Coming of age is a young person’s transition from adolescence to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. Often the individual(s) has developed in some way, through the undertaking of responsibility, or by learning a lesson. Movies of this genre are a very popular; either they are greatly loved by the generation they represent, or illustrate the issues that affect a peer group as a whole.

thelistuniverse.com has posted their Top 15 Iconic Teen Movies:

1. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
2. Cidade de Deus (2002)
3. La Haine (1995)
4. Stand by Me (1986)
5. Back to the Future (1985)
6. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
7. The Breakfast Club (1985)
8. The Dead Poets Society (1989)
9. American Graffiti (1973)
10. Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
11. To Sir with Love (1967)
12. Boyz N The Hood (1991)
13. Dazed and Confused (1993)
14. Elephant (2003)
15. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Other films that we thought deserved mention include (summaries by IMDb):

• American Pie (1999) – At a high-school party, four friends (Jim, Kevin, Finch, and Oz) find that losing their collective virginity isn’t as easy as they had thought. But they still believe that they need to do so before college. To motivate themselves, they enter a pact to try to be the first to “score.” And of course, the senior prom is their last best chance. As the fateful date draws near, the boys wonder who among them will get lucky. More importantly, do they really want to do it at all?
• Beach Party (1963) – The first of the five official American-International “Beach Party” movies, all directed by William Asher and all very popular. Anthropology Professor Robert Orwell Sutwell (Bob Cummings) and his secretary Marianne (Dorothy Malone) are studying the sex habits of teenagers. The surfing teens led by Frankie and Dee Dee (Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello) don’t have much sex but they sing, battle the motorcycle rats and mice led by Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) and dance to Dick Dale and the Del Tones. Look for Vincent Price in a surprise cameo. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 6%

Dystopia: an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one. The opposite of Utopia.

Several weeks ago, Snarkerati posted a list of the Top 50 Dystopian Movies of All Time. After its release, many people took the site to task for its rather loose interpretation of the term, dystopian. Specifically, term does not mean sci-fi, or cyberpunk, or anything like that. It refers to a political or social state. That means it could take place in the future or the past. Some could consider a movie about WWII Germany a dystopian movie. A movie that has robots, grime, etc. in it does not automatically make it a dystopian movie.

One reader, a fan of the genre, commented:

This list has started a discussion in my household at to what a dystopian movie actually is. You’ve got it defined here as…

‘The simplest definition of a dystopia is as follows: An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror.’

This is fine, and holds up to most of the list. But if you think about dystopia as the opposite of Utopia, the perfect society, you start to sharpen the idea of what a dystopian movie or novel is supposed to be.

Society goes to hell for one of three different reasons:

1. By accident: The global pandemic, the post-apocalypse, the oil suddenly runs out, the aliens take over, the machines have decided they’ve had enough, or any other natural disaster/extinction-level-event that turns the world mad in an instant. Movies based on this definition of dystopia specifically deal with the aftermath of such an event, of which The Road Warrior, A Boy and His Dog, 12 Monkeys and Children of Men (hey, all the sudden we can’t make any babies) are perfect examples. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 6%

“An idiot or stupid person. An insensitive, selfish, ignorant, cocky person who is inconsiderate and does stupid things.” — Urban Dictionary

Everybody knows one. Whether at work, on the road, or at home, we’ve all been confronted by them. In life, they’re bad, but on the silver screen writers seem to bring out the worst in some characters:

Johnny in Karate Kid (1984) – Yeah! Okay, here’s your first lesson: how to take a FALL! [He sideswipes Daniel, knocking him over the edge and down the embankment.]

Philips in The Sandlot (1993) It’s easy when you play with rejects and a fat kid, Rodriguez.

Col. William Tavington in The Patriot (2000) – [After killing another innocent man] You know, it’s ugly business doing one’s duty… but just occasionally it’s a real pleasure.

Ed Rooney in Ferris Buellers Day Off (1986) – [Whistling for the dog with a vase in his hands] Come here doggy! Look what Uncle Ed’s got for you, you little f*cker!

Commodus in Gladiator (2000) – They tell me your son… [Maximus stops] squealed like a girl when they nailed him to the cross. And your wife… moaned like a whore when they ravaged her again and again… and again.

Extreme Sports Punks in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle (2004)

Deebo in Friday (1995) & Next Friday (2000) – [yelling out before kicking his brother in the stomach] You know I gonna find you and when I do, I’m gonna put my foot up in your ass!

Biff in Back to the Future (1985) – Biff Tannen: And uh, where’s my reports? George McFly: Uh, well, I haven’t finished those up yet, but you know I… I figured since they weren’t due till… Biff Tannen: Hello? Hello? Anybody home? Huh? Think, McFly. Think! I gotta have time to get ‘em retyped. Do you realize what would happen if I hand in my reports in your handwriting? I’ll get fired. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would ya? Would ya?

