34. The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie (2010, Direct-to-Video Animated)
I'm just going to be honest: I'm not a big fan of the raunchy, go-out-of-my-way-to-be-offensive style comedy that the Drawn Together franchise uses. Do I find it genuinely offensive? Not really -- most of the time it's very sarcastic and quite clever, which is definitely more my style. So while the writers are clearly quite capable of a more mature style of comedy, yet for some reason there's a whole bunch of people who prefer all the cerebral junk delivered in a tasty potty humor shell. And I find the gratuitous raunch (raunchiness for raunchiness' sake!) kind of off-putting. But not offensive.
So with that in mind, I decided to check out the movie (I had never seen the series) prepared to roll my eyes a lot.
To my surprise, I actually liked the movie. There was plenty of gratuitous raunch, but it was all just so very, very funny. The story was fast-paced and there were some very well-written barbs in there. I may just have to check out the series now ...
If I had seen this when I was about sixteen (and was thus part of the target audience), I really would have loved it. So, in that sense, this remake was really well done! Just enough blood to be gross and enough crazy to be interesting, but definitely not scary enough to give me nightmares.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the acting. Dylan Walsh and Penn Badgley, in particular, did pretty well with what they were given. The writing of this film was not great ... or even remotely original. It fits every aspect of the Teen Thriller Archetype and was less boring than 2007's Disturbia.
The movie didn't require any brainwork but was still quite a tasty way to pass some time. It was fun and got the pulse racing a few times.
There's not really a whole lot to say about this one that hasn't been said before (and isn't exactly what you'd expect.
If you're a fan of the series and enjoy(ed) watching the evolution of these characters, then the movie is fairly satisfying as an end to the series. My friend said that it felt much more like a long, extended episode than the first movie did. And I am inclined to agree.
Samantha was on her absolute worst behavior, Charlotte's image of perfection was perfect yet again crumbled and Miranda was as hilarious and neurotic as always! Carrie, of course, continued to spew her same misinformed ideas about healthy relationships. Delicious!
This movie was about Cropsey, a mythical serial killer in Staten Island.He is the man parents warn their children about in order to keep them from wandering into the woods at night. All of Staten Island assumed Cropsey was just a story until developmentally disabled children began disappearing. Cropsey
It sounds really interesting: dark, mysterious with just a touch of social justice? Meh. It was actually rather dull -- I started nodding off in the theater. Most dull was the fact that the documentary never actually went anywhere. Every time I thought it was leading to somewhere stupendous, I was let down. It was frustrating. And boring.
I was also quite annoyed by how various people (director, narrator) kept going on and on and on about how this documentary (a NINE YEAR PROJECT)raised more questions rather than giving any answers -- like that's a good thing. Yes, inquiry is an important part of learning and yes, all great research initially raises more questions than answers. After nine years, though, wouldn't you think there would be some answers? To brag about the fact that there are no answers rather than address it as an unfortunate reality seems lazy.
The most interesting parts were the parts that examined the investigation and trial of Andre Rand, who was ultimately found guilty of kidnapping and murdering two of the girls. The evidence was circumstantial at best and the whole ordeal really highlighted how great the need to place blame is for some communities. And, truly, at the end of the movie I wasn't sure whether Rand was a scapegoat or a criminal. And if the movie had presented itself as an examination of social justice and trial, that would have been great.
I think the filmmakers were trying to do too much. They had two major projects: 1. examination of how an urban legend is used within a community and 2. examination of social justice and crime in America. And it was just too much for one movie.
This was really beautiful, from the cinematography to the language to the music to the stunning Penelope Cruz.The movie was rife with stereotypes but I wasn’t bored.
I’m not I will ever understand why people push one another away.I’m not sure anyone in the world ever will.The prevalence of aversion to true trust and intimacy is so perplexing, particularly since it is something that is clearly good for us.It enriches our lives and helps us to grow.That is not to say that the presence of another is absolutely necessary for a full and good life. I’m just talking trends in human behavior!
So … that’s what the movie is about, more or less.And it had the impact you might expect.So it was a beautifully-made movie that told a sad, effective, touching story.
