In an update (or modernized version) of The Scarlet Letter, Emma Stone gives one of her best performances in Easy A. It's always easy to be confused by her hair, be it blonde or brunette. She even said in an interview that one of them was her actual natural color. She leads a great cast in this film.
Good-girl/level-headed Olive (Stone) tells her friend Rhiannon (Aly Michalka) in the ladies room at school that she lost her virginity to a college guy. Listening in is the jealous religious girl Marianne (Amanda Bynes) which she later spreads around the school, leading to a chain reaction of things pinned on Olive. Living the lie, she enjoys the attention for a bit until it gets way out of hand. Her teachers even become involved.
It goes without saying its a great teen movie for this generation. And by modern, I mean by technological ways, like webcasts and such. Olive narrates most of the movie through her webcast. It's a great story, and despite of what I said in the opening statement above, it's not necessarily completely based on Scarlet Letter. There are some parts not related that are mixed in.
Paul Rudd gives a great serious performance as a teacher, and I believe this was the last Amanda Bynes film before she went weird....I mean really weird. Check this one out!
My rating: 8 out of 10
Showing posts with label teen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teen. Show all posts
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
03/25: The Perks Of Being a Wallflower
One critic called this movie 'this generation's Breakfast Club'. I'm gonna have to disagree with that person right away. I see no connection to those movies except for the fact they are high school movies. This sleeper hit seemed to have been more popular in book form (it was a best-selling novel starting in 1999), and while it may have underperformed in theaters (actually it was a limited release to four theaters), it was very popular on DVD and Blu-ray.
It's about a boy named Charlie (Logan Lerman) who attends high school as a freshman. His best friend had recently committed suicide, so he is always willing to meet new friends. He open-mindedly explores people and different things. At a football game, he starts hanging around step-sibling seniors, Patrick and Sam (Ezra Miller and Emma Watson). They become best friends as Charlie becomes more attached to their clique, even performing in their weekend 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' plays. The clique is pretty much known to be outcasts, as Charlie comes off as very shy and not sociable. He also ends up dating one of the fellow outcasts.
The part(s) where the movie lost me are in the second half. All the emotional moments; some not having to do with any of the story. But I'm sure its there to confuse the viewer, as most of them probably read the book. Or maybe I was the only one who was confused, or dissatisfied with its overdramatic scenes. I know, I critized the Breakfast Club in the same way, but here I'm talking about more serious scenes. And I'm assuming the part about finding 'their special song to speed in the tunnel' is not meant to be taken seriously. But it ends okay, I guess. Which I won't give away.
This will probably be the most negative review of this movie, but I'll be fair in some ways.
My rating: 5 out of 10
It's about a boy named Charlie (Logan Lerman) who attends high school as a freshman. His best friend had recently committed suicide, so he is always willing to meet new friends. He open-mindedly explores people and different things. At a football game, he starts hanging around step-sibling seniors, Patrick and Sam (Ezra Miller and Emma Watson). They become best friends as Charlie becomes more attached to their clique, even performing in their weekend 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' plays. The clique is pretty much known to be outcasts, as Charlie comes off as very shy and not sociable. He also ends up dating one of the fellow outcasts.
The part(s) where the movie lost me are in the second half. All the emotional moments; some not having to do with any of the story. But I'm sure its there to confuse the viewer, as most of them probably read the book. Or maybe I was the only one who was confused, or dissatisfied with its overdramatic scenes. I know, I critized the Breakfast Club in the same way, but here I'm talking about more serious scenes. And I'm assuming the part about finding 'their special song to speed in the tunnel' is not meant to be taken seriously. But it ends okay, I guess. Which I won't give away.
This will probably be the most negative review of this movie, but I'll be fair in some ways.
My rating: 5 out of 10
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
03/11: Little Big League
Spring is almost here, baseball (my favorite sport to watch) is almost here as well, so I'm gonna go ahead and do a kids/baseball movie. It's almost like a fantasy movie not just for kids but for teens and adults too. After all, who wouldn't want to inherit a baseball team let alone a sports one?
