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Tag Archives: Johnny Galecki

I Know What You Did Last Summer

01 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 38 Comments

Tags

1990's, Anne Heche, Freddie Prinze Jr., Horror, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jim Gillespie, Johnny Galecki, Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar

Film Title

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Director

Jim Gillespie

Starring

  • Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James
  • Sarah Michelle Gellar as Helen Shivers
  • Ryan Phillippe as Barry
  • Freddie Prinze Jr. as Ray
  • Anne Heche as Missy Egan
  • Johnny Galecki as Max

Although penned by the same guy who wrote the game changing Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer doesn’t quite fall into the category of classic. And despise that, it’s actually quire a good horror movie. Not really newfangled or unexpected but extremely serviceable and entertaining in what it presents.

In their hometown of Southport, North Carolina, Julie James, her boyfriend Ray, best friend Helen Shivers and her beau Barry are taking part in celebrating the end of high school and the Fourth of July. After Helen is crowned beauty queen, the group continues to celebrate by visiting the beach. After a round of ghost stories and intimate moments, the popular kids hop into Larry’s prized car. As Barry is too drunk and disorderly to drive, sensible Ray takes the wheel. Yet things take a dramatic and drastic turn as their enthusiasm is brought crashing down when they accidentally hit a stranger while driving. Thinking he is dead, the group goes into meltdown. Filled with severe panic over what this could cause them and their future plans, the group agree to dump the body in the river. Julie reluctantly takes part, but feels immensely guilty about her part in it. As they are dumping the body, the man they thought was dead briefly stirs in his dying grasps, causing Barry to push him in the river. This seems to kill him and now the four friends know they are now accountable for murder. As each vows to remain silent about their involvement, this secret will soon weigh heavy on them. A year later and the group have been driven apart by their respective guilt. Julie returns home a shell of her original bubbly self, and things are about to get a lot worse. Receiving an anonymous note in the post that spouts the eponymous title, her fear escalates as she is forced to come into contact with her disparate group of friends once more. Someone obviously is aware of their actions and wants them to pay for it, but just who could it be? The very person makes his presence felt, armed with a fish-hook that he hacks victims with, leaving a growing trail behind him. All the while, he is heading for the terrified quartet who he has an axe to grind with. Investigating, the teens believe all of this terror relates to a specific person, but discover it’s a lot more complicated than it is straightforward. Before more bodies hit the floor, can Julie and her estranged friends uncover who the killer is?

As I previously referenced, I Know What You Did Last Summer is no Scream, and yet this is sometimes why there is unfair dissent us aimed at the film. Sure it’s not the hip, self-referential classic, but even though its traditional, it gets the job done handsomely. Jim Gillespie has a nice handle on things and manages some immensely good scares and jolts of nerve jangling. As a movie, it has a good sense of mystery to it which for me is a plus in a horror movie. It doesn’t take a genius to work out some of it, but it can be surprising when it wants to be. Not that it’s without plot contrivances and a little bit too much complexity, but by and large keeps you watching. The movie comes apart in the last act, where it attempts to be overly smart but ends up getting a bit ahead of itself. But for the main duration, thanks to a good script from Kevin Williamson, I Know What You Did Last Summer still has a lot of atmosphere and effective use of foreshadowing. There is also something very eerie about the fishing town setting, added to this is the moody colour palette. A shivering and strangely melodic score further brings tension to the piece.

A cast of largely 90’s idols play their parts well, even if the characters are somewhat lacking in quarters. Jennifer Love Hewitt is our main focal point; the good and largely pure girl who genuinely feels guilty about her part in the previous summer’s events. A nice vulnerability is clear in her work and it suits the role of Julie, benefiting from a quiet determination too. Out of all the characters, Julie is the one that you have the most sympathy for. Sarah Michelle Gellar, while not kicking ass in style as she did in Buffy, is very well used as the confused beauty who might be somewhat shallow, but is far from a bad person. Playing the part of resident jerk, Ryan Phillippe does a credible job of really making us despise the spoiled little brat that is Barry. You do feel genuine resentment towards the character because of his selfish actions and lack of concern for anyone but himself. Freddie Prinze Jr is the main person who is given a serious lack of things to do. And no amount of enthusiasm can perk his part up. Anne Heche provides unusual support as someone who may be linked to the case and has the off-kilter vibe to set you on edge. Johnny Galecki briefly but memorably has a role as the rather unfortunate first victim of the killer.

No classic of horror but the provider of some good scares and attractive cast, I Know What You Did Last Summer deserves a bit more recognition than its received.

The Opposite of Sex

19 Sunday Feb 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

1990's, Christina Ricci, Dark Comedy, Don Roos, Ivan Sergei, Johnny Galecki, Lisa Kudrow, Lyle Lovett, Martin Donovan, The Opposite of Sex

Film Title

The Opposite of Sex

Director

Don Roos

Starring

  • Christina Ricci as Dedee Truitt
  • Martin Donovan as Bill Truitt
  • Lisa Kudrow as Lucia DeLury
  • Ivan Sergei as Matt
  • Johnny Galecki as Jason
  • Lyle Lovett as Sheriff Carl

A jet-black comedy that is frequently shocking and covers themes that could be incendiary with caustic aplomb, The Opposite of Sex makes for an unconventional and oddball story, populated by strange yet winning characters and a sarcastic turn from Christina Ricci.

