mfreburg-946-137541
Joined Mar 2014
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mfreburg-946-137541's rating
With so many user reviews, if you've gotten to this one you already know the series is about trying to find out who killed Maddie Nears, played by Peyton List. The entire cast was very, very good in their respective roles. The only one I somewhat disliked was 'Sheriff Baxter,' played by Ian Tracy. Tracy was fine, I just didn't like the character. Besides being the local sheriff, he was also father of one of the main characters, Xavier, who he treated like crap. (And from a casting point of view, Xavier, played by Spencer MacPherson, stands a full head taller than Ian Tracy--it seemed that the only way they could logically be father and son was if "Xavier" was adopted.) That minor aside, the other characters were all truly great. If I had to name standouts it would be Peyton List and Kristian Ventura, probably the most important characters in the series.
I started this series because I have long been a huge fan of Peyton List, and now have found some new actors who have impressed me as well. Do be aware that, as some have mentioned, most of these "high school students," living or ghosts, are being played by actors in their mid-twenties. This seems to happen a lot in Hollywood, and we are just supposed to suspend disbelief. I usually can, but as one reviewer mentioned, with some tweaking of the script, the story could have been set on a college campus instead, and the glaring age discrepancy would have been less obvious.
A reviewer called "martinkauger" wrote an excellent review pointing out that nearly every main character became a suspect at some point, was investigated, cleared, then someone else became a suspect. Yes, it became a tad predictable as one got into the series--though I did not find it bothersome. Some said it led logically to the "reveal" in the last episode, but if that last episode was truly a "reveal," then some of you are clearly smarter than I. One could explain away the final episode in a too many ways to call it "done," so I found it a bit frustrating that several loose ends were NOT tied up, nor was everything explained in a way that would satisfy most viewers. If that episode made anything thing clear--and I'm not going into detail here because it would be a spoiler that would ruin the first season for new viewers--I'd have enjoyed it even more. I can only say thank goodness we are getting a second season--so I can set aside my concerns about the last episode and just call it a cliff hanger. Beside these final comments, some of which I understand can be taken as critical, I still enjoyed SCHOOL SPIRITS very much, so I'm giving it a **10** based on story, acting, and of course--Peyton List, who makes everything better.
I started this series because I have long been a huge fan of Peyton List, and now have found some new actors who have impressed me as well. Do be aware that, as some have mentioned, most of these "high school students," living or ghosts, are being played by actors in their mid-twenties. This seems to happen a lot in Hollywood, and we are just supposed to suspend disbelief. I usually can, but as one reviewer mentioned, with some tweaking of the script, the story could have been set on a college campus instead, and the glaring age discrepancy would have been less obvious.
A reviewer called "martinkauger" wrote an excellent review pointing out that nearly every main character became a suspect at some point, was investigated, cleared, then someone else became a suspect. Yes, it became a tad predictable as one got into the series--though I did not find it bothersome. Some said it led logically to the "reveal" in the last episode, but if that last episode was truly a "reveal," then some of you are clearly smarter than I. One could explain away the final episode in a too many ways to call it "done," so I found it a bit frustrating that several loose ends were NOT tied up, nor was everything explained in a way that would satisfy most viewers. If that episode made anything thing clear--and I'm not going into detail here because it would be a spoiler that would ruin the first season for new viewers--I'd have enjoyed it even more. I can only say thank goodness we are getting a second season--so I can set aside my concerns about the last episode and just call it a cliff hanger. Beside these final comments, some of which I understand can be taken as critical, I still enjoyed SCHOOL SPIRITS very much, so I'm giving it a **10** based on story, acting, and of course--Peyton List, who makes everything better.
I started this film with a bit of trepidation. I confess that I'm a huge fan of Peyton List and I always want good things to happen to her in her films--but that's my issue not yours. In this film Peyton plays Bea, a teenage ghost from the 1920s, only to suddenly become visible 100 years later to modern day teen Cole, played by Michael Cimino, who is the latest person to move into what had been Bea's house at one time.
Through a very clever device created by writers Cesar Vitale (script) and Dustin Ellis (story)--which I'll let you enjoy discovering--Cole is the first one to ever be able to see her. This plays the central role in the story, so to say more would be a spoiler of the first degree, and I won't do that.
Andrea Navedo plays Cole's mom. She lost her husband early, and both she and Cole are missing him greatly. Andrea does a very nice job being the sympathetic mom.
Phoebe Holden plays Lydia, a girl at Cole's school who is into the supernatural--her family has a store which deals in that sort of thing--and she senses Cole's connection to Bea. You'll get more on that later in the film. At first I was concerned that Lydia was going to be a problem for Bea and Cole--one of the reasons for my initial trepidation.
Bea and Cole begin to bond, even though they are from time periods separated by a century. They do have a love for music in common. Bea plays piano, and Cole guitar. Yes, the bulk of the story is based around Bea and Cole developing a relationship--but there is nothing cheesy about it. I thought they were naturals--there was obvious chemistry, but it was not overplayed. We the audience were always aware that these two were still ghost and human.
The ending is a clever finale having to do with the clever device mentioned above. It begins with Bea and Cole having their first tiff. It also involves Lydia, but in a good way. The last couple of scenes are very warm and special--but you could never predict them.
There was nothing I disliked about this movie. I thought everything was superbly done, down to the tiniest detail. All the main actors--all of them--were outstanding. I cannot rate this film any higher--it was truly great.
Through a very clever device created by writers Cesar Vitale (script) and Dustin Ellis (story)--which I'll let you enjoy discovering--Cole is the first one to ever be able to see her. This plays the central role in the story, so to say more would be a spoiler of the first degree, and I won't do that.
Andrea Navedo plays Cole's mom. She lost her husband early, and both she and Cole are missing him greatly. Andrea does a very nice job being the sympathetic mom.
Phoebe Holden plays Lydia, a girl at Cole's school who is into the supernatural--her family has a store which deals in that sort of thing--and she senses Cole's connection to Bea. You'll get more on that later in the film. At first I was concerned that Lydia was going to be a problem for Bea and Cole--one of the reasons for my initial trepidation.
Bea and Cole begin to bond, even though they are from time periods separated by a century. They do have a love for music in common. Bea plays piano, and Cole guitar. Yes, the bulk of the story is based around Bea and Cole developing a relationship--but there is nothing cheesy about it. I thought they were naturals--there was obvious chemistry, but it was not overplayed. We the audience were always aware that these two were still ghost and human.
The ending is a clever finale having to do with the clever device mentioned above. It begins with Bea and Cole having their first tiff. It also involves Lydia, but in a good way. The last couple of scenes are very warm and special--but you could never predict them.
There was nothing I disliked about this movie. I thought everything was superbly done, down to the tiniest detail. All the main actors--all of them--were outstanding. I cannot rate this film any higher--it was truly great.