Think Of 'Em Like Moving Two By Fours: Tucker and Dale Vs Evil (2010)

The revisionist horror film is almost a thing that is ad nauseam in post-digital filmmaking.  Indeed, it would appears as though every hip post-film school punk thinks themselves capable of creating a masterwork in horror that is in comparison to Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Exorcist.  This is not to say that decent digital horror films do not exist, there are quite a few examples of next level horror films that have emerged in the past decade, but for the most part they are indicative of sloppy filmmaking that masks itself under excessive gore and formulaic plot.  Tucker and Dale vs Evil in all its absurdity does manage to reconsider some of the elements necessary to horror films and even cleverly engages with some of the classic horror cinema texts from which it pulls.  Of course, given that the entirety of the film is predicated upon one misunderstanding based on social stereotypes the jokes surrounding this run thin by the end and seem less than stellar.  That is not to say that Tucker and Dale vs Evil is not an enjoyable viewing experience, but purely to note that it loses its flare by the closing moments.  The highlight here, however, is Alan Tudyk, who as I noted along side Trey on my appearance on the podcast Drive By Nerding, when Tudyk shows up in anything I will seek it out and consume it, because even with his decidedly comedic choices, he turns in some of the best acting available.  Where Tucker and Dale vs Evil works as a film is in the moments that it clearly makes sure it is not taken seriously, layering on blood and nudity as though it is almost an afterthought, noting that as a genre film it is somehow only taken seriously when such extremes are depicted, by not taking these "necessary" moments as anything but fabrication viewers are allowed to dig a bit deeper and consider the implications of villains and heroes in the horror film canon proper, and like any good revisionist work of genre filmmaking, Tucker and Dale vs Evil leaves those who encounter it considering the very nature of the presumably entrenched tropes of hillbilly slasher movies.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil focuses on two coinciding stories, one focusing on a group of college kids taking a weekend trip to the woods, ranging from the likable and well-meaning Allison (Katrina Bowden) to the seemingly devious and decidedly maniacal Chad (Jesse Moss).  Along with a few other friends they are hoping to get drunk in the woods and engage in all the wild behaviors possible.  Meanwhile Dale (Tyler Labine) and Tucker (Alan Tudyk) also have high hopes of their own, as two self-associating rednecks they take pride in their acquisition of a vacation home, planning on spending the weekend engaging in renovations of the space.  At a local gas station the two groups cross paths, Dale taking a liking to Allison, but when approaching the group, Dale in his stalky demeanor and carrying of a scythe like pole only manages to scare the group, however, their paths reconvene when later that night while fishing, Tucker and Dale spot the group going skinny dipping, even catching Allison as she begins to undress on a high rock.  Scared, Dale shouts causing Allison to fall in panic and become knocked unconscious.  In guilt, Dale takes Allison back to their cabin and begins bringing her back to health, much to the frustrations of Tucker, but more so to the panic of Allison's friends, particularly Chad who mounts a wild plan to get his girlfriend back.  This plan falls completely to the wayside, however, when each attack leads to Dale or Tucker accidentally killing one of the member from Chad's group, either by dodging their attack and leading to their being impaled or by accidentally allowing them to fall into a wood chipper.  Ultimately, Chad becomes wildly vindictive in his attempts to seek revenge upon Tucker and Dale, at one point capturing Tucker and chopping off one of his fingers.  As a past story of murders in the area unfolds, it becomes clear that Chad is perhaps not as well-meaning as he appears, just as Tucker and Dale are not quite as brutal, and in the end Chad is destroyed and Dale is able to win over Allison.  Tucker who now possesses a new finger, seems quite content to be able to enjoy a fresh PBR from his hospital bed.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil works in a lot of regards.  The gore is so synthetic and absurd as to be nearly endearing in its absurdity and much of the dialogue is so heavy handed that one might think writer/director Eli Craig lifted every bit of it from eighties horror films.  These things are great and some of the highlights of the film, but what makes this film clever and a decidedly post-genre comedy, is the way in which it deals with the homoeroticism latent to the psychotic hillbilly horror film, particularly the classic in this regards Deliverance.  Wherein violently sexual encounters are used in a very demeaning and metaphorically visceral way in the cult classic starring Burt Reynolds, the homoeroticism of Tucker and Dale vs Evil becomes humorous in how much Craig makes the viewers acknowledge its potential, made all the more intriguing by the sort of connections made to rural folk life in hilly southern country that is entirely predicated upon Deliverance and the infamous "squeal like a piggy" scene.  Tucker and Dale obviously share a longing with one another, a desire to be together that is not necessarily sexual, but still borders on being wildly homoerotic.  Whether it be their initial encounter with the ill-fated police chief wherein Dale finds himself in a compromising position with Tucker, or their countless mishaps that land one on top of the other, it is clear that their embraces linger on far longer than one would expect for purportedly heterosexual men.  Craig's equally lengthy shots of the scenes ask viewers to first laugh at the absurdity, but then consider why exactly it is funny, when the situational bit wears thing.  In a society that is far more open to diverse sexual identities this is executed beautifully and becomes a great study on individuals burgeoning into their comfort sexually.  For Dale it is a movement towards heterosexuality, but it is rather clear that in the relationship between himself and Tucker that it is Tucker who truly possesses the homoerotic desire, almost affirmed by his acquiring a woman's finger in his hand transplant, one that Dale says fits, a clear suggest that his desire for men is fine, although not best directed at Dale.  This is all minimally discussed in the film, but, nonetheless, exists and makes for a wonderfully subversive film, masquerading as an absurdist horror comedy.

