RENAISSANCE MAN is a really-not-that-bad inspirational teacher movie directed by Penny Marshall (A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN) and written by Jim Burnstein (a rookie who later did D3: THE MIGHTY DUCKS). It’s corny in the usual ways but also benefits from the simple appeal of the formula and a more-subtle-than-usual performance by Danny DeVito (ROMANCING THE STONE, THE JEWEL OF THE NILE, BATMAN RETURNS).
He plays Bill Rago, a fuck up in the world of advertising who gets fired after missing an important meeting with out-of-town VIPs. Ed Begley Jr. (last seen two weeks ago in EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES) appears briefly as his friend Jack who hired him and still cares about him but has run out of jobs for him. While defending him to the boss Jack says “the man’s had a few personal setbacks the last couple years,” and we can infer that one of them is a divorce, but I like that they never elaborate. Maybe it was some weird shit too. We don’t know. (read the rest of this shit…)
I wasn’t intending to include CLUELESS in my Summer of ’95 retrospective, since I mainly like to look at “blockbuster” type movies. And I feel very familiar with it. I saw it a long time ago and then I’ll watch parts of it on cable now and then. But I think Mr. Majestyk or somebody said he was hoping I would do it and you know I’m like a DJ, I try to read the audience and move the crowd and what not.
And man, when you sit down and watch it from beginning to end for the first time in a while, CLUELESS really holds up. It’s a funny, unique movie, one that’s simultaneously very ’90s in attitude, music and cultural references, and timeless because of its stylishly heightened (I hope) depiction of the world of Los Angeles rich kids. And you know what, nothing against James Acheson, who won a costume design Oscar for RESTORATION that year, but do you think he ever sent flowers to Mona May, who did this shit? I mean come on. It’s brilliant. Apparently she got her start working with Julie Brown on MTV (not Downtown, the funny one who plays the gym teacher here).
Alicia Silverstone plays Cher, the spoiled daughter of an angry widower lawyer (Dan Hedaya, ALIEN RESURRECTION). She and Stacey Dash as her best friend Dionne (they were “both named after famous singers of the past who now do infomercials”) in some ways fit the stereotype of Beverly Hills teen girls: they obsess over expensive name brand clothes and their own popularity, they think less about school and their futures than about boys and parties (though they don’t seem very interested in drinking and look down on anything more than occasional drug use). They are superficial, but they’re generally well-meaning, nice people. Then one day, inspired by ex stepbrother Josh (Paul Rudd, GEN-X COPS 2: METAL MAYHEM)’s comment about Marky Mark* attending a tree-planting ceremony, Cher decides to try using her popularity for good.
*This was before FEAR, let alone BOOGIE NIGHTS, so nobody called him Mark Wahlberg, not even his parents.(read the rest of this shit…)
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Recent commentary and jibber-jabber
Curt on Logan: “Pour some Earl Grey on the curb for Sir Patrick. RIP” Oct 29, 17:42
KayKay on X-Men: Days of Future Past: “Man, what a week that we lose not one but TWO Star Trek luminaries: Walter Koenig (OG Chekov) and now…” Oct 29, 17:03
Miguel Hombre on Disclosure Day: “To follow on from Borg9’s comments about Spielberg and fractured families visa – vie THE FABLEMANs and Spielberg’s filmography. I…” Oct 29, 14:34
Borg9 on Disclosure Day: “I’ll take this one. Yes, Pegsman’s reservations about CLOSE ENCOUNTERS notwithstanding, it remains a masterpiece, arguably second only to JAWS…” Oct 29, 10:14
Dreadguacamole on Clayface: “I’m not a comics book guy (nor do I remember the Batman animated episode), and I just thought this was…” Oct 28, 13:39
VERN on Disclosure Day: “I don’t think I’ve watched it since the early 2000s or maybe even the ’90s. Any good?” Oct 28, 09:17
Gepard on Disclosure Day: “Vern hasn’t reviewed Close Encounters, has he? That feels like an oversight. Especially given it’s conceptual similarities to (as well…” Oct 27, 13:01
Mr. Subtlety on Blood Frenzy: “This plan isn’t worth much of a slasher, but it’s sure a horror movie for the field of psychiatry. Your…” Oct 27, 09:44
Bill Reed on Clayface: “I read another review which said the Depardieuy henchman was played by Corey Johnson. He’s an American actor based in…” Oct 27, 09:13
MJ on Blood Frenzy: “As slasher-type films go, I strongly suspect you would enjoy SCREAM BLOODY MURDER (1973). I watched it as part of…” Oct 27, 06:33
dreadguacamole on Blood Frenzy: “Wow, nice find. The one movie I thought might qualify was DEADLY MANOR, a pretty terrible 1990 American slasher from…” Oct 27, 03:17
Curt on Blood Frenzy: “How likely is it, do we think, that the character of Barbara Shelley was named after the British actress who…” Oct 26, 14:33
Mr. Majestyk on Blood Frenzy: “I am honored to have aided in the continuation of SLASHER SEARCH, yet another of our cherished institutions that is…” Oct 26, 13:28
Inspector Hammer Boudreaux on Blood Frenzy: “It took me most of this review to realize you weren’t talking about BLOOD HARVEST from north-central Wisconsin’s finest auteur…” Oct 26, 12:26
Johann Tor on Blood Frenzy: “Vern, since you are taking suggestions; I did a quick search on the website and couldn’t find any mention of…” Oct 26, 09:00
June 3rd, 1994
