Summer 1996 — I was 15 and spent several days with a childhood friend, Glen, his sister and her friend, and his father at a beach house on the Outer Banks. To this day, I remember the days we spent… Read More ›
coming of age
Available on home video, you can ride or die with “Turning Red” never leaving your side.
After landing on Disney+ in March to a largely positive bang, director Domee Shi’s feature-length debut Turning Red is headed home for purchase. Much like the Oscar-winning Encanto from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Shi’s Pixar film explores generational trauma through… Read More ›
Exploring emotions and interpersonal relationships, Domee Shi’s “Turning Red” adds another top release to Pixar’s catalogue.
In front of Pixar’s Incredibles 2 (2018) was writer/director Domee Shi’s directorial debut Bao, a bittersweet story of parenthood and letting go. It’s not too surprising that Shi’s feature-length debut, Turning Red, follows a similar trajectory, just from a different… Read More ›
Tyson Wade Johnston’s drama “Streamline” succeeds in capturing the haunting fear of failure.
Sometimes while watching movies we get that vague feeling of deja vu, and sometimes that feeling is almost welcomed. In Tyson Wade Johnston’s first full length feature, Streamline, the audiences are going to be hit with this sense of familiarity…. Read More ›
Why commit to misery when “The Sky is Everywhere?”
There’s an old saying, “Time heals all wounds,” which implies that one becomes whole again after a period of restoration. This isn’t the case, though, really. As was reminded to me recently, wounds heal, you’re just not as you once… Read More ›
In the style of teen classics like “The Breakfast Club” and “Dead Poets Society,” Daigo Matsui’s “Remain in Twilight” appeals to our restless youthful spirits with wit and sincerity. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
It’s not every day we get the chance to chat with a loved one who has passed on. Skeptics would say that we never get that opportunity. If you’ve lost someone important to you, you’ve probably at least imagined having… Read More ›
Come for the cast in novel adaptation “Here Are the Young Men” and little else.
Coming of age stories come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they’re joyous, ridiculous tales like Weird Science (1985), dramatic like Baby, Don’t Cry (2021), or explorations of addiction and trauma like Trainspotting (1996). The story within writer/director Eoin Macken’s… Read More ›
“It Takes Three” adapts the story of “Cyrano de Bergerac” with an ‘80s rom-com swagger.
The biggest reason to stop telling people what films they should love or hate is primarily due to its icky gatekeeping factor, but, secondarily, there’s no telling what people will connect to and when. There are as many people out… Read More ›
“Hellbender” shows off one family’s filmmaking talents but falls flat under the weight of its poorly developed plot and dialogue. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
From Rosemary’s Baby to False Positive, Psycho to Mommie Dearest, motherhood and the horror genre are a match made in heaven. The labyrinth of psycho-socio-political issues surrounding motherhood, pregnancy, and the mother-child relationship has truly found its home in horror… Read More ›
“Follow The Light (Hikariwooikakete)” paints a beautiful picture of adolescence with romance, family drama… and a crop circle [Fantasia International Film Festival]
For most people, the teen years come with a myriad of confusing emotions, drastic life changes, and embarrassing incidents. For Akira and Maki, the young protagonists of Yoichi Narita’s Follow The Light, those formative years also bring a number of… Read More ›
Coming of age comedy “The Get Together” pulls through with an endearing charm.
Storytelling is essential. It’s one of the easiest ways to communicate our values, express our beliefs, and process our experiences. Even our 280-character tweets are a form of storytelling, and many of us couldn’t make it a single day without… Read More ›
Director Paul Starkman showcases his mastery of filmmaking in his feature debut, “Wheels.”
Wheels starts with its greatest strength: music. A lively rock-n-roll tune plays over a black screen as a few opening credits fly by, and we hear the protagonist, Max (Arnstar), introduce himself while doing what he loves most: DJing. But… Read More ›
Unexpectedly, “Spontaneous” offers much needed catharsis during a time of pandemic.
It’s in the strangest of places that we often find that which affirms life. It could be a sunrise, a child’s laugh, a taste of pumpkin spice pick-a-thing, a song you’ve heard a million times, or a film you’re experiencing… Read More ›
Sabrina Mertens’s “Time of Moulting (Fellwechselzeit)” lacks urgency within its coming of age tale. [Fantasia Film Festival]
Teen angst. Everyone has had it; hell, I still have it and I’m 24 (today is my birthday when this is published). It’s generally an integral part of our shaping as adults by going through the hormonal and emotional rollercoaster… Read More ›
“House of Hummingbird” is an exercise in patience with a profound emotional payoff.
There’s something ubiquitous about adolescence that makes coming-of-age stories. It doesn’t matter what era or culture they derive or take place within, because there’s something universal, even in their specificity: the social awkwardness, the longing for connection, the need to… Read More ›
Teen comedy “CRSHD” is a fun and colorful take on coming-of-age in the social media generation.
From Rebel Without a Cause (1955) to The Breakfast Club (1985) to Lady Bird (2017), each generation has its special coming-of-age films that it can claim as its own. These are the movies grounded in a cultural milieu that take… Read More ›
“Clementine” has all the makings of a juicy coming-of-age story, but struggles to pull it all together.
From writer/director Lara Jean Gallagher, Clementine is a psychological drama and emotional think-piece that deals with the consequences of a breakup and the rocky, unstable journey from one stage of life to the next. Aspiring artist Karen (Otmara Marrero) is… Read More ›
Coming of age tale “Banana Split” balances comedy and romance to create a unique tale.
With the right amount of comedy and romance and the vibe of a coming of age tale, Banana Split is a poignant and profoundly resonating story that’s about the struggles of friendships and the overall impact they will have on… Read More ›
Director Alexandre Moratto crafts a personal portrait reflective of his experiences in “Socrates”.
From the opening shot of director Alexandre Moratto’s Brazilian coming-of-age drama, Socrates, audiences will recognize that they are in for a very personal, brutally honest, and unrelenting emotional journey following the life of a struggling young teen in São Paulo…. Read More ›
“All These Small Moments” is a surprisingly refreshing mix of clever dialogue and fabulous performances.
The idea of a coming-of-age teen comedy-drama is far from original in the film industry. If anything, it’s one of the most heavily-treaded upon sub-genres. From Stand by Me to Lady Bird to The 400 Blows, these films come in… Read More ›