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augment-techs · 3 months

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what i watched/read in january

Saint Maud: 5/5 Quite the parlor trick that I spent the whole buildup to actually seeing it believing it couldn't possibly be as psychologically intense and questionable as people were making it out to be and--what do you know? I was actually drawn in an surprised. Especially by the "demonic possession" and "angel wings" leading up to the final scene.

Grabbed: Poets & Writers on Sexual Assault, Empowerment, and Healing, ed. by Blanco, Moro, Moustaki, and Albo: 5/5 This was all very moving and left me with much to think about. It didn't just take points from the female pov, but also the male and--I think?--trans and nonbinary. The poetry in itself was a surprise, the essays and confessions something more what I was thinking of. It was hard to choose my favorites from the lot, but the poem by Michael O'Mara using Pink stands out the most.

Shades of Blue: Writers on Depression, Suicide, and Feeling Blue, ed. by Amy Ferris: 5/5 Okay, I'm not going to lie, I read through this entire book and while all of them were deeply meaningful, the one that stuck in my brain was the one that included a knock-knock joke-- "Knock knock/Who's There?/Boo./Boo who?/Just boo, you dope. You're a ghost." -by judywhite-- Which...is kind of horrible, and yet stupidly endearing?

Frankie Drake Mysteries, season 4: 4/5 Okay, I really, really, really wanted to love this season, which is apparently the last we're getting from this series, but, like, apparently they HAD warning that they weren't getting a fifth season, had time to wrap up most loose ends and STILL left us with this COMPLETE BULLSHIT ENDING?! WTF?

My Neighbor: Art Inspired by the Films of Miyazaki: 3/5 I mean, some of this was very good, but this was not at all what I was expecting and it was kind of a let down that I had to order this from out of state from my library. I thought this was an essay AND art collective.

Humans, by Brandon Stanton: 5/5 I'm always reading and rereading this, and it never gets old and is always giving me something new to notice and think about. On this particular reread, the photos and people that stood out the most were a small child in New York in a lion costume who was quoted saying, "There's nothing hard about being four;" then a group shot of two boys and a girl I think in the Middle East, one of the boys saying, "We let her pick," while all three smile, holding up a kite with Barbie on it; and then a picture of a man just sitting against a building with a really beautiful anecdote he gave about reading tarot cards to make a living in New York city wherein he believes in the card, but not in the way fortune tellers do, "I believe in them like you'd believe in a poem. I believe in their aesthetics."

Eat a Peach: a Memoir, by David Chang: 5/5 Being a chef and restaurant owner and believing in the work while also having mental illness. I haven't read this kind of memoir before from the Korean immigrant perspective and this went much better than I would have thought. Mostly because I did not expect this to be so FUNNY in some places. I thought it would be lyrical (which it was) or quite philosophic (which it was) but the book cover--which was beautiful--kind of made me think this would read like a Sisyphean tragedy. Which it really wasn't. And also some of his analogies--especially the one about a Hogwarts Culinary Dark Arts Class--are going to be stuck in my brain for a while.

Calling Doctor Laura: A Graphic Memoir, by Nicole Georges: 3/5 Oh to be a young queer woman at the turn of the century whose mother is almost certainly an untreated narcissist with BPD and whose girlfriend was most definitely cheating on her while she worked out trying to get the truth about her not-actually-dead father while sifting through very unpleasant memories of neglect and emotional abuse. Not a fan of the art style, but the story was at least honest.

Cheshire Crossing, by Andy Weir & Sarah Andersen: 5/5 TEN-THOUSAND blessings on writers who both admit to writing fanfiction on their opening introduction AND an art style where the cast was presented as 80% poc, INCLUDING Alice & Dorothy themselves, while presenting Wendy as queer. YES TO ALL OF THIS.

How to Be an Artist, by Jerry Saltz: 4/5 Actually a very good collective for advice and practice, though I might disagree with some of the rules...just...a bit.

The Wendy Project, by Osborne & Fish: 4/5 A story of young grief in the aftermath of an accident. A modern retelling of Peter Pan, but without the explanation of separating grief and breakdown from reality...such as it is. I was actually rather pleased to see the more "human" Peter ignored for the sake of the Wendy.

