Old Millennials Remember Movies Angela Yoshiko

Don’t hate her because she’s beautiful. Hate her because she’s the smartest person in the room. While the marketing for “Legally Blonde” suggested a movie about a ‘dumb blonde squaring off against academia,’ it’s clear from the onset that Reese Witherspoon’s Elle Woods is more than equipped to handle Harvard Law School and the spoiled rich kids who think wearing pink is a crime.



The box office success of “Legally Blonde” propelled Witherspoon to the A-List (culminating in an Oscar win in 2005 for “Walk the Line.”) It’s also a pretty unusual movie with each of the three acts working in their own distinct genre.



Act I is a rom-com setup with Elle trying to win back her superficial college boyfriend.

Act II is a “college” movie where Elle struggles to connect with the other Harvard snobs.

And Act III is set in the courtroom (never mind that Elle has only completed, maybe, a single semester of law school).



Luckily, it’s all pleasantly comedic! Even after more than 20 years! Also, look! Sexism and toxic masculinity lives on forever!



Old Millennials hosts Angela and Tyler examine the legacy of “Legally Blonde,” including how the movie drastically changes the tone of its source material (the book by Amanda Brown) and whether the great Jennifer Coolidge rescues the notorious “Bend and Snap” sequence.



Also, one of the co-hosts is currently enrolled in law school! What’s realistic about the depiction? Why did Harvard agree to let their school seem… well… less than stellar? How the hell does anyone manage a near-perfect score on their LSAT exam? Seriously, that test is hard!



It’s all here in the latest episode of Old Millennials Remember Movies, including a segment where Tyler tries to remember what he learned in Criminal Law (it goes poorly). Also, inexplicably, Tyler considers himself to be the “Elle Woods of his law school.” Good luck getting the Bar to consider your admission, Bud!



Also discussed in this episode:



Dune Part 2 (2024) (Dune Part 1 discussed in episode 115)

Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

Ricky Stanicky (2024)

Damsel (2024)

Spaceman (2024)

True Detective: Night Country (2024 limited series)

Loudermilk (Netflix)

Star Trek: Prodigy (Netflix)

In this special episode of Old Millennials Remember Movies, we remember and share our favorite movies from 2023.



Despite his intense schedule of law school, continuing to write part-time, and still helping to raise our four kids, Tyler still found time to watch more than 125 movies that came out in 2023. Per usual, he came up with a pretty respectable list for his Top 10 Movies for 2023. I, on the other hand, crammed as many 2023 movies in weeks before recording (and delayed recording until March!). I also wanted to spice it up and try something different this year, so I ended up choosing specific criteria that ruled out some of the more popular movies of the year. It challenged me to watch some movies I otherwise might not have watched.



Even though our lists are pretty different, we have some fantastic crossovers. Take a break from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s movies with the Old Millenials, and check out some great flicks from 2023 (many of which are available to stream at home).



We'll be back to our usual programming next week! We have been in the mood to re-watch Titanic, but we'll see...



Tyler's Top 10



Anatomy of a Fall

Past Lives

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse

Barbie

All of Us Strangers

Asteroid City

May December

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Tie: Killers of the Flower Moon AND Oppenheimer (Tyler is a cheater)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem



Angie's 2023 Top 10 



Bottoms

Polite Society

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Quiz Lady

A Thousand and One

Fair Play

Past Lives

Barbie

Rye Lane

Nimona



Tyler's 2023 Honorable Mention



American Fiction

Bottoms

Dream Scenario

Godzilla Minus One

The Holdovers

The Iron Claw

John Wick: Chapter 4

Polite Society

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest



It was a great year for movies in 2023, and I'm looking forward to a strong showing in 2024 as well as some re-visits to our past-time flicks from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.



Thanks for Listening!



-Angie

"Hercules! Hercules Hercules!" - some Eddie Murphy character not in Disney's "Hercules."



The first half of the 1990s was a pinnacle for Disney Animation. After the run of "The Little Mermaid" (technically 1989), "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin" and "The Lion King" (plus Pixar's debut "Toy Story" in 1995), the studio had nowhere to go but down, though many Old Millennials (us included) will vouch for the likes of "Mulan" and "Pocahontas."



