New Moon

I did not expect anything from "New Moon." I sort of walked in with a clean slate: without having done any prior research, or without having consulted Richard Corliss or Roger Ebert. That's why I am not at all surprised that I found New Moon to be a fun movie. I thought it was much better than the slow-paced first one- which yielded an entire scene of two people staring at each other while lying on grass.

One of the entertaining additions was the character "Jacob Black," who's hotness exceeds Edward's by a factor of a million. I wouldn't be disappointed if the directors decided to make Jacob and Bella a pair by the end of the series. 

Another addition is the awesome special effects... Jacob transforming into a werewolf is the coolest scene in the movie. I also like Victoria (the villain)'s lurking mysteriousness.  

Of course, the acting is eh, the drama is eh, the plot is eh. But the rest makes up for it! This is a movie after all, not a word by word reenactment of the bleeding wistfulness and desire in Stephanie Meyer's novel. 

So you should watch it! And see how you like it with no expectations. 

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club is probably one of the most entertaining teen movies I've ever seen. The characters are well developed and the plot is simple. Basically, five totally different kids land up in detention together and slowly start getting along. You have the druggie/burnout, popular girl, the jock, the eccentric, and the nerd. If you ask me, my favorite character is the druggie because he's the one firing up all the conversations. 

He (Judd Nelson) asks the nerd (Anthony Michael Hall) why he thinks Ceramics would be an easy subject to take. 

Hall said that trigonometry's important because without it, there'd be no engineering.

Nelson said that Ceramics is more important because without it, there'd be no light. 

Nelson seems insightful, but at the same time we know that most of his jokes are wise-cracking and retaliating instead of meaningful. He has all this anger inside of him because of  his rough family situation- with a father on dope and a mother who's barely around. His aggression probably comes from his background- and his unresolved feelings. 

That's why it seems ironic that such a loud and obnoxious person like Nelson is the product of neglect from his family, from his peers, and even from the school principal,  who sees him as a screwed up case. This same sort of neglect also applies to the eccentric- who became an outcast because of parents who ignore her existence. Perhaps it also applies to the prom queen- who is given too much attention to get a chance to show her imperfections. And the jock- with too much attention from his bullying, perfectionist dad and friends- who constantly expect only the best or "coolest" from him. 

So we all have expectations, from other people, and mostly from ourselves. Perhaps we outta have our own mental breakfast club and just stop and think for a moment, about why we might feel sad or unfulfilled- and then try to resolve the situation. 

BTW: Don't get me wrong, this movie is NOT a complete drama- it's actually kind of a comedy. But it gets you thinking about some pretty serious stuff. 

My So-Called Life

On second thought.... maybe this show is making a statement about teenagers in a unique way... because at the end, by not making it obvious who Angela ends up with, the director is making it all the more realistic... 

As teenagers we haven't really found ourselves. We don't really know what we want... yet. 

My So-Called Life

Now, in 21st century serials, we see teenagers use words like "pirana" and "extortion". Words that we, as normal teenagers would have to look up in the dictionary to confirm. 

After watching "My So- Called Life" from 1994, it seems as though in the early 90's, this was the opposite.  

It's interesting to see how the characters in this show are very slow with their talking.

 "why are you, like the way you are?" (took a pause in between)

"why do you like, say things like that?" (another pause)

"what?" "huh?" (three minutes to just let this out)

"like.... whatever"(same thing)

I for one think that teenagers speak a bit more fluently than just three-five words at a time with swaggering stances. 

But you see, although I am a bit ticked off by the dialogue, I am impressed by the way the show leaves the audience hanging- who will Angela (school outcast) end up with? Jordan, the popular burnout? Or Brian, the sensitive nerd? Neither of the resulting relationships would be normal..

I believe there's been a lot of fanfiction about that...  

Ordinary People

“Ordinary People” is a deep film with significant nuances but not much entertainment. The protagonist is Conrad (Timothy Hutton), a sad sad teenager suffering from low self-esteem, fear and guilt of his older brother’s sudden death. Conrad’s feelings and relationships are complicated- especially the one he has with his mother, which he feels has died along with his older brother. In my opinion, his mother is a scary cookie. She puts on a cheerful façade and serves breakfast to Conrad, but when he says he’s not hungry out of clear emptiness, she nonchalantly dumps his French toast down the sink. She is obviously so selfish that she doesn’t care about anyone. I hate how the movie shows her being nice and polite to Conrad when all I really want her to do is strip off and show her true colors.

Conrad visits a psychiatrist who is a HUGE disappointment. I just watched Goodwill Hunting yesterday, and with the enthusiasm, energy and skill Roger Williams uses to deliver his lines as Will’s psychologist, this movie’s shrink definitely falls short. “I’m your friend Conrad,” he says in a monotone drab, and the kid has to act as though he has a life changing experience… HOW LAME.

“Ordinary People” won four Oscars and is definitely not a bad film. There were many elements to it that were impressive. Timothy Hutton was amazing as Conrad and there were touching scenes: my favorite one is the ending, when Conrad’s dad who was always shy and reluctant in expressing his love, finally shows it. 

Brokeback Mountain

Oftentimes I wonder why I like this movie so much. It is so poignant.... Yet, there is something special that makes it more than just a "gay cowboy" movie.

Ennis and Jack meet as teenagers when they get their first job herding sheep in an area amid mountains called "Brokeback Mountain." The isolated atmosphere of Brokeback Mountain and the confidence that these two characters cultivate in each other, results in a passionate affair that is unforeseen. This brief but significant affair creates an unavoidable force that draws these two men together every four years, even when they have their own wives and children. Yet, we sympathize with these characters because of their forbidden love. We buy into the hardcore determinism and realize that both Ennis and Jack are doomed in their forbidden love because Ennis cannot accept his homosexuality and Jack cannot resist being away from Ennis long enough to keep his dignity. At least Romeo and Juliet's plan could have worked, if that stupid letter came on time. But here, there is MORE complexity, and an issue with accepting these feelings itself. 

I recommend this movie to those who like watching hard and realistic films. What I mean by "hard" is intense. There is a lot of emotional tension in the air and the movie has a big possibility of either making you feel sad, frustrated or empty. 

Watching this was definitely a good experience though because it got me thinking of what it really means to sacrifice your passion for convenience, wealth or money...