Latest news with #Clueless
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
This modern homage to Jane Austen is genuinely charming, but it's no Clueless
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life ★★1/2 M, 98 minutes From a 21st-century vantage point, it's all too easy to pigeonhole the novels of Jane Austen as the ultimate in prim and proper Englishness – although their plots still hold up, as Clueless in the 1990s showed brilliantly. Imagine how the French must see her. Or rather, you don't have to imagine it, because you can get an idea from Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, a first feature from the French writer-director Laura Piani. The bilingual Camille Rutherford stars as the heroine Agathe, a constant reader whose taste for Austen is portrayed as highly unusual by Parisian standards, even among admirers of the classics. Agathe is a misfit in other ways, the kind who laments she was born in the wrong century. Long-limbed and charmingly awkward, she works at the famous English-language bookstore Shakespeare & Company (as Piani did too), writes unpublished romances in her spare time, and derides dating apps as 'Uber sex'. If she's holding out for her own version of Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, she could be waiting a while, nor is there much sign of her literary career getting off the ground. So her friend and co worker Felix (Pablo Pauly) decides to give her a hand, signing her up for the Jane Austen Residency, a writer's retreat held at an English country house (the locations were all in France, not that it matters). Here she meets Oliver (Charlie Anson) a buttoned-up literature professor who also happens to be a distant connection of the Austen clan. While he's no great admirer of his ancestor's work, there's something oddly familiar about his standoffish manner, which puts him at odds with Agathe from the moment they meet. Could it be that she's met her match at last? Or has she been led astray by over-exposure to 19th century novels, with her real chance at happiness lying closer to home?
The Age
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
This modern homage to Jane Austen is genuinely charming, but it's no Clueless
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life ★★1/2 M, 98 minutes From a 21st-century vantage point, it's all too easy to pigeonhole the novels of Jane Austen as the ultimate in prim and proper Englishness – although their plots still hold up, as Clueless in the 1990s showed brilliantly. Imagine how the French must see her. Or rather, you don't have to imagine it, because you can get an idea from Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, a first feature from the French writer-director Laura Piani. The bilingual Camille Rutherford stars as the heroine Agathe, a constant reader whose taste for Austen is portrayed as highly unusual by Parisian standards, even among admirers of the classics. Agathe is a misfit in other ways, the kind who laments she was born in the wrong century. Long-limbed and charmingly awkward, she works at the famous English-language bookstore Shakespeare & Company (as Piani did too), writes unpublished romances in her spare time, and derides dating apps as 'Uber sex'. If she's holding out for her own version of Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, she could be waiting a while, nor is there much sign of her literary career getting off the ground. So her friend and co worker Felix (Pablo Pauly) decides to give her a hand, signing her up for the Jane Austen Residency, a writer's retreat held at an English country house (the locations were all in France, not that it matters). Here she meets Oliver (Charlie Anson) a buttoned-up literature professor who also happens to be a distant connection of the Austen clan. While he's no great admirer of his ancestor's work, there's something oddly familiar about his standoffish manner, which puts him at odds with Agathe from the moment they meet. Could it be that she's met her match at last? Or has she been led astray by over-exposure to 19th century novels, with her real chance at happiness lying closer to home?
