Movie #335 - Just Like Heaven

Just Like Heaven
2005 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 35 min
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo, Donal Logue, Dina Waters, Jon Heder, Ben Shenkman

Oh, I love this movie.  Call me cheesy, but the premise is so touching and so sweet that I just can't help myself. As I told my sister while watching this, I wish I had been the one to write this love story.

Technically, it's another rom-com even though one of the members of this couple is dead from the beginning of the romance. (SPOILER ALERT) Or is she? As Jon Heder (a weird, socially awkward book shop employee) helps Ruffalo determine, there's more to Witherspoon's "haunting" than meets the eye.  So this romance takes place on two planes of existence, one that neither person understands. But the hope that they could be together keeps them motivated. And it's hard not to keep your fingers crossed that it will work out.

Even though rom-com rules say it will, you can't really see how since a movie like this hasn't been done before.  Sorta.  The premise is pretty original but the plot unfolds predictably, once you get the hang of where it's going.  I don't care though. Part of the reason you watch a romance is to see the two characters get together.  Predictable or no, I always applaud a good script/book that takes an unusual path to reach the usual destination.  This one keeps me interested. Love it.

Movie #332 - American Psycho

American Psycho
2000 - Rated NC-17 - 1 hr 42 min
Director: Mary Harron
Starring: Christian Bale, Justin Therouz, Josh Lucas, Chloe Sevigny, Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis, Jared Leto, Willem Dafoe

I must be some kind of sicko, because I think this movie is freaking genius.  And the gore is amazing.  Weird, right?  (SPOILER ALERT)

If you can watch this movie in the way the filmmaker intended you too, however, it has so much to say.  The general gratuitousness of the 1980's lifestyle, the dark secluded recesses of our minds that most of us don't indulge, the two-sidedness of the human condition, and the corruptness and idleness at the top of the corporate chain... Bateman's fantasies are blended seamlessly into the true scenes of the movie, so your experience is the way he'd like to tell it to you. He believes he's done these things, and by the end of the movie, you'll be confused about it yourself.

In fact, the "did he or didn't he" conversation happens nearly every time we watch the movie.  They never explain it in the film, but his friends' refusal to believe him and the whole "his victims are still alive" thing clears it up pretty well.  But as I said, the murder scenes are depicted so realistically, I can see where the confusion comes in.

Anyway. I love this movie, even if that does make me a little sick.

Movie #300 - The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest
2002 - Rated PG - 1 hr 37 min
Director: Oliver Parker
Starring: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson

Yay, Oscar Wilde! The first time I watched this movie, I was actually playing a minor role in the stageplay.  So I can speak to the accuracy of the screenplay.  Barring a few minor cinematic changes that don't affect anything at all, this is pretty true to Wilde's original text.

Even better, the casting is superb.  This show's success hangs on a solid ensemble and this one's spot on.  Especially Reese Witherspoon, who I had my reservations about.  Her accent is impeccable and her portrayal of Cecily is adorable.  And with the addition of a Rupert Everett / Colin Firth duet, the movie version of this stage classic is perfect.  I love this movie!

Movie #140 - Cruel Intentions

Cruel Intentions
Columbia TriStar
1999 - Rated R - 1 hr 37 min
Director: Roger Kumble
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair, Joshua Jackson, Swoosie Kurtz, Christine Baranski, Tara Reid

Ah, twisted rich kids and their sex games.  Based on the French novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, but with teenagers, this movie could have easily turned into a parody.  Thanks to its cast, however, the weird and complicated "bet" between two step-siblings actually works. It seems a bit excessive, but what else is there to do when you're rich, lazy, and oh-so-sexy?

Reese Witherspoon is adorable, even more so than her adult self just because of how petite and cute she is.  Actually, I think this is where she got together with Ryan Phillippe.  And a pre-American Pie, pre-plastic surgery nightmare Tara Reid is also pretty cute.

So this movie is weird, but it works. And, damn it, it's actually pretty sexy.