Firebreather (Story Written by Phil Hester, 2010)

Genre: Fantasy

Honors: None yet, new movie

Review: Duncan seems like a normal teenage boy.  He lives with his single mother, goes to high school, and dresses like a typical teenager. Unexpectedly his father, a huge fire breathing monster called a Kaiju, crashes a teen event, literally, and takes him to an underground world where he explains that Duncan is no ordinary boy.  Duncan has special powers such as the ability to breath fire and, despite his small size in comparison to his father, is destined to protect the world and keep peace between the Kaiju and the humans and at the same time try to find peace and acceptance within himself. 

Opinion: I was looking forward to this one; the commercials made it look awesome.  The animation did not disappoint, but the story itself felt a bit flat and predictable.  I think the best part of this film is the graphics and the action scenes.

Ideas: This would be great inspiration for graphic arts classes. 

Holes (Screenplay Written by Louis Sachar,2003)

Genre: Action/Adventure
 

Honors:Sierra Award-Best Family Film

Review:Stanley Yelnats is in the wrong place at the wrong time and is mistakenly accused of stealing a professional baseball player’s shoes from a charity benefit.  Stanley is sentenced to attend Camp Greenlake and hopes he will finally get to enjoy a real camp.  Stanley is disappointed to find that the only activity in Camp Green Lake is to dig holes is the stifling heat of the desert. While in Camp Greenlake Stanley learns about his ancestors and discovers that the warden is hunting for something important and that she is forcing the campers to dig to find it.  Stanley’s bravery will be put to the test as he tries to expose the employees of Camp Greenlake, and in the process learns a little about his past and a lot about true friendship.  Readers will enjoy this original story and will root for Stanley as he triumphs over adversity.  

Opinion: I really liked this move.  The characters are likable and the story is very interesting and unique.  This is really a great family film, maybe something older teens can enjoy with younger siblings. 

Ideas:  This movie is written by the author that actually wrote the book Holes.  I think this book is a little young for older teens to read alone, but it could be an interesting idea to compare the screenplay to the book.  This could be used as an example to study in film or graphic arts classes. 

17 Again (Written by Jason Filardi, 2009)

Genre: Contemporary

Honors: Teen Choice Award

Review: If you could do it over, would you? Mike O’Donnell, a middle-aged man unhappy with his life, gets the chance to make a life-changing decision all over again. Instead of taking a college basketball scholarship in his senior year of high school he chose to marry his high school sweetheart due to her unexpected pregnancy. When their children become teenagers Mike realizes he does not really know or understand them and that he is unhappy in his marriage and family life.  He believes his defining choice back in high school has destroyed his life and that he would be happy if only he could do it differently. Poof! He wakes one morning and is 17 again!  Now Mike must actually go back to high school as a student and share classes with his own daughter and son.  Will he choose to leave his family and pursue his dreams as a basketball hero or will he gain a new understanding of what defines true happiness?  

Opinion:  This is a fun movie that teenagers are bound to enjoy.  While the story line is not very original, this situation in some form has been played out in several movies, the characters and interesting high school situations make it a pretty good movie.  Zack Efron (Mike O'Donnell) is the highlight of the movie, his good looks and sensitive acting is sure to attract teenagers to this film. 

Ideas: This movie is based on a young adult novel, this novel and movie can be checked out together.

Paper Heart Written by Nicholas Jasenovec and Charlyne Yi (Overture Films,2009)

Genre: Documentary, Romance

Honors: Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award

Review: Charlyne Yi stars in this documentary about being in love and sets out on a mission to find out if she is capable of ever falling in love.  The documentary is quirky and a bit eccentric much like Charlyne herself and is a mix of filmed dialogue and vignettes of hand-crafted construction paper figures acting out scenes involving love.  Surprisingly the documentary takes a twist as Charlyne meets Mike, an actor teens will recognize from movies such as Superbad and Juno. Charlyne reluctantly finds herself interested in getting to know him better, and eventually begins a relationship with him.  Interesting tension builds as the new couple deals with the beginnings of a relationship all filmed on camera.  Will Charlyne actually be able to let herself fall in love?

Opinion:  This documentary presents a young, unique view of love and explores the notion from many perspectives.  Overall, the film is enjoyable and some of the interviews are fascinating.  The ending is a bit lacking, though this is acknowledged in the film itself and is addressed in a unique and fun manner. 

