‘Booksmart’: A Fun Coming-of-Age Comedy
Wilde’s coming-of-age comedy directorial debut is simultaneously hilarious and entertaining, and remarkably heartfelt and relatable.

MANUEL (38) and LISA (36) are walked down a hotel's corridor by Gustavo, a kind bellboy. They reach the room and Gustavo searches the wardrobe for a coat left behind by the previous guest. But he can't find it, so he goes away. Finally, alone, they kiss with excitement and decide to open up the only piece of luggage they brought along. they open their eyes in disbelief, staring at the piles of cash before them. They swindle a thief, and they know they are safe. There's nothing to worry about. Just keep a low profile in then hotel, and then run away. While Manuel orders some food and Champagne to celebrate, Lisa finds the elusive coat in the wardrobe. Lisa asks him to try it on. Manuel accepts the game, and while attempting to seduce her, he finds a black bag full of cash in the pocket. Lisa screams of happiness. Manuel has a slightly different point of view: this is a real catastrophe. While discussing their options, someone knocks at the door.
Wilde’s coming-of-age comedy directorial debut is simultaneously hilarious and entertaining, and remarkably heartfelt and relatable.
Stand and Deliver is an inspirational classic from 1988 starring Edward James Olmos as Jaime Escalante, and his class of rag tag students in East Los Angeles. It’s the story of how a new teacher shows a motley group of students in the inner city with backgrounds as gang members, dishwashers, and mechanics — the power of self-determination. He teaches the teenagers to believe in themselves through algebra and calculus.
Ripley is a great character because she serves two distinct, but rewarding, purposes in the original film and the sequel.
A consumed-by-rage woman travels from universe to universe to avenge the death of her daughter by brutally killing her murderer over and over again. And that's all that she does.
A refreshing twist is that all the kids’ powers are…kind of useless. There’s a kid who can only move in slow motion, a kid who has every power in the world but can only use them randomly, and our main character Missy who has no powers at all. The thesis of the film seems to be that it doesn’t matter what kind of powers you have, its the way you use them, which is good for the warm and fuzzies.
The Force Awakens is A New Hope 2.0, in essence. The story structure is virtually unchanged, marking a safe opening to the new trilogy.