black tar heroin : the dark end of the street is a 1999 documentary directed by steven okazaki .

filmed from 1995 to 1998 in the tenderloin , san francisco , california , the documentary describes the lives of heroin addicts .

black tar heroin ( film )

veteran documentary filmmaker steven okazaki directs this harrowing account of bay city youth addicted to cheap mexican black tar heroin .
cheese heroin is mexican black - tar heroin that has been diluted with crushed tablets of over - the - counter sleep medication such as tylenol pm .
there are no critic reviews yet for black tar heroin : the dark end of the street . keep checking rotten tomatoes for updates !
block : one tragic side of this that you track in your reporting is huge spikes in deaths from overdose from black tar heroin .
cheese
is mexican black - tar heroin that has been diluted with crushed tablets of over - the - counter sleep medication .
tracey helton mitchell is a certified addiction specialist and the mother of three children . she was one of five heroin addicts profiled in the 1999 documentary black tar heroin .
block : you point out that this trade in black tar heroin from xalisco in mexico is quite different from the colombian heroin trade in that they ' re targeting a very different clientele .
an email i got from someone saying i “saved their life” . they saw “black tar heroin” and my story . it gave them the strength to stop . photo via
the film was made from dec 1995 to dec 1997 . originally the film was supposed to be for one year but i believe when hbo picked up the film they wanted two years .
black tar heroin was made a long time ago but has stuck around . it got a second life on the internet . youtube pushed me into the spotlight once again .
tracey helton mitchell is a certified addiction specialist and the mother of three children . she was one of five heroin addicts profiled in the 1999 documentary black tar heroin . michael kerner photography / seal press hide caption
black tar heroin : the dark end of the street [ 1999 ] . shows the drug - related degradation of five youths in san francisco , ca from 1995 to 1998 .
cheese
is mexican black - tar heroin that has been diluted with crushed tablets of over - the - counter sleep medication . courtesy of jeremy liebbe , dallas isd police hide caption
black tar heroin : the dark end of the street [ 1999 ] . shows the drug - related degradation of five youths in san francisco , ca from 1995 to 1998 . : documentaries
sam quinones of the los angeles times has written a three - part series on black tar , called
the heroin road .
he joins me now . and , sam , this black tar trade in the u . s . follows a very different business model . you compare it to operating like a pizza delivery services . describe what happens .
heroin is an opioid drug made from morphine , a natural substance taken from the seed pod of the various opium poppy plants grown in southeast and southwest asia , mexico , and colombia . heroin can be a white or brown powder , or a black sticky substance known as black tar heroin . other common names for heroin include big h , horse , hell dust , and smack . read the drugfacts
the film maker won two academy awards . one before this and one after .
most people know me from
black tar heroin ,
which documented the period when i injected and slept on the streets . but 15 years later i have a completely different life . here ' s how it happened .
since black tar heroin was uploaded in full to youtube , in november 2012 , she has left dozens of comments responding to queries about the film and her life since recovering . “keep asking me questions , ” she wrote early in 2015 . “i will try to answer as many as i can . hard to believe this was me . ”
no film , narrative or documentary , goes as deeply inside the world of heroin addiction as black tar heroin : the dark end of the street . an extraordinary look at two years in the lives of five heroin addicts , it offers a rare and intimate portrait of how heroin devastates young lives . the film chronicles the daily lives of jake , jessica , tracey , oreo and alice , three women and two men , ages 18 to 25 , as they face the ever - present perils of hard core drug addiction — crime , prostitution , rape , incarceration , aids , overdoses and death .
this was a good film , i watched it on release but it definitely deserves another watch .
some drug documentaries which i recommend - dope sick love , black metal veins and swansea love story .
have you tried heroin ? what allows you to compare heroin and nicotine / alcohol ? because the addictive potential of heroin is on a different level than nicotine or alcohol .
this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing
documentary about the estimated 750 , 000 homeless children in the united states . many of these children flock to portland , oregon . attracted by cheap
black tar
heroin , they arrive by bus , hitchhike and ride the rails . the program follows three of these children : chris , a 21 - year - old heroin addict w
block : along comes black tar with $ 6 a dose , $ 12 , $ 15 a dose and you need two or three of them a day . you ' re satisfying your addiction at about a tenth the cost .
black - tar heroin lures new users los angeles times reporter sam quinones has written a three - part series exploring how the recent trend in cheap , less - refined heroin from mexico is displacing colombian heroin and attracting new users in places where no demand existed . many addicts got hooked on narcotics through oxycontin and other prescription drugs . quinones says the dealers want to maximize profits in the shortest time period with minimum risk .
anyone producing anti - drug spots for tv ought to take a good , long look at black tar heroin : the dark end of the street . and so should those who harbor even the slightest romantic notions about junkiedom . steven okazaki’s crushing documentary , debuting on hbo , offers lessons for both .
offers the latest scientific information on heroin use and its consequences as well as treatment options available for those struggling with heroin addiction .
the dope out west is bad from what i ' ve heard . black tar dope is trash . i get bundles of ten bags for 40 bucks & w just 3 or four bags a day up the nose i ' m good .
offers the latest scientific information on heroin use and its consequences as well as treatment options available for those struggling with heroin addiction . (
this documentary follows the lives of a number of heroin addicts in the u . s . a . it shows their heroin life stories .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
i was off drugs when the film came out but not when the film was finished . the story of my recovery was not the story steven filmed . we were at odds at one point about this but i ' ve come to accept it .
brutally graphic , black tar heroin makes trainspotting look like an afterschool special—and it hits all the harder because it takes pains to introduce its subjects as human beings . we meet families , see childhood scrapbooks and come to appreciate the lives we’re seeing wasted . there’s no moralizing . here the unfiltered facts make the point , and make it devastatingly well .
black tar heroin : the dark end of the street : the documentary airs on hbo at 11 p . m . tomorrow and again at 10 p . m . monday , at 3 : 15 a . m . april 23 , at 12 : 10 a . m . april 27 and at 4 : 40 a . m . april 29 .
tracey helton ( / u / traceyh415 ) is the focus of this week’s episode of upvoted by reddit . we discuss her depression growing up , how she became addicted to heroin , life as a homeless heroin addict , being the subject of the hbo documentary ‘black tar heroin’ , how she got clean , her involvement in harm reduction , how she got involved in r / opiates on reddit , naloxone , and how she saved the lives of over 120 users by sending naloxone to those with no access .
explores the relationship between prescription opioid abuse and heroin use , including prescription opioid use as a risk factor for heroin use , reasons why people progress from using prescription opioids to heroin , and the need for prevention and treatment . (
my mom never saw the film , no . the rest of your questions are answered above . it ' s easier than me retyping
as a teenager , mitchell imagined heroin to be glamorous , but she found it wasn ' t once she became an addict . she tells fresh air ' s terry gross that the drug ruined her health and her self - esteem . she lived in an alley , shot drugs into the bottom of her feet , sold her body for money and was jailed several times . she was also featured in a 1999 documentary about addicts called black tar heroin .
because the addictive potential of heroin is on a different level than nicotine or alcohol .
the film follows a simple structure , and shows the drug - related degradation of five youths ( jake , tracey , jessica , alice , oreo ) during the course of three years . the film depicts their drug - related crimes and diseases : prostitution , male prostitution , aids , and lethal overdoses .
no . i was not paid for the film . he bought me a hotel to stay in for a week and bought me lunch a few times . i think they left some money for me when i was in jail too . documentary film makers , in general , don ' t pay their subjects .
the film follows a simple structure , and shows the drug - related degradation of five youths ( jake , tracey , jessica , alice , oreo ) during the course of three years . the film depicts their drug - related crimes and diseases , including prostitution , male prostitution , aids , and lethal overdoses .
behind the image of san francisco as a creative epicenter and ultimate party town drawing talented , disaffected kids from around the country ( if not the globe ) are some disturbing statistics . in the last ten years , the mean age of heroin users has dropped from 27 to 19 . white powder heroin ( china white ) has been replaced by the dreaded chiva , cheap black tar heroin from mexico , making the habit and all that it brings accessible to a much wider crowd . and drug overdose is the leading cause of preventable death in san francisco , claiming an average of 100 lives a year .
the ' hillbilly heroin ' epidemic that ' s slowly rotting the soul of rural america .
that is richard . he lives by my work . he isn ' t on heroin .
in the beginning of the film there is a junkie that looks kind of like a mulatto rabbi . who is he and what happened to him ? thanks traci
in an attempt to do the impossible , black tar heroin . . . is an insiders look into the life of a heroin addict . this commentary on youth in san francisco which are involved with heroin , among other things , is a graphic display of society ' s problems . though the movie at some points is to grotesque to watch , it is necessary to show for the value . every youth in society as they reach their teen years should be made to watch this movie . it is in the mind of this viewer that many of teenagers would be turned off enough , never to attempt this lifestyle .
