THE MAZE RUNNER: SCORCH TRIALS is a fast-paced, involving adventure tale that is better than the original. Where that installment, though entertaining enough, had the usual quota of young adult novel clichés, this one is a lean, mean look at a dystopian future run by an evil entity with noble intentions. Those are, of course,… Read More »
HOME is Where the Heart is
Based on the novel “The True Meaning of Smekday” by Adam Rex, HOME is a sweet animated film that is equal parts cheery and poignant. Aimed more at kids than at adults, it takes the time-honored themes of friendship, family, and keeping promises and wraps them in an imaginative new package as shiny and inviting… Read More »
THE DUFF Rules
There are, to be sure, the usual tropes of high school angst and triumph to be found in THE DUFF, based on the book by Kody Keplinger, but this is a film distinguished by sprightly, intelligent writing, and outstanding performances that are not just funny, but also perceptive and nuanced. Except for the high school… Read More »
HOLES
There is an attitude among some filmmakers that children’s films should be anything but sophisticated, rather, they should be simple in theme and execution and excruciating for anyone over the age of five. Not just the flicks for little kids, either, as evidenced by such recent mush as WHAT A GIRL WANTS. And for those… Read More »
Andrew Davis and Louis Sachar’s Perfect HOLES
If I had had any doubts about HOLES being one of the big summer films of 2003, they were all put to rest by the audience reaction the film and its makers received at one of the two press screenings that I went to. The audience was packed with kids of all ages who adored Louis… Read More »
Jason Reitman Is A YOUNG ADULT
When I spoke with Jason Reitman on December 2, 2011, he had just finished the “get to know us” tour for YOUNG ADULT. It was his way of sneaking the film under the radar directly to audiences in seven lucky cities. The film breaks many rules, including the biggest one, the main character doesn’t change.… Read More »
Stephen Chbosky Describes THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
Stephen Chbosky is a patient man. He could have sold the rights to make THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER when he first published that novel in 1999. Instead, he waited until he could not only write the script himself, but also direct. When I spoke with him on August 24, 2012, the first thing… Read More »