I'm conscious that i take a big risk. The risk to be killed by stoning and roped in public place by a bunch of indie girls, but i can't lie : i didn't like "Juno". (OooOooh ! It's knocking at my door !)
No really guys, maybe it would reassure you, i didn't like "Little Miss Sunshine" too. (No ! It's a joke ! Don't hit me !)
I didn't like "Juno", but i think that's an interesting case of teen movie. Indeed, to become a mother-girl are THE big fear of any teenage girl. It rejoins many adolescent psychosis like the premature end of childness, the foreign looks, and unknown responsability.
What is Juno's aim ? I don't know... Maybe to say that you can be cool and pregnant ? To be pregnant of a boy is the better way to know if he's good and nice ? Or maybe, how to make money and stay honest ? No, i'm not oldschool and i'm not very concern by this subject too, but this film bored me a lot... That's all... It's not a provocation, but i want just to say, that a good teen movie, to my mind, it's not only a pretty gril, with a cute guitar and a dandy-olympic-stupid boyfriend. We must feel a tragic sensibility,Juno's characters take problems as if everything is simple, it's not ! And even if it's a comedy, even if Juno is the supposed-cynic-girls-but-sensitive-too, i won't buy the dvd...
Okay ?!
lundi 14 juin 2010
French guys were young too - Les Beaux Gosses
Can we be honest ? Excuse my language, but French teenmovie sucks. We are really really bad with it. But last year, a little film released on french screen, it was "Les Beaux Gosses" directed by Riad Sattouf.
This director is a comics writter, he already published very funny comics like "La vie secrète des jeunes", "Manuel du puceau" (the title is strange, but the story is very fresh and good), and mostly "Pascal Brutal", a very hilarious story about a kind of french redneck in the future.
He never directed a film, but a producer proposed him to adapt his comics into a film about teenagers. He accepted, and it was the best idea in french cinema since 10 years.
This is the story of two teenagers in Rennes in Junior High School. They're not really cute, they dress without any sense of taste, they've got no girlfriends but they are obsessed by girls... Yeah, true teenage boys.
This film is a succession of little part of daily life, teen problems, but joy and optimism too. What is a good teenage movie ? It's when a story about teenagers is universal, when all teenagers in the country or in the world can identify them with story's characters. I'm sorry, but many details in "Les beaux gosses" remains me my own adolescence (don't worry, not everything...). Another thing interesting in this movie, there is no moral, or lessons to retain. Just one detail, adolescence is the worst part of your life, but after it could be really cool. Loosers suffer a lot during this period, but they can strengthen, and to face to their life with some weapons!
It proves a last certitude. Only people who have a terrible or complicated adolescence can make teenmovie, because it's a question of real life.
This director is a comics writter, he already published very funny comics like "La vie secrète des jeunes", "Manuel du puceau" (the title is strange, but the story is very fresh and good), and mostly "Pascal Brutal", a very hilarious story about a kind of french redneck in the future.
He never directed a film, but a producer proposed him to adapt his comics into a film about teenagers. He accepted, and it was the best idea in french cinema since 10 years.
This is the story of two teenagers in Rennes in Junior High School. They're not really cute, they dress without any sense of taste, they've got no girlfriends but they are obsessed by girls... Yeah, true teenage boys.
This film is a succession of little part of daily life, teen problems, but joy and optimism too. What is a good teenage movie ? It's when a story about teenagers is universal, when all teenagers in the country or in the world can identify them with story's characters. I'm sorry, but many details in "Les beaux gosses" remains me my own adolescence (don't worry, not everything...). Another thing interesting in this movie, there is no moral, or lessons to retain. Just one detail, adolescence is the worst part of your life, but after it could be really cool. Loosers suffer a lot during this period, but they can strengthen, and to face to their life with some weapons!
It proves a last certitude. Only people who have a terrible or complicated adolescence can make teenmovie, because it's a question of real life.
vendredi 11 juin 2010
Elephant
Sometimes, we forget it, but a teenmovie is not ever a comedy... The most important is a certain sensibility, a feeling, a touch of truth. In the case of "Elephant" by Gus Van Sant, we've got the three, and it's beautiful !
"Elephant" won the "Palme d'Or" in 2003, it talks about the true story of a gunfire in highschool in Columbine, where two teenagers shot on the others students, and killed theirselve after. A national tragedy where 13 peoples were killed.
The Gus Van sant's film is'nt a police investigation, or a drama soap, no, it's almost a documentary point of view, what would be the last journey of the two murderers ? Their is no suspens, no story, just characters evolving in their environment before this funest day. Van Sant doesn't give us a concret explanation to this act, he put himself like a whitness and try to understand, not the murderers reasons, but all teenagers feelings.
