OLD SCHOOL (2003)

Directed By: Todd Phillips  Written By: Todd Phillips & Scot Armstrong Story by: Court Crandall, Todd Phillips & Scot Armstrong Cinematography: Mark Irwin  Editor: Michael Jablow 

Cast: Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Jeremy Piven, Juliette Lewis, Ellen Pompeo, Elisha Cuthbert, Craig Kilborn, Leah Remini, Perrey Reeves, Seann William Scott, Rick Gonzalez, Simon Helberg, Matt Walsh, Artie Lange, Sara Tanaka, Patrick Fischler, Harve Presnell, Sarah Shahi, Bryan Callen, Eddie Peppitone, Jerod Mixon, Gregory Alan Williams, Rob Corddry, James Carville, Snoop Dogg, Warren G, 

Mitch, Frank and Beanie are disillusioned with their personal lives beginning when Mitch's nymphomanic girlfriend, Heidi, cheats on him, then former party animal Frank gets married, but unwilling to let go of his wild life, and Beanie is a family man seeking to reclaim his wild and crazy youth. Beanie suggests that they form their own fraternity in Mitch's new house on a college campus to re-live their glory days by bringing together a variety of misfit college students, losers, middle-aged and elderly retirees as their new friends and later try to avoid being evicted by the new Dean of Students, Pritchard, whom still holds a personal grudge against all three of them.

STRANGE DAYS (1995)

Directed By: Kathryn Bigelow 
Written by James Cameron & Jay Cocks 
Cinematography: Matthew F. Leonetti 
Editor: Howard E. Smith & James Cameron 


Cast: Ralph Finnes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott, Vincent D’Onofrio, Glenn Plummer, Brigitte Bako, Richard Edson, William Finchter, Josef Sommer, Nicky Katt, Michael Jace, Todd Graff 


A former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a conspiracy in Los Angeles in 1999.

MA (2019)

Directed By: Tate Taylor 
Written By: Scotty Landes 
Cinematography: Christina Voros 
Editor: Lucy Donaldson & Jin Lee 

Cast: Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, McKalley Miller, Corey Fogelmanis, Juliette Lewis, Luke Evans, Missi Pyle, Allison Janney, Gianni Paolo, Dante Brown 

A lonely woman befriends a group of teenagers and decides to let them party at her house. Just when the kids think their luck couldn't get any better, things start happening that make them question the intention of their host.

HYSTERICAL BLINDNESS (2002)

Directed By: Mira Nair 
Written By: Laura Cahill (Based On Her Play) 
Cinematography By: Declan Quinn 
Editor: Kristina Boden 

Cast: Uma Thurman, Juliette Lewis, Gena Rowlands, Justin Chambers, Ben Gazzara, Anthony De Sando, Callie Thorne Two friends lament their unhappy single lives while searching for Mr. Right in 1980s New Jersey.

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)

Directed By: Jeremiah Chechik 
Written By: John Hughes 
Cinematography By: Thomas Ackerman 
Editor: Jerry Greenberg & Michael Stevenson 
Music By: Angelo Badalamenti 


Cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, John Randolph, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Randy Quaid, Doris Roberts, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Johnny Gaelecki, Juliette Lewis, Sam McMurray, Brian Doyle-Murray, William Hickey, Nicolette Scorsese 


*Please note that some trivia and facts have been republished from imdb among other sources In this review

JEFF OF THE CINEFILES & UNFINISHED BUSINESS: HALL OF FAME FILE #0034: ROMEO IS BLEEDING (1992)

Directed By: Peter Medak 
Written By: Hillary Henkin 
Cinematography By: Dariusz Wolski 
Editor: Walter Murch 
Music By: Mark Isham 

Cast: Gary Oldman, Annabella Sciorra, Lena Olin, Juliette Lewis, Roy Scheider, Michael Wincott, James Cromwell, Tony Sirico, Will Patton, David Proval, Ron Perlman

THE WAY OF THE GUN (2000)

Written & Directed By: Christopher McQuarrie
Cinematography By: Dick Pope
Editor: Stephen Semel

Cast: Benecio Del Toro, Ryan Phillippe, Juliette Lewis, Nicky Katt, Taye Diggs, James Caan, Sarah Silverman, Geoffrey Lewis, Scott Wilson, Kristin Lehman

STARSKY & HUTCH (2004)

Directed By: Todd Phillips
Written By: Todd Phillips, Scot Armstrong & John O'Brein
Story By: John O'Brein & Stevie Long
Based On Original Characters By: William Binn
Cinematography By: Barry Peterson
Editor: Leslie Jones

Cast: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, Jason Bateman, Amy Smart, Fred Williamson, Snoop Dogg, Carmen Electra, Richard Edson, Chris Penn, Brande Roderick, Molly Simms, Matt Walsh, Patton Oswalt, Judah Friedlander

WHIP IT! (2009)

Directed By: Drew Barrymore
Written By: Shauna Cross
Based On The Book By: Shauna Cross
Cinematography By: Robert D. Yeoman
Editor: Dylan Tichenor

CAST: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig, Landon Pigg , Jimmy Fallon, Zoe Bell, Eve, Andrew Wilson, Ari Gaynor, Juliette Lewis, Alia Shawkat, Har Mar Superstar

Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut is much like her personality. It’s cute, fun, funny and surprising. With a career in front of the camera for almost all of her life and working with so many talented directors and running her own production company. It really goes to show that while she was working, she was taking notes and paying attention because she definitely picked the right story to direct and is more successful then I believe most people would have thought.

The film based on the young adult novel by the same name it’s the story of a teenage girl whose mother always enters her in beauty pageants and doesn’t really fit in too much in her town then she discovers a all female roller derby league and enters into it and finally blooms and bonds with people.

This is the type of film you usually discover you see the advertisements and think it’s going to be one way but then when you actually sees it. It is totally different and it has an energy and mood that is infectious that you can’t help but find yourself smiling throughout.

It has a bunch of cliché filled scenes but the difference is they end in a totally different way. I’m not going to lie this film is a chick flick but not the typical one where the guys will be eyeing the exit and checking there watches. It has a girl power theme but can be entertaining to both sexes

The performances are all good but special Mention goes to Andrew Wilson as the girls coach. Juliette Lewis who whenever she is on screen in most movies puts a smile on my face and usually makes me laugh as bliss’s rival on another team and Kristen Wiig as bliss’s surrogate mother on the team. Drew Barrymore has a supporting role that is more comedic then anything and she really throws herself into as the member of the team who is always getting injured. Ellen page has seemed to corner the market on this type of role not exactly JUNO here not as wisecracking and more shy. But I can see why she choose this over the film DRAG ME TO HELL which she dropped out of to be in this film. This seems to speak more to her sensibilities and resume.

At heart the film is a coming of age film told from a female’s perspective. The film doesn’t clearly define exactly if the film takes place in the 90’s or the 2000’s. It also has her mother have the least likely job for a woman who is so obsessed with Pageant’s and being a lady.

It also has a very good soundtrack. This is a must see.

GRADE: B

THE BASKETBALL DIARIES (1995)

Directed By: Scott Kalvert
Written By: Bryan Goluboff; 
 Based on The Book By: Jim Carroll
Cinematography By: David Phillips
Editor: Dana Congdon

Cast: Leonardo Dicaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Patrick McGaw, James Madio, Josh Mostel, Bruno Kirby, Lorraine Bracco, Juliette Lewis, Michael Rappaport, Ernie Hudson, Brittany Daniel, Cynthia Daniel, Toby Huss, Jim Carroll, Michael Imperioli, Vincent Pastore