THE KIDS KNOW no.4
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Editor-in-chief Alyssa Africa www.alyssaafrica.com Creative Director Cenon Norial III www.cenoniii.blogspot.com Fashion Editor Raizel Dy Features Editor Adam Seth Teh Writer Juan Bernabe Inciong Inquiries/ Advertisements/ Submissions contactadhdmag@gmail.com www.adhdmag.blogspot.com
Contributors Gelo Arucan Romila Barryman Harold Cabrera Rxandy Capinpin Japoi Dela Cruz Jhobes Estrella Czar Kristoff Willar Mateo Divad Medina Edrick Paz Steffi Ziebert 3
table of contents 8 SHIN ODERSCHVANK 22 RXANDY CAPINPIN 32 GELO ARUCAN 36 CLONED BOOGIE 44 DON’T GET IT IN MY HAIR 60 REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY KIDS 70 COLD TOES 82 HOLLER, HOLY ROLLER 90 TOY SOLDIER 104 THIRTY DAYS: STEFFI ZIEBERT 122 BEYOND THE REEL 128 GRIMES LIVE IN MANILA 138 ONE MNEMOSYNE BREATH
THE KIDS KNOW no.4
cover KIM FERNANDEZ photographed by CENON NORIAL III styled by RAIZEL DY hair ADAM SETH TEH grooming DIVAD MEDINA
We were once the kids whom expected to have an extremely fun and exciting circumstances in every waking chance. Whereas at some point, we all have been let down by the people around us, the people dearest to us , even by ourselves and the unexpected turn of events that lead to devastation. We are the kids and we are the future. We try so hard not to be the kind of person we told ourselves we’d never be. We are fragile yet we possess an undeniable brilliance. They all try to set down what we are supposed to do and limit us but we readily refused what they hammer into our minds. That’s why we are all rebellious and defiant in their eyes. Because we refused to live off the standards they have set for us to reach. Because we chose to track down who we truly are and root out who we can be. Because we know we can be anything we wanted but we chose to do what we do because we get an undisputed fulfillment nothing could ever match. This is to remind us all of our childhood. The bright and colourful side of it. We’ve put together concept after concept to evoke nostalgic memories of our youth. This one is for all of us. For the kid that will always stay within each and every one of us. ALYSSA AFRICA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SHIN ODERSCHVANK
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Please introduce yourself My name is Shin Oderschvank. (It is a name I invented for myself). I am nineteen years old and my motto is “I SING THE BODY ELECTRIC”, although I’m a bad singer, so idk. Also, I like reading, watching films, and food. How will you describe yourself in general? To be honest I don’t know how to! Haha. Sorry...It’s just difficult. But a friend once said I’m a “young lion”, and I guess that’s just accurate. I’m a bad sheep. And a cow. (Seriously) What was your very first memory pertaining to art? I can’t recall a “first” since I’ve been drawing since toddlerhood (says my mother), but when I was four years old, I remember having this thick notebook for doodles and in the middlest page I drew a naked woman. Haha! It was basically my only “porn” back then. I wasn’t even going to school yet! I was innocent. I remember the breasts being large but she (the drawing) didn’t even have nipples and she was wearing a skirt, I was not exactly aware of the wonders of the female reproductive system then, if you know what I mean. (God this is embarrassing.) How will you describe your art style? In three words; “dreamy” “haunted” and “ethereal”. I am not very knowledgeable about methods of painting, so it’s basically just a mish mash of whatever I feel like doing on paper. I also like watching watercolour work it’s way on paper by itself, so it’s somehow spontaneous, I guess. My productive outputs are not intended to be conceptual or objective.
