Post by alextheman on Jan 18, 2020 8:45:31 GMT -7
Hey I just wanted to do a list of my favorite teen movies. As teen film is kind of my signature genre which actually none of my films next season are teen films. I have a film that I co wrote with Lon Charles about Kurt Cobain and I have The English Teacher which is about a college student in love with his former English Teacher which is basically barely not a teen film it's about college students and it has a lot to say about love and I'm proud of it. But yah here are my favorite teen films
The Squid and The Whale - I think the film is not just comedic and not just dramatic it's both and it's also incredibly symbolic in ways that I will not spoil. The acting is top notch and the direction and writing by Noah Baumbach is brilliant and it also has one of my favorite story arcs for a young child ever for the little boy Frank who's dealing very harshly with his parents divorce and It also has a lot to say about turning into your parents. In ways that are not necessarily spelled out for you. It's also Jeff Daniels best performance as the really big asshole who you really like and you weirdly understand where he's coming and you also understand where Laura Linney is coming from and also the cinematography by Robert Yeoman captures Park Slope Brooklyn so well.
mid 90s - This film captures perfectly my middle and high school career and even now. I have always been attracted to older people and always felt more safe around people that were older than me. I felt that they knew the cool shit and also were generally less judgmental. This film captures that. It's about a kid who doesn't know his place in the world and him finding people that he loves and that actually give a shit about him. And similar to my next film on the list it talks about a kid really breaking out of his shell.
The Spectacular Now - One of the most heartfelt movies I've ever seen. The film has so much fucking heart. The performances by Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller especially Shailene Woodley who delivers a performance of this shy girl who has never fallen really for anyone before and doesn't believe that she has anything to offer and watching her break out of her shell is really moving. Miles Teller is also fucking fantastic in this movie as a guy with no ambitions kind of become more introspective and realizing that he has more to offer than just be a stupid party guy. The film is directed brilliantly by James Ponsoldt who also directed The End of The Tour which I love as well probably more in certain ways.
Superbad - This film is such a fucking blast. When I was like 14 I used to like look down on the comedy genre weirdly I thought it wasn't personal and I associated it with the dumb Adam Sandler movies and this movie and a couple others really changed my perception on that. It's a film about nerds and misfits and it's about three guys who are trying to figure out their place in the world and it's littered with great comedy. You could tell it came from a personal place for Seth and Evan but it captures the fun awkwardness of just being a high school boy.
Dazed and Confused - one of the most fun I've ever had watching a movie. I can watch this movie and it feels like seeing your best friends that you haven't seen in a while. At the same time it's philosophical and it's beautiful and it's wonderfully written and it really epitomizes what it's like to be a teenager and it also is fucking hilarious.
Juno - one of the best movies I've ever seen. It is so funny and so dramatic and it captures what it feels like to be in love so perfectly. That final scene makes me cry every time I see it. It also is hilarious and has great performances especially by Jason Bateman who has never gotten the credit he deserves. He plays a three dimensional character who has incredibly unlikable tendencies but he's so funny that it works and his performance weirdly makes the movie work.
The Squid and The Whale - I think the film is not just comedic and not just dramatic it's both and it's also incredibly symbolic in ways that I will not spoil. The acting is top notch and the direction and writing by Noah Baumbach is brilliant and it also has one of my favorite story arcs for a young child ever for the little boy Frank who's dealing very harshly with his parents divorce and It also has a lot to say about turning into your parents. In ways that are not necessarily spelled out for you. It's also Jeff Daniels best performance as the really big asshole who you really like and you weirdly understand where he's coming and you also understand where Laura Linney is coming from and also the cinematography by Robert Yeoman captures Park Slope Brooklyn so well.
mid 90s - This film captures perfectly my middle and high school career and even now. I have always been attracted to older people and always felt more safe around people that were older than me. I felt that they knew the cool shit and also were generally less judgmental. This film captures that. It's about a kid who doesn't know his place in the world and him finding people that he loves and that actually give a shit about him. And similar to my next film on the list it talks about a kid really breaking out of his shell.
The Spectacular Now - One of the most heartfelt movies I've ever seen. The film has so much fucking heart. The performances by Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller especially Shailene Woodley who delivers a performance of this shy girl who has never fallen really for anyone before and doesn't believe that she has anything to offer and watching her break out of her shell is really moving. Miles Teller is also fucking fantastic in this movie as a guy with no ambitions kind of become more introspective and realizing that he has more to offer than just be a stupid party guy. The film is directed brilliantly by James Ponsoldt who also directed The End of The Tour which I love as well probably more in certain ways.
Superbad - This film is such a fucking blast. When I was like 14 I used to like look down on the comedy genre weirdly I thought it wasn't personal and I associated it with the dumb Adam Sandler movies and this movie and a couple others really changed my perception on that. It's a film about nerds and misfits and it's about three guys who are trying to figure out their place in the world and it's littered with great comedy. You could tell it came from a personal place for Seth and Evan but it captures the fun awkwardness of just being a high school boy.
Dazed and Confused - one of the most fun I've ever had watching a movie. I can watch this movie and it feels like seeing your best friends that you haven't seen in a while. At the same time it's philosophical and it's beautiful and it's wonderfully written and it really epitomizes what it's like to be a teenager and it also is fucking hilarious.
Juno - one of the best movies I've ever seen. It is so funny and so dramatic and it captures what it feels like to be in love so perfectly. That final scene makes me cry every time I see it. It also is hilarious and has great performances especially by Jason Bateman who has never gotten the credit he deserves. He plays a three dimensional character who has incredibly unlikable tendencies but he's so funny that it works and his performance weirdly makes the movie work.