The film stars Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland) as George, a smart but fatalistic teen who doesn’t see the value in completing his schoolwork, because hey – we’re all just gonna die someday anyway. That argument doesn’t hold much water with the school’s principal (Blair Underwood) who gives George an ultimatum to complete a year’s worth of homework assignments in the next three weeks– or don’t bother coming to graduation.

The ultimatum doesn’t motivate George nearly as much as his budding friendship with a pretty, but complicated classmate named Sally (Emma Roberts). After he impulsively covers for her when she’s about to be caught smoking on the school’s roof, Sally invites the loner George into her active social circle and the two develop a special bond that is both sweet and awkward.

The Art of Getting By is a somewhat typical coming-of-age story loaded with the usual mix of teen angst, troubles at home, indifference at school, romantic rivalries and emotional turmoil. It’s also sweet and sensitive and sometimes funny. But it feels surprisingly long given its 84 minute running time.

On the plus side, Highmore and Roberts seem to be mastering the transition from “kid actor” to “Actor” with remarkable skill and grace. I expect good things from both in the years ahead.

The Art of Getting By is rated PG-13 for all the reasons you’d expect in an angst-ridden coming-of-age flick – drinking, mature themes, teen lust, etc., but it doesn’t ever get raunchy. Bonus points for that!

Flipped is a romantic dramedy about a first crush, as seen and told – twice – from the perspectives of both the boy, Bryce Loski, and the girl, Juli Baker, as they grow up across the street from each other. When the two first meet, as seven year olds, Juli is instantly smitten, while Bryce is still very much in the “girls are icky” stage. Of course, by the time Bryce starts to see Juli as the pretty, intelligent and compassionate girl that she is, her view of him takes a less flattering turn.

Flipped is a bit of a throwback. It takes place in the 1950s and ‘60s and relies on a lot of voiceover narration that gives the movie a definite Wonder Years vibe. So if you liked that particular tv show, you’ll definitely like this movie. It’s got a lot of heart and an interesting supporting cast that includes Penelope Ann Baker and Aidan Quinn as Mr. and Mrs. Baker, and Anthony Edwards and Rebecca De Mornay as Mr. and Mrs. Loski. We see just enough of them to understand how their personal triumphs, fears, and prejudices helped shape their childrens’ character.

John Mahoney (of Frasier fame) plays Bryce’s grandfather, Chet, who finds a kindred spirit in Juli, who reminds him of his  late wife. Bryce is slow to understand or appreciate the friendship between his grandfather and the girl that he’s tried so desperately to avoid over the years.

The movie stars relative unknowns Madeline Caroll as Juli and Callan McAuliffe as Bryce. McAuliffe reminds me of a young Leo DiCaprio circa Growing Pains. He’s a cutie, but ultimately this is Caroll’s movie. It’s her character’s point-of-view that drives the emotion of the movie. That said, it’s a testament to good casting that you barely notice when the actors change to the teen-aged versions of their younger selves.

In the end, you can’t help but root for the pair and wonder about their future… as friends, as neighbors, and perhaps as something more.

This movie seems to be opening rather sporadically across the country. So you may have to keep an eye out for it – in theaters, or on-demand/DVD. Or, you can read the novel it’s based on – “Flipped”,  by Wendelin Van Draanen.

Of course, any woman who is to be Queen of England is bait for the royal houses of Europe and soon enough Leopold of Belgium is sending his nephews to pay her a visit in hopes of uniting their houses and gaining some political leverage. Happily, young Albert (Rupert Friend) takes a shine to his cousin Victoria and the attraction is mutual. And while the politics of her life swirl around her, they flirt, write and finally get married. And at its core that is what The Young Victoria is all about — a great love. History has many proofs of Victoria’s undying devotion for Albert; the Albert Hall is just one of many monuments she dedicated to him after he died.