Yes, that's exactly what happens to 12 year old Billy Heywood, whose grandfather owns the Minnesota Twins. One day though, his grandfather suddenly dies and in a pre-videotaped segment he reveals that Billy will get the Twins. Of course, it becomes a cool transition for the young pre-teen who also tries to be more adult-like while balancing his childhood education and activities. Billy is also faced with several challenges, business-wise, most importantly terminating his long-time verbally abusive manager, who Billy eventually takes over. Billy is faced with double duty in leading the Twins and turning around its morale. But he is also faced with his personal challenges at home too, including his two close friends.
A fun movie, from start to finish. I wish this would have been a bigger movie but in most ways its for the best. Unfortunately this also wasn't a sleeper hit very much, or one of those movies that got better with time. I do think every adult or at least someone who was a pre-teen at the time this movie came out (1994, as I was at the time) should show someone from the (Y or Millenials generation). I guarantee they would get a kick out of it. Not many well-known stars, unless you would recognize John Ashton from the Beverly Hills Cop movies. However, you'll also notice a lot of pro-ball players at the time in too, such as Eric Anthony and Rafael Palmeiro. Oh, and there's that great cameo from Ken Griffey, Jr. too.
My rating: 8 out of 10
Yes, that's exactly what happens to 12 year old Billy Heywood, whose grandfather owns the Minnesota Twins. One day though, his grandfather suddenly dies and in a pre-videotaped segment he reveals that Billy will get the Twins. Of course, it becomes a cool transition for the young pre-teen who also tries to be more adult-like while balancing his childhood education and activities. Billy is also faced with several challenges, business-wise, most importantly terminating his long-time verbally abusive manager, who Billy eventually takes over. Billy is faced with double duty in leading the Twins and turning around its morale. But he is also faced with his personal challenges at home too, including his two close friends.
A fun movie, from start to finish. I wish this would have been a bigger movie but in most ways its for the best. Unfortunately this also wasn't a sleeper hit very much, or one of those movies that got better with time. I do think every adult or at least someone who was a pre-teen at the time this movie came out (1994, as I was at the time) should show someone from the (Y or Millenials generation). I guarantee they would get a kick out of it. Not many well-known stars, unless you would recognize John Ashton from the Beverly Hills Cop movies. However, you'll also notice a lot of pro-ball players at the time in too, such as Eric Anthony and Rafael Palmeiro. Oh, and there's that great cameo from Ken Griffey, Jr. too.
My rating: 8 out of 10
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
03/05: Go Ask Alice
This strangely, bizarre TV movie was based on the controversial novel of the same name. The title itself comes from the Jefferson Airplane 'White Rabbit' lyric, possibly referring to 'Alice in Wonderland'. The song is known for its drug references, which also triggered a lot of controversy during the turbulent 1960s. Before the days of ABC's 'Afterschool Special', this would've been a great fit.
So why do I say strangely and bizarre to this tragic drama? I really don't want to give it away, but for starters, the story is NOT true. It is not based on any individual, alive or dead. Instead, it is believed that it was the common stereotype of a good girl gone bad after hanging with the wrong crowd. Such were those times during the 1960s (as well as any generation for that matter). Alice is a high schooler who turns to alcohol and drugs while trying to adjust to a new place and school. Peer pressure gives in. It is always a tragedy to see someone make horrible choices, including those that affect not just their behavior and habits but their loved ones and friends. We see this as the movie goes, as Alice slowly descends.
As always the case, the book supposedly provides more details. I have not read it, as I'm sure it is very hard to come by. Perhaps, the Pirate Bay may have a copy, who knows. I'm gonna have to deduct some points since while this was a TV-movie, it should have been longer. Sometimes stories like these don't take that amount of time, and I feel it could have been 'beefed up' in a way. What's also noteworthy is this has William Shatner playing Alice's dad. This was during, what I call his 'slump years' between the two Star Trek periods. It's also Mackenzie Phillips' first project, right before American Graffiti.
