Back To The Future
The classic high school movie collides with the outlandish principles of the science fiction adventure flick in this superb 1985 film. Michael J. Fox bagged the role of a lifetime, as he goes back in time to ensure his parents actually do get together in school. While there he discovers the mechanics of school haven’t changed dramatically in 30 years. Something that still exists today no doubt.
Pretty In Pink
The final John Hughes pick, and while Pretty In Pink might not attract the plaudits as readily as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or The Breakfast Club it can certainly hold its weight in such vaunted company. Molly Ringwald stars as Andie, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks when it comes to stepping out with preppy Blane (Andrew McCarthy). Social prejudice is explored in this cracking film that also stars Harry Dean Stanton, James Spader and Jon Cryer. It also possesses one of the best Eighties soundtracks to boot.
Donnie Darko
This film happens to be one of my favorite films of all time. School years are a vexed time for kids and teenagers – this much is clear from the films dedicated to such an integral part of ones life. But it’s doubtful most kids are as troubled as Donnie Darko: his school is plagued with hypocritical teachers; boorish bullies and the usual moral vicissitudes. Thankfully, Donnie has a plan…
The Last Picture Show
Another one of my favorites (that’s two in a row)! The end of school can be an unsettling experience – what was once solid has now melted into air. It’s this emotion that Peter Bogdanovich captured memorably in his 1971 opus, The Last Picture Show. Starring Jeff Bridges and Cybil Shepherd, the film explores the end of an era through the closing down of a small town’s cinema. Can the friendships made at school endure beyond the gates?
Rushmore
A suitably offbeat Wes Anderson film starring the oddball charms of Jason Schwartzman and that helped kick-start Bill Murray’s ‘second career’? What’s not to like? Schwartzman stars as intriguing student Max Fischer of the prestigious Rushmore Academy as he battles the institution’s traditional values – with a little assistance from bored industrialist Herman Blume (Murray).
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