[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 it to hidden treasure, encountering criminals on the run from the law, a deformed cellar-dweller, bats, booby traps, and more. I was eleven when I …
[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, with three teen boys trying to lose it, whether it’s to coked-out party girls, an over-sexed Spanish pizza delivery customer, or a hooker with crabs. …
[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, character-driven coming of age story featuring terrific performances from Matt Dillon (his first film) and Michael Kramer. While the kids are the protagonists, I appreciate …
[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 sexual urges. But their parents and their own conflicted emotions end up tearing them apart, with Bud wandering aimlessly and Deanie landing in psychiatric care. …
[6] Paul Verhoeven (Turkish Delight, RoboCop) directs this story based on the book by Neel Doff, about an impoverished Dutch immigrant who turns to prostitution to make ends meet and winds up joining the socialist rebellion. Katie Tippel‘s plotline meanders and pushes most of her character transformation to the final act. But while it takes a while to get to the point, the movie’s never …
[8] Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Ritter star in this tale of two boys from different sides of the tracks who form a tenuous, unlikely friendship over time, until one boy’s secret and the other’s temper threaten to pull them apart. I think this might be one of the most enlightening examinations of bullying yet put to the screen. I expected the story to unfold predictably …
[6] Matt Dillon stars in this Francis Ford Coppola film about a high school hooligan who’s infamous older brother (Mickey Rourke) comes back to town to try and change his bleak outlook on life. Rumble Fish is based on a novel by The Outsiders author, S.E. Hinton. It’s a less compelling story and lacks a strong narrative through-line. Dillon does a fine job carrying the …
[6] Liam James stars as a shy fourteen-year-old forced to suffer summer vacation with his freshly-divorced mother (Toni Collette) and her nasty boyfriend (Steve Carell). While he waits for his mother to grow a pair and throw the bum out, the boy finds solace at a nearby water park where the bohemian manager (Sam Rockwell) gives him the confidence to come out of his shell. …
[8] Robert Sean Leonard, Christian Bale, and Frank Whaley play tight-knit German teenagers rebelling against the growing Nazi party by embracing a counter culture of long hair and banned U.S. swing music. But as each of the boys is pressured into joining Hitler’s Youth organization, difficult and deadly decisions are made. Swing Kids is surprisingly dark for a film hiding under a Disney-esque veneer. And …
[7] As if pre-teen and teenaged girls didn’t already scare the shit out of me, Catherine Hardwicke (who later helmed the first Twilight flick) had to go ahead and direct this harrowing descent into hormonal angst. Evan Rachel Wood turns in a fine performance as Tracy, a young lady we barely get to know before she’s experimenting with needles, drugs, petty crime, sex, cutting herself, …
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