National Public Radio (NPR) recently published a list of their top teenage movies. It’s an odd assortment of movies, but it’s representative of a great swath across generations.
I’m an 80′s child, so I’ve always thought of teenage movies to be an invention for my generation. I know it’s silly to think that, but with John Hughes , you have the perfect mastermind. The following is the list and my comments about the movies.
- Bernadine: I have never seen it, nor have I heard of it.
- Love Letters in the Sand: Ditto. You’d think I’d know more about these movies.
- The Blob: Saw it, but didn’t think it was a teenage movie.
- Scream: Excellent movie that managed to redefine the horror genre.
- I Know What You Did Last Summer: Very good movie, but I didn’t think it was too unique.
- The Blair Witch Project: Fantastic movie that was revolutionary for it’s time. It was one of the first movies to use the internet to build buzz.
- Grease: Oh, yeah. I’m not a big fan of musicals, but this was a great adaptation of the play. A fun watch.
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Pioneer of the “talk to the camera” film. The music and score of this film is underrated.
- Pretty in Pink: Molly Ringwald can sob on my shoulder any day. Well, at least I thought that when the movie came out.
- The Breakfast Club: Perfection. Pacing, story, acting … they were all top notch.
- Sixteen Candles: The donger, right? Enjoyable film and really kept a great pace through the years.
- Rebel Without a Cause: I wouldn’t have considered this much of a teenage film, but I don’t have an appreciation for the 1950s like I should.
- Rock Around the Clock: I have never seen it.
- Blackboard Jungle: This movie wasn’t as enjoyable to me as I was afraid. The tension in the film is well done.
- Mean Girls: An interesting movie, but I think they could have done a better job.
- Clueless: Ms. Silverstone’s springboard to fame. She lost something after making this film that she hasn’t gotten back.
- Donnie Darko: I didn’t get it. I still have no idea what the rabbit and the plane crash had to do with anything.
- Elephant: I have never seen it, nor have I heard of it.
- Kids: I have never seen it, nor have I heard of it.
- American Pie: Hilarious.
- Rushmore: This is a movie you need to watch three times to understand how great it is. The first time you watch you’re going to be distracted by Jason Schwartzman.
- American Graffiti: Hey look, it’s all the people from 1970s sitcoms!
Overall, the list is very representative of the genre. We’ll get around to creating our own lists soon.