28 August 2009
26 August 2009
25 August 2009
Teenage Angst
Three films about angst-ridden adolescents:
Welcome to the Dollhouse follows Dawn Wiener (Heather Matarazzo), an awkward and unpopular 11-year-old nicknamed "Wienerdog" by her classmates, who is tormented by bully Brandon McCarthy (Brendan Sexton III) at school and overshadowed by her nerdy college-bound brother Mark (Matthew Faber) and cute ballerina sister Missy (Daria Kalinina) at home.
Set in the small Swedish town of Åmål, Show Me Love (aka Fucking Åmål) tells the story of depressed teenager Agnes Ahlberg (Rebecka Liljeberg), an outsider with very few friends who has a crush on her classmate Elin Olsson (Alexandra Dahlström), who is bored with her small-town life and feels Åmål is so behind the times that something is out before it even gets there.
Adapted from the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides follows Cecilia (Hanna Hall), Lux (Kirsten Dunst), Bonnie (Chelse Swain), Mary (A.J. Cook) and Therese Lisbon (Leslie Hayman), five teenage sisters whose story is told through the eyes of the neighbourhood boys who worship them, and watch as their lives disappear following the suicide of the youngest sister Cecilia.
Welcome to the Dollhouse follows Dawn Wiener (Heather Matarazzo), an awkward and unpopular 11-year-old nicknamed "Wienerdog" by her classmates, who is tormented by bully Brandon McCarthy (Brendan Sexton III) at school and overshadowed by her nerdy college-bound brother Mark (Matthew Faber) and cute ballerina sister Missy (Daria Kalinina) at home.
Set in the small Swedish town of Åmål, Show Me Love (aka Fucking Åmål) tells the story of depressed teenager Agnes Ahlberg (Rebecka Liljeberg), an outsider with very few friends who has a crush on her classmate Elin Olsson (Alexandra Dahlström), who is bored with her small-town life and feels Åmål is so behind the times that something is out before it even gets there.
Adapted from the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides follows Cecilia (Hanna Hall), Lux (Kirsten Dunst), Bonnie (Chelse Swain), Mary (A.J. Cook) and Therese Lisbon (Leslie Hayman), five teenage sisters whose story is told through the eyes of the neighbourhood boys who worship them, and watch as their lives disappear following the suicide of the youngest sister Cecilia.
22 August 2009
One For The Road
Three films about road trips:
Thelma & Louise tells the story of unhappily married housewife Thelma Dickinson (Geena Davis) and diner waitress Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon), two friends from Arkansas who set off in Louise's 1966 Thunderbird convertible for a carefree weekend away to escape their small-town lives. However, their trip takes an unexpected turn when Louise shoots a would-be rapist (Timothy Carhart) and, convinced no one will believe their story, they hit the road and head towards Mexico, embarking on an impromptu cross-country crime spree along the way.
Little Miss Sunshine tells the story of unsuccessful motivational speaker Richard Hoover (Greg Kinnear), his overworked wife Sheryl (Toni Collette), their 7-year-old beauty pageant-obsessed daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) and 15-year-old mute-by-choice son Dwayne (Paul Dano) who, along with Richard's heroin-snorting father Edwin (Alan Arkin) and Sheryl's suicidal brother Frank (Steve Carell), set off in a Volkswagen van on a cross-country road trip from Albuquerque to California so Olive can fulfil her dream of competing in the "Little Miss Sunshine" beauty pageant.
Transamerica follows Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne (Felicity Huffman), a pre-op male-to-female transsexual from Los Angeles who discovers she's the biological father of Toby Wilkins (Kevin Zegers), a 17-year-old street hustler who's the (unexpected) result of a sexual encounter Bree had in college when she was living as a man named Stanley Schupak. Bree's therapist Margaret (Elizabeth Peña) tells her she won’t sign off on her impending gender reassignment surgery until Bree confronts the issue, so she reluctantly flies to New York to meet Toby and as a result offers him a ride back to Los Angeles.