CNN
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘Clueless' director Amy Heckerling looks back on the inspiration for everyone's favorite scary dad, Mel Horowitz
CNN — There are few patriarchs within the teen film genre like Mel Horowitz in 'Clueless.' The straight-talking litigator portrayed by Dan Hedaya terrifies everyone in his path – with the exception of his daughter Cher, played by Alicia Silverstone in the beloved 1995 film. He's a man of multitudes. Direct and assertive, yet attentive and loving. The heavily New York–accented Mel is an outlier to the breezy Beverly Hills setting of the movie. Although 'Clueless' is loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel 'Emma,' the film's director Amy Heckerling drew on a range of influences outside of Emma's father, the charming Mr. Woodhouse. 'I suppose the main inspiration for Mel was my father – an angry accountant. He was always yelling about one thing or another,' Heckerling recently told CNN over email. 'I never seemed to figure out how to diffuse his anger, unless we were driving and I'd stick in a Benny Goodman or Mills Brothers tape.' Heckerling continued to build Mel, taking cues from detective and gangster archetypes, looking for an actor who would be normally cast in such roles – like 'Law & Order' star Jerry Orbach or Quentin Tarantino fixture Harvey Keitel. Both were approached, but prior filming commitments and a strict budget for 'Clueless' kept either from landing the role. Hedaya came into the picture via a recommendation from a friend of Heckerling. 'He looked like he could play Bob Shapiro, the famous litigator working on the O.J. trial. I was so happy we were able to get him,' she said of casting the character actor, whose other credits include 1996's 'The First Wives Club' and playing Richard Nixon in 'Dick' in 1999. In 'Clueless,' although Cher is Mel's only biological child, he opens his home to his college-aged stepson Josh, played by Paul Rudd. Mel 'treats him like a son,' according to Heckerling. Studying law, Josh spends an inordinate amount of time at the Horowitz mansion, aiding Mel in his legal cases and referring to him as 'dad,' much to Cher's chagrin. But in Mel's words, 'You divorce wives, not children.' While other characters who encounter Mel appear to find him scary, 'Cher only sees lovable daddy,' Heckerling observed. Cher possesses the ability to stay positive and calm in the face of her dad's fury, which is something Heckerling learned when dealing with her own father: 'If anger is coming at you, it doesn't mean you have to let it in.' In a touching scene toward the film's climax, Mel lists Cher's personal achievements, mentioning that her organizational skills and caring nature reminds him of Cher's dearly departed mother. Although Mel is seen as tough, he's also fair. His ability to verbalize praise sets him apart from fathers in similar features at the time, such as the overbearing Walter in '10 Things I Hate About You' (Lary Miller), rigid Harlan in 'She's All That' (Tim Matheson) and the legacy-obsessed Sam in 'Varsity Blues' (Thomas F. Duffy).
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Alta raises $11M to bring ‘Clueless' fashion tech to life with all-star investors
Throughout her years working in technology, Jenny Wang, 28, always found herself stumbling back to one idea — a personal styling agent to help users decide what to wear and buy based on their budget, lifestyle, weather and calendar. She has tried to build such a product numerous times in the past, 'but the AI technology was not yet mature enough,' she told TechCrunch. That's changed so a few months ago she announced the launch of her dream company, Alta, followed by the announcement today of an $11 million seed round led by Menlo Ventures. The product, which feels straight out of the movie 'Clueless,' is indeed an AI stylist and personal shopper that makes outfit recommendations and lets users try on those looks with their personalized virtual avatar. For example, a person can ask Alta what the best outfit might be for, say, TechCrunch Disrupt, and the AI will offer suggestions and present a lookbook of outfits. Users upload their closet by either taking photos, forwarding purchase receipts, or searching what is already in the Alta database. People can also dress themselves in clothes they are looking to buy, mixing and matching with clothes already in their closet. There are others playing around in the AI styling space, such as Whering and Cladwell, all trying to recreate the magic of that iconic scene in 'Clueless,' where Cher plans an outfit from her closet using computer technology. Want considers herself to be part of the new wave of consumer technology, looking to make styling and shopping more effective. 'There are existing players like Google Shopping and Pinterest who are also experimenting with AI,' she continued. 