Thursday Movie Picks: School
This week's theme from Wandering Through The Shelves is about that time of life that I can't think about without cringing....school. The fact that school is going to look so differently this year for my child is another source of frustration. Thankfully there's a few movies that take place during that time that don't give me that feeling. Here they are.
1) Mean Girls
This is the ultimate teen movie for me. It came out when I was a junior in high school and I can still quote the entire film to this day.
2) The Perks of Being A Wall Flower
I thought this was a really good adaptation of the book for the most part. Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller were perfectly cast and it did a great job of capturing that awkwardness and how dependent one can be on their friends.
3) The Half Of It
This is a newer find for me but I did not expect to enjoy this Netflix film as much as I did. It's a sweet story of friendship and first love and even though it gets corny as hell at times, it works.
I have not seen any of these including Mean girls which, one day, I will see.
ReplyDeleteIts so good!
DeleteOy what a mess we're in now with schools....and everything else! If only we had a leader instead of the pathetic irresponsible crybaby who has botched this from day one. :-(
ReplyDeleteWell on to be more pleasant things.
I put off Mean Girls for years because it stars human train wreck Lindsay Lohan but found it charming and fun when I finally broke down and gave it a look.
Maybe if I'd read the book I would have enjoyed Perks more but as it was I thought it was okay but nothing I'll watch again.
I haven't heard of your last. Sounds cute.
So many ways to go with this, I decided to do a theme within the theme and head to boarding school.
Mädchen in Uniform (1931)-Still reeling from the death of her mother teenage Manuela (Hertha Thiele) is sent to a German boarding school run by the autocratic Fräulein von Nordeck (Emilia Unda). Grieving and angry Manuela at first keeps to herself but is slowly drawn out of her shell by sympathetic young teacher Elizabeth von Bernburg (Dorothea Wieck). But when Manuela's fondness for her teacher turns into a romantic attachment, it becomes a school-wide scandal. The film caused an uproar upon its release due to its compassionate view towards lesbianism.
The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)-During World War II St. Swithins all-girls school is evacuated from London to avoid the Blitz. Due to a clerical error the female students and staff are relocated to the Nutborne Boys School. When the headmaster, Wetherby Pond (Alastair Sim) finds out he hits the ceiling but when he realizes there is nothing to be done about it he and St. Swithins headmistress Muriel Whitchurch (Margaret Rutherford) agree to keep their mixed-sex campus a secret to avoid disturbing the parents. However they find it hard to deceive visiting inspectors and hilarity ensues.
A Little Princess (1939)-When the wealthy Captain Crewe (Ian Hunter) is called to serve in the Boer War he places his young daughter Sara (Shirley Temple) in the exclusive Miss Minchin's School for Girls. Everything is rosy for a time but when word arrives that the captain has been killed in action and his property seized Sara, reduced to penury, is forced to become a servant at the school living in a tiny attic room. Belittled and tormented by several of the girls especially the cruel Lavinia (Marcia Mae Jones) Sara believes her father to be alive and haunts the hospitals looking for him.
I love that version of A Little Princess! I enjoy the remake too but I adore Shirley, I think I've seen nearly all of her work in the 30's. That's the only part of classic cinema I haven't failed miserably at.
DeleteThe Half of It is definitely worth the stream. It has a very large cringey moment towards the end but works well the rest of the time.
I knew you'd know the Shirley movie!! It's one of my favorites of her childhood movies along with Bright Eyes and Poor Little Rich Girl. Did you ever catch up with The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer? It's her best grown up movie (though she's a teen) with both Myrna Loy and Cary Grant. A delightful comedy....if not it deserves a place on your Blind Spot list.
DeleteI haven't. Teen Shirley has escaped me. My only outlet for watching Shirley movies as a kid was AMC and they rarely played her teen/adult work. I think Kiss and Tell is the only one I've seen. I'll add that to my list!
DeleteI only saw bits and pieces of Mean Girls, but I need to rewatch that movie sometime! Great list!
ReplyDeleteCheck out my Thursday Movie Picks!
Ronyell @ The Surreal Movies and TV Blog
Mean Girls is amazing!
DeleteMean Girls and The Perks of Being a Wall Flower are amazing picks. I haven't seen The Half of It but I heard some good things about it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a cute little film. I'm glad you like the first two!
DeleteI'm so glad to see some love for The Perks of Being A Wall Flower. Everyone seems to hate the film and frankly I don't get why. I loved the book and the film is such a good adaptation.
ReplyDeleteThat's crazy. The only thing I didn't like about it was Emma Watson as I felt she was miscast. Ezra Miller on the other hand was brilliant in it.
DeleteNice picks! Perks of Being a Wallflower was a good adaptation. and Stephen did a balanced job directing his own story, which isn't always the case. And, I loved the cast.
ReplyDeleteI agree, he did a great job translating the way he wrote it to the page, and I liked everyone except Watson lol
DeleteI agree. Watson seems to be miscast for me here.
DeleteI actually liked Watson, but Shailene Woodley or would've been more interesting.
DeleteI love Shailene. She would've been great.
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