Booksmart

In June of nineteen-hundred-and-eighty-three (said in my best old guy voice) I waited for Pomp and Circumstance to start while standing in line behind Steve Copenhaver and beside Mary Simons. We had a high school graduation to get through so that we could start the next chapter of our lives.

90 minutes earlier I drank my first-ever beer while at a party near Summersville Lake.

I felt exhilarated but anxious; I wasn't intoxicated, but I worried the drunk would suddenly hit me as I walked across the stage to get my diploma. Sorta like after one takes a hit of acid and waits for it to kick in, I nervously anticipated that Budweiser buzz and prayed it didn't hit at the wrong time.

The naïve angst of teenagers, eh?

Navigating the social trappings of high school can be daunting, and I wasn't different from any other student. Our school had the usual cliques -- each comprised of kids who thought we were unique when really we'd just conformed like everyone else. I made it through high school without too many scrapes and bruises, but it was the near future that worried me most.

I was uncertain about a future outside my small hometown and without my small circle of friends. And the uncertainty scared me.

I suspect even the most mature high school graduates feels anxious about the major transition being thrust upon them. Pre-graduation time moves slowly, providing ample time for kids to reflect on their growth and their failings. And the social infrastructure that made up our world for years starts to crumble in those final weeks of high school.

I guzzled a beer to see what all the fuss was about. In Booksmarts, Amy and Molly step away from their rigid studies to party with classmates they've learned beside for years but barely know. They wanna know what they've been missing.

The result is a coming-of-age teen comedy that's fresh and entertaining.

Directed by Olivia Wilde, Booksmarts works on several levels: the dialogue is honest, characters are deeper than the stereotypes they initially seem to represent, and the comedy is smart.  But it's the relationship between leads Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Deaver that makes this flick work.

The audience believes the pair have known and loved each other for a lifetime. Wilde uses small moments throughout the film -- my favorite being early in the movie when Amy picks up Molly from her home to drive her to school -- to show that these girls deeply understand, respect, and love each other.

You'll recognize yourself in the adventures Molly and Amy have in the days leading up to their high school graduation. And because of Wilde's direction and the acting chops of Deaver and Feldstein, you'll understand, respect, and love these girls too.

Blinded By The Light

"Blinded By the Light is out tonight," I yelled to my daughter Griffyn, who I figured would be the most willing in my family to grant my last minute ask. 

"Let's go see it!" 

She loves the buttered popcorn, and she's into great song lyrics. So on any night of the week she'd be into seeing this particular movie. 

Tonight, though, happened to be the last Friday night she'll be at home before moving out for college. Several weeks ago I was excited and proud as I watched her pack up her room; now, as time draws close, I'm heartbroken.

I want more time with her. 

I got somethin' in my heart

I've been waitin' to give.

I got a life I wanna start

One I've been waitin' to live

Blinded's Javed Khan can't wait to get out of his home and get on with his life. His is an isolated existence filled with racial strife and economic struggles. He identifies with lyrics written by The Boss: tramps like Springsteen and Khan, baby they were born to run.

In between bites of popcorm I found myself watching Griffyn, especially during the movie's most emotional scenes. We haven't talked much about the fact she's moving out. It's an emotional challenge for me, and it's a challenge I'm not facing well.

Did she identify with the lead character, I wondered? Was she eager to get the hell out and start this new adventure? Were Springsteen's lyrics speaking to her, too?

Talk about a dream,

Try to make it real

"That was a really great movie," she said as we discarded our trash and headed toward the exit. On the way to the car we talked about the plot, praised the acting, and talked about how Springsteen has written so many lyrics that inspire.

"You know," she said as we drove out of the parking garage, "I'll be moving out in just a few days. I'm nervous, but I'm excited too. It will all be OK, but I'm going to miss seeing you every day."

Same, kid.  . . . same.

You've got to learn to live

With what you can't rise above

The Kitchen

Dear Couple In Row B:

I'm glad you enjoyed The Kitchen.

Despite being seated seven rows behind you  -- and on the far right of the theater, while you were on the far left -- I overheard you talking to each other about how much you loved the flick. You loved the soundtrack. You loved the violence. You loved watching the women grow from milquetoasts to badass gangsters.

I know you loved it because you talked about how much you loved it. From start to finish. From opening to closing credits.

Between several really loud burps you loved it.

Between your inappropriate knee-slaps and laughter -- it's wasn't a comedy, after all -- you loved it.

Between the dozens of loud, Marlboro-influenced coughs you loved it.

Me?

It was OK?

Once Upon A Time In . . . Hollywood

In case you didn't know, Once Upon A Time In . . . Hollywood is director Quentin Tarantino's ninth movie.

(And how could you not know this? For months, trailers promoted the movie by plastering "QUENTIN TARANTINO'S 9TH MOVIE" across the screen in bold, 1970s-style lettering as if to announce the second coming of Christ.)

Tarantino has stated several times during interviews that he plans to retire after his tenth flick. If and when this happens I'll no longer have reason to be annoyed by his self-indulgence and his love affair with Hollywood.

But then again, we'll be losing a master storyteller.

Tarantino tells stories in a way that just draws me in and keeps me there. His tricks of the trade -- highly saturated colors designed to set a mood, close-ups shots that linger on a character longer than necessary, rapid-fire dialogue interspersed with extended periods of silence, non-linear story-telling, cartoonish violence, and eclectic musical scores -- are all there in Hollywood.

And the results are as good as any Tarantino flick yet.

Once Upon A Time In . . . Hollywood blends real and imagined events to tell the story of a society in transition. Actor Rick Dalton, played masterfully by Leonardo DiCaprio, struggles to find his place as the film industry and American culture evolve from a simple to a more complicated existence. Frightened and insecure, Dalton finds comfort in routine. His stunt double Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt, provides for Dalton the consistency and confidence he needs to get by.

Their friendship is unflappable and a real joy to watch.

Tarantino uses this Tinseltown setting to re-image the Manson Family murders of Sharon Tate and four friends that took place on Cielo Drive during the summer of 1969. Hollywood is a fairytale, after all, and fairytales are best when they combine myth with truth.

And with this movie, Tarantino tells a Hollywood fairytale that is both satisfying and fun to watch.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Truly great special effects 

+ Tom Holland as Peter Parker

 + sound script with humor =

Why Marvel will always produce better movies than DC