ZOMBIE STRIPPERS (2008)

Written, Directed, Edited and Cinematography By: Jay Lee

Cast: Robert Englund, Jenna Jameson, Roxy Saint, Penny Drake, Whitney Anderson, Jennifer Holland

THE DOOM GENERATION (1995)

Written & Directed By: Greg Araki
Cinematography By: Jim Fealy
Editor: Greg Araki & Kate McGowan

Cast: Rose McGowan, James Duval, Johnathon Schaech, Cress Williams, Nicky Katt, Skinny Puppy, Margaret Cho, Dustin Nguyen, Amanda Bearse, Christopher Knight, Perry
Farrell, Heidi Fleiss, Parker Posey

CAN'T HARDLY WAIT (1998)

Written & Directed By: Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont
Cinematography By: Lloyd Ahern II
Editor: Michael Jablow

Cast: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Seth Green, Lauren Ambrose, Charlie Korsmo, Peter Fancinelli, Marisol Nichols, Clea Duvall, Sean Patrick Thomas, Erik Palladino, Freddy Rodriguez, Jamie Pressly, Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer, Tamala Jones, Chris Owen, Jason Segel, Paige Moss, Liz Stauber, Nicole Bilderback, Sara Rue, Selma Blair, Leslie Grossman, Victor Togunde

BABE: PIG INTHE CITY (1998)

Directed By: George Miller
Written By: George Miller, Judy Morris & Mark Lamprell
Based On Characters Created By: Dick King-Smith
Cinematography By: Andrew Lesnie
Editor: Jay Friedkin & Margaret Sixel

Cast: James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, Mickey Rooney, Mary Stein (With the voices of) E.G. Daily, Steven Wright, Miriam Margolyes, Adam Goldberg, Roscoe Lee Browne, Glenne Headly, Danny Mann

ESCAPE FROM L.A. (1996)

Directed By: John Carpenter
Written By: John Carpenter, Debra Hill & Kurt Russell
Based On Characters Written By: John Carpenter & Nick Castle
Cinematography By: Gary B. Kibbe
Editor: Edward A. Warschilka

Cast: Kurt Russell, Cliff Robertson, Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, A.J. Langer, Pam Grier, Bruce Campbell, Valeria Golino, Peter Fonda, Michelle Forbes, Breckin Meyer, Robert Carradine, Leland Orser

PRINCE OF BROADWAY (2008)

Directed, Edited and Cinematography By: Sean Baker
Written By: Sean Baker & Darren Dean

Cast: Prince Adu, Kat Sanchez, Karren Karagulian, Aiden Noesi, Keyali Mayaga, Victoria Tate

BROKEN ARROW (1996)

Directed By: John Woo
Written By: Graham Yost
Cinematography By: Peter Levy
Editor: John Wright, Steve Mirkovich & Joe Hutshing

Cast: John Travolta, Christian Slater, Howie Long, Samantha Mathis, Delroy Lindo, Frank Whaley, Bob Gunton, Vondie-Curtis Hall, Jack Thompson

HOW DO YOU KNOW? (2010)

Written & Directed By: James L. Brooks
Cinematography By: Janusz Kaminski
Editor: Richard Marks & Tracey Wadmore-Smith
 
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson, Mark Linn Baker, Dominick Lombardozzi, Tony Shalhoub, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Price, Lenny Venito, Tara Subkoff 

Star softball player, Lisa, has just been cut from the national team; Scholarly businessman, George, has just been indicted from his father's company. With everything that they know in their lives taken from them, Lisa and George attempt to find romance. Lisa's potential boyfriend, Matty, however, is as clueless and perpetually single as they come, and George's girlfriend just dumped him. A chance hook-up through mutual friends, Lisa and George may be able to form a friendship or more, that can help them climb out of the piles of lemons that life has handed to them 

 I think this is a good film, but though it was made recently it feels like a film out of place. If this film had been made in the 1950s to 1980’s I think the film would still be seen as lighthearted and as fluff but as a penetrating piece of fluff. 

