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Thread: Boyhood

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Walnut Creek, California

    Boyhood

    What’s not to like about this film? Both Imbd and RT love it. And the principal actor, newcomer Ellar Coltrane, is truly fantastic as Mason. Plus, my audience clapped for it at the end.

    Basically, it is a story about growing up. Director-writer Richard Linklater filmed this with the same actors over a twelve year period. So principalsall grow tewlve years older. Coltrane grows from age 5 to age 18, and his mom and dad, Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke suffer the same twelve years of real aging.

    If everyone else liked it and the critics raved about its originality and there was applause, why don’t I agree?

    First off, let me say I liked the premise and the use of the same actors over twelve years. So we see Mason actually grow up. But…the same thing has been done many times with changing actors or using makeup. If they had done that here, it would not have changed the film very much. (And Linklater’s daughter, Lorelei, who plays Mason’s older sister, wouldn’t have gotten into a fight with her old man after she got tired of the role when she got to high school.)

    Second, the film is way too long at 165 minutes. And, to my mind, it drags. There is standard scene after standard scene.

    Much of the movie can be said to be a recognition that Existentialism is alive and well. I won’t try to describe that here, but Linklater’s characters channel Holden Caulfield and nearly every other coming of age protagonist. I agree that it’s all well done, even if somewhat dull. Bottom line: it’s not really original and its length defeats it.

    Despite what I have to say, it will be in the AA running. Not only for directing and writing but for Arquette’s performance. Even the main heavy, Marco Perella, deserves recognition for the transformation his character undergoes.

    It’s worth seeing. It’s not worth the kudos and plaudits. So see it and tell me I’m wrong.
    Last edited by Jim3k; 07-27-2014 at 02:52 AM. Reason: clarity

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Austin, TX
    I am hoping to see this movie ASAP. At pushing 3 hours, it is tough to find the time to get it in, though. I do get the limited criticism the film has received, I think. I'm living in an echo chamber here in Austin, though, so I'm not sure we are even *allowed* to be critical. The movie is supposed to be as much of a postcard to Texas in the last decade as it is growing up, so looking forward to that part as well.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by A-Tex Devil View Post
    I am hoping to see this movie ASAP. At pushing 3 hours, it is tough to find the time to get it in, though. I do get the limited criticism the film has received, I think. I'm living in an echo chamber here in Austin, though, so I'm not sure we are even *allowed* to be critical. The movie is supposed to be as much of a postcard to Texas in the last decade as it is growing up, so looking forward to that part as well.
    My wife and I considered seeing it the other night, saw the running time and both decided to wait for it to come on Netflix.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Hot'Lanta... home of the Falcons!
    I have not seen it yet, but Boyhood may be the most critically acclaimed film in years. It has achieved something truly unfathomable... it has a perfect 100 score on Metacritic. You need to understand how unlikely that is.

    Getting a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes is hard enough -- that requires that every critic say positive things about the film. But RT merely measures if a review is positive or negative. So, a mildly positive review counts the same as a gushing one. Thinking about reviews on a 5 star scale, a 3 star review is worth exactly the same as a 5 star review on Rotten Tomatoes. So, a film that gets lots of 3 and 4 star reviews can get a very high RT score.

    Metacritic is a different animal. A 3 out of 5 star review there is worth a score of 60. Getting 4 out of 5 is worth 80. You only get a 100 from a critic is you get 5 out of 5 stars (or 4 out of 4, it depends on how that critic does his/her ratings).

    So, a score in the 70s on Metacritic is truly impressive. Dawn of the Apes is at 79. Dragon 2 got a 76. 22 Jump Street and Edge of Tomorrow both got 71s. Sometimes you see a move score in the 80s, perhaps even the high 80s. Snowpiercer is at 84. Life Itself, the Roger Ebert documentary, is at 87.

    But 100!??!?! You have got to be kidding!!! Every single critic to review it has given it their highest rating. Other films to get 100s are Lawrence of Arabia, The Wizard of Oz, and The Godfather. In fact, there are only 11 films to have 100s on Metacritic and all of them are classic films from years ago that only have a limited number of reviews being tracked by Metacritic. The Godfather, with 12 reviews on the site, is the most reviewed film with a 100... other than Boyhood. Boyhood has 40 reviews so far and not a single one has given it less than 4 out of 4 or 5 out of 5. WOW!

    Other recent films that scored nearly perfect scores on Metacritic--

    Hoop Dreams - 98
    Pan's Labyrinth - 98
    12 Years a Slave - 97
    Ratatouille - 96
    Gravity - 96
    The Social Network - 95
    Zero Dark Thirty - 95
    WALL*E - 94
    Pulp Fiction - 94
    Sideways - 94
    LOTR: ROTK - 94
    ET - 94
    Schindler's List - 93

    Anyway, bottom line is that Boyhood will show up on probably every single Ten Best list at the end of the year. It will be nominated for a slew of Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. I don't know if it will win (Foxcatcher has HUGE buzz as is Unbroken), but it will be a strong contender. Despite the long running time, I suspect this is a flick that movie fans will want to experience.

    -Jason "worth noting that I think longer films are better viewed in a theater versus in home where distractions can be a real problem" Evans
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Walnut Creek, California
    OK, Jason. Now go see it. I (we) will await your personal observations.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Hot'Lanta... home of the Falcons!
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim3k View Post
    OK, Jason. Now go see it. I (we) will await your personal observations.
    It has not opened in Atlanta and I am about to go out of town so I will try to see it while I am away, though it may be difficult. That is my way of saying, don't hold your breath waiting for my review in this case

    -Jason "now, Get on Up and Guardians -- I can tell you about those in just a couple days" Evans
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Saw Boyhood tonight. Amazing. The combination of pulling the film off and just the realness of it are what makes it so outstanding. It's not a best picture in an "Oscar" sense, but it still may be one of the best cinematic achievements ever. No hyperbole.

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