What about your art process? I rely very much on emotions when working. And I usually get ideas from music (my favourites are Lana Del Rey, Miniature Tigers, Grimes, etc.) or odd imaginary circumstances. And then I draw these ideas. (Or just tweet them! Haha.) I don’t really think much of symbolisms and shit. Sometimes when I feel like crying, or when I’m super horny but doesn’t have the heart to masturbate, I paint. 11
Name artists or people who have inspired your works It’s hard to mention names because what often inspires me are artworks I see on my tumblr news feed, and I can’t recall the artists! Sorry. . . But my favourites are Yoshitomo Nara, Allison Harvard, Akira Horikawa, IdKids, Mark Ryden, Hikari Shimoda, Rei Kawakubo, Jeremy Scott, etc. Where do you live and what is it like being there? I live in Laguna, it’s a province with lots of trees and farms, which I heartfully enjoy. People here are kind, but somehow narrowminded when it comes to art stuff. There are not many bookstores here, too, which is sad. I both love and hate it here. Did it affect you and your art? In what way? I guess when you live in a dull environment with slightly uninteresting people, The tendency really is to make-up stuff to entertain yourself, I think that’s how this place influenced me. Seeing poor teenagers getting pregnant and ugly adults would just eventually force one to look up in the sky and find beauty in surreal imagined places, which is what I do.. I’m not saying it’s bad here, though. I’m just overly cynical sometimes. But overall the effect of my hometown to my art is not that much, :)
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Describe your perfect day I haven’t had a perfect day yet, but looking towards the future, I guess it would be the day after getting married (I imagine I’d be on a beach hanging around with a pretty wife. With lots of food around us. Don’t judge me. Haha)
What are your future plans as a creative individual? I am in my final year at a University at this moment, once I graduate I’m gonna find a job with a good salary and live alone with a nice girl, if I get lucky enough to meet one. I intend to save money because I want to get out of the Philippines and smell foreign air. I want to see New York, Tokyo, etc. As a “creative individual”, i don’t know, man. I don’t really see myself that way. I’d just keep on drawing, I guess. :)
Lastly, words you would like to share with our readers? Be nice to our Planet, to others, and to yourself! :)
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“I guess when you live in a dull environment with slightly uninteresting people, The tendency really is to make-up stuff to entertain yourself�
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RXANDY CAPINPIN
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Introduce yourself Conceptual Photographer Rxandy Capinpin. Where do you find inspiration? Porn. Fashion Do’s. Fashion Don’ts. XMen’s Ororo Monroe. Dark Skinned Women. Skinny Boys. Spice Girls. Describe yourself in 3 words. Happy Shiny Person What’s your uniform? Anything comfortable. pants and XXXL shirts.
Harem
What’s the difference of your style from others? In fashion, I’m exempted to weird clothes and multiple prints. In photography, I’m exempted also. Lolz. How would you describe your style? As a conceptual photographer, I try to mix kitsch, experimental and surrealism in my style of photography. How would someone describe your style? White Background. Burned Photo. Over Saturated. One Studio Lighting.
What kind of music do you to? As of the moment, Origin of Love, Great Soundtrack, Daft Punk’s Access Memory. The experience forget.
you’ll
listen Mika’s Gatsby Random
never
To take a photo cover of Regine Velasquez in Mega Magazine in the National Museum for Pinoy Pride Issue.
What are the things you can’t leave your house without? My Envelope Bag. My Handy Dandy Driver Russel. My camera bag. Mulitple cfs. Trigger. Favourite photographer? Terry Richardson, Juergen Teller, Andy Warhol, Elle Von Unwerth, Guy Bourdin
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Name some people you would like to work with. Interesting weird people. Supermodels. Naked Terry Richardson. What are you working on now? Blessed to do campaigns now And fashion editorials for magazines. Street or high fashion? Both loves. Your views with digital vs film Never tried film. But I want to. What are your plans for the future? Study. Teach. Create School. What else do you do aside from photogaphy? Im a makeup hoarder. Sow I wants to do makeup. But Im bad in doing eyebrows. Photography tips you would like to share? Chat with models. Love your subordinates. Say yes to everything. Create portfolio all the time. Have fun!
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GELO ARUCAN
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Introduce yourself Hi! My name is Gelo Arucan and I like collecting toys! How did it all start? It started when I was in first year college. I stumbled upon vintage My Little Pony toys at a thrift store and I suddenly realized how much I missed my old toys when I was a kid. From that day on, I told myself that I’d start rebuilding the toy collection that I had when I was a kid. What kind of toys do you collect? I like collecting vintage toys. I like hunting for toys that I used to play with when I was a kid. I collect My Little Pony, wind-up toys, vinyl figures, vintage plushies and anything Disney related. What do you like the most about it? I get satisfaction and they make me feel all happy and giddy inside. And when I feel sad, I just look and play with my toys and everything feels better. How will you describe yourself in 3 words? Fun, Carefree and Child-Like What do you usually do? I work as a freelance Production Designer and Stylist. Oh, and I also blog! What’s your uniform? Well, my work uniform consists of a white polo shirt that I usually wear with drop crotch shorts and a pair of white Doc Martens. When I’m not working, I don’t really have a uniform, my outfits are random and I dress up according to my mood.
