A Rant/Prediction on TMNT 2014: Movie Predictions Issue #3

A Rant/Prediction on TMNT 2014

The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie due to be released in August is going to suck. How do I know this if it’s still two months away from coming out? Have I seen the future? Am I prophet? Do I have precognitive powers? A time machine? Using the knowledge I have on the film so far, I will explain my reasoning for expecting that this movie is not only going to ruin the childhoods of many fans, but disappoint general audiences as well.

Where do I begin? Let’s start with producer Michael Bay. For some, that name alone will be enough to deter anyone from being cautiously optimistic.

Let’s rewind to 2007. The live action big screen debut of Transformers comes out. The Transformers, both a toy line and cartoon series that has endured much success since coming out in the eighties, were staples for many kids back then. Michael Bay directed the first live action film, simply titled Transformers, and though it was a box office success, critics were divided, as were hardcore fans. Bay’s first film in the now established series had great action sequences, but fans disliked the addition of many human characters, which were focused on more than the robots, and the Transformers themselves were re-designed—some to the point that they looked completely different than their original forms. It was an acceptable first film and established the robots well enough that a sequel was inevitable. Audiences wanted less silly humans and humour and more giant robot action. Skip ahead to 2009, and Michael Bay’s follow-up Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen comes out. Unlike the first film, the majority of critics and audiences loathed this sequel, and it has been recognized by some as one of the worst films of the twenty first century. I strongly agree. Poor quality filmmaking and storytelling didn’t stop the movie from making a killing at the box office, and so a third film was announced. Could the series be salvaged? 2012’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon was another disgraceful box office success, and though it was better than the previous effort, still failed to give fans anything new. Michael Bay said he was stepping away from his Transformers franchise and letting a new filmmaker step in, but that turned out to be false and now here we are in 2014. Transformers: Age of Extinction has just come out, and it’s getting worse reviews than Revenge of the Fallen. Some fans of the first three films claim it has a darker tone and the robots get more focus than before, but collectively, everyone thinks it still fails to be any different from what Michael Bay has done in the previous three films.

So what does this have to do with TMNT? Michael Bay successfully ruined childhood memories of The Transformers with his explosion extravaganzas, but that’s not the only thing he has unintentionally tried to ruin. Bay has produced a number of horror film remakes through his Platinum Dunes production company. Such titles include Friday the 13^th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. All of these remakes are insults to the originals, which didn’t need remakes at all, but lo and behold, the remakes still were financially successful. How does Michael Bay find such success when so many people despise the work he produces? Is it the audiences to blame, or the studios, or the filmmaker/producer himself? I can’t say for certain, but the “Bayhem” we have gotten over the years has become increasingly shoddy and repetitive.

This brings me to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When it was announced that Michael Bay would be producing a new film based on the comic book by the same name, he said it would be titled “Ninja Turtles” and their origins would be as aliens from space rather than mutating in the New York City sewers. Of course this was met with complete outrage by fans, so the alien concept was dropped (and made into a joke which is present in the newest trailer) and the “Teenage Mutant” part of the title was tacked back on—although you may notice in the trailers the Ninja Turtles part of the title is in lettering three times the size of the Teenage Mutant part. It’s not a big deal now, but it still kind of bugs me that he would tease such a terrible idea in the first place.

So what else is going to make this movie suck? Let me discuss the turtles themselves. The way they traditionally appear in the cartoons is pretty simple. Green, muscular, anthropomorphic turtles with shells, three fingered hands and feet, round heads, eyes, teeth, little reptilian nostril slits, and each has a unique coloured mask. The new designs are close to that, but not close enough. Now they have distinctly human-looking lips and noses. I guess the lips are supposed to make their speech look more accurate, but are they really necessary? And why the stupid noses? Am I just being nitpicky? You bet, but these are the kind of changes that gets fans so angry. Let me refer back to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from 1990: the first live action film adaptation of the characters. Jim Henson’s creature shop created the turtles for that film. They were suits worn by the actors with animatronic heads that blinked, emoted, and moved their mouths to speak. They looked very close to the cartoon versions of the characters, and it worked for the time. In the new film, the turtles are being rendered through motion capture technology. I have to admit, it does look much more fluent and ninja-like than those bulky suits from the 90’s film, but the design of the 90’s turtles was much better.

