What Barry Jenkins (Medicine for Melancholy) has created in Moonlight is nothing short of exquisite. Sure, it’s getting high praise from critics, breaking limited release box office records, and likely by the time general audience see this little indie they will wonder what the fuss is all about. There are two types of films that […]
Surprise! This is a clever film making a comedy of intelligent protest against ridiculously stringent rules at a middle school, where the principal is more about power than about education. Poor Rafe (Gluck) (as in Rules Aren’t for Everyone) has been accepted into the only school left for him after suspensions from other schools. He
Chad Hartigan’s film Morris From America is a vibrant and unique take on the coming of age story. Not particularly a film about race, creed, or even location, Hartigan explores relatable themes like loss, friendships, puberty and single parenthood. Christmas makes his feature film debut and feels so embedded in the character it never feels
Logan Lerman has long been a rising star in Hollywood. His first big role alongside Christian Bale and Russell Crowe in 3:10 to Yuma led him the leading role in the Percy Jackson franchise. It wasn’t until the indie hit The Perks of Being a Wallflower that his talent was noted by critics. A stand
It might just be the most adorable film of 2016. Writer/director Taika Waititi (Eagle vs. Shark, What We Do in the Shadows) has crafted a film that appeals to all ages. For younger children it’s a wild adventure in the New Zealand bush, for adults it’s a hilarious coming of age story. Hunt for the
Irish filmmaker John Carney continues to carve out a specific niche in cinema that audiences can’t seem to get enough of. One might think that film after film with a narrative set to characters becoming musicians would get old. Carney’s scripts are personal, like our lead character in the film who writes songs about the
Continuing the 2014 SXSW obsession with teenage coming of age stories, Ping Pong Summer is the least impressive in the crowded field (see Hellion, Boyhood, and Wilderness of James for better examples). Sure, they have Susan Sarandon in the film for maybe ten minutes total, but her presence is so underserved here. It also occurs
Probably the most common theme at SXSW is that of the young teenage boy trying to find himself. With a new filmmaker trying to cut his teeth on a first feature, it isn’t surprising that writer/director Michael Johnson uses the stereotypical drugs, alcohol abuse, and depression to wade through self discovery. “Each man’s wilderness is
