Films Perfect for Back to School

It is almost time to hear the bells ring, pack up backpacks and hit the books. School will be starting up again soon for many students: elementary, high school and even college. Many films have been made depicting school life: students, teachers, and even parents, as either paradise or an absolute nightmare depending on the parties involved. Here are some films, which can be explored more on their IMDB pages, involving school in a way: student life, extracurricular activities, gifted students, caring teachers and even parents getting involved in their kid’s lives that are fantastic to watch; some films might not be appropriate for all ages. The picture is courtesy of Pixabay

Dead Poets Society. This 1989 film is perfect for those who love English and reading. Robin Williams (in one of his most memorable roles) stars as Mr. Keating an English teacher at an all-boys prep school.  He teaches his students about living their lives to the fullest; telling them to carpe diem Latin for “seize the day.” Some of the boys even restart the unauthorized Dead Poets Society: reading poems and verses. However the new rebellious natures of the boys might cost them everything. The film also stars Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard and Josh Charles as some of the students influenced by Keating.

Regarded as one of the best school movies or all time, Dead Poets Society shows how one teacher can change a school and open some student’s eyes to not obey rules but to enjoy their life. On a side note if one of the required readings for English is J.D Sallinger’s Catcher in the Rye this is a good match to understand what the students are going through.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Not encouraging students to do exactly what this classic film character did, but sometimes we all need a day off. Starring Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey and Jeffrey Jones, this 1986 John Hughes film has a high school student faking being sick to spend the day in the city with his friends. Meanwhile his high school principal and sister don’t buy it and try and expose Ferris for the fraud he is. It might not be the most in school nor the most modern film on here, but it is still a classic high school film no matter how old it gets.

Mean Girls. High school can be scary for many entering for the first time; some may even worry about fitting in with the many cliques there. This 2004 cult classic comedy shows that despite the facade of being perfect most cliques are not what they appear to be. Lindsay Lohan is Cady a former home school student entering high school for the first time and gets caught up in the top group of the school: The Plastics. Cady soon clashes with queen bee Regina George (Rachel McAdams) and decides the best way to fight is to become friends. While high school can be described in so many horrible ways just remember this: it will soon be a distant memory.

Old School. Definitely more for college rather than high school students. Released in 2003, Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn star as 30 something men that create a fraternity just so they can continue their partying ways. However when it looks like they may lose the house unless they pass several academic and athletic tests the guys are gonna have to grow up fast. Many critics and viewers have said this film has never done the college party scene better, but through the comedy, alcohol and so much profanity there is heart.

Lean On Me. The first film to be based on a true story on this list. Released in 1989 Lean On Me stars Morgan Freeman as Joe Clark, aka “Crazy Joe” who takes over a New Jersey high school raided with drugs and gangs. Joe makes it his mission to turn the school around for the students, but the teachers and parents have trouble with Joe’s radical measures. Morgan Freeman as always delivers a spectacular performance as “Crazy” Joe; he may not be the most conventional person to run a school, but the students grow to love their principal.

Bad Moms. While this 2015 movie doesn’t take place in school many parents (not just moms) with kids can completely relate to Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn’s characters. The trio are portrayed overworked moms finally fed up with trying to lead perfect lives for their kids. Deciding to be “bad” the ladies let loose and have fun with their kids; at the same time they must handle the wrath of the school PTA president Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate). The reason why the film was a success is not just because the women are hysterical but every single person with school age children have felt exactly like the main characters did at least once. While parents probably shouldn’t go as extreme as the moms in here, it does show how much work happens before and after school for everyone involved.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower. One of the most recent coming of age movies. This 2012 film stars Logan Lerman as Charlie a young man recently released from a mental hospital after suffering from depression. Enrolled into a new school Charlie has trouble making friends until he meets Sam (Emma Watson) and her step brother Patrick (Ezra Miler) who invite him into their own little circle. Charlie soon struggles with his growing feelings for Sam as well as coming into the young man he is meant to be. Two of the three leads were well known for other films prior to this one (Lerman as Percy Jackson and Watson as Hermione Granger) but this film helped launch them in addition to Miler into more adult roles in their career. It also shows that while there may be darkness in the past and school may stink, with the right people there will always be a bright future.

