In which I share my review of BOYHOOD and share some big personal news...

 

Movie Trailer "Boyhood"

Go ahead and play the soundtrack while you read on...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRATlN21rPM

 

Not a big fan of Richard Linklater.  Didn't get the Before Midnight, After Sunset films.  So I skipped driving to Kansas City for the screening of his latest film "Boyhood."  I just knew I would hate it.  But it is getting so much buzz (Currently listed as a front runner for both Best Picture AND Best Director), I felt like I got kicked out of the cool kids club.  I contacted the studio and asked for the screener.  One of the best deisions of my life.

Boyhood is one of the most amazing movies I have ever watched.  I was mesmerized.  

Obviously I wasn't the only one.

"Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, Richard Linklater's BOYHOOD is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (a breakthrough performance by Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. Starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as Mason's parents and newcomer Lorelei Linklater as his sister Samantha, BOYHOOD charts the rocky terrain of childhood like no other film has before. Snapshots of adolescence from road trips and family dinners to birthdays and graduations and all the moments in between become transcendent, set to a soundtrack spanning the years from Coldplay's Yellow to Arcade Fire's Deep Blue. BOYHOOD is both a nostalgic time capsule of the recent past and an ode to growing up and parenting." Written by IFC Films

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Now let me try and put this into my own words:  We can talk about the fact that Linklater used the same actors and filmed them over a 12 year period - Mind.  Blown.  The performances in this film were so fantastic - both Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke are getting early Oscar buzz for their Best Supporting Roles.  Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater was both so perfect - to these children the cameras must have been invisible.  It is hard to believe they were acting.

Alot of movies use music to transport the viewer to a different time and place - but this movie took it to a whole new level.  It was spot on.  I really felt like I was in a time machine.  (I hope you are listening to the soundtrack right now - if not - go grab it up at the top!)

Watching life unfold through the eyes of a child over the span of 12 years was difficult.  As a mother, it broke my heart.  It was very personal for me.  I myself have taken my own children on one crazy ride and  constantly worry about how badly I might have screwed them up.

There are a few adults who treat these children like absolute crap - but there are double the number of adults who are their heroes.  That may be what touched me the most.  Life is hard - we have to make decisions with very little guidance and these decisions are like dominoes.  But as long as we have the constant love of our parents and siblings, we will be just fine.

Ethan Hawke & Patricia Arquette, playing Mason's parents, amazed me at how they took their characters on this journey - they were not perfect parents, but man they tried so hard.  The way they interacted with these kids - they absolutely felt like a real family.

It was a soul searching, beautiful movie that didn't need a dramatic twist or an over the top ending.   It is a real human life shown through the brilliant lens of Linklater,  set to a spectacular soundtrack that will make you drop everything in your life and take a trip down your own memory lane.

You do not want to miss this one.  

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Now - my personal note I mentioned.  On Saturday I was accepted into the Broadcast Film Critics Association.  This is a dream come true for me.  I love sharing my passion for film with my family and friends.  It is my hope to share it with an even bigger audience now.  I look forward to voting for the Critics Choice Awards this year, and attending the Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles in January.  Thank you for your part in encouraging me along the way!  Don't ever give up on your dreams!  :-)