Key Scene:  Any of the moments involving Tudyk waxing poetic about beer are quite wonderful.

Neflix. Watch. Instantly.  In contrast to most of the garbage available, this is well worth your consideration.

Did You And Shirly Temple Have A Bad Rehearsal?: Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1985)

I am beginning to realize that the 1980's is a veritable treasure trove for excellent cult comedy, whether it be Splash, or a film I gave a lot of love to awhile back Earth Girls Are Easy.  It seems that in order for these films to work they necessarily need a decidedly absurdist plot mixed with the presence of stars, who were still coming into their own.  In the case of Girls Just Want to Have Fun, viewers are provided with this exact cocktail.  The absurdist plot coming in a town seemingly filled with more expert dancers than Footloose and a ton of musicals combined, as well as serving the excellent combination of then, still up and coming actresses Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt and Shannen Doherty.  I am glad that this film made it into the inclusion for this month of women in film, because it is decidedly lesser known, and focuses on women, in this case teenage girls, in a way that has yet to make an appearance, coming into their own, decidedly preoccupied with boys and looks and especially innocent to the woes of the world.  Usually, I would be quite dismissive of this methodology, but director Alan Metter handles the script with such care and humor as to remind viewers that it is not a film about condemnation or satire, but, instead; about the woes and silly pains of growing up and experiencing the seeming absurdity of one's teenage years, where parents are assumedly overly authoritative and everyone fits beautifully into their respective cliques.  Girls Just Want to Have Fun does not exist to deconstruct the heteronormativity, or class divides of this particularly conservative era in The United States.  The film never takes itself seriously, and there is no reason it should, instead between its theatricality, surprising degree of metacinematic qualities and an awesome up on your feet soundtrack, one cannot help but accept the frilly, fluff that is this film, it is by no means culturally profound or socially critical, instead, it is escapist cinema fully realized, with such a predictability that to hate it is to hate being happy.

Girls Just Want to Have fun primarily focuses on the experiences of Janey Glenn (Sarah Jessica Parker) a new girl to Chicago, who is used to traveling the world, considering that her father is an officer in the Army.  Her newest arrival at a private Catholic school makes her an instant outsider and a point of mocking for classmates who see her love for dance as silly and immature.  However, she does make friends with the witty and wily Lynne Stone (Helen Hunt) who takes no time helping Janey break out of her shell, when they bond over a shared love for the local dance show "Dance TV," in fact, it is during their first time watching the show together that they are informed of the show seeking new dancers from the Chicago area, a task they find themselves both up for attempting.  At the same time we are introduced to the other-side-of-the-tracks tough guy Jeff Malene (Lee Montgomery) who is also surprisingly good at dancing, leading to his awkward trickster friend Drew Boreman (Jonathan Silverman) pushing for his involvement with the competition.  Furthermore, another girl, the rich and conniving Natalie Sands (Holly Gagnier) is convinced she can enter the competition and win solely off of her father's influence and money.  The first encounter of the entire group comes during the initial tryouts where Janey and Jeff find success, while Lynne is knocked out of competition, due to the trickery of Natalie.  This, of course, leads to Janey and Jeff spending more time together, much to the concern of Janey's parents whose conservative upbringing is being thrown out the window, not to mention Natalie's continual extension of monetary power to attempt to assure victory.  However, in the end the two are able to dance together and blow the competition away, while Janey is also able to show her parents the true value her dancing brings to her life, particularly her father who sees first hand the happiness that is involved.  Janey and Jeff are now a couple, and will appear as dancers on Dance TV, even Lynne finds success being an announcer within the show due to some fortunate timing.  However, that is essentially the plot of the film, aside from some dance number here and there, it is pretty simple, enjoyable and straightforward.