I don’t know what my problem is, but I just couldn’t get over how sad so much of it was.One of my high school English teachers / drama coaches was fond of saying “A movie should be like a two-hour escape from real life.”And as much as those perfect, Hollywood endings make me roll my eyes, a big part of me gets equally exasperated at filmmakers who seem so eager to deny me the joy of a wholly unrealistic happy ending.
As someone who spends a great deal of time with teenage girls – as well as a survivor of that whole … scene --I am fascinated by that whole queen bee / mean girl dynamic.So I guess that’s why this movie wound up on my Netflix queue.As to why I spent a Friday night watching it, I can’t really tell you. Blame it on the warm weather; blame it on a long work week; blame it on the fact that I have 9 instructional days until sweet, sweet freedom! For whatever reason, I settled in this evening for some wholesome PG fun.
Did you know that the word “bitch” (and not in the context of dog breeding) is allowed in a PG film? Yeah, neither did I. Until … The Clique! This movie was fucking crazy.
There are so many things I want to say about this movie – far too many for me to stick with standard narrative flow. I must create a list of the things that made this movie so unbelievably, jaw-droppingly insane:
1.Claire.Now, I am not one for Blaming The Victim … but whoa. This girl was a major glutton for punishment; no matter how rude and hostile the clique became, Claire kept coming back for more!I think after a couple of harsh run-ins most of us would just cut our losses and avoid the Queen Bee. Claire, on the other hand, actively sought her out. It was really uncomfortable … like watching a gal with her skirt tucked into her tights.
2. Massie.In no universe could this girl be 12. And by “this girl” I am referring both to the actress and the character.Also: she was a completely fabulous supervilliain. Really just over-the-top and campy.
3. Vincent.The flaming, flamboyant art teacher.So exceptionally bitchy! I loved him!
4.Chris Abeley.The actor was kind of a nonentity, but I cannot get over how awesome it was that all the star-struck girls kept referring to him by his full name. Hee! Hello teenage years!Such a weird, weird hilarious formality. Also, they sometimes call him “Chris Babely” which is also hilarious and awesome.
Oh, man. The acting was horrible. I mean … just awful, awful, awful.The characters and storyline were completely implausible.And I was wholly entertained the entire time.
I doubt I will ever want to watch this movie again (which is why it will not get the coveted F grade), but it certainly was fun while it lasted (unlike New York City Serenade, which is probably the worst a movie can be without being so-bad-it’s-good)!
28. Commune(2005, Documentary) In the past year or so, it has come to my attention that even if I am not exactly a hippie, I do exhibit some hippie-ish tendencies (into which we need not delve further!). Anyway, one aspect of hippiedom that has always both intrigued and repelled me (not in an "Ewww, gross!" sense, more in a "Wow -- that lifestyle would just NOT work for me sense) is the commune. Although I am way into people generally looking out for one another and embracing all sorts of families, I am perplexed by how often communes seem to begin with completely sexist models of living and how quickly they become totally corrupt or anarchic. Call it human nature, I guess.
Anyway, Commune did not disappoint. While the structure could have used some work (I would have liked to see a slightly stricter narrative structure; it was kind of hard to get a linear grasp on anything), I really enjoyed the integration of past and present interviews and pictures/film. The director seemed to focus on the motif of how the desire for freedom can actually become really stifling and restrictive (seen mostly in the examples of lovers who felt like they couldn't make an agreement to be exclusive and Elsa Marley's (one of the founders of the commune at Black Bear Ranch) desire to create art). Maybe I enjoyed it because that's one of the things that worries me so much about these structures.
Overall, the director did a good job of presenting a fairly balanced view of things, highlighting both highs and lows, seeing people talk about great experiences and sa dones, people who loved the lifestyle and those who hated it (Michael Moore he was not!). And this movie was just the right length! 78 minutes -- perfection. Long enough that I feel like we really got into some neat stuff, but short enough that it didn't become boring.
The prodigal blogger returns. Since March 7th I have seen several movies but have not been blogging. At all! My bad. In the interest of time, I am just going to post names of movies I have watched and overall grades. Maybe someday I will come back and write fuller reviews. Probably not.
