Sad but true ... Another hiatus

Three weeks into the semester and I am already feeling a lot of pressure.  I really am sorry to say that I will be neglecting the updates for a while.  I had a chat with a roommate tonight about how this just isn't fun anymore - it feels like work on top of school work and actual work.  I started this as a creative outlet to keep writing during my internship, when I had more time to put serious thought and analysis into each post.  Now, I feel too rushed.  I can't put the kind of care and editing into it that would make this blog worth reading.  I want it to be something I can be proud of and tell people to read, but I've been too distracted, and my latest posts just aren't up to my standards.  I am working much harder this semester to keep up with my priorities (reading, studying, applying to grad school, studying for the GRE) and so something had to drop off my to-do list.

I may still do the odd post on holidays, but I won't make any more promises about when I am posting.  Now everybody send me happy thoughts that I can manage a 4.0 this semester without going batty!

Juno - Leah

Diablo Cody's breakout screenplay, Juno, about twee teen pregnancy starring Ellen Page is a refreshingly non-judgmental and non-preachy movie about growing up and making mistakes.  While some reviewers found the language precious and the pop culture references tedious and verging on obnoxious, but being of the Gilmore Girls generation when it was released, I appreciate the quick, witty banter.  There are a lot of interesting relationships in this movie: Juno and Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), Juno and her dad and step-mom (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney), Juno and the adoptive parents (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), and last and pretty much least, Juno and Leah (Olivia Thirlby).  From Tic-Tac fueled fornication to tearful post-push snuggle, Juno and Bleeker seem to share a very innocent and naive love, and I like that they seem able to move on with their youth relatively unscathed after the trauma of pregnancy and birth.

The Beta-Friend Blog is moving to Tuesdays!

I'm back in classes and this semester is going to be very homework heavy on the weekends. So, I am moving my blog posts to Tuesdays. After all, I am a student first, and the role of blogger comes somewhere around third or forth on my resume..

The Princess Diaries - Lilly Moscovitz

Thanks to the holiday weekend, I'm posting a little late, however, let's just say today is Sunday...

The Princess Diaries is the story of Mia Thermopolis, a painfully shy and awkward 15-year-old who discovers she is heir to the Genovian throne. Anne Hathaway stars, with Julie Andrews. After discovering the truth of her heritage, Mia undergoes a makeover to look "like a princess" - all it takes are contacts and newly tamed tresses to transform her into teen royalty, and remove her cloak of uncool invisibility. Revealing this new look to her best friend Lilly Moscovitz (Heather Matarazzo) results in shock and awe, and not the good kind. As supportive as Lilly is up to this point, she is threatened by her friends' transformation. Lilly attacks Mia, accusing her of joining the conformist ranks of Lana (Mandy Moore) and her cronies. Naturally, the secret gets out and Mia is on the receiving end of some suspect attention from the popular kids which results in some negative press and a terrible first kiss. Mia misses an appearance on Lilly's local cable show, and when reprimanded by her grandmother, the Queen of Genovia, she decides not to accept her title. And then she changes her mind, and shows up at the ball looking like a wet rat and manages not to throw up when she gives her speech.

Confessions of Shopaholic - Suze

I'm back from the Balkans and ready to blog again! This week's movie is Confessions of a Shopaholic, based on the novel by Sophie Kinsella. It's pretty typical chick-lit, making a predictable chick flick. Our leading actress, Isla Fisher, is a great physical actress - while some of the gags are just obnoxious, many are rather endearing, and a good distraction from the shallow, materialistic, addictive behavior of Rebecca Bloomwood. Her lack of professionalism, from lying in her interview to blowing off work for a sample sale, is truly atrocious, and seriously unrealistic. What's more, she gets a boyfriend out of all this nonsense - it wouldn't be a chick flick without some sort of romance story arc. Rebecca does encounter some inner conflicts surrounding her compulsive shopping and the problems that causes outside of her credit card debt, and eventually overcomes that addiction, repairing her friendship with Suze and getting an offer from Alette, the fashion magazine she initially wanted to write for. The release of this movie was untimely, in the midst of the financial crisis. And while there are some relevant lessons on personal finance, the way Rebecca and the other characters consume luxury goods would have been much more appropriate and almost prescient if it had been released sooner.

