Currently browsing the "coming of age" tag.

The Art of Getting By

The Art of Getting By is another one of those small movies that may get lost in the summer swarm because it’s good, but not good enough to generate much buzz.

Flipped

Meathead makes some pretty good movies, and while I didn’t completely “flip” over Flipped, I definitely did like it. Director Rob Reiner delivers a sweet, simple, yet entertaining movie that provides a nice break from all the highly-hyped, big-budget, sensory-overload movies that tend to dominate the summer box office.

The Young Victoria

To look at The Young Victoria for historical accuracy would be the wrong way to approach it. Screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) admits to taking dramatic license in many places for effect. And it is effective as a coming of age love story set inside that gilded cage known as the British monarchy. The story begins with 17 year-old Victoria a heartbeat away from being crowned Queen, as her mother, the scheming Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson), along with her power hungry advisor (Mark Strong) attempt to set up a regency thereby taking power themselves until she is 25. (Mark Strong is also the villain in Sherlock Holmes, set in the same time period. Hmmm.) They control her every move, making someone walk her up and down the stairs, deciding what she can and cannot read, making sure that she is kept away from her uncle the King, everything designed to dominate her. But she is strong enough to resist them, though she falls instead under the control of Prime Minister Lord Melbourne.

Whip It

Whip It is a good little chick flick. Sure, it’s predictable and thin on story. But it’s fun – a theatrical joyride on skates. Think Juno meets Roller Derby.

When Ruo Ma was Seventeen

This sweet coming of age story is almost worth seeing just for the scenery alone. Shot in southern China’s Yunnan province, When Ruo Ma was Seventeen uses the beautiful landscape of terraced paddy fields as a reminder that we are not in any place we know. It is far removed from our world. But Ruo Ma has lived here all her life with her old grandma, working these terraced fields with her fellow Hani (aka Xiani.) Now 17, she goes to town to make some money selling roasted corn on the street.