coming of age archives - Page 12 of 36

The 5th Wave movie review: disaster movie, in more ways than one

Fri, Jan 22, 2016

Lazy and trite, with a passive protagonist. It’s as if no one here understands the appeal of the postapocalyptic YA genre it is attempting to piggyback on.

Jem and the Holograms movie review: rock ’n’ roll fantasy

Wed, Jan 20, 2016

12 comments

Utterly implausible on every level, and ultimately rather insulting: a bit of glitter and lots of hugs are the sum total of its “girl power.”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie review: a new hope

Thu, Dec 17, 2015

99 comments

Charts a path to a future that refuses to get mired in nostalgia. Yet all the Star Wars notes are here, remixed into a glorious new arrangement.

The Good Dinosaur movie review: bad dinosaur, bad

Tue, Nov 24, 2015

94 comments

Shamefully banal; such a confused mess that I cannot even figure out what the title is supposed to mean. A slap in the face to Pixar fans after Inside Out.

Brooklyn movie review: across the ocean to find yourself

Wed, Nov 11, 2015

3 comments

Beautifully portrays a very universal experience — not only of immigration but of growing up — via an elegantly nuanced performance by Saoirse Ronan.

Run movie review: all the unrest of Ivory Coast, all in one man (FilmAfrica festival)

Wed, Nov 04, 2015

no comments yet

Prophecy and politics are intertwined in a realm where strange and beautiful imagery takes on dark meaning, and violence and male posturing rules all.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl movie review: sick of it

Fri, Sep 04, 2015

45 comments

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl gets sick, but she can still inspire a man to better himself, while also adding a dash of repugnant narcissism to the subgenre.