Ambitious, Yes. Feasible, Maybe Not.

Alright folks, I'm in Serbia and I just don't think I will have time (or resources) to cover Eclipse until I'm back Sate-side, because internet access is spotty and well, I need to watch it a second time to think about and reflect upon a full analysis.  So please forgive me, and hope I don't pass out in this horrendous heat!

Beauty and the Briefcase - Joanne

This week I am reviewing Beauty and the Briefcase, an ABC Family TV movie starring Hilary Duff.  Based on the novel Diary of a Working Girl by Daniella Brodsky, this movie is the very worst kind of chick flick - an unapologetic story of a young woman in search of a man.  Our main character is striving for a career at Cosmopolitan, and her best friend and roommate Joanne (Amanda Walsh) is a freelance fashion photographer who gets her in the door at Cosmo.  Lane doesn't do well in her pitch meeting, until she starts griping about her state of manlessness (ugh!) to the editor who is also currently single.  The two act as though this is the most horrible thing in the world, and this inspires an undercover story for Lane to take on, an unlikely opportunity for an unproven freelance style writer.  Her mission: infiltrate the "business world" and date only "men in suits".  So, she outright lies on her resume, fakes her way through an interview and sabotages the electrical system in order to get into an investment banking firm.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Lynne

This week's analysis is thanks to Newbury Comics, for supplying such a great collection of used DVDs.  I'd never seen Girls Just Want to Have Fun until this weekend, and I love it for all it's campy, predictable teen-dance-movie glory.  Starring a young Sarah Jessica Parker (Janey) and Helen Hunt (Lynne), this movie very well could have set the stage for many of the teen movies in the 90's.  Watching it, I drew parallels to Save the Last Dance, Step Up, Mean Girls, She's All That and Clueless.  Here's a brief summary:


 Janey has just moved to Chicago, where a popular show called Dance TV is filmed.  Janey "loves to dance," as evidenced by her inability to not fidget and demi-plié  whenever she's standing.  At her newest Catholic school, she meets Lynne, and the two are instant friends.  Then they find out about a contest being held to bring two new dancers onto Dance TV.  The two try out, despite Janey's being forbidden to do so by her strict Army dad.  There, she meets her dance partner for the contest, Jeff, a public school boy who is expected to go to trade school.  The two doubt each other but then they fall in love, but then he is threatened by one mean girl's powerful father, and he decides it's not worth competing anymore.  They fall out, but then they are brought back together on the night of the final contest, and of course, they win, but not until after a dance-off after a tie score between them and the mean girl.  It's all very epic, and the dancing is all very 80's.  I kind of wish people still danced like that.  It seems so much more fun than the bump and grind seen at high school dances and night clubs all over.  Throughout the movie, the song that inspired the movie's title is played to a very nice effect - it gives the movie a bit more levity and giddiness that suits the teenage frame of mind.  It also helps to mitigate the effect of the cheesy synth score that swells around the characters at every significant glance or passionate kiss.  Speaking of kisses, Janey is the one to initiate the first kiss with Jeff, which is rather cool - she's a shy, inexperienced good girl, and she is the one to take control of the physical relationship.  I dig it.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - Jeannie and Michelle

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is the very archetype of a chick flick. Our two unlikely lovers meet, thrown together in unlikely circumstances - they have chemistry, but their conflicting interests threaten to derail both of their careers. Through it all, they reconcile for an implied happily ever after. Our main character Andie (Kate Hudson) is the "how to girl" for Composure magazine. Her love interest is Ben (Matthew McConaughey) "beer and sports guy" at a top ad agency. The two begin dating under equally deceptive circumstances, orchestrated by two ladies with questionable ethics: she is writing an article about the things not to do in a relationship; he has been set up on a bet to make a woman fall in love with him in order to land a large ad account. She drives him batty with clingy, obsessive behavior while he astounds her expectations by sticking with her through the teddy bear invasion, and the nick-naming of his penis, among other things. And while their lies and deceptions set up their courtship for disaster, we all know it will end well for these two pretty people.

