This is topic Eighth Grade (2018) in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Harold Hallikainen (Member # 5405) on 07-10-2018, 12:10 AM:
 
Really great portrayal of a girl in 8th grade. She does motivational videos but can't seem to follow her own advice. Reminded me of Ladybird and 13 Reasons. We really enjoyed it with a great audience that also appreciated it.
 

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Posted by Jarod Reddig (Member # 6363) on 07-10-2018, 08:35 PM:
 
I really enjoyed LadyBird. May have to check this one out.
 

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Posted by Harold Hallikainen (Member # 5405) on 07-21-2018, 02:15 PM:
 
A great interview with the writer/director is at https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/2018/07/18/630012689?showDate=2018-07-18 .
 

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Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 08-04-2018, 04:49 PM:
 
CINEMA: Cinemarkury 20 at Jordan Creek, West Des Moines, IA
AUDITORIUM: 3
PRESENTATION: Cinemarkury Recline-o-Vision with some sort of fancy digital technology from the future that mysteriously arrived in a steampunk balloon
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: None
RATING: Three stars (out of four)

"Butter?" asks Concession Guy

"LOTS of butter," I reply.

He puts on...butter. I enhance said butter at the self-serve buttery topping machine before filling my cup with Hi-C Orange at the Coke Freestyle machine. Between the two of us, the popcorn was perfectly buttered all the way through. Didn't even have a pool of the oily stuff at the bottom of the bag.

FOCUS FEATURES: A Comcast company. What? So much for their credibility.

THE PLOT: A girl finishes eighth grade. Wackiness ensues.

This is really well done. Kayla is shown in all her awkwardness with all her flaws (such as the ill-fitting bathing suit). The spartan music does as much to project the mood as the dialogue and visuals. Probably my favorite school-themed movie since Napoleon Dynamite.

That scene in the mall at the food court where Kayla is hanging with the high school kids and smiling and nodding and feeling embarrassingly out of place? That's me to this day at any lunch or dinner I have to go to with people I don't know. Except that I usually want to kill everyone there.
 

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Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 08-21-2018, 08:53 PM:
 
great movie, but one question I have, is the volume of the music soundtrack supposed to be THAT loud and jarring?
 

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Posted by Chris Haller (Member # 9206) on 08-21-2018, 09:16 PM:
 
Based on my experience seeing it at the local Cinemark, I think so. It's supposed to set the tone in the most jarring way possible. It was loud in my theater too. It didn't seem overwhelming or anything. Just some very forced dynamic contrast.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-21-2018, 10:05 PM:
 

quote: Chris Haller

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very forced dynamic contrast

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