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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Easy A (Film)

by Alicia Malone | September 13, 2010 13:13 | Edited September 13, 2010 13:15

With witty dialogue and astute comedic performances, this film parodies the clichés of other teen movies but still feels fresh.

The late John Hughes was undoubtedly the king of the teen movie. With films like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Hughes tapped into the inherent drama of high school with comedy and warmth. Many teen films have since tried to capture that mix, but few have been successful. Will Gluck's Easy A goes as far as referencing those eighties John Hughes' movies throughout the script, but doesn't quite live up to their relatable tone. It is, however, one of the freshest high school comedies that we've seen in years.

 

When Olive (Emma Stone) lies about her weekend to her best friend, Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka), she doesn't expect the kind of attention that she receives. Her small lie about losing her virginity to an imaginary college guy spreads like wildfire, thanks to the religious Marianne (Amanda Byrnes), who thinks that Olive needs to be "saved." At first, Olive enjoys the attention, and agrees to spread more rumours, when her gay friend, Brandon (Dan Byrd), asks her to pretend to sleep with him so he'll stop being bullied. Olive is soon approached by the outcasts of the school, asking for help, and every time that she agrees, her reputation gets worse. She even starts to worry that her crush, Todd (Penn Badgley), will believe her notoriety. Inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Olive places a red "A" on her clothes.

 

The dialogue is witty, though it's completely preposterous that teenagers would speak it a la Juno. Bert V. Royal's script is self-referential, pointing out the formulaic aspects of the standard teen movie, whilst at the same time, perpetuating them. Despite this, Easy A feels fresh, thanks to Emma Stone's astute comic timing, while Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci steal the show as Olive's unconventional parents, enjoying their lion's share of funny lines.