My rating: 4 out of 10
So why do I say strangely and bizarre to this tragic drama? I really don't want to give it away, but for starters, the story is NOT true. It is not based on any individual, alive or dead. Instead, it is believed that it was the common stereotype of a good girl gone bad after hanging with the wrong crowd. Such were those times during the 1960s (as well as any generation for that matter). Alice is a high schooler who turns to alcohol and drugs while trying to adjust to a new place and school. Peer pressure gives in. It is always a tragedy to see someone make horrible choices, including those that affect not just their behavior and habits but their loved ones and friends. We see this as the movie goes, as Alice slowly descends.
As always the case, the book supposedly provides more details. I have not read it, as I'm sure it is very hard to come by. Perhaps, the Pirate Bay may have a copy, who knows. I'm gonna have to deduct some points since while this was a TV-movie, it should have been longer. Sometimes stories like these don't take that amount of time, and I feel it could have been 'beefed up' in a way. What's also noteworthy is this has William Shatner playing Alice's dad. This was during, what I call his 'slump years' between the two Star Trek periods. It's also Mackenzie Phillips' first project, right before American Graffiti.
My rating: 4 out of 10
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
02/18: Wild Things
So...did you do it?
No.
Then you got nothing to worry about....
That's one of my favorite conversational quotes. It was between Bill Murray's lawyer character and Matt Dillon's character Sam. Sam is a high school guidance counselor who is accused of rape by two female students, Suzie (Neve Campbell) and Kelly (Denise Richards), after they go to his house. It is later revealed that the whole thing is a set-up and numerous accusations and suits come up and the three of them hope to split the dough, which is 8 million.
There are several plot twists throughout the movie, as well as several backstabbing events, with not to GIVE IT AWAY (SPOILER), but until there is one person left standing. Of course, I'm not going to give it away who, but as you watch the movie, you'll pretty much get an idea. Greed and manipulation play important parts of the movie. The film is also described as trashy yet likeable.
I remember during the late 90s during the prime of the film's stars. Neve Campbell was 'the girl next door' and she seemed unstoppable with her endless string of hit films. But it all came to an end. (Reminds me of Alicia Silverstone) Same goes for Denise Richards and Matt Dillon. But you also have Hollywood veterans who play minor roles (Murray, Robert Wagner and Kevin Bacon) so I guess you can say this had an all-star cast.
This film is not for children, but for teens who are used to watching sexual situations, then hey, go ahead. The film is notorious for its overly usage of sex scenes, as well as the lesbian kiss, etc. If you would like to watch it for a late-90s trip in time, this would be great too. This was not much of a hit at the box office at the time (Spring of '98) but it became more popular post-theatrical run.
My rating: 6 out of 10
No.
Then you got nothing to worry about....
That's one of my favorite conversational quotes. It was between Bill Murray's lawyer character and Matt Dillon's character Sam. Sam is a high school guidance counselor who is accused of rape by two female students, Suzie (Neve Campbell) and Kelly (Denise Richards), after they go to his house. It is later revealed that the whole thing is a set-up and numerous accusations and suits come up and the three of them hope to split the dough, which is 8 million.
There are several plot twists throughout the movie, as well as several backstabbing events, with not to GIVE IT AWAY (SPOILER), but until there is one person left standing. Of course, I'm not going to give it away who, but as you watch the movie, you'll pretty much get an idea. Greed and manipulation play important parts of the movie. The film is also described as trashy yet likeable.
I remember during the late 90s during the prime of the film's stars. Neve Campbell was 'the girl next door' and she seemed unstoppable with her endless string of hit films. But it all came to an end. (Reminds me of Alicia Silverstone) Same goes for Denise Richards and Matt Dillon. But you also have Hollywood veterans who play minor roles (Murray, Robert Wagner and Kevin Bacon) so I guess you can say this had an all-star cast.
This film is not for children, but for teens who are used to watching sexual situations, then hey, go ahead. The film is notorious for its overly usage of sex scenes, as well as the lesbian kiss, etc. If you would like to watch it for a late-90s trip in time, this would be great too. This was not much of a hit at the box office at the time (Spring of '98) but it became more popular post-theatrical run.
My rating: 6 out of 10
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