Alonso and I were both pleased to find that this was better than the average teen weepy. Chloe Grace Moretz stars as a cello prodigy trapped between life and death after a devastating car accident. Should she stay or should she go?...
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RogerEbert.com — The Fault in Our Stars
I will happily admit to having tears streaming down my face as I read John Green’s juggernaut best seller “The Fault in Our Stars.” But the awkward film version felt emotionally inert, despite the lovely, accessible presence of Shailene Woodley. The tween and teen girls are angry about my RogerEbert.com...
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The boys and I compare how much we cried (or didn’t) while watching the film version of novelist John Green’s pop-culture phenomenon about teen cancer patients in love....
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Divergent
Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before: In a rigidly structured, dystopian future, one extraordinary teenage girl will emerge as either its savior or its destroyer. “Divergent,” based on the Veronica Roth novel, definitely follows a familiar, young-adult formula. But the performances — namely from stars Shailene...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — Divergent
Like Tris standing before all those bowls at the Choosing Ceremony, I’m mixed on “Divergent.” But I’m way more positive on it than Matt and Alonso are. Then again, I made myself read the book — and now I actually want to read the next two....
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Endless Love
My love … there’s only you in my life. And this remake which in no way resembles the 1981 Franco Zeffirelli original. Director and co-writer Shana Feste kept the names the same in adapting this melodramatic story of forbidden teenage love, but she took out all the crazy. My RogerEbert.com...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — Endless Love
The remake of the ’80s forbidden teen romance “Endless Love” creates the sensation of watching two toned, tanned Abercrombie & Fitch models fall in love. Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde have real chemistry during the flirtatious, falling-in-love stage, but director and co-writer Shane Feste unfortunately took out all the crazy...
Read moreGimme Shelter
Roadside Attractions PG-13 for mature thematic material involving mistreatment, some drug content, violence and language — all concerning teens. Running time: 101 minutes. One and a half stars out of four. “Gimme Shelter” is a clunkily-made, batshit-crazy parable that hammers you over the head with its Christian, anti-abortion message. An...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — Gimme Shelter
It’s just a shot away … it’s just a shot away … Wait, sorry. This is not a documentary about the rioting at Altamont, nor is it an analysis of Martin Scorsese’s use of pop music in his films. But man, you’ll wish it were. Vanessa Hudgens continues to shed...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — Short Term 12
We all went a little nuts for the great indie drama “Short Term 12,” featuring a long-overdue lead performance from the versatile Brie Larson....
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