So it is hard for me to glean any intense critical views from an admittedly simple and straightforward film, however, it was made in the middle of the 1980's, therefore, considering the highly conservative nature of America at the time, one could certainly read Girls Just Want to Have Fun as a direct confrontation to those ideologies, particularly a slight against the notion that white males can control the outcome of events with their money and influence.  This most obviously manifests itself in the party scene where a decadent "coming out" party, not in the contemporary civil rights sense, but in the showing off to the elite class of a young woman, is destroyed by a bunch of punk rockers, whose anti-establishment mentality seems to catch aflame on the cinematic stylings of the film, whether it be the use of twins to break the cinematic assumptions of symmetry, or the decidedly experimental nature of the dance sequences.  Surprisingly, one expects Jeff's dad to be an alcoholic, working class stiff who would spout of slurs about his son's desires to dance, however, he proves to be entirely supportive of his son's career choices, even if they threaten his own job security.  The film, of course, makes a larger statement about women's mobility in this era, both through Janey and Lynne whose desire to be nothing more than dancers, flies directly in opposition to the hyper-conservative ideals of their nuns, and, subsequently, the era of America in which the film was released.  Sure it is acceptable for young women to be gymnasts or choir girls, but the assumed vices associated with dancing, make certain that the film is blatantly riding on the waves of the success of Footloose a year earlier.  However, where that film takes religion as its blatant authority figure of oppression and suppression, Girls Just Want to Have Fun draws out a larger map of authoritative obstacles that bar women from entering into the world of dance, some tangible, while others are theoretical.  Fortunately, for the generation watching this film and growing up in that era, they quickly rejected such absurdist notions and pushed towards liberal notions of gender, mobility and performance, perhaps helping to explain the seemingly simplistic desires of the film, as I look back on it with nearly thirty years of detachment.

Key Scene:  The final dance competition is quite fun, the music is hip and the moves are quite impressive, and it is a nice payoff to follow up the relatively slow portions leading up to the scene.

This is a film that I took a liking to, but am fully aware is not for everyone, as such, it is worth renting first before purchasing.

You Don't Score, Until You Score: American Pie (1999)

A rather lengthy and inspired discussion of the year of 1999 in film, put on by the guys over at Battleship Pretension resulted in me jotting down a huge list of movies I intend to revisit as well as quite a few more I decided that I had unjustifiably dismissed on the grounds that I assumed them to be flat out  terrible.  One such case emerges with American Pie, a film I had scene, not in its entirety and considerably watered down on cable the years after its initial release.  I had dismissed this as a less than stellar teenage sex comedy with little to offer and thought it to be similar to another Jason Biggs vehicle such as Saving Silverman, which I argue has not aged well.  However, I had for whatever reason failed to realize that American Pie is the beginning point for the late 90's early 2000's teen sex comedy and is considerably good in comparison to its countless failed spinoffs.  It has a reputation that certainly precedes it, particularly one scene involving a baked good, this scene of course looses some of its humor given that it is such a staple of comedic awareness to my generation, yet nothing manages to compare to its fixation on sexual release as it relates to male youth and curiosity.  Similarly, for one reason or another, American Pie has become a fixture of the nudity movie within the memory and rhetoric of teen sex comedies, and while it does have one prolonged scene of a topless girl, it is a relatively lackluster film on the naked scale.  What is provided for a viewer in American Pie is a solidly executed comedy about friends facing the woes of growing up and realizing that the shenanigans and free floating that got them through high school will not suffice in their years at college.  Of course the film is aged a bit and could only work in an context like 1999, however, that is not to say the film is dated by any means, because some of the themes and concepts promulgated within American Pie are certainly transcendent of an era.  What is certain about this film is its memorability its inspiration for an onslaught of spinoffs which proved underwhelming and for considerably changing how anyone born before say 1990 looks at a freshly baked pie.