Stand and Deliver. Math; you are either good at it or you are not, but in this 1988 film it isn’t just calculus the students are struggling with. Based on a true story Edward James Olmos stars as Jamie Escalante, a new math teacher at an East Los Angeles high school begins teaching students from working class Hispanic families with multiple problems (academic and social). Realizing the school has given up on them Escalante sets out to prove his students are not only smart but can pass the toughest AP Calculus tests. It is rare on film to see a teacher that cares so much for their students; seeing the dedication Olmos’s character has towards his job and his fight for the kids is something to admire.

Easy A. In what has been called Emma Stone’s breakout role, this 2010 movie shows how a little white lie in high school can go a very long way. Told over a webcam Stone’s character Olive Penderghast helps out a gay friend by claiming she slept with him. When word spreads out about it other guys who could never get a girlfriend ask for Olive’s help in increasing their reputation. Olive becomes labeled as the school tramp and several students, led by the queen Christian bee Marianne (Amanda Bynes), want Olive gone. It will probably be remembered as one of the best high school comedies of the 2010’s and the beginning of Emma Stone’s young successful career

Animal House. Be honest when someone says college movies this is the first one to pop into mind. Starring the hilarious John Belushi, Kevin Bacon, Tim Matheson and John Vernon among so many other funny stars this 1978 movie is all about a fraternity all about partying must go up against the school dean who wants them all gone. While most college parties at fraternities are probably not as insane it is still an absolutely side splitting hysterical movie.

Sixteen Candles. John Hughes sure knows how to write and direct movies about high school. In this 1984 coming of age tale staring the likes of Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, Anthony Michael Hall and Paul Dooley the film follows newly sixteen Sam Baker as she gets through her birthday which her family has forgotten due to her sister’s wedding the next day. To make matters worse her crush Jake Ryan finds out about her feelings for him and school geek Ted will not leave her alone. While other films had come out about teens acting out, nothing like Sixteen Candles had teens portrayed as those who love to party and drink (among other things).

Pitch Perfect. Not many modern musicals really captured high school and college students quite like this 2012 musical comedy, and its two sequels. With an all-star young cast including Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Britney Snow, Anna Camp, Adam DeVine, Skylar Astin, Ben Platt and Elizabeth Banks, Pitch Perfect made being involved in a capella cool once again. It may not have focused on actual classes, but it doesn’t mean the girls didn’t learn a lesson or two about life.

The Breakfast Club. This is the last John Hughes movie on here I promise. Taking place on a Saturday detention this 1985 comedy/drama focuses on five high school students: bad boy John Bender (Judd Nelson), princess like Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald), jock Andrew Clarke (Emilio Estevez), nerd Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall) and oddball Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy). On the outside they have nothing in common, but as the film progresses the teens soon begin discussing their lives at home; growing closer along the way. This is one of the few films showing how students of different lifestyles and high school cliques are not as different as they originally thought. This is a must watch for students in high school.

21 Jump Street. There have been many adaptations about adults being undercover in high school, including the television series this 2012 film is based on, and its sequel involving college. No one quite expected Channing Tatum or Jonah Hill to be mistaken as high school students; yet that is what happened as the two bumbling police officers are on the hunt for a drug dealer selling to kids at a local high school. There are many who do not even want to think about going back to high school, nor could probably get away with it, but it will always play a major part of our lives. Just don’t let be the only good thing looking back.

Clueless. Sometimes being pretty and popular can get you far in high school, but it won’t always work. This 1999 high school comedy focuses on Cher (Alicia Silverstone) who is the queen bee of her school. Discovering how much she likes helping people she takes new girl Tai Fraiser (Britney Murphy) to be groomed to be just as popular as her. However when her project works too well Cher realizes being popular doesn’t mean much if there aren’t people who you love standing beside you. It does poke fun at the supposed lifestyle of Beverly Hills, but it also shows behind all the money and glamour they are people too.

The Edge of Seventeen. In the most recent coming of age film on this list this 2016 film takes a real good look at growing up in high school. Staring Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick and Blake Jenner we take a look at the life of Steinfeld’s character Nadine as her life begins to change: from her best friend dating her brother, her feelings towards an older student, the friend completely in love with her and overall struggling to open herself back up to friends and family after the death of her father. Hailee gives one of the best performances of her young career and shows that high school as insane as it is can be the place to find who you are meant to be.

