Month: November 2020
Teen movie reviewer – Griffin H.
Bad Education (2019)
Directed by Cory Finley and starring an ensemble cast of Hugh Jackman (Logan), Allison Janney (American Beauty), and Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers), Bad Education explores the rotten underside of a picture-perfect New York high school. Based on the true story of the 2004 Roslyn High School 11-million-dollar financial scandal, Bad Education happens close to home, and with its frequent references to our very own Syosset High School, it makes for a particularly interesting watch for any Syosset viewers.
Charismatic Roslyn High School superintendent Frank Tassone (Jackman) and his long-time assistant Pam Gluckin (Janney) are seemingly at the top of their world: their high school has just been ranked fourth in the nation, virtually all the parents love them, and more and more of their students are being accepted into prestigious universities. Ironically prompted by Tassone himself, greenhorn high-school journalist Rachel (Viswanathan) embarks on an investigative report on Roslyn’s budget spendings – accidentally revealing a sinister plot that would undermine the integrity of the entire district. The true nature of the riveting scandal slowly unfold to both Rachel and the rest of the school board – and the initial figures might only be the tip of the iceberg.
In his brilliantly executed satire, Finley finds dark humor in the web of fake smiles and superficial acquaintanceship that is public school administration. Instead of following the typical tropes of the high school movie, Bad Education tells its story through the details: the high school’s leaking ceiling, the characters’ preferred beverages, and the mansions that pervade the surrounding neighborhood subtly paint the ironic contrasts of Roslyn High School. At its core, Bad Education is the story of a spectacular fall from grace, and one that still masterfully manages to find amusing laughs and tell a powerful, emotional lesson at a punctual, satisfying pace. Fully leveraging the performance capabilities of its entire stellar cast, it’s no wonder that Bad Education even has a Primetime Emmy Nomination. Highly recommended.
Thank you for another great review, Griffin! – Mrs. Long
These Books Are SUS!
YA Books featuring Imposters and Pretenders
The fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
When her grandfather develops dementia, sixteen-year-old Tess, who has been keeping his Montana ranch going, is whisked away to Washington, D.C., by a sister she barely knows and thrown into a world of politics, power, wealth, love triangles, and family secrets.
Verify by Joelle Charbonneau
Chicago teen Meri Beckley’s pride of living in a land of peace, prosperity, and truth crumbles when questions following her mother’s death reveal buried facts, especially that words can have great power.
Little white lies by Katie Dale
The first time Lou meets mysterious Christian, she knows he is The One. But when Christian’s secret is unveiled in front of the whole world, it seems everything he’s ever told Lou is a lie, and Lou finds herself ensnared in a web of deceit.
These shallow graves by Jennifer Donnelly
A young woman in nineteenth-century New York City must struggle against gender and class boundaries when her father is found dead of a supposed suicide, and she believes there is more than meets the eye, so in order to uncover the truth she will have to decide how much she is willing to risk and lose.
The imposter queen by Sarah Fine
Chosen to be their queen, Elli grows up surrounded by luxury only to be banished when she fails to inherit essential magic, a situation that leads to devastating revelations about her world’s magic and the role Elli was meant to play.
Truly devious by Maureen Johnson
When Stevie Bell, an amateur detective, begins her first year at a famous private school in Vermont, she sets a plan to solve the cold case involving the kidnapping of the founder’s wife and daughter shortly after the school opened.
Genuine fraud by e. lockhart
Told through flashbacks, best friends Jule and Imogen are orphaned outcasts who will do almost anything to attain a happy, wealthy life.
We were liars by e. lockhart
Spending the summers on her family’s private island off the coast of Massachusetts with her cousins and a special boy named Gat, teenaged Cadence struggles to remember what happened during her fifteenth summer.
The knife of never letting go by Patrick Ness
Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony’s true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World.
Replica/Lyra/Gemma by Lauren Oliver
In a book that invites readers to start at either end or alternate between perspectives, Lyra and Gemma get the chance to escape from the protective environments in which they were raised while uncovering secrets about the bioresearch facility that connects them.
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
At age eight, David watched as his father was killed by an Epic, a human with superhuman powers, and now, ten years later, he joins the Reckoners–the only people who are trying to kill the Epics and end their tyranny.
Impostors by Scott Westerfeld
In a world that is rapidly descending into chaos, Frey and Rafi are twin sisters, but few people know of Frey’s existence, because she has been raised to be her sister’s body double and lethal bodyguard, while Rafi has been raised to further the family’s political power–but when their father sends Frey in her sister’s place as collateral in a tricky deal, Col, the son of a rival leader, gets close enough to begin to suspect something, and Frey must decide whether to deal with him violently or finally assume her own identity.
Girls with sharp sticks by Suzanne Young
In the near future at a girls-only private high school isolated in the Colorado mountains, Mena and her classmates—under the watchful eyes of their Guardian, professors, and analyst—are trained to be beautiful and obedient for their sponsors and investors.
