“Clueless” goes to law school. Who says innocence can’t become a lawyer.
Elle, a very innocent and ditsy blonde bombshell (Reese Witherspoon) watches her perfect life vaporize when her perfect man (Matthew Davis) decides he needs to move his career and lifestyle to stuffy Harvard Law.
Convinced her only chance to save her perfect relationship, Elle does all she can to get into Harvard. Will Elle succeed? How will this perfect Malibu princess fit in at Harvard?
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From the opening to the finale, Blonde reminded me a lot of Amy Heckerling’s “Clueless”. What made Blonde as good as Clueless was that it didn’t pay homage but instead embraced the concept. A comparison will be obviously made between star Reese Witherspoon and Clueless star Alicia Silverstone. This is a natural comparison since their characters are very close to that same person. Cher (Silverstone in Clueless) is probably a little less shallow than Witherspoon’s Elle. However the film does bring Elle pretty close to the self-awareness that Cher does have.
Both girls pray the central figure to perfection making it extremely hard for your eyes off the screen. Witherspoon is flawless in her portrayal of Elle and breathes glorious wit, innocence and beauty as she immerses herself in the Elle character.
Blonde doesn’t sink to use gross-out humor gags but instead uses the beloved “fish-out-of-water” concept. The film also lest the central figure’s innocence shine through. The film doesn’t spoil Elle and her uniqueness instead it allows the character to appear dumber than she actually is. This embrace of the innocence is exactly what the film needed. This also allows Elle to be neither offensive nor insulting to others. Witherspoon is brilliant.
If you are quick you may notice that there are some reunions of sorts in the film. Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair starred in Cruel Intentions. Matthew Davis starred with Jessica Cauffiel (Margot) in “Urban Legends: Final Cut”. Finally Reese Witherspoon starred with Alanna Ubach (Serena) in the cult hit “Freeway”.
My slightest problems were with the film’s ending. It wrapped up so quickly and the film seemed to a take a different tone as Brooke Taylor (Ali Larter) was put on trial. Before we know it the ending is upon us. I wished my visit with Elle was a little longer but that’s the way romantic comedies work.
(3.5 out of 5)
So Says the Soothsayer.
I also liked seeing Luke Wilson in a leading role. Wilson is always so laid back and very comfortable on screen and you get this coming home feeling when he’s on screen. My only problem with Wilson is that he needs to develop a range in his career. He always seems to be playing the same guy.
Back in 2002, computer animated films were just starting to take off and we hadn’t seen the likes of “Finding Nemo” and “The Incredibles”. 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios stepped into the ring with a new style of CGI animation and we all witnessed the dawn of “Ice Age”.
I have to say that “Ice Age 2” isn’t as thought out or as well conceived as its predecessor and it shows a lack of structured story-telling. There are actually 2 films in this sequel, you have the story of the trio interlaced with Scrat trying to still capture his acorn. It’s kind of like having an 80 minute Bugs Bunny movie interlaced every 7 minutes with a Road Runner segment. It is distracting.
Twentieth Century Fox jumps into the computer-animation arena with the new animated film “Ice Age”. The film tells the story of four “sub-zero heroes” who team up to escort an adorable and very lost baby back to his tribe.
The film talks about family and what it means to be apart of one. It also doesn’t seem to be shy away from what it was like during the days of the “Ice Age”. During that time, man and animal was locked in a desperate struggle to survive. This struggle affects all the characters on many levels. That aspect is probably what gives the film its PG-rating. The first half shows why it would be so unlikely that these heroes would team-up. It also sets the stage for the journey.
Director Matt Reeves broke onto the scene when he wrote and directed the very limp David Schwimmer/Gwyneth Paltrow romantic-drama The Pallbearer in 1996.
The movie stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, who we last saw as Viggo Mortensen’s traumatized son in The Road. In Let Me In, Kodi plays Owen, a bullied 12-year-old who has no friends and dreams of trying to stand up for himself. One night he watches a young girl, Abby (Chloe Moretz) and her father move in to the apartment next to his. He noticed that even though it is frigidly cold outside the girl is barefoot and has no problems walking in the snow.
Chloe Moretz, who was Hit Girl in Kick Ass proves once more that she is definitely the next Dakota Fanning. She is absolutely brilliant. She has innocence, danger and creepiness in every look and scene she’s in. It is just so haunting!
The assembly of such an impressive cast that Ocean’s Eleven had seemed to be only an act that a director like Robert Altman (The Player and Short Cuts) could accomplish. But do it twice, that’s unheard of. Well not for director Steven Soderbergh, who brings back everyone from his smash hit Ocean’s Eleven and even adds a few.
Written: December 10, 2001
I do have to say that this film is the most stylish film of the year and as it always is with Soderbergh films, brilliantly executed.
Ah, yes!
Fletcher begins work but he really doesn’t get any inspiration until he hears his new scatter-brained plant lady Sophie (Drew Barrymore) add a few lyrics to a rough cut of his new melody. Fletcher has found his muse and his new lyricist. Can they produce a decent tune in time? Can Fletcher overcome his insecurities and find a new path in life?
There are staples of a genre and then there are the immortals. George A. Romero’s 1968 classic “Night of the Living Dead” is still one of the greatest horror films of all time. It still holds its own and scares the pants off you with each viewing. It is eternal.
In August of 1985, a new kind of zombie movie was born. The film was “Return of the Living Dead” which took a lot of what Romero cherished and turned it on its ear by adding a goofy soundtrack, sub-standard heroes and comedic elements. The film was a hit and spawned 2 sequels. The comedy and gore delighted audiences but nearly killed the pure horror of the zombie.
In 1990, Hollywood revisited Romero’s 1968 classic with an incredibly interesting and fear ridden remake. It was an amazing attempt at trying to recapture the fear that Romero thrived in. The film thrived from incredible performances by unknown actors like Tony Todd (who would later become “Candy Man”) and Patricia Tallman (who would later become a regular on “Babylon 5”). It wasn’t as insanely clever, horrific or bold as the original but it was an amazing achievement and seemed to honor more than dismay the Romero classic.
Medical nurse Ana Clark (Sarah Polley) awakens one morning to see her world turned upside down. She is forced to flee her home when her husband Luis (Justin Louis) becomes infected with an unknown contagion which he seems to have contracted from a neighbor’s young girl.
The 2004 version of “Dawn of the Dead” opens strongly and we are quickly captivated by the wrought but strong performance of Sarah Polley. Sadly her character seems to be the only one we really get to know.
That is kind of sad to say when capable actors like Mekhi Phifer, Matt Frewer, Lindy Booth and Jayne Eastwood are among them. Phifer has his moments but he seems terminal from his introduction and Frewer doesn’t stick around long enough.
The tradition of a solid family film filled with intrigue, delightful characters and a sense of adventure seems to be lost in the quagmire of the ever-evolving multiplex.
The mysteries and tall-tales are a lot of the fun elements that dwell in this fun and original family film. “Lions” delivers a sense of awe and special bonding a wide-eyed boy might have when searching for a role-model. Writer-director Tim McCanlies finds that whole element of growing up and allows it to flourish within Osment’s character. It’s very magical but how could one not expect magic from the same writer-director who sculpted the nearly flawless animated film, “The Iron Giant”.
It is hard finding what McCanlies is trying to see in Osment when he looks like he should already know who Santa really is. The disbelief and wonderment are the cornerstones of the film and it’s hard to imagine them in a vastly maturing Osment.