The Girl Who Married a Skull and Other African Stories: ratings run from 1/5 to 6/5 depending on the artist and story. My favorites of the lot were The Disobedient Daughter Who Married a Skull, by Nicole Chartland--which was beautiful and did NOT end in marriage, but did end in love--and Concerning the Hawk and the Owl, by Meredith McClaren--which was incredibly lovely and had very little NEED of words.

Kimi Can't Communicate vol. 16, by Oda Tomohito: 5/5 Best parts about this would be: -Tadano playing the sports festival and getting crushed on HARD by Manbagi, Katai, and Komi. -Maeda, the school's top sprinter, having a thing for GILFs. -Suteno not giving Tadano a single thought and getting his headband taken without Tadano even blinking. -EVERYONE (bar Komi and Manbagi) feeding Tadano lunch. -The first time Tadano pats Komi on the head = KOMI WANTS MORE!! -Return to the Cat Café, complete with Manbagi getting a little pervert tomcat and Tadano once again pulling in the prettiest kitty in the area by being himself. -Shousuke and his Dad have a Father-Son day--and it becomes very obvious that Shousuke totally deserves Hitomi as the only curse he'll ever get. -Emoi Awards. -Tadano saves Manbagi's goldfish. -The whole voting process for the Culture Festival--once more, Komi is made to be the golden idol. -The Rehearsal of Najimi's play and The Cold-Blooded Princess. -It might be for the play, but Komi finally tells Tadano, "I like you."

The Vincent van Gogh overseas history DVD: 3/5 I suppose this is useful in terms of understanding and reference, but I didn't much care for the directing and editing style.

Big Trouble in Little China: 5/5 I FINALLY get to watch the movie with the women that have green eyes sacrificed to a dragon spirit in the name of a dark sorcerer cursed for over a thousand years in San Francisco. I haven't seen this movie since I was in kindergarten and should never have watched it to begin with. It is infinitely more entertaining and unpredictable than most anything coming out of the industry today. I had totally forgotten that Samantha from Sex and the City and Steve Stronghold from Sky High were acting here. I cannot believe John "Halloween" Carpenter directed this.

Disney's A Twisted Tale Anthology: -What if Snow White Learned Magic: 3/5 -What if Mulan became the Emperor's Advisor: 4/5 -What if Remy met Colette First: 5/5 -What if Anastasia had a change of Heart: 4/5 -What if Jim Hawkins joined the Pirates: 2/5 -What if history wasn't Quite Right about Robin Hood: 4/5 -What if Eric met Ariel after she rescued him: 3/5 -What if Tinkerbell was working for Captain Hook: 3/5 -What if Naveen had to get home to Maldonia: 5/5 -What if the Triplets visited the Witch: 3/5 -What if Madam Mim and Merlin wet to school together: 3/5 -What if Belle had to take her father's place at the fair: 3/5 -What if Hercules's first day as a god didn't go as planned: 2/5 -What if Bambi didn't want to be a Great Prince: 5/5 -What if Aurora knew about the curse: 4/5

Komi Can't Communicate vol. 15, by Oda Tomohito: 5/5 -Isagi is introduced with a HUGE arc to become Student Council President -Isagi has poor communication/OCD/Extreme germaphobia and touch aversion -Ase presents and comes through as Isagi's Truest Friend -Tadano sees Pretty Cat Komi -Yamai gets Komi to play Twister with her...in the school hallway...and passes out when she gets EXACTLY what she wants -Hitomi initiates a Shousuke/Ai + Hitomi & Yamada "date night" complete with coffee drinks, prize games (Hitomi won Ai a stuffed panda) and a movie at the theater -Ai had fun~ -Isagi plays Rock/Paper/Scissors/Hammer/Helmet against the entire class and WINS -Najimi insists on Isagi keeping the hammer (she's too good not to have it) -The previous Class President is utterly TERRIBLE at her job -The class take glamor shots together in an effort to get Isagi to smile for her election photo; but only managed to get a very on point shot of her menacing Najimi (which works better) -Isagi forgot to choose her campaign representative, but as usual, BLESS TADANO, "Don't worry about it. We don't care who you pick." -Isagi wins after a truly heartfelt speech from Ase. -Time for school physicals; Tadano is a half inch taller than Komi (who is SO GLAD) -Manbagi stresses about her crush on Tadano -Komi and Shousuke are forced by their mother to invite friends to dinner; Komi invited Manbagi, Ase, and Tadano...Shousuke ONLY invited Yamada, but Hitomi being Hitomi invited herself and Ai -Tadano gets to shine as the most polite person on the planet by being the ONLY PERSON at the table to say Yamada Sanjurokuro's name correctly (which may or may not lead to yet another crush on him; bringing his fan club up to, what, twelve now?)