March 7th
17. Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland: The 3D IMAX Experience (2010, Fantasy)
Final Grade: B-
March 27th 18.Darkon (2006, Documentary)
Final Grade: B+
March 28th
19.Serving in Silence (1995, Made for TV)
Final Grade: C
March 29th
20.When Night is Falling (1995, Romance)
Final Grade: C-
March 31st
21.Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009, Comedy)
Final Grade: B-
April 10th 22. The Big Lebowski (2009, Comedy) Final Grade: B
23. Bingo! The Documentary (1999, Documentary) Final Grade: B+
24. Arranged (2007, Drama) Final Grade: A
April 17th
25. The Alphabet Killer(2008, Thriller) Final Grade: D
April 18th
26. We Live in Public (2008, Documentary)
Final Grade: B+
April 25th
27.Sunshine Cleaning (2008, Dramedy)
Final Grade: B+/A-
At this point in my project ...
There are 223 days left in 2010 (Approximately 30 weeks)
I have 73 movies left to watch.
This means I need to watch approximately 2.5 movies a week in order to stay on track.
I had better get to work!
16. Congo (1995, Action) Action is not usually my style (although the beautiful Laura Linney totally is), but I have been obsessed with this movie since the first day I saw it on the shelf at Blockbuster -- you know, back when people still went to Blockbuster. I was twelve, though, and not in charge of video rentals. I am proud to say that now I am almost 27 and I will watch Congo if I darn well please!
Like so many other things we insist we will do once we're old enough (tattoos and jello shots come to mind), Congo was about five parts awesome and fifty parts WHAT.WERE.YOU.THINKING?! So let's address the obvious features of Congo:
Talking Gorilla -- kind of unusual but it's real, so whatever.
Civil War in the Congo -- again, very sadly real. What I can't quite buy is that so many people would just blatantly ignore the civil unrest and go ahead crossing borders willy nilly
Active Volcano -- once again, very real ... and once again, I can't quite buy that people would insist on blatantly ignoring the she's-about-to-blow situation (perhaps a metaphor for the script?) for the sake of gorilla-returning missions/nefarious secret missions (which leads me to ....)
CIA! CIA! CIA! -- again, the CIA is just as real as communicative gorillas, civil unrest and volcanoes, and OF COURSE they would be involved here. Such flat characters, though! I swear, if they had been any more dastardly stereotypical, they would have been twirling their handlebar moustaches whilst tying the beautiful Laura Linney (or heck, Amy the Talking Gorilla) to railroad tracks. Or the active volcano.
Laser Crystals -- Because, I guess, items 1-4 were JUST NOT ENOUGH TO WORK WITH, Crichton included the fact that in the middle of this Congo jungle (and right on top of the volcano) there are FLESH-EATING ALBINO GORILLAS burdened with the ANCIENT TASK of guarding LASER CRYSTALS. Read that again. Seriously.
So we have these five uh ... situations all tied together with mangled accents, astoundingly poor dialogue and questionable acting. And the beautiful Laura Linney, of course. When I think about movies, and what makes a specific movie an A+ or an F-, one thing I must consider is the Rewatch Factor. Will I want to rewatch this again in a day? A week? Five years? Never?
So even though it is a cesspool of all that was the mid-90s action genre, Congo has a magnificently high Rewatch Factor (I couldn't stop talking about it for a week and found myself trying to convince people to watch it with me, even as I complained about How!Bad! it was) ... and has catapulted itself into the coveted So Bad It's Good category, earning it a Final Grade of F for FREAKING AWESOME! (As mentioned with New York Serenade, a genuinely shitty movie with a Rewatch Factor of -29, I feel that an F can only be earned by a movie that is So Bad It's Good ... which Congo definitely is. Hey. Want to watch it with me?)
I am going to come right out and be honest about the fact that this was not a well-made Documentary. The cinematography was shaky and the narrative did not flow well. That said, this was a very powerful and important movie and I am glad that someone made it.
The film centers around the organization Girls Education Monitoring Services (GEMS), a group which provides shelter and education to young women who have fallen prey to sexual exploitation.
I was touched by the stories that came from the group -- stories of triumph and of relapse, of degredation and acceptance. I was so touched, in fact, that the second the movie ended I e-mailed the organization to find out how I can help.
