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A cinema in Delaware was shut down after a promotional sticker for Bomb the System was found in the room. This was just after the movie’s initial release and the sticker was placed illegally. Because of alarm over possible terrorism, the manager of the cinema decided to place a call to law enforcement and as a result, the cinema was closed for a couple of hours as the bomb squad searched the vicinity with the help of the canine unit, although their efforts bore no fruit. Bombing in the world of graffiti, however, has no real-life connections with explosives. Instead, it refers to covering a place with spray paint.
Rolling Stone said the film was a next-gen of update of `1982’s Wild Style. Along with strong whiffs of Trainspotting and Kids “that distinguishes itself with streaky, Krylon-bright editing and El-P’s eerie soundtrack beats.”. The Village Voice observed that the movie was “birthed from a blunt-fueled blend of Aronofskian frenzy and nostalgia for the agreeable griminess of mid-’90s Wu-Tang Clan videos”. Los Angeles Times critic Kevin Crust phrased it this way: “Lough’s impressive, if uneven, debut feature attempts to portray the adrenaline rush involved in that type of activity and its contradictory nature.
Stephen Holden from The New York Times commented on the movie positively: “The picture thrives off the combination of the squalid yet chic cityscape and the actors’ emotional depth, which at times, make them look like modern-day children of the disturbed youth in Rebel Without a Cause. Bomb the System is an effortless piece of art that is brought to life by the low-key hip-hop instrumentals. It will receive distinguished status and is waiting to be labelled as a cult classic.”
When it comes to the negative aspects, the New York Post described the piece as an ‘overly light and sluggish’ drama that merely attempts to assert towards the end that graffiti is art and not an eyesore. In the opinion of The New York Daily News, the film was ‘boldly overzealous’ to the point of declaring, “graffiti has its place”, which however makes it one-sided and to an extent, alienated in a universe full of good characters who are opposed by evil ones. According to Sean Axmaker in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the film resembled “tomcats spraying outside their yards.” Jarmushs comment describes the film perfectly! It was a ‘bark the system’ by Adam Lough that was so cinematically disoriented that it could make any mark on the world of graffiti. This is a far cry from the dire aesthetic conventions of contemporary cinema. From the unusual camera perspectives, colour strokes, and distinct transitions crafty, to the richly illustrated and engineered environment beyond. Additionally, the cast was equally phenomenal and Mark Webber stood out positively in the main role.
In the above quotation, the author of Bomb the System is attempting to defend their view on graffiti by saying that it allows for more self-expression. Other parts of the statement were in an ad on Village Voice during the second week of the film’s opening.
As per the collection of critics’ reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, Bomb the System has a 32% rating based on 22 reviews. The consensus of the site’s reviewers states, “Because of the movie’s premise, one might think that it is grungy and streetwise, yet it is latterly a victim of old cliches and formulaic style.”
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