Komi Can't Communicate vol. 14, by Oda Tomohito: 5/5 -The only thing that keeps sinking into my brain about this particular issue is the entire fair situation wherein Tadano, Komi, Manbagi, and Katai get sucked into working at Agari's aunt's food stall by Najimi. -Fushima continues to cheer on Katai/Tadano from the sidelines (and me along with her). -But the kicker is Manbagi finally warming up to Tadano and Hitomi & Onemine & Sasaki & Sato FREAKING OUT -Komi is just glad they get along -Hitomi is glad that Tadano continues to be Tadano and does not understand the concept of ANYONE having a crush on him. This precious boy.

Komi Can't Communicate vol. 13, by Oda Tomohito: 4/5 -It was fucking MAJESTIC to see Nakanaka playing around with an umbrella after sunset like a gun, running aground of the Four Monarchs, an out of town city woman playing dead when she said, "BANG!" to be polite--and her running away as fast as she could with the Monarchs finding the situation quite interesting but the woman on the ground wondering when she could get up again. -Najimi sets up a horror challenge at Katai's WITHOUT ASKING HIM--but it's fine. His friends are proud of him and he is so SOFT.

Komi Can't Communicate vol. 11, by Oda Tomohito: 5/5 -Summer vacation wherein the Komi and Tadano family end up at the same outdoor game park. -Hitomi continues to be Shousuke's unwanted but entirely necessary cheerleader. -Komi unlocks a kink by seeing the rim of Tadano's underwear. -Nakanaka/Yamai is VERY encouraged by Sukida (and myself as well). -The Four Monarchs are introduced to the class and it is SO fucking funny watching them fail to impress or scare ANYONE in this new class. Especially Tadano; it is so awesome.

3 Generations DVD: 4/5 A lesbian, poly, trans family making their way through the son's transition and the messy secrets the mother left behind in an effort to get written permission to start testosterone. I'm a little sad that the main actor wasn't actually trans but...Elle Fanning is still Elle Fanning, so the acting was *chef's kiss*.

Pawn Sacrifice DVD: 5/5 I already wanted to punch Bobby Fischer when he was alive for being both a genius and the biggest fucking asshole, but Toby Maguire was a fucking majestic BEAST in this piece illustrating opposite Liev Scheiber just HOW MUCH chess players during the Cold War did not inspire envy. Every actor in this film was a blessing, but DAMN, these two are awesome.

Little Panic: A Memoir, by Amanda Stern: 4/5 Oh, holy shit; I knew the 80s were terrible for women, but to have an anxiety disorder on top of a learning disorder in New York's East Village at the time was nothing short of just AWFUL.

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance: A Memoir, by Elna Baker: 4/5 This is useful in being a funny and darkly honest commentary/critique of diet culture, New York single life, religion, growth, and cues into life in-between. But All the way through I could not help but feel a little bit irked by the author.

From Boys to Men, edit. by Ted Gideonse & Rob Williams: 5/5 My fourth time reading this and it gets better every single time--especially in that these are queer men of all ages, races, and types, and just feels NICE. -The Story I Told Myself, by Soehnlein: inventing the self through playing with the little people in your head to make some pretty awesome soap operas -Sleeping Eros, by McAllister: considerations on divorce and brotherhood and a father who might have also been gay -Preppies are my Weakness, by Dolby: the essay that basically promises that those you're attracted to at ages 14-17 are Your Type (interestingly, for those of my mutuals reading this; I kept picturing Billy Cranston and Jason Scott, even though Jason would NEVER treat Billy like that). -Barbie Girls, by E.K. Anderson: Mid-80s realizing the politics of "romance" at age 11 and meeting a kindred soul at summer camp -Signs, by R.C. Green: exploring sexuality from the POV of an inner city, poc athlete that had a LOT of anger and internalized homophobia -And much, much, MUCH more.

