The Fault in Our Stars by Josh Boone, 2014 (PG-13)

Teenager Hazel, who has pushed people away since her cancer diagnosis, reluctantly joins a support group, where she bonds with a boy named Gus. Together, they face the challenge of building a relationship under the shadow of terminal illness.

Haven't cried like this since most likely "Billy Elliot"... Damned... The story makes you wonder if the characters are real, and because then you get to know that this is actually a book, you wonder if (just like in the story), the writer couldn't write something more about Hazel, getting to know the rest of her life. It is definitely a down to earth sort of movie, on the edge of emotion, with frantic dream come true becoming nightmare. It is honest, and never the less completely romantic. Quite a strange combination. Fascinating.

Shailene Woodley (The Descendants, Divergent), Ansel Elgort (Divergent), Nat Wolff (Peace, Love & Missunderstanding), Willem Dafoe (Out of the Furnace, Paris Je T'aime, Fireflies in the Garden, The English Patient, Farewell, Daybreakers, Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 & 2), Laura Dern (The Master, Dr. T. and The Women), Lotte Verbeek, Sam Trammell (True Blood), Emily Peachey, Mike Birbiglia (Your Sister's Sister)

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Boyhood by Richard Linklater, 2014 (R)

with Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke (Daybreakers), Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater, Nick Krause (The Descendants), Marco Perella (Miss Congeniality), Brad Hawkins

After divorcing, a mother and father continue to share the task of guiding their young son through youth and adolescence, and finally to adulthood. As the years roll by, the relationships among the three characters continue to evolve as well.

Long time not seeing a good movie. This one is quite the one best movie I have seen this year. Of course, it is fascinating to see a young boy growing up, experiencing life through little windows in each year, summarizing 12 years in two hours and forty minutes. It is even more amazing to see the emotional and physical journey of the mother (Amazing Patricia Arquette) and the father. I have also experienced the fear of some potential drama and realized how conditioned I am to action drama movies, not being able to relax and enjoy the normality and beauty of life. This movie is full of life and empty of all the Hollywood formatting on how life should be portrayed. Boyhood is definitely a unique movie.

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What Richard Did by Lenny Abrahamson, 2012 (NR)

with Sam Keeley, Jack Reynor, Róisín Murphy, Lars Mikkelsen, Gavin Drea, Lorraine Pilkington, Gabrielle Reidy, David Herlihy, Padraic Delaney, Tom Hickey, Fionn Walton, Patrick Gibson, Liana O'Cleirigh, Rachel Gleeson

Newcomer Jack Reynor and Róisín Murphy star alongside Sam Keeley (The Other Side of Sleep, Misfits), and Lars Mikkelsen ("The Killing") in this striking portrait adapted from Kevin Powers' award-winning book "Bad Day in Blackrock." The world is bright and everything seems possible for Richard Karlsen (Reynor), the golden boy of his privileged set of Dublin teens, until he does something that destroys it all and shatters the lives of the people closest to him.
© Tribeca

One of the most interesting movie I have seen in a while, a rich portrait of adolescence, all in subtlety, with incredible performances from actors, Jack Reynor and Lars Mikkelsen to start with. The viewpoint is also quite unique, in a sense that the movie is not so much about the punishment or judgmental, it is how it shatters lives, how destruction and guilt build slowly, and gives an inside look to the raw of emotion and loss. Beautiful.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, 2013 (PG-13)

with Logan Lerman (3:10 to Yuma), Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Ezra Miller (We need to talk about Kevin, Californication), Mae Whitman, Kate Walsh (Grey's Anatomy), Dylan McDermott, Melanie Lynskey (The Informant!, Up in the Air), Joan Cusack, Paul Rudd (Our Idiot Brother), Nina Dobrev (Chloe), Johnny Simmons

In this engaging coming-of-age tale based on the best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, a shy freshman struggling with depression deals with his best friend's suicide and his first love -- and finds help from two seniors who take an interest in him.

One of the most beautiful and sensible movies about adolescence I have seen. It is a great story, well written, with touches of humor and drama so close to each other your experience of the movie is really emotional. The three main actors give everything for their performance, without even be out of tone. The dialogues are truly original, even in the most cliché of the conversation, the wording is so originally authentic you are surprised at every moment.

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