A Bittersweet Tale of Childhood Innocence, ‘Misunderstood’ Charms
Initially dismissed as a film for children, Misunderstood reveals some mature ideas about childhood and family and would sit better with adult audiences.
coming-of-age
Director Mark Pellington on His Timeless Coming-of-Age Debut ‘Going All the Way’
Still courtesy of Oscilloscope
Eating Boys and Growing Tails: “Menstruosity” Body Horror in Film
In coming-of-age, “menstruosity” body horror films, the Final Girl is the sexual transgressor. As her sexual freedom grows, so does her monstrosity.
What’s So Great About Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Licorice Pizza’?
Gary of Licorice Pizza behaves like all male characters from Paul Thomas Anderson’s gallery of sociopaths, except now the type is cast as a romantic hero.
Smoking Saved My Life: A Skinny Jewish Kid Comes of Age in the Haze of American Violence
As cool as Marlon Brando, James Dean, Jack Kerouac or Dalton Trumbo, rebel Max "Flaco" Greenbaum grows up in Watts Riots-Vietnam-draft-era L.A. Too smart (and smart-mouthed) for school, the violence of this world is drawn in deep and lingers like the long, slow, life-saving drag of a cigarette.
Hulu’s ‘Ramy’ Offers a Refreshing Angle on the Coming-of-Age Dramedy
Ramy's representation of the Muslim-American experience, the first-generation immigrant experience, and the bilingual experience, is a necessary and welcome addition to the millennial dramedy genre.
‘Milkman’ Is a Rich Read about Violence and Silence
For a book so full of coded language, innuendoes, gossip, and rumors, Anna Burns' award-winning Milkman is perhaps really about silence.
‘Boy Erased’ Is an Easy-to-Swallow Capsule of Sexual Repression
Director Joel Edgerton's well-intentioned drama about gay conversion therapy fails to deliver any new insight or even a good cry.
Reading ‘Paradise Rot’ Will Leave You Feeling Woozy
Jenny Hval is writing for the senses, conjuring with almost nauseating accuracy sensations both mundane and extraordinary.
‘Mid90s’ Is a Winning Story about the Losers
Jonah Hill's directorial debut is a deceptively rich examination of the male psyche.
A Stranger Thing: Shannon Purser on ‘Sierra Burgess Is a Loser’
Shannon Purser discusses her debut role in film, Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, catfishing, and the unrealistic expectations imposed on today's youth.