A Gift From a Ghost, by Borja Gonzalez: 6/5 This is such a beautiful graphic novel for the consideration of how the future is a reflection of the past and how the past has little touches of understanding the future. Possibly it is also a thought piece on reincarnation? Dimensions and time spotting? Either way, the choice for the characters to be faceless and wit the looks of very pretty mannequins while building up the surroundings and wardrobe was MAGNIFICENT.

Change the Game, by Kaepernick: 4/5: A graphic memoir about the growth of a black football player from a white family who would eventually take the knee in protest to racist, sexist, political lashings. Not my favorite art style, but I can appreciate the lighting and line technique.

Goodbye: A Story of Suicide of Hailee Joy Lamberth: 2/5 A good attempt at humanizing and rationalizing, but for me, personally, it was a little too bright, shiny, sanitized...And not to mention a bit self-indulgent.

The Books that Changed My Life, edit. by Bethanne Patrick: 5/5 I have my favorites in the writers and in the books they chose and in the essays they wrote on them. But Gillian Flynn, Margaret Atwood, Peter Coyote, and Sofia Coppola's choices were my favorites.

Komi Can't Communicate vol. 4, by Oda Tomohito: 5/5 -Komi and Tadano try and say each other's first name...and fail SPECTULARLY. -They swapped kitty keychains (a tabby and an ebony) -Inaka makes her first appearance in a Subway parody -Nakanaka/Yamai is establishing itself through Tadano trying to teach them "Komi Speak."

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yourmovieslist · 2 years

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35 BEST AESTHETIC SCHOOL MOVIES Of All Time

High school. When you're a teenager, it feels like a four-year jail term, but after you're free of its five-day-a-week grip, you miss it.

It's a moment when you can mold yourself, test your limits, irritate your parents, and fall in love for the first time. Dramatically, it offers everything you want: conflict, comedy, and a clear ending.

It's no wonder that movies have used this setting to great advantage. It's an experience that practically everyone has, and it's been explored in a variety of ways during the last century of cinema. Which high school movies left the deepest impression?

👉 Here are Thiry-five films that have stayed with us and every adult or teenage boys or girls should watch.

You can find our Free movies App here : MoviesTv- Start your watch list now (yourmovieslist.github.io) Available for IOS and Android.

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"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982)

It’s impossible to hear The Go-Go’s’ “We Got the Beat” and not want to throw on Amy Heckerling’s classic about Southern California high schoolers in the early 1980s. Sean Penn’s perpetually stoned surf rat Jeff Spicoli remains one of the most quoted characters of the decade, but the film endures due to writer Cameron Crowe’s keen observations of the teenage social scene (which he gleaned by going undercover at a San Diego high school) – and, y’know, Phoebe Cates stepping out of a swimming pool in a red bikini to The Cars’ “Moving in Stereo”.

"Cooley High" (1975)

Michael Schultz’s coming-of-age drama was one of the first movies to capture the hopes and heartbreaks of high school from an African-American perspective. Glynn Turman and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs are unforgettable as Preach and Cochise, two best friends navigating the none-too-friendly streets of Chicago’s North Side as they near the end of their senior year. Without it, we wouldn’t have Boyz II Men’s cover of G.C. Cameron’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye” or the beloved sitcom “What’s Happening”.

"Sixteen Candles" (1984)

John Hughes shook up the film industry in 1984 with this PG-rated teen comedy about a young girl (Molly Ringwald) who’s miffed at her parents for forgetting her sixteenth birthday. Hughes doesn’t skimp on the kind of idiotic behavior expected from movies of this nature, but he evinces genuine empathy for his female protagonist, which was almost unheard of from a male director at the time. His absurdist comedic flourishes and unenlightened ethnic humor occasionally clash with the film’s kind-hearted nature, but, tone-wise (especially when you consider his National Lampoon writing), it’s a marvel it wasn’t more mean-spirited.