Final Grade: A (really, it deserves a B/B-, but it actually spurred me into action, which I can't really say about anything else in this dang project)
Very interesting examination about the increasingly blurred line between Politician and Celebrity.What struck me most was the insistence on the part of the many, many celebrities interviewed is the responsibility of each one of us to be informed and to make every effort to learn. I think there was a really interesting question that was, if not answered, at least raised for discussion. As celebrities who have the attention of the American people, do they have a greater responsibility to stay current and informed? Or do they have a greater responsibility to remain quiet about their own political views?
In particular, I really enjoyeddiscussion with musical artists.I could not believe that CSNY was BOOed for expressing run-of-the-mill CSNY views – the shift that we’ve made from music as a standard political tool to music being more media to consume (and now politics are media to consume as well). I would have liked a more in-depth look at that.
I really do appreciate the effort that the director obviously took in making sure that this movie at least attempted to be bipartisan. Michael Moore he is not (I think Moore is an irresponsible documentarian. I agree with him 9 times out of 10, but his films are just so insanely unbalanced).
On a positive note, watching two politically-charged movies in one day has totally revived my political fervor. Hello 2010 election season! I AM READY FOR YOU!
Nicely done. Especially great in terms of the aesthetic it presented. Very 1970s.Delicious acting from James Franco and Emile Hirsch in particular. Both were very convincing in who they were and what their characters believed. I hate, hate hated Diego Luna’s character ... but I think that is what was intended by the filmmaker. I just couldn't get over how beautiful Franco and Penn looked together.
Overall, I found the movie to be very respectfully and honestly made even as it dragged somewhat. Actually, that is putting it lightly. My girlfriend and I both found ourselves saying "This is a really great movie ... but it is SO LONG!" We both reacted emotionally to this film, which is also important as it is part of our ... heritage, I guess you could say.
It was very hard to watch Milk dragged away from his moral center (Franco) – and what is sadder is that we only saw the soul-diminishing rise to the top and not the redemption, the return to the flock. I understand that that is part of why this was such a tragedy, that so much of Milk's plans would go unrealized as his life was cut painfully short.
Bert and Verona, a long-term yet unmarried couple, moved from Chicago to live near Bert's parents. Three months before her due date, his parents (Catherine O'Hara, I love you! You have chosen some fantastic roles in recent years!) announce that they are going to move ... to Belgium. Longing for an extended family for their daughter, Bert and Verona embark on a journey in order to find the perfect place to raise a child.
I think what surprised me most about this movie is how well it works as en ensemble piece. As they travel from place to place, they meet family (both close and distant relatives) and friends in a series of vignettes. Allison Janey is a hilarious and wholly inappropriate former boss; Maggie Gyllenhaal is a free-breast-feeding, orgasmic-birth-pushing earth mother type. Seriously ... I don't think I've ever seen Maggie Gyllenhaal so, so funny.
In between destinations, John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph do a rather wonderful job of showing us Bert and Verona's love story. And ultimately the audience is reminded that love is really about people holding each other up, supporting each other through the slings and arrows of existence (wow, dramatic much?). Seriously, though. That's what love is, and this movie demonstrates that lesson beautifully.
My only bone to pick with the movie was the subplot about Verona's inability to deal with the death of her parents many years before. It just seemed too typical, I suppose, an unnecessary addition to a movie that was already filled to the brim with feelings and BIG TRUTHS. I came around, though, and found myself a little bit choked up as that particular thread reached its admittedly inevitable and predictable conclusion.
I laughed a lot and cried a little ... and felt better about the plight of humanity, just from watching two people do everything that they could to be good to one another.
Obviously, you don't go into watching a movie like Bride Wars expecting Oscar-caliber cinematic experience. It's not like I was anticipating a Slumdog Millionaire rival or anything. You don't watch it to be moved or challenged - you merely want a way to pass some time. That said, Bride Wars was pretty upsetting in that it represents so much of what is wrong with the culture around marriage today and what we bring our little girls up to believe.
