Sunday Matinée at Market Chess Cinemas

This Boy's Life (1993) is a dark, at times tongue-in-cheek, character study featuring Robert De Niro, a young Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ellen Barkin. 

De Niro's portrayal of the abusive step-father, based on the memoirs of writer and literature professor Tobias Wolff (played by DiCaprio), is memorable for its intensity as well as striking the right, quirky notes. 

In a way, the film foreshadowed a symbolic passing of the torch which would come in the following two decades, with DiCaprio sliding into De Niro's place in Hollywood, complete with plenty of Oscar snubs, wide-ranging performances, and working with director Martin Scorsese on several of the most premium projects.