76 - Can't Hardly Wait

Connection To JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS - where to start the directors/writers Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan as well as the actors Seth Green, Breckin Meyer and Donald Faison, I'll cheat a little bit and go for Elfont and Kaplan rather then any of the actors.

I'll always have a soft spot for teen comedies even though now it's been 12 years since I last could call myself a teen - though I'm probably close to the ages of some of the actors that tend to be cast for teen, maybe even younger in some cases (wasn't Stockard Channing like 60 when she made Grease - I like Stockard Channing I don't know why I am picking on her), every few years or so comes one that I end up really liking such as Clueless, Mean Girls or Easy-A (these are examples and not the complete list)

This is a preface I perhaps I could have put at the beginning of a teen movie I've already covered, but hey ho, and while I don't believe Can't Hardly Wait is a classic of the genre, the film deserves to better known then it is -

The film mostly takes place over 1 night at a party - a very PG-13 party... literally, scenes and characters where cut to to tone it down the characters include crying drunk girl (Jennifer Elise Cox) and Stoned Girl (Amber Benson), who both still can be glimpsed briefly in the final film.

The film is basically about a high school graduation party and it's various misadventures of the characters who attend it, we have Ethan Embry whose liked Jennifer Love Hewitt for years and plans to pour his heart (in a letter) at the party, her very recent ex-boyfriend Peter Facinelli is also at the party and is trying to convince his friends to dump their girlfriends, we have Lauren Ambrose's snarky friend who gets stuck in the bathroom with gangsta wannabe Seth Green (the two used to be friends) and we have geek Charlie Korsmo vowing to get revenge on Facinelli. These are the principal stories but there are lots and lots of characters seen many of them are familiar faces which I'll get to in a bit.

All these characters are enjoyable to see on the screen and particularly in two of the strands go exactly the way you expect but it's not a bad thing at all, among the other actors who pop include Jaime Pressly, Selma Blair, Jason Segel, Freddy Rodriguez, Erik Palladino, Sara Rue, Clea DuVall, Breckin Meyer, Donald Faison, Jenna Elfman, Jerry O'Connell and Melissa Joan Hart, who I like a lot is stuck with one of the weaker minor-subplots of desperately trying to get her yearbook signed, there's also the other minor-subplot of the girls house who is trying to stop is getting wrecked that is also on the weak side.

It occured to me that with Green, Segel and Benson in the cast - that is all her 3 major TV love interests in one film (Kennedy didn't count), besides that Paige Moss appears who in Buffy was the the lead to Green/Hannigan spiting up (Channon Roe, Nicole Bilderback, Clea DuVall and Eric Balfour all have appeared in Buffy too)

Overall very cool teen movie, I actually prefer it to American Pie, which is the year after and ends with a graduation party so there's a link there and would sooner revisit this, I enjoyed many of the characters even those that make fleeting appearances, so I recommend the film.

49 - Tomcats

Connection To CURSED - Shannon Elizabeth.

Misogynistic might be the word to describe this movie, but maybe that word is a touch unfair but it's certainly a film made by men for men and I'm sure if your a man's man you'll find this movie just super...

The story is group of male friends who make a deal to invest in a fund, which would get paid to the last remaining bachelor of the group, cut to somewhere down the line where Jerry O'Connell attempts go get the other remaining bachelor Jake Busey married so he can pay off a gambling debt, he conveniences a policewoman (Shannon Elizabeth) who as some sexual history with Busey, pretty much as expected O'Connell falls for Elizabeth.

All this is just an excuse for a string of scenes involving random situations such as O'Connell getting himself into A BDSM fetish with a quiet librarian and her grandmother and an incident involving Busey's removed testicle (yes really) that ends with the Doctor - played by David Ogden Stiers accidentally biting into at the hospital cafeteria (I must have missed that M*A*S*H episode). Also at least this movie acknowledges that O'Connell and Elizabeth where going to fall for each other so at least the feelings are out there on the screen from the start.