Perhaps the only thing the new film has gotten right so far is the characterizations of the turtles themselves. In case you need a refresher, Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines, Raphael is cool but rude, and Michelangelo is a party dude! In the 90’s film, they established Leo led the group, Raph was a hot head, Mikey was the cool dude, and Donnie was intelligent, but Donnie was never shown to be particularly advanced in science and technology. The new film shows Donnie wearing funky techno glasses, and while they look ridiculous, at least it’s being made clear he does machine this time. The trailer depicts the others as they are meant to be depicted, and it even gives us a glimpse at the comedic dialogue they exchange with each other, which seems to work based off the example shown in the trailer. But one shot in the trailer shows something completely out of character for all the turtles. One of the turtles throws a foot clan member at a moving subway train. The guy smashes right through the window. Last time I checked, even in movies that kind of thing would kill you. The Ninja Turtles, though ninjas, never kill anyone. It’s kind of like when last year’s Man of Steel got all the Superman fans upset. Superman doesn’t kill, and the Ninja Turtles don’t either.

As for the supporting characters, this is where the major concerns come in. The turtles’ leader, Master Splinter, has only been shown in glimpses, but he looks and sounds like Splinter is supposed to. How big of a part he will play in the film is yet to be seen, but Splinter isn’t the problem. The most glaring problem of all is Megan Fox as April O’Neal. Rewinding back to Transformers again, Michael Bay and Megan Fox didn’t get along, so she didn’t appear in the third film, but now it seems they’re back on good terms because she is in this new TMNT with Bay producing. April O’Neal is a pivotal character, and Megan Fox simply doesn’t possess the acting talent or appearance suited for O’Neal. She’s supposed to be a hard hitting news reporter, not a supermodel with fake lips. But the most shameful casting choice of all is William Fitchner as Shredder. The villainous Shredder has always been Asian, until now. I have no problem with Fitchner as an actor—in fact, I think he’s great and underrated if anything—but not casting an Asian actor as Shredder is as much an insult to the source material as it is to fans. Plus, Shredder looks like a Transformer! In the original film he had his usual armour, wrist blades, a staff, a helmet, and that’s it. For the new version, it’s as if someone (probably Michael Bay) said: we need to give Shredder an upgrade. How many knives and swords and blades do you think we could fit on him? A dozen? Two dozen?  A hundred? Ah hell, let’s just put like three hundred on there, that will look great! No, no it does not. It looks bad.

One final nail in the coffin for this film is the man behind the camera. Michael Bay has proven he can screw up a film franchise even just acting as producer, never mind directing. But the director for this new TMNT was not a good choice—in fact, it almost makes me wish Bay had just directed instead. Jonathan Liebesman, a director from South Africa, has never directed a good film. His directorial debut was Darkness Falls, an original horror film panned by critics and quickly forgotten by everyone else. After Michael Bay’s successful production of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, Bay recruited Liebesman for the prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, which ended up being worse than the remake. Battle: Los Angeles, a generic alien invasion action film from 2011, did well at the box office, even though it was completely unoriginal and completely forgettable. Then there was Wrath of the Titans, the follow-up to the already atrocious remake Clash of the Titans. All in all, he has yet to direct anything truly good, and it looks like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be yet another one of his blunders.

Is there any hope? It was recently pointed out to me that Michael Bay isn’t the only one to blame for his Transformers movies being so bad. The screenwriter Ehren Kruger is also to blame. The first film, although met with mixed reviews still remains the most widely appreciated of the four, was written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who have written other successful blockbuster films such as J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot and this year’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Ehren Kruger was brought in to work with the two writers for the Transformers sequel Revenge of the Fallen which was a major step down from the first film, and after that Kruger remained the sole screenwriter from both Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Transformers: Age of Extinction. He also wrote the screenplay for Scream 3: the weakest film in the Scream film franchise. So who’s behind the script for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and will it make any difference? Well, it doesn’t look good. The original draft was penned by the writers of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, who’ve worked on few other projects, but it received rewrites by Evan Daughtry, who worked on the scripts for Divergent and Snow White and the Huntsman. The chances of a brilliant script saving this film are slim to none.