Legally Blonde. If you looked up “never judge a book by its cover” in films you might see a picture of Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods. In this 2001 comedy Elle decides to follow her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School despite being seen as a ditsy blonde. Determined to prove him and others wrong about how serious she is Elle works hard to earn her place as a lawyer. Audiences adored the film with many praising Witherspoon’s performance as the perky Woods; they also loved the message about how not to let people’ opinions about how one looks stop you from reaching your goals.

Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion. The story may have not taken place in school, but it doesn’t mean it’s not relevant. Released in 1997 the film stars Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow as Romy and Michele traveling to their high school reunion. Wanting to stand out for their former classmates, including their enemy Christie Masters, the women claim they are successful business women; in fact they are anything but. The overall lesson for the film: while high school will be an important part of our lives, don’t live life like you’re still in it. Just because someone was a queen bee or nerd in school doesn’t mean they stayed that way for the rest of their lives.

Is there a school movie missing from this list? Please comment below your favorite high school or college movie. Do it before the bell rings!

Movie Review: Mean Girls

One of the first PG-13 movies I watched in theaters, I went with some of my girlfriends and my dad (who was “thrilled” to take us). However I do not think anyone was prepared for just how big this 2004 movie was going to become, something tells me this will be just as big when I am very old. In case you haven’t seen it, spoiler alert. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) moves from Africa to the United States, specifically Evanston, Illinois. Cady attends high school for the first time and soon learns about cliques from two outcasts, Janis Ian (Lizzy Caplan) who is Goth and Damian Leigh (Daniel Franzese) who is gay. They tell Cady about to avoid the most popular group at school” The Plastics, a trio of girls who are as popular as they are mean. Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried) the sweet but stupid member, Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert) the spoiled member who just wants acceptance, and finally the leader and what Janis calls evil human form, Regina George (Rachel McAdams). The Plastics invite Cady into their clique which makes Cady popular, although they discourage her from joining the math team despite her exceptional skills according to her teacher Ms. Norby (Tina Fey who also wrote the screenplay). Janis wants to use Cady to gain revenge on Regina for their horrible past, but Cady refuses to go along with the plan at first. Cady falls madly in love with fellow classmate Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett) who happens to be Regina’s ex-boyfriend. When Regina, knowing that Cady is interested, steals Aaron back Cady goes all in on Janis’s plan to destroy Regina by having Cady take over The Plastics, but inadvertently along the way Cady turns out to be much worse than Regina. About as far as I can go without giving away the rest of the movie.

To say that this movie has become a pop culture phenomenon would be an understatement. Everything from the writing to the acting could not have been done better. While Lindsay Lohan was already well known before this movie Mean Girls helped break her out of the Disney mold. McAdams and Seyfried’s careers as well have gone sky high because of this movie. Tina Fey has had success before and after this movie, but this for me is her best film work, not just as an actress but as a writer (notice the key word being film she is still fantastic in television) Other actors such as Bennett, Franzese, Chabert and Caplan haven’t had as much success after Mean Girls, but they have said they are thankful for the movie. The film had a spin off called Mean Girls 2, but it is not really worth watching having only one member from the original film and basically is a poor copy. There is a stage musical coming soon to Broadway with Tina Fey doing the script, so you know it is gonna be good. There have been talks about the official sequel, but until I see an actual trailer I do not believe it. Mean Girls continues to have a huge impact in film and I do not see it going away anytime soon.

Movie Review: Clue

If you are thinking I’m missing the “less” at the end of the title no I am not, that is something for another day. No, today I’m talking about the 1985 movie based on the board game. Haven’t heard of it, don’t worry. It is a cult classic not often talked about, but it is absolutely hilarious. Spoilers ahead as always. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