The gunfire scenes are very sober, there is no show or demonstration, it's a form of high violence. In cinema, we use to see spectacular dead, but in this film when a body take a bullet, it simply falls on the ground and that's the most terrible.
It shows us that adolescence stay a big mystery too. Some guys go to reveal their personality, and others go down in a kind of melancholia.... But because life is hard, and anyone is not very ever armed to affront it. It could be a sort of explanation to the murderers act, a supreme refusal to leave their children life... maybe.
Anyway, Gus Van Sant made a very sensitive and poetic movie who immortalize this teenager spleen in american cinema.
"Elephant" won the "Palme d'Or" in 2003, it talks about the true story of a gunfire in highschool in Columbine, where two teenagers shot on the others students, and killed theirselve after. A national tragedy where 13 peoples were killed.
The Gus Van sant's film is'nt a police investigation, or a drama soap, no, it's almost a documentary point of view, what would be the last journey of the two murderers ? Their is no suspens, no story, just characters evolving in their environment before this funest day. Van Sant doesn't give us a concret explanation to this act, he put himself like a whitness and try to understand, not the murderers reasons, but all teenagers feelings.
The gunfire scenes are very sober, there is no show or demonstration, it's a form of high violence. In cinema, we use to see spectacular dead, but in this film when a body take a bullet, it simply falls on the ground and that's the most terrible.
It shows us that adolescence stay a big mystery too. Some guys go to reveal their personality, and others go down in a kind of melancholia.... But because life is hard, and anyone is not very ever armed to affront it. It could be a sort of explanation to the murderers act, a supreme refusal to leave their children life... maybe.
Anyway, Gus Van Sant made a very sensitive and poetic movie who immortalize this teenager spleen in american cinema.
jeudi 10 juin 2010
Go Go Go Goonies !
Allright guys ! A little bit of fun in this sad sad world ! (Hey, it's a teenage blog !)
Now, let's talk about a cult and amazing film, The Goonies. Directed by Richard Donner, this film talks about a band of friends who discovered a pirate map to find a treasure. This story is very classical and characters so predictable, but the script has this coolness that only teenmovies have. This film has this particularity to revealed Josh Brolin for his first part.
It's an ode to friendschip and surpassing oneself. The asmathic, the coward, the playboy, the chick,the fatboy... everybody must learn a lot from this adventure, and why not, become rich too. Bad people are really bad, and nice people are your true friends. This message can be simple, but it's another part of adolescence. Find who you are really, and to face the cruel world.
This film is interesting for its murky ambiance. Somewhere in Oregon, a pirate hide his treasure, and this fortune could save the kids neighbourhood threaten to disappear. The script has been written by Chris olombus (Harry Potter) and adapted from a Steven Spielberg's idea... It deals with another teenage fantasy : can resolve problems when adults can't. The neighbourhood's destruction by promoters is the symbol of this end of childness. This kids will be separate, and this adventure, this surpassing oneself is a rite of passage. The Lotney's character (who is a monstruous and retarded boy)represents this fear of adult age, something that you can't control and who disfigure you. But this fear can be controlled, and at the end, Goonies adopte Lotney, because they don't be afraid of this transformation anymore.
I don't think that this film is the best cinematographic object, many others teenagemovies are really better. But, i don't know why, i'm keeping a precise memory of conditions when i saw it, and it's the most important in teenagemovie, because it's the sign of a positive influence... I hope.
"I'll never betray my goon dock friend, We will stick together till the whole world ends, Trough heaven and hell and nuclear war, Good friends like us stick like tar, In city or country or woods or boonies, we proudly declare ourselves to be a goonie."
Now, let's talk about a cult and amazing film, The Goonies. Directed by Richard Donner, this film talks about a band of friends who discovered a pirate map to find a treasure. This story is very classical and characters so predictable, but the script has this coolness that only teenmovies have. This film has this particularity to revealed Josh Brolin for his first part.
It's an ode to friendschip and surpassing oneself. The asmathic, the coward, the playboy, the chick,the fatboy... everybody must learn a lot from this adventure, and why not, become rich too. Bad people are really bad, and nice people are your true friends. This message can be simple, but it's another part of adolescence. Find who you are really, and to face the cruel world.
This film is interesting for its murky ambiance. Somewhere in Oregon, a pirate hide his treasure, and this fortune could save the kids neighbourhood threaten to disappear. The script has been written by Chris olombus (Harry Potter) and adapted from a Steven Spielberg's idea... It deals with another teenage fantasy : can resolve problems when adults can't. The neighbourhood's destruction by promoters is the symbol of this end of childness. This kids will be separate, and this adventure, this surpassing oneself is a rite of passage. The Lotney's character (who is a monstruous and retarded boy)represents this fear of adult age, something that you can't control and who disfigure you. But this fear can be controlled, and at the end, Goonies adopte Lotney, because they don't be afraid of this transformation anymore.
