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There isn’t too much drama but there is plenty of warm group atmosphere in “Dramarama,” the autobiographical first feature from writer-director Jonathan Wysocki that’s set in 1994 at a last gathering between high-school friends.

The religious background of these teens means “Dramarama” is treading in the footsteps of Stephen Cone, whose own movies in this sort of milieu, including “The Wise Kids” and “Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party,” set a patiently humanistic and non-judgmental tone that Wysocki’s film follows to a certain extent, but with a far faster pace.

“Dramarama” begins with a slight misstep as it introduces its protagonist, Gene (Nick Pugliese), flexing in front of a mirror in his bedroom and then reacting with distaste to the sound of his mother’s voice outside the door as she asks him if he is going to church. Wysocki has Pugliese stare straight into the camera after Gene dismisses his mother for us,...

Writer-director Jonathan Wysocki’s feature film debut, “Dramarama” is set for a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles, Calif., beginning Aug. 13.

The coming-of-age comedy was funded through a Kickstarter campaign and first premiered at Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival last summer. It has since screened at San Francisco International Film Festival, Scad Savannah Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival and BFI Flare and won the Audience Award at the Oxford Film Festival.

Set in Escondido, Calif., in 1994, “Dramarama” unfolds at the end of summer as protagonist Gene is preparing for his high school drama friends’ final murder mystery slumber party. The party host, a theatrical Rose, will leave for college the next morning, followed by earnest Claire, magnetic Oscar and sarcastic Ally. All of Gene’s friends are leaving, but he’s more occupied with another pressing problem. Determined to come out as gay, Gene...

Looks like 2015 is off to a great start for Brenda Strong! The Dallas star is engaged to her director-actor beau John Farmanesh-Bocca, E! News confirms.  "I honestly never thought I would find somebody else that I could spend the rest of my life with," the 54-year-old actress tells Closer Weekly, which was first to report the news of the couple's engagement.  The wedding buzz comes nearly four years after the erstwhile Desperate Housewives star, who played deceased narrator Mary Alice Young on the show from 2004 to 2012, filed for divorce from former husband Tom Henri after 22 years of marriage. The two are parents to 21-year-old son, Zak Henri.  News: Zooey...

Zak Henri, Jillian Rose Reed

Awkward., Season 4, Episode 16: “#Drama”

Written by Steve Yockey

Directed by Claire Scanlon

Airs Tuesdays at 10pm Est on MTV

With both Jenna and Tamara wrapped up in their own situations in the first half of the season, the duo only met fleetingly, often spinning off into their own storylines. The season’s second half has seen the two friends spend more time with each other, and this week’s episode sees the two of them engage in the episode’s primary storyline, dovetailing with Jenna’s concerns about her relationship with Owen. However, the result is a below par episode that disregards previous character development, weighed down by the unwelcome return of two needless secondary characters.

While it’s nice to see a storyline focused on Jenna and Tamara’s friendship this week, the source of their conflict is an odd one. Much of...

Chicago – Standing out among the crowd of young actors is a daunting task, but Bella Thorne is up to the challenge, portraying Adam Sandler’s teenage daughter in the new film “Blended,” which also features Drew Barrymore.

In addition, the 16 year old actress has conquered series TV, having starred in Disney Channel’s “Shake it Up.”

Bella Thorne Accesses Her Inner Tomboy, with Adam Sandler in ‘Blended’

Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Annabelle Avery “Bella” Thorne was born in Florida, and first dipped her toe in show business as a child and teen model. After expanding into acting, Thorne got her first big break in the TV series “My Own Worst Enemy” (2008). After doing some independent films, she got the lead in the Disney Channel series, “Shake it Up,” portraying CeCe Jones. Art imitated life for that show, because Thorne’s character had dyslexia, a condition that Thorne herself has in real life.