Dedee Truitt is a bitchy, trailer trash 16-year-old girl who runs away from her Louisiana home after burying her stepfather. She high tails it to Indiana where she arrives on the doorstep of her sensitive gay half-brother Bill, who is still mourning the loss of his partner to AIDS. He is currently in a relationship with the hunky but dumb Matt, though he still hasn’t faced the loss of his former flame properly. the-opposite-of-sex-posterDedee, who is secretly pregnant, slowly sets in motion a cunning plan to gain money from Bill, knowing that he has $10,000 in his safe deposit box. Seducing Matt and then pretending that the baby is his, she skips town with him along with the money and the ashes of Tom, in an urn that could fetch a tidy sum. Bill doesn’t know what to do about the situation, but Tom’s sister Lucia, who is highly strung and obviously has feelings for Bill, encourages him to find both of them. Things also heat up when Matt’s former boyfriend and Bill’s former student Jason threatens him with accusations that he made inappropriate advances towards him. As a missing person’s report has been filed by the spiteful Jason, local sheriff Carl, who has the hots for Lucia, has to become involved as Bill and Lucia search for Dedee and Matt. Dedee continues to manipulate everyone for her own gain as a cross-country madcap venture takes place, leading to many realizations and people confronting what they are holding back. Add to this chase murder, ransom, extortion and blackmail and its eventful days for all the people Dedee comes across and wreaks havoc on.

Don Roos made his directing debut with The Opposite of Sex, as well as penning the screenplay. And he does an extremely engaging and biting job at bringing these unusual characters and events to spirited and also darkly comic life. And yet while the film has a dark, rude and sarcastic heart, it surprisingly allows for oddly touching and moving moments to be gleaned. dedee-and-mattThis comes with a definite irony as while Dedee ruins everyone’s lives, she inadvertently helps them come to terms with various issues and personal demons. The Opposite of Sex is ballsy material that takes aim at homophobia and bible-bashing zealots with rapier wit that it is clearly unapologetic for. And while some of the things the movie deals with won’t be to all tastes, it really knows the buttons to press and gets jaw-dropping gasps from you, whether you like it or not. A lot of this comes down to the acidic script, that churns out great one liners at a regular rate. The best example is the use of narration from Dedee, whose view on things is spiked with savage commentary and smart alec remarks. She’s the kind of narrator that is fun to listen too as she is no angel and her mordant assessment of events has to be heard to be believed. I mean, just listen to how she knows that the audience isn’t going to root for her or a withering offer her opinion on the people she ruins. This is a self-aware heroine who doesn’t give a damn, which suits the film down to the ground. Even when she isn’t on screen and it is just her voice, you can’t help but be intrigued and frequently flabbergasted by her thoughts. The pace is pretty quick and filled with sparks, only sometimes having the odd lull that can be forgiven owing to how incisive and scathing it all is. A strangely bouncy score belies the gleefully sardonic and vicious wit of the piece.

Front and centre of it all is Christina Ricci, who is acerbically vicious and seductive in equal measure as the sly Dedee. dedee-truittRicci embodies the bitchy and sarcastic attitude to an extremely high degree, making you both shocked and strangely attracted to her, even though she’s vindictive. Though there are hints that Dedee may have some form of a heart, the spiky and cutting aspects of the part are what is so appealing, a strength to which Ricci plays to in devilishly vindictive mode. Blasé and snappy as Dedee is, Christina Ricci makes you unusually root for and be fascinated by this trashy jailbait vixen with a mind as sharp as an axe and a tongue like a viper. This is one of the best performances of Christina Ricci, which is no surprise considering how much she puts into the part and other roles too. The other players are also given lively and kooky characters to flesh out this darkly humorous experience. Martin Donovan is perfectly subdued as the mild-mannered Bill, who is too nice for his own good but slowly seeing that he can’t just sit back as all of this chaos ensues. Donovan gets probably the most relatable part in The Opposite of Sex, which he plays to the hilt and never rings false. lisa-kudrow-the-opposite-of-sexReally having a blast is Lisa Kudrow as the opinionated and self-righteous Lucia, who finds the idea of sex repulsive but quietly yearns for companionship. She is amusingly passive-aggressive, high and mighty and ever so slightly sour, but Kudrow wisely ensures that she isn’t without sympathy. Ivan Sergei makes the most of his role of the not too intelligent Matt, who gets completely wrapped around the poisonous fingers of Dedee without quite realising it. Johnny Galecki has a ball as the mendacious accuser, while a homespun Lyle Lovett is just right as the sheriff drawn into this outrageous web.

Unapologetically snarky and definitely not adhering to political correctness, The Opposite of Sex couldn’t give a damn about that and comes off as a biting dark comedy that provides biting humour and curious insight into relationships and the complexity of them. Bolstered by a wickedly biting performance from Christina Ricci, this is a film that is best summed up by the tagline ‘You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be offended’.

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