"Blackboard Jungle" (1955)

Richard Brooks’s stilted problem picture about juvenile delinquents running wild in an inner-city high school earned four Academy Award nominations and much critical acclaim, but it’s remembered today for the breakout performance from a young Sidney Poitier and the rousing opening credits scored to Bill Haley & His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock”. Much to the chagrin of pearl-clutching parents all over America, rock and roll was here to stay.

"Rebel Without a Cause" (1955)

By far the superior juvenile delinquent drama of 1955, Nicholas Ray’s “Rebel Without a Cause” is culturally significant as the film that immortalized James Dean as a teen idol less than a month after he proved all too mortal by smashing his Porsche 550 Spyder into a Ford Tudor on California’s U.S. Route 466. Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo are sensational as troubled youngsters engaging in all manner of anti-social behavior. Knife fights, chicken races and the Griffith Park Observatory became all the rage in the years to come.

"The Breakfast Club" (1985)

Five high school students – a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal – spend a Saturday detention together, and learn that they’re as alike as they are different. John Hughes tapped into the aimless Gen X zeitgeist, and essentially launched the careers of his “brat pack” stars. Simple Minds’s “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” became an all-time teenage anthem, while the great Paul Gleason cemented his status as the go-to character actor for clueless authoritarian blowhards.

"Porky's" (1981)

One year after he directed Jack Lemmon to a Best Actor nomination for his moving performance in “Tribute”, Bob Clark made the most notorious teen sex comedy of the 1980s. Loosely based on his own high school exploits, Clark simultaneously sends up and celebrates the behavior of hormonally addled young men – and to say these misadventures play rather problematically today is an understatement. The film’s raunchy pièce de résistance, a girls’ shower peep show that goes painfully awry for one of the lads, was so outrageous that Fox marketing executives teased it on the poster. Two sequels and countless imitators followed.

"Heathers" (1988)

Veronica (Winona Ryder) is part of the most popular clique at her high school, but she disapproves of the other girls' cruel behavior. When Veronica and her new boyfriend, J.D. (Christian Slater), confront clique leader Heather Chandler (Kim Walker) and accidentally poison her, they make it appear a suicide. Soon Veronica realizes that J.D. is intentionally killing students he does not like. She races to stop J.D. while also clashing with the clique's new leader, Heather Duke (Shannen Doherty).

"Say Anything" (1989)

Cameron Crowe returned to high school with his 1989 directorial debut, and knocked out one of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time. Granted, John Cusack’s tenacious courtship of Ione Skye might be frowned upon today (particularly his blaring of the song they first had sex to outside her bedroom window), but Crowe hits the perfect emotional pitch from the outset; first love is a life-or-death proposition when you’re a teenager.

"Mean Girls" (2004)

Tina Fey’s adaptation of Rosalind Wiseman’s “Queen Bees and Wannabes” painted a brutally accurate portrait of twenty-first century high school social drama, leaving most of us relieved our teenage years were long behind us. It’s as much a pop-cultural point of reference for millennials as “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” is for Gen X-ers, and made stars out of Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried. Alas, it remains the career peak for the supremely talented Lindsey Lohan, whose career decision making over the last fifteen years has left much to be desired.

"Superbad" (2007)

Screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg mined their longtime friendship for this explosively funny night-in-the-life romp of two horned-up teenagers tasked with buying booze for a high school rager. Christopher Mintz-Plasse became an overnight sensation as the fake ID-bearing McLovin, while Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Emma Stone all received a massive career boost. Extra pop cultural cache: the three-letter lament “FML” was coined in this movie.

"Show Me Love" (1998)

Lukas Moodysson’s coming-of-age dramedy about two teenage girls falling messily in love with one another is plenty iconic in its native Sweden (where it has a much different title), and patiently waiting to catch on elsewhere twenty-one years after its theatrical release. Perhaps the titular association with Robyn’s classic single could compel viewers to give this deeply moving (and painfully funny) film the shot it richly deserves. The movie features the greatest Foreigner needle-drop cue in film history! What are you waiting for?

