Movie – Heathers (1989)

“Dear Diary: My teen angst bullshit now has a bodycount.”

If any one line from the movie Heathers can possibly sum up what a viewer should expect in both plot and presentation, it may be that one.  When Heathers burst on the scene at the end of the 1980s it was the anti-John Hughes (The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles) teen movie.  It showed teenagers as the venal, vicious, violent little creatures that they can be…and put a smile on your face while doing it.  Think the Mean Girls (2004) were mean?  They were pussycats compared to the Heathers in this film.  It is an irreverent, funny, very dark, “they did not just do that” kind of movie.

Movie – Beau Pere (1981)

Beau Pere is the kind of movie, like Talk to Her, that makes some people uncomfortable because they find themselves understanding or even empathizing with someone that they would have otherwise condemned.  In this case, the person who inspires such emotions is the character of Remi, played by Patrick Dewaere (Going Places).  Remi finds himself in a relationship with his teenage stepdaughter Marion (Ariel Besse).  It’s not just that plot point that might bother some people, but also the way the entire story is presented.  Writer/director Bertrand Blier (Get Out Your Handkerchiefs) handled it with sensitivity and seriousness, not lurid B movie tactics.

Movie – Freaks (1932)

The movie Freaks was controversial even when it was released in 1932.  After negative reaction to the original version the studio cut almost 30 minutes out of it and tried to make it not quite as horrific.  It still ended up being banned in the U.K. for 30 years and in some states in the U.S.  So why am I recommending it?  Because it is a piece of cinema history that plays differently today than it did when it first came out.

Movies That Could Never Be Made Today

“They don’t make ‘em like they used to.” – Lament from every person who’s gotten old enough to dislike the current movies, shows, plays, books, music, games, etc. that are coming out today.

Over the years there have been movies made that for one reason or another could never be made today.  Usually that reason is that the subject matter is one that modern audiences would not want to pay money to go see.  Sometimes it is not the subject matter, but the way it is treated that would cause offense.  In both cases studios would simply avoid giving the go ahead for these kinds of movies nowadays because they don’t want the controversy, nor to lose money.

For this category I’ve got movies about circus freaks, a relationship between a stepfather and his teenage stepdaughter, and a dark comedy about teen suicide.

As I post the reviews, I will come back and add links here for those posts:

Freaks (1932)
Beau Pere (1981)
Heathers (1989)

On to the reviews…