Ideas: This would be a good film to recommend to film or graphic design classes.  It demonstrates both documentary style and other forms of storytelling on film. 

Prozac Nation (Screenplay written by Frank Deasy and Lary Gross, 2001)

Genre: Contemporary

Honors:None Found

Review: Lizzie, a talented writer, receives a journalism scholarship to Harvard and moves from her native home of Manhattan to Cambridge.  At first Lizzie is having a great time in college, she makes friends, dates men, and even receives an award from Rolling Stone for her review of a Lou Reed performance.  Slowly, and then rapidly, Lizzie begins to have mental health problems and alienates and betrays her family and friends. Lizzie begins regular visits with a therapist and slowly works through her issues of mistrust that stem from her dysfunctional relationship with her parents.  Briefly, the movie addresses Lizzie's use of Prozac as an anti-depressant, but it feels rushed and artificial.

Opinion: Overall, I did not like this film.  I had to watch it in two sittings because it was so overly dramatic, and in my opinion overdone.  At the end of the film it is shown that Lizzie is a real person and that she wrote the book that this movie is based on. I actually wonder if the book is better than the movie and I kind of want to read it.  I think the story is a good one, I just don't think the movie did it justice.


Ideas: None. 

Juno by Brad Gan (Written by Diablo Cody, 2007)

Genre: Comedy

Honors: Oscar for Best Writing (and many more).

Review: Juno is a 16-year old junior in high school, who with her friend Bleeker, accidently gets pregnant.  Since the two are too young and immature to be parents they decide to end the pregnancy, but at the last minute Juno decides she will give up her baby for adoption.  Juno finds a seemingly happy couple to adopt the baby, and unexpectedly befriends the unusual couple and through this process learns more about herself and what she might want in life.  The characters are quirky and funny and viewers will enjoy the many perspectives and conflicts that can arise when dealing with complicated emotions.


Opinion: This is a fantastic and funny movie.  Young adults will love the raw honesty of Juno and the lovable quirkiness of Bleeker.


Ideas: This would be a good movie to include in a unit on teenage pregnancy in health education class.

Real Women Have Curves Produced by George Lavoo (HBO, 2002)

Genre: Contemporary

Honors: Humanitas Prize, Imagen Award, Independent Spirit Awards,Youth Jury Award, Sundance Film Festival-Audience Award

Review: Ana, a first generation Mexican-American teenager, is conflicted between her personal goals and desires and the expectations placed on her by her family. Through her hard work and determination, and with help from a persistent teacher, Ana is offered a full-scholarship to a prestigious college in New York City.  She wants to pursue her desires as a modern independent woman, but feels pressured to help her financially struggling family by doing low-paying jobs far below her potential abilities.  Ana must decide how she will choose to live her life and must pursue her own happiness in the face of adversity. 

Opinion: Ana is a strong and modern woman and she is a motivating role model for young adults.  This movie challenges many norms and stereotypes and presents a whole new view of a "real woman".  Ana proves that through hard work and sacrifice people can accomplish and pursue their dreams.  She does not, however, do this without sacrifice and conflict, and she must make some very difficult and painful decisions.  I think this realistic portrayal of a woman coming of age and making her own decisions despite her parents’ wishes is a real situation for many teenagers and they will find this movie an inspiration. 

Ideas: Many teens, like Ana, often feel conflicted between their traditional culture and the American culture in which they were raised.  This movie explores that topic and would be a great addition to a cultural awareness unit or lesson. 

The Election (Paramount Pictures, 1999)

Genre: Humor

Honors: Independent Spirit Award for Best Film in 1999.

Review: Tracy Flick is a determined overachiever who will stop at nothing to become the class president.  Mr. McAllister will stop at nothing to avoid Tracy Flick.  His colleague and friend, who was also a teacher, was caught having an inappropriate relationship with Tracy and was fired.  Mr. McAllister blames Tracy and is determined to make sure she does not win the election. Tracy, on the other hand, is smart and clever and is a greater challenge than Mr. McAllister ever thought possible.

Opinion: While it was a bit disturbing, and hopefully things like this don't really happen in high schools, I thought the movie was clever and funny. Witherspoon and Broderick give a great performance and their two characters work well together.  The film is a twisted look at high school and shows that both teachers and students have problems in their life; they are only human after all.

Ideas: This movie does have several adult situations and I do not think it will be appropriate for classroom use, but it should be okay in the high school library.  It might be fun to display this and similar titles during class elections and/or during political elections.