Annie-27 Reviews

The Lather Effect (2006)

A "Big Chill" for Generation X

[8/10 · 11 April 2007]

This movie inevitably will be compared with The Big Chill, and that's okay. The Lather Effect is funny and poignant, and explores a lot of themes that are common to most people in their thirties regardless of when they grew up. I saw it when it played at South by Southwest, where it was well-received by the audience, who laughed and cheered in all the right places.

Valinda (Friday Night Light's Connie Britton) throws one last "rager" at her parents' house on the weekend before it is to be sold. The party's theme was "Come As You Were," so everyone was dressed in Eighties costumes, but along with their memories they also brought their unresolved issues from their teen years, as well as their adult fears about the future. On the morning after the party, the house is a huge mess that Valinda and her circle of friends have to clean up. In the process, long-buried secrets are revealed and old wounds are opened. The characters begin to come to terms with how their pasts affected the present, and contemplate the future.

The cast is excellent. Connie Britton carries the movie well, and Eric Stoltz steals many scenes as the slightly-older guy who used to crash every party when they were teens, in what feels like a reprisal of his cameo in Say Anything (minus the chicken suit). The soundtrack is great as well -- when can I buy the CD?

Jersey Girl (2004)

Great movie, and J-Lo's not a factor

[8/10 · 23 March 2004]

If you're worried that this movie is going to be another Gigli, stop worrying right now. Jennifer Lopez is BARELY in this movie, and you'd be missing out on a good movie-watching experience. Ben Affleck's performance in this film is his best in a few years. Kevin Smith knows better than any other director how to use Affleck's talents, and as you watch you begin to remember why Affleck got famous in the first place. Affleck delivers a monologue to his infant daughter relatively early in the film that really captured the audience. You could have heard a pin drop in the theater. It reminded me of the speech he gives in the car in Chasing Amy, certainly not in content but in the strong performance and the effect it had on the audience. There is a lot of emotional depth in thie film, which also features a great dramatic performance (yes, dramatic, though he has plenty of funny lines too) by George Carlin. Liv Tyler is sweet and lovely as ever as the grad student/video store clerk of everyone's dreams.

Jersey Girl has plenty of tearjerking moments, but it also has lots of laughs and several fun cameos. I won't spoil those for you except to say that several View Askew regulars show up, including at least one who's been around since Clerks. You need never have seen a Kevin Smith film before to appreciate this one, but it's fun for the diehard fans to go, "Look, Rick Derris!" and see the new View Askew animated logo featuring Jay & Silent Bob.

Anyway, go see the movie. I plan to see it several more times. And buy the DVD.

Snake in the Monkey's Shadow (1979)

The perfect kung fu movie

[10/10 · 13 September 2000]

I saw this movie with a large audience at a film festival recently and it nearly blew the roof off the place. It's a perfect example of an entertaining film, without a single unnecessary scene. Of course the fight scenes (the reason you're watching a kung fu flick in the first place) are great. This film has a real sense of humor and a great pace; it could be useful for converting new fans to the whole genre.