A Return

Hey guys, check it out! I'm alive! Whoa, I know, it was doubtful there for a second.

Life has been a little busy, a little not. I've been working a little bit. Not the full time job I was hoping to have found by now but little odds and ends here and there. A couple of days as a story assistant, a night helping a friend with a wrap party, a day taking notes for someone else... that sort of randomness. Whatever pays the bills I guess.

I have been going through a bit of soul searching, a bit of that "what am I doing with my life?" business. All kind of boring really!

And since I don't want my first post in over a month to be BORING, let me share fun stuff.

Um... Fun stuff... I have to have something good to share, right? Okay, maybe not much.

I can leave you with a list of what I've been reading, watching, etc. All stuff that's worth checking out.

Watched the Super Bowl yesterday. But that's yesterday's news really. Not today's.

Reading Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.)by Anthony Bourdain. Finally. Have loved him forever, No Reservations is a fabulous show, and his book is just as wonderful as I was hoping it would be. Sex, drugs, the seventies, food atrocities, mobsters, this book has got it all. Love it. And him. True story.

Watched An Education this weekend with the roommate. It is also wonderful. Carey Mulligan's performance lives up to the hype and her nominations are well deserved. I really enjoyed the screenplay by Nick Hornby. I have to admit to a bit of the nostalgia factor with all of the talk of French cinema, existentialism, jazz clubs, the wonderful dresses, etc. And there's the whole thing where I love almost all things British... including good looking men with British accents... The ending did leave me a bit unsatisfied, a feeling of "this is it?" Either way, it's a lovely movie that's well acted and I enjoyed it a lot. I'd actually love to see it again so I can think though a few things a bit more but that's what DVDs are for.

On TV I've been watching a lot of Chuck, which is delightful as always, Doctor Who, those last few episodes with David Tennant are Excellent and not to be missed if you're at all a fan, and The Inbetweeners on BBCA. OMG, have you guys seen this show yet? Please do. It's awkwardly hilarious. The kids in that show are such little shithead trouble makers... The episodes leave me in giggles for days.

Also worth noting that this week is the final episode of Friday Night Lights that's been airing on DirecTV. I actually still have the last two episodes to watch so Wednesday I fully plan on having a three episode FNL marathon to be followed up by an episode of The Inbetweeners. When did Wednesday get to be so good for television? I don't know.

Alright, that's what I've got. I will be back for more later.

Review: Clueless

When Amy Heckerling’s brilliant teen version of Emma hit the big screens back in 1995, I was still in middle school. I remember being utterly fascinated by the vision of teenaged California beauty that was laid before me. Was that what high school was going to be like? Plaid skirts and cell phones, cool cars and parties, romance and fun? I especially liked the idea of the plaid skirts. And that really cool computer program Cher had to help her dress herself in the morning (I still wish I had something like that!). Alas, reality is not nearly as glamorous. I didn’t get a cell phone until I went to college.

Luckily for Clueless, it doesn’t need a firm base in reality to work. It’s a fantasy that is layered, nuanced, and intelligent. Based on Jane Austen’s Emma, Clueless is about Beverly Hills princess Cher and her group of upper crust friends. Cher and best friend Dionne are the two most popular girls in the school. The film follows their exploits, everything from creating romance between two cranky teachers to making over the new girl in school. There are parties, charities, classes, shopping, romance, debate… and very little homework.

Cher is a sixteen-year-old beauty queen who lives with her father in their palatial Beverly Hills mansion. After Cher and Dionne decide to try their hands at matchmaking and make-overs, Cher naturally must learn that her friends are actually all quite good as they are. Roles switch, Cher realizes she’s in love, and after attempting to make herself over, there’s a happy ending. The lesson in the end is to accept people as they are. And that possibly love is closer at hand than one may initially think.

Clueless after all is a teen comedy, there’s always a happy ending. While it occasionally brushes on touchier topics, it doesn’t try to be any more serious than that. The biggest issue it deals with is virginity and when the right time to lose it might be. Good one-liners, plenty of entertaining bits, and fun characters all come together to give us a charming and infinitely watchable movie.

The cast includes Alicia Silverstone as Cher, Stacy Dash, Brittany Murphy, Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer, Jeremy Sisto, Wallace Shawn, and Paul Rudd as Cher’s love interest (and step-brother) Josh. Everyone in the ensemble does a great job but Silverstone definitely stands out. She’s perfect as Cher, the right mix of ditz, charm, and occasional, surprising insight.

Clueless is more than just another brainless teen movie. It set the bar in the nineties and many of the teen movies that followed borrow heavily from it. Despite its Beverly Hills surface, Clueless has a script that is full of comedic wit and charm. It hits the right combination of satire and sincerity.

I’m always a fan of a story that features a likeable female protagonist. While Cher is perfectly capable of being incredibly silly, ultimately her concern for others and a desire to do good for her friends wins out.

