Movies

By Emmet Kowler and Emmet Kowler of South Senior High

If you’re a graduating senior this year, you were only 7 or 8 years old when this past decade began. Today’s teens grew up during the first decade of the 21st century. Reporter Emmet Kowler nominates these events and cultural changes as some of the things that had the greatest impact on teens.

By Emmet Kowler and Emmet Kowler

Director J.J. Abrams (of “LOST” and “Cloverfield” fame), brings to life a series formerly enjoyed only by a cult following known as “Trekkies.” Abrams brings the corny TV show “Star Trek” to life not with one bang, but many.

By Emmet Kowler and Emmet Kowler

A matinee showing of “The Soloist” is just the way to see it: cheap tickets, empty theater, and a movie worth only the $5 you paid to see it. “The Soloist” is about the real-life friendship between LA Times reporter Steve Lopez (Robert Downey, Jr.) and a homeless, schizophrenic Julliard Music School dropout named Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, Jr. (Jamie Foxx).

By Jeffrey Cartwright, a senior at Hopkins High School

The barrel of a gun points at your face; Clint Eastwood’s icy glare bores into your eyes. For most Minnesota teenagers, this could only happen while watching a movie, but for one Twin Cities teen, it happened in real life.

Bee Vang, 17, a junior at Armstrong High School, starred in Eastwood’s latest film, “Gran Torino,” which was named as one of 2008’s top 10 films by the American Film Institute.

By Lisa Fan and Lisa Fan

As a devoted, but not obsessive reader of the “Twilight” series, I headed into the theatre on the Saturday night of opening weekend not quite knowing what to expect. Most movies based off of books are not nearly as good as the original book, but I was still very excited to see “Twilight.” I was prepared to be disappointed, but boy was I wrong. The movie lived up to all of the hype that it had generated.

“Twilight” is based on a book of the same name, written by Stephenie Meyer. It is a Romeo and Juliet type love saga about an ordinary young teenaged girl, Bella, whose life changes completely after she falls in love with a vampire, Edward. Their relationship is tested immediately by their differences: Edward’s craving for Bella’s blood, his immortality. When another vampire hunts Bella, their love is put to the test.

By Angela Zhang

Minnesota teen filmmakers will showcase their short videos and films during the 2008 Twin Cities Youth Media Network’s All City Youth Film Showcase at 3 p.m. Oct. 25. “If this is a barometer for what’s happening (in teen culture), it’s really, really wide ranging,” said Witt Siasoco, program manager of teen programs at the Walker Art Center, and organizer of the showcase. “We have everything from kids that are doing it for fun to kids that are doing it for very serious issues.”

By Dannah Waukazo

Juno is set in the ever-changing seasons of Minnesota and follows teenage Juno (Ellen Page) throughout her nine months of pregnancy and the choices she makes. Everything about this film was perfect, the script, the actors, even the, attitudes of the actors. Juno’s persistent jokes give the film a light-heartedness. She is familiar, like a friend. Although strong and clear about what she wants, she faces problems that she has no control over. The film is set in Minnesota reminding everyone that unplanned pregnancies do happen. Juno just adds a funny twist to make.

By Tiana Daun

An adaptation from Steven Sondheim’s 1979 Broadway musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, directed by Tim Burton (Big Fish, Edward Scissorhands) is fantastic and bloody brilliant. The film takes place in nineteenth century-London, where Sweeney Todd aka, Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), seeks his revenge on Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) who viciously tore Todd and his family apart, causing his wife to poison herself and his daughter to be adopted by the judge.

By Ariel Kendall

Imagine your feelings of joy and laughter wrapped into one package: the joy of going home. “This Christmas,” a Sony Pictures film, is a story of The Whitfield household, a close-knit African American family, reuniting for the holidays. All seven of the Whitfield siblings and guests, some unexpected, have found their way home for the first time in four years.

By Belle Lin

Let’s make one thing clear: The Golden Compass is New Line Cinema’s last-ditch attempt at milking all it can from the epic fantasy franchise. Desperately hoping to make Philip Pullman’s The Dark Materials trilogy into another successful Lord of the Rings, this recent attempt falls flat on its back, inspite of the movie’s ferociously cuddly polar bears.

By Matthew Smith

Like Christmas songs and Christmas cookies, Fred Claus comes from the same cutter as the Christmas movies before it. Mixed with themes similar to 2003’s Elf, and 1994’s The Santa Clause, director David Dobkin’s blends this generation’s holiday favorites into a naughty but nice holiday.