Never Been Kissed - Anita

Never Been Kissed is an adult nerd's fantasy - Josie Geller (Drew Barrymore) is a clever, socially awkward copy editor at a leading newspaper in Chicago. At 25 she is still scarred from the bullying and humiliation she suffered in high school, so when she is assigned to go undercover to get the inside scoop on teenagers, she is thrilled to get a second chance to be one of the cool kids. Naturally, she struggles with this, and with the help of her brother eventually does 'transition' into the popular crowd... (what's up Jessica Alba, James Franco). I'm sure most of you have seen it. Josie finds herself crushing on her English teacher (Michael Vartan) who is drawn to her as well - uh oh! She's supposed to be 17! And here is the main conflict in this cookie-cutter fantasy. It's a coming-of-age story, only she's not a teenager, but still it culminates at prom where Josie is crowned Prom Queen, and everyone learns a valuable lesson about bullying.

Josie and the Pussycats

Josie and the Pussycats is a fun, silly satire about teen obsession for bands and a mild criticism of the commercialization of the music industry specifically, the entertainment industry more generally. Steve Madden, Hostess, Puma, Reebok, Rite Aid, Starbucks, Motorola, McDonalds, John Frieda, Bugles, Target, TGI Fridays, Bloomingdales, Adidas, Revlon, TJ Maxx, Evian, Sega... all of these brands and more are visible in the movie. Certainly this is nothing new nor absent 9 years later - in Lady Gaga's video for Telephone, several brands are represented. Of course, with the increased availability of digital music, it's harder for artists and record companies to make a profit, so this promotion is mutually beneficial.

Coming Soon...

Just for kicks, I thought I might do a brief mid-week update, based on new and soon-to-be releases I'm looking forward to (in no particular order):

Mean Girls - Janis Ian

It was only a matter of time before I tackled Mean Girls. While this movie has a diverse cast of female characters, I've picked Janis Ian (Lizzy Caplan) as our beta-friend. This movie was incredibly popular when it was released in 2004, and was Lindsay Lohan's most successful film. The story is about Cady Heron (Lohan), but we actually have an alpha-female who is not the main character: Regina George (Rachel McAdams). Based on the book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, and written by Tina Fey, Mean Girls is essentially an anthropological satire about bullying, cliques and the social hierarchy in high school. It also addresses friendship, relationships, trust and identity.

Whip It! - Pash

Whip It! is the best female-driven movie of 2009, as far as this feminist is concerned.  The tag line is empowering as well: Be your own hero.  The story of Bliss Cavender's (Ellen Page) Roller Derby-ing into womanhood as Hurl Scout 'Babe Ruthless', this movie addresses many real issues young women face:  creating an identity while living under the influence of parents; finding a place in a new community; discovering one's sexual desires; first love; first heartbreak; taking a different road from your best friend; living up to one's passions and ambitions...

If you dig this blog (or happen to be a friend of mine)...

Check out some more chick-flick related blog articles!  Via Jezebel: Why does Katherine Heigl make such crappy movies? and Look at how funky he is.  This weekend I will be reviewing Alia Shawkat as the bestie in Whip It! starring Ellen Page, directed by Drew Barrymore.  It is quite the tour de female force!  I know y'all are excited...