i watched this film today and i watched it a few years ago . this is the first time i tried searching for the people in the film though . i said to myself
tracey is gonna make it . she ' s that 1 %
so happy for you tracey ! you go girl ! live & love life !
i ' m so glad to hear jessica is doing fine now , out of all the stories in the film hers shocked me the most . . . watching people shoot and nod didn ' t bother me much , but where the film left off with her and not knowing what was going to happen to her was just devastating .
i came here to explain the economics of a black market vs . a highly regulated , competitive market where consumers have good information about the product and shortages don ' t happen .
do you miss the feeling of it ? and anyway how could you put that tar into your vein when it ' s not the real deal ? heroin is like they say - once is too many times but at least a thousand isn ' t enough . a true pandora box .
any way you want to measure it , heroin ' s just not a contender . withdrawals ? heroin ' s not fun by any standard , but withdrawal from booze is deadly . it kills you .
documentary about the estimated 750 , 000 homeless children in the united states . many of these children flock to portland , oregon . attracted by cheap
black tar
heroin , they arrive by bus , hitchhike and ride the rails . the program follows three of these children : chris , a 21 - year - old heroin addict who has been on the streets for five years ; jesse , a 16 - year - old who has been on the streets of portland for two weeks ; and emily , who is trying to get out for the sake of her unborn child .
black tar heroin challenges the viewer by ultimately refusing to assign blame . the kids are innocent in a real sense , consigned to a private hell by a collusion of circumstances , from their own temperaments , to horrendous abuse , to the chance encounters with users whose personal charisma seduces them into the life . the family could be the culprit , but in the word portraits we get of this mostly missing group , they’re as fucked up as the kids . social service agencies appear to be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers . in the final analysis , the film seems to say , these addicts are simply acting out one of the more grisly scenarios of the human condition .
i remember watching this on hbo when i was 20 or so . i remember thinking ( no offense ) i don ' t want to end up like these people . it made me open my eyes to what drugs can do . i actually have the dvd of black tar heroin amongst other hbo documentaries : dope sick love etc . i pretty much watch it at least once a week . it ' s sad but i like how it was documented . good for you for being strong and staying off of heroin . keep your head up high . off subject you have beautiful eyes : )
as the so - called “epidemic” of addiction to heroin and other opioids continues in the us , stories like mine become even more important . my experience provides many years of evidence that there is hope after heroin .
hey tracey , i was a black tar tucson junky from 92 - 96 . your story was so insanely similar to mine . it was like watching myself . the progression to dealing , the housing ( bare mattress ? filty walls ? sorry , is that weird ? i didn ' t notice . . . ) , the boyfriends , the lifestyle . . . . damn . . . .
the film was produced by hbo and was frequently shown in 1999 on the channel , as part of their
america undercover
series , becoming one of its top - rated documentaries .
block : because it looks like kind of gooey . it ' s heroin that has not been fully processed .
as the so - called
epidemic
of addiction to heroin and other opioids continues in the us , stories like mine become even more important . my experience provides many years of evidence that there is hope after heroin .
there ' s a lot of shooting up in
black tar ,
but the footage is far too harrowing for a human - interest holiday special . alice , a seattle transplant , spatters the walls of her hotel room with blood from syringes ; jake , an hiv - positive addict with a blood infection , sneaks out of the hospital to inject heroin into his iv tube . okazaki acknowledges that following his protagonists through their daily lives was difficult .
the streets are much more dangerous when you ' re stupid .
steven met a bunch of different people at the youth needle exchange . he wanted subjects that were slightly younger than me . he filmed a few other people that never made it into the final film
block : but the problem is this black tar arrives and a lot of times people don ' t know how to use it . a lot of times , it ' s way too potent . a lot of times they don ' t know how to deal with people who are oding and they ' ll just abandon the people that - as they begin to od because they ' d never seen anything like that .
on her instagram profile , amid photographs of her smiling children , of kittens and screenshots of grateful messages from redditors whose lives have been touched by her naloxone program , are occasional images from less pleasant moments : screen captures from black tar heroin , for instance , or the mugshot from her arrest in october 1996 , which tracey posted in early june . “you can change , ” she wrote alongside the mugshot . “i promise you can . i know this for a fact . look at this person ; look at who i am now . ”
i have known a few people caught in the horror of heroin , this documentary is very accurate and done well .
i think all drugs should be available this way . take the power and money out of the black market , tax it like we do tobacco and alcohol , and take away 99 % of the danger and allure .
i think the documentary was fantastic , but why do addicts agree to be in it ? i mean many of you are on film dealing hard drugs . what kind of legal protection did the crew guarantee ?
tracey’s health and weight fluctuate wildly during the two years in which the film was shot . after serving another six - month stint in jail , and proudly telling the camera that she refused to use drugs while inside , an accomplice offers to buy heroin for her . she relapses within eight hours of her release . “it wasn’t all that great , ” she says , lying in bed the following morning , staring at the ceiling . toward the end of the film , tracey injects herself and says , “sometimes it makes me happy . ”
the film , which documentary vine calls
probably the best made heroin documentary in history ,
shows the brutality and degradation of the drug life , but also depicts the addicts ' pain and raw yearning — to get clean , to hold relationships together , to re - connect with their families , to get their lives back .
there ' s still tar heroin . the heroin that most people get today is much , much stronger . we didn ' t have to worry about fentanyl — of us dropping dead from an overdose , because no one cut it with fentanyl . the thing that we really worried about was getting flesh - eating [ bacteria , necrotizing fasciitis ] . . . or getting some kind of wound botulism or getting abscesses . there certainly were overdoses then . you could get arrested for overdosing and a lot of people were rolled out at the hospitals or left outside to die . . . but there wasn ' t this culture of heroin where heroin is prevalent absolutely everywhere . it was more localized to big cities , more urban areas .
sniffing heroin is not particularly new , but addiction experts say this outbreak in dallas is unprecedented . typically , people who inhale heroin are older and they ' re white . in dallas , however , users are mostly latino , and they ' re young .
heroin addiction can be like he described . it does sneak up on a person . i have known a good swath of employed functional heroin addicts but many of them live in social isolation because of the stigma of being found out as an addict . the san francisco junkie experience has it ' s own issues because the heroin here is particularly cheap and full of infectious materials . heroin is like a whirlpool . sometimes you enjoy the feel of the water but then you realize you are being slowly sucked down .
i have no educated opinion one way or the other - but what you just said about heroin could also be said about alcohol .
heroin is a disaster . i work with a lot of addicts in sf and it looks like nothing has changed in a generation .
block : sam quinones of the los angeles times whose series is called
the heroin road .
sam , thanks very much .
' cheese ' heroin hooking young users in dallas a cheap but highly addictive form of heroin known as
cheese
has swept through dallas in recent years , and local health officials are seeing hispanic children as young as 9 suffering from the crushing effects of withdrawal .
when i watch the movie black tar heroin : the dark end of the street , that scene is still shocking to me , even as the person who clearly remembers that moment . in the 16 years that i have now been off drugs , i am continually surprised by the somatic memories of the sights , smells , and the pain that i was experiencing at that time in my life . that feeling of desperation as i was unable to find a vein . that coldness in the san francisco air as it hit my legs . the scratchiness of the wool blankets that i had slept on the night before comes back to the front of my memory .
in dallas , health officials are seeing children that young being brought to hospitals with signs of heroin withdrawal . the city is in its third year of what drug abuse experts call a
mini - epidemic
among young hispanics snorting a mild but addictive heroin called
cheese .
i agreed to be in the film because i felt i was dying and that people would see it after i was dead to understand the pain drugs had caused me . i wanted my life to mean something . there was no protection , just reality
in dallas , there have been eight overdose deaths from cheese heroin alone or in combination with other drugs in the past 2 1 / 2 years , according to the county medical examiner . however , there hasn ' t been a death since last july , and the county has formed a cheese heroin task force . arrests of heroin dealers in schools and neighborhoods also are up , and there is an aggressive education program in the schools .
are we talking about the same guy ? the one who contracted aids ? i remember in the film it showed him in a relationship with a man but i got the sense he wasn ' t a homosexual and was doing it purely for the drugs .
she has every reason to be proud of herself for beating heroin addiction . very few people can do it , but she did ! ! ! ron
i was a very depressed kid . i was diagnosed as having depression in middle school . heroin alleviated some of that until the solution became the problem
liebbe learned that cheese costs only a dollar or two a line — well within a middle - schooler ' s lunch budget . and because cheese heroin is low - grade , only 1 percent to 3 percent pure heroin , it wears off quickly and withdrawal sets in . heavy users require frequent hits .
