Coming out in a time before I knew anything about hipsters, this film was the coolest thing to me. Before it was even released, I had already decided it was going to be my favourite movie. Though this eventually wore off, the movie still holds a place in my heart. It was highly original in its time with witty dialogue, an interesting and unpredictable plot, and fun characters. The acting is superb, with an all-star cast, who unfortunately are generally playing their respective typecast roles.

It tells the story of a teenager named Juno who accidentally gets pregnant. The story follows her through each season of her pregnancy as she deals with relationships and growing up.

The main complaint I hear about this film is that style of writing is too quirky. I can completely understand this. It is certainly not the way normal people talk, but in this case, I don’t feel like its necessary for the dialogue to be 100% realistic. It is what makes the film feel different and fun.  So, the film is certainly full of an indie feel; if this genre of film doesn’t appeal to you, you will certainly not enjoy it.

In the end, I feel like if you can get past the quirkiness of the dialogue, the script is the strongest part of this movie. It is a nice look at modern society, reflecting serious subject matter in a very realistic way. The story is somewhat oddly structured but this fits with the realistic nature of the story. Life doesn’t always have a beginning, middle, and end. The script is able to take this serious subject matter and mix it with a perfect balance of sweet, funny, and sad. In addition, as I said, the actors are all perfect. Though they are all playing roles we are very familiar with them in, they are in top form and do not disappoint. Their relationships are believable and each character is clearly defined. 

If you are new to the indie world I would certainly say this is a must. It is the epitome of the indie genre through the quirky dialogue, indie music, and original storytelling. Though it receives a fair bit of slack for being hipster or over-rated, it holds a special place in my heart, it felt fresh upon its release and creates a very believable world with original characters and an interesting storyline.
Final Rating: 4/5

I personally have always enjoyed spoofs and genre deconstructions and this is one of the best. I loved this movie even before I started watching horror films. It is a smart and witty story with a very original concept in its time.

The town of Woodsboro finds itself in a bloodbath as a serial killer referred to as Ghostface, begins murdering local teens based on conventions found in horror movies. The self-referential nature turns the film into a sort of game for the audience, teasing and challenging them to solve the murders. Despite this, it a genuinely scary movie with lots of “jump out” scares. But what is, arguably, scarier is the self reflective theme, pointing out the negative impact these types of films have on our culture. It is more than just a horror film, it looks at modern society, pointing out our flaws and challenging us with new ideas, such as the ever memorable: “Movies don’t create killers. Movies make killers more creative.”

Wes Craven certainly knows the style, directing a film that, if it did not contain the “in jokes” would still fit perfectly within the genre. It is captivating and interesting, both to fans of horror and people new to the horror genre. Horror fans may find it a little too much of a who’s who guessing game, coming off as smug or that it is exactly what it is making fun of. I believe this could be a problem if you watch it for the first time now as opposed to when it was first released. As many films have now copied and imitated this style, it may seem a bit dated, but it is definitely the most popular and famous of the style, and in my opinion it is deserving. There are lots of funny moments, good acting, and perfect score. It provides lots of gore for slasher fans as well as lots of real moments and laughs for those who want more than just horror. It reinstated horror which was on its way out and redefined the genre in its time, creating the standards of which we now spoof in horror.
Final Rating: 4/5

This movie has such a strong sense of style. So much so that when I first saw it as a child, I did not like it because I did not understand that it was intended to be a joke. It is a comedy that takes itself extremely seriously, which only heightens the absurd humor.

The movie is about Buttercup (Robin Wright) a beautiful girl who falls in “true love” with her family’s farm-boy Westley (Cary Elwes). Buttercup is so heartbroken when Westley is murdered by the Dread Pirate Roberts that she agrees to marry a local Prince. However she is soon captured by a group of three men who were hired to kill her with intentions to start a war amongst their local towns. Craziness ensues through action, adventure, and romance.

It is a classic fairytale that, without its humour would probably be nothing original. Not to say it isn’t a solid story; it’s heartwarming and enjoyable, but it follows a familiar formula. This formula feels extremely fresh due to the fantastic writing. It is effective both as a genuine fairytale and as a film making fun of fairytales, almost playing as a genre deconstruction. Having read the novel, the style and silliness is definitely present but it has been fantastically translated to the screen by Rob Reiner.

The story is bookended by a small story of a young boy (Fred Savage) being told a story by his grandfather (Peter Falk). This is such a small part but it is so strong in setting up heart for the story. It draws the audience in on an emotional level, reminding us of when we were small children being told these stories and fairytales. It gives it a classic and timeless feel.

As the film itself states, it is really a blend of everything. Heroes, giants, villains, wizards, true love. It’s a who’s who of classic 80’s actors; Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Wally Shawn, it is full of classic one-liners and that special 80s charm…The one problem I have with this movie is that it is stated on multiple occasions that Buttercup and Westley’s love is one of the strongest to exist ever in the world. But I don’t really understand why Westley would ever like her. Aside from her beauty, her character is whiney and weak and doesn’t really have any traits. Perhaps this is intentionally being reminiscent of the way old fairytales were written, but I find it hard to believe that she would be worth it. That being said, it is a minor problem for me, I do not find it affects my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, It has something for everyone and is beautifully crafted by a wonderful director and actors. It is universally grounded by the heart of the story of a little boy and his grandfather. It could possibly come off as cheesy at times but it is intentionally well constructed that way.
Final Rating: 4/5