I don't think that this film is the best cinematographic object, many others teenagemovies are really better. But, i don't know why, i'm keeping a precise memory of conditions when i saw it, and it's the most important in teenagemovie, because it's the sign of a positive influence... I hope.
"I'll never betray my goon dock friend, We will stick together till the whole world ends, Trough heaven and hell and nuclear war, Good friends like us stick like tar, In city or country or woods or boonies, we proudly declare ourselves to be a goonie."
mercredi 9 juin 2010
Sex, drugs and Teenagers... Bully
Ok young people, it's time to have a serious conversation. Sometime, to be a teenager, it's not so easy, when Larry Clark deals with it, it could be scary... But calm down, it's just fiction... or not !
When i saw "Bully" for the first time, i thought that it was so exagerrated. A big provocation to shock the "bourgeois", but finally, this film is more interesting that it seems.
Sex, violence, drugs, no sense of reality,... This is the daily life of Larry Clark's teenagers, but if we observe that like a metaphor of teenage's primal sensations, it's a fabulous point of view. Indeed, young peoples want high sensation, to be borderline and "Bully" can be also a fable. What's happened if socials rules disappears, if teenagers would be to give their selves up. It could be a big tragedy. "Bully", it's the story of a band of friends who decide to kill one of them in reasons of his agressivity.
This film isn't a moral tale, Larry Clark is here to put us in front of violence of human nature. A violence who is exacerbated during adolescence. Teenagers is for this director a good illustration of the innocence and its contradictions. A teenager could be guilty ? Even if it doesn't know what it did ?
This movie is hard, violent, but there is a kind of compassion to watch this young guys totally lost. Maybe, there is nothing to understand, but we're watching the worst part of human being, when life cost nothing anymore...
In the other side, "Bully" is permanently the most pessimistic Larry Clark's film. We can ever find a touch of hope in every film, but in this case, let me tell us that's hard ! Other script from the same director like "Ken Park" or "Wassup Rockers" weren't comic too, but we could see a light in the dark, a touch of love and human compassion... But "Bully", it's not the same story, and it was inspirated by a true story who take place during the 90's.
At the origin, Larry Clark is a photographer, and through there story, he wants to show us violence who can hide behind images. Let's see what is the true life of young peoples...
When i saw "Bully" for the first time, i thought that it was so exagerrated. A big provocation to shock the "bourgeois", but finally, this film is more interesting that it seems.
Sex, violence, drugs, no sense of reality,... This is the daily life of Larry Clark's teenagers, but if we observe that like a metaphor of teenage's primal sensations, it's a fabulous point of view. Indeed, young peoples want high sensation, to be borderline and "Bully" can be also a fable. What's happened if socials rules disappears, if teenagers would be to give their selves up. It could be a big tragedy. "Bully", it's the story of a band of friends who decide to kill one of them in reasons of his agressivity.
This film isn't a moral tale, Larry Clark is here to put us in front of violence of human nature. A violence who is exacerbated during adolescence. Teenagers is for this director a good illustration of the innocence and its contradictions. A teenager could be guilty ? Even if it doesn't know what it did ?
This movie is hard, violent, but there is a kind of compassion to watch this young guys totally lost. Maybe, there is nothing to understand, but we're watching the worst part of human being, when life cost nothing anymore...
In the other side, "Bully" is permanently the most pessimistic Larry Clark's film. We can ever find a touch of hope in every film, but in this case, let me tell us that's hard ! Other script from the same director like "Ken Park" or "Wassup Rockers" weren't comic too, but we could see a light in the dark, a touch of love and human compassion... But "Bully", it's not the same story, and it was inspirated by a true story who take place during the 90's.
At the origin, Larry Clark is a photographer, and through there story, he wants to show us violence who can hide behind images. Let's see what is the true life of young peoples...
jeudi 3 juin 2010
Jumanji
Do you remember ? That was awesome ! Okay, Peter and Judy, the main characters, aren’t really teenager, they’re more kids but i think that “Jumanji” is a film about THE transformation.
Indeed, what is Jumanji ? It’s a game where some african animals can rejoin the real world. It’s a quest, and a revelation for all peoples who play with it. Robin William’s character passed 25 years inside the game where he was prisonner. Now, he’s an adult and he is discovering the life who he never knew... During one of the final scenes, Robin, in front of his ennemy said something like that “My father said me to be a man and to cope with problems”.
Don’t laugh ! It’s beautiful, i cry everytime at this part !
Animals are the bestially part of everyone, and the main difficulty to leave adolescence, is essentialy to cope with your own life. You can’t stay hide more longer, you must reveal your true nature and assume your responsabilities.
