Clinton Leupp Movies
The confessional, behind-the-scenes showbiz melodrama goes under the knife -- so to speak -- in this drag comedy. Girls Will Be Girls casts three male performers in the roles of Evie Harris (Jack Plotnick), a has-been starlet of the '70s who has since gone to seed in her decaying Hollywood home; her best friend and domestic servant, Coco (Clinton Leupp); and Varla (Jeffrey Roberson), the daughter of a deceased peer/rival of Evie's who shows up to rent out a room in her home. The tension among the trio of women escalates as Evie prepares for a pull-out-all-the-stops television special commemorating her past career glories, which include sundry disaster movies and TV variety shows. What Evie doesn't know is that the naïve-seeming Varla has a debt to settle for her deceased mom, and will stop at nothing to seek vengeance. All three lead actors developed their characters in stage shows and cabaret acts; writer/director Richard Day wrote for such television shows as Ellen and The Larry Sanders Show before helming this film, his debut. After its 2003 Sundance premiere, Girls Will Be Girls was acquired by IFC Films for a theatrical release. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Plotnick, Clinton Leupp, (more)
- 1996
With nods in direction of Picture Perfect and Pretty Woman, this romantic comedy opens with classy corporate executive Jane (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) discovering her boyfriend/colleague John (John Dossett) in bed with another woman. Exiting into the New York night, she grabs a rundown Checker cab, driven by Nick (James McCaffrey). Jane's friend Vickie (Lisa Gay Hamilton), who thinks Jane should make John jealous, hatches a plan that would give taxi-driver Nick a fake executive background with an alias, "Nolan Miller." Falling for this, John suggests Jane invite Nolan to the annual company luncheon. Jane promises Nick an easy $1500 if he will go through with the charade, and he agrees. Then comes the gender-switch on Pretty Woman as Nick gets a Madison Avenue makeover. By this time, naturally, Jane is realizing she's attracted to Nick, and events become triangulated. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, James McCaffrey, (more)
A handful of zoo animals leave behind their well-protected environment for the streets of the big city in this computer-animated comedy. Sampson (voice of Kiefer Sutherland) is the king of a make-believe jungle far from the African plains -- he's a lion on display at a zoo in New York City's Central Park, and he lords it over the other animals, including Nigel (voice of Eddie Izzard), a testy koala bear; Larry, a dumb but well-meaning snake; ; Bridget (voice of Janeane Garofalo), a bright but cynical giraffe; and Benny (voice of Jim Belushi), a very New York-ish squirrel who is good friends with Sampson and is trying to romance Bridget without much success. The pride and joy of Sampson's life is his son, Ryan (voice of Greg Cipes), and he's devastated when one day Ryan is crated up and shipped back to Africa. Sampson is desperate to find his boy, and with the help of his pals he escapes the zoo and sets out on a daring mission to rescue Ryan, battling the unfamiliar terrain and Kazar, a wildebeest with a will to power and a passion for choreography (voice of William Shatner) along the way. The Wild was the first directorial credit for animator and special-effects artist Steve "Spaz" Williams. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kiefer Sutherland, Jim Belushi, (more)