Originally from Cameltap

Popularity: 1%

“As you sow, so shall you reap!”

Release: 2006
Runtime: 1 hour, 34 min
Genre: Horror
Language: English
MPAA Rating: R
Starring: Lori Heuring, Scout Taylor-Compton, Chloe Moretz, Geoffrey Lewis

Amazon Link: Wicked Little Things

SYNOPSIS: Wicked Little Things” tells the tale of the recently-widowed Karen Tunny and her two daughters, Sarah and Emma, who move to a remote mountain home inherited from the family of her late husband. Unbeknownst to Karen, the three of them are not as alone as they assumed. The home lies near an old mine abandoned almost a hundred years before, after a tragic cave-in killed a group of children who were forced to work there.

After Dark Films billed Horrorfest as “a weekend of horror films that are considered to graphic or too disturbing for general audiences.” Ok, let’s not beat around the bush. That announcement isn’t just a marketing statement; it is a boldface lie to separate patrons from their money. Most of these films are crap and a waste of time (The Gravedancers being the exception so far).

Wicked Little Things starts with a great premise: In 1913, children laboring in a Pennsylvania mine are killed by callous adults supervising the mine. Glimpses of kids in mining gear, rickety elevators, dynamite, and tight spaces let us know we are in for something cruel. Some of the early scenes, reminded me of Neil Marshall’s feature, The Descent. Not for the creatures, but the claustrophobic atmosphere: There is a primal fear associated with tight spaces – especially rocky places, deep underground. Unfortunately, the scenes within the mine are limited, from that point we leave the panic-inducing confines of the mine to never return. The film effectively throws away the scare-rich environment and never really recovers.

Flash forward to the present: From some fairly painful dialogue, we learn that recently widowed Karen Tunny (Lori Heuring) and her two daughters, Sarah (Scout Taylor-Compton) and Emma (Chloe Moretz) are headed to an inherited homestead in the backwoods of Pennsylvania. We are introduced to Sarah, the archetypal teen daughter, probably 15 or 16 years old – a real handful. We’ve seen this character a thousand times, gallivanting around town, complaining about her parent(s), and hating the move; and of course, the little sister who makes the film’s first contact with the deceased children. In the new home, it is apparent that things are awry. Bugs, bad plumbing, dark, rotted wallpaper, and a bloodstained front door – the usual ingredients that make up a spooky house are present. Not to mention the creepy neighbors living in the woods, with interesting tales about the haunted hills and what takes place at night.

Once night falls, gangs of undead children roam the hills seeking fresh meat. Although the kids are described as zombies by local teens, they are actually some kind of hybrid ghost-zombie, a ?ghombie? maybe. The deceased appear only at night to exact their revenge as flesh devouring phantoms, so the term zombie fits. Although the gore scenes are relatively rare, when we do get a glimpse, the pay-off is realistic. Some scenes show us what the ravaged corpses look like once the deed is done, and it isn’t pretty. Furry carcasses are scattered all through the woods, and there is one scene involving a pig, which may upset some novice horror fans. While these gore effects are above par, these zombies are not. The zombies are little more than kids with white faces.

There’s not really much more that can be said about this movie. The bad heavily outweighs the good and the audience is asked to swallow way too many clichés. For instance: There’s the little girl who makes friends with the monster; Townsfolk who know EVERYTHING but choose to not say anything; Newspaper clippings chronicling everything about the “incident”; woods atmospheric with dense fog; a dark legacy of an evil family, and the ubiquitous walking around in a dark house.

In addition to the other problems, a good portion of this movie was very dark and hard to see. Filmmakers should realize that dark does not necessarily equal scary” When a movie is that dark, it’s more annoying than anything else.

Unfortunately, Wicked Little Things falls prey to the unsettling trend in modern horror films, where the conclusion requires gift-wrap and a bow, implying that audiences are too stupid to connect the dots in the plot. Undeniably boring and formulaic to the point of frustration, Wicked Little Things telegraphs every action: People pop into sight right when you’d expect them to, deliver the cheesy lines you’d wish they wouldn’t, and die exactly the way they would in any other movie. This sleeping pill of a movie and everyone involved is what’s hurting horror films these days. If you’re looking for a safe alternative to sleep medication, try Wicked Little Things.

Popularity: 2%

“You just can’t find good paranormal help, these days.”

