The Cat's Meow

The Cat's Meow
April 12, 2002
Lions Gate etc.
Historical, Mystery, Drama, Comedy
DVD
B-

I don't think it's just that this follows Gosford Park that makes me feel that it's a lesser film.  It doesn't quite work, although it's interesting.  Unlike Gosford, it's based on a real-life mystery, the death of producer Thomas Ince in 1924, possibly on board William Randolph Hearst's yacht.  The main characters are based on real people, notably Hearst, played by 59-year-old Edward Herrmann (who was one of the on-screen "swells" in Purple Rose of Cairo), and his long-term mistress Marion Davies, played quite well by Kirsten Dunst at 19.  Others in the cast include Eddie Izzard as Charlie Chaplin, Joanna Lumley as Elinor Glyn (who came up with the concept of "It" for sex appeal), and Jennifer Tilly as Louella Parsons.  I will say that the costumes, particularly "Lolly's," are much better than in Gosford, where they are either plain (for the servants) or genteelly bland.  The Hollywood setting helps.

Claudie Blakley is almost unrecognizable as Didi the flapper here, compared to her role of mousy but strong Mabel Nesbitt in Gosford.

Wag the Dog

Wag the Dog
January 9, 1998
New Line Cinema
Comedy
VHS
B-

This was released the same day as Good Will Hunting, but it has dated worse, partly because it became dated almost immediately.  Yes, the writers are not to blame that Clinton would be involved in a sex scandal (with an over-21 intern rather than a teenage Firefly Girl), but the timing could've been better.  The main problem is that the movie generally is never as incisive and clever, or for that matter as impressively outrageous, as it thinks it is.  2009's In the Loop would be better on all these counts, as well as have an actual war result within the film rather than a "pageant" of war.  That said, I think Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman work well together.  (They would later be in-laws in Meet the Fockers, which I've seen but don't own.)  Anne Heche isn't bad but makes less of an impression.  And the less said about Woody Harrelson's psycho rapist comic relief character, the better.

George Gaynes, who kept hitting on Hoffman in Tootsie, here has a much smaller role, as Senator Cole.  Kevin Furlong was Dennis Riday in Hot to Trot, and is Jockey #2 here.  Phillip V. Caruso is primarily a still photographer, but he played photographers in this and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.  Jenna Byrne plays Sharon here and would be Cindy Castellucci in The Wedding Singer, while Jason Cottle is A.D. here and would play Byrne's husband Scott there.  Derrick Morgan is a CIA Agent here and would be Armcast Henson in Never Been Kissed.

As in In & Out, Jay Leno appears as himself.  Craig T. Nelson plays the President's opponent, Senator John Neal.  This time, Kirsten Dunst plays Tracy Lime, the young actress pretending to be Albanian.  Andrea Martin isn't given much to do as brainstormer Liz Butsky, but she does it flamboyantly of course.

At least it has a better title than "Good Will Hunting," even if it does need an explanation.

Little Women (1994)

Little Women (1994)
December 25, 1994
Columbia
Drama, Comedy, Historical, Romance
VHS
B-

In thinking it over, I'd actually put this movie at the same level as the 1933 George Cukor version.  Winona Ryder, then 18, does a fine job in stepping into Katharine Hepburn's shoes, with her own equally valid interpretation of Jo.  The other sisters are again neglected, although Marmee's role (played by Susan Sarandon) has been beefed up and made to more closely resemble Alcott's mother.  The sisters do have some nice little moments, in particular 13-year-old Kirsten Dunst as Amy (whom I miss when she's recast for the grown-up Amy scenes), but I would like to see more balance in some version someday.

And at least they have something to do, unlike most of the men.  With the exception of Christian Bale as Laurie, and to some degree Gabriel Byrne as Professor Bhaer, the male characters are either miscast/misinterpreted (John Brooke) or almost nonexistent (Mr. Laurence and Mr. March).  One thing that the '33 version did much better was show how gruff Mr. L interacts with the March sisters, Jo and Beth especially.  And Mr. M seems to have only three lines in this go-round.  Incidentally, I'm using the "romance" tag here although I didn't for the '33 version, because it seems like romance is a bigger deal here, including quite a bit of smooching and almost-smooching.

Of other female characters, I would've liked to have seen more of film veteran Mary Wickes, as Aunt March, since she could've done a lot with the part.  (Wickes died the following year, at 85.)

I will say that the movie moved me more emotionally than the '33 version, although I did find some of the line delivery a little stilted, if less than in the not-far-from-the-silent-era earlier take.  Both remain less than the book they're based on.  (Reviewed here, http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2012/02/little-women.html .)  Admittedly, that's one of my favorite books, but in the first half of the '90s both Enchanted April and Joy Luck Club showed what could be done with adaptations.

Daniel Olsen, who plays a Wounded Soldier, would be an MIT student in Good Will Hunting.