The Kings of Summer (2013)

After the boys of summer have gone

Teenager Joe is struggling at home and struggling at school.  Feeling the need to get away from his life, he has a plan.  Recruiting his friends Patrick and Baggio, the trio builds their own cabin away from civilization.  I am a sucker for coming of age films like this one.  This film has echoes of so many of my favorite kid and teenage films (The Goonies, Super 8, Adventureland).  The overall positive tone of this film is tempered by the black humor and real sadness felt by everyone in the film.

The Kings of Summer reigns supreme with 4 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Writer: Chris Galletta
Starring: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Metacritic: 61%

1981 (2009)

The misadventures of Ricardo Trogi

Written and directed by the adult Trogi, 1981 recounts young Ricardo's move to a new neighbourhood.  I love, I repeat, absolutely love movies about childhood.  The Goonies and Stand By Me are the standards followed closely by The Sandlot.  1981 holds its own against those classics.  This film is really funny and very poignant.  It is also a French Canadian film and is heavy on the dialect.  Ricardo's mom has such a thick accent that I could hardly catch a word she said.  To me that makes her even funnier.

1981 is one of those rare, near perfect films and earns its 5 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Ricardo Trogi
Writer: Ricardo Trogi
Starring: Jean-Carl Boucher, Claudio Colangelo and Sandrine Bisson
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Metacritic: Not Reviewed

Attack the Block (2011)

Aliens don't stand a chance in the ghetto
When aliens attack a tower block (the British equivalent of the ghetto) in London, they get a rude awakening.  A group of teenagers takes it upon themselves to defend their territory no matter the cost.  Reminds me of a passage from Deadline about Oakland, CA when it was invaded with zombies "...they had a lot of places they could hole up, and they had a lot of guns.  Maybe most important of all, thanks to the gang violence I mentioned earlier, they had a lot of people who actually knew how to use the guns".  This is the kind of film I loved as a kid - a film about kids having adventures and being heroes.  Loads of fun, fast paced, full of action, and the kids save the day, Attack the Block is part Goonies, part Gremlins, and part Kick Ass and is a total good time. 


Attack the Block kicks some serious behind with 4 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Joe Cornish
Writer: Joe Cornish
Starring: Nick Frost (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Luke Treadaway (Clash of the Titans)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Metacritic: 75 out of 100

Childhood movie goodness - The Goonies

I was 11 when The Goonies came out. At the time, it may have been the greatest movie I had ever seen. The kids in the movie had adventures that I dreamed I could have.  Plus most of the kids were my age.

Seeing it as an adult, from a filmmaking standpoint, it is a genius film. The dialogue is sharp and witty and has some of the most quotable lines of all time.  Also, few films have such memorable characters - Data and his gadgets, Mikey and his inability to use the right words, Mouth and his mouth, Chunk and the truffle shuffle.  And who could ever forget Sloth? 

The kids' performances are great. The sets are great, the tone of the film, the pacing, everything about it is great. And apart from some editing and continuity issues, it is still a very well made film.  

At some point in my childhood, I recorded it from TV and would watch it a couple of times a week. I pretty much wore out that VHS tape.  At one time in my life I could recite nearly the entire movie.

 I've grown up with the actors from The Goonies and several have been in some of my favorite films - Corey Feldman in Stand By Me and The Lost Boys, Sean Astin in The Lord of the Rings, Josh Brolin in No Country for Old Men.

The Goonies is one of the greatest films from my childhood.   Goonies never say die!

Next time: Star Wars