John Sjogren — Playwright (2)
Squanderers (1993) [Movie] IMDb Douban
Squanderers
other title: 天降横财 / 放荡狂人
A security guard using video surveillance to watch a parking lot sees a man stash a suitcase in a car immediately before he is apprehended by the police. After everyone is gone, the guard gets the bag from the car and discovers it has $300,000 in it. He and his pals then set off on a spending spree. Of course, the bag belongs to mobsters who soon come after the men who stole their bag.
Choke (2001) [Movie] WikiData IMDb TMDB Douban
Choke
director: John Sjogren actor: Dennis Hopper / Michael Madsen
other title: 窒息 / Situación Límite
"Choke" starts out promising. A Wealthy businessman (Hopper) discovers his daughter was the culprit in a hit and run accident. Rather than report it, they decide to stay quiet, because she was drinking at the time. Little does he know, someone overheard. Blackmailing into taking a job he didn't at first want to, Hopper then decides it's easier if he just knocks off the man - and before you can say "cover up" - a body is pushed out a second story window. Enter, Madsen, as a strange man, who drives up in a classic car, claiming to have seen Hopper's act. Instead of turning him into the authorities though - Madsen asks Hopper into his car and together they go cruising on the highways, stopping (constantly) to talk about their evil deeds.
It's this "stopping and starting", that causes "Choke" to crumble. At times, it's as if we are watching a home video of a couple of actors talking (most of the time about nothing in particular), forgetting that they are supposed to be entertaining the audience. For Madsen and Hopper fans only.