Pour aider leurs copains en panne d’inspiration après ces longues semaines de confinement, des élèves de 4e année ont décidé avec leur professeur d’Anglais (Mme Benzoni) de nous faire part de leurs suggestions sur leurs séries, films ou dessins animés préférés.
A lire absolument…
Deadpool - Garance
Deadpool is an American movie from the Marvel universe. The story is about Wade Wilson, a former special forces soldier who has become a mercenary. After undergoing several painful operations, Wade becomes Deadpool, an antihero who will help people…but only if he wants to. A second movie is going to be released and there will be a third.
I really love this movie because there is suspense throughout the film, which is really captivating.
I also love it because the main character, Wade, is very funny. He always makes jokes in inappropriate situations. He has a lot of dark humor.
Finally, I like the fact that Deadpool speaks directly to the audience to give more information about what is going on. We have the impression of being part of the movie.
Bates Motel – Marie
Bates Motel is surely one of the series which leave their mark on you for a long time. The story is inspired from a famous novel entitled Psychose. This book had many film adaptations of renown in the seventh art. One of them is Bates Motel, available on Netflix.
The story is about a mother called Norma starting a new life with her son Norman after the death of his father. So, they move to White Pine Bay and open a motel together. They have a strong bond that can be a burden for both of them. In fact, Norma is quite overprotective. But although it’s one of the causes of her son’s behavior, it is not the real issue in this story…
What I like about the story is first how we follow the psychological evolution of Norman step by step all along. I cannot say more about it but as we watch the episodes, we feel unease, like a constant tension. The characters are complicated and that’s what makes them attractive.
Another thing which I think makes the thriller delightful is the acting. Actually, Freddie Highmore from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Arthur et les Minimoys is so good as Norman. And Vera Farmiga from Esther and Conjuring as Norma is considered a scream queen of today.
Bates Motel has five seasons and an episode lasts on average 45 minutes but there is plenty of action. Every character is developed, so the story is not just centered on one thing. There is a combination of love, action, murder and degeneration. In other words, it’s a series that can be watched very quickly.
As the scenario is not common, this adaptation is kind of unique despite the very American style. If you want to watch something intense and thought-provoking, this series was made for you. But above all, make sure you watch it in English!
Atypical – Marie Ange
Atypical is an original Netflix series about a 18-year-old boy whose name is Sam and who suffers from autism. There are 3 seasons at the moment but season 4 has been announced for 2021.
Sam lives in Connecticut with his parents and his sister. He has a passion for science and is a very smart boy. He goes to school with his sister but she has the opportunity to go to a better school so everything starts to be more difficult for Sam. He also has a psychologist, Julia, and she helps him deal with all his emotions.
The story starts when Sam starts to ask some questions about girls to his father. Sam has never been interested in girls, so it is very surprising. Sam’s father has no idea who the girl is that Sam wants to date.
The thing that I love about Atypical is that there are not many series about autism so the people that watch it learn a lot about autism and it raises awareness in a good way. We see that autistic people are very smart and we can learn a lot from them too! Even though I am very different from Sam, I can identify with him; a lot of people think that autistic people are a little bit weird and that they are maybe stupid but they are exactly like us, they have feelings too and Sam is a very endearing person.
I don’t watch a lot of series and I really like to learn from the things I watch without getting bored. And that is exactly what Atypical does for me. It is difficult to speak about this series without spoiling people’s pleasure and it is true that there is not a lot of suspense and all that stuff.
I totally recommend this series, all kinds of people (teenagers, adults,..) can watch it.
Atypical (again …) - Théa
Atypical is a series available on Netflix. The story is about Sam, an autistic boy who has difficulty dealing with social situations. We follow him trying to find a girlfriend and trying to be more independent. We also follow the story of Casey, his sister, who is lost because of her sexuality and the marital problems of their parents. There are 3 seasons.
Why do I like this series?
First, the people who are shown: the fact that the main character is autistic is very interesting. Autistic people are rarely represented in cinema; more often than not, visible handicap is shown. This series raises awareness about this handicap. We can also speak about the parents, who don’t really know how to deal with Sam’s autism. Casey is interesting too, we can see a girl trying to understand her sexuality and we rarely see that in tv shows, even if now this subject is less taboo.
Second, the actors are very good. The actor that plays Sam, Keir Gilchrist, isn’t autistic in “real life” but in the series he plays his role very well and he conveys Sam’s “emotions” very well. In general, the actors make their character very endearing and have their own personality and way of behaving.
Third, I think Atypical is really interesting for younger and for older people. We follow Sam and Casey, who are teenagers/young adults, and their stories. On the other side, we follow their parents and their problems.