an addict , now clean , discusses needle exchanges and ' hope after heroin ' : shots - health news at the height of her addiction to heroin , tracey helton mitchell lived in an alley and sold her body . now she works as an addiction specialist helping others . her new memoir is the big fix .
i ' d seen this at the time it came out . ironically , i was in san francisco at the time so it made for an very eye opening experience , amazing film . there ' s a followup movie that finds those same kids years later . must see .
cartels would be getting rich off of the illicit heroin trade , would be willing to fight and kill for that wealth , and people would still be dying .
legalised no , decriminalised yes . i cannot figure out how methadone is legal , yet heroin isnt . both get you stoned and can cause death from overdose . methadone scares the absolute shit out of me . i can physically withdraw from heroin in 4 - 5 days , but methadone takes around 5 - 6 weeks .
if heroin were
prescription for those with multiple rehab failures
, this would mean that prior to that point they ' d still be buying from street dealers .
many of the kids featured in the film unfortunately didn’t survive the next few years , but tracey has completely turned her life around without losing her connection with those who struggle with addiction . in fact , she’s become a heroine for those grappling with the seductive and destructive allure of opiates .
my teacher in highschool showed me the film and that ' s when i first started using ( 3 years ago ) . i didn ' t understand what being sick was , i just thought everyone on the film were over exaggerating . so i continued using and i kept it up for acouple years . in those 2 years i feel like i experienced rock bottom . it ' s amazing how anyone can clean up if they really put their heart into it . you ' re a role model to me and i can ' t wait to have 15 years clean myself .
documentary examining the impact heroin has had on cape cod in massachusetts , following the stories of eight people who are all in their twenties as they battle with their addiction .
i didn’t know her that well . she had a boyfriend she lived with that was chronically ill and she was heavily addicted to heroin . that was pretty much it .
fuck heroin . and fuck the shady fucks that deal dope on the streets . seriously tho if in sf of all place you cannot find drugs you must be a hermit
sort of . i never knew alice . i met oreo when he was 15 or 16 . he was very young when the film was made . his mom used to work the desk in one of the hotels i lived in . jake and i used to hang out . at one point he had a crush on me . it wasn ' t covered in the film but jake really liked women . he used to make a ton of money as a male prostitute but he liked women . the drugs had him all messed up . when he got clean , he had a long - term girlfriend .
really happy to see u clean . years of using heroin i have over 3 year ' s this movie should be shown to young kids honestly . keep hope alive tracy .
that is good to hear . his story always stood out he didn ' t look like he was on heroin he just looked like a normal kid from the bay area .
it ' s not a documentary . but adam and paul is really . it ' s about 2 heroin addicts living in dublin city . it ' s really funny at times
a plain - language research summary about heroin , including basic facts such as methods of use , its effects on the brain , other health effects , and treatment options . (
decriminalization doesn ' t solve anything . it ' s the idea that if the heroin users get a $ 250 fine and have to go to rehab , that somehow this is substantially different . it ' s still illegal to sell , even if it ' s ( mostly ) legal to use . what the fuck good will that do ? doesn ' t starve the black market , doesn ' t put the killers out of business , still treats users as if they were mental patients antagonizing them . . .
heroin will always be a runner - up . it ' s not on a different level , it ' s really just sort of pathetic compared to the already - legal drugs .
i can faithfully say out of the dozen folks i knew that passed , 10 of them started with pain killers and graduated to heroin because it was similar and it was cheap .
oh , well , maybe that ' s unfair . let ' s instead talk about which drugs cause the most impairment . heroin doesn ' t win that race either . booze does .
gary morris founded bright lights film journal as a print publication in 1974 ; it became a web - only magazine in 1996 . he is the author of the monograph roger corman ( twayne publishers , 1985 ) and the editor of action ! interviews with directors from classical hollywood to contemporary iran ( anthem press , 2009 ) .
thanks for your blog . it ' s so good and inspiring . i wondered how the men in bth dealt with male prostitution , or living with that guy james in the film , while being straight . i wondered how much money they made and if it was enough to support the drugs and somewhere the live decently .
if anyone is wondering about updates for those who were filmed , check out : urltoken i am a documentary lover and while i do not do drugs myself . docs about different drugs have always fascinated me and is probably a good reason of why i will never try them . i think black tar is a great documentary for teens to watch . i live in montana and meth has been a huge problem for us . many highschoolers are now doing meth at parties instead of smoking pot or drinking . they need to be educated about all drugs so that they make educated decisions about what they are willing to
try
that could and most likely will lead to addiction and / or death .
i watched requiem for a dream many years ago as a 13 year old and that was enough to scare me away heroin forever . . . . that and my ungodly fear of needles .
los angeles times reporter sam quinones has written a three - part series exploring how the recent trend in cheap , less - refined heroin from mexico is displacing colombian heroin and attracting new users in places where no demand existed . many addicts got hooked on narcotics through oxycontin and other prescription drugs . quinones says the dealers want to maximize profits in the shortest time period with minimum risk .
honestly , i was very confused and angry . i had no privacy . none . people would stop me everywhere i went . i was very early in recovery which was already confusing to me . now , i use the legacy of the film as a tool to spread hope . anyone can get clean . anyone - even me .
hi tracey , my name is jake and i am 22 years old . i just graduated from college at ohio university with a degree in psych and will be entering the real world this summer . just watched the hbo doc immediately after seeing you on some talk show . i just want to say i hope you are doing well because i understand there are good and bad days and i hope everyone else in the film who is still alive has been able to get away from heroin and find peace on a day to day basis . you seem like you had / have an incredible personality / charisma even when your life was consumed by heroin and are an incredible example of perseverance . i hope you have a great day
while her toddler plays in another room , michelle has a friend inject heroin into a vein in her neck - - one of the few that ' s still functioning after years of needles and impure dope .
i recently watched another documentary about heroin addiction and the thing that disturbed me the most is that when asked ,
why do you ( addicts ) do it ?
their response was :
boredom
.
it was hard to watch the needles in the beginning . needles in the arm . neddles in the foot . in the neck . then the needles stopped mattering . it got hard to watch the users . you end up realizing that these addicts are people , not just dirty bodies walking the streets . you can figure out why these people cannot stop . you see that they made a mistake a long time ago and that mistake held on . all of their friends are part of that mistake . who do you go to when your trying to fix a mistake ? your friends . notice how this won ' t work . this film makes you see these people as people . the types that have to sleep on sidewalks . find this film and watch it .
fuck , all the returning vietnam vets , when they got home and heroin was no longer an acceptable outlet , the vast majority quit , by themselves . no rehab , no years - long struggles . they just quit .
finally , there is that time i was caught on camera pulling my pants down to inject heroin into my thighs in a doorway . whether i like it or not , this moment is probably my legacy to the world .
hi tracey , i loved how open and honest you were about everything in the film but why did you choose to let someone document all of that ? weren ' t you worried about it coming back to haunt you , or didn ' t you care at that point ? also , i felt really sorry for jake . he seemed like a nice guy . what was he like ?
her habit was such that she was injecting heroin into the soles of her feet as she no longer had any usable veins . she got arrested again , and served time while detoxing in the san francisco county jail . but this time she found a path to recovery . she chose to enter a long - term rehabilitation program , followed by four years in a sober living environment . the last time she used heroin was on february 27 , 1998 .
i really believed that i was going to die , or be murdered . there was lots of evidence to make me feel that way , and i wanted it to be something that people would see after i was dead that showed that heroin was not the glamorous thing that i had thought it was when i was a teenager and had imagined it . i wasn ' t paid for the film ; it was a huge inconvenience in my life , but i feel like it still is sort of my legacy to the world , because it ' s something that ' s watched today . millions of people still watch it .
the film is littered with the dire accoutrements of junk – books by patron saint william burroughs , droning spacey music , hellish apartments with a hotplate and a wrinkly midden of clothes made up to resemble a mattress . but there’s no moralizing here , just a picture of young people sucked into something they can’t handle that’s gradually taking over their lives . they’re mostly castoffs in every sense , with families either distant or nonexistent . one exception is alice , 21 , who begins the film claiming “shooting up is a meditation for me” and ends it by kicking the habit , at least during the time we see her . less lucky is tracey , a highly intelligent woman who spends 8 months in jail , comes out determined to kick , and ends up in an abusive relationship and back to using and dealing .
tracey . . . wow . you have come such a long way on such a hard , dark road . i just watched the film for a class i ' m taking ( sociology minor ) and i have to say that you , alice and
jessica
are truly inspiring . i ' m writing a paper on the film as we speak , regarding the fact that those of you who got and stayed clean are all women ( i know jake was clean for a long time , but relapsed . i seriously cried while watching the updates . ) . but why do you think you and the other women stayed clean ? was it your ties to family and stability that helped you , where others failed ? thanks so much for being you , for your struggles and your triumphs , and for being such an inspiration !