As a coming of age tale, American Pie is distinctly centered on the experiences of a group, in this case a  few guys making a pact to get laid by the end of their senior year.  The first is the suave Kevin (Thomas Ian Nichols) who cannot muster up the courage to tell his long-time girlfriend Vicky (Tara Reid) that he loves her, the jock turned hopeless romantic Oz (Chris Klein), the ever-constapated and awkwardly adult Finch (Eddie Kaye) and the films somewhat clear protagonist Jim (Jason Biggs).  In fact, they desire greatly to walk in the footsteps of assumed sex fiend Stifler (Sean Williams Scott) who is known for constantly throwing well attended parties that always turn into shag fests.  Of course their plans to get laid are riddled with obstacles, whether it be the constant interference of Jim's well meaning dad, played almost too perfectly by Eugene Levy, or Oz's failed attempts to win over a glee club girl.  Even Finch who has a fool proof plan of creating rumors about his sexual prowess and well endowment.  Along the way the group realizes that getting laid, while considerably important to their self-identity is second to their assurance of friendship, self-respect and obtaining of true love.  Both Kevin and Oz even manage to gain closer romantic bonds with the women in their lives, while Finch manages to hook up with Stifler's mom, an act that plays out as an awesome homage to The Graduate.  Jim hooks up with band geek Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) although it is revealed that he is being used by her, although Jim does not seem to protest in the slightest, especially after a rather embarrassing moment of his sexual inadequacies is played for all to see online.  In the end the group is left in a similar situation as the film began, they are matured in a considerable manner, something that has clearly occurred without the influence of their sexual encounters.

For a film that has been and continues to be referred to as a sexual comedy, American Pie is expressly not about sex or the act of getting laid.  Sure this serves as the main point of narrative push, but I was surprised to find so much more beyond this surface reading of the film.  A considerable amount of this film focuses on the notion of evolving friendships and separation anxiety.  One could argue that the group seeks physical solace outside of their group not because they need to get laid per se, but because they realize that their attendance at differing universities assures that they will no longer be able to enjoy hot dogs or sandwiches at the local restaurant after school.  Furthermore, the film is not ill-willed in its portrayal of sex, while it does mock failure to perform and over glorifies heterosexuality, it does not predicate itself on demeaning individuals as a means of comedic advancement.  The comedy of American Pie is not about sex or the acts surrounding it, but instead about the woes of youthful ignorance, particularly when the group resides in a similar boat of not knowing, but due to societal expectations fail to admit to their lack of awareness.  Jim would never been placed in the situation of humiliating himself with a pie, were it not for the lie propagated by Oz as a means to seem cool, similarly Finch would not have made disparaging remarks about Stifler, were he to realize that they shared in the same latent desires.  Also in regards to the characters of Kevin and Oz the film makes exceptional note of the necessity of love in sexual encounters, placing both of those in prominence and even going so far as to suggest that the desire for emotional comfort trumps even that of physical conquest.  Also there seems to be a considerable amount of promotion for safe sexual encounters which is always welcome in my book, especially in a film that suggests pursuing multiple partners for intercourse.

Key Scene:  While it is the iconic scene from the film, it is a trademark and I have no right to undermine   its power.  As such the key portion of this film centers around youthful ignorance and its dire effects on a still warm pie.

This is a textbook rental film, but one worth watching and revisiting if you have not seen it is some time.

If You Haven't Noticed I Am A Woman Now. I Wear A Bra!: Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging (2008)

I do not make it a method of mine to frequent young teen movies unless they have in some form or manner received critical acclaim.  Usually such films are entrenched in humor for their adult audiences as well, most teen films fail to do this and this failure makes them unbearable to watch.  I was somewhat concerned when approaching Gurinder Chada's Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, given that I was somewhat certain that it would fall into this dreaded category.  However, the films heartfelt simplicity paired with teenage visions of their lives little occurrences being grandiose in importance results in an enjoyable film that is both hilarious and poignant in a study of both first love and lasting love of older generations.  To say that this film is not concerned with its adult viewers is both a true and false statement.  The references and cultural setting are certainly intended for a young audience and in no way cater to adult sentiment, however, the thematic overtones concerning love; lust and romantic honesty are surprisingly adult in their demeanor.  It is what a well-budgeted film for teenagers should be, yet it to my knowledge stands apart from many of its contemporaries and predecessors for that manner.

