Thursday Movie Picks - High School: TV Edition

-
It's the end of the month so we have another special TV edition. This week Wanderer wants us to talk about high school. You know, that thing for awkward people like me that we try to forget. However, here are some great shows about high school that I always recommend:

 1) The Wonder Years

 The summer before 6th grade, I broke my foot and ended up spending a lot of time in bed because of it. Lucky for me, Nick at Nite had a Wonder Years marathon on that started from the beginning so I got to watch all of it. I was addicted to this show and when I excitedly told my dad how awesome it is, he had to gently tell me that it's an old show that was on in the 80's. It felt so modern compared to the other things I watched on Nick at Nite that I had no idea it wasn't a new show. Derp. 

 2) Ja'ime: Private School Girl

 This was a mini series that aired on HBO and it was fucking hysterical. Chris Lilly is apparently an Australian national treasure but this was my first time seeing him. I love that HBO gave him the platform to show off his talents to other countries. 

 3) Freaks and Geeks

 I didn't watch this until way after it was cancelled, but it was a really good show. I wish it had a few more seasons as the cast was wonderful. 

Comments

  1. Sonia CercaAugust 31, 2017 at 7:51 AM

    I haven't seen any of these and now I think I picked the wrong shows.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 31, 2017 at 8:01 AM

      If you have HBO Go/Now you can probably watch Ja'mie still. I recommend it, it's so hilarious.

      Delete
  2. BirgitAugust 31, 2017 at 10:04 AM

    We match with Freaks and Geeks. I love that show and wished it would have lasted longer but it was intelligent so, of course, it would not last. I love The Wonder years..so fun and full of nostalgia. I don't know the other show

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 31, 2017 at 11:57 AM

      The other one is so funny. It's really raunchy so it might not be everyone's cup of tea but I about died from laughter watching it.

      Delete
  3. thevoid99August 31, 2017 at 1:53 PM

    We share a pick in Freaks & Geeks. Man, that is a good show that never got its due. I've seen some of The Wonder Years. That was a good show although I still Jason Harvey is still a total douche.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 1, 2017 at 6:48 AM

      If Freaks & Geeks had aired now, I think it would be doing really well. It was ahead of its time.

      Delete
  4. DanielAugust 31, 2017 at 2:16 PM

    SIGH.

    I haven't watched any of these, and Freaks & Geeks has been on my list for YEARS.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 1, 2017 at 6:47 AM

      I think you'd get a huge kick out of Ja'mie too. I hope you get around to them!

      Delete
  5. joel65913August 31, 2017 at 3:10 PM

    I haven't heard of the second and only watched a small sampling of Freaks & Geeks but I LOVED The Wonder Years!! Such a brilliantly acted and written show and the voice over added just the right touch to it. I've followed Fred Savage's career ever since, I loved his last show The Grinder and was sorry it didn't succeed.

    There are literally dozens upon dozens of high set shows so I went with three that I watched faithfully and recommend when I can.

    Skins (2007-2013)-British series about a group of teens in Bristol going through what is known there as sixth form which in the US would be high school. Controversial when it was showing for its graphic depictions of sexuality, drug abuse, bullying and many other issues with more than its share of nudity. Well-acted but grim. Another element of its notoriety was the casting in one of the leads of Nicolas Hoult who at the time was most well known as the youngster in About a Boy.

    My So-Called Life (1994)-Regrettably short lived series that chronicled the angst filled high school life of teenager Angela Chase (Claire Danes) as she suffers the agonies of first love with the handsome but vague Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto), tests her boundaries with new friend, wild child Rayanne Graff (A.J. Langer), redefines her friendship with childhood bestie Sharon Cherski (Devon Odessa), seeks to help and protect the abused Rickie Vasquez (Wilson Cruz) while next door neighbor the brilliant but nerdy Brian Krakow (Devon Gummersall) yearns for her. At home she watches as her seemingly happily married parents Graham and Patty’s (Tom Irwin & Bess Armstrong) relationship begins to fray. Outstanding on every level.

