The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)

[7] Emile Hirsch and Kieran Culkin put in great performances in this odd coming-of-age film about best friends who are constantly rebelling against their Catholic school teacher, a one-legged nun played by Jodie Foster. I like that the characters, even…
Let the Right One In (2008)

Let the Right One In (2008)

[8]  An austere Swedish import that is both a touching coming-of-age story and a disturbing horror film. Let the Right One In centers around twelve-year-old Oskar, a bullied boy who befriends a strange new girl whose arrival into the community…
Hesher (2011)

Hesher (2011)

[7] As a bullied grade-schooler (Devin Brochu) grapples with his mother's death, an enigmatic stoner bad boy named Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) bursts into his life and further complicates things. At first, I worried that Gordon-Levitt would slip into show-off mode,…
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

[7] Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson star in this Howard Deutch-directed film from writer/producer/'80's teen titan' John Hughes. Stoltz is a high schooler pining for a popular girl (Thompson), all while his tom-girl best friend pines for…
Stephen King’s It (1990)

Stephen King’s It (1990)

[7] Seven adults are called together to vanquish a demon clown they defeated as children thirty years ago. This three-hour miniseries based on Stephen King's beloved novel is directed by Tommy Lee Wallace (Halloween III: Season of the Witch) and…
That Was Then… This Is Now (1985)

That Was Then… This Is Now (1985)

[6] Emilio Estevez and Craig Sheffer star as two high school best friends experiencing a rough transition into adulthood. While Sheffer's character is falling in love and leaving behind his delinquent ways, Estevez continues down the darker path, dabbling in…
The Goonies (1985)

The Goonies (1985)

[8] A group of kids who call themselves the Goonies rally together for one last adventure before they're all forced by a real estate meanie to move away from their Pacific northwest coastal community. They find a map and follow…
The Last American Virgin (1982)

The Last American Virgin (1982)

[7] While we were all enjoying the happy horny homogeneity of early '80s teen sex comedies, along came The Last American Virgin, a remake of a 1978 Israeli film Lemon Popsicle. It starts off like any other of its ilk,…
Over the Edge (1979)

Over the Edge (1979)

[8] The teenagers of a sterile suburban experiment turn to drugs and violence as they rebel against cops, teachers, parents and city planners in Over the Edge, directed by Jonathan Kaplan (The Accused, Immediate Family). This is a surprisingly dark,…
Splendor in the Grass (1961)

Splendor in the Grass (1961)

[7] Warren Beatty made his screen debut alongside Natalie Wood in this Elia Kazan film about sexual repression in 1920s middle-America. Beatty and Wood play Bud and Deanie, high school lovers who plan to get married and consummate their growing…