Where I am, schools are letting out for summer this week. I guess this makes it as good a time as any to talk about movies set in high school. That's the topic for this week's Thursday Movie Picks hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves. If you're not one of the cool kids, you might not know what I'm talking about. It's simple. Wanderer suggests a topic and a bunch of us bloggers suggest three movies each for it. Well, we are all in our rebellious stage, so we occasionally suggest more, but that's another story. I'm going to skip all that, and just get right to my picks. If you've swung by here on a Thursday or two, you probably know I like to go off the beaten path for my picks. This means you should probably make a mental note of the full topic: Movies Set in a High School, Secondary School, or the Equivalent. Hmmm. Lots of wiggle room, here. Let's see what we come up with.
Reform School Girls
(1986)
A short while ago, I blasted the movie Prison Girls as being too sleazy to enjoy, even for B-movie aficionados such as myself. Well, the director of that movie decided to reverse fields, sort of, and make a movie spoofing the entire Women in Prison genre. He came up with this film in which a high school girl is sent to a reform school after being involved in a shootout. Never you mind none of the girls playing these roles is anywhere near young enough to do so. B-movie Queen Sybil Danning plays the school's evil warden. Is this a good movie? Not by any conventional definition. That can only mean one thing: It's so bad it's awesome!
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
(1988)
Right off the bat, I'll let you know this is strictly for fans of the franchise. Not really going to go into depth on what the story is, here. I'm guessing you have a pretty good idea even if you've never seen it, or you just don't give a crap. Fine by me. Just know that there is a lot that happens in a school in this one, perhaps more than any other movie in the franchise. By this time, the series had already become a parody of itself. This means there are at least as many laughs as there are frights. Probably more. That doesn't mean we don't get to see some crazy kill scenes. Right in the classroom.
Brick
(2005)
Okay, I figured I better give you at least one legitimately good movie, so here it is. Imagine a pulpy, film noir with the sort of snappy dialogue that would be right at home on the lips of Fred MacMurray. Now, change our leading man to a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the setting to a suburban high school in the 21st century. If it's difficult to wrap your head around that idea there is only one thing you can do to clarify the nuttiness I just spewed: See the movie. No crazy exploitation nor slasher madness, here. It's one of the most creative movies of the last decade and more people need to see it because it's excellent.
Click here for More Thursday Movie Picks:
Check out Heather of That Film Girl who shares her...
Oh, In case any of you care, that is the high school I graduated from in the banner.
Brick of all the films set in high school was the one that connected with me the most. Though it would come out years after I had finished it. There was that feeling where JGL was playing someone I could relate to as the guy that was smarter than everyone else and didn't belong with anything. Plus, seeing his character beat the shit out of the top jock was a YES! moment as I'm sure every geek, nerd, outcast, or kid who wasn't popular in high school and didn't like the social circles around it must've been happy for that scene. I hated high school and I mostly hung out with the Goth and metal kids because we were the people that didn't like Hanson or Puffy at that time.
ReplyDeleteLove hearing that Brick had such an impact on you. It is an outstanding film.
DeleteI will check Reform school girl right away!
ReplyDeleteCool. There is a more recent movie with a similar title, but I think it's a more serious minded flick. This one is just dumb fun from '86.
DeleteI went on a Halloween franchise marathon quite recently, Nightmare of Elm Street was the next one I was going to go on. See 1, 2, New Nightmare and the remake (which is just awful) so I'll watch the fourth shortly. Heard nothing but good things about Brick so I'll check that out.
ReplyDeleteThe picture is the school your graduated from? Nice. It's quite interesting how England and America celebrate graduating Highschool, it isn't quite so much a cause for celebration here, why is it so in America?
I would suggest seeing part 3 first, since the stories actually are linked. Just be warned that both of these are as much comedy as horror.
DeleteThat's a great question about HS graduation. Don't know that I have a great answer, but I'll respond anyway. It's viewed as a symbolic passage into adulthood. There was also a time when most people didn't make it that far so it was once seen as a great accomplishment. Not sure if this helps, but that's my best guess.
I was all "LOL these look campy amazing..." and then BRICK!!!!, which is just effing amazing (and my pick too this week)...
ReplyDeleteCampy amazing is accurate for the first two and Brick is just awesome.
