“The Battle of Shaker Heights” is the second offering released and made from the successful HBO reality series “Project Green light” which chronicles the search for a screenplay and director in which Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will produce for one million dollars. The main reason to watch “Battle of Shaker Heights”? The cast. Though the characters are so under-developed, the cast does their best and they manage to make this memorable. Amy Smart gives a great performance as the sexy older woman with mystique and is pretty good with her character.
Tag Archives: Coming of Age
About a Boy (2002)
Will is a self-centered rich bachelor who enjoys the fine art of meeting women and basically tends to himself. Marcus (Nicholas Hault) is a young boy who lives with his hippie Mother and is bullied non-stop at school. In a chance meeting, Will and Marcus meet, and after Marcus’ mother attempts suicide, Marcus begins clinging to Will, asking for his advice and going to his house. Will, basically frustrated, begins to take a liking to the kid, and begins wondering if there is more to life than watching television and trying to get laid. This movie garnered rave reviews, so when that occurs, I just have to see what I’m missing for myself.
Stolen Summer (2002)
Set in 1976, young Pete O’Malley (newcomer Adiel Stein) lives in a suburb with his Irish Catholic family. He is told by a nun he will go to hell if he continues his bratty ways. Scared by this comment, he decides to go on a “quest” and convert a Jewish person into a Catholic so they can get to heaven. He then meets Jewish boy Danny Jacobsen, the son of a rabbi who is suffering from Leukemia, and the two go on a “quest” to get Danny into heaven. I was rather curious to see this, due to the amount of attention this received from many. The entire movie relies on the performance of Adiel Stein, who does a pretty good job in the film. He’s charming and wide-eyed with a lot of enthusiasm and does a good job. The best aspects of this movie, though, are the character actors that make this enjoyable.
Bubble Boy (2001)
I was skeptical going into “Bubble Boy,” but as I was finishing it, I must admit it won me over mainly for its eccentric tone and “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” inspired flights of fantasy and surreal. Jake Gyllenhaal (in a goofy doo that admittedly tries too hard to gauge laughs) plays Jimmy, a boy who when he was born did not have any immunities. He’s a generally lonely boy with a very overbearing mother who protects him from the outside world as he lives in his bubble watching everything go by.
He then meets Chloe as played by Marley Shelton who begins to teach him about the world and she eventually falls in love with him. But Jimmy keeps her from truly touching him, which she wants more than anything. Eventually, she meets another guy who she tells Jimmy she’s going to marry him. Jimmy knows this guy is wrong for her, but he doesn’t stop her. Now, still in love with her, Jimmy breaks free from his bubble and goes on the road to Niagara Falls to keep her from marrying. In a protective bubble he meets a whole cast of freaks, bikers, and a cult who thinks he’s a god. Will he be able to stop the girl he loves from making the biggest mistake of her life?
“Bubble Boy” is a very niche comedy with an odd sense of humor that’s more about personal limitations we set for ourselves, more than turning the illness of the bubble boy in to a caricature. The way Jimmy perceives the world is something you only see in cartoons and I found it quite funny. Though “Bubble Boy” is mainly a comedy, it has a ton of heart and tries to build a fun adventure out of the drive Jimmy has to seal hi romance with his girlfriend. I won’t argue “Bubble Boy” is a masterpiece, but it’s a fun and oddly entertaining twist on the road trip film. While it won’t make Jimmy in to the next Pee Wee Herman, it at least aspires for off the wall fun.
Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
“Hearts in Atlantis” is an unique tale about a young boy named Bobby and his single mother who live by themselves. Bobby lost his father when he was a young boy and desperately seeks companionship. In moves Ted Brautigan played by Anthony Hopkins. He’s a mysterious man who opens Bobby’s eyes to friendship, the hardships of life, and love. This is a somewhat somber movie that shows it has a lot of heart. David Morse, the great character actor, is the narrator and provides the role of the adult Bobby.