Finally, the series has one flaw: the characters are a little cliché sometimes.
Atypical (is really popular …) - Louise
Hello, today I’m going to speak about Atypical, a series that I discovered in the past few weeks and that I like a lot.
It is the story of an atypical boy called Sam, he is 18 years old and suffers from an autism spectrum disorder. The story revolves around Sam and his family. It is about their love stories and their life at home, at school, at work, with their support group.
This series explores autism and how society behaves with autistic people.
People say Sam isn’t normal, but in reality no one is normal.
I really like this series, it is original and the characters are endearing. If you like comedies and touching stories, you might like it.
Money Heist - Lilou
Money Heist is a very successful Spanish series based on an incredible heist planned by a group of 9 people.
This series has a lot of positive points, but here come the ones I can describe without revealing the story.
The plot is very entertaining, it’s really unpredictable unlike most of the recent series for teenagers, the vocabulary and the English they use are quite challenging.
In order not to spoil your pleasure too much I can say that it is about a group of nine poor people. They have made mistakes and instead of paying for them, they join forces with a professor to make the heist of their lives. They are all interesting people with different backgrounds. They are not good or completely bad. They have a lot of flaws, but the story is made for us to forget that.
The story is unpredictable, just when we are getting comfortable in our seats, wishing for a happy ever after, a giant plot twist comes and destroys it all. The filmmakers have made sure we don’t get bored. Those countless twists make the series extremely exciting. We are kind of addicted to those unexpected events.
Lastly, I would say that they use a rich vocabulary. Even though the original series is in Spanish, most of the voice actors are American and the accent is easy to understand. I would recommend watching Money Heist with English subtitles: it’s easier and it makes for a safe back-up when there’s a word we don’t understand.
In conclusion it is a fun challenge during quarantine, it keeps us entertained and helps us keep a great level of English.
Locke and Key - Lisa
I decided to present the series Locke and Key because I saw this TV show a short while ago and I find it great.
The Locke family is composed of two parents and three children: Kinsey, Tyler and Bode. One day, something awful happens: the murder of the father.
After this difficult event, the mother decides to move out to go to the family home called Key House. The three children then notice that Key House isn’t a simple home and that it is in reality full of secrets. They discover different keys which are each endowed with a power. The children realize that the keys can be very dangerous if they fall into the wrong hands and that they aren’t the only ones to know about their existence. They will have to fight against a terrible demon in order to survive.
First, Locke and key is very interesting. Further, there is a lot of suspense in this TV show. Once we start watching it, we are hooked. Locke and key is an original series, I have never seen another TV show with a similar plot.
Second, the TV show is a mini-series composed of ten episodes. So, it’s perfect if you aren’t addicted to very long series. Moreover, there is a lot of action in Locke and Key, which makes it a very surprising series.
Third, the characters are more or less our age. So, we can easily identify with them, which I think is really cool. We can follow Kinsey and Tyler when they arrive in a new school. We see how they try to fit in and if they can find a place in their new life.
I recommend this series if you like everything related to magic and fantasy.
Greenhouse Academy - Marion
Hello, today I’m going to speak about my favorite series called Greenhouse Academy. It is about a special school which trains sport and science leaders. These two groups are rivals, the athletes are called the eagles and the scientists are called the ravens.
I really do like this series. The characters are very touching and moving. The plot is quite complex because there are many flashbacks. Also, I like the fact that it is difficult to understand sometimes.
Lolusa - Emeline
LOLusa is a film about Lola, the main character, a 16- year-old girl who lives with her mum and her sister in Chicago. According to her, nothing is more important than her friends. So, it is just about the daily life of a teenager who is discovering herself.
First, it’s a good film for adolescents, who can put themselves in the shoes of the characters. Sometimes it helps people, but don’t imitate all the characters’ actions because some are very stupid. That’s what’s so funny about this movie, by the way.
Secondly, the vocabulary used in the film is not really complicated. I understood everything. Sometimes there are words that are more complicated than others, but with the context we can understand easily. With that film I learned some vocabulary. There are several expressions that I had never heard before.
And with this movie, we can travel around the world with the landscapes of Chicago, but the landscapes of Paris too. If you love the film and if you are engrossed in the story, you will love all the action, you will feel different emotions and you will be surprised!
I need to specify that the film is neither for very young people nor for adults. It would probably be a bit boring for them. This film is really for adolescents. You should also know that it is not perfect. It has a few flaws, and lots of people say that it’s just a remake of the French “LOL”, but I really recommend it. I like it so much it’s my favorite movie, I know it by heart!