No Blog Post This Week

I had initially planned to write up a post this weekend, but I was unable to make time to watch a chick flick  - I was on a mini-vacation with my mom to Martha's Vineyard, and then when I got home my desktop got attacked by some malicious virus!  I know!  Fortunately my ex is good with computers and was able to consult with me over the phone as to my best path of action.  Of course,  I threw a bit of a temper tantrum - there were tears, and I stomped my feet and screamed expletives at the internet gods - perhaps disturbing the upstairs neighbors, which, serves them right, as they have the bass pumping at all hours of the day and night sometimes.  Gotta release the stress somehow!  I'm backing up my files as I type (thanks for the netbook, Mom!  You're the greatest!) and I should have everything settled by Wednesday with my desktop.  I don't know what I'd do without it.  My netbook doesn't have the greatest graphics for watching video.  So, moral of the story is, hope to whatever deity you hold sacred that you never experience such a vicious, inconvenient attack, and I will do a proper review next week.

-Liz

Baby Mama - Angie

Baby Mama stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and is the tale of Kate, an aging, single executive with a T-shaped uterus yearning for a screaming, pooping, puking spawn of her very own.  Angie is an aspiring designer with a useless common-law husband whom she leaves to move in with Kate.  Kate's controlling nature and Angie's childishness are a recipe for disaster, right?  Well, the story doesn't go very smoothly, with Angie initially lying about carrying Kate's embryo, then finding out she's pregnant after all, only it's got her DNA and not Kate's.  This is a tricky movie for my blog, because Kate and Angie's dynamic isn't exactly a traditional friendship - Kate is paying Angie for a service, essentially outsourcing her pregnancy.  They are an unlikely pair, friendship wise, because of their drastically different upbringings and social expectations.

Bring It On - Missy

Bring It On is the quintessential cheering movie of the aughts.  I mean, who doesn't know what "Spirit Fingers" are?  Starring Kirsten Dunst as Torrence Shipman, newly elected cheer captain and Eliza Dushku as cynical newcomer Missy Pantone, this movie has earned cult status in the world of female-dominated high school athletics.  Because it was so wildly successful, it has spawned nearly a half dozen campy, horrible, made-for-TV sequels.  Despite this, Bring It On is still a brilliant teen movie.  There always seems to be a satirical aspect to teen movies.  Take a look at the name of the high school where our story takes place:  Rancho Carne.  Google translates this as "beef ranch".  Rancho Carne Toros.  Beef Ranch Bulls.  Ahem.  Is this a thinly-veiled reference to the hormonally-driven meat market that is high school?  Or does it have to do with student athletics - strength, virility?  Or maybe I'm looking a little too deep into it.  All I know is, it made me think of burritos.  Mmm, carne asada...  Moving on!  This movie is actually pretty tame when compared to more recent teen comedies (Mean Girls, The Hot Chick, Euro Trip).  Other than the highly amusing and satirical opening, for the most part Bring It On is at its most suggestive when the characters are discussing sexual orientation.  Dyke and fag are used as offensive terms, but the characters own it as part of the lexicon, part of their culture.

New Moon - Jessica and Alice

I am not ashamed to say that I am a fan of Twilight.  Well, not that ashamed.  I do still feel that I have to defend my enjoyment - I fully recognize the book series is hardly high-quality literature, and the movies are, well, no better than the books.  I don't care.  It's entertaining to say the least.  It's a part of pop culture, and I've embraced it, while I am still critical of it's message.  New Moon is my favorite book in the series, and any Twi-hards will hate my reason - because Edward isn't there!  That's not to say I prefer Jacob (and here I am with my mom drinking wine and counting down the minutes to Taylor Lautner's big reveal... ahem) but it's nice to get that mopey Byronic hero out of the way for a little while. There is actually something really cool and unique about this series, that can at least be observed in the movies:  female desire is actually taken seriously.  It's not a gimmick, or played for cheap laughs, or pornographic.  In most chick-flicks or teen movies, the main female protagonists dress scantily/sexily.  Bella, however, dresses in ratty t-shirts, thermal knit, plaid and thick, shapeless coats, and is the one to push the boundaries of her and Edward's physical relationship.  Meanwhile, in New Moon, Jacob spends more time with his shirt off than on, and even Robert Pattinson as Edward gives the eager audience a little strip-tease.  It should also be telling at this point that I haven't even mentioned our beta friends yet.