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How would you describe your style? It’s really random. I always dress up according to what I feel and I just wear whatever I wanna wear without thinking if they go together or if it’s appropriate for where I’m going. Oh and I believe that more is more! How would someone describe your style? Baduy and tacky. But hey, it doesn’t matter! What kind of music do you listen to? I like pop and dance music. Favourite designer? Jeremy Scott and Betsey Johnson.
I can’t divulge any information about it at the moment.
Street or high fashion? I’m really more interested in street fashion because it’s everyday wear and I think it has more character. Do you think people dress for themselves or others? I think people dress for others but they should really start dressing up for themselves. What are your plans for the future? Uhm, I’ve always believed in living in the present and not worrying about the future.
What are you working on now? I’m working on my secret plan for world domination. I’m sorry
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CLONED BOOGIE 36
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Introduce yourself and your brand My name is Danica Anna C. Jimenez, also known as “Dyna”, a graduate of Tradigital Fine Arts at Adventist University of the Philippines. I’m in love with arts, music and fashion. I wear what I’m comfortable with, and I’m really picky when it comes to clothing. I don’t know what I’m called. I’m not a hipster, but it’s something near that. Haha. I have a variety of styles in my closet. I have polos and have K Pop styles, because I like K Pop. I have indie, 90’s, classic cuts and basic pieces as well. My clothing depends on my mood. And it depends on where I’m going. If I’m going to a dance practice, I wear hip hop style. Clonedboogie is my reflection. He represents me and he is the one doing my work. He is very dear to me. I made a character that would make me and everybody happy. All he wants is to share his ideas. He’s like me. Clonedboogie is a line of carefully and well- thought designs of hand painted shirts. Each design of Clonedboogie’s shirt is particular from each other. We sell shirts which were personally designed and hand-painted by yours truly. We also accept customizations. And the price of our shirts is exceptionally cheap. For the price of only 300Php, you get the kind our shirt that you’ve always wanted.
When and how did it all start? We’re not rich. We belong to the average class of the society. I remember when I was in elementary I wore only two shirts every time there is a program in school. I thought they were my favourite. But I was wrong. Later than I realized, I only had two shirts. And I was teased back then because one of my two shirts was similar to the shirt of one of the maids there. I was really ashamed. I said to myself: “This is the last. I will create my own shirt”. During elementary and high school, I started painting shirts for my mom and my sisters as presents to them. That’s when I started painting shirts. After ollege, I really wanted to continue creating more shirts. I started doing samples until I created a character that really amused me– Clonedboogie. When my sister saw it, she said: “Ate, let’s name him boogie. Because he looks like a booger!” and then I started making clones. That’s when Clonedboogie was named. That was the time when I introduced Clonedboogie to my friends,
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when you purchase a Clonedboogie shirt, you can freely claim, “I own this shirt.” and later on, to a wider range of people in the general public. Hand-painting is what I enjoy. I do not consider it work.
Who wears your brand? No one in particular. People who appreciate Clonedboogie wears it: teenagers, fashionistas, commoners – anybody. Describe the brand in one word. PECULIAR. If we define peculiar, it is a property or privilege belonging exclusively or characteristically to a person. Each shirt of Clonedboogie is unique in its own way. What separates your brand from other brands that is in the same line as yours? Basically, what separates it from others is the manner on how I do it. I put freedom and creativity on each design that comes to my mind and apply it to my product. On every shirt that I paint, I see to it that I put dedication and allot time and effort so that the result would be fulfilling, not just for me but for my customer as well. Another thing is its peculiarity. We usually wear shirts which are mass produced by common brands we see on department stores. A lot of people wear the very same shirt that we have. Unlike these common brands, Clonedboogie is a line of hand-painted shirts. Because it is hand-painted, we usually do not repeat designs unless our clients require it, but of course, with little changes to preserve its uniqueness. We also accept customizations from our clients. Meaning to say, when you purchase a Clonedboogie shirt, you can freely claim: “I own this shirt”.
