Here’s What I Watched in a Week
Recently I’ve gone through a movie watching marathon, and my attention span has allowed me to fully enjoy films recently. Usually I get so easily distracted watching movies at home that I prefer watching them in theaters, but with COVID I have made that pivot to curling up with a blanket, a napkin full of oreos, and my computer.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
The iconic 80s movie that popularized checkered vans, follows two teens in Ridgemont as they navigate high school. Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a pretty but inexperienced teen who is interested in dating, becomes trapped in a love triangle with nice guy Mark Ratner (Brian Backer), and his more assured friend Mike Damone (Robert Romanus). Meanwhile, the more iconic star of the film, Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), who lives for riding the waves and being stoned, faces off against Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), a strict teacher with little patience for the slacker’s antics.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
This coming-of-age film follows the mayhem of a group of rowdy teenagers in Austin, Texas, celebrating the last day of high school in 1976. The graduating class heads for a popular pool hall and joins an impromptu keg party, however star football player Randall ‘Pink’ Floyd (Jason London) has promised to focus on the championship game and abstain from partying. Meanwhile, the incoming freshmen try to avoid being hazed by the seniors, most notably the sadistic bully Fred O'Bannion (Ben Affleck). With great music and endearing characters, you’ll fall in love with the movie and will likely run to the nearest thrift store for some 70s looks. It’s a charming, light-hearted, hilarious film that will surely make you crack a smile.
But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
The iconic LGBT film has easily become one of my favorites, and no it’s not because I have a fat crush on Clea DuVall. The film follows Megan (Natasha Lyonne) considers herself a typical teenage girl. She excels in school and cheerleading, she has a handsome football-playing boyfriend, even though she isn't too crazy about him. She’s stunned when her parents decide she’s in fact a ‘homosexual’ and send her to True Directions, a boot camp meant to turn her straight. While she’s there she meets a rebelious and unashamed teenage lesbian named Graham (Clea DuVall); though Megan still is confused about her sexuality, she develops feelings for her.
Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
This film brings frat boys, baseball, nostalgia, and the early 80s all together. Produced by Richard Linklater, the writer and producer of Dazed and Confused (1993), Everybody Wants Some!!, takes place in 1980 Texas. It tells the story of a college freshman (Blake Jenner) who meets his new baseball teammates (Will Brittain, Ryan Guzman), an unruly group of disco-dancing, skirt-chasing partiers. Linklater described the film as a "spiritual sequel" to his 1993 high-school comedy Dazed and Confused.
Pretty in Pink (1986)
A classic John Hughes movie is a staple in everyone’s watch list. Pretty in Pink is a perfect high school coming-of-age story. Andie (Molly Ringwald) is an outcast at her Chicago high school, hanging out either with her older boss (Annie Potts), who owns the record store where she works, or her quirky classmate Duckie (Jon Cryer), who has a crush on her. When one of the rich and popular kids at school, Blane (Andrew McCarthy), asks Andie out, it seems too good to be true. As Andie starts falling for Blane, she begins to realize that dating someone from a different social sphere is not so easy.
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Another John Hughes classic, and this is a must-watch movie when turning sixteen. The film starts with angst-ridden Samantha (Molly Ringwald) facing her sixteenth birthday with typical adolescent dread, an occasion which is overshadowed by her sister's upcoming wedding. Samantha pines for studly older boy Jake (Michael Schoeffling), but worries that her chastity will be a turnoff for the popular senior. Meanwhile, Samantha must constantly rebuff the affections of nerdy Ted (Anthony Michael Hall), the only boy in the school, unfortunately, who seems to take an interest in her.
Weird Science (1985)
I was really on a John Hughes kick, so here, as you guessed it, another coming-of-age comedy written and directed by Hughes. It differs from Hughes’ other films because of its Sci-Fi theme. The film follows teen misfits Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) design their ideal woman on a computer, and a freak electrical accident brings her to life in the form of the lovely, superhuman Lisa (Kelly LeBrock). She dresses Gary and Wyatt in cool clothes, surprises them with a Porsche and helps them stand up to jerks Ian (Robert Downey Jr.) and Max (Robert Rusler). But, all the while, the boys must hide Lisa's existence from Chet (Bill Paxton), Wyatt's nightmare of a big brother.