I read an article about one person’s thoughts on this upcoming remake/reboot/reimagining, and he found it funny that older males and females who were fans of the cartoon and first feature film as kids are all upset because they’re ruining something sacred from their youth, and he thought it was silly because the new movie isn’t for them, it’s for the younger generations of kids who didn’t grow up with the original. For me, it goes beyond just ruining the original visions for TMNT. Why can’t we get a reinvention of the turtles for a younger audience that still maintains some elements that original fans will enjoy, but also make it a good reinvention? Is having Shredder decked out with a million swords really necessary? Did the turtles really need to have lips and noses? What I would like to see is a darker take on the material that’s closer to the original comics, but I can’t tell if they’re trying to do a complicated and imperfect combination of the dark, gritty comics and the cheesy, youthful cartoon from the 80’s. Whatever it is they’re trying to do, it isn’t what the real fans want, but I’m sure it’s what all the little kiddies in the theater seats want to see.

What got me ranting about this new TMNT film, you might ask? The latest trailer really got under my skin in the worst way possible. It showcased more of Megan Fox than it did the turtles, used a noisy dub step soundtrack, and only confirmed my suspicions about how bad it’s going to be. I’m not looking forward to hating this film—honestly I would like nothing more than to be proven wrong, pleasantly surprised, and just enjoy the movie for what it is. But based on what I’ve seen so far in terms of reinvention, redesign, and the filmmakers/actors involved, it’s not shaping up to be the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film I would like to see. Instead, it’s just going to be another sucky Hollywood remake to add to the ever growing pile. Cowabunga dudes, it’s like, a major bummer. 

Images from http://www.imdb.com/media/rm211864832/tt1291150?ref_=ttmd_md_pv

C.C.C. Issue #32: Top Ten Transformers Movie Moments

Top Ten Transformers Movie Moments

This week, Michael Bay’s mega robots return for a fourth time in Transformers: Age of Extinction, now featuring Mark Wahlberg instead of Shia LaBeouf and introducing the dino-bots. So far, it’s being bashed by critics harder than any of the previous films.

Though it intends to be a fun, summer blockbuster film series targeted at family audiences, Bay’s Transformers franchise has been the subject of much criticism. Fans of the original series as kids who have since grown up find the films a disservice to the characters, while many children have the newer series to grow up with (Transformers Prime) so are less concerned with characters and more concerned with how many explosions can be shown over two and a half hours, but their parents might think the films are too violent and so don’t take their kids to see them. Film critics also have a hate-on for Bay and everything his name is attached to, but despite all these detractions, his Transformers franchise has raked in huge piles of cash, with all three films—Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon—topping the box office in 2007, 2009, and 2011, respectively (do not misread that as “respectfully”, there’s no respect for that).

Not only am I a fan of the original cartoon, I’m a fan of the concept of giant transforming alien robots fighting to the death. Unfortunately, I don’t think Michael Bay’s films suffice. With annoying characters, interchangeable transformers, incredibly stupid plots and dialogue (even for a brainless popcorn flick), none of them have any significant amount of entertainment value for me.  In short, my thoughts on the movies go like this. The first one is dumb and doesn’t do the giant robots justice, however it surprised me the first time I saw it—I expected a total piece of garbage and what I saw wasn’t all that terrible. It is entertaining and I can overlook the films detracting aspects and enjoy it as a mindless effects extravaganza. The second one is not only one of the worst sequels ever made, but one of the worst films of all time. Everything that was bad the first time gets worse (acting, plot, awkward/childish comedy) and everything good suffers (special effects, action, not enough Optimus Prime). The third one is an improvement over the second, with bigger and better effects, but still has a “been there, done that” feeling and in general, is forgettable and unnecessary.

Say what you will about the Transformers films, but you cannot deny they do offer some pretty cool moments from time to time. I’m going to graciously look at the ten best moments from the original trilogy. Although I think Michael Bay is a terrible director and all three films exemplify it, there is more to them than meets the eye.

10. Forest Fight in Revenge of the Fallen

Just squeaking in at number ten is perhaps the only moment from Revenge of the Fallen that didn’t make me not want to live on this planet anymore. One of the things lacking from the second Transformers film was awesome action scenes. In the first Transformers, there weren’t all that many fight sequences, but the handful that did occur were mostly pretty well done. With the sequel, it was expected that the action would be ramped up, but it wasn’t. In the first twenty-ish minutes there’s a completely confusing night time battle between the Decepticons and Autobots; you can barely tell what’s going on or where one robot ends and another begins. At the end of the first act, Optimus Prime unleashes his dual fire-red swords and takes on Megatron and a few other Decepticons. It’s still confusing, but because it takes place in the woods in the day time, it’s easier to see what’s going on and there’s lots of destruction. Even though it’s a good fight, it’s tainted by two things. One: why the hell doesn’t Optimus always use his fire swords if they’re so effective? He barely uses them at all throughout the three films but every time he does he kicks ass. Second: the scene ends with Megatron “killing” Optimus, and that’s how Optimus remains for most of the second film: dead. It’s one reason on an endless list of reasons of why this movie sucks.

