Dimension Films | USA | 90 min.

These days it almost seems like a hip, wise-ass, teenage angst flick would be remiss to not have Michael Cera in the lead. Cera’s shtick has been played over and over and its reckless use has started to take its toll on the audiences and critics alike. Following the disappointment of Year One it seemed like ‘The Era of Cera’ had been finally put to rest — or so we all thought. Cera’s hilarious rendition of Nick Twisp in Youth In Revolt has enough Cera trademark awkwardness shtick to be recognizable as the kid we all know and love but also has enough twist and originality to remind you that he is still a viable actor and he has not turned in his skinny jeans just yet.

Youth In Revolt is a book-adaptation film and its main problem is rooted in exactly that — it is a book-adaptation film. C.D. Payne’s 499-page novel is a tough feat to compress into a coherent 90 minute film, but the material they were able to transfer is hilarious and definitely close to the best, if not the best, performance of Cera’s career. It’s weird, it’s smart, it’s shocking and it’s just enough for Cera to reclaim the throne of teenage sex comedy king.

Nick Twisp is a smart-ass kid with trashy parents (Jean Smart and Steve Buscemi) that has little direction or joy in life. Living in Oakland with his mother and her current boyfriend Jerry (Zach Galifianakis),  Nick deals with his promiscuous mother who has a complete disregard for what it takes to be a proper parent. Nick is brought along on a kind of long term “vacation” to a weird and seedy trailer park in Ukiah and is forced to deal with his mother’s shitty parenting and not-so-subtle exposition of her awkward sex life in the close quarters of a caravan. There is an ultra-conservative christian family living in the trailer park as well, and like every family that seeks to socially repress and morally program their children, the kids are exactly the opposite, privately, than their parents wish them to be. Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), the publicly obedient and privately rebellious daughter of the neighborhood religious fanatic family, is exactly the kind of smart and seductive girl that could complete Nick’s incomplete life, make him fall hopelessly in love and trigger his uncontrollable obsession.

Nick ultimately shoe-horns himself into a ‘relationship’ with Sheeni even though she technically already has a boyfriend. Over the summer their relationship develops and Nick’s obsesssion and desires reach boiling point. Unfortunately, Nick eventually has to return to Oakland and being 14 years old it leaves few options for the relationship to continue. Sheeni convinces Nick, with little effort, that he must do two things to save their love: 1) Get his father a job in Ukiah, and 2) Do something bad enough to get kicked out of his mother’s house so he can leave Oakland to live with his recently relocated father in Ukiah. While Nick is definitely a back talking wise-ass kid, he rarely actually steps out of line to do something about his angst. Confronted with an unquestionable desire to get back to Sheeni and his complete inability to do more than just talk, Nick does what any sane person would do — create a smooth talking no-bullshit alter ego named Francois Dillinger. Francois smokes cigarettes, scoffs at risks, swoons women and never blinks in the face of danger — actually never blinks any other time either apparently with his piercing gaze of badassery. Francois takes Nick by the hand whether Nick wants to cooperate or not and does all the things Nick wishes he could do but never could. Laws will be broken, neighborhoods caught on fire and Nick’s cautious and timid sensibilities will be cast aside as Francois teaches Nick that when you want something, you better damn well get it.

Youth In Revolt succeeds in one-upping it self with one ridiculous plan after another to win Sheeni’s affection. Nick failing at avoiding the crazy plans and their ultimate consequences created by Francois, both of whom are played by Michael Cera, escalate hilariously throughout the film and deliver solid and memorable laughs on screen. The laughs are just one aspect of the film though, as Cera successfully delivers the aimless emotional impact of the situation without over doing it. The audience laughs at the situation Nick finds himself in, but we know under the surface he’s just a poor kid striving for a real connection. Seeing the way his family acts towards him and life in general sets the stage for the sweet desperate innocence that Nick has to break out of uncontrollably into rebellion — or a slightly more mentally unstable method of creating a rebellious alter-ego. Nick found his connection in Sheeni and will do what it takes to retain it. When Nick tells Sheeni, “I’ve been alone my whole life,” it’s obvious that all hilarity and jokes aside, Nick has had a rough life and he’s not going to sit on the sidelines anymore.

Much like the source material, the film is sharp and clever. Utilizing a well-timed voice-over throughout the film, the pace of the narrative is smooth and engaging. If you have lost hope in the golden child of hip comedy, fear not, for Michael Cera proves in fact he is a legitimate actor and not a one-trick pony on his way out of a possibly too bright career. Portia Doubleday does a great job of bringing the written character of Sheeni Saunders to life as well with exactly the right amount of quirky intelligence required to fit the bill. If you are a fan of the book, you may find that too much of the story has been cut out to your liking but what they were able to adapt makes for a great, only sometimes feeling rushed or short, screenplay regardless. In any case, if you’re a fan of the book or just a fan of well made teen comedy, the film is definitely a hit and you should seek it out at your local cinemas.

Youth In Revolt will hit cinemas nationwide January 8, 2010.

8 out of 10

Syncopated Films | USA | 86 min.

