucinating and thinking he's a donkey. It was also interesting when Nick was walking through the crowds and started jumping to the music. Definitely something people who have been there will recognize: the inability to not be affected by the jams, even if you're just walking from point A to point Anywhere. Dialog could have all been more like Elena when she said she wanted to kiss Xander, she just kind of breathed the words out. That was convincing.

If you've been there and want to remember, this movie has bits and pieces that will bring it back. If you haven't been there, you may or may not enjoy it.

I thought this was a great movie; the other review I see seems quite shallow. You have to realize for starters I loved the way the sound was done. There are times where you can hear the echo of the sound stage and it gives it the feel of a stage production as a midsummer night's dream was but, then it will fade away and it's just like you're at the rave noise loud music and such. I found it to be far more comedic of a movie than the romantic story from which it's based on. If you've ever been to a rave or "experimented" with your club drugs, you will get a kick out of the majority of this movie. As for the other reviewer's problems with the films "homosexuality issue" I really didn't feel it was very much an issue at all in the movie. The only scene that even came close to being "scandalous" was two guys passed out together. Otherwise you have your friendly dealer fairy that everyone knows and loves and that was all. I'd buy the DVD or rent it either one.

A Midsummer Night's Rave is, at least in theory, based on the classic play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. It doesn't bear much resemblance to it's namesake but that's entirely besides the point. The plot, you ask? Effectively non-existent. A group of attractive young people get together to take lots of drugs and fall in and out of love with one another. It's not a story so much as a situation. And don't get me started on the idiotic subplot about the drug dealer chasing down the missing jacket. It was so unnecessary.

Andrew Keegan plays our leading man, Xander. It's odd but we actually don't get to know Xander very well despite him being in nearly every scene. All we ever learn about him is that he likes taking drugs and has a thing for a blonde girl named Mia. Keegan is not the best actor but he did what he could with what was obviously a skeleton of a script and his effort is to be applauded. Lauren German did a great job with what she was giving, breathing life into an otherwise inanimate character as Elena, the friend who secretly pines for Xander. I greatly enjoyed the drugged out soliloquy in which she appears to submit a video application to a dating network. Sunny Mabrey is attractive but unremarkable as Mia, the object of Xander's desire. Her character is as two dimensional as Xander's, which is really a shame.

Glen Badyna was fantastic as Puck, the fairy drug dealer who drifts in and out of the story, stealing scene after scene. I had never seen this actor before but man is he funny. It's really a shame he didn't get more screen time as he was easily the most entertaining character in the movie other than Elena. He almost makes the movie worth watching single handedly.

I've never been to a rave and have never taken drugs and this movie didn't exactly make me want to start. Still, I imagine that those who have spent some time in the rave scene might be able to relate to these characters a bit better than I. I'm probably being generous in rating this movie 5 stars but there were things about I quite liked. The soundtrack is somewhat enjoyable if you like techno music. The cinematography is also mesmerizing at times, in particular the scenes of drugged out dancing to house music.

I had the pleasure of seeing this film at a screening last week in Los Angeles with one of my friends who worked in the sound department. I attend many of these industry screenings and most often I'm disappointed and go with hopes of scoring a few free drinks. This film was an excellent surprise. I really enjoyed it. The modern translation of the story was clever. The production value was great. Most of all the cast was superb.

I can't tell if it was a great script or great director that motivated these performances but they're nothing short of excellent. This is the type of film casting directors salivate for because it's not loaded with expensive "stars" but instead with the names and faces we'll be seeing on the cover of magazines in the years to come. Once again, great cast!