9. When Revenge of the Fallen Ended

Is this too sarcastic? Too tongue in cheek? Too insulting to Michael Bay, the Transformers, and everyone else involved in the making of this motion picture (if you can honestly call it a motion picture)? Nope. I knew less than five minutes into Revenge of the Fallen that something was wrong. It opened the same as the first one, dived right into a convoluted plot and action scene, reintroduced every annoying and shoddy aspect from the first film, and continued sliding downhill from there until it came crashing down to the bottom of said hill in a fiery explosion of slow motion robot debris and despair. I was both relieved and stressed when Revenge ended. I was so incredibly disappointed by the film as a whole (stressed), but also pleased to exit that theater and return to the real world and try to forget about it (relieved). Unfortunately, I will never get those precious 150 minutes of my life back, and I will never forget seeing Revenge of the Fallen.

8. Blackout’s First Transformation in Transformers

With Revenge of the Fallen out of the way, let me focus on moments from the first and third films that were actually not detractions. Way back in the summer of 2007, I remember seeing a preview for a new movie based on the Hasbro toys known as “The Transformers”. I wouldn’t say I was a big fan of the toys and cartoon as a kid, but I did like them and even had a few of the dino bots. When I found out about the movie, I wasn’t even excited. A movie based on a bunch of kids toys? No thanks. But when I heard from friends and family that it was actually pretty cool and entertaining, I rented it from the video store months after it had come out in theaters and gave it a watch. I had recently got a 5.1 surround sound speaker set, so cranked the volume and sat back and watched. The first time the transformer known as Blackout transformed from a MH-53M Pave Low IV helicopter into a mechanical fury of moving parts and laser canons in the first ten minutes, I was blown away—partly by the deafening surround sound, partly because it looked really cool.

7. Megatron’s first reveal in Transformers

Like many great villains from great movies, Megatron is not fully revealed until the third act of the film. Unlike great movie villains however, Megatron really isn’t one of them. That isn’t to say he isn’t cool or intimidating or badass. Megatron is shown in clips of flashbacks and halfway through the film it is revealed to the main characters that he is in cold storage at the Hoover Dam— Area 51 would have seemed like a more appropriate location, but I guess they didn’t have room. Decepticons Frenzy and Starscream free Megatron from his icy imprisonment, and he breaks out of the ice surrounding his body with all-out wrath. People scream and run as he transforms into a jet and flies out of the Hoover Dam, causing a decent amount of destruction in the process. Megatron’s presence is enhanced by his incredibly sinister voice, credited to Hugo Weaving, who also starred in the Matrix and Lord of the Rings trilogies.

6. The Death of Ironhide in Dark of the Moon

When Optimus Prime was killed in Revenge of the Fallen, there was no shock or tension. I knew he had to be coming back at some point. No summer blockbuster with a lack of brains could be as ballsy as to kill one of the main characters. I waited impatiently for Optimus to return, wondering why they wouldn’t just use the Allspark shard to revive him right away instead of waiting until the last possible minute. Anyway, my point being, over the course of the first two films, only two Autobots bit the dust: Jazz was killed indefinitely by Megatron in the first film, and Optimus died in the second but was brought back. So, in the third one, I was genuinely surprised when Sentinel Prime was revealed to be a traitor and killed Ironhide, the Autobot weapons specialist. I wasn’t surprised that Sentinel was a traitor—that was obvious all along—but Ironhide’s death was unexpected and, although not overly devastating, reminded me that the Autobots still had the potential to die, because up until then I was beginning to wonder...

5. The Final Battle in Dark of the Moon

Dark of the Moon did away with a lot of crap from the second film that went towards making it so bad, such as the racist Autobots Skids and Mudflap and Sam Witwicky’s roommate Leo Spitz. Unfortunately, Michael Bay still brought back elements that sucked before and continued to suck, such as Sam’s Parents, toilet humour (though less than before), and the character Agent Simmons, played by John Tuturro, whose career will never be the same thanks to these films. But, they saved the best for last, because the final fight scene is, although ridiculous, one of the best parts. Optimus Prime fights the traitorous Sentinel Prime and gets his ass kicked, but after Megatron gets bitched at by Sam’s latest girlfriend, he realizes he has to kill both Optimus and Sentinel if he is to become master of Cybertron once again, so saves Optimus from Sentinel, then fights Optimus, who completely annihilates him, and then, in a final act of badass-ness, Optimus shoots Sentinel in the face as he begs for mercy! It’s as chaotic as the rest of the film, but it makes for an exciting conclusion.

