Z/Web

Author: Adam Herz

Director: Paul Weitz

All the reviews I’d heard of this comedy about teen life concentrated on how raunchy it was; I was pleasantly surprised that it actually has some depth, intelligence, and even a sweet love story. That said, it brings out all the extremes of high school life, mostly dealing with various forms of embarrassment, especially sexual. I suspect adults would find it shocking, but kids would just say it’s normal life. Certainly better than Animal House, often used as a comparison film. (I’ve never understood the attraction of that movie; I thought it was lame and pointless.)

Author: Trey Callaway

Director: Danny Cannon

The plot: Every five minutes Jennifer Love Hewitt puts on a sexy new outfit and becomes terrified, seeing dead bodies or having a nightmare about a guy in a rain slicker with a hook for a hand. Most of the time these are lame fake scares (incredibly lame because it’s easy to tell the fake from the real because the real ones happen without warning while the fake ones include about three or four minutes of “tension” buildup). I don’t remember the original being this bad — it’s amazing what Hollywood can do to ruin a sequel.