The story: two little girls are best friends and one day see a wedding at the Plaza Hotel.Years later, they are still best friends who get engaged within days of each otherand both want weddings at – you guessed it – the Plaza Hotel! On the same day! War on! Of course, after they play a series of wedding-ruining pranks on one another with various degrees of hilarity and success, they realize that a wedding just isn’t right without your best pal standing up there with you.
The problem is that this movie sells the same kind of half-assed feminism as the Sex in the City franchise.Yes, there are great messages about not settling for the wrong person simply because you want to want to get married and about not having your wedding to please your parents or show how much money you have or one-up your friends … but it still places The Perfect Wedding (even though we are taught that “there’s no such thing as perfect”) up on a pedestal.Marriage is often treated as “the next level’ rather than a serious commitment. It is not some video game level to be achieved and conquered – and movies like this that could make a serious statement on the issue (while still getting laughs, a la Juno or I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) and don’t are just disappointing, I suppose. “Hold out for Mr. Right rather than settle for Mr. Right Now” is a great message – but wouldn’t “Be fine with yourself even if it means being single” be a much better one?
End rant.
What this movie does do well is stay true to its genre: comedy.There were several moments that could have been done with dramatic overtones and the director and actors chose instead to go for comedy – for which I was truly grateful. I also liked watching Anne Hathaway’s dancing.
Movie #10: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008, Dramedy)
Okay, okay. I admit that one of my favorite parts of my job is that it "requires" me (i.e. doesn't actually require me to, but I prefer to phrase it that way) to stay current on Young Adult literature. So that I can recommend books to kids. Of course. For no other reason do I feverishly anticipate each new addition to Kate Brian's Private series, stalking Amazon for release dates and then hurriedly rushing out to the nearest chain bookstore the day it is released. Nope. No personal enjoyment there. At all. At least it is somewhat relevant to my job -- so I feel like I can get away with reading books I might otherwise feel like I need to hide (as, you know, a teacher of literature and someone who is not, in fact, 12). The same can be said of why I watch Degrassi: The Next Generation and compulsively decided to buy copies of both The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and its sequel!
So it's not like I had high hopes for this movie. It falls firmly into the junk food category of my media intake. I'm aware that it's certainly not doing me any favors in the intellectual development department, but sometimes it's just what you want. Comfort food for the brain. Anyway, I had a snowday and thought it just might hit the spot. And it sort of did.
I really enjoyed the first movie, and I generally really like movies that feature separate storylines that sort of weave in and out of one another. And I like friendship. The second movie did not go down quite as well as the first, though, and I can't quite grasp why. I think some of the weirdness might come from the fact that while the first movie was an adaptation of the first book, the sequel was an adaptation largely of book #4 (and including elements of storylines from books 2 and 3) -- and maybe that was unwise of the writers (though I can see why they would choose to do that). I haven't read anything but the first book -- I probably should. For my research of course.
Some of the storylines and characters did not evolve as much as I would have liked. Carmen (played by America Ferrara) is still dealing with blended-family issues (though this time, it is her mother who is making her feel left out) and a severe lack of self-esteem ... she has not developed much of a sense of self yet, which is frustrating as a viewer. At least in this movie her character gets a little play. Lena (Alexis Bledel) has probably grown the most as a character since the first movie, but seems to force herself back into who her character used to be (and is helped along by her friends, who uncomfortably insist in a pivotal scene that she is not strong enough to do what she has to do alone ... mmm, empowerment!). Bridget (Blake Lively) continues to be the glamorous one, whose family woes are never resolved or appropriately develop. And is sometimes a very serious soccer player and sometimes an aspiring archaeologist (who, of course, makes a HUGE find). Always inconsistent. And then Tibby still gets the crappiest storyline.
And, of course, all of this is told through dialogue as cliched and contrived as one might imagine.
But sometimes, it's just what you're in the mood for, which is why I gave this a Final Grade: B- (instead of the C-area grade it deserved)
This movie was watched on 2/10/10. This review was posted on February 18th but was postdated for continuity.
I had been growing discouraged in this movie project. After Observe and Report and New York City Serenade can you really blame me? All that frustration went out the window when my roommate DVRed HBO's newest straight-to-TV masterpiece, a biopic on the extraordinary life of Temple Grandin. I first read about Professor Grandin in the title essay of Oliver Sacks' An Anthropologist on Mars several years ago and was always interested in her story. I never quite got around to reading one of her many books, though.