The first part of The Young Victoria may seem like a lot of exposition, and if you’ve watched many movies about the monarchy, it might seem a bit clichéd. But once Albert enters the picture, the film picks up. He takes her out of her proscribed life and gives her some joy. They make a happy, lovely couple. Albert is serious, thoughtful, smart and the kind of man Victoria needs. But of course, having been controlled by people her whole life, she doesn’t give him power easily. The film only covers the first part of their lives together. One only wonders what happened next.

Emily Blunt is wonderful as Victoria, displaying small hints of her inner personality while staying in her role as the young princess/queen; she takes the required arm down the stairs, but defiantly hops with both feet at the last step. And Rupert Friend gives Albert a warmth below his seriousness that makes him endearing. I would recommend this to people who enjoy a period piece, or those who would like a peek inside the palaces of British royalty. It is a nice love story, too.

For the historically accurate view click here.

Whip It

Ellen Page (Juno) plays Bliss Cavendar, a high school teenager who’s stuck in a rut in her small hometown of Bodeen, Texas, where life revolves around beauty pageants, football games and massive pork barbeque at the local Oink Joint. Bliss is a gal in search of something more… and she finds it, with a women’s roller derby league in nearby Austin.

If only it were that simple. But this is a movie, so we need conflict! Here goes: Bliss is only 17, so she has to lie about her age to avoid getting parental consent to skate (after all, she’s supposed to be studying for her SATs and preparing for the next beauty pageant). Her best friend and fellow waitress at the Oink Joint, Pash (Alia Shawkat) watches her back, until Bliss screws up the friendship by taking off with an indie rocker who eventually breaks her heart. And, wouldn’t ya know it, the championship roller derby game is the same day as the year’s most important beauty pageant!

Okay, so maybe I’m being a bit facetious with the plot synopsis. Truth is, the best part of this movie is the roller skating – and the peek inside a subculture where a bunch of women with nicknames like Babe Ruthless, Maggie Mayhem, Rosa Sparks, Bloody Holly and Smashlee Simpson can bond and kick butt at the same time.

Whip It is the first feature film directed by Drew Barrymore (a.k.a Smashlee Simpson) and it’s a fine, fun inaugural flick. Marcia Gay Harden turns in a sweet, poignant performance as Bliss’s mother, and Kristen Wiig (of SNL fame) is surprisingly strong as a single mom/roller derby player who takes Bliss under her wing.

Chicks who tend to lean toward romantic comedies/dramas will likely enjoy Whip It. And rooster companions should be appeased by the roller derby action (attractive women in fishnet stockings throwing fists, elbows and body blows. What’s not to like?). You won’t leave the theater thinking “Oscar”. But you will want your very own roller derby nickname. I’m thinking Mainstream Chick-a-Boom-Boom…

Tourists flock to this quaint town to see the famous terraces and to gawk at the local minority people, the Hani. As Ruo Ma sells her corn in the town, tourists notice her exotic beauty and pose with her for photos. At first she is embarrassed. But when a young photographer who is living in the town gets her to smile for them, young Ruo Ma gets her first crush. The photographer has come to the town to work on his own budding career. Early on we see he is not doing so well; the landlord is hounding him to pay the rent and all he can say is, my girlfriend will pay when she gets here. In the meantime, he talks Ruo Ma into posing for tourists for money with him getting a cut. Ruo Ma is enchanted by this big-city stranger and fascinated by the idea of getting to go to the city and ride on an elevator. But the girlfriend does show up and briefly gets in the way of Ruo Ma’s friendship trying to talk the photographer into coming back to the city with her. Eventually, she leaves and Ruo Ma’s flirtation builds.

There is a sweet scene where the photographer comes to her house out in the country and the two of them run along the tops of the terraces until he falls into the water and they have a water fight. When the landlord finally lays down the law and the photographer decides to throw in the towel and return to the city, Ruo Ma makes plans to go with him.

Li Min as Ruo Ma is just lovely. She is not classically beautiful, but her smile lights up the screen and her reactions to the world are so true. When the photographer gives her a Walkman to listen to music, you would think she’d gone to heaven. This is a sweet story beautifully filmed. Grill some corn and rent it. Released in 2002.