as someone who struggles with heroin addiction i really wish people would understand that most of us really wish we could change . when it ' s easy to stop you don ' t want to . when you want to it feels impossible .
i don ' t know the state of things elsewhere , but heroin deaths are on the rise here in new jersey . i lost my best friend and several acquaintances in the past year alone . with several more a couple years prior .
okazaki follows five young san francisco heroin addicts over two years , from back - alley haunts to blood - spattered hovels . there’s tracey , 25 , a bright kid from ohio who deals dope . she lands in jail , emerging after six months clean and hopeful . eight hours later she’s shooting up again . jake , 21 , has ‘too much of a conscience’ to steal , so he works as a prostitute . as the film unfolds , he learns he’s hiv - positive . jessica , 18 , starts off reformed . ‘i know if i use , i’m going to die , ’ she says . but soon she’s back at it , turning tricks and contracting hiv .
but unlike most addicted people , my experience played out in front of all of america . despite the fact that i had over one year clean at the time of the film’s release in 1999 , the whole country knew me as “that junkie chick” on hbo . those moments caused a collective feeling of shock , horror , disgust and curiosity . my addiction was no longer my own ; it belonged to a broader public conversation .
i ' m talking about the euphoria heroin causes compared to alcohol and nicotine , which comes before any damage , physical addiction , or anything else . you are comparing everything except euphoria level , which would make sense if you have never experienced it .
was a gripping 1999 hbo documentary that peered into the lives of young heroin addicts on the streets of san francisco’s tenderloin district in the years 1995 - 98 . every story followed was heartbreaking and arresting , but tracey helton definitely stood out brutally candid honesty .
is jessica still doing heroin ? i ' m very interested in finding out how she has been all these years , especially since it seemed like her and jake were the least likely to survive at the end of the documentary . thanks for sharing ! !
but unlike most addicted people , my experience played out in front of all of america . despite the fact that i had over one year clean at the time of the film ' s release in 1999 , the whole country knew me as
that junkie chick
on hbo . those moments caused a collective feeling of shock , horror , disgust and curiosity . my addiction was no longer my own ; it belonged to a broader public conversation .
thanks for participating in this film but even more so for gettin it together and building a life in reality for yrself . i been there and am now somewhere else living life clean and sober to da fullest xtent . i just wanted to let ya kno u r making a pozitive effect just by staying clean , proving a sober come back is possible and can happen for any of us ! keep goin , don ' t look back , jennifah powa
cheese heroin was completely unknown in the united states until the first case was discovered at thomas jefferson high school in august 2005 . since then , detective jeremy liebbe of the dallas independent school district police department says he has arrested and interviewed more than 300 users .
the only reason it looks bad to stupid people is because right now , with the laws the way they are , only people with the worst problems ever end up using heroin . they have social problems , mental health problems , economic problems , you name it .
since street dealers would be supplying , heroin users would still die from overdoses . they ' d die when the dealers decided to cut it with rat poison , or wanted to spice it up with fentanyl . they ' d get hepatitis and aids from shitty dirty needles .
this film should definitely be shown as a wake up call for impressionable young people . as these kids mention several times in this movie :
we watched this sid & nancy movie , and it lead to this and that
really , it sometimes doesn ' t take more than that for a kid to experiment .
let ' s be cool , and show a two fingered salute to this tedious world , let ' s pretend to be rock - stars !
many young people look up to artists who romanticize the junkie - lifestyle . the problem is that artists usually have the money to buy drugs , places to live etc . young minds doesn ' t think of all the gut wrenching horrors and desperation that come in the wake of a junkie - lifestyle ( ask sid how fun his last days were ) . if this film prevents young people becoming some idiotic sid vicious , courtney love wannabes , it has served a purpose .
i have known a few people caught in the horror of heroin , this documentary is very accurate and done well . it is very depressing but very true . i only hope hbo will do a follow - up story ( if any of the people featured are still alive ) .
you ' re missing my point completely and obviously just arguing for arguments sake . you are just quoting off some statistics or info you ' ve read online . while that ' s all good , you again miss my point : the euphoria created from a single shot of heroin cannot be replicated with any amount alcohol or nicotine . because of that , there really isn ' t such thing as a casual heroin user , while there are plenty of casual alcohol and nicotine users . therefore , your original point that alcohol and nicotine are also addictive but perfectly available is completely wrong .
hey brother , just know the people over here at / r / opiatesrecovery understand how you feel . if you ever need some support , head on over and spill your guts . i wouldn ' t be almost 1 year clean from heroin today if it wasn ' t for that sub .
jake was a nice person in general but he had mood swings . i was not really worried about this movie coming back to haunt me because i did nto think i was going to live much longer . i wanted people to see heroin addiction is not glamorous like i imagined as a teenager .
sf county jail has some methadone slots . heroin withdrawal generally takes 4 days of acute withdrawal . the worst day is between day two and three . your nose runs , your legs twitch , you can ' t sleep , you have to puke or use the bathroom . then the pain subsides .
not sure what op is talking about . heroin isn ' t typically the drug of choice for deadheads , though there are always exceptions , especially in a drug friendly community like that . maybe just using it as a blanket term for berkeley street people ? and yeah there are definitely still deadheads .
you have no idea what you are talking about . it has been estimated that around 10 % of the population is predisposed to alcoholism . ever been to a rehab ? . in the one that i went to ( 12 step ) , 90 % were alcoholics . and you know what else ? , our doctor spent 40 minutes of a one hour lecture on the dangers of alcohol and how it affects pretty much every part of your body . you know what he said about heroin ? , i hate to say this but apart from dirty needles , disease and od , heroin is not that neurotoxic .
when she was 17 , tracey helton mitchell was prescribed an opioid pain killer after getting her wisdom teeth extracted . the medicine helped her deal with the pain related to the extraction , but when the prescription ran out , her desire for its euphoric high remained . that ' s when she turned to heroin .
i felt bitter at first that no one got the opportunity to know that i had discontinued all drug use and started a new life . but instead of wallowing in resentment , i decided to use my unique story as an opportunity to teach people about the daily struggles of a person who’s addicted to heroin .
lazy degenerate junkies , anything that involves a little bit of hard work like self - control is kryptonite to these losers . it doesn ' t really bother me that they are killing themselves with heroin , what bothers me is when you ' re walking down the mission and panhandlers act like you owe them money .
most of our domestic heroin comes from the cartels , not overseas . it ' s also not much cheaper than it ' s always been . the price of oxy like pills shot through the roof when purdue put in the abuse safeguards on oxy , causing the supply of pills that can be abused to suddenly drop .
reports that we were seeing were pretty striking . kids as young as 9 or 10 years of age coming to the hospital emergency rooms or detox facilities in acute heroin withdrawal ,
says dr . carlos tirado , a psychiatry professor at ut southwestern medical center and medical director of a drug treatment center in dallas .
i felt bitter at first that no one got the opportunity to know that i had discontinued all drug use and started a new life . but instead of wallowing in resentment , i decided to use my unique story as an opportunity to teach people about the daily struggles of a person who ' s addicted to heroin .
hi tracy i saw the film years ago the first time i ever tried recovery . it is so great to see you have a presence on the internet , and i admire you for your honesty . i am constantly fighting this disease , sometimes more successfully than others but you give me so much hope and i thank you for that . finding happiness in parenthood after struggling with addiction gives me a lt of hope as well . i hope it would be ok if i emailed you one day , as of this moment i ' still sick and suffering .


unstoppable is a 2010 american disaster thriller film directed and produced by tony scott in his final film as director before his death in 2012 .

the film stars denzel washington and chris pine .

the film , loosely based on the real-life csx 8888 incident , tells the story of a runaway freight train and the two men ( washington and pine ) who attempt to stop it .

the film was released in the united states and canada on november 12 , 2010 .

it has received mostly favorable reviews from film critics ; it garnered a " certified fresh " rating on rotten tomatoes based upon aggregated reviews , and a rating of " generally favorable reviews " at metacritic .

the film was nominated for an academy award for best sound editing at the 83rd academy awards , but it was beaten by inception .

unstoppable ( 2010 film )

copyright 2010 - 2018 roobla , all rights reserved . terms , privacy and cookies - sitemap
20th century fox ( 2010 ) ( netherlands ) ( theatrical ) ( through warner bros . )
twentieth century fox c . i . s . ( 2010 ) ( russia ) ( theatrical )
, so it might be impossible for 2010 to keep pace with 2009 over the next three days .
tony scott’s last film unstoppable stars denzel washington and chris pine , based on the true story of a runaway unmanned train .
usa 2010 . dir tony scott . with denzel washington , chris pine , rosario dawson . 98min . 35mm . 12a
unstoppable might not be adrenaline fuelled , but it is an extremely watchable flick .