4. Scorponok’s first attack in Transformers

After seeing Blackout destroy the US military base and hack into their computers in the first action scene of the first film, I was excited and ready to see more. A while later, the focus returns to the survivors of the base attack, who find themselves under assault by another Decepticon, known as Scorponok. Scorponok looks like a mechanical scorpion (in case you couldn’t guess) and of all the animal-like Transformers in all three films, he is without a doubt the coolest. Scorponok has a gun on his tail, can dig and burrow underneath the desert sand, and is extremely strong. The military shoots dozens of clips of bullets at him, fires missiles, and it isn’t until a jet flies in and shoots sabot rounds that they injure him and force him to retreat. It’s a well done action sequence, and unlike the later fights to come, you can actually tell who is who and what is going on. Scorponok made a brief return in Revenge of the Fallen, but was abruptly killed: yet another negative from the second film.

3. The Driller Destroying Everything in Dark of the Moon

This is hands down the greatest moment from the third film, not so much in concept but in execution. The gigantic Driller Decepticon attacks a skyscraper and cuts it down like a tree. The scene might not sound like anything special, but the Driller itself is. Basically a giant mechanical snake made up of rotating segments and sporting a great number of teeth, the Driller drills through entire buildings and is beyond formidable. The visual effects to bring this character to life are staggering. When you look at it, you can clearly see how many individual parts and pieces there are all moving at once. For the animators, it was a daunting task. To put it in perspective, Optimus Prime has about 10,000 parts. The driller has about 70,000. That the animators could bring the Driller to life and make it look that cool is very impressive.

2. Optimus Prime’s Opening Monologue from Transformers

Going back to before any Transformers ever fought each other, back to before Shia LaBeouf was screaming for Optimus or Bumblebee’s help, before I even knew if the first Transformers was going to be good or not, there was the opening monologue. Optimus Prime, speaking over a black screen, says: “Before time began, there was the cube...” and so begins the epic opening scene which shows the decimated world of Cybertron and fills us in on the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Peter Cullen voices Optimus, and also voiced him in the original cartoon, and his commanding, booming voice sounds incredible. The first time I heard his opening lines on my surround sound, I knew the movie was going exceed my expectations.

1. Optimus Prime fights Bonecrusher in Transformers

Let’s not forget why we go to a Transformers movie in the first place. Do we really go for the human characters and drama and comedic moments and clever plot? Well, do we go to a Godzilla movie in hopes to see an Academy Award winning performance, or do we want to see Godzilla stomp on a city and fight another monster? Of course it’s the latter, and of course we don’t care about all that stuff I mentioned in the Transformers movies. All I wanted to see was giant transforming robots beating each other to a pulp, and while it failed to really deliver on that promise, the one scene from the first film that honestly felt like a genuine Transformers moment was when Optimus Prime took on Bonecrusher in a one-on-one fight on a freeway. There’s everything you could ask for from a Transformers fight scene: transforming, punching, sparks, destruction, laser blasters, humans caught in the madness, Optimus unleashing his fire sword, and a slow motion death for Bonecrusher. It’s brainless, it’s loud, and it’s awesome. Hands down, it’s the best moment from all three Transformers films.  

Transformers mural from mollyellentaylor93.wordpress.com

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen image from www.hbo.com

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen image from rgthinkcreative.com

Transformers image from pinstor.us
Transformers image from www.tfw2005.com
Transformers Dark of the Moon image from www.comicbookmovie.com 
Transformers Dark of the Moon image from forums.sherdog.com
Transformers image from www.youtube.com
Transformers Dark of the Moon image from thesplitscreen.wordpress.com
Transformers image from transformers.wikia.com

Transformers image from www.scifiscoop.com

 

C.C.C. Issue #31: Top Ten High School Films

Top Ten High School Films

As school comes to an end for another year and graduates realize high school no longer stands between them and the real world, it’s time to recount the ten best films to take place over the few short school years of our lives that were either amazing, dreadful, or a bit of both. High school may be years behind you, rapidly getting close for others, or you might be right smack dab in the middle of it all. Whatever the case, these ten films captured high school on film in unique ways that everyone can enjoy. 

