Speak (2004)

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This film encompasses the essence of high school life, and though not all high schools are like this, it was generalized without being overly stereotypic. I like how simplistic this film is, and how they showed the series of events by juxtaposing the present with bits of the past. The title itself, "Speak" is so direct and just hits the mark. Personally, I like one word titles.The acting was great too. We all know of the bashing Kristen Stewart gets from people for her stoic acting (and to be honest I myself have commented on it), but it works great for her character. The rest of the cast was good too, though I don't get what the character Mr. Neck (Robert John Burke) was all about. He acted prejudiced in the beginning of the film and I thought maybe he was joking, but he wasn't, which just made me think that he was a horrible teacher.Another thing that felt a bit off to me, was her hiding spot in the school. It seems to be a janitor room but no-one finds her there and she just claims the space.The directing, editing and screenplay enhanced the story of the film and made it very raw. They did a good job of bringing it to life and it felt real. This isn't an easy topic to handle and though the movie did not have the dark almost ominous feel that some have when this topic is involved, it showed how an ordinary high school girl might experience it. This was based on a book of the same name by Laurie Halse Anderson, and I'm not sure how closely it followed it, but the film was pretty well done.Read more movie reviews at: championangels.wordpress.com

Wow! I just found out that today, January 20, 2014 is the 10th year anniversary of the release of this fine movie by Showtime. I really love this movie and have watched it numerous times.The actress Kristen Stewart shines in it.The main character is a young teenage girl named Melinda Sordino. Sordino is Italian for " mute," and Melinda can mean, among other things,a Linden tree. Ironically, the quasi "mute" Melinda is the very person doing all the narrating throughout the movie.Many other character's in the movie have similar type names, for example; Heather is a friend that unfriends Melinda because Melinda is too depressed. And Ivy who unfriends her because of a misunderstanding. In fact, Melinda refers to cliques as "clans" which is from the Latin for sprout.And the author Nathaniel Hawthorne is mentioned in her English class and Hawthorne is a hedge bush of the rose family.Hawthorne's book, The Scarlet Letter is mentioned as being full of symbolism.Which this story seems to also be full of.I can't figure out why the author,Laurie Hals Anderson, of Speak uses so many horticultural references.But interestingly enough,right after Melinda is sexually assaulted by Andy,who is a popular teen, Melinda stays in his Jeep Wrangler after he leaves her. She looks through the windshield as she's weeping and sees a large majestic tree. Is the tree a " mute witness" to the crime?" We see the rape in a series of flashbacks by Melinda. Later on, when she begins her freshman year at Merryweather High, her lovable bohemian art teacher, Mr. Freeman, instructs the class to pick a slip of paper out of a damaged globe that will have their year long art project on it. Melinda picks one that has the word " tree." She tries to put it back but Mr Freeman says not to because that is her " destiny."Also, she turns inwards and starts to cut class and hideout in a utility room at her school.And then she, like the trees and shrubs around her, starts to recover after the cold winter and she finally begins to regain her strength and courage. This may explain why the author used the tree as a symbol for Melinda.The story line does not suffer from several plots interweaving like we see so much of but rather all the focus is on this young teen and her nearly year long recovery from her trauma.She befriends a very nice classmate named Dave Petrakis. Perhaps more symbolism here because the name Petrakis refers to a rock or maybe even a bedrock. And he is supportive of her while never really knowing what happened to her.The cast is finely tuned and hums like (fill in your favorite set of wheels). Kudos to the composer Christopher Libertino for a fantastic musical score. His use of a chamber orchestra and piano near the end when Melinda and her mom are driving back home after Melinda was put through another ordeal by Andy, the teen who raped her the previous summer, takes that scene to lofty heights. Happy 10th Year Anniversary, Speak.

Yes, I did watched this because of Kristen Stewart.This story is heartbreaking. It tells about a teenage girl, Melinda Sordino who is quiet and weird. But she wasn't like that to begin with. There's a reason for why she behaved like that.Kristen Stewart is perfect for the role. She can do great if she choose the right movie for her. And this movie is one of her right choices.I think everyone can relate to the story of withdrawal and rejection, relationship with family and friends, and how expressing yourself can set you free.I almost cry at the end but no tears so I gave a 9.

Speak is a Movie about a 14 years old girl which was raped by his senior in a Party and after that incident she does not speak much. Kristein is fabulous in the movie, At this much age she performed too good. Movie shows School life, Friends, teenage life. Kristein's Eyes speak too much in spite of she don't speak much. We can understand everything what she wants to tell or how she feels. Movie tells us that children need attention, may be they don't speak about their problems but we have to make sure that kid doesn't feel any problems with life. Director knows how to show this kind of child's life, He put every effort to make Kristein's character much valuable. Screenplay is notable, it takes you to the every aspect of the character. One should watch the movie to see Kristein's performance and kind of different story that you can feel inside your heart. A perfect kind of teenage movie You should not miss.