This coming of the age tale centers on Georgia (Georgia Groome) a teenage schoolgirl facing the woes of puberty in a seemingly perfect English school.  Along with her group of politically correct diverse friends, she undertakes the goal of finding a boyfriend who will provide her with a perfect snogging, which in this film refers to making out.  Georgia finds her love interest in new boy from London named Robbie (Aaron Johnson) who, along with his brother, has moved to her town to help run their mother's organic grocery store.  Georgia begins to undertake a plan to win over Robbie, which involves everything from playing up on their shared affection for cats to separating Robbie from her snooty girlfriend Lindsay (Kimberly Nixon).  Along with the help of her friends, which inevitably results in jealousy and betrayal that almost divides her friendships.  It seems for a good portion of this film that Georgia is so blindly preoccupied with Robbie that she cannot concern herself with maintaining normalcy with any other thing in her life.  This lack of concern is most problematic in facing the problems of her parent's seemingly crumbling love life, which is a combination of her father's sudden moving to New Zealand and her mothers obvious infatuation with a recently hired interior designer.  All seems tragically lost for Georgia until she wakes up from her delusion and realizes it is of far greater importance to rekindle her familial relations than to win over Robbie.  Fortunately for Georgia, in what are perhaps the most formulaic moments in the film, she succeeds in reconnecting her parents and also wins over Robbie, not to mention that she regains her friendships.  All of this is done prior to her birthday party, which proves to be a huge success and an assurance that her future teen years will be fun and minimal in stress.

The excellence of this film is its rather adult study of relationships for being what is consistently a teenage movie.  To put it bluntly, Twilight wishes it could be this astute.  Georgia, and her friends for that matter, all appear to exist in a rather middle class world, yet they face relatively unconventional issues, whether it be the case of some characters dealing with issues of minority or others apparently lacking a parental guide whatsoever. Georgia even faces the very real possibility that her parents might end up divorced, which helps her to realize her distress over Robbie to be a thing that lacks relative importance.  The film, however, never really bangs the viewer over the head with the issue, sure Georgia makes note of the ridiculous nature of having to up and move to New Zealand or that her mother appears to be throwing herself at another man.  Yet, it is not the major portion of the dialogue that is occupied by her lust for Robbie.  However, the scenes involving reflection on her current status with Robbie almost always occur following a new realization about her parents love.  During the opening scenes, she is disgusted by her parent's intimacy, which parallels with her own ignorance about relationships and love.  This changes as her parents relationship becomes tumultuous, when her parents are fighting, her own relationships crumble.  Fortunately, it becomes apparent that Georgia's parents very much love each other and it is during this realization that her own love life blossoms, because she is capable of understanding how to love not just psychically, but emotionally as well.  Again, it is an incredibly profound bit of filmmaking for being a traditional teenage romantic comedy.

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is a great little film.  I do not know that it is necessary to own, but it is a must watch.  I also encourage you to compare Angus the cat to any felines you own, it is almost impossible not to, also the soundtrack is pretty awesome.

The Big City Is, Uh, Is, Is Trenton?: Rocket Science (2007)

Everything from the loquacious and witty dialogue to the orchestral cover of Blister in the Sun implies that Rocket Science will result in a brilliant film.  While this film is certainly enjoyable, it leaves viewers wondering if they were given an entire film or simply a series of thoughts weaved into one young adult’s absurdly tragic coming of age.  Jeffrey Blitz, better known for his documentary Spellbound, offers a movie that is almost brilliant, yet lacks the little bit of webbing to assure a life.  Rocket Science has a faint heartbeat, but obviously needs life support to remain conscious.  A general feeling of above-averageness comes along with this film, whether it be the varied levels of acting, some superb and others over-the-top.  With that being said, it does have moments of cinematic magic, whether it be the eagle eye shot of the main character riding his bike, or a sentimental conversation between a father and a son on the philosophical yearnings of love, Rocket Science is a good movie, that just happens to suffer from a lack of polish.

The film delves into the hap-hazardous and rather improbable life of Hal Hefner (Reece Thompson) who suffers from a socially crippling stutter, making even the simplest task of ordering pizza impossible.  Hal’s lack of voice is only made the more severe by his belligerent and berating older brother Earl (Vincent Piazza).  The film portrays the brothers as being confused by their parent’s recent separation, which is quickly worsened by their mother beginning a relationship with their neighborhood friend, and closeted homosexual Heston (Aaron Yoo).  It appears as though Hal is destined to fail at overcoming his disability, until a young girl and classmate named Ginny Ryerson (Anna Kendrick) offers him a chance to join the school debate team.  Hal is instantly infatuated with Ginny for both her looks and her acceptance of him as a person.  Ginny even shares a moment of flustered intimacy with Hal in the janitors’ closet, causing Hal to become completely intoxicated with desire for Ginny.  Hal then joins the debate team as Ginny’s partner only to discover that his inability to speak is still a hurdle to his success.  His stuttering issue is only worsened by the realization that Ginny is transferring schools and only invited Hal to join the team as a means of sabotage.  Bewildered Hal goes into a severe state of depression, which involves drunkenly vandalizing Ginny’s residence and becoming indifferent to the world around him.  Fortunately, through a clever act of revenge and the support of a previous debate champion Hal finds his voice, realizing that even with his stutter he never lacked a voice, but instead simply failed to realize his voices existence all along.

