Mean Creek
Grade: B+
A thoughtful, character focused examination of bullying and the consequences of revenge. This folly of youth tale centers around a young boy and his friends, who take a school bully out on a boating trip to play a practical joke on him. When it backfires and is accidentally killed, they are forced to grow up in ways they never expected. An honest look at being a teenager, respectfully written and well acted.
Newton Boys
Grade: C+
A misfire in the career of Linklater, who takes a high stakes dramatic genre in bank robbing cum westerns, and turns it into a breezy lark. No real center or POV is established, and it just moseys along with no real drama or interest. The characters are charming and well acted by a game cast, but Linklater can't stray far enough from his roots. This would've been much better in a more suited directors hands (paging Michael Mann).
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