Skins

I've decided for the moment to include television "reviews" as well, since I watch just as much TV on DVD as films.

The funny thing about this show Skins, is that I had only read slightly about it online, but didn't take much interest in it (it being a a teen dramedy based in Britain, it was harder to find.) People who know me, might be surprised that I didn't catch on to this show sooner since I make it no secret that I love almost anything that used to be on the WB, now the CW channel and teen drama type films AKA Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Adam randomly bought the DVD one day after work and included a review by the Star Trib, that was fairly positive. It's very rare that Adam and I ever agree on liking a show, especially one like Skins that involves teen sex, drugs and nudity. It's even more rare for Adam to blindly buy a DVD that he's never seen but I saw it strike his interest so we watched it. Successfully finishing the first volume/season I can honestly say that it blows all those other shows like the OC, 90210 and Gossip Girl out of the water. Sure the CW, would have a heart attack trying to mimic this show, but I often wondered while trying to watch all the American shows, why don't they take these characters and the situations to the next level?

The cover art for Skins has two quotes that honestly sell the product, one being "...skins goes where Gossip Girl and other teen dramas from these shores wouldn't dare," and "Skins would be the result if Kids and Gossip Girl ever met at a party, got wasted, 'roofied' one another, mated like ferrets and had a kid." Now if that doesn't make you want to buy it what does? I'll be the first to say that I loathed the film Kids and will always, but this was a lot easier to watch even when each character has an emotional breakdown or tears themselves to pieces.

The premise of this show is about a group of friends, some with crushes, some with eating disorders, one who is Muslim and best friends with a gay guy, daddy issues, cheating issues, drug problems and troubled family life. It may not sound that great and in the first episode you may not be dragged in right away, but by the second/third episode I was hooked. It might possibly be the fact that I found the episodes interesting and unique. Each episode is titled by a characters name and mostly follows them around, introducing a problem and their family life while interacting with the other friends. Each story arc, smoothly flows into the next episode and even when things are resolved they don't feel forced.

My favorite character in the show is the young Michele Williams (top right) look alike who is constantly pill popping and avoiding eating food. I found her story and sadness the most interesting, but others may find the womanizing Tony or lazy unmotivated Sid more interesting.

The two familiar faces in the show are Nicholas Hoult who played the young boy opposite Hugh Grant in About a Boy and Dev Patel who recently starred as the grown up lead in Slumdog Millionaire.

If you're ready for a balls out, drug fueled, heroin shooting, crack smoking, pill popping, explicit name calling, alcohol guzzling, womanizing, teacher fucking, eating disorder good time with some nudity and sex then check out Skins. It's actually pretty good without the cliched endings and happily ever afters we see in American shows where everyone becomes friends again. Things get bad, and stay bad like real life.