The Great Gatsby - Victor
Some time ago, I watched a film called The Great Gatsby, the 2013 version with Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie is an adaptation of a book written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925.
The story takes place in New York during the twenties. Nick Caraway has just moved into a small house next to a huge manor where parties are organized every weekend. After visiting his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom, he receives an invitation from Gatsby. But when he arrives at the party it turns out he is the only guest. During this party he understands that no one has ever seen Gatsby…
I love this movie because the story is great (like Gatsby) and the work done on the esthetics of the rooms, the manors or the streets is incredible. The performances of the actors are impressive, like for example at the end with Toby Maguire.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Spellman - Sophie
Shilling adventures of Sabrina is a TV series based on the Archie comics book. The plot is about Sabrina Spellman, a half-witch, half-mortal who lives with her aunts and her cousin. Sometimes she’s a normal teenager with her best friends, but at other times she is involved with the Dark lord Satan and studies at the Academy of Unseen Arts.
It’s a horror series about the supernatural. But Sabrina also has teenage problems, she also wants to have fun with her friends, and that doesn’t necessarily involve evil forces.
Second, I like this remake because it deals with our society. Sabrina is a feminist, the characters discover themselves, they are gay or even pansexual, and it’s really not a bad thing.
Friends - Sacha
Friends is an American series and the plot about is the everyday lives of 6 friends who are most of the time together in café Central Perk or in Monica’s apartment. We follow them for 10 years.
All the characters have something special in their personality and that’s why we love them so much.
There are 10 seasons. I know it seems a lot but when we start watching we can’t stop because we want to learn more about their lives and this amazing friendship. Through all the seasons we have time to feel every emotion.
Also, it’s a series without hassles and you can watch it any time and maybe do something else at the same time. It’s a good series and time flies when you watch it.
Skam - Anonymous
Hi ! I’m going to speak about skam, a series about minorities. In each season you get the point of view of a different teenager.
I really like this series because firstly it is about lots of subjects that are usually taboo in our society, like the LGBTQ+ community, mental illness, handicap, the broadcasting of pornographic images, toxic parents, death, religion etc.
The themes are approached naturally by following the lives of a group of friends like the ones we can find in our school.
Secondly, Skam is originally Norwegian, but there are 7 remakes from different countries; they have the same plot as the original version but the characters are different, so each remake is unique. There is an English remake, and you can find the others in their original language with English subtitles. It’s interesting to compare them and this makes the series international.
The other particularity of this series is that every scene is dropped online in real time (if the character does something at 2:17pm, the clip is dropped at 2:17pm) and all the clips are grouped into one episode at the end of each week. We can also read the discussions on social media and every character has their instagram account.
The only downside is that the plot is always based on love stories and is a little bit cliché in the 1st and 2nd seasons. But it becomes really good after that.
Finally, I think this series is really important because its main subject is diversity and it can help people to understand and respect each other.
Good Trouble - Fanny
Good trouble is an American series available on Freeform and other streaming platforms. It came out on 8 January 2019 and offers 2 seasons for the moment. It’s a spin-off of the series “The Fosters”, released years ago.
The main characters are two adopted sisters; Callie and Mariana Adams Foster. They leave the family cocoon and move to community housing in the mythic Cordery in Los Angeles. Callie and Mariana meet all the people who already live there, bonds are created, love stories see the light of day. The two sisters also face the difficulties of adult life, their ambitions and their friendship are put to the test. But they also discover amazing people, experience life- changing situations and real happiness.
I truly love this series for several reasons. First it deals with important and current topics gently and with humor like racism, sexism, justice, self-acceptance, etc. All these topics are talked about by different characters in many ways. And even if things are discussed with humor, at the end of the episode you understand the message and think about it and your way to deal with it in real life.
I also really appreciate the diversity of the characters. Because even if Callie and Mariana are the main ones, you also get to know Davia, Malika, Gael, Dennis, Alice and their respective stories. They are all touching, and it’s very easy to identify with them.
The last thing I want to describe is the “organization” of each episode. By that I mean that they show the end of the episode during the first minutes, which makes you think of many hypotheses. And at the end, when the explanation comes, you are pretty much always surprised. And this is, in my opinion, one of the best things about this series because it makes it different from others.
That’s all, I hope you want to watch this amazing series.
Doctor - Merve
Doctor is a Turkish TV series translated into many languages. The story is about the life of a successful doctor and what happens at the hospital where he works. There is an interesting sentence that the doctor says when he accepts a patient, ‘Everbody lies’. There is one season and the second will be released next year. The genre of the series is medical drama and comedy: we laugh and cry , depending on the moment.