"Pretty in Pink" (1986)

John Hughes was hitting on all cylinders when he cast his muse Molly Ringwald as the nice girl from the wrong side of the tracks who falls for preppie Andrew McCarthy – much to the dismay of lovelorn outsider Jon Cryer. The film’s mid-‘80s fashions have gone from hot to horrid to retro-chic to retro-hideous over the last thirty-three years, but the music (probably the best soundtrack ever assembled for a Hughes movie) and the saccharine love-conquers-class theme still connect.

"Clueless" (1995)

Amy Heckerling’s good-hearted riff on Jane Austen’s “Emma” resides worlds away from the sex-crazed antics of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, and, given its surreally wealthy setting, doesn’t feel as much like a nostalgia piece. Alicia Silverstone is perfectly cast as the smarter-than-she-acts teenager Cher who wants only for other people’s happiness. Heckerling’s effervescent direction and wittily perceptive writing are nicely complemented by star-making supporting turns from Paul Rudd and the late Brittany Murphy.

"Dazed and Confused" (1993)

This last-day-of-school masterpiece from Richard Linklater did for 1976 what “American Graffiti” did for 1962. Even if you weren’t a glint in your parents’ eyes forty-three years ago, you’ll catch a Carter-era contact high from this ensemble romp that essentially introduced the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Renée Zellweger and many others to moviegoers the world over. The soundtrack is jammed with ‘70s earworms, and the dialogue is Linklater at his amusingly digressive best.

"Election" (1999)

Mud-slinging campaign tactics get applied to a high school presidential election in Alexander Payne’s darkly funny adaptation of Tom Perrotta’s satiric novel. Between Reese Witherspoon’s nakedly ambitious Tracy Flick and Matthew Broderick’s vindictive Jim McAllister, it’s hard to find a rooting interest – which is, of course, the point. Even at this level, politics is a dehumanizing profession that brings out the worst in individuals, regardless of their intentions.

"Risky Business" (1983)

Paul Brickman’s Reagan-era satire about a suburban Chicago teenager who makes a short-term killing in “human fulfillment” (aka prostitution) while his parents are away on vacation was a massive pop culture phenomenon that turned a five-year-old Bob Seger song (“Old Time Rock and Roll”) into a Top-40 radio sensation, made Ray Ban sunglasses a must-own accessory and, oh yeah, launched Tom Cruise’s into superstardom. Unlike many ‘80s hits, “Risky Business” has aged remarkably well, particularly in the wake of the recent college admissions scandal. Princeton can always use a guy like Joel.

"Carrie" (1976)

Sissy Spacek wreaks bloody, fiery revenge on her cruel classmates in Brian De Palma’s ferociously cinematic take on Stephen King’s classic horror novel. The tormenting of poor Carrie White is so nightmarishly heightened (by a clique of troublemakers that includes John Travolta, Amy Irving and Nancy Allen), you can’t help but cheer as she condemns them to a hellish death at the senior prom. The most frightening individual in the film is Piper Laurie, who earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her gloriously over-the-top performance as Carrie’s evangelical mother.

"The Last Picture Show" (1971)

Peter Bogdanovich’s black-and-white triumph about a small, dying Texas town made stars out of Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd, and presented a harshly unsentimental view of youthful yearning. Your dreams of becoming your best self, of leaving your go-nowhere friends behind to make it somewhere on the map that matters, are probably not going to be realized. The evidence for this discomfiting conclusion is all around you; once upon a time, the adults in your town dreamed of doing likewise.

"Splendor in the Grass" (1961)

Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty star in Elia Kazan’s controversial-for-1961 drama about a young girl’s sexual awakening in the harshly proscriptive time-and-place of 1928 Kansas. The film marked Beatty’s big-screen debut, and catapulted him to stardom – for this alone, it is iconic. But its Wood’s film, and while the timidity of the material shortchanges her, she’s nonetheless captivating as a teenager pressured to repress her libidinal urges.

"Rushmore" (1998)

Max Fischer is a precocious nightmare of a boarding school student who puts on elaborately staged productions of ‘70s films like “Serpico” and brazenly courts his institution’s new first grade teacher (Olivia Williams). He’s not at all likable or relatable, and yet Wes Anderson’s sophomore feature makes him an utterly compelling protagonist. Anderson’s deft use of British Invasion cues (as well as an Ashby-esque preference for Cat Stevens) was unique at the time. His entire aesthetic came together in one film.