While the film certainly pokes fun at the futility of words when used in a performative manner, it does draw upon a very strong notion when it comes to acknowledging a voice.  It is reminiscent of a third wave feminist notion that demands a representation for the most disenfranchised of peoples.  Although Hal is a white male, usually the most privileged of persons, his stutter makes him a social pariah and thus he is overlooked in favor of more “normal” persons, Ginny being the example in this film.  In the early portions of the film, Hal places his lack of voice in other people, living vicariously through both his brother and Ginny, assuming that they have his best interests at heart, a belief that proves untrue very quickly.  Even when Hal believes he has found a voice in the hip and rebellious Ben Wekselbaum (Nicholas D’Agosto), he realizes that the newfound role model is more concerned with personal revenge than giving the overlooked Ben acknowledgement, because as he asks Hal to tell him why they did what they did one day in the future.  After this last failed attempt at passively voicing himself Hal accepts his own and walks about the streets of Trenton by himself, eventually finding the gumption to order pizza from a local restaurant, an act that he is well-awarded for doing.  Provided with self-confidence Hal is able to finally confront his father about life and is given a voice to explain that life, even for a seemingly well-to-do person, is as confusing as “rocket science.”  This movie is an earnest call to accept the harsh realities of life, some that may very greatly contingent on class, race, gender or even unseen disabilities.

I am still on the fence about this film.  I reflect on it since viewing it and feel it to be brilliant, while at other times I find it to be uninspired.  The best I can suggest is to rent a copy and create your own opinion.  Feel free to provide your own impressions on the film; I would love to hear your thoughts.

I’m Here My Whole Life, And I’m Like A Disease: Sixteen Candles (1984)

In many cinephiles eyes, John Hughes is the ultimate eighties filmmaker.  His often raunchy and always sentimental teenage angst films film viewers with nostalgia for a simpler time when the woes of not being sexually attractive or popular outweighed the financial burdens of adulthood.  His small-town American imagery was always ideal and implied unity amongst the most unlikely of friends, and his 1984 film Sixteen Candles is certainly no exception.  However, what separates this film from his later works, particularly The Breakfast Club, is rawness.  The dialogue, cinematography and general feel of the film leaves viewers with the impression that Hughes made the entire film on the fly, apparently using improvisation and accidentally good footage as his inspiration.  In a way Sixteen Candles could be seen as Hughes’s Breathless, it is equally philosophical and certainly as problematic.  Despite having class, race and gender issues the film is the piece-de-résistance in high school, given that it precedes The Breakfast Club and contains actors who would soon become icons of the 1980’s, most notably the films star Molly Ringwald, who would find little success after The Breakfast Club (The comparisons with Jean Seberg seem eerily convenient.)  Ultimately, Sixteen Candles is sweet, quotable and a feel-good movie if ever one existed.

Sixteen Candles centers on the troublesome life of Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald), a distraught girl whose sixteenth birthday turns out to be every expanding disaster.  The film opens with Samantha claiming that she feels no physical change with her newly found age, noting specifically that her breasts are still unnoticeable.  This self-esteem issue is only heightened by her own family’s failure to acknowledge her birthday due to their preoccupation with their other daughters impending wedding.  Bewildered and depressed, Samantha heads to school and decides to fill out a secret sex survey, one in which she admits a strong desire to sleep with the school stud Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling).  Believing that she has passed the information to another girl, Samantha’s luck worsens when she realizes that the note in which she mentions Jake’s name has actually fallen into his hands.  She beliefs her chances with the dreamy senior ruined.  Beyond this, Samantha is incapable of shaking off the unyielding advances of a young man simply known as The Geek (Anthony Michael Hall), who, along with his posy, which includes a young John Cusack, attempt to win her heart.  In the meantime, Jake admits his own fascination with Samantha and confronts The Geek about his feelings, creating a rather unlikely duo.  The Geek agrees to end his pursuits of Samantha and accepts Jake’s attractive, but socially inept girlfriend as an exchange.  After all the shenanigans and sexual proclivity of a high school comedy, Samantha finally meets up with Jake and they are shown celebrating her birthday atop a coffee table in one of cinema’s most iconic moments.  All is happy, but not all is without problems.