As it does well by exploring the issues and mindsets of the characters. It's just that the film feels so breezy, Laidback, and easy-going. Which is also how the performances go in the film. That there never truly feels like there is anything at stake there is conflict but the conflict is not that vital so the stakes are very low. 

Which makes the audience feel relaxed and like there is nothing worth paying too much attention to. The film is the happiest that James L. Brooks has made. His films are usually romantic but also paint a more cynical look at love and romance and the characters involved in them. They usually have a certain bite and are quotable. Here this film feels like it runs away from its usual trademarks and is just trying to make a crowd-pleaser. 

It feels like a lightweight Jerry Maguire. Where it is just as romantic with great odes to loves spoken by the characters. It just feels more false than truthful. The cast is enjoyable, Though felt Resse Witherspoon never had the proper chemistry with any of her love interests. Owen Wilson even seemed out of place in this film. I guess he felt goofier than real in the film. 

Jack Nicholson is here more as a supporting character that was a last-minute favor to the director as Bill Murray was supposed to play the role but dropped out at the last minute. He does good work but his role feels like an afterthought and like he is just there. Will admit this is one of the most strangely cast films I have ever seen. It almost seemed like the cast names were picked out of a bad or if the roles were offered to other bigger names and these were just the first to say yes as they went down the list. 

 The film has all the ingredients to make a truly good film, but the ingredients are mixed not to the right amounts so that while it has a unique taste it doesn’t come out the recipe is supposed to come out. I really wanted this film to be better but even when I saw the previews knew it didn’t look like the type of film I wanted to see. Even though I love most James L. Brooks films. This is the first one when I saw the trailer I really had little interest in the film. So much so that I actually avoided it in theaters. 

Which is a shame, not that I think I would have enjoyed it if I had seen it there. The film is very colorful and it is nice to see actors like Mark Linn baker have roles on the big screen again. The film feels closer to a theatrical stage play that is more expressive with locations than a Motion picture. The film just feels more focused on character and dialogue than most modern films. Which is supposed to be a good thing. It just feels like the cast was not up to the task to really sell the material and the Situations could have felt more vital than how they are presented. 

 The budget for the film was $120 million. Which while the film looks good doesn’t look like it cost that much so I am guessing a good chunk went to salaries. The film only made $30 million worldwide. The film isn’t horrible. I just can see what it strives to be and unfortunately falls short of. 

 

GRADE: C

THE ICE STORM (1997)

Directed By: Ang Lee
Written By: James Schamus
Based on the book By: Rick Moody
Cinematography By: Frederick Elmes
Editor: Tim Squyres

Cast: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Jamey Sheridan, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, Henry Czerny, Adam Hann-Byrd, David Krumholtz, Katie Holmes, Kate Burton, Allison Janney, Colleen Camp, Courtney Peldon

BACK TO SCHOOL (1986)

Directed By: Alan Metter
Written By: Will Poter, Harold Ramis, Steven Kampmann & Peter Torokvei
Story By: Rodney Dangerfield, Dennis Snee & Greg Fields
Cinematography By: Thomas E. Ackerman
Editor: David Rawlins

Cast: Rodney Dangerfield, Burt Young, Robert Downey Jr., Keith Gordon, William Zbaka, Ned Beatty, Sally Kellerman, Robert Picardo, Paxton Whitehead, Sam Kinison, M. Emmett Walsh, Edie McClurg, Adrienne Barbeau

THE SKIN I LIVE IN (2011)

Written & Directed By: Pedro Almodovar
Based on the novel "Trantula" Written by: Thierry Jonquet
Cinematography By: Jose Luis Alcaine
Editor: Jose Salcedo

Cast: Antonio Banderas, Elena Ayana, Blanca Suarez, Marisa Parades, Jan Cornet, Robert Alamo, Barbara Lennie