The Edge of Seventeen (15)
Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig
3/5
TEENAGE angst, betrayal by BFFs and feeling like it’s the end of the world are all cornerstones of this coming-of-age film which made me thankful I’m no longer 17 and that my teenage years are truly behind me.
First-time director Kelly Fremon Craig’s wonderfully witty and razor-sharp script is brought resonantly to life by Hailee Steinfeld’s perfectly pitched powerhouse portrayal of the angst-ridden, uber-sarcastic and smart Nadine who feels like an outsider and embraces it.
Woody Harrelson steals the film as her no-nonsense, unsympathetic teacher who calls her out on her outrageous statements.
Their rapid-fire repartee is the highlight of this teen drama in which Nadine’s world implodes when she discovers her best friend since childhood Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) is secretly dating her older and more popular brother Darian (Blake Jenner).
Craig taps into the narcissism of teenagers and captures that difficult age with style, flair and a fresh pair of eyes. Definitely worth seeing, even if you’re not a teenager.
Maria Duarte

Bleed for This (15)
Directed by Ben Younger
4/5
AFTER The Fighter, Cinderella Man and Robert De Niro chewing the canvas in Rocky, do we really need yet another true story of a plucky pugilist who beats the odds?
Here, the answer is yes.
Miles (Whiplash) Teller gives a literally bloody good performance as Rhode Island boxer Vinnie Pazienza who, after breaking his neck in a car accident and being told that he might never walk again, fights back and makes a triumphant return to the ring.
Writer-director Ben Younger illustrates his hero’s fall and rise with genuine narrative power, while Teller’s persuasive and unexpectedly moving portrayal of a man who refuses to stay down — “I ain’t done. I got more in me” — even when the count is against him gains added emotive power thanks to Anton Eckhart’s strong performance as his new trainer.
A familiar story but one that packs a powerful dramatic punch.
Alan Frank

Moana (PG)
Directed by Ron Clements
and John Musker
4/5
THE WARM-HEARTED Moana is a thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable computer-animated adventure in which feisty teenager Moana in ancient Polynesia discovers that “the ocean chose you.”
Ignoring her father’s warning that no-one goes beyond the reef, she bravely sets sail to seek a precious jewel that could restore her deteriorating island home to its former state as tropical paradise.
Her amazing adventures, with daffy demigod Maui and a crazy chicken, are fast, funny and exciting. Ranging from storms at sea, loony coconut-style pirates and monsters of all kinds, they culminate in close encounters of the crustacean kind with a malign giant crab.
Voices are perfectly cast. Newcomer Auli’i Cravalho, terrific as Moana, delivers Lin-Manuel Miranda’s stirring songs perfectly, while Dwayne Johnson’s Maui — whose tattoos come to life to advance the story — sings up a storm and is unexpectedly amusing.
While the setting is ancient Polynesia, heroine Moana comes across as a thoroughly modern all-American teenager whose character adds a welcome subtext of female emancipation to a perfect family film.
Pay your kids to take you to see it.
Alan Frank