DeleteLOL at your first pick - love that you are so into B-level Exploitation movies! I haven't seen any Nightmare on Elm Street films... except (randomly) New Nightmare, which I actually liked for the meta aspect of it. But when I was younger the idea of Freddy Krueger was just WAY too scary for me. But now that I'm getting older and more into horror I'm probably going to watch the other films eventually.
ReplyDeleteIn a bit of shock at the love for Brick today! How cool!
B-movies were a large part of my formative years. As for the Freddy Krueger flicks, I love them, but it's definitely a case of diminishing returns until we get to that last one. Honestly, I thought I was doing something unique by picking Brick, so I am a bit shocked, too. Love it, though.
DeleteI'm not the Elm Street films audience, I saw the first and that was more then enough. Reform School Girls is a brilliant pick. Gotta love those high school movies where the stars are 23 at minimum if they're a day, there's a movie I love called Fired Up! about two teen high school jocks who go to cheer camp to score with the girls and the leads were 32 and 27 when it was made...so you know suspension of belief is key. One of our picks match! I think this is the first time I've had something that's been in multiple lists but Brick is such a singular movie for it's time.
ReplyDeleteHere's my picks for the week with a somber extra:
Brick (2005)-Attempt to make a modern noir in a high school setting is unique for sure. Laced with deadpan humor and anchored by a strong performance from Joseph Gordon Levitt as a loner who involves himself with a drug ring to try and find out what’s happened to his girlfriend when she disappears.
School Ties (1992)-In the 1950's David Greene, a Jewish teen, wins a football scholarship to an Ivy League prep school, advised by the coach he keeps his faith to himself. Despite some cultural differences he is welcomed into the elite group at first, he grows close with the young men, falls for a girl and all is well. However eventually his secret is discovered and along with simmering resentments the prejudice of some conspire to put at risk all he has achieved and his hopes for the future. The cast is filled with actors, Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris O’Donnell, who at the time were on the rise.
Up the Down Staircase (1967)-Well acted drama of a young teacher's struggle to adapt to a tough inner city school. Some of the sheen has worn off the topicality of the issue since there have been many versions of it but this is a fine rendering of the tale with excellent direction from Robert Mulligan. In the lead Sandy Dennis is the best she ever was on screen keeping her signature flutters and twitches to a minimum.
Honorable Mention-2:37 (2006)-Dark complex drama of the interwoven lives of a group of high school students and a horrendous tragedy that binds them together. Small Aussie drama was one of the first credits for currently rising actress Teresa Palmer, has some very unsavory elements and is grim, grim, grim but well-acted.
More love for Brick. Cool. Meant to see School Ties 20 years ago and never got around to it. Thanks for the reminder.same goes for Up the Down Staircase, honestly. Never heard of 2:37, but it sounds really intriguing. Thanks!
DeleteI highly, highly recommend Up the Down Staircase, its shown up on TCM a few times recently, not only is it a good film with Sandy Dennis's best work but the supporting cast is loaded with performers who became much better known after the film, for instance Jean Stapleton is the school office secretary. I love when I watch old films and they're full of performers on their way up...or occasionally down.
DeleteCool. I will try to check it out soon.
DeleteSweet more Brick! I love seeing that one picked more than once. Can't say I've seen your first pick though.
ReplyDeleteNo worries. It takes a special kind of weird to appreciate Reform School Girls.
DeleteYou're awesome man! Lol. Fucking Reform School Girls. I HAVE TO see that. Surprised I haven't considering all the bullshit I watched on late night cable growing up. Nightmare on Elm Street 4 is maybe the best of the series after the original. That one always stuck with me. Brick's been floating around quite a bit today. I only saw it once and it didn't blow me away. But I have always wanted to go back and give it another try.
ReplyDeleteIf you're a fan of schlock, please see RSG. That's mighty high praise for Elm St. 4. Love it. Hope you give Brick another shot.
DeleteI seem to be one of the few people around who didn't care for Brick. I haven't seen your other picks, but I am laughing out loud over the way those reform school girls are dressed (or, rather, undressed). :-)
ReplyDeleteDon't feel bad. I worked at Blockbuster when this hit DVD and I heard lots of hate for it by upset customers who read the back cover and thought it sounded good, but had no idea what they were in for.
DeleteI love Brick. I love that it was a modern noir, not only for updating it to the present day but also transposing it to an organised crime ring involving high school students.
DeleteAbsolutely! Nearly everything about it was genius, in my opinion.
Delete