Much like the cult classics of the 80s, the 90s have spawned a swarm of movies geared to the teenage youth of America. Movies that portray teenagers as sex crazed, drunken slobs, mooching off their parents, and experiencing overwhelming troubles in the romance department, have been a worn-out theme for the majority of youth-oriented movies.

These are the same movies that have all of our favorite male characters. You know what Im talking about. He plays the big man on campus and it never fails that towards the end of the movie, a young woman magically changes him from a testosterone driven jock into a sensitive young lad that caters to her beck and call. These well known themes try to give present day females something in which to look forward. Ha! If a woman falls for this old, used plot and attempts to actually live a Hollywood script, then the joke is on her because it is not possible. Sorry ladies--its a bunch of bull.

One may find this topic somewhat redundant, considering it has been ongoing year after year. The continuous influence of these story lines has fueled the youth of America to spend their well-earned weekly allowance on movies like Cant Hardly Wait, Varsity Blues, Dead Man on Campus, and who can forget the movie that started it all, Amy Heckerlings Clueless.

Heckerling was pulling a fast one on those who saw that movie in the theaters. She knew that such a satirical comedy would make her money, because she had already experienced moneymaking, publicity and success when she wrote and directed Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Did anyone else realize that those two movies were identical, but from two different decades perspectives? Eighties director, John Hughes, took the same approach in picking certain movies that would definitely rake in some well-earned dough. Such movies as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Weird Science will always live on as his greatest achievements.

You may ask yourself, Why do the AMCs and cinemas throughout the United States bombard their theaters with such repetitive plots of high school seniors exciting life of absolutely nothing?

The answer may be summed up in one word: money. As long as the people between the ages of 16 through mid 20s continue to meet the publics expectation of the spoiled, fast food generation, then movies targeting that age group will never become any better. When young adults have nothing else to do but spend their money on such pointless titles such as Election and South Park, it proves this stereotype to be true. Does this group not realize that the movie industry is reeling them in and does not plan to let go until they have successfully emptied their wallet? The writing will never improve; it will just sink deeper and deeper into the cookie cutter image that started in the mid-80s by trendy or sex-driven movies like Ferris Buellers Day Off and Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The continuous use of the same story plot is not only evident in the comical movies portraying a teenagers exciting everyday life, but also commonly appears in many recent horror movies. Such movies primarily focus on a college/upper high school group of friends, all of which are hand-chosen to be the next fad of what will be considered beautiful. The horror movies today slightly imitate the old Friday the 13th movies that were made to scare the 80s teenage generation, however, now such movies involve at least a little dignity. In older horror films, the girl with the biggest chest was the most likely to die first. Even though times have not totally changed, now women at least have the ability to defend themselves. Before they die, the female usually beats the living @*#! out of the killer before she actually gets it. Either way, it is still degrading. Even if the main female character can hold her own, there are always a few airheads to counterbalance her heroism. Movies that fit this description are Scream, one and two, and I Know What You did Last Summer and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. These movies may be continuously rented as time goes by, but they have left no lasting impression on this writer. Besides, even if they were remotely well thought-out and entertaining, the sequel killed the original.

So what does the movie industry need besides more creative writers? It needs for the youth of today to stop buying movie tickets, as well as eating the regurgitation of ideas fed to them time after time after time. Taking a stand will make the movie industry realize that not only do they have to change the titles of each new movie, not only will they have to chose a better flock of unknown actors in each new movie, but they will also be forced to rewrite the script for each new movie.

The movies previously made in the 80s shoulder most of the blame and have acted as predecessors to the birth of the same old crap made every year for the last decade. And what is the key word that defines the reasoning behind this lack of creativity: money. So the next time you feel the compelling urge to purchase a movie ticket to view such predictable footage of slop, try and open a book. Consider turning the channel from MTV, and maybe to something more educational, like the Discovery Channel. Let us all try to start anew in this millennium with creative movies that actually make one think and feel, as well as be entertained. God knows we need the change.

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