Thelma & Louise tells the story of unhappily married housewife Thelma Dickinson (Geena Davis) and diner waitress Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon), two friends from Arkansas who set off in Louise's 1966 Thunderbird convertible for a carefree weekend away to escape their small-town lives. However, their trip takes an unexpected turn when Louise shoots a would-be rapist (Timothy Carhart) and, convinced no one will believe their story, they hit the road and head towards Mexico, embarking on an impromptu cross-country crime spree along the way.
Little Miss Sunshine tells the story of unsuccessful motivational speaker Richard Hoover (Greg Kinnear), his overworked wife Sheryl (Toni Collette), their 7-year-old beauty pageant-obsessed daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) and 15-year-old mute-by-choice son Dwayne (Paul Dano) who, along with Richard's heroin-snorting father Edwin (Alan Arkin) and Sheryl's suicidal brother Frank (Steve Carell), set off in a Volkswagen van on a cross-country road trip from Albuquerque to California so Olive can fulfil her dream of competing in the "Little Miss Sunshine" beauty pageant.
Transamerica follows Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne (Felicity Huffman), a pre-op male-to-female transsexual from Los Angeles who discovers she's the biological father of Toby Wilkins (Kevin Zegers), a 17-year-old street hustler who's the (unexpected) result of a sexual encounter Bree had in college when she was living as a man named Stanley Schupak. Bree's therapist Margaret (Elizabeth Peña) tells her she won’t sign off on her impending gender reassignment surgery until Bree confronts the issue, so she reluctantly flies to New York to meet Toby and as a result offers him a ride back to Los Angeles.
20 August 2009
19 August 2009
16 August 2009
12 August 2009
Drink From Me And Live Forever
With the release of the (much-hyped) Twilight sequel New Moon approaching, here are five fantastic fangtastic vampire-themed films:
The Lost Boys follows Sam and Michael Emerson (Corey Haim and Jason Patric), two brothers who move to the small coastal town of Santa Carla with their mother Lucy (Dianne Wiest), only to discover that not only is the town a haven for the undead, but Michael has been turned into a "half-vampire" after inadvertently drinking the blood of vampire gang leader David (Kiefer Sutherland).
Adapted from the novel by Anne Rice (who also wrote the screenplay), Interview with the Vampire follows Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt), a 200-year-old vampire who, in modern-day San Francisco, tells his epic life story to journalist Daniel Malloy (Christian Slater), a story that begins just south of New Orleans in 1791 when Louis meets vampire Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise).
From Dusk Till Dawn follows Seth and Richard Gecko (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino), two bank robbing brothers who kidnap a former minister, Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel), and his two children Kate and Scott Fuller (Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu) while on their way to Mexico to meet their contact Carlos (Cheech Marin), only to discover their intended rendezvous point is a vampire-infested bar.
Based on the cult graphic novel of the same name, 30 Days of Night follows Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett), a small-town sheriff who, along with his estranged wife Stella Oleson (Melissa George) and a small group of residents, must fight for survival against a gang of bloodthirsty vampires, led by Marlow (Danny Huston), as they attack the small Alaskan town of Barrow... a town which has just entered a period during winter when the sun doesn’t rise for a month.
Set in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in 1982 and based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist (who also wrote the screenplay), Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) tells the story of Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), a lonely, bullied 12-year-old who finds happiness in the form of his equally lonely new neighbour Eli (Lina Leandersson). Eli is the same age as Oskar, but has been so "for a very long time".
The Lost Boys follows Sam and Michael Emerson (Corey Haim and Jason Patric), two brothers who move to the small coastal town of Santa Carla with their mother Lucy (Dianne Wiest), only to discover that not only is the town a haven for the undead, but Michael has been turned into a "half-vampire" after inadvertently drinking the blood of vampire gang leader David (Kiefer Sutherland).
Adapted from the novel by Anne Rice (who also wrote the screenplay), Interview with the Vampire follows Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt), a 200-year-old vampire who, in modern-day San Francisco, tells his epic life story to journalist Daniel Malloy (Christian Slater), a story that begins just south of New Orleans in 1791 when Louis meets vampire Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise).