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ANDROGYNE M A N I L A
photography CENON NORIAL III styling RAIZEL DY hair ADAM SETH TEH grooming DIVAD MEDINA model KIM FERNANDEZ
tank top FOREVER 21 Studded shorts from Proudrace
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leggings FOREVER 21
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top FOREVER 21; headpiece TIARA by TRACY DIZON; socks LEGLOVE
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top FOREVER 21; shorts FOLDED N HUNG; socks TOPMAN
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sweater PROUDRACE; headpiece TIARA BY TRACY DIZON; socks TOPMAN
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net top, polkadot shorts FOREVER 21
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cat printed top FOREVER 21; socks OXYGEN
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net top FOREVER 21
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star printed pants FOREVER 21
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jumpsuit LIZ LISA; Socks TOPMAN
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headpiece tiara TRACY DIZON
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top, shorts FOREVER 21; socks LEGLOVE
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multicolored sweater FOREVER 21; socks OXYGEN
vest FOREVER 21 shorts FOLDED N HUNG
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REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY KIDS photography CZAR KRISTOFF styling WILLAR MATEO and JAPOI DELA CRUZ model MAV BERNARDO and JASMINE BAKER
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silver origami crown ZARINA LALUAN; brown and silver cropped top SALAD DAY; wrap up gray pants KARLO VICENTE
oversized tulle scarf KEL SAMPAYAN
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On Mav silver origami crown ZARINA LALUAN; brown and silver cropped top SALAD DAY; wrap up gray pants KARLO VICENTE On Jasmine villain headband SALAD DAY; layered tassle dress KARLO VICENTE
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flower headdress KEL SAMPAYAN; printed longsleeved top ANTON BELARDO
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on jasmine wooden crown KEL SAMPAYAN; white drape top CYREL CHAVEZ; tulle skirt KEL SAMPAYAN on mav long printed earmuff beanie DARRYL RECINA; gray sleeveless jacket KARLO VICENTE; printed sweatshirt STYLIST’s OWN; gray shorts SALAD DAY
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water wily head dress KEL SAMPAYAN; black pants and black boots STYLIST’s OWN
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Villain Headband SALAD DAY; layered tassle drdess KARLOT VICENTE
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two layered dress KARLO VICENTE
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COLD TOES photography CENON NORIAL III styling GELO ARUCAN model RUTHERFORD PEREZ
Bowler Hat HUMAN
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piglet ears cap RAFA CONCEPCION; pink body suit SALAD DAY
mickey mouse headpiece HOUSE OF FAB
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spongebob eye mask CLIPPER; patrick star necklace HOUSE OF FAB
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barbie party hat TOYS ‘R US; pink jelly necklace SALAD DAY; pink fabric flower rings GIRLSHOPPE courage the cowardly dog headpiece HOUSE OF FAB
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donald duck kigurumi THE DISNEY STORE
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furby headpiece HOUSE OF FAB; green acrylic necklace MIADORE
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fred flintstone top HOUSE OF FAB; rainbow dino necklace SALAD DAY
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ice princess headband SALAD DAY; my Little pony necklaces ELAN BIJOUX
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photography ALYSSA AFRICA styling HAROLD CABRERA
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studded panda cap, denim buttondown, printed tights ANDROGYNE MANILA
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1991 acrylic fitted cap, printed buttondown ANDROGYNE MANILA 84
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black beanie, olive green utility jacket, creepers ANDROGYNE MANILA; socks MODEL’s OWN cross- printed knit longsleeves ANDROGYNE MANILA
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long band top ANDROGYNE MANILA sunnies, boy london jumper ANDROGYNE MANILA
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TOY SOLDIER photography RXANDY CAPINPIN styling EDRICK PAZ and JHOBES ESTRELLA grooming RXANDY CAPINPIN
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fur jacket LOI VILLARAMA; buttondown LOI VILLARAMA; pants EDGAR BUYAN
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head piece EDGAR BUYAN; corssbone necklace OS blazer EDGAR BUYAN; accessories FASHION CORNER; pants TERRANOVA; metal accessories JEFFREY REGADOR
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printed blazer MINA
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cap ROSS PARIS; pullover STYLIST’S OWN; pants TERRANOVA
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printed inner STYLIST’S OWN; pants and shoes TERRANOVA
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cap and printed buttondown STYLIST’S OWN pants TERRANOVA
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facebook.com/adhdmag twitter.com/adhdmag
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Day 1 Woke up early, unlike most days. Getting out of bed is getting harder and harder each day
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Day 2 Thinking of which iPhone case to use today. I made all three myself!
