high school

Queerly Ever After #47 THE CURIOSITY OF CHANCE (2006)
Queerly Ever After #47: THE CURIOSITY OF CHANCE (2006)

Queerly Ever After looks into the 2006 teen romantic-comedy The Curiosity of Chance, where a new guy tries to find his place in a new school.

Hoops Season 1: Should've Been A Slam Dunk
Hoops Season 1: Should’ve Been A Slam Dunk

Hoops should have been better. The new Netflix original instead becomes one vulgar joke after another, becoming less funny as time wears on.

Why Extracurricular Didn't Want Parental Guidance
Why Netflix’s Extracurricular Didn’t Want Parental Guidance

The absence of parental guidance through the strategic use of antithesis allows Extracurricular to hold its characters accountable for their mistakes.

SELAH AND THE SPADES: Stone Cold Stylish
SELAH AND THE SPADES: Stone Cold Stylish

Selah and the Spades takes the traditional trappings of coming-of-age stories and views them through a filter of a calculated coldness.

BIG TIME ADOLESCENCE: Familiar But Heartfelt
BIG TIME ADOLESCENCE: Familiar But Heartfelt

In a time of so much uncertainty, a movie like Big Time Adolescence is the very definition of a “comfort watch.” And we could all use that right now.

KNIVES AND SKIN: A Surface Level Stab at Lynchian Horror
KNIVES AND SKIN: A Surface Level Stab At Lynchian Horror

There are some elements to admire in Knives and Skin, but the film ultimately suffers from being an under-baked slice of surrealism set in Midwestern America.

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: Mostly A Success
MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: Mostly A Success

Most Likely To Succeed reaffirms the dispiriting correlation between professional success and racial and class divide, as subtly depicted by Pamela Littky.

BETTER DAYS: A Brutally Candid Chinese Drama About Bullying
BETTER DAYS: A Brutally Candid Chinese Drama About Bullying

Better Days is a mostly earnest drama that plods through bullying, academic stress, murder and tragedy, retaining a fittingly bleak and dolorous tone.

DAYBREAK Season 1: A Post-Apocalyptic Mess
DAYBREAK Season 1: A Post-Apocalyptic Mess

Daybreak is a show begging not to be analysed, instead designed to be consumed mindlessly in one sitting over the Halloween season.

PHILOPHOBIA: Juggling The Competing Affections of Love, Leisure, and Potent Drama
PHILOPHOBIA: Juggling The Competing Affections Of Love, Leisure & Potent Drama

Philophobia is a film where words are meant to have stories unto their own with connotations and nuggets of meaning buried within.

THE MISEDUCATION OF BINDU: A Worthy Coming-Of-Age Story
THE MISEDUCATION OF BINDU: A Worthy Coming-Of-Age Story

Prarthana Mohan’s coming-of-age dramedy The MisEducation of Bindu arranges Grade-A talent, on-screen and behind-the-screen.

TALL GIRL: Netflix Teen Flick Fails To Stand Out
TALL GIRL: Netflix Teen Flick Fails To Stand Out

Unfortunately, Tall Girl takes the typical high school movie beats and fails to do much with them.

Teddy Is My Friend: A Love Letter to PALO ALTO
Teddy Is My Friend: A Love Letter To PALO ALTO

It was kind of odd coming of age in the early 2010’s and seeing these ultra-fantastic teen stories, yet Palo Alto proved to be in a league all its own.

How The Token LGBT High School Character Has Evolved
How The Token LGBTQ High School Character Has Evolved

From being a mere dark joke to being a mere character choice, LGBTQ characters in teen films have completely transformed.

THE RAINBOW EXPERIMENT: Ambitious Education Epic Stretched Too Thin
THE RAINBOW EXPERIMENT: Ambitious Education Epic Stretched Too Thin

With a strong idea that isn’t executed as it should have been, The Rainbow Experiment ends up less enthralling than its titular incident.