From Dusk Till Dawn follows Seth and Richard Gecko (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino), two bank robbing brothers who kidnap a former minister, Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel), and his two children Kate and Scott Fuller (Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu) while on their way to Mexico to meet their contact Carlos (Cheech Marin), only to discover their intended rendezvous point is a vampire-infested bar.
Based on the cult graphic novel of the same name, 30 Days of Night follows Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett), a small-town sheriff who, along with his estranged wife Stella Oleson (Melissa George) and a small group of residents, must fight for survival against a gang of bloodthirsty vampires, led by Marlow (Danny Huston), as they attack the small Alaskan town of Barrow... a town which has just entered a period during winter when the sun doesn’t rise for a month.
Set in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in 1982 and based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist (who also wrote the screenplay), Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) tells the story of Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), a lonely, bullied 12-year-old who finds happiness in the form of his equally lonely new neighbour Eli (Lina Leandersson). Eli is the same age as Oskar, but has been so "for a very long time".
10 August 2009
09 August 2009
07 August 2009
04 August 2009
The Kids Still Aren’t Alright
Following The Kids Aren't Alright, here are three other films about troubled teenagers (possible SPOILERS within):
Set in Christchurch, New Zealand in the 1950s and based on the real-life 1954 Parker-Hulme murder case, Heavenly Creatures tells the story of Pauline Parker (Melanie Lynskey) and Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet), two teenage girls whose intense, fantasy-based relationship leads them to commit murder after they learn they’re to be separated by their concerned parents, who feel their close relationship has become unhealthy.
Adapted from the play by James Bosley (who also wrote the screenplay), Fun is about friendship, love and murder as two troubled teenagers, Hillary (Renée Humphrey) and Bonnie (Alicia Witt), relate to a magazine reporter (William R. Moses) and a counsellor (Leslie Hope) the details of how on the day they met, they felt an instant connection and murdered an elderly woman "just for fun".
Based on the real-life murder of Bobby Kent in Florida in 1993 and adapted from the book Bully: A True Story Of High School Revenge by Jim Schutze, Bully follows Marty Puccio (Brad Renfro), Lisa Connelly (Rachel Miner) and Ali Willis (Bijou Phillips), three teenagers who, with the help of their friends and an inept "hitman" (Leo Fitzpatrick), plan to violently murder their friend who constantly torments and abuses them.
Set in Christchurch, New Zealand in the 1950s and based on the real-life 1954 Parker-Hulme murder case, Heavenly Creatures tells the story of Pauline Parker (Melanie Lynskey) and Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet), two teenage girls whose intense, fantasy-based relationship leads them to commit murder after they learn they’re to be separated by their concerned parents, who feel their close relationship has become unhealthy.
Adapted from the play by James Bosley (who also wrote the screenplay), Fun is about friendship, love and murder as two troubled teenagers, Hillary (Renée Humphrey) and Bonnie (Alicia Witt), relate to a magazine reporter (William R. Moses) and a counsellor (Leslie Hope) the details of how on the day they met, they felt an instant connection and murdered an elderly woman "just for fun".
Based on the real-life murder of Bobby Kent in Florida in 1993 and adapted from the book Bully: A True Story Of High School Revenge by Jim Schutze, Bully follows Marty Puccio (Brad Renfro), Lisa Connelly (Rachel Miner) and Ali Willis (Bijou Phillips), three teenagers who, with the help of their friends and an inept "hitman" (Leo Fitzpatrick), plan to violently murder their friend who constantly torments and abuses them.
01 August 2009
Five Reasons To Watch Dazed And Confused
1. It's written and directed by Richard Linklater, whose other films include SubUrbia, Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.
2. It has a great "before they were famous" cast (complete with 70shairdos hairdon'ts).
3. The 70s soundtrack is also great.
4. It was ranked number 3 on Entertainment Weekly's list of The 50 Best High School Movies.
5. It'd be a lot cooler if you did (watch it).
2. It has a great "before they were famous" cast (complete with 70s
3. The 70s soundtrack is also great.
4. It was ranked number 3 on Entertainment Weekly's list of The 50 Best High School Movies.
5. It'd be a lot cooler if you did (watch it).
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