It’s interesting when you’re a child how everything seems to be opposite of reality. Events that will pass by your life without making even the slightest ripple seem like they are life changing events of extreme importance, and at the same time, events that you will look back on as an adult and wonder how you ever made it through will pass by your child mind with complete indifference. Tze Chun’s Children of Invention follows a young brother and sister through part fantastical children’s adventure and part heartbreaking account of the plight of many Asian American immigrants struggling to find a place in the unforgiving American economy. Children Of Invention is a heart felt drama about family sticking together and making it through hard-times regardless of obstacles that sits right on the edge of losing its innocence and falling into a horrible tragedy. The very low budget state of the film is easily mistaken for stark realism and a stirring and believable truth in all of the characters. It successfully sits right in the middle of the road on emotional impact, and leaves the audience unable to decide if it’s one of the saddest stories they’ve ever heard or one of the sweetest.

Elaine Cheng (Cindy Cheung) is an immigrant from Hong Kong who came to Boston with her husband some years ago. Elaine had two children, Raymond () and Tina (), with this man before he returned to Hong Kong leaving her alone in America struggling to support her children as a single mom. Not being an American citizen really limits job opportunities for Elaine and she falls victim to illegal get-rich-quick pyramid schemes. Naive and uneducated to the true nature of these programs, she soon finds herself unable to locate her employers and becomes detained by the Boston police for being associated with an illegal organization. Scared of what may become of her children, Elaine doesn’t tell the police she has two children at home alone while she is detained for a few days with no way to get in contact with them.

Raymond, the oldest of the two siblings, has been slowly coming to the realization that he is going to have to become the man of the house. With his father in Hong Kong and his mother out trying to find work most of the time, he will have to care for his younger sister and himself without much help from his mother. When his mother doesn’t come home one night Raymond decides he is going to have to take much more drastic measures to provide for Tina — a journey alone through busy streets, public transportation and dark Boston alleys to find a bank where there is money left to them by his grandmother.

Raymond’s intelligent ideas to help and resilience to the situation he is thrown into is endearing and uplifting, but at the same time it’s obvious that while he is very intelligent, an intelligent child is in fact, still a child. He has no idea what he is doing and cannot grasp the gravity and danger of the situation. He is unable to realize, much like his mother, that good intentions are rarely enough for success.

Scenes in the film are very uncomfortable and really push the audience to the edges of their seats in anticipation of something horrible happening. Furthermore, the way the film is shot lends a great degree of realism and really makes the audience feel as though they are watching the events unfold in front of them in person. This realism will make you want to jump on screen and tell Raymond that this is not a good idea and to head back home immediately before they get hurt. It’s a very frustrating tension that is built up this way by director Chun and it really draws the audience into the story. The acting throughout the film was impressive as well while retaining that indie realism that makes the film what it is. The two children are first time actors but shine with their purity and natural acting abilities that are free of Hollywood influence.

Children Of Invention premiered as an official selection at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and recently was screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival where it won the Puma Emerging Filmmaker Award. The film will be making appearances in Asian, Independent and International film festivals across the United States for the next few months but viewers are able to purchase the film on DVD now directly from the filmmakers. This self-distribution and early release model may seem a little unorthodox and unusual but it will greatly increase the exposure and audience of the film while it’s still in the market for a theatrical distributor.

Unless you live in one of the the cities that has a film festival that will be hosting Children Of Invention, it is unlikely that you will see this film in your local theaters. It may still be picked up by a distributor, but even then will surely only be on a limited release. Instead of waiting for an unlikely theatrical release in your area, purchase this film from the film makers on their official website. Independent films like Children Of Invention are  at the heart of where art in film still exists. To keep the artist filmmaker’s future viable and ensure that we will continue to see art in film and not lose ourselves in commercialism and Hollywood extravagance, we have to support these low budget independent films.

Support Asian American and independent film by seeking out and telling your friends about Tze Chun’s Children of Invention.

9 out of 10

Click for Children Of Invention Official Website

Europa Corp | France | 101 mins

In 2006, with District 13’s American audience debut, very little was known about parkour in the mainstream. We watched on in awe at what seemed like urban ballet. The free-flowing and streaming body motions that seem to never lose momentum were a refreshing new addition to the action genre and martial arts genre. The film itself wasn’t that great at all but this new mysterious art named parkour, that at times seems physically impossible, forgave all manners of acting, script and film making sins. Read the full story

CJ Entertainment | South Korea | 128 mins

The mother is the origin of all life in this world. The single point of love, passion and life from which all things can be traced back to. Our gatekeepers, guardians and guides throughout life, the mother is there whether we want them to be or not. They stand by their children regardless of fallacy or folly ready to fight to the death for the sparks of life they ushered into this existence. Bong Joon-Ho paints the story of a widowed mother and her emotionally and intelligently inept child with vivacious fervor and visceral emotion that solidly displays the immutable bond of a mother and child. How far will a mother go for the protection of her child? What sins can be committed to guard her child from harm? Bong Joon-Ho pushes the audience to the edge of this question. Read the full story