The first thing that I like is the characters. They are funny. They all have a story and this plays an important role in the hospital. The main character, named Doctor, has three assistants and they all have nicknames. The main character also has an interesting story.
The second thing that ı like is the funny dialogues and the language. The dialogues and the language are very easy to understand. And when they use a specific term, they explain the word, which makes the series useful because we learn new things.
In conclusion watching how and in which ways the problem of a patient is solved can be very painful but on the other hand, the events are exciting. The characters are very friendly and you get to like them immediately, they become like your family members. It is really good to watch a tv series about those people who are almost always in our lives because we understand what they experience through this series. It is really nice to watch this series, I recommend it.
This Is Us - Elyne
The first season of the American television series This is us follows the family connections and lives of two brothers and one sister born on the same day. The plot: We are in 1980, when Jack Pearson and Rebecca are supposed to give birth to triplets. But unfortunately, one of them dies. At the same time, a man brings an abandoned black newborn to the hospital… to the right place at the right time…
What are the positive aspects of this series?
First, it is based on flashbacks. Thanks to them, we can follow the characters through their lives. In the present, we can see Randall Pearson, a successful businessman who lives with his wife and two admirable little girls but who is looking for his biological father, Kate Pearson, a personal assistant who is intent on losing weight with her boyfriend Toby and Kevin Pearson, an actor.
Secondly, fraternal love is, thanks to the upbringing given by two wonderful parents, found in each of the episodes.
In conclusion, it’s above all a love story and I think that it’s a really special series thanks to the ways in which the characters are similar and different.
I highly recommend this series!
Focus - Taya
Today I am going to talk about one of the best films of all time. It is called “Focus”.
It is an American film released in 2015. We can say that it is a romantic thriller. The two main characters are played by Will Smith and Margot Robbie.
It is the story of Nicky, who is a master in the art of fraud, he knows all the tricks. When he crosses paths with pretty Jess, who is learning how to become a pro in the world of cheaters, he wants to teach her all he knows. However, when he senses she’s falling for him, Nicky prefers to put an end to their relationship…
My favorite thing about this film, except for the casting, is the images. Every scene is beautifully filmed and really conveys the atmosphere of the film. Actually, the characters travel a lot and every county is represented well and seems to be real.
The plot is amazing. If you ever see this film and love plot twists, you will really like the ending, which is very surprising and unexpected.
The only thing I don’t really like is the way they speak. as the actors are Americans, they speak really fast and some of the words may be hard to understand.
Focus is a really good film with a lot of action and I absolutely recommend it.
Jason Bourne: The Bourne Identity – Marius
Today I’m going to tell you about a film, Jason Bourne: The Bourne identity.
In this film our hero, played by Matt Damon, is floating on the sea, unconscious. Fortunately, a fishing boat navigating nearby recovers the body. The man has 2 bullets in his back, a bank code tattooed on his haunch and is totally amnesiac. That’s when our story begins. Who is this man? Why does he have 2 bullets in his body? Why does he have a bank code on his haunch? And why was he floating on the sea? A lot of questions and no answers. If you want to know, you need to watch this film. Oh, and if after watching the film you’ve got more questions, you can watch the second film: Jason Bourne: The Bourne supremacy.
I really like this film because we are almost like our hero: we know nothing about him so we can try to understand the situation at the same time as him and that’s cool. And when you answer one question, another pops up, and when you know everything, it’s not over (it never is.) The more you know, the better you understand that you know nothing. And when you watch the film a second time, you discover new things that you didn’t notice the first time.
I hope you want to see the film now. Have a nice quarantine.
Brain on Fire – Jeanne
Hello, today, I’m going to speak about a film that I saw a few day ago. This movie is called Brain on fire, you can find it on Netflix.
For starters, the story is about a young woman with an unknown disease. Her symptoms can be really dangerous for her but also for her relatives. She often has epileptic fits, memory loss and psychosis. Unfortunately, no doctor finds a valid diagnosis.
I like this film because I find the acting so good and the story pretty moving. The way the main actress plays is quite touching. Thanks to this movie, I could understand why it’s essential to have family and friends to rely on.
So, if you’re looking for a moving story, I advise you to watch this film.
Love, Death and Robots – Henri
Love, death and robots is a cartoon produced by David Fincher, Tim Miller and Joshua Donen. It’s a series composed of 18 episodes, but it is not just another series, every episode tells a different story with a different style. What is cool is that the episodes aren’t long at all, they last 6 to 17 minutes! This could be a problem because you can watch the whole series in just one day.
If you dislike an episode because you don’t like the story or the characters, no worries, you’ll probably like the next one as they’re all different. One is about a war in Russia, the other is about a yogurt that leads the world.