"The Outsiders" (1983)

Stay gold, Ponyboy. It doesn’t get more iconic than Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s YA classic, “The Outsiders”. The cast is comprised of soon-to-be stars (e.g. Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane and Tom Cruise), and the Greasers-vs-Socs rivalry dials into a class-consciousness that the target audience is beginning to understand, but has yet to articulate. It’s a formative, almost mythic work.

"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986)

Depending on your worldview, this is either an irresistible escapist fantasy or a Leni Reifenstahl-esque piece of privileged propaganda. Subtext aside, it’s possible and entirely reasonable to regard this John Hughes comedy as a carefree, anti-authority lark about a kid who simply doesn’t want to go to school. Dig deeper, and you might not like what you find. There’s an argument to be made that this is the most iconic film of the 1980s, what with its material obsessions (e.g. Cameron’s dad’s Ferrari), new technology fetishes (e.g Ferris’s computer and synthesizer) and inexplicable Charlie Sheen cameo.

"Valley Girl" (1983)

“Romeo and Juliet” by way of the San Fernando Valley. Martha Coolidge had to wait seven years after her feature debut to make this gem of a teen movie about a valley girl (Deborah Foreman) who falls for a nice-guy punk (Nicolas Cage). The film was made to capitalize on Moon Unit Zappa’s novelty hit, but Coolidge runs with her opportunity; this is a splashy, unabashedly goofy romantic comedy with a semi-serious undercurrent. It’s a deftly directed movie that shows off Coolidge at her humanistic best.

"Eighth Grade" (2018)

American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Bo Burnham. It stars Elsie Fisher as Kayla, a middle school teenager who struggles with anxiety but strives to gain social acceptance from her peers during their final week of eighth grade. To cope, she publishes video blogs as a self-styled motivational advice-giver, though spends much of her time obsessing over social media. This frustrates Kayla's otherwise supportive father (Josh Hamilton), whom she alienates despite his wish to be present in her life as her sole parent.

Boyhood (2014)

is a 2014 American epic coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Richard Linklater, and starring Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, and Ethan Hawke. Filmed from 2002 to 2013, Boyhood depicts the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans Jr. (Coltrane) from ages six to eighteen as he grows up in Texas with divorced parents (Arquette and Hawke). Richard Linklater's daughter Lorelei plays Mason's sister, Samantha.

"The Edge Of Seventeen" (2016)

Everyone knows that growing up is hard, and life is no easier for high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), who is already at peak awkwardness when her all-star older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) starts dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). All at once, Nadine feels more alone than ever, until an unexpected friendship with a thoughtful teen (Hayden Szeto) gives her a glimmer of hope that things just might not be so terrible after all.

"The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" (2012)

Socially awkward teen Charlie (Logan Lerman) is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two charismatic students become his mentors. Free-spirited Sam (Emma Watson) and her stepbrother Patrick (Ezra Miller) help Charlie discover the joys of friendship, first love, music and more, while a teacher sparks Charlie's dreams of becoming a writer. However, as his new friends prepare to leave for college, Charlie's inner sadness threatens to shatter his newfound confidence.

"The Myth Of The American Sleepover" (2011)

Four young people navigate through suburban Detroit, in search of love and adventure on the last weekend of summer vacation.

"Simon Werner A Disparu" (2010)

In October 1992, in a final C class at the Léon-Blum high school in the Yvelines, Simon Werner was missed. This absence marks the beginning of a series of mysterious disappearances that worries the students in his class. They begin to collectively imagine the possible scenarios that gradually take an agonizing turn following the discovery of new disturbing elements, and subject to interpretation, on the life of the high school and some of its students.

"Lady Bird" (2017)

A teenager (Saoirse Ronan) navigates a loving but turbulent relationship with her strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf) over the course of an eventful and poignant senior year of high school.

"Every Day" (2010)

Sixteen-year-old Rhiannon falls in love with A, a mysterious spirit who inhabits a different body every day. Feeling an unmatched connection, Rhiannon and A try to find each other on a daily basis, always unsure of what or who the next day will bring. Soon, the realities of loving someone who is a different person every 24 hours starts to take its toll, leaving Rhiannon and A to face the hardest decision either has ever had to make.

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