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Day 3 Movie date with Maverick
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Day 5 It’s always fun in Enchanted Kingdom, I felt like a kid again.
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May 6 This was made by my boyfriend as a present, it’s the first time I’ve ever received a110 work of art as a gift!.
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May 8 dyed the tips of my hair pink again, this time all by myself
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May 10 Korean food never fails to make me happy!
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May 13 It’s so hot outside! time for some ice cream!!!
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May 15 so tired after rehearsals.
May 18 it’s my first time in a long time to perform. my group and I bagged 2nd place!
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May 19 Heading to Cebu, excited for days to come
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May 20 it’s been a year. i want to celebrate more anniversaries with you 117
May 22 Beating the heat in our backyard pool.
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May 25 My parents’ wedding day, so heartwarming!
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May 27 back to reality. heading back to Manila.
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May 29 “Cute is not a look, it’s not and attitude, but a way of being” - Quinn Morgendorffer [Daria]
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on the Alpine A is for Alpine Listen: Gasoline, In the Wild
Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires of the City Listen: Diane Young
Grimes Visions Listen: Genesis, Nightmusic
Something which sets Alpine apart is their two female lead songstresses. Louisa James and Phoebe Baker work seamlessly in tandem, their vocals intertwining delectably throughout. The album has an underlying arctic feel to it, but rather than lulling the listener, a number of the tracks have a definite head-bob effect.
Modern Vampires of the City stand for yet another huge leap forward for the band, sonically, musically and thematically. Loaded with organs, ghostly choirs and the pervasive chords of an upright piano; filled with references to age, religion, and death, it carries the aural grandeur and emotional heft you might expect from an Arcade Fire album. “In the past, I think a lot of our songs have had detours, surreal moments, vignettes,” Koenig recently told the New York Times. “I feel like every song on this album has a specific purpose.”
Recorded alone in Boucher’s bedroom, Visions stays true to her haunting, baby-voiced trademark of lo-fi dance music.
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Less gloomy than her first albums, Visions is a blissfully clean and rhythmic release. It has influences of R&B, ambient and upbeat sounds, all intertwined with her falsetto voice that has the range of an electronic extraterrestrial.
e loop written by ALYSSA AFRICA
Ra Ra Riot Beta Love Listen: When I Dream
Two Door Cinema Club Beacon Listen: Spring, Next Year
Opening track “Dance With Me” is an early indicator of what the album contains, with the lines “I mostly feel I had a good day / It wasn’t that great” and an unexpected instrumental around the two-minute mark that incorporates a bevy of enigmatic electronic chirps. The contradictory lyrics and abrupt interlude are the first in a series of switchbacks that detract from the cohesiveness of Beta Love, making it feel less like an album, and more like an assortment of songs united only by the liberal use of synthesizers.
Two Door Cinema Club have always stayed just left of formulaic pop territory, but the overwrought compositions and all-too-shiny veneer on Beacon propel them just over the line. Its eleven tracks are short, clean and catchy, but barely distinguishable from each other. Two Door Cinema Club have come down with something far more common than the sophomore slump: the sophomore staccato. They’ve attempted to replicate Tourist History, and the result lacks creativity and progression. Likable and listenable, Beacon is hardly memorable.
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beyond the reel written by JUAN BERNABE INCIONG
and showed very honestly each of their personal struggles. On top of that, the daughter Olive, played by the wonderful Abigail Breslin, was the perfect counter to what was basically a home falling apart. She alone held the family together with her childish innocence and positivity, something that seems to be lost among us, as we grow older.