9 ) doesn ' t look like it , no . otherwise i suppose the film would be called stoppable instead of unstoppable , and who ' d watch a film called stoppable ? i mean really .
“unstoppable” is rated pg - 13 ( parents strongly cautioned ) . very rapid transit .
box office report : ‘megamind’ stalls ‘unstoppable’ to win weekend with $ 30 . 1 mil
there is a “what happened to the main cast post the film” bit at the start of the credits , nothing else during the credits of unstoppable .
pg - 13 for sequences of action and peril , and some language . ( rating bulletin 2131 , 7 / 28 / 2010 )
a movie opening at # 1 automatically makes it an instant success ? i had no idea . then i look forward to reviewing unstoppable 2 : still unstoppable in 3 years .
unstoppable is a 2010 american action thriller film directed by tony scott , written by mark bomback , and starring denzel washington and chris pine . the film , loosely based on the real - life csx 8888 incident , tells the story of a runaway freight train , and the two men ( washington and pine ) who attempt to stop it . it was scott ' s final feature film before his death in 2012 .
box office report : ‘megamind’ stalls ‘unstoppable’ to win weekend with $ 30 . 1 mil | urltoken
means 2010 is off last year ' s pace by 13 % . year - to - date , 2010 still has a more than $ 300 million lead at $ 9 . 14 billion to $ 8 . 84 billion , so a one - week stumble like this is hardly reason to panic .
there ' s a gut - level simplicity to
unstoppable
that works despite all its clichés .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing unstoppable near you .
but perhaps the most incredible aspect of unstoppable is the speed and detail to which news media portrayed in the film gain information about the incident and those involved as it unfolds .
unstoppable was expected to take in about the same amount of money as the taking of pelham 123 , another tony scott film involving an out - of - control train starring denzel washington . pelham took in $ 23 . 4 million during its opening weekend in the united states and canada . unstoppable had a strong opening night on friday november 12 , 2010 , coming in ahead of megamind with a gross of $ 8 . 1 million . however , megamind won the weekend , earning $ 30 million to unstoppable ' s $ 23 . 9 million . unstoppable performed slightly better than the taking of pelham 123 did in its opening weekend . as of april 2011 , the film had earned $ 167 , 805 , 466 worldwide .
box office : no . 1 ' megamind ' stops ' unstoppable ' | company town | los angeles times
unstoppable suffered various production challenges before filming could commence , including casting , schedule , location and budgetary concerns .
this was tony scott ' s final feature film before his death in 2012 .
denzel washington , right , and chris pine play engineers trying to halt a runaway train in the new film
unstoppable ,
based on a true incident that occurred in ohio in 2001 .
“the relentless ‘unstoppable’…explores the mechanics and uses of suspense to modulate an audience’s response to narrative , ” nolan said .
. ouch . 2010 is still ahead of 2009 at $ 9 . 36 billion to $ 9 . 14 billion , but that lead isn ' t safe given the sharp drop - off we just suffered . hopefully we will get back on the winning track soon . even single - digit loses will ensure 2010 sets another box office record .
this weekend’s big - budget blow - it - all - up action film unstoppable , about an out - of - control locomotive hauling deadly cargo , claims to be “based on true events . ”
did during its debut in wide release , although it could be close for the latter . combined the two films could make more than the top five did last year . if so , 2010 should win big over 2009 , but it will be the last win for 2010 , and it still might not be enough to maintain its lead over 2009 in the end .
chris pine and denzel washington in runaway train action adventure unstoppable . photograph : 20th century - fox / everett / rex features
and there ' s no way to sugarcoat that . year - to - date 2010 still has a lead over 2009 , but that lead is now under 2 % at $ 9 . 78 billion to $ 9 . 63 billion . this means in less than a month 2010 ' s lead has been cut in half . this is not a good sign going forward .
future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .
urltoken - follow us ! unstoppable hits theaters on november 12th , 2010 . cast : denzel washington , chris pine , rosario dawson , jessy schram , kevin dunn an engineer and his conductor are in a race against time . they ' re chasing the runaway train in a separate locomotive and need to bring it under control before it derails on a curve and causes a toxic spill that will decimate a town . unstoppable trailer courtesy 20th century fox .
unstoppable received positive reviews from film critics . rotten tomatoes gives it a score of 86 % based on 177 reviews , with an average score of 6 . 9 / 10 . the film is
certified fresh
, and the critical consensus is :
as fast , loud , and relentless as the train at the center of the story , unstoppable is perfect popcorn entertainmentâ€”and director tony scott ' s best movie in years .
metacritic gives the film a score of 69 % based on reviews from 32 critics indicating
generally favorable reviews
change in the number of cars 1206 is suppose to haul . in the beginning of the film
ridley scott’s seminal thriller was another film nolan referred to as an “established classic of tension . ”
luckily , having dabbled in the area with his remake of the taking of pelham 123 , tony scott has decided to focus all his energy on putting this injustice right . his imminent denzel washington - fronted unstoppable is all set to make action films about trains fashionable again . but before unstoppable is released , let ' s take a look at its trailer to see what the film is actually about . and remember , unstoppable is based on a true story , so all of this definitely happened . . .
the movies of 2010 will likely be looked back on as recession - era specials . the global financial meltdown sent a chill up and down the hollywood backbone – never the sturdiest of spines to begin with .
how this managed not to go direct - to - dvd ( and actually get a wide distribution rather than just a handful - of - theaters dump ) is one of 2010 ' s great cinematic mysteries .
during wwi , lewis milestone , a recent russian émigré to the us , made films for the signal corp , and this experience undoubtedly informed his 1930 hollywood masterpiece , all quiet on the western front . film historian kevin brownlow ( who interviewed milestone about his film career in the 1960s ) will be joined by film professional mamoun hassan to discuss – alongside film clips and a rare trailer – the history and achievement of what is considered to be the greatest anti - war film of all time .
nolan referred to henri - georges clouzot’s high - octane film as an “established classic of tension . ”
tony scott’s last film , starring denzel washington , is a thrilling ride with a runaway freight train .
' ali & cavett : the tale of the tapes ' : film review | sxsw 2 . .
“most of the other films in this series fall into two different but overlapping categories . from established classics of tension like the wages of fear ( henri - georges clouzot , 1953 ) and alien ( ridley scott , 1979 ) through to the more recent ticking - clock nail - biters speed ( jan de bont , 1994 ) and tony scott’s final film , the relentless unstoppable ( 2010 ) , our season explores the mechanics and uses of suspense to modulate an audience’s response to narrative .
though not to be confused with latest cd from the country band , rascal flatts , the new movie unstoppable aims for a similarly blue - collar demographic .
this isn ' t groundbreaking fare , mind you . but unstoppable muscles through its story of peril with crafted intensity and a few well - placed grins .
the $ 35 - million opening of his latest film confirms the star ' s record for delivering solid hits .
it could be a strong weekend at the box office with two wide releases , both with the potential of earning more than $ 100 million , perhaps a lot more in one case . this is great news for 2010 , as this week
2 . unstoppable ( fox ) new [ 3 , 207 theaters ] friday $ 8 . 1m , saturday $ 9 . 9m , weekend $ 23 . 5m
unstoppable is a 2010 thriller based on a true story that stars denzel washington and chris pine as rail men who put their lives at risk to stop an unmanned speeding train from derailing and causing a mass casualty event . unstoppable was the final feature directed by tony scott ( whose life tragically ended when he jumped from a los angeles bridge in 2012 ) and was his fifth and final collaboration with washington , who previously starred for the director in crimson tide , man on fire , déjà vu ( 2006 ) , and the taking of pelham 123 ( 2009 ) .
adrev for a 3rd party ( on behalf of fox film music corp . ( fox music ) ) ; adrev publishing
now here’s some very interesting film - loving news , as mr christopher nolan will be curating an upcoming film season at the bfi southbank in london with movies that have inspired his upcoming ww2 epic dunkirk , which opens on 21 july .
the filmmakers thought that all it would take to make a movie is some special effects , but this film only goes to show what most people already know : a film shouldn ' t be designed around something meant to be an afterthought .
opened with on its own . actually , that ' s not the worst case scenario , as it is pretty damn likely . even if that does happen , there is a lot more depth this year and 2010 might still earn a solid win overall .
if you ' re a film enthusiast and enjoy writing , we need you . become a roobla writer , now - urltoken
more filmmakers should take these mundane situations with mundane people and turn them into absolutely blown - up nail - biters ( but for me , more like whole finger - biter + ass - clencher ) . it ' s just so well executed for the film it ' s trying to be . scott ' s final film turns out to be the ultimate popcorn film .
the third movie in the
toy story
franchise crossed the $ 1 billion mark in 2010 and made disney history as pixar ' s highest - grossing film of all time . the success of
toy story 3
helped push a fourth movie into disney ' s animated movie plan . after a couple of delays ,
toy story 4
is now expected in 2019 .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
the film , co - starring denzel washington and chris pine , paints the rail company as the greedy antagonist , out to make decisions based on the bottom line and not on people’s lives . in the film , that company is called “avvr . ”
packed with stunts that would make even tom cruise grimace , unstoppable is an adrenaline - fueled action flick that leaves you at the edge of your seat until the very end .
unstoppable is a pure thrill ride from beginning to end . well - staged action , strong performances and great direction make it one of the most exciting films of the year .
