By Jared Curtis jared@dmcityview.com
‘Whip It’
Directed by Drew Barrymore
Rated PG-13, 111 minutes
On the outside, “Whip It” appears to be about tough chicks on skates beating the crap out of each other. But really, it’s a coming-of-age tale. “Whip It” follows a small-town Texas girl named Bliss (“Juno’s” Ellen Page), who despises the beauty pageants her mother (Marcia Gay Hardin) forces her to continually enter. But when she sees a local roller derby team, she finds her calling. Bliss becomes the newest member of the Hurl Scouts (featuring Barrymore and Kristen Wiig) and goes head-to-head with the league’s badass, Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis). I wish there was more derby action because the best scenes happened during bouts involving the girls’ coach, Razor (Andrew Wilson), and the announcer, ‘Hot Tub’ Johnny Rocket (Jimmy Fallon). With an awful love subplot, “Whip It” was disappointing but still worth a trip around the track. CV
‘Stand By Me’
Directed by
Rob Reiner
1986, Rated R, 89 minutes
Whenever people discuss quintessential coming-of-age tales, “Stand By Me” should be at the top of the list. The story follows four friends — Gordie (Will Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman) and Vern (Jerry O’Connell) — who embark on an adventure of a lifetime. After Vern (who is looking for his buried jar of pennies under the porch) hears his brother tell his friends they found a dead boy’s body, he immediately informs his friends about it and the four set out to find him. Their journey is filled with both funny and frightful events (dodging trains, escaping a junkyard dog, slugs) that create a bond the friends will remember forever. “Stand By Me” is a truly iconic film with an amazing soundtrack. Even though the film takes place in 1959, the story and lessons learned hold up today. CV