Clueless - Tai and Dionne

Clueless is a 90's teen movie take on Emma by Jane Austen, starring Alicia Silverstone, the late Brittany Murphy, and Stacy Dash. Cher Horowitz (Silverstone) is a vivacious, bright, naïve, ditsy daddy's girl in Beverly Hills. Like her literary counterpart, Cher is a matchmaker. Her sidekicks are Tai (Murphy) and Dionne (Dash). This movie is rife with makeover montages, fashion shows and little romantic dramas. From Dionne and Murray's constant bickering, to Tai's sassy stoner tendencies, this movie is fantastic as a female-driven, candy colored vehicle of outrageously 90's proportions. The script is really something special, though clearly teenagers written by adults. "Buggin'?" "Jeepin'?" Clueless, in all its Hollywood exaggeration, is at least a legitimately teenage movie. I do remember a lot of the vernacular becoming de rigeur, while Never Been Kissed's "roofus" was pretty clearly an adult's imagining of how teen slang comes about.

Legally Blonde - Paulette

Yet another walk down memory lane! From the early aughts, Legally Blonde is a fantastically funny tale of a Beverly Hills beauty queen's transformation into an exceptional case-cracking law student at Harvard. The effervescent Reese Witherspoon is brilliant in the role of Elle Woods - her naïveté is charming and disarming. But enough about her, the subject of this weeks blog is Paulette Bonafonté, played by the buxom Jennifer Coolidge. I've chosen her over Margot and Serena because she is the only meaningful female relationship Elle has throughout the movie (by chick flick standards, anyway), while Margot and Serena are phone-in friends, for most of the part. Still, Paulette doesn't say much, for all the screen time she logs. Mostly she's a bumbling, stumbling, middle-aged mess of a manicurist.

Bechdel Test/Rule

I think it's necessary for me to cite the Bechdel Rule as a reference of a feminist inspiration for this blog. The comic speaks for itself, but here's more info via NPR.

10 Things I Hate About You - Mandella and Chastity

10 Things I Hate About You holds a very special place in my nostalgic teenage heart. Starring Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger, with a brilliant cameo by the incomparable Allison Janney, this film is simply brilliant. A modern-day retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, this movie definitely falls under the category of rom-com, while it is a teen movie. I'll also say it is a chick flick - I don't care if I did most recently watch it with my good (male) friend Tony. He doesn't have a very discerning taste in movies. Anyway, on to the analysis! One could argue that this movie has an ensemble cast, and as such, I am covering two beta friends of distinct purpose and disposition.

The Ugly Truth – Joy

This weekend I watched The Ugly Truth starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. Our Beta-Friend is Joy, played by Bree Turner. Joy is beta in every sense of the word – she is Abby’s (Heigl's) associate producer on a local morning news show and requisite bathroom buddy. Within the first 10 minutes of the film Joy is established as such when she says: “These [my breasts] have not been touched in quite some time, I have to live vicariously in your dating life and I really think this could be our next boyfriend!” She is funny, slightly more crass than Heigl's character, and is positively gleeful when watching a train wreck happen on air during the morning broadcast. She seems to take a more zen stance to the state of her singleness, and while we never really get to know her, I like her more than Abby.

Coming soon!

My blog here is all brand new, and later tonight I will hopefully have my first official post. I'm working on the content now from work, and there are some things I'll have to do from the home computer, hence the delay. I am really excited to start this project! I've seen probably dozens of chick flicks over the years, so I'll likely be revisiting a lot of them. I would love suggestions as to what movie to do next, so comment away! Tonight's blog will be about "The Ugly Truth."