I bet you’ve never seen such a series, maybe Black Mirror, but it’s different, in Black Mirror the episodes last one hour and they are depressing. This series is for me, it’s a bit like Black Mirror, only better.
So, go ahead and watch one episode, it’s on Netflix, give it a try!
Prison Break – Remi
Prison Break is an American series. It is the story of two brothers: Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows. Lincoln Burrows has been sentenced to death for killing the brother of the Vice President of the United States. His brother, Michael Scofield, a gifted engineer, is sure that his brother is not guilty. He will do everything he can to get him out of the prison “Fox River” before he is executed.
Why should you watch this series?
Firstly, I think that it’s really good, I really like it!
There is a lot of action, the suspense is incredible, and it’s very well shot. Some Original voices (English) are really easy to understand.
In addition, the actors, more particularly the hero, Michael Scofield, are excellent. There are 5 seasons: the first season was released in 2005 and the latest in 2017. Season 6 has been announced but it is not yet known when it will come out. It’s a pretty old series, but it is still fine.
If you want to watch a long series during this strange period, Prison Break is a good choice because it is fast-paced, there a lot of episodes, many characters, some of whom are really attractive, and the most important: you won’t get bored…
Suits - Ambre
Suits is an American TV series with 134 episodes of 42 minutes, available on Netflix. The plot is based on Mike Ross, an intelligent young man with an exceptional memory, who starts working as a law associate for Harvey Specter, despite never having attended law school. Mike is Harvey’s protégé. They have a very close relationship. The show is based on the law cases they have to deal with. I really like this series, which is very good for teenagers, but also for adults. Here are the reasons.
First of all, it is about small cases of justice to be solved or negotiated. Nevertheless, it is not complicated to understand at all. The series is also about love and friendship.
After that, the characters are very endearing. They all have a strong and different character. Each actor is really good and remains faithful to his/her personal traits of character.
Then, the series is varied. There is not just one case, but several. So, we don’t get tired or bored after one season. The setting of the series is very elegant, since almost everything takes place in a large law firm.
To conclude, I highly recommend this series, which is very interesting and very cool to watch in English.
Birdbox – Sedra
Birdbox is a good quality Netflix movie. I was completely engrossed in the story from the start.
We are immediately captivated by what happens, we want to understand why everything becomes chaotic. Knowing why humans are destined to disappear is usually the key to post-apocalyptic thrillers. From that perspective, I think the film is great. What we learn is enough to make us move forward and feel concerned until the end. What I prefer is the tense horror part.
However, there is something a little confusing about the suspense. Sometimes we don’t know if we’re in the past or the present, which is not necessarily my cup of tea. There are flashbacks, so we know what happened before, but they are not triggered by the current events, which makes the rhythm of the switches a bit unpleasant. We are more frustrated than anything. In addition, those flashbacks harm the suspense, because we know beforehand what will happen to all the protagonists. This makes the film a little less appealing.
Fortunately, it must be said that Sandra Bullock is good. This actress has a strong ability to convey emotions and her role suits her perfectly. Around her, there are famous characters, like Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight) or the famous John Malkovich.
Birbox is really pleasant. It has great qualities. And without its annoying flaws, the film could be perfect.
The 100 – Cléa
The 100 is an American Tv series whose plot unfolds in the distant future.
After a nuclear apocalypse caused by Man during the Third World War, the 318 survivors take refuge in space stations and manage to live and reproduce, reaching the number of 100. But 97 years later, the ship, the Ark, is in terrible shape.
So, a hundred young offenders imprisoned over the years for crimes or betrayals are chosen as guinea pigs by the authorities to go back to Earth and test the chances of survival of human beings on the planet.
Upon their arrival, they discover a new dangerous but fascinating world…
Among the 100 civilians, there is Clarke, the brilliant teenage daughter of the chief medical officer of the Ark, Wells, the Chancellor’s son, Finn, the “ Bad-boy” of the band, the duo Bellamy and Octavia, brother and sister, who the brotherhood has always pushed to break the rules, and Jasper and Monty, best friends since childhood.
Deprived of communication with the Earth, the leaders of the Ark must make difficult decisions about the life, death and survival of the human race.
For the 100 survivors, the Earth is an alien planet that they don’t know, it’s a mysterious kingdom that can be magical for an instant and deadly the next.
The “100” is one of my favorite series because it’s a series with a lot of suspense and intrigues.
You need a little patience in the first episodes, which are a little complicated to understand, but then the rhythm intensifies quite quickly.
To people who love suspense, intrigues, action, adventure, murders, danger… but also stories of love and friendship, I highly recommend this series.
