learn the... Way of the Peaceful Warrior

Thanks to The Horror Blog for finding a very in-depth article on Victor Salva whose real life exploits are far more shocking than his horror movies except when they mirror each other, as was the case during the making of Clownhouse (1989) when director Salva had oral sex with the then 12-year-old star, Nathan Forrest Winters.

(Incidentally, a google search for Clownhouse images pulled up a page of stills of Nathan Forrest Winters from that movie - I can only hope the webmaster of that page does not know the backstory behind that movie because that would be a very creepy page indeed!)

Victor Salva discovered the story for Way of the Peaceful Warrior (a mainstream sports drama that is only playing in select theaters - I wonder why?) while serving his 15 month prison sentence on the child molesting conviction. "Here was this book that says you must take responsibility for your choices, learn from your mistakes and never live in the regrets of the past or the worries of the future. Its message was the total opposite of what I was feeling when I read it." says Salva. Imdb comments on the movie describe the story as being a lesson for living for the moment.

"How would you like to be defined for the rest of your life for one bad thing you did 20 years ago?" is what Salva tells people who bring up his past.

Some readers of the Los Angeles Times article may think Salva has some nerve to make a movie that reflects the pains he went through after being caught for molesting the boy, but Salva has never shied away from controversy before. How about the high school boys taking a group piss together in Jeepers Creepers 2? How about the age old Creeper pointing to one of the boys and making a licking gesture? It's pretty obvious that Powder is bizarre as well. I have not seen it, but seeing one clip was enough. To be fair, it can also be read as a take on homophobia in the schools. The message is not evil, but coming from Salva it may not be in good taste.

Can I make something of the relationship between the "grizzled" mentor and the young athlete in Peaceful Warrior? I think I can, but I'll wait until I see the movie. It is playing at the Laemmle Sunset 5 and I hopefully will catch it before it is gone.