2 .
unstoppable
( 20th century fox ) : the runway - train thriller sped to $ 23 . 5 million . a solid , if not spectacular , open .
the movie “ unstoppable ” is inspired by a true - life event , and although a good bit of it is historically accurate , the movie does often get factually derailed .
marysville resident jon hosfeld has something in common with superstar actor denzel washington . both have stopped a runaway train . the difference is , hosfeld did it for real nine years ago in ohio , while washington does it hollywood style in his new adventure film “unstoppable , ” which was inspired by hosfeld’s true adventure .
. but the rest of the chart was not as strong , leading to three - day declines of 3 % from last weekend and 6 % from last year with $ 183 million . over five days , the box office pulled in $ 264 million , which is again 3 % lower than last year . 2010 ' s lead over 2009 has been cut to 2 % at $ 9 . 66 billion to $ 9 . 46 billion , which is not enough to assume 2010 will come out on top in the end , but it should be close .
nolan cited gillo pontecorvo’s war film as “a timeless and affecting verité narrative , which forces empathy with its characters in the least theatrical manner imaginable . we care about the people in the film simply because we feel immersed in their reality and the odds they face . ”
an outcast new york city cop is charged with bringing down harlem drug lord frank lucas , whose real life inspired this partly biographical film .
megamind ,
which is tracking similarly to dreamworks animation ' s
how to train your dragon ,
had enough stamina to avoid being overrun by denzel washington ' s
unstoppable .
. this is the largest worldwide opening ever , and it is enough to put the film in the top 200 after one weekend of release .
when tim burton ' s take on the original disney classic hit $ 1 billion at the box office in 2010 , it was only the sixth ever film to do so . in the years since , more than 20 other films have joined the club — but the sequel to this live - action
alice in wonderland
was not among them .
alice through the looking glass
( 2016 ) grossed $ 299 , 500 , 000 worldwide .
either way ,
unstoppable
will need a strong second weekend and continued strength from overseas to be a big winner for 20th century fox , which livingston didn ' t think would be a problem .
, a film that is supposed to begin production this fall . to the studio ' s relief , pre - production has resumed over in pittsburgh .
unstoppable may be a predictable , unsubtle and clichéd variation of speed , but that doesn ' t stop it being the most exhilarating thriller of the year . strap yourselves in for one hell of a ride .
it has to be said that there’s enough legitimate goings on to keep unstoppable’s claim up as a true story , but the real - life incident was so brief ( the runaway train is eventually stopped ) that before the film even begins you are left to wonder how this has been tenuously stretched out into 100mins . one with a sense of déjà vu too .
. it became only the 56th film to reach $ 600 million worldwide , and some analysts are now predicting $ 1 billion is more likely than not .
, our target film , will be an a - list release . in order to win , one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
© 2008 - 2018 the film stage . all rights reserved . | about | privacy | terms of use | advertising | staff | contact | rss feed
. that film should win the weekend with relative ease ; in fact , it should earn more than the rest of the wide releases combined . plus , it is this week ' s target film in our box office prediction contest . in order to win , one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for
christopher nolan ' s follow - up to
the dark knight
had became the 13th film in history to reach $ 1 billion in 2012 . this achievement was remarkable , especially given concerns that the movie ' s success would be dampened after the aurora theater shooting took place during a midnight screening of the film .
the freight train pulls out of a siding with no engineer on board and accelerates to 70 m . p . h . , and you see how tony scott ' s
unstoppable
gets its title . the movie is as relentless as the train , slowly gathering momentum before a relentless final hour of continuous suspense . in terms of sheer craftsmanship , this is a superb film .
it wasn ' t so long ago that , after putting in years building up his career , denzel washington finally cracked the $ 20 - million star salary club . but now he ' s taking a sizable pay cut to star in the upcoming 20th century fox film
unstoppable
after the studio threatened to pull the plug on the picture in order to get its costs down .
and here we begin with the seemingly unstoppable success of marvel universe movies .
captain america : civil war
was a blockbuster hit in 2016 , and the first movie of that year to rake in $ 1 billion .
the season will include a special preview screening of dunkirk on thursday 13 july , which will be presented in 70mm and include an introduction from the director himself . nolan is a passionate advocate for the importance of seeing films projected on film , and , as one of the few cinemas in the uk that still shows a vast amount of celluloid film , bfi southbank will screen all the films in the season on 35mm or 70mm . in 2015 nolan appeared on stage alongside visual artist tacita dean at the bfi london film festival to discuss the importance of celluloid as an artistic medium , and he consistently shoots on film despite the industry’s move toward digital .
will likely finish number one and thus is this week ' s target film . in order to win , one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for
variety reported on monday that denzel washington had dropped out of the tony scott - directed unstoppable , which will co - star chris pine ( star trek ) . the actor was said to be looking at other projects for the fall .
unstoppable
was not cheap . according to one person familiar with the production , the movie cost about $ 100 million . a studio executive downplayed that number and said the cost was between $ 75 million and $ 85 million .
a truly enjoyable film , very exciting , but a railway man especially a driver , can pick holes in it – even from aussieland . so just enjoy ! kevin .
deathly hallows is already the fifth - biggest movie of the past 12 months after avatar , toy story 3 , alice in wonderland and inception . the film ' s only direct competition at the weekend came from previews for dreamworks animation ' s megamind , which will be included in the film ' s opening figures on this blog next week .
landing at number 10 is machete , the robert rodriguez mexploitation film that began as a trailer in tarantino ' s grindhouse double - bill . with £90 , 000 from 158 screens , the film is the lowest - grossing title inside the top 10 since gainsbourg propped up the chart with an £87 , 000 weekend tally back in early august .
there’s trademark scott imbedded here , but you’re better off remembering him through his substantially better 90’s / early - 00’s films because with this being more often than not unwatchable , unstoppable is strictly for fans of him , washington , or pine .
ever since man on fire , tony scott has shown little regard for his audience’s senses . he assaults them on a regular basis by throwing out every abrasive edit possible . my personal favorite was when he decided to change fonts on the subtitles while a character was reciting a phone number . clearly , that moment needed an extra emotional punch . after taking the same kind of approach with domino , deja vu , and the taking of pelham 1 2 3 , i held out little hope for his latest film , unstoppable . however , i must bestow upon him higher praise than i ever thought i would : unstoppable is surprisingly tolerable . it’s not a smart movie , or even a particularly exciting one , but it at least doesn’t over - saturate every color and will hold a shot for more than half - a - second . throw in strong chemistry between leads denzel washington and chris pine , and you have a film that is better than it should be , especially when that film is by tony scott .
over the weekend , while another film came within a rounding error of doing so . this left the overall box office down nearly 20 % from last weekend , which combined with
not a bad triple set for denzel fans but as all fans of this great actor know there are many better films they could include instead of unstoppable . the siege is quite the surprise of a movie which i regard highly in the denzel filmography and man on fire speaks for itself in being one of the great films of the late tony scott . certainly worth the money but i would have taken unstoppable out and put something like crimson tide in instead . either way god love denzel washington .
we never thought we ' d be no . 1 ,
said bert livingston , general sales manager for 20th century fox , which financed the movie along with dune entertainment and ingenious film partners . the audience for the movie was divided evenly between men and women , with 35 % younger than 25 and 65 % older . in international box office ,
unstoppable
took in $ 18 . 2 million from four markets .
unstoppable is based on true events i’ve never heard of about train engineer frank barnes ( denzel washington ) and conductor will colson’s ( chris pine ) brave attempt at trying to stop the unstoppable – a runaway train going speeds in excess of 70mph carrying toxic chemicals that are sure to explode from derailment once the train enters a town that has a turn that is only able to handle speeds under 30 mph . sounds exciting right ? it would be if you were able to follow the action without having a seizure .
the social network ,
and not
wall street : money never sleeps ,
turned out to be the zeitgeist movie of 2010 . after what most of us have been through , who wants to observe the fictional gordon gekko wheeling and dealing and damaging his way back up the ladder ? watching him get his comeuppance , or , even worse , his redemption , is irrelevant .
scott was a technical virtuoso , implementing a dizzying array of techniques including time lapse , shooting at six frames a second and using high - speed film . from man on fire onwards he utilised cross - processing to heighten colour , and photo - chemically manipulated his film stock . this experimentation produced what he called the “mistakes that inspire… the magic that comes from accidents . ”
, and the same weekend last year was a disappointment to begin with . 2010 still has a lead over 2009 , but that lead is down to 1 . 5 % at $ 9 . 90 billion to $ 9 . 75 billion , and by this time next weekend , that lead could be cut in half . and by the end of christmas weekend , it could be gone entirely .