Winners or losers. It sometimes amazes me how some people see others with this point of view. To them, there is no middle ground. You are either successful, or a nobody. This concept of two extremes, in my opinion, harms the person more than helps them, for it makes them think less of themselves when they don’t do well in their lives. Yes, I do believe that you should achieve something you could show off, but what’s more important is that you keep doing what you love, even if you stumble a lot. Just because you didn’t “win,” it doesn’t make you a “loser.” Little Miss Sunshine, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, helped me understand that better, and it will to you too. The plot is fairly simple: a dysfunctional family goes on a road trip to get their daughter to a beauty pageant hundreds of miles away. Misadventures ensue. Being dysfunctional, one does expect the characters to have very messy relationships towards each other. What surprised me however, was how they are written so well. Though using typical character tropes, each of them was very realistic
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As for the “winners or losers” thing I wrote earlier, it’s very clear from the getgo that these people are “losers,” if one were to use that analogy. Struggling to get by with a lot of insecurities or any noticeable success, it is pretty much the textbook definition. This is where the beauty pageant enters. It is a perfect symbol of this sort of mentality. A competition wherein little girls are willing to do anything to win, be it being objectified and sexualized with bikinis and tons of makeup, the movie tore apart that concept. No spoilers here, but the ending was amazing and showed that we are all in a grey area. It doesn’t matter whether the world thinks of us as “winners” or “losers,” as long as we keep true to ourselves and do what makes us happy, at the cost of no one.
Little Miss Sunshine is a beautiful film. It is a fun, dark comedy gets up all in your face and tells you about life as it is. I highly recommend watching it, especially when you are feeling down, and I swear everything will be much brighter afterwards.
For kids today, high school is a time for excitement and fun. Crushes, dates, pranks and hijinks, it is a world between the innocent and the cynical, the wide-eyed kid and the battered old man. To those who lived in the sixties, however, it is a more mundane affair. This is especially so for women, who, if you listen to your history classes, were just on the verge of a movement that would give them equality. An Education by Lone Scherfig, based on British journalist Lynn Barber’s memoir, tells the tale of Jenny Mellor, a high school student in 1961 London, and how her simple life changed when she meets Jewish businessman David Goldman. Charming, suave, and definitely much older than her, he whisks her away to a world of jazz clubs and auctions, and surrounded her with wonderful art and music. As the story goes on, however, the glitz and glamour were merely a façade, and soon she discovers a darker side on the man she admires, and the cost of the “good life” he is giving her. The setting of the film was great and showed the sixties lifestyle very well. From the houses, the clothing, the hairstyle and even the furniture: each of them looked accurate and helped set the tone of the film. The soundtrack was well made, its pace and tone changing with subtlety, complimenting the scene. The small bits of French music add a little more fanciness and class, which I enjoyed.
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All the actors played their part well, but Carey Mulligan as Jenny brought on a stellar performance. Her portrayal of a young girl wanting more than her routine life was amazing. From the start of the film as an innocent schoolgirl, we see her transform to a more jaded character as she get bombarded with truths about adulthood and what it means to become a woman. There was one particular scene that made a mark regarding her acting: after trying so hard to act like a grown-up, mature woman, she finally breaks down and we get to actually watch her revert back to what she truly was: a young teenager who didn’t know any better. She was also a great example of women in the sixties in revealing how they were treated and seen, as well as how they were supposed to behave and act, whether they like it or not. The only thing that frustrated me was how the story just simply ended. The movie should’ve been
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given a bit more time to wrap things up, maybe an extra 1015 minutes would suffice. It felt rushed and forced, with the 90-minute mainstream film length the only reason I could think of. Still, go watch An Education for yourself. It is an interesting and insightful film, and people could learn a thing or two about life from it.
Stories about time travel usually entail somebody who wants to change something in the past. Regret and remorse are powerful catalysts in producing a desire to go back in time. Thinking about these things can be really saddening and leave us feeling heavy, for we know it is impossible. Of course, some of us still want to believe, so much so that they are convinced that a time machine could actually be built. Safety Not Guaranteed is a story of such. In this comedy film directed by Colin Trevorrow, Darius (played by Aubrey Plaza) is an antisocial and cynical intern for a magazine who gets put in an assignment to investigate a man who placed a newspaper ad seeking a time traveling partner. Together with his superior, Jeff (Jake Johnson), and fellow intern Arnau (Karan Soni), they track down this mysterious man in order to get
a good story out of him. The typical “crazy man with crazy ideas� kind. Along the way, as Darius meets the mystery man, Kenneth (Mark Duplass) and gains his trust, she slowly sees him less of a lunatic and more of a man who needed a companion. Perhaps he might not even be as crazy as people think he is.
The side character Jeff has a parallel plot as well, with him having an ulterior motive to find his high school sweetheart. Though not as important as the main story, it instead served to drive the point of how some people think that their best years are behind them, and how this was debunked.
