10,000 Saints

Greetings again from the darkness. Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll – not just a bumper sticker, but also frequent and fun movie topics. Throw in 1980's New York City, some excruciatingly dysfunctional parenting, and the coming-of-age struggles of three youngsters, and you have the latest from co-writers and co-directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (the real life couple behind American Splendor, 2003).

Based on the novel from Eleanor Henderson, it's a nostalgic trip with little of the positive connotations usually associated with that term. The surprisingly deep cast features Ethan Hawke and Julianne Nicholson (August: Osage County, 2013) as parents to son Jude played by Asa Butterfield (Hugo, 2011). Emily Mortimer plays Hawke's new girlfriend and mother to Eliza played by Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit, 2010). Avan Jogia plays Jude's best friend Teddy, and Emile Hirsch is Teddy's big brother Johnny. It's an unusually high number of flawed characters who come together in a story that features some familiar coming-of-age moments, yet still manages to keep our interest.

The story centers on Jude as he comes to terms with finding out he's adopted, works to overcome his less than stellar parents, and spends an inordinate amount of time finding new ways to experiment with drugs. One night changes everything as it leads to a tragic end for one character and pregnancy for Eliza. Ms. Steinfeld is extraordinary as Eliza and really makes an impressive step from child actress to young adult. Julianne Nicholson is also a standout, and Ethan Hawke provides some offbeat comic relief.

So many elements of 1980's New York are included, and no effort is made to add any touches of glamour. The Tompkins Square park riots also play a role, if only briefly as the key characters realize life is just not so simple … a consistent theme for both kids and parents. The fragility of life is always an interesting topic, and the filmmakers bring this to light through some characters that we feel like we know – and wish we could help.

Can't help but to love a movie that reminds me of old school New York. Was it really that great? That's how I remember it to be. Than again, I'm not old enough to have struggled on those streets, Squatting in houses and being semi homeless for my art, which the movie glorifies.

They did a pretty good job at recreating late 1980s NYC with tight shoots to leave out how alphabet city has change and to keep how it stayed the same, using Super composites of CBGBs, old trains and even phone booths, plus old shots of world trade. It's cool that technology allows us to do that now.

The movie's focus on that time period sometimes feels force with one liners explaining how that moment of the late 80s was about to spawn what that neighborhood next to Thompson Square park is now.

I thought it was interesting that the actual band, Army of One is showcased in the movie, though not the center focus of the movie, it's about their tour Guitar player Jude and his life, based on a book that I did not read.

Ethan Hawke as Jude's dad Les was charming and funny

It's a hardcore punk version of Juno in a lot of ways, but all together a coming-of-age story with a lot of layers to it as it Centers around Jude and his friendships with other kids. It was a great ensemble cast.

Definitely worth checking out.

I wound up liking this a lot more than I thought I would. For the first 20 minutes or so I felt it dragged but then picked up. Overall I thought the acting was excellent, especially Ethan Hawke who played his somewhat complex character splendidly. What I really liked was that most of the characters stepped outside of stereotypical bounds. Hawke's character was a stoner, but in some ways level-headed and responsible. Johnny, the punk singer and tattoo artist, was trying to stay straight and walk the spiritual path and succeeded reasonably well. I read other comments which complained that "nothing happened" in the film. This is not an action film; it's a relationship movie, and given that, I believe it worked well. Plus, the characters all showed some degree of evolution. The scenery, with 1980's East Village was done really well too, very realistic, Twin Towers and all.

"Ten Thousand Saints" is a drama movie which takes place in 1980's and shows a boy who is living with his mother in Vermont and moves to New York City to live with his father. When he arrives in New York everything change for him but also for his father. Something new starts for both of them since they did not have the opportunity to know each other better before.

I liked this movie because of the plot which I found interesting due to some twists. I also liked the combination of drama with music influence. I believe that the interpretation of Ethan Hawke who played as the father of the boy has to be mentioned because it was very good. In addition to this Asa Butterfield made a very good interpretation too. Also the title of this movie is very good because it makes you think a lot of different things about the movie but everything change when you watch it.

Finally I have to say that "Ten Thousand Saints" is a nice movie to watch and shows plenty of interesting things not only about the relationships between people but also about music and the gentrification that exploded back then.

10,000 Saints is a decent little film that has its moments but is also a little underwhelming at times. The film follows Jude (Asa Butterfield) and Eliza (Hailee Steinfeld), who are step-siblings. Jude was adopted by Eliza's father, Les. After a one-night stand, Eliza finds herself pregnant. Jude and Eliza turn to the lead singer (Emile Hirsch) of a punk-rock band for help. I won't spoil anything else about the film as I feel that there were a few good surprises I didn't see coming. With that said, I will say that this film is a bit of a mixed bag. What worked well was how it illustrates how complicated family relationships can be, especially when the family is a mix of different families. Also, I thought Hailee Steinfeld's performance was terrific. She conveys a wide range of emotions with really adds to Eliza's depth as a character. Also, Eliza is different from a lot of the other characters Hailee has played in the past, and it really shows just how talented she is as an actor. Plus, it was interesting to see her as a teen mom.

With that said, there are also a few cons. For one, the main character was a little dry. I would've liked to see him show more emotion and to have his character have a little clearer character arc. Also, there are a lot of storylines that never really go anywhere or are just underdeveloped. For example, there is Jude being adopted, and him never looking for his parents, despite Les letting him know they are somewhere in New York. The film is a slew of other stories, which really makes it seem that this movie had more ideas than it had time. Lastly, the film is supposedly set in late-1980s New York, but I didn't know that until after I watched it and read the other reviews. All in all, it was a good film. It just could have used a few tune-ups.