But "Hercules?" Man, "Hercules" is weird. Trying to Disney-fi grisly mythology is a daunting task all on its own. Then attempt to add songs, an underdeveloped female pro/antagonist, and a rambling James Woods as Hades. It's a colorful movie but messy as a functional narrative.



That's not even mentioning Danny DeVito doing a dry run for Frank Reynolds on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and, look, that sounds good on paper, but his sidekick character Phil might be a sex predator, which seems a little out of place here.



Old Millennials hosts Tyler and Angela try to remember if they ever even saw "Hercules" back in the 90s. They did, but, you know, it's not that memorable. Plenty to discuss nevertheless, including a nerdy breakdown of how the movie squanders its best song, "Go the Distance," by splitting it up into 20-second segments in between expository dialogue.



The Old Millennials also attempt to decipher Meg, a character with a fiery personality and a muddled backstory. We'd rather watch a movie all about Meg and why she appears to be indebted to Hades. Hercules is a dullard. Plain toast. Maybe a little  margarine. You may believe it's butter, but you won't believe they created such a dull lead for this movie.

Also discussed on this episode of Old Millennials Remember Movies



Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)

Lightyear (2022)

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)

The Gray Man (2022)

ChickenHare (2022)

Army of One (2016)



 

All this movie really needed to be great was Brendan Frasier defeating a bunch of swordfighting ghouls before turning to the camera and grin-shrugging, "Mummies!"

Lt. Dan can't go to space because he *might* get the measles, then Bill Paxton gets all sick up there. Maybe Tom Hanks is poisoning them, or they all have space dementia like Steve Buscemi.

"Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey."



The swooning words to Seal's mega-hit song from the "Batman Forever" soundtrack most likely refers to the relationship between Batman/Bruce Wayne and Dr. Chase Meridian, and definitely NOT the working relationship between actors Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey. So the legend goes, the crusty Oscar winner did not sanction Mr. Carrey's buffoonery.



Despite stories of onset turmoil thanks to Jones and Val Kilmer (taking the cape and cowl from Michael Keaton), "Batman Forever" was a box office sensation in 1995, thanks in large part to Carrey's mid-9os superstardom. The quip-filled script and decidedly lighter touch from director Joel Schumacher was also a welcome relief to studio execs who thought Tim Burton's gloomy, grimy (and brilliant) "Batman Returns" from 1992 was way too dark for superhero-obsessed kiddos.



It wasn't just the box office. The soundtrack sold millions, McDonald's sold amazing glassware, and the studio felt so good they let Schumacher go even crazier with the 1997 sequel, "Batman & Robin." Yeesh.



So is "Batman Forever" anything substantial besides a corny 90s relic? Yes and no. The movie has some incredible production design, and, despite a few too many quips, the manic energy of Carrey suits this version of The Riddler just fine. And, wowza, Nicole Kidman is super horny for Batman in this movie. Bruce Wayne though? Eh, he's just okay.



It's Jones' Two-Face that sticks out like a half-scarred thumb. Clearly the dude wanted to be the Top Villain in the movie, and that meant going as BIG as Jim Carrey. Big mistake, Sam Gerard.

Old Millennials Remember Batman Forever

Old Millennials hosts Tyler and Angela discuss showing their very baffled kids "Batman Forever" for the first time, as well as the entire family's confusion over the age of Chris O'Donnell's Dick Grayson (aka Robin). Bruce Wayne takes him in so as to avoid paperwork at Gotham Child Services, but Dick Grayson is obviously 30 YEARS OLD.



They also discuss bat-nipples (of course), the incompetence of Commissioner Gordon and Alfred's lackadaisical approach to Wayne Manor security. Plus we have a rundown of our favorite terrible lines, from "My life's an open book, do you read?" to "Wanna take a ride in my love machine, BAEBAE?!" But we will defend a few other lines, like, say, "That's never going to heal if you don't stop picking" and "Holy rusted metal, Batman!" Because the ground... it's metal... it's full of holes...

Also discussed on this episode of Old Millennials Remember Movies



Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers (2022)

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

The Lost City (2022)

Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021)

Moon Knight (2022 TV series)

Good Girls (TV series)

The Avengers (2012)