Criteria: must feature main character(s) who are enrolled in high school. Pretty simple criteria actually, not like grade twelve calculus.

Honourable mentions: The Girl Next Door (2004), American Pie (1999). Both are excellent films, but just aren’t as classic, memorable or distinct as these other ten.

10. Sixteen Candles (1984)

Writer/Director John Hughes might have been the master of high school films—as exemplified by later entries on this list as well as this one. Sam, played by Molly Ringwald, turns sixteen on just an average school day. Her family forgets about it, however, because her older sister’s wedding is the following day, and this event coupled with her busy family’s crazy everyday life is all it takes for Sam’s big day to slip under the radar. Even though it’s a major bummer for Sam, it doesn’t get her down too much and make her an unlikeable main character by having her pout the whole time. As she goes about her school day, we meet odd and hilarious supporting characters along the way, including foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong and flirtatious senior Jake Ryan. Besides the main plot of Sam’s forgotten birthday, there is an equally funny sub-plot involving a geeky kid trying to get laid—each effort being thwarted in some way. It’s not as laugh out loud funny as some of the other films on this list, but it’s original and endearing enough to be considered a classic high school comedy.

9. Carrie (1976)

When Stephen King sat down to write his breakout novel about an outcast telekinetic high school girl with an overbearing religious mother and some extremely cruel classmates, he had no idea it would be as popular as it ended up being. Similarly, one might not have expected Brian de Palma’s film adaptation to become one of the most unique and horrifying high school films ever. Stephen King knew, like many of us know, that high school is hellish for those who don’t fit in, and this tale of Carrie White (played by Sissy Spacek, who got an Oscar nomination for her portrayal) shows us firsthand the ultimate case of not fitting in. The kids know her mother is weird, she has no friends, she wears shabby clothes, keeps to herself, and so they decide to pull perhaps the meanest prank ever conceived. I won’t spoil it for those who don’t know it, but the climactic scene has become well known in pop culture. It’s an unsettling, entertaining, and shocking film all at once. Forget the remake that came out last year, just stick with the original.

8. American Graffiti (1973)

Before George Lucas went on to wow the world with his original Star Wars trilogy, and then disappoint many fans with his lower caliber prequel trilogy, he directed this coming of age story about a group of friends who have just graduated and are having one last great night together. Set in Modesto, California in the early sixties, the same time and place George Lucas was a teen, the friends drive up and down “the strip” in their fancy cars, go to a sock hop, and search for popular DJ Wolfman Jack. It’s told in a series of vignettes, which makes it a bit more interesting to watch, because it’s constantly jumping around to different characters in different situations. It stars young Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, and even Harrison Ford in a small role. Dreyfuss’ character is uncertain about leaving for college the next day, but tries his best to have a fun night and pines for a mysterious blonde girl who mouths “I love you” from a neighbouring car. It may be a little hard for younger viewers to relate to, but it perfectly captures the time period, has a great soundtrack, and is a lot of fun for all ages. A sequel, More American Graffitti, was produced at the end of the seventies, but failed to come anywhere close to the charm of the original.  

7. Scream (1996)

Besides being a parody of the slasher subgenre as well as a genuinely well made, very entertaining horror film (and some may say the last great slasher film), Scream is also an accurate depiction of high school and the peer pressures students are faced with. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has a boyfriend who just wants to get laid and pressures her into losing her virginity. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad, if her mother hadn’t just been brutally murdered months earlier and the entire story of the trial scrutinized by bitchy reporter Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox). The entire student body feels a shock when a popular girl gets knifed to death, and the mystery of the elusive, conniving, and movie educated killer known as Ghost Face begins to unravel. It incorporates elements of crime drama, horror tropes, as well as high school drama and comedy. It’s funny, self referential, and scary, and though not as scary of a high school film as Carrie, it’s debatably even more entertaining.