Release: 2006
Runtime: 1 hour, 35 min
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Language: English
MPAA Rating: R
Starring: Dominic Purcell, Josie Maran, Clare Kramer, Marcus Thomas, Tchéky Karyo , Megahn Perry

Amazon Link: The Gravedancers

SYNOPSIS: Three twenty-somethings learn the hard way about proper cemetery behavior in this independent horror film by Mike Mendez. Harris (Dominic Purcell), Sid (Marcus Thomas), and Kira (Josie Maran) are three longtime friends reunited when their college pal, Devin, dies in an auto accident. After attending Devin’s funeral, the three stage an impromptu, graveside wake. Before long, the revelers are singing and dancing around the cemetery, trampling nearby graves. Later, the friends discover they’ve made a serious mistake; they’ve awakened very angry spirits.

After watching several films from 2006’s Horrorfest, I was really beginning to doubt that there was anything redeeming about the group. For the most part the collection is a compendium of artless, cheap rip-offs, studio hybrids, and needless remakes, none of which demonstrate much success in scaring audiences. The sole exception so far has been Mendez’s The Gravedancers, a breath of competently fresh air. From the brutally shocking opening scene through to the Evil Dead-esque CGI finale, this is indie sports scares the likes of which we seldom see. The script is fresh and somewhat clever, the performances are for the most part solid (Marcus Thomas would be the sole exception), the production values are good, and the score is great – particularly for an indie production.

The film’s story is fairly simple: Dominic Purcell (of Prison Break and Blade: Trinity) plays Harris McKay, a successful lawyer who lives with his wife Allison (Clare Kramer) in wedded bliss. But when an old friend dies in a car crash and Harris is reunited with his old college pals Kira (Josie Maran) and Sid (Marcus Thomas), their lives go from paradisiacal to paranormal. Kira, Harris, and Sid visit their pal’s grave in the middle of the night, drink and reminisce, and find a strange card with an oddly apropos poem; caught up in the moment, the group read and dances in tribute to their friend. Little do they know the words on the black card were not harmless; they’ve accidentally activated an ancient “gravedancing curse” that will make their lives a living hell.

There are many horror movie no-nos such as don’t go in the dark basement, and stuff like that. Here is another one: If you find a strange card in a graveyard, don’t read it aloud. This brings me to one of the few problems I have with the film. These people are obviously not teens, what we’re dealing with here are supposedly young adults. You would think these people… who seem to be in their mid 20s, wouldn’t even be taking part in shenanigans like these. Who goes to a cemetery for a freaking nightcap? If one of your friends suggests such a thing… maybe it’s time to seek out some new friends.

From that point, things start quietly enough, with a few strange sounds here and there and the tendency of doors to open and close on their own. Soon there’s someone playing the piano when no one’s in the living room and a strange, female nutjob appears in Harris’ bedroom vanishing into thin air. When Harris and Allison contact the others, they find that Kira has been beaten and sexually assaulted, and Sid has a team of paranormal scientists in his apartment investigating a series of spontaneous fires.

The paranormal experts explain that the three have disturbed the spirits upon whose graves they danced, and those ghosts (a jealous woman with an axe, ten-year-old boy who burned to death in a fire he started, and a psychotic rapist) have one lunar cycle to exact their revenge. As the attacks become more frequent and more violent, the bonds between the three friends give way to old jealousies and petty rivalry.

Second complaint: Although the ghost/creature designs are rather chilling and off the wall, the ghosts from House on Haunted Hill (1999) and 13 Ghosts were far more aggressive and dangerous than these three phantoms. You would expect them to be making these peoples lives a living hell. Instead, they seem more content with screwing with their heads. This is explained away later on in the film when Karyo’s character Vincent tells the group that the ghosts will become more violent as the curse’s cycle nears it’s end.

The paranormal experts might have a way to reverse the curse – but will they complete the ritual in time, and will it even work? As things get more desperate and the spirits get stronger, things get far more complicated than expected – soon enough there are explosions, crashes, flying objects, possessions, and enough assorted spectral misconduct to put Hell House to shame.

The Gravedancers has many things going for it. For one, it’s a “grown-up” horror movie that trades in sex-crazed emo teens for slightly older, more fleshed-out characters. They’re also more complex and likeable than your standard horror victims. The characters go through a number of harrowing events and for the most part, their reactions to the increasingly bizarre things happening to them are believably realistic. There’s a nice balance of sensible curiosity and legitimate panic that rings true on numerous levels. Purcell is a grounding force as the somewhat inexpressive, stubborn Harris (his character was the first to settle down), and the more colorful characters play off him nicely.

As Horrorfest’s rose among several thorns, The Gravedancers, is a solid addition to the haunting subgenre. Fans of spooky classics like Poltergeist, Legend of Hell House, and even The Entity will find this film right up their alley.

Goozlepipe Rating:Really Liked It

Popularity: 4%