91 - Mean Girls

Connection To HOT TUB TIME MACHINE - Lizzy Caplan.

MEAN GIRLS IS A MODERN CLASSIC - Yes capitalized for emphasis - I bloody love this movie. It's also a movie I can feel sort of proud that I discovered the goodness of it first - I was loving it before other people had ever heard of it - at least in the circles I've traveled with.

And Lindsay Lohan... Lindsay, Lindsay Lohan I wish you could have stayed like this - so cute, not stick thing - and not become the tabloid car-wreck you have become, you might pull yourself out of it, I hope so - films like this proved you had IT, seems like a lot of the female cast have got healthier careers then you though at the moment.

Mean Girls was perhaps the best teen comedy to come along in a while when it was released in 2004, the best since 1995's Clueless certainly, I preferred it to American Pie and it's sequels or an whole rash of teen comedies or varying quality but Mean Girls, was well just SO FETCH (had too).

I remember Mean Girls being love at first sight for me - the film was clever, funny and I could just tell it was going to be instantly quotable - to the point I could annoy friends (you go Glen Coco...) and though my school was never like this (with queen bees and the like) but the characters where easy to get behind.

It's hard to know who shines brightest in this film - Amanda Seyfried's airhead Karen? Daniel Franzese too gay to function Damien? Lizzy Caplan as Janis? Amy Poehler as Regina's Mom (who is not that far off in age from Rachel McAdams in real ife)? Are just among those who shine, I would argue Jonathan Bennett as Aaron as the de-facto love interest make very little dent compared to many of the other characters.

Special props should go to Tina Fey who co-stars and who wrote, I didn't really know too much about before seeing this as I had not seen SNL for a few years at this point but she instantly made an impact on me and enjoyed seeing her work since.

Overall, a film that gets even more beloved with time, and a film I saw highly recommend, if you haven't watched it out of prejudice against teen movies give it a chance you won't be disappointed.

90 - Hot Tub Time Machine

Connection To ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO - Craig Robinson

I'm a sucker for time travels movies - whether there going backwards or forwards - I like The Butterfly Effect, despite some wonky acting from Ashton Kutcher - but for some reason the first time I watched Hot Tub Time Machine it did nothing for me.

Which is weird because another thing I'm a sucker for his the 80's - which is the exact time period they go back to. So I ended up watching this again, just out of everything's packed away and there is nothing else on the television, and I wouldn't go as far to say my opinion changed to love, but I ended up liking it.

The film literally sees our main characters go through time via a hot tub to the 80's which is when the ski-resort there are at now was booming - John Cusack, Craig Robinson and Rob Corddry even look like there 80's self to other people, the fourth member of the group played by Clark Duke who's Cusack's nephew in this gets to look like himself having not been born then.

To be honest it does shock me even after upgrading to like that this film is getting a sequel, it feels like the films story was told and there is no need for a further adventure in my opinion.

The main 4 do make a good team and there's some faces familiar to 80's movies fans (William Zabka, Crispin Glover, Chevy Chase - yeah I'm aware these had careers before and after that decade). Lizzy Caplan as the love interest for Cusack doesn't particularly have that much to do.

Overall, not my favourite time travel movie at all, there's bits that are at least funny and more stuff clicked for me the second time I saw. Watch like I did if there is nothing else on.

89 - Zack and Miri Make A Porno

Connection To SUPERBAD - Seth Rogen

Do I think it was intentional that Kevin Smith or Miramax wouldn't think it would be the worst thing in the world if people confused it for having some sort of involvement from Judd Apatow?

I think so in my humble opinion, though we have some of Smith's regulars such as Jason Mewes, Jeff Anderson and his wife Jennifer Schwalbach, we have slightly more with connections to Apatow - Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson and Gerry Bednob (who plays the same character he normally does for Apatow). So yeah that's why I think so.

And to be fair the stuff Apatow as normally done and the stuff Smith as normally do, they've never been a million miles away from each other, both can go gross but show heart at the same time, I just think Apatow (including his producing credits) as got a better oeuvre - I did used to hold Smith in higher esteem but I've think with time I've moved on from him slightly.

Rogen and Banks play platonic best friends since high school, who share an apartment and struggling to pay bills whilst working at coffee shop, some younglings take video of Banks in the back changing and reveals she's wearing granny panties this makes her a minor internet celeb, the pair attend their high school reunion where they get talking to Bobby Long (Brandon Routh) who Banks had a massive crush on, but it's revealed he is gay and they get talking with his boyfriend - played by Justin Long, who talks to them about the gay porn he stars in, the pair decide to cast and star in their own porn movie including friends and people they audition.

If you buy into the premise I think you'll enjoy the film more - predictably Zack and Miri are paired up in their sex scene which ends up being more tender then what porn scenes are usually like which predictably stirs the feelings that ends up causing the rift in their relationship.

I did groan (giggity) that they initially chose Star Wars as the film to do a porn parody of, mostly because that is the most predictable way they could have gone, but they end up having to rewrite it and doing it (giggity again) in the coffee shop after hours... shades of Smith's debut Clerks there.

The supporting cast is cool and as the film goes on you do get a sense of a family unit (giggity) building around them, the cast includes some porno stars past and present alongside the Smith and Apatow clan.

Overall, it's far from limp but it's honestly nothing that Apatow is doing (usually better), there's funny stuff and it's engaging so to me it is worth your time.

88 - Superbad

Connection To NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST - Michael Cera.

So yeah... I spent much longer away from this blog then I planned too... the truth is I got into rhythms with some TV shows thanks to streaming sites - Orange Is The New Black Season 2 and the first 4 (of 5) of Community - which is a show I'd know I'd love if I got a chance to see it, and yeah I did...

I can't see myself keeping the same speed I did back in April, dips could... probably will happen again, I'm a bit up and down when it comes to writing, I lose faith very quickly - which is often why you see bits of self deprecation all over the place.

I have decided to implement a new rule - well not really implement but rather make an amendment... well to my only rule and that is about the same connection being allowed to be used more then once... I have decided to change that - though I will endeavour to mix it up when it comes to connections, if I get into a role based around a franchise or even a director or actor, I don't want to force myself playing around trying to find a tenuous connection.

This beginning was a bit long-winded without even talking about the film I'm going to cover here, I decided to ease myself back in with a film that I've seen more - and I know that I enjoy - one of the first films that it was clear the Apatow Crew (is that what you call them) are going to be around (I know The 40 Year Old Virgin beat is by 2 years) but I think this and Knocked Up where clear that these guys - often  unconventional leading men - where capable of opening movies.

Superbad on paper seems like a teen plot that's been done a million times - teenagers in quest of something and getting themselves in one situation - sometimes dangerous - after another and the lads in the quest of buying alcohol is their MacGuffin,

What works is we split the time between Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill), named after the two wrote it when there was actual teenagers (which is impressive) - Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen - and the misadventures of Christopher Mintz-Plasse who decided the best name for his fake I.D. was McLovin and he ends up on an adventure with 2 cops (Rogen and Bill Hader).

I think this film help made me a fan of Bill Hader, who now as a proud position on the list of my favourite all time SNL cast members (which includes Phil Hartman and Amy Poehler on that list), and also interested me (and the world) to the goddess that is Emma Stone (making her movie debut) making you believe that yeah a kid like Jonah Hill could stand a chance with her.

So yeah films don't always have to be the most original premise wise it's what you do with it that counts, Superbad works cause the premise is so thin that you can just spend the film enjoying the characters and the scenes.

Overall, endlessly watchable, I've seen it at least 4 or 5 times at a guess and I still laugh at much of it, so yeah I'm going with highly recommended.