Well done, HBO. This is how you make a movie! To quote from my original notes, I thought that this movie was "beautiful. Beautifully written, beautifully acted (Claire Danes -- very, very well done!) and beautifully shot." Seriously, I have to give the biggest thumbs up to Claire Danes, who demonstrated what it means to commit to character. My girlfriend asked me, "How much time do you think Claire Danes spent studying or talking to Temple?" and I can only think "...a lot." This was one of those instances where you see the actor becoming the character -- seamless. The supporting cast also did a wonderful job (big ups to Catherine O'Hara and Julia Ormond -- beautiful performances as well).
Of course, as with any movie, what is most important is the story that is told and how the writer and director decide to tell it. The audience is never meant to feel sorry for Grandin. Rather than pushed toward pity, I felt called toward compassion (you like the alliteration?). I was reminded of the tremendous power of curiosity and the true necessity of having a willingness to understand others.
Final Grade: A
This movie was watched on 2/07/10.
This review was written on February 18th, but postdated for continuity.
I love comedy. I love Seth Rogen. I did not love this movie. Some of Rogen's most recent projects (this little number as well as Pineapple Express; I cannot speak for the others as I have not seen them) have been really disappointing.
I can see why a certain subgroup of the world's population (straight males, ages 14-20) might enjoy this movie: lots of "guy humor" (bodily functions and sex jokes), gratuitous shots of Anna Faris' cleavage, a familiar setting ... but the movie leaves a lot to be desired in terms of Rogen's character development.
I get that this is comedy and is not supposed to be anything particularly introspective -- but good comedy can do that. In Freaks and Geeks (and even in Knocked Up), there was some apparent character growth. Yes, this is more a fault of the writers than of the actor, but Rogen's been working for long enough that he should know better than to choose such an awful script.
As I watched this movie, I heard line after line that I was sure would wind up being repeated by drunken frat boys nationwide ... and I don't think that's a great image to have in your mind (unless, of course, you are watching the timeless Animal House).
This movie was mostly too much fucked-up brand humor ... so much so that it stopped being funny and was instead just fucked up. And it dragged on forever.
Final Grade: D+ This movie was watched on 2/07/10. This blog was posted online February 13th, but was postdated for continuity.
Wow. This movie was a spectacular disappointment. I mean ... it is just awe-inducing bad. I love New York City and I even have a (not-so) secret soft spot for Freddie Prinze Jr.'s weird, weird movie choices. This one was just a little too off, though. Even for me.
The movie seemed like the director was trying to color by numbers, following the style of those who have had success with other movies. The problem is that he has achieved a really inconsistent (and just plain weird) effect. At times (mostly when dealing with alcoholism or drug use), he was clearly going for a gritty Requiem for a Dream (now THAT is a killer new york movie!) effect, while at other time the film would slightly start to resemble an American Pie type movie (only not that funny). Honestly, it was just weird. Too weird. Not endearing weird.
Particularly painful is how hard these actors are all clearly working. And I think they might even be doing the best they can -- hell, the best that anyone could do (well, maybe not -- Freddie Prinze Jr. and Chris Klein are the two leads) -- with what little they were given (to be specific: lousy storylines, lousy dialogue, and obnoxious, flat characters furiously striving to be three-dimensional). The only really redeeming quality of this movie is that it would lend itself quite nicely to a drinking game. Bottoms up!
Final Score: D- (I feel it is just so not remarkable enough to earn the lowest grade) This movie was watched on 2/6/10. This review was written online on February 13th, but was postdated for continuity.
Movie #6: I Love You, Man (2009, Comedy) Very, very funny.
I knew it would be enjoyable to watch, since Jason Segel and Paul Rudd are both so hilarious and two of my favorites. I've been loving Paul Rudd since the Clueless days and Segel since Freaks and Geeks and I'm thrilled so see how much these two comedians have been working together in the aftermath of the Apatow explosion.