John Hughes may be known for making brilliant films, yet his films suffer from a heavy amount of ethnocentricity, particularly in regards to white male ideology.  The film from its imagery to its dialogue seeps white middle class America.  It is difficult to spot any character who is not white, a problem that reemerges in The Breakfast Club.  This is of course excluding the stereotyped character of Long Duk Dong (Gedde Watanabe) whose exaggerated antics and misunderstanding of English is more of a hindrance to Asian-American actors than an advance.  Similarly, the film seems to applaud the objectification of females.  Jake and The Geek are obviously pursuing sexual conquest, the former for a new fling and the later for social advancement.  While Jake and Samantha are shown in a closing, moment of intimacy little is noted of Jake’s fidelity, particularly given his willingness to drop his previous girlfriend instantaneously, despite her rather outlandish antics.  The Geek is even more problematic given that his desire for acceptance leads him to lie about sleeping with Samantha, using her underwear as proof, making the importance of the act contingent on an object.  Furthermore, while it is never blatantly stated it is assumed that The Geek takes advantage of Jake’s ex when she is drunkenly incapacitated, which is tantamount to date rape.  Tragically, Samantha, the character capable of transcending this act, is equally inclined to these acts of objectification, gazing at Jake’s girlfriend in adoration desiring, not her personality, but instead her body.  This desirous gaze dually objectifies the girl, as well as Samantha.  The film lacks a voice of reprimand, a problem that arguably plagues the other works of Hughes.

So I know my critique makes the film seem unviewable, but to be honest it is still a good movie, it is just problematic.  It is a classic and a must see eighties film.  It is not superior to The Breakfast Club, but is still great and any film buff should own a copy.

Collège l'humour: Foreign Exchange (2008)

American independent filmmaking and toilet humor high school comedies ought never to mix.  Sadly, nobody informed Danny Roth of this notion.  His 2008 film Foreign Exchange attempts to make a low budget high school buddy film that happens to deal with global opinions on the American way of life.  His attempts to mask legitimate commentary on American foreign relations through sex jokes and weed references fails miserably and viewers are left wondering why they did not simply rewatch American Pie.  Foreign Exchange is a film that lacks in every sense of the word.

The film centers on a group of high school friends attempting to slack off for their senior year of high school.  Part of this laziness includes hosting foreign exchange students in their homes.  The central figure of this group is Dave (Ryan Pinkson) who foolishly assumes his exchange student Laurent to be a female.  Along with his other friends he attempts to enjoy his last semesters without concern.  In fact, the only thing Dave seems to show interest in is wooing his long time crush Robyn (Vanessa Lengies).  Dave and his friends assume that they will all go of to college together and continue their wily ways without the burden of living at home, although this seems insignificant because each of the kids' parents are either nonexistent or overly supportive of their child's miserable life choices.  I am sure you can guess the plot from here on out.  Dave wins Robyn's heart and the guys all go their separate ways realizing that their lives after college are inevitably different.  There is nothing left to elaborate on...the plot is as insignificant as the movie.

I will avoid heavy criticism of this movie and instead note the complete lack of ingenuity in regards to high school/college comedies.  I am slowly coming to realize that this is a dead genre with nothing new left to offer.  John Hughes basically covered all the issues of high school twenty years ago and every college film is simply a homage/remake of Animal House, with or without the existential issues of The Graduate.  To be fair decent movies in this genre do occasionally arise both Van Wilder and Superbad come time mind as recent examples.  Ultimately though, the college comedy is dead and there is no amount of "foreign" influence that can appear to fix it.  We can only hope that a director emerges who is more concerned with telling a unique story than attempting to relive his high school years through bad cinematography and crude narration.

My closing words for this film are simple...do not bother.

The Most Well Guarded Yeast Factory I've Ever Seen: Gentlemen Broncos (2009)

In terms of cinema, there are some obvious and undeniable facts.  There will never be another movie close to Citizen Kane.  There will never be another movie close to Salo.  There will never be another movie close to Pulp Fiction, and however you as a reader may feel about it, there will never be another movie close to Napoleon Dynamite.  It came along at a time of conventionality in American film and completely discarded the rules, gaining an unwavering and loyal cult fan base.  Sadly, even the mastermind behind the film, Jared Hess, cannot provide a film of equal proportions.  His 2009 film Gentlemen Broncos is far inferior to Napoleon Dynamite, yet is so much more enjoyable than the majority of its contemporary comedic rivals.  It has all the staples of the earlier film, but on a slightly bigger budget. Fortunately, the allowance of more money does not cause Hess to discard the eccentricities of his earlier work making Gentlemen Broncos as wry as Napoleon Dynamite, save for a much larger amount of toilet humor.