6. Mean Girls (2004)

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is just some teeny bopper chick flick with the lame Lindsay Lohan. First of all, it was before Lohan went down that self destructive path, and second, this is an extremely clever high school film that captures the concept of the social cliques better than any other film on this list. There are the math geeks, band nerds, outcasts, and of course “the plastics”, the super cool girls who are so dolled up with makeup and wear such slutty clothes, you would swear they crawled out of a Barbie doll box and came to life a la Toy Story magic. Lohan’s character is from South Africa, and though she makes friends with two other lower profile students, she is eventually adopted by the plastics and becomes one of them. The script, written by Tina Fey, is very clever and consistently funny, and the characters are familiar stereotypes that still manage to be original. Girls can be mean, but they can also be hilarious.

5. Juno (2007)

This off-beat comedy drama won best original screenplay at the Oscars, and for good reason. Juno is a truly unique tale of a very interesting high school girl (Ellen Page) who decides she wants to have sex with her sort of boyfriend (Michael Cera) and ends up getting pregnant. Knocked up Juno plans to abort the baby, but then decides against it and instead opts for adoption. A seemingly perfect family decides to adopt her child once it’s born, but events unfold which put Juno in a difficult place and force her to make tough decisions. Some people might be put off by the film’s way of treating teen pregnancy as largely inconsequential, but it makes for a refreshing take on the scenario and a more distinctive high school film in general. Well directed, well written, and well acted, Juno covers all the bases that make a great high school film.

4. Superbad (2007)

The same year Juno came out, a very different comedy featuring raunchier high school hijinks was released, to much critical and commercial success. It follows Seth (Jonah Hill), Evan (Michael Cera), and Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who are three virgin seniors in high school struggling to keep up with the cool kids. When the flirtatious Jules (Emma Stone) invites Seth to her party and asks if he can get the alcohol, he agrees, worrying about just how exactly he can get said alcohol later. Fogell comes up with a fake I.D., which simply sports the name “McLovin”—a joke that has now become synonymous with the film. Seth and Evan struggle to get the alcohol, get to the party, have a good time, and maintain their friendship over the course of the wild night, involving crazy cops, succumbing to peer pressure, and all the other hallmarks of a great R rated high school adventure.

3. Back to the Future (1985)

Everyone knows Back to the Future is one of greatest time travel, sci-fi-comedy hybrid, eighties films ever, but you might forget it’s also technically a high school film. Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) accidently goes back to 1955 in a DeLorean turned time machine created by Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), where he meets his parents as teenagers and accidently interrupts the space time continuum when his mother-to-be ends up falling for him rather than his father-to-be. With the help of 1955 Doc Brown, Marty goes undercover to his mother and father’s high school as a student from out of town, and tries to make them fall in love so he isn’t erased from existence and can go back to the future. It’s one of the most creative, original, and tightly written scripts ever, and none of the special effects overshadow any aspect of the film. It may not be the ultimate high school film, but it's definitely one of the best films of all time. If you haven’t seen Back to the Future, then great Scott, just go watch it already! 

2. The Breakfast Club (1985)

Another classic from director John Hughes, this one also stars Molly Ringwald, however instead of a quiet, low profile teenage girl, she’s a member of the popular clique who ends up getting a full day of weekend detention. Joining her is “criminal” John Bender (Judd Nelson), “athlete” Andrew Clark (Emilio Esteves), “brain” Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall), and “basket case” Alison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy). These five students start out isolated, quiet, and even hostile toward each other, but as the day goes on and they boldly abandon the library where they are told to stay, what was forecasted as being a dull detention turns into a day about breaking down social cliques, making new friends, and just making the best out of a bad situation. It’s fascinating and hilarious to see these five very different kids find common ground and have one of the best days of their lives—one they will never forget.

1. Ferris Beuller’s Day Off (1986)

After showing us an unintended great day for a group of high school kids in The Breakfast Club, John Hughes showed us a very well planned day to avoid school. Let’s face it: no one likes school. Any kid would rather take the day off to go do fun stuff than sit in a stuffy classroom listening to the teacher drone on about voodoo economics or the great depression or whatever. It’s that mindset that makes Ferris Beuller’s Day Off such an engrossing film experience. Ferris (Matthew Broderick) decides he needs to have the ultimate day off, and since it’s his ninth “sick” day of the semester, that he better make it count. He recruits his girlfriend Sloan (Mia Sara) and best buddy Cameron (Alan Ruck) for an adventure around Chicago. They borrow Cameron’s father’s Ferrari, eat at a fancy restaurant, and even join in on a parade, all the while dodging Ferris’ father, angry dean of students Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) and Ferris’ jealous sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey). It’s tightly plotted; gut busting-ly hilarious, and the perfect high school film.


All posters from http://en.wikipedia.org