Adult World: Quirky, Funny, and Incredibly Relateable

Surfing through Netflix's recent releases section I stumbled upon "Adult World", and boy am I glad I did! This quirky, coming-of-age comedy hits a little too close to home for me, as I'm sure it does for many soon to be or post-college graduates. The story follows Amy, a naive Syracuse graduate who believes she is destined to be a great poet. Things don't work out initially and she eventually accepts a job at a local sex shop while she pursues a mentorship with her idol writer, Rat Billings. The dialogue is quirky and off beat, reminiscent of works by Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult), but somehow in that off beat oddness there is the raw truth of finding oneself during an awkward time.

The cast includes Emma Roberts, Evan Peters, and John Cusack. Adult World was filmed in 22 days in Syracuse, NY.

Scream Queens is a Hoot

Scream Queens might just be the surprise of the television season. Well, maybe not surprise, if you read reviews of the pilot season beforehand. I claim it is a surprise because it is so much more than the trailers suggest and definitely better than the way it was advertised. Set in a college sorority, these rich, stuck up girls are a story that's already been told. Emma Roberts' character Chanel Overlin, the queen bee, is the cruelest of them all yet she still maintains a ring of minions around her. Nothing new there. Even a killer who is on the loose on campus isn't what makes this show different. What really stands out about this show is the humor and the way it doesn't take itself too seriously. Everything is over dramatized and has a highly satirical, cartoonish tone. Creator of the Scream Queens, Ryan Murphy, explains the differences between this show and his other thriller American Horror Story. AHS tells a more serious story which is darker and sexualized. Scream Queens remains lighter and frequently laughable.




Not to mention Scream Queens is the voice of our modern college generation. Even though the dialogue may seem over the top at times, I can guarantee whatever you've heard on this show, you've probably heard a friend say. When they are not running from the killer, they talk about the same things you would find most college aged kids talk about. They do not try and dumb these characters down, but instead they reflect an inflated version of young adults today. In the pilot episode, superstar Ariana Grande guest plays a sorority girl who is murdered in her bedroom. Grande is not only texting the murderer as she stands in front of him, but then proceeds to live-tweet her death as it's happening. The laughable moments like that reflect who we are as a society and we can only choose to laugh at ourselves.

Overall, my goal is to spread the word on this comedy thriller and to urge at least the college aged demographic to check it out. With a star studded cast, it's impossible not to love. The actors and actresses we watched make a fool of themselves on Nick and Disney many years ago are now real actors who put on a great show. And if you weren't a fan of Jamie Lee Curtis beforehand, you will be.

The Art of Getting By

The Art of Getting By is 2011 film written and directed by Gavin Wiesen about a boy name George (Freddie Highmore). He is a very lonely boy who has made through to his senior year of high school and has not done a single day of real work ever. George befriends a girl named Sally (Emma Roberts), she is the popular girl in their grade and although she has many friends she is lonely in her own way too. Sally does not appreciate that the girls she knows are being being fake to one another. After George meets Sally he realizes that he finally has a reason to actually try harder in school and meet people. His principal and art teacher decides its a good idea to introduce George to an alumni art student Dustin (Michael Angarano) to help him guide George in a good path to follow, although distractions get in the way and George may not be able to graduate from high school.

I am really a big fan of this movie because the storyline is one that stays true to real life. It is not like the other movies where there is always a happy ending because even though it is sad but true, real life does not always have a happy ending. The cinematography is done really nicely also and the director has set the mood perfectly with great lighting and the atmosphere that goes along with the movie.

It's very quiet unfortunately.

It's Kind of a Funny Story

It's Kind of a Funny Story directed and written by the famous duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, is a story about a fifteen year old boy, Craig (Keir Gilchrist) from Brooklyn, New York. He is a junior in high school who goes to a high status high school. Craig is overwhelmed by the pressures of school, however he stops taking the medication that his psychiatrist prescribed. Eventually after realizing he cannot get rid of his suicidal thoughts he checks into a mental hospital. His initial thoughts were that he was just going to be talked to, get some therapy and then be sent home; however that is not the case he must stay there for at least a week. Craig is in with a variety of patients ranging in age from adulthood to teens. Bobby (Zach Galifianakis), another patient who has a young daughter, shows him around the hospital. He soon notices Noelle (Emma Roberts) who is around the same age as him, and has a history of sexual abuse. Craig becomes interested in her and as a result she helps him with his recovery. At the same time he tries to keep his friends from home from knowing what is going on with him. As part of his recovery he experiments with art and finds that he is very talented. Once he recovers it is suggested by his counselor that he transfer out of the school that has stressed him out and into an art school. In the end he is allowed to return home after having gone through a complete mental change.

I thought this movie was particularly well done. I liked that there are some well known actors in it, but not only that, the story is well done and really drives the movie along. The fact that Craig learns so much about himself in this psychiatric ward is important to the story, even though at first he does not think he will get anything out of this experience. He ends up making some good friends and understanding himself and others better as well.

References:

"Doogie Howser, M.D." (1989), "Cribs" (2000), "American Idol" (2002)