This month was a special edition; we welcomed this semester’s Film Teen Reviewers and Critics (TRaC) as our hosts for the night and took a look at their selection of Contemporary Coming of Age films that REMIXed the genre with fresh humor and style!

And… thanks to the generous people at HBO, we screened the movie in their spacious theater!

The movie choices:

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015, 105 min) Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

High schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer.

Dope (2015, 103 min) Directed by Rick Famuyiwa

High-school senior Malcolm and his friends Jib and Diggy bond over ’90s hip-hop culture, their studies and playing music in their own punk band. A chance encounter with a drug dealer named Dom lands Malcolm and company at the dealer’s nightclub birthday party; when the scene turns violent, they flee — with the Ecstasy that Dom secretly hid in Malcolm’s backpack. A wild adventure ensues as the youths try to evade armed thugs who want the stash.

Raising Victor Vargas (2002, 88 min) Directed by Peter Sollett

On New York City’s Lower East Side, Dominican teen and aspiring ladies’ man Victor Vargas has nothing but girls on his mind. Though he talks a big game at the local pool, Vargas’ true experience amounts to nothing more than a string of romantic rejections. After Vargas fails to improve his abysmal reputation, he chooses a much more difficult target — the stunning and stuck-up Judy Ramirez.

And the winner was…

Dope

2015

103 min

Director: Rick Famuyiwa

Stars: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons

FINAL RATING: 6 out of 8 slices

We asked four teens to give you their reviews on this 90s loving crime comedy-drama. Laura & Tiara (The TRaC Hosts), Kayla (The Budding PaaMer), and Max (The O.P – Original PaaMer) …

How would you sum up the movie in one sentence?

Max: How a drug dealer forced himself into Harvard.

Laura: The identity crisis of a black, 90s obsessed geek.

Tiara: A honest representation of a minority who wants better.

Kayla: It was DOPE

Who would you recommend this movie to?

Max: Innocent friends of dangerous people

Laura: All my friends because it was really funny and had an important message.

Tiara: To teens who want an honest look at being a poor minority.

Kayla: My English teacher

Check DOPE out on your own- streaming on Netflix!

Join us for the next FREE Pizza and a Movie!

May 6th

RSVP event page available soon!!

   How to RSVP for Pizza and a Movie Night:

Seating is limited, so you must lay claim to your seat & slice by selecting “Free Ticket- RSVP HERE” on the Pizza and a Movie event page at http://teens.artsconnection.org/high5/. Fill in your information and you will receive a reminder email the day before the event. Please let us know exactly how many people you’ll be bringing. If you have any questions, feel free to email Briana, Teen Programs Assistant at

 PLEASE NOTE: This is a TEENS ONLY event, open to anyone currently in HIGH SCHOOL.