Tag: Coming of Age

Stranger Things. The Full Series in Review

After a long rewatch of Stranger Things, I look at what worked and what did not when creating the threat that would manifest in the small town of Hawkins. Thankfully, for those in the know, no foothold was made, but is this truly the end?

Stranger Things LogoWhen Stranger Things first arrived on Netflix, it began with something wonderfully small. It seemed to be simply about a group of kids playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons, and not expecting that world to manifest around them! After the sudden absence of Will (Noah Schnapp), they had to learn how to become heroes for real. Even though the adults didn’t believe what they’ve encountered is real, what they managed to do was the impossible: to show that dangers lurk in every corner. The shadows are alive, and the necrophagous shadows, well….

From that moment, the series evolved naturally from childhood rituals into becoming adults. As for the fantasy characters they wanted to become, all the visual motifs (including a garbage can lid modified to become a shield) came into place. And the monsters they had to face weren’t just creatures. They were metaphors to something greater shaped by the kids’ references to concepts and entities from this role playing world. Some worked, and others did not, but overall, unless the viewer was in the know, the tie-ins were more than surface level references.

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Predator Badlands – When A Hunter Becomes the Hero

A new perspective freshens Predator Badlands, but at the cost of the franchise’s ferocity. Is the softened tone and redesigns right?

Predator Badlands PosterSpoiler Alert

20th Century Fox’s Predator didn’t just thrill action fans; it roared. It took a simple hook—survival in the jungle—and turned it into one of the toughest films of the 80s. Guerrillas, locals, commandos… none of them realised they were being stalked by something far worse. Predator Badlands carries that same DNA, but flips the lens. This time, the hunter is the hero.

Dex (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is the runt of his clan, desperate to prove himself to a father who’d sooner cull the weak than train them. His brother Kwei (Mike Homik in suit, Stefan Grube on voice) doesn’t think he’s ready. Their dynamic sets the stage fast, and then the film hits full throttle: Pops arrives, declares Dex unworthy, and doesn’t even give the lad a chance. Big brother steps in, pays the price, and the ship bolts off as Dex watches him die. It’s raw, swift, and effective.

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Why Inertia Is A Low-Fi Slice-of-Life Sci-Fi You Can’t Miss

Breaking Glass Pictures’ Inertia tells the story of a teen (Brocagh Lynn) with involuntary temporal abilities, navigating adolescence in a small Pennsylvania town. The film blends sci-fi and emotional resonance, exploring loss, responsibility, and the quiet consequences of extraordinary power.

Inertial Movie PosterAnyone expecting Back to the Future in Breaking Glass Pictures’ Inertia might be surprised. The film’s focus on a teen navigating existence under extraordinary circumstances can feel melodramatic at first, but it’s this very human lens that makes the story compelling. Will Martinko‘s tale feels very rooted on his own experiences, and it shows. And both their struggles are relatable for anyone who has felt trapped by forces beyond their control: he never really had a chance to grow up.

The protagonist (Brocagh Lynn) is restless, and the film opens with a detailed introduction to his father, Dmitri (Aidan Everly), a temporal agent whose job is preventing paradoxes. The father’s work brings him into contact with Mariya (Jelena Uchev), and a one-night encounter results in the birth of the anomaly. The mother flees with her newborn, unaware of the boy’s latent temporal abilities, setting the stage for the story that unfolds fourteen years later in a small Pennsylvania town.

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Romeo’s Blue Skies Blu-ray Review: Why This Inspirational Anime Still Shines

Fans of World Masterpiece Theatre will delight in Romeo’s Blue Skies, now available on Blu-ray from MedicOCD/Animeigo’s Ruined Childhoods label.

Romeo's Blue Skies Bluray CaseFans of World Masterpiece Theatre’s series will find much to laugh, cry, and reflect on in Romeo’s Blue Skies. This second release from MedicOCD and Animeigo’s Ruined Childhoods label is a must-have for fans of Japanese adaptations of Western literary classics. After decades of hunting down VHS tapes or low-resolution downloads, I’m thrilled to finally have a clean, high-quality release. Early fan-subbed versions were incomplete or low fidelity, making this Blu-ray a long-awaited treasure.

Based on the 1941 novel Die Schwarzen Brüder (“The Black Brothers,” Amazon link) by Lisa Tetzner and Kurt Held, the story follows a kind-hearted boy growing up in 19th-century Switzerland. When his family falls into poverty, he is forced to sell himself to a man known as Luini, the “God of Death.” Instead of despair, his optimism and courage give the series a uniquely inspirational tone. Experiencing the story visually in full made it far more impactful than reading alone.

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Why Queen of Bones Feels Like an Alluring A24 Film

In a tale about two siblings, Lily and Sam must face psychological dread, folk magic, and slow-burn suspense to figure out who is the Queen of Bones.

Queen of Bones movie poster featuring main charactersFilmmaker Robert Budreau clearly loves A24 films—Queen of Bones borrows many of the studio’s signature elements, and that’s a strength. The atmosphere perfectly frames the story of siblings Lily (Julia Butters) and Sam (Jacob Tremblay), struggling to survive under the oppressive hand of their overbearing Protestant father (Martin Freeman). Every interaction with him carries weight, and the tension is palpable. Even the muted colour palette and the sparse, wind-whipped Oregon landscapes heighten the siblings’ vulnerability, turning the setting into an emotional character in its own right.

From the very beginning, psychological unease and a lingering sense of dread define the tone. Set during the Great Depression in the outskirts of Oregon, the story conveys survival as a matter of personal resourcefulness rather than community support. Every quiet moment is loaded with unease; the audience senses the siblings’ fear before any overt threat appears. This slow-building tension is classic: fear grows organically from circumstance and character, not cheap scares.

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Why Boys Go to Jupiter Might Be Shockingly Weird for Some Viewers

Dream-like and visually stunning, Boys Go to Jupiter explores independence, friendship, and the whimsical side of growing up.

Boys Go to Jupiter Movie Poster
Playing at The Vic Theatre (Victoria, BC) From Sept 5 to 11th, 2025

One theme explored in Julian Glander‘s animated film, Boys Go to Jupiter, is the importance of giving kids personal space rather than pushing them to explore other, more literal spaces. The film feels like a dream-like take on Rugrats. Billy 5000 (Jack Corbett) often acts as the voice of reason among his friends—Freckles (Grace Kuhlenschmidt), Beatbox (Elsie Fisher), and Peanut (J.R. Phillips)—but when he pursues independence, the question arises: does gaining freedom mean leaving his friends behind?

The gang drifts through summer as outcasts, relying on little more than each other. Even Peanut’s “initiation” feels redundant, as if he already belongs. With no parents, teachers, or siblings guiding them—Billy’s sister barely registers—they fill the void with pranks, banter, and existential musings. They recall The Lost Boys not in plot but in spirit, caught in a restless limbo. Early in the film, they encounter a strange wormlike creature on the beach. The brief adventure quickly slips away, signalling a world where oddities can appear at any moment.

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