Taking place in 1954 six strangers under pseudonyms picked out by a then unknown party meet in a gorgeous mansion. The six are identified as Ms. Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren), Col. Mustard (Martin Mull), Ms. White (Madeline Kahn), Prof. Plum (Christopher Lloyd), Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan) and Mr. Green (Michael McKean). They are greeted by the butler Wadsworth (Tim Curry) and also meet the cook Mrs. Ho (Kellye Nakahara) and the maid Yvette (Collen Camp). In the middle of dinner another guest Mr. Boddy (Lee Vang) arrives. Wadsworth reveals what each of the guests, as well as himself, has in common: they are all being blackmailed by Mr. Body, and he has the evidence to prove it to the police. Body says if he is arrested, the world will know everyone’s secret. He hands out presents to the guests each containing a weapon: a revolver, a rope, a wrench, a candlestick, a lead pipe and a knife suggesting one of them kill Wadsworth and just walk away. He turns out the lights, but when they are turned back on he is the one who is dead. No one claims to have killed him and soon with more people arriving bodies begin to drop. They soon have to figure who, where and what killed Mr. Body and the others.

While I would not go so far as to say this is a great film, it is absolutely funny. Tim Curry steals the entire movie, especially when he reveals how he knows who the killer is, and annoying the heck out of everyone else. The other six stand out in their own way, some maybe more hilarious than others. Yvette also plays a big part and the way she is dressed you can’t help but stare and laugh when basically all the guys look at her. The script is very well written and I promise you will be laughing many times in the movie. Before putting this on your recommendation list I should probably say if renting this movie there are three endings to pick from. This is why I recommend streaming the film, either if it’s on Netflix wherever you are, Hulu if it is there, any movie channel you can DVR; basically anything you can stream or record Clue on.

Movie Review: Disney’s The Black Cauldron

Haven’t heard of this movie; doesn’t surprise me. Released in 1985 and loosely based on two books in The Chronicle of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, “The Black Cauldron” is considered to be Disney’s black sheep. It did not do very well at the box office and well it is not something Disney is not too well known for: dark. Once again spoilers will be ahead. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

The film opens with the explanation of the mythic Black Cauldron. There once was a king so cruel, even Gods feared him. As no prison could hold him, he was thrown alive into molten iron. This demonic spirit took form of the Black Cauldron. The legend goes on to say it waits for the most evil man to use it and raise an undead army to take over the world (yep, this is a kid’s movie.)

Centuries go by and the story fades into legend, until the Horned King (John Hurt) the skeleton and cruel ruler of Prydain searches for the Cauldron. Dallben (Freddie Jones), an enchanted farmer, fears the Horned King will steal his pig Hen Wen as she has powers able to locate the cauldron. He sends his assistant Taren (Grant Bardsley), who dreams of becoming a hero, to take care of Hen Wen. However the boy daydreams too much, not to mention gets annoyed by Gurgi (John Byner) a creature living in the forest and Hen Wen is captured. Despite breaking in and freeing Hen Wen, Taren earths the Horned King’s wrath. Along with Gurgi, the magical princess Eilonwy (Susan Sheridan), the middle age musician Fflewddur Fflam (Nigel Hawthorne) and a magical sword, Taren decides to find the Cauldron and destroy it before the Horned King can use it for his evil plan. Along the way Taren learns being a hero doesn’t mean having a sword and wearing a suit of armor.

If I were to say what was my favorite Disney movie of all time this might just be it, or top three easy and I’m someone who doesn’t like to get scared. I watched this for the first time when I was 4 maybe 5 and it scared the heck out of me, some of it still does! Don’t believe me, google a picture of the Horned King. The guy is a skeleton with bits of flesh on him, has horns sticking out of his head and his voice is CREEPY (bravo to John Hurt by the way.) As far as Disney villains go this guy deserves more recognition. He wants to take over the world with an undead army!

The other characters stand out just as much as the King. Taren is the boy who knows there is more outside the farm and wants it, bet he didn’t expect that adventure he got. Eilonwy is just as much a princess as the official list (because of the poor box office she is not on the list) and is most definitely not a damsel in distress. Fflewddur is the comic relief of the group, which at times is necessary. Finally Gurgi while at times a pest is shown to be the bravest of them all; can’t say why though, sorry.

I understand why this film did not do too well at the box office, when you think Disney “dark” is not the first word to come to mind with their movies. The film did gain a cult following and might be the only reason why someone like me can watch the movie. However it doesn’t mean this film is not worth the watch because it truly is. I always recommend people to watch the lesser known Disney films because they are good, might not follow the success as Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and others but they are worth the watch. I will go into more of those at a later time, but for now I highly recommend watching this kinda scary Disney film.