Monday, June 10, 2013

Mixtape Movies: Coming of Nostalgia


The awesomest of all awesome blogathon-creators, Andy from Fandango Groovers, once again saves me from thinking up ways to fit a lot of movies I want to write about into one post. His latest creation is the Mixtape Movies blogathon, where we can assemble 6 movies that have something in common - a theme - and write about that. One of the 6 movies is a wildcard, a movie that stands out from the rest in some way or another.

This blogathon just came out of nowhere into my blogroll and truly saved my day of blogging. I just don't find the time to write about all of the awesome things I'm watching and the moment, and find it incredibly difficult to fit them all into one post that's not just a series of mini-reviews. So here we have the perfect solution for my misery. I guess I'm sort of cheating in a way anyhow, since 5 of these movies are connected in a  very obvious way, but who cares - let's get started. Oh, and since my poor sister, who's in the hospital at the moment, borrowed my laptop, you're not going to get any photoshop in this post.

Mette's Movie Mixtape:
Coming of Nostalgia

My list is inspired by my several viewing of the ingenious 2010 teen-rom-com Easy A, a glorious weekend of watching (almost) all the movies mentioned in it and my chronic suffering from the Peter-Pan-Syndrome.



Easy A (2010)
Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) decides to become a good person by pretending to be a slut.
Not only one of the most entertaining, well-crafted, intelligent and funniest "teenage" movies of the past few years, but also my gateway to the heaven of '80s cinema.

Can't Buy Me Love (1987)
Ronald Miller (Patrick Dempsey) decides to become a cool kid by bribing the school princess Cindy (Amanda Peterson) into dating him.
A very, very unrealistic and utterly exotic movie for a non-American student. Decidedly more fun than romantic, which goes for most 80s rom-coms I've seen and is one of their biggest advantages over new ones. Did I mention I love this movie?

Say Anything... (1989)
Llody Dobler (John Cusack) decides to be with A-student Diane Court (Ione Skye). And so he does...
The most dramatic and most realistic of the 5 "regular" movies on this list, and one I am going to rewatch countless times. Leaving clichés aside, it touched and moved me, and simply stood out. By the way, the music scene isn't even one of the best parts.

Sixteen Candles (1984)
It's Samantha Baker's (Molly Ringwald) 16 birthday - and no one remembers!
Watching this movie, you watch clichés come to life. Good thing about it is that they're not clichés yet in the movie. Which makes this movie every teenage girls' dream come true. Yep, that was a cliché right there and I don't even care.

The Breakfast Club (1985)
Stereotypes are locked inside a library for detention.
Yet this is the most iconic, awesome '80s teenage movie that I have ever seen or heard of. Inspiring, uplifting and entertaining in every single frame.

...

My wildcard is a movie that has nothing to do with Easy A or the '80s, but still fits the mixture of nostalgia, melancholia, coming of age, humor and brilliancy. It's one of my favorite movies already, not only of the last year or the last few years, but all time. And this GIF represents my feelings for it very well.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Charlie (Logan Lerman) comes of age.



17 comments:

  1. This is a pretty good list. The movies are quite enjoyable, although I have yet to see Say Anything. I should go see that one.

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    1. You should!! It's a really good movie in almost every aspect and personally I loved it to bits. Thanks for your comment!

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  2. I still need to watch all those movies that Olive mentions (I just re-watched Easy A on the weekend - it gets better every time!) Ohh Perks...so many emotions! Wonderful post! I think I may have to get onto this blogathon.

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    1. It's sort of an obsession I have; movies that are mentioned in other movies. Agree on Easy A, I can't watch it often enough. Thanks Ruth, I hope you'll join :)

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  3. Love this list! One of my favorite Mix Tape entries yet. Excellent wildcard by the way.

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    1. Thanks, Alex! Your comment made me very happy :)

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  4. Nice list of movies and although I have issues with Perks of Being a Wallflower. It is better than a lot of other teen movies that have come out in the past years. Can't buy me love on the other hand seems to promote prostitution. A Guy pays a girl to date him just to boost his own ego sounds like a shallow and dick move to me. Please tell me he ends up with the one kinda nerdy girl who has allways liked him
    but he never knows until the end. She takes off her glasses and pony tail and she becomes a knockout. That happens in this movie, right.

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    1. Thanks, Jason (or Vern... which would you rather be called?). I wonder what kind of issues you have with The Perks - is it too teenage-y or do you have any other reasons? The premise of Can't Buy Me Love is stupid, but it sort of turns out to be an enjoyable and very funny movie... without a nerdy girl twist. Ok, the twist that does happen is almost just as predictable - but I think it's sweet.

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  5. Wow a fantastic list, well except for that irredeemable Say Anything (John Cusack has ruined a lot of movies for me). My faves are Easy A, Breakfast Club and Perks. I need to get around to seeing 16 Candles. So happy Perks is here though. I love it to pieces. Far too relatable. Nice choices, Mette.

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    1. Thanks, Teddy.
      I was surprised by how much I liked John Cusack in Say Anything, I thought he was really cute... But maybe that's because I'm a girl ;). 16 Candles is a lot of fun, as long as you don't expect it to be absolutely realistic. The nerdy guy from the Breakfast Club has a really funny role in it.

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    2. I don't mind a bit of fun. Breakfast Club was just that, although it was very realistic at the same time. That nerdy guy only does serious roles now lol. I used to think they fit him until I saw Breakfast Club. Looking forward to 16 Candles.

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  6. Wonderful list, Mette! Teenage nostalgia is probably my favorite go-to theme <3

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    1. Mine too :D So many good movies out there!

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  7. I love your list because I love these movies so freaking much! I totally relate to Olive's yearning for John Hughes adolescence.. even if I am in my 20's now. The only one I haven't seen is Can't Buy Me Love but if you would lump it in with the other 5 then I probably should go watch it.

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    1. Thanks, Jess! I think you said on the FTS Podcast that you'd want to star in Sixteen Candles, and I totally agree. I'd like to star in any of these movies (and Ferris Bueller's Day Off which I did catch up on). Can't Buy Me Love I personally feel is the weakest on this list but I still loved it. It is quite predictable but it has some awesome humor and Patrick Dempsey being hot in an 80s kind of way :)

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  8. oh hey, i commented on twitter but i thought it'd be rude to not still say hi considering I said i would. i said i might not love "happy" films enough to make a bubblegum mixtape but you;ve got some great bubblegum here I'd totally steal for mine.

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    1. Yay! The Perks isn't as much bubblegum as the others, but yeah. I love bubblegum when it comes to movies and music, but only if done right.

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Let the discussion begin!