a queasy counter - revolutionary note was struck again at the conclusion of crimson tide , when gene hackman ’s nuke - happy submarine commander , who for the whole film has been ready to vaporise russia any second now , is entirely absolved of wrongdoing by the military and positioned as the film’s hero – the message being , he’s basically a good guy if a little old - school .
hollywood’s more serious stabs at realist fiction emulate the social and psychological nuances of the 19th - century novel , and no one has taken american film further down that road than stroheim . shot on location in san francisco and death valley , the film was cut to less than a third of its original nine hours , but remains extraordinary for its unflinching vision of the corrosive power of money .
all quiet on the western front is rightly recognised as one of cinema’s most enduring and emotive portrayals of the tragedy of the great war . this epic film concerns a generation of german schoolboys who – exhorted by their patriotic teacher – enlist enthusiastically but are ultimately destroyed in the war . based on erich maria remarque’s classic novel , the film proved highly controversial and was banned in many countries .
two train operators must stop a runaway train . the opening credits claim that this film is based on a true story , but there are moments that are so implausible that i thought tony scott was pulling a coen brothers ' fargo on me . real or not , the film is exciting and fun and perfect for all of scott ' s gimmicks - - his ever - moving camera , quick cuts , big ( unrealistic ) explosions , hyper - masculine dialogue . it ' s all predictable but enjoyable , much like 1994 ' s speed . overall , this film is unsubstantial fun .
tony scott , denzel washington and harry gregson - williams are at it again with their latest title unstoppable . this time denzel is trying to stop a runaway train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals . if they can’t stop the train in time , the consequences will be disastrous . nothing new here , but i do look forward to the harry gregson - williams score and hoping it will bring me something new like spy game , man on fire and deja vu was at the time . what will the unstoppable soundtrack bring ? let’s find out .
terror on a train ( 1953 ) there ' s a bomb on a british train , threatening not only the passengers by a nearby naval shipyard . a demolitions expert ( glenn ford ) has to work quickly in this 72 - minute film . it ' s one of four films that quebec city - born ford made that year , including fritz lang ' s film noir the big heat .
one of its stars , michael ironside , remembers being menaced in a bar by two disgruntled air - force cadets who had signed up because of the film and since discovered that life in the military wasn’t quite all that top gun had been made it out to be . the film was blatant propaganda , as it had to be if it was ever going to get made in the first place .
the 2001 incident upon which the film is based happened with the company csx . yes , that csx , of the “how tomorrow moves” commercials touting “ a ton of freight… a gallon of fuel . ”
black panther
crossed this milestone in just 26 days after breaking the record for best february opening weekend of all time . this movie is the 16th disney film to gross over one billion dollars .
unstoppable ,
which is washington ' s second recent foray into the runaway - train genre ( anyone remember his remake of
the taking of pelham 1 , 2 , 3
with john travolta ? ) , took in $ 23 . 5 million , good enough for second place .
tony scott surely went out with a bang for his final film . unstoppable is a non - stop thrill ride moving at the exact same pace as the runaway train all throughout the movie . i think scott ' s pacing in this is very strategically in line with the train . it is really only the first five , maybe ten minutes where the train isn ' t in motion . scott spends very little time building up his characters before the graves stakes are out on the line . this is much to the film ' s advantage , as scott utilizes the chatty banter between washington and pine to help establish their characters to such a remarkably fleshed - out degree throughout the course of their journey . scott gradually draws the duo together…
arriving so soon after the nov . 2 elections , unstoppable would seem to uncannily embody the mood reflected in the results ; life seems fractured and out of joint , there ' s a testiness in the way people relate to one another , friction between classes is worse than before and the future looks bleak . and yet one senses an innate , underlying optimism ; perhaps the nation is down , but it should never be counted out , with the film suggesting that the common people can deliver the goods as they always have .
while every film in the market fell by 50 % and skyline plunged 82 % , red managed to go one better with a catastrophic plummet of 90 % , crashing from 6th place to 20th . the drop is surprising given that , previously , red had consistently outperformed the market with relatively modest dips . evidently it proved particularly vulnerable on this occasion to a fresh intake of adult - skewing thrillers . the film has accumulated a healthy £6 . 91m .
tony scott brings a true event to the big screen in the most tense and dramatic way possible . unstoppable presents the typical - scott - crazed direction along with a nerve - racking plot that gets you from start to finish , and not to mention denzel and chris ' stellar duo . 4 . 5 / 5
some of the interview’s most fascinating moments are basquiat’s memories of his hand - to - mouth existence after running away from home as a teenager . born to parents who were of haitian ( his father ) and puerto rican ( his mother ) descent , he rebelled against a middle - class background for reasons that remain unclear . a seemingly embattled relationship with his father , an accountant , is referred to but not explored . the film takes the heady view that his flight from home was the necessary odyssey of an unstoppable rimbaud - like visionary .
full financial estimates for this film , including domestic and international box office , video sales , video rentals , tv and ancillary revenue are available through our research services . for more information , please contact us at research @ urltoken .
acting under the cover of a hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film , a cia agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six americans in tehran during the u . s . hostage crisis in iran in 1979 .
ah yes , the unstoppable box - office power of the
transformers
franchise . according to the wrap ,
age of extinction
( the fourth movie ) was made specifically with international audiences in mind — and it paid off . almost a third of the total box - office revenue came from china alone .
, with 12 nominations , including six in seven of the most prestigious categories ( best picture , director , screenplay , and the four acting categories ) . but it was far from the only multi - nominated film on the list .
while the threat of fire was real , had the csx runaway jumped the tracks in kenton — or beyond — and its two carloads of phenol had ruptured , unstoppable amps up the threat by quadrupling the phenol car - count and by placing the sharp curve atop a trestle next to a tank farm in a big city .
the season will run from 1 - 31 july and is personally curated by the award - winning director . it’s set to offer audiences an unique insight into the films which influenced his hotly anticipated take on one of the key moments of ww2 . there will be a special preview screening of dunkirk on thursday 13 july , which will be presented in 70mm and include an introduction from the director himself . nolan is a passionate advocate for the importance of seeing films projected on film , and as one of the few cinemas in the uk that still shows a vast amount of celluloid film , bfi southbank will screen all the films on 35mm or 70mm . in 2015 nolan appeared on stage alongside visual artist tacita dean at the bfi london film festival to discuss the importance of celluloid as an artistic medium , and he consistently shoots on film despite the industry’s move toward digital . here , the director sums up his programming choices for this exclusive season :
unstoppable – tony scott ' s second train - related thriller in 16 months – debuted with a solid £1 . 71m , including previews of £442 , 000 . the result is almost identical to the taking of pelham 123 ' s opening salvo of £1 . 78m , including previews of £311 , 000 . both films star denzel washington , scott ' s favourite actor , with crimson tide , man on fire and déjà vu numbering among their earlier collaborations . 20th century fox , unstoppable ' s distributor , would have hoped to beat pelham 123 and might have done so had snow and frost not buffeted the box office in many parts of the uk and ireland .
unstoppable was inspired by the 2001 csx 8888 incident , in which a runaway train ultimately traveled 66 miles ( 106 km ) through northwest ohio . led by csx transportation sd40 - 2 # 8888 , the train left the walbridge , ohio , rail yard with no one at the controls , after the hostler got out of the slow - moving train to correct a misaligned switch , mistakenly believing he had properly set the train ' s dynamic braking system , much as his counterpart ( dewey ) in the film mistakenly believed he had properly set the locomotive ' s throttle .
on paper , universal faced a more straightforward distribution and marketing task with its george clooney hitman thriller the american . however , given a modest debut of £412 , 000 ( admittedly on fewer screens than both unstoppable and london boulevard – see chart below ) this appears not to have been the case . presumably , director anton corbijn ' s candid insistence the film was
european
rather than american was believed by cinemagoers . in the us the picture opened in september with $ 16 . 7m , which should equate to a uk debut of around £1 . 7m . takings subsequently dived across the atlantic as word percolated that the american didn ' t deliver the accessible entertainment expected of the hitman genre . the film may escape the same fate here as this fact has already been taken into consideration by the audience .
but in its incidental portrait of discontented and discounted working stiffs who live marginal lives on society ' s sidings and are angry to varying degrees , the film carries an unexpected weight and could connect with middle american audiences in a big way .
there ' s nothing stunningly original about the central ( only ) plot ; driverless train loaded with toxic chemicals speeding towards heavily populated area , another train loaded with school kids etc . etc . this film could easily be relegated to the already swollen ranks of dire channel five afternoon movies but that is never going to happen - this film is absolutely brilliant . if you were feeling cynical then you could just tally up all of the standard action movie tick boxes ; they ' re all there - experienced old - timer , new recruit , corporate bean - counters , broken marriages , police cars crashing , stuff going bang and , of course , a huge train . it is , however , totally impossible to not enjoy this film . the cast are superb , the pace is absolutely relentless , the tension builds steadily to an almost unsustainable level and , despite an utterly predictable ending all you can say as the credits roll is ` wow , what a fantastic film ' .
observe the trees in the background of the film . it was shot over the course of september to november hence , there are scenes with green trees , fall colors , no leaves , then green leaves , then no leaves . see more »
like most of his films , tony scott’s unstoppable assaults the senses . all manner of cinematic loudness and flashiness is presented onscreen with a concentration on momentum more than pesky notions of character development or authenticity , leaving the cast to pick up the pieces . thankfully , scott has a strong director - actor relationship with denzel washington ( this is their fifth collaboration ) , who stars alongside star trek ’s chris pine . given his stars and the rather straightforward disaster - aversion scenario , not to mention the pg - 13 rating , and this is scott’s most accessible film in over a decade .