    Room 222 (1969-1974)-Pete Dixon (Lloyd Haines) is a popular young history teacher at Los Angeles’s Walt Whitman High School. Along with guidance counselor Liz McIntyre (Denise Nicholas), amiable Principal Seymour Kaufman (Michael Constantine) and eager if occasionally bumbling student teacher (over time English teacher) Alice Johnson (Karen Valentine) they deal with the issues of the students, parents and the establishment in the changing face of education in the 70’s. Excellent Emmy winning series, one of the first to honestly portray multiracial classrooms and teaching staffs, looks at a multitude of problems including early marriage, corporate irresponsibility, freedom of speech, senility, the effects of unexpected death and more with many future stars, among them Bruno Kirby, Cindy Williams, Teri Garr, Jamie Farr, Rob Reiner, Richard Dreyfuss, Kurt Russell, and Mark Hamill, passing through.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 1, 2017 at 6:47 AM

      I really liked the first series of Skins, but I didn't continue watching after they changed the cast. My So Called Life I remember liking a lot, but I don't remember a lot specifically from the show. I've never heard of your last pick.

      Delete
  6. DellSeptember 1, 2017 at 4:16 PM

    I've only seen The Wonder Years. At least it's an awesome show. Watched it quite a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Katie HoganSeptember 3, 2017 at 10:22 AM

    Ja'ime is an inspired choice! Aw The Wonder Years, I never really understood the appeal of the show, or maybe Winnie just really annoyed me. More Freaks and Geeks love!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 4, 2017 at 7:32 PM

      Thank you! I think Wonder Years is just really nostalgic for a lot of people and that's why it resonates.

      Delete
  8. WandererSeptember 7, 2017 at 10:14 AM

    The Wonder Years - I've seen a few episodes here and there, but can't really remember much.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousOctober 25, 2017 at 2:56 AM

    Marvellous!it is good series of different and strange story.I just have read stories but not watch Full movie. it will be very interesting.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by, let's talk movies!
(comments are moderated to reduce spam)

Popular posts from this blog

Random Ramblings: The Radio Flyer Conundrum

-
Image
Recently, I was talking to someone about who I thought were the best child actors when I was also a child.  Two that really stood out to me were Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazello, and one film those two were in together was called Radio Flyer.  Then I was reminded about the uniqueness of this film. Instead of reviewing the film, I wanted to have an open discussion about the ending. It deals with a tough issue; child abuse. What I’ve noticed is the way that the film ends is interpreted many different ways, and the filmmakers never came forward to say what was right and wrong. I’m interested in hearing everyone’s opinions on it. How did you interpret the ending? Obviously spoiler alerts will follow.. For those of you who haven’t seen the film, the basic premise is this: Two young boys, Mikey (Wood) and Bobby (Mazello) move in with their single mother and her boyfriend, who refers to himself as ‘The King’. It doesn’t take long for The King to start physically abusing ...
Read more

Indie Gems: Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

-
Image
Passionate about your profession? I had never heard of this film until it ended up on one of Jason's favorite horror movie lists around Halloween. It immediately sounded interesting to me, so of course I threw it in my Netflix queue. (and if I'm just now watching it after adding it around Halloween, you know how ridiculous my queue is) Taylor (Angela Goethals) is a journalist who, along with a film crew decides to follow around a serial killer named Leslie Vernon. (Nathan Baesel) He plans on doing the typical slasher thing - getting a bunch of drunk teens in an abandoned house and knocking them off one by one. He gets advice from a retired serial killer, Eugene (Scott Wilson) and is threatened by a man who's on to him, Doc Holloran (Robert Englund) Taylor and crew are there capturing it all. Leslie Vernon is fucking hilarious to start with, and clearly very passionate about what he does. He tells Taylor all of his secrets and can barely contain his excitemen...
Read more

My Favorite Movie Youtube Channels

-
Image
Starting around 2018, I started watching Youtube for more than just movie trailers or music videos whenever a new one dropped. Now I'm in full blown subscription mode and don't bat an eyelash at watching a Youtube video that's over an hour long. I watch Youtube for a few different categories of content, but one of them that I love most is movie/TV essays and commentary, and that's what I'm going to talk about today. Below is a list of my favorite movie related Youtube channels. Let me know if you're familiar with them too, or if you have any you'd like to recommend to me.  Double Toasted - I'm honestly surprised this channel isn't bigger. I first came across Korey and Martin when they reviewed War for the Planet of the Apes a few months before it hit theaters and I thought they were hysterical. While their full length videos stream on Twitch, they often upload their movie reviews and commentary on youtube and they're always hilarious. They've...
Read more