Movies/TV Series
Pretty Little Liars based on the YA series by Sara Shepard
Released by: Warner Horizon Television and Alloy Entertainment
Developed for TV by: I. Marlene King
Starring: Lucy Hale, Troian Bellisario, Ashley Bensen, Shay Mitchell, Sasha Pieterse
Running time: 40-45 minutes
Release Date: June 8, 2010
Theme Song: Pieces by The Pierces
Country: United States
Language: English
Plot Summary
For Alison, Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna, high school life was just getting started within their inner circle. Until Alison goes missing and later presumed murdered. Suddenly the group finds themselves the subject of speculation and gossip; they were the last to see Alison before she disappeared. To make matters more complicated, they each begin receiving anonymous texts from someone named “A,” threatening to reveal their secrets. Treating each of them as puppets, the stalker blackmails them into performing tasks that create turmoil all around them in effort to see how far they would go to protect their secrets. All the while, the mystery of what happened to Alison remains, but the clique begins uncovering clues that indicate Alison was keeping secrets of her own. Can they solve the mystery of Alison’s disappearance, and the identity of the “A,” before the exposure of their secrets makes their worlds come crumbling down?
Critical Evaluation
Pretty Little Liars is an edgier series for teens in comparison to other dramas on TV. The plot includes topics such as a romantic relationship between a teenager and a teacher at the high school, homosexuality, a marital affair, murder, and so much more. While the series was originally broadcast on ABC Family, the content still honored teens with the respect of knowing they have more sophisticated tastes in entertainment than what has historically been aimed toward this age group on television. Set in the fictional town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania, the show is filmed on parts of the same set as GiImore Girls, appealing to viewers who like a quaint hometown setting.
The themes of this show are mistrust, mystery, secrets, and friendships. The characters are all challenged with maintaining relationships as they race against the clock whenever “A” blackmails them over their secrets. The tone is one of intrigue and suspense, and each episode brings new twists and turns. The story is told in both past and present, with flashbacks of memories with Alison and the time before “A” entered the picture. It seems each character is a suspect for Alison’s murder at some point in the storyline. Viewers are a part of the detective work as the girls solve mysteries and find out what others are hiding, and the plot only seems to thicken.
This is one of my favorites for a teen television series. The series may have ended in 2017, but the premise still holds up with regard to the aesthetics, drama, suspense and fashion of the show.
Viewer's Annotation
A clique of best friends are attending high school in a small suburb when one of their own goes missing and allegedly murdered. Suddenly they become the target of a stalker that threatens to expose their secrets and frame them for the disappearance.
About the Creators
King has two sons. She grew up in Winchester, Indiana and Greenville, Ohio.
The Pretty Little Liars series of novels is "loosely based on her experiences growing up in Chester County". From 2000 to 2005, Shepard worked at Time, Inc. Custom Publishing and produced lifestyle magazines for corporate clients. She started ghostwriting as a freelancer in 2002 and writing her own books in 2005. Shepard currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Genre
Teen drama, thriller, mystery, crime, suspense.
Filmtalking Ideas
Gossip, false accusations, and a missing person are all fodder for a good drama, but how effectively do the layers of parental involvement, sibling rivalry, and forbidden love appeal to teens? Would the story be as enticing to watch with just a mystery to solve?
Interest Age: Age 13+
Challenge Issues: Death, murder, suicide, mental illness, drinking, sex, student-teacher relationship.
Why I Chose this Series:
I chose this series because of the intrigue and drama that are elements that are appealing to teens. It is also a mystery saga that extends seven seasons and has numerous twists and turns to keep viewers hooked.
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Released by: Temple Hill Entertainment
Screenplay by: Melissa Rosenberg
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
Release Date: 2008
Music by: Carter Burwell
Country: United States
Language: English
Plot Summary
Bella Swan arrives in a small mountain town in Washington as a new high school student from out of state. Here, she meets the eye-catching Edward Cullen, and the saga begins. Bella meets Edward's family and has suspicions that they are keeping a secret about who, and what, they claim to be. Bella discovers the truth about their vampire ways, but because she has fallen in love with Edward, she cannot walk away. In fact, she wants to show her love and devotion by requesting that Edward make her a vampire as well. It would mean living forever, together. Edward refuses, but when Bella is bitten by a member of a rival group of vampires, he must admit he has hopes of her becoming immortal. Ultimately, he strives to save her from succumbing to the venomous attack. The Cullen family will protect Bella from the vampires that hunt her, but her heart is calling to be with Edward for eternity.
Critical Evaluation
The Twilight saga took the world by storm, and continues to be referenced as one of the most memorable fantasy movies of teen love. Love it or hate it, almost anyone can say they are familiar with this romance. In fact, in an interview with Women & Hollywood, screenplay writer Melissa Rosenberg states that the franchise is “actually a universal fantasy. Which is, the fantasy being to be loved and cherished for exactly who you are. And that I would say is both male and female, but women are drawn to it.”
While I have not read the series, it is said that the film adaptation closely follows the novels. The cinematography of the first film in the franchise boasts a symbolism that the others do not, which is marked by the noticeable blue-green tint that viewers see throughout the movie. According to nofilmschool.com, this coloring is meant to make the town of Forks feel “as cold as Edward’s (Robert Pattinson) skin.”
The themes of Twilight are lust, loyalty, family, and choices between good and evil. There is an intensity and drama to the tone of the movie as the love between Edward and Bella remains an impossible dream. I believe people were drawn to this movie not just as fans of the book series, but because of the story’s forbidden love, the fear of the unknown, the intrigue of vampires living among us, and the beauty of the scenery.
Viewer's Annotation
Bella, new to a small town high school, meets Edward, mysterious and beautiful. When she finds out that he is vampire, as she suspected, she realizes she has fallen for him and is willing to sacrifice her mortality to be with him.
About the Creators
Melissa Anne Rosenberg is an American television writer, television producer, and screenwriter. She has worked in both film and television and has won a Peabody Award. She has also been nominated for two Emmy Awards, and two Writers Guild of America Awards. Since joining the Writers Guild of America, she has been involved in its board of directors and was a strike captain during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. She supports female screenwriters through the WGA Diversity Committee and co-founded the League of Hollywood Women Writers.
She worked on several television series between 1993 and 2003 before joining The O.C.'s writing staff, eventually leaving the show to write the 2006 film Step Up. From 2006 to 2009, she served as the head writer of the Showtime series Dexter, rising to executive producer by the time she departed at the end of the fourth season. She wrote her second produced screenplay, the 2008 film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel Twilight in 2007, and then adapted the novel's three sequels.
Rosenberg is also widely known as the creator of the Netflix series Jessica Jones.
Stephenie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English Literature. She lives in Arizona with her husband and sons.
Genre
Teen romance, suspense, fantasy, drama.
Filmtalking Ideas
Romeo and Juliet similarities, sacrifices in a relationship, the power of love over practicality.
Interest Age: 13+
Challenge Issues: Violence, sexual situations, co-dependency.
Why I Chose this Film:
I chose this film because the characters are intriguing for teens and the storyline is romantic but action-filled. The forbidden love of a human and a vampire is fantasy, but the loyalty that teens feel in personal relationships relates to Bella wishing to be immortal with Edward.
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