'But the experiences that consumers will crave and use in the future will need to be built with new technical architectures and new user interfaces.' The product is backed by some heavy names, including Michelle Obama's stylist Meredith Koop, who Wang said helped train Alta's AI. Other investors in the company include Benchstrength; Algaé Ventures, the investment firm backed by fashion's prestigious Arnault family of LVMH; Phenomenal Ventures, the firm founded by Kamala Harris' niece Meena; Anthroptic's VC arm Anthrology fund, and a slew of angel investors including Doordash CEO and co-founder Tony Xu, super models Jasmine Tooks and Karlie Kloss, Rent the Runway co-founder Jenny Fleiss, and Poshmark CEO and co-founder Manish Chandra. Wang used the word 'aligned' to describe her fundraising process and leaned heavily on the network she amassed while working in various tech roles throughout her career. She's a Harvard engineer by training and has invested in numerous companies, served as a technical advisor to brands, and also held roles at investment firms. Years ago, for example, she was an intern at Doordash and previously volunteered on Karlie Kloss' podcast 'Kode with Klossy.' 'I am still actively coding every day and learning from our team and technical advisors,' she said. Wang said the fresh capital will be used to grow the team and fund more research and development. 'Our team is continuously updating our in-house models and improving the experience based on community feedback,' she said. Alta has already struck a partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to offer Alta to its membership base. Wang used to live in San Francisco but relocated to New York to help build out the technology. 'NYC is also a closer flight to Paris than SF,' she said, adding that LVMH and one of her angel investors, tech influencer Zita d'Hautville, is helping the company expand throughout Europe. Alta is also working with Marie Kondo as the company also expands throughout parts of Oceania and the Pacific. The plan is to next look at partnering with retailers worldwide. 'Many of the most exciting consumer AI companies are being started in NYC,' Wang continued, adding that she's assembled a highly technical but also fashion-obsessed team. This startup is her dream come true. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Clueless' director Amy Heckerling looks back on the inspiration for everyone's favorite scary dad, Mel Horowitz
There are few patriarchs within the teen film genre like Mel Horowitz in 'Clueless.' The straight-talking litigator portrayed by Dan Hedaya terrifies everyone in his path – with the exception of his daughter Cher, played by Alicia Silverstone in the beloved 1995 film. He's a man of multitudes. Direct and assertive, yet attentive and loving. The heavily New York–accented Mel is an outlier to the breezy Beverly Hills setting of the movie. Although 'Clueless' is loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel 'Emma,' the film's director Amy Heckerling drew on a range of influences outside of Emma's father, the charming Mr. Woodhouse. 'I suppose the main inspiration for Mel was my father – an angry accountant. He was always yelling about one thing or another,' Heckerling recently told CNN over email. 'I never seemed to figure out how to diffuse his anger, unless we were driving and I'd stick in a Benny Goodman or Mills Brothers tape.' Heckerling continued to build Mel, taking cues from detective and gangster archetypes, looking for an actor who would be normally cast in such roles – like 'Law & Order' star Jerry Orbach or Quentin Tarantino fixture Harvey Keitel. Both were approached, but prior filming commitments and a strict budget for 'Clueless' kept either from landing the role. Hedaya came into the picture via a recommendation from a friend of Heckerling. 'He looked like he could play Bob Shapiro, the famous litigator working on the O.J. trial. I was so happy we were able to get him,' she said of casting the character actor, whose other credits include 1996's 'The First Wives Club' and playing Richard Nixon in 'Dick' in 1999. In 'Clueless,' although Cher is Mel's only biological child, he opens his home to his college-aged stepson Josh, played by Paul Rudd. Mel 'treats him like a son,' according to Heckerling. Studying law, Josh spends an inordinate amount of time at the Horowitz mansion, aiding Mel in his legal cases and referring to him as 'dad,' much to Cher's chagrin. But in Mel's words, 'You divorce wives, not children.' While other characters who encounter Mel appear to find him scary, 'Cher only sees lovable daddy,' Heckerling observed. Cher possesses the ability to stay positive and calm in the face of her dad's fury, which is something Heckerling learned when dealing with her own father: 'If anger is coming at you, it doesn't mean you have to let it in.' In a touching scene toward the film's climax, Mel lists Cher's personal achievements, mentioning that her organizational skills and caring nature reminds him of Cher's dearly departed mother. Although Mel is seen as tough, he's also fair. His ability to verbalize praise sets him apart from fathers in similar features at the time, such as the overbearing Walter in '10 Things I Hate About You' (Lary Miller), rigid Harlan in 'She's All That' (Tim Matheson) and the legacy-obsessed Sam in 'Varsity Blues' (Thomas F. Duffy). Just make sure you don't sit in Mel's chair.