The film uses great use of dialogue and characters to create a touching story about the dreams and aspirations of young adults. The chemistry between the deadpan Darius and idealistic Kenny was very natural, slowly building up as they get to be around each other more often. Though about time travel, the movie doesn’t attempt to become sci-fi, and instead focuses on delivering simple lines that express deep emotional conflict.
The best part for me was how the movie left some things hanging while giving out a satisfying ending. This proves that one does not need to explain everything to the audience and that some things are better when you let them think about it themselves. With witty dialogue and an interesting bunch of characters, Safety Not Guaranteed is a great recommendation for a relaxing and funny movie night that is sure to be appealing to both the young ones and the young at heart.
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High school is a world filled with barriers. A huge, invisible wall stands between students and teachers, children and parents, and jocks and nerds. In the juvenile world, this concept is more commonly known as cliques, and for any student, once you’ve established yourself in one, there’s pretty much no turning back. Everyboday else is a stranger. So what happens when those walls come crumbling down, and they realize that maybe, just maybe, they are not so different after all? That’s what happened to five teenagers one Saturday at Shermer High School in Shermer, Illinois. This is the story of The Breakfast Club. Directed by John Hughes, it starred five up and coming stars that would later be collectively known as the “Brat Pack” and appear in other popular films such as St. Elmo’s Fire. The plot is very simple: five teen students, each representing a particular clique (athlete, brain, princess, criminal, basket case) spend a whole Saturday in detention for one reason for another. At first, they are reluctant to talk to each other, as they all seem to have nothing in common. However, as the day passes and they start opening up to one
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another, they discover that they have the same problems, the same angst, and the same frustrations. The film is shot in one location, mostly within the compounds of the school, with the start and end scenes done at the outside entrance. This help you feel the similar sense of containment the cast has and establishes itself visually as a movie about high school. I like that fact that most of the scenes are done inside a library, a place where people usually keep to themselves, not socialize. It even has some subtle symbolism, in that the characters were like books: what’s inside of them may not be similar to their cover. I greatly appreciate dialogueheavy movies, and The Breakfast Club was written very well. With each conversation, you slowly get to see them unravel themselves. Though there isn’t any action or even intensely dramatic sequences, it still managed to keep me interested in what they say, which is difficult when you are watching people talking for 90 minutes. Teenage rebellion is a theme applicable to any era, be it the 80s or today, and this is what bonded the characters. They all have their reasons:
abuse, pressure, being ignored. However, they all same a common source: parents. I liked the fact that they simply discussed and shared their problems, and didn’t get too preachy. There were arguments, of course, but that was just that. They’re just teenagers, after all. With a timeless song, “Don’t You Forget About Me” rounding up the movie as its main track, The Breakfast Club is a classic and a truly great representation of that era in our lives. Though the names, faces, and clothes differ, the difficulties of growing up will always stay the same.
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One Mnemosyne Breath by Romila Barryman Darkness’s cold hands cover her eyes the moment she closed them to blow the twenty-three candles out. Rosabelle exhaled with soft might. The charcoal slated millisecond bounced phosphene in so many different shades until it brought her a burst of pink that reminded her of being a princess at four. Rosabelle was six when she put a cape over the same dress and decided the world needed saving. She promptly moved all the snails from the driveway and whispered kindness to them before coming in for dinner. Rosabelle opened her eyes and laughed as soft wisps of grey disappeared into the air above the candles. Her friends cheered. Her mother kissed her cheek and she remembered how much she hated the way her Aunt Jane left lipstick marks every time they went to visit her in the summer. Once, she cut herself in the bath after experimenting with her father’s razor and cried until her father opened the bucket of chocolate-chip mint ice-cream. She smiled as she carefully cut through the cake. When Rosabelle was eight, she met a boy in the empty fields outside the horse ranch and asked him if she could count all the freckles. They sat face to face on her father’s farm for three and a half hours. She remembered the way her mother ran from the kitchen to ask her why in the world this boy had his shirt up. Rosabelle lost count and frustratedly marched to her room. Now, Rosabelle triumphantly whispers ‘873’ every day before he makes her breakfast in their dimly lit apartment at 12th and Washington. ‘I don’t care’ her mother held her face with tears in her eyes, ‘you’ll always be my baby‚‘ Rosabelle laughed and wiped them away, ‘I never wanted to be an adult anyway,’ she smirked.
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