This is an interesting side in teenage movies, a lot of references deals with this aspect of responsabilities. Would it be the main problem of young peoples ? Maybe, but it’s more complex !
For Jumanji, there is a part of responsability, but the story is about childness too, and the importance to keeping your childness awake. Robin didn’t knew his childness, and he was angry against his father it’s another teeange problem, especially for the boys, the relation father-son, between authority and friendschip, complicity and heritage. The final aim of Jumanji is about this reconciliation between Robin and his father, when Robin accepts the paternal’s point of view and understand that his father said that to protect him...
“In the jungle, you will wait, a 5 or 8 will release you”.
Indeed, what is Jumanji ? It’s a game where some african animals can rejoin the real world. It’s a quest, and a revelation for all peoples who play with it. Robin William’s character passed 25 years inside the game where he was prisonner. Now, he’s an adult and he is discovering the life who he never knew... During one of the final scenes, Robin, in front of his ennemy said something like that “My father said me to be a man and to cope with problems”.
Don’t laugh ! It’s beautiful, i cry everytime at this part !
Animals are the bestially part of everyone, and the main difficulty to leave adolescence, is essentialy to cope with your own life. You can’t stay hide more longer, you must reveal your true nature and assume your responsabilities.
This is an interesting side in teenage movies, a lot of references deals with this aspect of responsabilities. Would it be the main problem of young peoples ? Maybe, but it’s more complex !
For Jumanji, there is a part of responsability, but the story is about childness too, and the importance to keeping your childness awake. Robin didn’t knew his childness, and he was angry against his father it’s another teeange problem, especially for the boys, the relation father-son, between authority and friendschip, complicity and heritage. The final aim of Jumanji is about this reconciliation between Robin and his father, when Robin accepts the paternal’s point of view and understand that his father said that to protect him...
“In the jungle, you will wait, a 5 or 8 will release you”.
lundi 17 mai 2010
Back to the Future
Yeah, i know, i can hear you "Back to the Future ? Not really a teenage movie... more a clip about the 80's...". Well, i just watched the first opus this weekend, and i can assure you, this is one of the last 20 years best teenmovies.
Why ? Let me explain it to you. When you become a teenager, you start to realize the consequences of your acts. You have a new and scary consciousness of the world around you. The Past can become, sometimes, a refuge because when you were a child, it was inevitably better.
Imagine that you could rejoin this Past, the perfect teenage dream, you can control your acts, repair your mistakes, change your destiny... Suddenly, this world doesn't scare you anymore, because you control it ! Nothing can touch you, because you've got the time in your pocket.
Only a teenager with slim-cut jeans and fluo tshirt like Micheal J. Fox was able to do this trip. He was cool, classy, courageous but with this little touch of innocence which only real heroes can have.
What is the morality of this film ? Every decision, every movement has an impact on your future, so let's think about it ans do the right things, because, to my mind, it's clearly improbable that your future son will tell you how to catch your mum...
Yeah... This is what it is to be an adult, you have no excuses for anything, what you are, what you have, it depends on you and only you... Unfair ? Wrong ? Maybe, but in "Back to the future" we just can imagine the contrary, and we can't avoid simulating what would be our life if we had accepted this date, hit this douchebag in highschool, or gone to India for 1 year...
So, what did Doc say at the end of the first movie "Roads ? Where we're going, we don't need roads." In other words, don't care about your future kids, just enjoy !
Why ? Let me explain it to you. When you become a teenager, you start to realize the consequences of your acts. You have a new and scary consciousness of the world around you. The Past can become, sometimes, a refuge because when you were a child, it was inevitably better.
Imagine that you could rejoin this Past, the perfect teenage dream, you can control your acts, repair your mistakes, change your destiny... Suddenly, this world doesn't scare you anymore, because you control it ! Nothing can touch you, because you've got the time in your pocket.
Only a teenager with slim-cut jeans and fluo tshirt like Micheal J. Fox was able to do this trip. He was cool, classy, courageous but with this little touch of innocence which only real heroes can have.
What is the morality of this film ? Every decision, every movement has an impact on your future, so let's think about it ans do the right things, because, to my mind, it's clearly improbable that your future son will tell you how to catch your mum...
Yeah... This is what it is to be an adult, you have no excuses for anything, what you are, what you have, it depends on you and only you... Unfair ? Wrong ? Maybe, but in "Back to the future" we just can imagine the contrary, and we can't avoid simulating what would be our life if we had accepted this date, hit this douchebag in highschool, or gone to India for 1 year...
So, what did Doc say at the end of the first movie "Roads ? Where we're going, we don't need roads." In other words, don't care about your future kids, just enjoy !
Inscription à :
Articles (Atom)