Posts Tagged ‘coming of age’
 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ SUNDANCE 2013: “The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman”

It’s a cliche to say, when a director of commercials and music videos helms his or her first feature film, that the result resembles a video extended to feature length–and certainly not one that’s always true,...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ SUNDANCE 2013: “Very Good Girls”

  VERY GOOD GIRLS is set in contemporary Brooklyn, but it’s shot (by Bobby Bukowski) with the kind of gauzy glow that suggests a European perfume commercial.  It’s lovely to look at, but also mystifying and u...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ SUNDANCE 2013: “Toy’s House”

  TOY’S HOUSE is a delightful Sundance surprise, a fresh take on adolescent boys coming of age.  The conceit of Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ film, written by Chris Galletta, is that Joe Toy (Nick Robinson), his best ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ SUNDANCE 2013: “Don Jon’s Addiction”

  When Joseph Gordon-Levitt decided to make his feature writing and directing debut with DON JON’S ADDICTION (starring in it as well), his attitude was clearly Go Big Or Go Home.  To a large extent, he’s pulle...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY FILM REVIEW: “The Way, Way Back”

  THE WAY, WAY BACK:  Watch It At Home – Modestly Engaging Coming-Of-Age Tale THE WAY, WAY BACK is one of the last real indie hopes for a original breakout hit this summer (it was a big buy out of Sundance, a $10M p...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW: “Labor Day”

  LABOR DAY is a beautifully performed, well crafted Harlequin romance.  As such, it’s a shock coming from writer/director Jason Reitman (based on Joyce Maynard’s novel), one that goes in a completely differen...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY Sundance Film Festival Reviews: “To The Stars” & “Sister Aimee”

  TO THE STARS (no distrib):  Tales of small-town outcasts are a regular feature at Sundance, and Martha Stephens’ drama is an accomplished example of the genre.  Shannon Bradley-Colleary’s script is set in ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY Sundance Film Festival Reviews: “Horse Girl,” “Happy Happy Joy Joy” & “Kajillionaire”

  HORSE GIRL (Netflix – February 7):  Every one of the four films Jeff Baena has directed had its premiere at Sundance, with Horse Girl following Life After Beth, Joshy and The Little Hours.  It’s an impressi...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE BIJOU @ TIFF: “Hick”

> Derick Martini’s HICK is like a Sundance movie that took the wrong indie-film exit and wound up in Toronto.  For whatever reason, Toronto’s film festival tends to find itself with fewer stories of young peopl...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY Toronto Film Festival Reviews: “The Worst Person In The World,” “Encounter” & “Compartment No. 6”

  THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (Neon – TBD):  The Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier, despite being a subject of critical raves over the years, hasn’t penetrated the space where arthouse favorites become known...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “The Perks of Being A Wallflower”

  THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER:  Worth A Ticket – The Serious Side of Being a Teen We certainly don’t lack for stories about high school in our popular culture.  The CW and ABCFamily networks are almost en...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Sundance 2024 Film Reviews: “It’s What’s Inside” & “My Old Ass”

  IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE (Netflix – TBD):  The biggest sale of the festival as of this writing–a $17M paycheck from Netflix–was its most dynamite entertainment.  Greg Jardin’s feature wri...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ SUNDANCE 2013: “The Spectacular Now”

  The screenplay for THE SPECTACULAR NOW, a Dramatic Competition entry at Sundance, was written by the team of Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, who also wrote (500) Days of Summer, but the new film has none of the b...
by Mitch Salem