Tag Archives: Coming-of-age drama

Sing Street (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : First Music – and First Love

“Sing Street” is a small but sweet musical movie with lots of charm and energy. While its musical period background is not that familiar to me, I was amused and entertained by its superlative soundtrack consisting of old and new … Continue reading

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A Bronx Tale (1993) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A Bronx boy between two father figures

Any good coming-of-age tale is bound to be evaluated by two questions. What happens to our young lead character in the end besides looking older on the surface? And what happens to us as observing that inevitable process of maturation? … Continue reading

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Theeb (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A simple but haunting tale of a young desert boy

Desert is a harsh environment for any living creature. As watching those barren desert landscapes in Oscar-nominated Jordanian film “Theeb”, I wondered about how men came to live there many thousands years ago. This is a stark world where survival … Continue reading

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When Marnie Was There (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4): The last Ghibli animation, probably

Watching Japanese animated feature film “When Marnie Was There” is a bittersweet experience because this may be the last work from Studio Ghibli, which has been in a ‘temporary’ hiatus period since “When Marnie Was There” was released in Japan … Continue reading

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Dope (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Three Geeks in the Bottoms

“Dope” wants to do many things. At first, it unfolds a coming-of-age comedy drama about three adolescent kids struggling in their rough neighbourhood, and then it tries to be a crime story accompanied with drug and shooting, and then it … Continue reading

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Paper Towns (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): Looking for his gone girl

When she suddenly comes closer to him, he is happy for that. When she is gone then, he is determined to see her again. “Paper Towns” is often predictable, but it handles its story and characters with sincerity and care … Continue reading

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Me and Earl and Dying Girl (2015) ☆☆(2/4): Sweet and quirky and pretentious

“Me and Earl and Dying Girl” is one of those superficially whimsical American independent films often shown at the Sundance Film Festival, and I constantly groaned and grumbled throughout its running time. Brandishing its deliberately quirky style and mood, the … Continue reading

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We Are the Best! (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Not the best, actually

 First, let me talk about how I was not so entertained during the first viewing of Swedish film “We Are the Best!”. While it was interesting to hear a number of Swedish punk rock songs on the soundtrack, they did … Continue reading

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Set Me Free (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A boy suffocated by his harsh world

 Watching “Set Me Free”, which is another small nice surprise from South Korea, is not a pleasant experience – and the same thing can be said about its adolescent hero. While usually being selfish and opportunistic, he is often dishonest … Continue reading

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Ginger & Rosa (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4): A turning point in their relationship and their world

 While we still have more than enough atomic bombs to wipe out the whole civilization of ours, there has not been any moment as fearful as the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Not long after seeing how destructive a small … Continue reading

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