Movie #122 - American Pie 2

American Pie 2
Universal Pictures
2001 - Rated R - 1 hr 48 min
Director: J.B. Rogers
Starring: Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy, Eddie Kaye Thomas

As sequels go, this one isn't so bad... mostly because the entire cast came back to do it (unlike the third movie in this trilogy).  No desserts are harmed in the making of this, but Jim's awkward sex streak rages onward and even lands him in the hospital, glued to himself.  How charming.

I think someone wrote his character to make us all feel better about ourselves. Schadenfreude is a beautiful thing.  And it kept selling movie tickets, so here we are. 

The story lines progress in a believable way in this one, with all the couples split apart because of college-related circumstances.  It's interesting to see them all regroup and try to recapture their high school days a year into college.  They do a pretty good job of it, too.  Some of the jokes are reused a bit too much, and Stiffler's little brother is a pain in the ass, but it's watchable.  You'll laugh and definitely feel better about your own awkard sex-capades after this movie.

Movie #121 - American Pie

American Pie
Universal Pictures
1999 - Rated R - 1 hr 35 min
Director: Paul Weitz
Starring: Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Alyson Hannigan, Shannon Elizabeth, Tara Reid, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy, Mena Suvari, Jennifer Coolidge

Iconic film of the 90s/00s? This is probably in the running.  It has hot girls, teen sex, comedy, fart jokes, and Stiffler.  So yeah... it's up there.  It also has one of the most notable lines in Gen-Y filmography: "No longer will our penises remain flaccid and unused!" As well as sparking a term that's still sticking with us - the MILF.

That aside, Jason Biggs is adorable, Eugene Levy is awkward in the way only he can manage, Mena Suvari is slightly less annoying than she was in American Beauty, and Tara Reid wasn't a crazy bitch yet.  Also, there's a LOT of young actors with three names in this movie... check out that cast list. Weird, huh?

So it is what it is.  There's pie humping, underage drinking, and jokes at a band geek's expense.  Also, there's now an irritatingly huge film franchise thanks to this little movie (honestly, why are they still making these? And why is Eugene Levy still in them?) But none of them are as clever and fun as the original.

Have your pie and eat it too!
(Sorry, I can't help myself sometimes...)

Movie #24 - American Beauty

American Beauty
DreamWorks
1999 - Rated R - 2 hr 2 min
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, and Chris Cooper



Now here's an Oscar-winner I can get behind. I love this movie, from beginning to end. Well written, great cast, spot-on dialogue, artistically filmed (without going overboard), and all those rose petals. Really, after watching this movie, can you ever look at rose petals the same way?

I first saw this movie in the theater and loved every thing about it. From the instant knowledge that Lester Burnham is not long for this world, to the disintegrating marriage right before your eyes, to the damn plastic bag. I'm not sure I get the whole plastic bag thing, but whatever. Wes Bentley and Thora Birch play some of the world's first emo kids and that's pretty cool, okay? Let them be emo however they like.

The suspense is beautifully crafted in this movie. You know he's going to die, so you spend the first half of the movie trying to figure out how. By the time you get to his narrated line about "the day I died," you've forgotten. Oh my God! It's going to happen soon! And then even up to the moment it happens, you're still wondering when, when! How? And then - holy crap! And of course, you can't figure out who it was until that helpful montage uncovers the killer. So many people have motives... it could've been any one of them!

And still, this movie is not a thriller or a mystery. It's just a story about the last year in a man's ordinary life. It's just about him. And it's so enjoyable to watch, even when you do know what's going to happen.