Thursday, June 11, 1998
Screen Scene
"Can’t Hardly Wait"
Directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont
Starring Ethan Embry and Jennifer Love Hewitt
Like, whoa, man. School’s out … party hardy! Ah, the sweet
memories – when books were free instead of amounting to one month’s
rent and when individuals clung to cliques in fear of being social
outcasts. Enter the mythical realm of Huntington Hills High School.
The class of ’98 has completed school, finished its graduation
ceremony and prepared to gather for the bash of the year. In the
likeness of "Fast Times At Ridgemont High," Columbia Pictures
delivers their teenage flick, "Can’t Hardly Wait."
Over the course of the party, the six central characters choose
either to take life-altering chances or wallow away in former
glory. Love will be attained, revenge will be sought and
metamorphoses will occur all in a single night.
The young cast includes Ethan Embry as the nice-guy Preston
Myers, Charlie Korsmo as the geeky William Lichter, Lauren Ambrose
as the introverted Denise Fleming, Peter Facinelli as the jock Mike
Dexter, Seth Green as the wannabe homeboy Kenny Fisher, and
Jennifer Love Hewitt as the prom-queen and head-cheerleader Amanda
Beckett.
At first glance, "Can’t Hardly Wait" appears to be a simpleton
study of a textbook party, which most folk have already lived
through and experienced. Been there, done that. But viewers will be
in for a shock. In addition to having a strong plot, the movie is
filled with delightful mischief and kick-ass music.
The film stands out, though, on its ability to have appealing
characters that the audience can relate to, as well as portraying
situations that each of us have experienced growing up. Whether it
was facing the intimidating stature of the local jock or making fun
of the annoying poindexter, everyone has endured teenage trials.
The movie is not about expensive special effects or internationally
known actors and actresses. It is a straightforward comedy that
succeeds in being extremely entertaining. "Can’t Hardly Wait" is
humorous without being corny, touching yet not overly sentimental
and realistic but with a hint of imagination.
Though those teenage years may not have been utopian, it is a
safe bet that flocks of all ages can hardly wait to watch these
kids, and relive those days too.
Teron Hide
Grade: A-
"High Art"
Directed by Lisa Cholodenko
Starring Ally Sheedy and Radha Mitchell
Start digging. Actually, keep digging, because this one isn’t
going to be plastering the billboards of Westwood. But that’s OK,
because "High Art" can be a secret gem. So while everyone is
watching "The Truman Show" and wondering how Jim Carrey pulled off
a serious role, this gentle drama presents drugs, lesbian love and
career angst in a soothing manner.
Issues such as heroine addiction and an evolving lesbian
relationship are so cleverly inserted into such the film that the
audience is hardly conscious of how the events come together until
the end.
"High Art" innocently invites the audience into this abstract
environment through Syd’s (Radha Mitchell) naivete. The initial
relationship between Syd, the eager assistant editor of Frame
magazine, and her neighbor Lucy Berliner (Ally Sheedy) focuses
around Syd’s desire to get Lucy’s photos on the cover of the
magazine’s fall issue.
At first, the viewer is convinced that this is going to be a
story about one girl’s quest for success. The audience is already
driven to hate the people that run Frame magazine, where Syd is
treated unfairly. The setup seems perfect – a classic young,
assertive woman showing the industry who is boss.
Then the plot changes and the film becomes even more
interesting. Amidst an ambitious venture to publicize Lucy’s
talent, the two get mixed up in their own emotions for each other.
The conflict is personalized as Syd battles her inner instincts and
desires. The result is an exchange between Lucy and Syd that allows
them to escape their own worlds and journey to the shores of the
other’s thoughts and feelings.
"High Art" defies the prospect of predictability. The audience
is left with the opportunity to question their lives as they decide
which factors prevail within the character’s lives. And with the
appealing ability to drag the audience out of our traditional
realities and into the artsy New York world, "High Art" is an
adventurous escape into an alternative lifestyle of unexplored
emotions.
Michelle Baran
Grade: A-
"Dream for an Insomniac"
Directed by Tiffanie DeBartolo
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Mackenzie Astin and Ione Skye
What America really needs is a new Audrey Hepburn. Our fleeting
icons are either beautiful or precocious, but not both; no one
since has matched her allure. But Ione Skye might be able to fill
the void. As Frankie, the protagonist of writer and director
Tiffanie DeBartolo’s "Dream for an Insomniac," she enlivens the
screen with playful exuberance and personality.
Frankie is a romantic, caffeine-fueled actress who can’t find
any good parts or sleep at night. She works her life away at the
"Cafe Blue Eyes," the only place in the world that can match her
obsession with Sinatra. Her life is dull and her mood is melancholy
at best, until she meets her own "Blue Eyes" in David. As she first
lays her eyes on him, her world turns from black and white to color
(as does the film). But unfortunately, it’s from then on that
"Insomniac" follows the love-heartbreak-love formula that makes
girls cry and guys hope that the pain will soon be over.
The characters surrounding her are, at best, uninteresting,
poorly drawn stick figures. Jennifer Aniston rehashes her "Friends"
character as Frankie’s best friend Allison, only its more annoying
(yes, it’s possible). As another aspiring actress who thinks that
versatility will be her key to success, Aniston practices speaking
in at least 20 awful accents that make you want to smack her. David
is a schmuck of a character played by Mackenzie Astin. He is the
acting world’s equivalent to Keystone Light: bitter, weak and
painful to the head – definitely a performance you want to get out
of your system quickly.
Equally weak is DeBartolo’s decision not to shoot the entire
film in black and white, which gives it a fresh look and feel. The
crisp black and white cinematography highlights Frankie’s palpable
angst and gives her the look of the next Hepburn. But when the
cheesy color coup d’etat occurs, the viewer really begins to share
Frankie’s desire to fall asleep … ASAP. DeBartolo’s immature
writing and directing doesn’t help as they ruin what could have
been the next "Breakfast at Tiffany’s."
Bill Weesner
Grade: B-October Films
Patricia Mitchell and Bill Sage star
in "High Art."