The group of friends have a gay friend, but this didn't stop them having a bit of a homophobic edge also Horatio Sanz is married to Jaime Pressly whose clearly a lesbian and yes it does end in what would be a man's fantasy. Also Jake Busey getting a lot of women can only be because of the wealth his family have, I'd argue there's no reason,  I'm mean he looks like a Busey and he ain't exactly the most charming person in this.

On one last note, I think it's a shame Shannon Elizabeth's career fizzled out somewhere down the line, Hollywood had moved onto the next thing I guess, but she's got a decent enough screen presence in my opinion.

Overall, it's a film for men obsessed with pissing contests, for the sort of man I am everything and everything one in this just felt like a stereotype, but it's not really awful to be fair, it's more harmless and dumb.

11 - Veronica Mars

Connection To WAITING - Justin Long

To start thing off I'm a massive fan of the Veronica Mars TV series, I have watched the series multiple times and still holds my interest even after knowing who committed what crimes. Do you want to know what's on my far living room wall - A Veronica Mars poster, the autographs of Kristen Bell and Amanda Seyfried next to it, and Harry Hamlin the other side, so yeah I just wanted to say it wasn't an understatement.

Sadly at the time Veronica Mars just wasn't getting enough viewers and ended after only 3 seasons and for me it was just filed with many other TV series has gone too soon. Last year though - Rob Thomas, the series creator, Bell and other co-stars launched a Kickstarter, attempting to raise $2 million in a month, it quickly did that amount and ended making over $5 million. I think the money they wanted to raise was also a sign to see if anybody would actually be interested in it - the answer was of course yes... I've read some negativity about this on IMDB boards (I know I should have just stayed away), I think there's all sorts of reasons for the negativity one to me is why not there favourite show - maybe one day soon it will happen for them - VM fans just put there money where there mouth was.

Veronica Mars coming back even after watching the movie still feels like a dream, I just never believed I would see these characters again - the sequel books, yes I could see but the characters living and breathing again by the actors who played I would have thought was out of the realm of possibility for a little watched but loved show.

The film picks up 9 years after the third season and Veronica has left the P.I. business and Neptune behind and is getting interviewed by a prestigious law firm and is in a relationship with season 3 regular Piz (Chris Lowell), who I believe it says they didn't stay together but have got back together in the years since, but she is contacted by her smoldering ex Logan (Jason Dohring), who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Carrie Bishop (who was a character in an episode of the show but was played by Leighton Meester, now she's played by Andrea Estella) and he is being bombarded with offers from offers from lawyers and she agrees to return to Neptune to help him choose the right one - I won't spoil anymore really but this is the crux of what gets her to Neptune.

As a long-term and big fan of the show I LOVED THIS - what I am writing is going to be based on that all warm and glowing feeling the film gave me, I was shouting the characters name at the screen such as GIA (Krysten Ritter who is one of my crushes behind KB) and SACKS where too names I said when they would come on and it only felt a few characters where missing (Jackie, Backup etc.) and those such as Van Clemons may have been short and sweet but they got their moments at least though some would have been welcome to stay around a bit longer.

The central mystery is decent which considering they only had 100 minutes rather then  a season still felt satisfying. There was also a bunch of welcome new faces who were welcome additions such as Gaby Hoffmann and even a surprise cameo of an actor as themselves.

There was one sole negative for this movie for me - Dax Shepherd - Kristen's real life beau, I'm not blaming him here but he is a cameo has a skeezy night club guy who dances to try and seduce Veronica and she pulls a face of disgust. I thought the joke was too obvious and knew it was coming the moment I saw him, VM is better then that but luckily it's what a 30 second scene in the entire movie.

Some other points of the movie I would just like to say - Tina Majorino as Mac looked even prettier then she ever did in the series (she was still pretty in the series) and KB though you got argue was still with the baby weight (bigger boobs then normal etc). she fit back in the role of Veronica perfectly and it's like she never went away.

Overall a magical movie for me, I was literally smiling throughout I was so pleased to be seeing this, who knows maybe a second viewing might change some opinion but I am staying with this for now . I AM A MARSHMALLOW