In the years since it’s release it’s since been followed up by a string of other successful teen movies featuring female protagonists including Mean Girls and Ten Things I Hate About You (another adaptation). It’s also Heckerling’s second foray into the teen genre, her first being the favorite Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

Of course, having been released over a decade ago it’s natural to wonder how Clueless holds up. I think the nostalgia it induces works in its favor. The soundtrack is poppy, the wardrobe is very ‘90s, but the tunes and threads bring back good memories rather than feel dated. Ultimately the story is one that continues to work, no matter how much time has gone by.

Clueless is ultimately a movie for girls that the boys can still get a laugh out of. It’s a nice change of pace from the normal testosterone infused fair offered at the Cineplex. Even though I’ve long since graduated from middle school, it still remains one of my favorite teen flicks. It’s perfect for a lazy afternoon in or a girl’s night with your friends.

There are currently several DVD options available. The standard, no frills edition that is pretty bare on the special features was the first released. That's since been discontinued as a new edition (the Special Whatever! edition) was released in 2005. It includes a number of features that does the movie much more justice. Definitely worth the less than $15 price tag.

Thoughts: The Twilight Phenomenon

It's a boring day in my world of production. After a busy Wednesday and a busy-ish start to the day yesterday, it has been really, really slow. So here I am, bored, browsing the internet, and eating a bowl of goldfish when my half interested perusal of an article on the future of renewable energy is interrupted by surprised exclamations from down the hall.

"What?!? It's SOLD OUT?"

Quantum of Solace? I think to myself.

Wrong.

While I'm sure Bond is doing a brisk business at the box office, this was not the film in question. (And yes, I didn't need to hear anything else to know it was a movie being talked about. I'm in a production office after all.) In fact, the movie being discussed hasn't even opened for wide release yet.

If you follow movies at all I bet you can guess what I'm talking about here. It's the phenom that has swept the message boards, whipped the tweens into a rioting frenzy, and I guess could be seen as the Next Big Thing.

Or I guess it isn't next. At this point it just is.

Yeah, you know. Twilight.

That's right, scheduled to open next week, Twilight is all ready selling out. And I know it's not unprecedented. Dark Knight sold out showings before it opened. Harry Potter. Star Wars Episode 1. But where these flicks were all parts of franchises well established, Twilight isn't even officially a franchise yet. Not that it won't be, they're all ready figuring out the sequels.

I'm not surprised though. Months ago when I first heard of the movie, I was surprised to learn of its rabid fan base. What the heck is Twilight and why are people freaking out about it???

I know a little bit more about Twilight now than I did then. It's a vampire book, first of all. It's the first in a series by author Stephanie Meyer and the movie is starring Kristen Stewart and some dude with crazy hair. (I'm kidding. The dude's name is Robert Pattinson). Normally I would think this would be something I'd be excited about. I love vampires and I'm a sucker for romance. Not huge on the crazy hair, but I can forgive that. Maybe if I ever got around to read the books I'd be more into it.

As it is though, I'm not surprised by the enthusiasm of the fans but I'm watching from the side lines more bemused than anything else. Could have something to do with the trailers, which leave me uninspired. I've been hearing OK things though about so who knows. Maybe it will be ok. I'm sure it will be great for the fans. And if it's anything like Harry Potter, then I bet the sequels will be even better.

As for me, I'll check out the books first.

On the subject of Twilight though. I'm sure it's a Must See for the fans. I bet it could even be enjoyable for those of us not in the know. Really though, probably bad form for a critic to call it "Must See" based on the (bad!!!) trailers. Shouldn't you wait to, you know, see a movie before glorifying it? Before sicking the unknowing public upon it? Cause yeah, rabid fandom aside. It could still totally suck.

I'm just sayin'.

For your further Twilight pleasure:

Twilight 101 on Film School Rejects


Twilight the book on Amazon


Stephanie Meyer's website

And, of course, The Trailer.

Thoughts: Here On Earth

I hate this movie. Absolutely, completely, totally HATE this movie. Normally, it's not the type of movie I would bother with. I am not a fan of the melodramatic teen drama romances. But I took a chance on this one because of the cast. Leelee Sobiesky, Chris Klein, Josh Hartnett. Especially Josh Hartnett. Have I mentioned my Josh Hartnett obsession yet? I'm a little bit in love, have been since... The Faculty. High School. Some crushes die hard.

Anyway, I watched it for the cast. I really wish I hadn't.

What's so bad about it? The script. The acting (even good actors can give poor performances). The cheesy direction. The bad music. The lame plot. The fact that it just never makes me care. About any of it. And the melodramatic, overly emotional, ending.

It's all about making the audience cry, but why should we shed tears for people we don't care about?

Whatever. Don't watch it. Please.