Anyway, the movie. The first 30 minutes were actually mildly uncomfortable to watch. I just felt so sad for Paul Rudd's character -- he was really lonely! All he wanted was a male friend! He had NO friends! None! It tugged on my bleeding heart. The dialogue was witty and there were bountiful awkward moments (a surefire way to make me love your movie).
For all its good points, though, something was just off about the whole thing. I think that the writers may have tried to integrate too many subplots. They made the movie drag out and took away from character development.
Final Grade: B This movie was watched on 2/6/10. This post was written on February 13th, but was postdated for continuity.
Most movies about teachers completely fall short of reality. This is not one of them. Of course, this is a very sharp, current satire … but the writer/director must have been a teacher himself or must be very close with at least one, because wow. So, so true.So many times, I found myself remembering similar situations from my own first (and second, third, fourth and fifth) year of teaching.
What is very nice is that this movie pokes fun atthe modern school environment without mentioning the fact that our kids are completely over-tested (which is truly an important issue, but it gets a lot of airtime – and issues like teacher happy hour and awkward relationships with colleagues, parents and students affect me a lot more on a day-to-day basis).I’m not a huge fan of handheld camera shots and wish that overall production value was higher … but the writing and acting are fantastic. One of my personal favorites scenes would have to be the School Spelling Hornet, where teachers have to spell slang. Amazing.
Movie #4: The Pregnancy Pact (2010, Made For TV Drama)
As someone who remembers vividly this breaking story from Gloucester as well as a teacher who sees teen mothers every day, I was very excited for this movie.It was intense and addressed a very important social issue but I was thoroughly disappointed by how much of the movie focused on the scandal of it all, rather than the actual emotional, psychosocial and plain economic side effects that come along with teen pregnancy.There were, of course, moments that addressed these issues – and they were truly (particularly where Thora Birch’s character’s true history is revealed!) the strongest, most engaging and truthful moments of the entire film. I wish they had allotted more time for those moments; they are much more important than playing out the “Not our kids!” motif.
Final Score: C-
This movie was watched on 1/30/10.
The post was written on January 31st, but was postdated for continuity.
Movie #3: Too Young to be A Dad (2002, Made For TV Drama)
As part of a sexually-active/pregnant teenager movie marathon leading up to the world premiere of Lifetime's newest movie, The Pregnancy Pact (see next entry!), the network aired this fine film one Saturday. I managed to catch this one. Okay, so by "managed to catch" I really mean "set my DVR to record" ... details!
This is, indeed, an interesting addition to the standard Lifetime “sexually active teenager” subgenre.Perhaps the weirdest part was its cast – from a pre-Little Miss Sunshine Paul Dano to the ubiquitous Kathy Baker.The plot was unabashedly predictable and cheesy, but what else could you really expect when you’re looking at a Lifetime movie?
The best performance, undoubtedly, was from Paul Dano. To watch his transformation from late-blooming intellectual type-A student to an awkward seducee to a terrified but morally-centered father-to-be was probably the most emotional reaction that was really required of me.What struck me was how his character always tried to do the right thing. I got the idea, watching that Paul Dano had probably done a lot of thinking about how a young man might feel in this character's situation. Nice work, Dano!
Final Score: C+ This movie was viewed on 1/30/10.
The entry was written on January 31st but postdated for continuity.
Movie #2: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet (2007, Musical Thriller)
I am very disappointed by how little I enjoyed this movie.I’m not anti-musical at all (quite the contrary, in fact! Bring on the singing, bring on the camp!), but I think the story of Sweeney Todd could be much better told without the music (though I might have to check out a stage showing of this … just to check).
As always, Tim Burton did a phenomenal job with creating mood and his trademark aesthetic.Sometimes, though, looks just aren’t enough.Try as I might, I could not stay focused on this movie.
Final Score: D+
Movie was viewed 1/24/10.
The post was created January 31st, but postdated for continuity.
1.Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979, Musical Comedy)
Very over-the-top, very cheesy … very entertaining!If you’re looking for something that reflects reality, look elsewhere.If you’re in need of a laugh and love a goofy high-school movie, this is a great one.
Final Score: B+
The movie was viewed 1/9/2010.
This post was created January 31st, but postdated for continuity.