Gentlemen Broncos follows Benjamin (Michael Angarano) as he heads to a home school writing conference per the discretion of his mother Judith (Jennifer Coolidge).  Benjamin, while awkward, displays an uncanny ability to produce bizarre science fiction works, notably his personal homage to his father entitled The Yeast Lords, which follows a man named Bronco attempting to recover his lost gonad.  This story is made all the more absurd by having the various characters imagine the story as they read it, showing a long haired Sam Rockwell playing the novella's title character.  Fate appears in the favor of Benjamin because the pompous, Dylan quoting, raga chanting, Navajo impersonating Chevalier (Jemaine Clement) is the guest speaker for the conference.  Chevalier is a noted sci-fi writer and one of Benjamin's heroes.  As part of the conference, Chevalier offers one of the students stories a chance at publication after review by himself and a "panel of experts."  Suffice to say, after reading Benjamin's story Chevalier realizes its potential and plagiarizes it to re-obtain his position as a respected sci-fi writer.  To make Benjamin's experience all the more difficult he has also agreed to sell his story to a group of home-schooled snobs who promise to make his script into a film.  After providing him with a wrongly dated check, the group butchers his film and creates a short film that is reminiscent of middle school AV club production.  Eventually, with the help of his mother and his "guardian angel" Dusty (Mike White) Benjamin confronts Chevalier, ruining his reputation and ultimately gaining self-respect and the heart of a home schooled girl who previously snubbed him.  This moment of harmony is closed with Bronco riding into the sunset on a missile-launching deer, an image only believable in the world of Jared Hess.

It is difficult to convince myself to read to heavily into the work of Jared Hess, but as the commentary following Napoleon Dynamite showed it is entirely possible.  Given this, the theme of Gentlemen Broncos is rather apparent.  A person often finds the most self worth in things they personally create, whether it be Benjamin's writing, Judith's clothing designs, or in a less serious sense Bronco's gonad, a literal device of procreation.  The film display's Benjamin not only as a struggling artist, but as a young man trying to find a self-identity that is distinctly different from that of his late father.  For most of the film, he dons his dad's clothing and stares despondently into the distance in delusions of grander.  It is not until he must save his mother from an attempted rape that he removes these items, placing a unique piece of his mothers clothing on and driving himself into the city to confront Chevalier about stealing his ideas.  This confrontation is also notable, because as a faux father figure Chevalier controlled Benjamin's actions, belittling his remarks at the conference claiming undisputed authority on the proper names for trolls in science fiction.  By the films closing, Benjamin no longer requires a guardian angel and, like Bronco, can fly off into far galaxies to reclaim his lost manhood...be it in a figurative sense of course.

Gentlemen Broncos is a film that will not please many, I can say that with certainty.  However, for those with a taste for the bizarre this is one of the best examples I have ever seen of unconventional filmmaking.  It is definitely worth owning if only to create a drinking game.

All Over The World, Kids Are Getting Down: The Boys & Girls Guide To Getting Down (2006)

Some films dance around the edge of being genius yet in the end fail to offer anything impressive.  Paul Sapiano's indie comedy The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down is precisely such a film.  It is an "insiders" guide to hipster culture as it relates to Los Angeles and nothing more.  In fact, the film could easily been a blog or book and delivered the same amount of humor or advice.  It has moments of humor, and a few notable tips on bar hopping, but in the end, it simply exists as another teen comedy complete with swearing, nudity and textbook stereotyping.  The film, despite its flashy graphics, has all been done before...much better.

The film is a mockumentary of sorts, focusing on a large cast of characters attempting to obtain everything from free drinks to one-night stands, showing little concern for much beyond this point.  It is apparent that the film is focused on helping individuals maintain one of Maslow's most basic needs and at no time attempts to step up the next block of the pyramid.  The film breaks down every essential to young adult nightlife including house parties, drug deals, and even promotes drunk driving.  In the end, it leaves little to be learned beyond the simple fact that a bunch of young rich kids can act irrationally with no real repercussions. 

I have no in depth commentary for this film, as it provides nothing but basic advice, which is completely idiotic and on more than one occasion life threatening.  It is a mockumentary that attempts to be brilliant, yet looses itself in the humor so much that its message is tragically uninspired.  Unless you really desire to see young adults going at it for sport, I would recommend avoiding this film.