“unstoppable , ” is about a runaway train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals . an engineer and his conductor is pitted against a train in a race against time . they’re chasing the runaway train in a separate locomotive and need to bring it under control before it derails on a curve and causes a toxic spill that will decimate a town .
this is a comparatively restrained version of a tony scott film , at least next to his last few over - the - top releases ( domino and man on fire come to mind ) . after his heyday between top gun and crimson tide , scott’s action movies have become absurdly scattershot with manic editing and bloated running times . but unstoppable tones down the flickery light show and keeps the runtime just over 90 minutes , returning a mid - 1990s version of scott’s direction to the screen . after scott’s train - themed flop last year ( the taking of pelham 1 2 3 ) , fox opted to contain the director some by cutting his budget , including his salary and that of star denzel washington by more than half each . good idea , given that scott hasn’t had a film that’s earned its budget back at the box office since 2004 .
militarism wasn’t just an aesthetic for scott . it was a way of working . “i’m a good general” , he said . he shared with his elder brother ridley a sense of film as military operation : “i’m like patton” . top gun became the cinematic cultural equivalent of bruce springsteen’s song ‘born in the usa’ . the boss’s anthem for forgotten vietnam vets may have been misappropriated by the reaganite right , but tony scott had scored a direct hit . the film was to define the rest of his career .
train 777 is on a runaway course and is carrying tons of dangerous chemicals . if no one stops it , the train will eventually derail , most likely in a populated area , and lots of people will die . because the train company’s countermeasures are useless , veteran train operator frank ( washington ) and rookie conductor will ( pine ) are the only people who have a chance of stopping it . unstoppable is a suspense film with only one bullet in its gun . the train has to keep moving or else there’s no more crisis . speed made the smart decision of having the non - stop bus as only the meat of the movie , but surrounding it with the elevator situation at the beginning of the movie and the chase on the subway at the end . unstoppable is all train , all the time and you know the train can’t be stopped and can’t do significant damage until the finale . at one point , there’s another train on the track full of innocent schoolchildren , but you just shrug . in a pg - 13 major motion picture , most moviegoers aren’t going to be thinking , “yeah , the film might become the non - stop thrill - ride version of the sweet hereafter . ”
justified criticism aside , you would have to be spectacularly humourless as well as disinterested in film aesthetics not to find anything to appreciate or admire in scott’s filmography . his worst films aren’t ‘so bad they’re good’ ; they’re at once incredibly good and incredibly bad .
despite such mind blowing scenes , it’s hard to watch any of it because tony scott decided to drink a keg of red bull and jolt cola before each day of shooting . seriously , unstoppable will give you a splitting headache by the time it’s over . i thought michael bay was the king of the ‘sweeping camera’ shot but somehow tony scott ups that technique by using it one time almost every thirty seconds . he also abuses the ‘zoom’ button like it’s a russian mailorder bride , slamming on it repeatedly . every single scene in unstoppable has either a swoop , a zoom in , a zoom out , an overhead shot , or the camera shakes for no goddamn reason . here’s a breakdown of what scott wants from his dop :
he was a filmmaker completely willing to sacrifice continuity . testament to this is the illogical shifts in location and weather that mark his work . as he noted of unstoppable , the runaway train seems to traverse an unlikely range of territories and meteorological conditions . “we go from full green to snow , ” he admitted . “no - one seems to have noticed yet ! ”
based on the true story of journalist gary webb . the film takes place in the mid - 1990s , when webb uncovered the cia ' s past role in importing huge amounts of cocaine into the u . s . that was . . . see full summary »
by all accounts , including the official final investigation , csx acted responsibly and swiftly to bring its engine to a stop . but it’s understandable why the company might not want to relive the incident by approving its brand for use in the film . ( trailer below )
the 2015 prequel to
despicable me
focused only on the overall - wearing minions the world had come to love . people clearly appreciated the yellow henchman ' s standalone film , since neither of the two
despicable me
movies have breached $ 1 billion .
of course , unstoppable robs audiences of the usual disaster movie explosion in the finale , resulting in an anticlimactic finish as the runaway slows to a gradual halt . but at least the filmmakers can say they stuck somewhat to the true story , even though nearly every other detail about the actual event was hollywoodized for the sake of entertainment value . despite that , scott delivers an exciting and fast - paced ride that audiences will enjoy , largely due to the affability of his two leading men . had two other actors been cast , no doubt the film wouldn’t have worked in the contrived - yet - effortless way that it sort of does .
written and directed by tamra davis ; di - rectors of photography , ms . davis , david koh and harry geller ; edited by alexis manya spraic ; music by j . ralph , adam horovitz and mike diamond ; produced by ms . davis , mr . koh , lilly bright , stan - ley buchthal and ms . spraic ; released by arthouse films . at film forum , 209 west houston street , west of avenue of the americas , south village . running time : 1 hour 30 minutes . this film is not rated .
for all of you suspense and action lovers , this is the film for you ! i went to go see it and i was thrilled ! it made me so excited ! definitely must buy ! ! ! but would like to see a hd version . . . .
in june 2007 , 20th century fox was in negotiations with martin campbell to direct the film , and he was attached as director , until march 2009 when tony scott came on board as director . in april , both denzel washington and chris pine were attached to the project .
i’m not sure when tony scott went crazy . his earlier films like revenge , true romance , etc . were masterfully shot and managed to keep the tension high while telling a compelling story . but his last few films – taking of pelham 123 , domino – have been so woefully bad that it appears as if scott abandoned all the things he learned and decided to try and make the camera and editing the most exciting parts of the story instead of the actual story itself . pelham was one of the worst movies of last year . will this year’s tony scott train movie unstoppable be a better film or a total train wreck ? was that a trick question ?
washington had been attached since april to reteam with scott and play a veteran engineer who jumps into a locomotive with a young conductor ( chris pine ) to stop an unmanned runaway train loaded with toxic cargo . written by mark bomback , the film is loosely based on true events .
that ' s not quite how the runaway was stopped 9 years ago in western ohio , nor was the real incident thought to have started , as shown in the film , with a renegade engineer who couldn ' t be bothered to hook up his train ' s airbrake system .
in unstoppable , denzel washington has the starring role of a veteran railroad engineer whose successful pursuit of the runaway in his own locomotive slows it down just enough so that it doesn ' t derail in a populated area and release highly toxic cargo . his greenhorn conductor , played by chris pine , then rides a pursuing pickup truck to the runaway ' s locomotive and leaps aboard to stop it .
10 . denzel washington made a cool hand at the controls as the engineer , didn’t he ? it was the oscar winner’s fifth film collaboration with director scott . when mr . scott replaced the original director in a 2007 coup , mr . washington agreed to work with his friend again .
also in april 2017 , walt disney studios announced that its live - action remake of
beauty and the beast
had officially passed the $ 1 billion mark for global box - office sales . its total revenue makes
beauty and the beast
the highest grossing film of 2017 .
even though the effects this alien invasion has to offer are top notch , every minute feels like a student film . the minimum of dialog or character development show that someone wanted to create cool action scenes and alien attacks but knew little about how to tie them into a story . so while the look of the film is major league , it never manages to grip you or make you care much about anything that ' s going on . at least the ending is somewhat surprising and fresh , but may infuriate viewers for all kinds of other reasons . wasted opportunities all around .
runaway train ( 1985 ) the bad cargo this time is human - a couple of escaped prisoners ( jon voight and eric roberts ) who , along with a sleeping train employee ( rebecca de mornay ) are racing through alaska without an engineer . as with unstoppable , there ' s a tight curve and a chemical plant ahead . the script is based on an original screenplay by japanese master akira kurosawa .