Movie Review: Boyhood + My Top 15 Coming-of-Age Films

Boyhood(2014)
Writer/Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, Ethan Hawke(Gattaca, Training Day, Before trilogy) Patricia Arquette(True Romance, Lost Highway)

 "You how everyone's always saying seize the moment? I don't know, I kind of thinking it's the other way around. you know, like the moment seizes us."

There was a lot of buzz about this film before it came out. I was interested in it, of course... what avid film watcher wouldn't wanna see how a film that took twelve year's to make turns out? But I'm not a huge fan of Richard Linklater outside of the Before trilogy. I think he's a great filmmaker, yes, but I find most of his other work essentially boring at the end of the day. Boyhood looked to be much of the same to me so I went in this managing my expectations. And it turned out this film is as good as it could ever be. I never imagined it would've touched me the way it did. The little things that I would've normally considered a flaws are perfectly encompassed by the overall magnitude of the film. Whether it be the acting that may come off as amateur or spurious, the script coming off as ultra-simplistic or the monotonous cinematography. I'm here to tell you that these things only compliment the film as sincere and realistic elements. You have to remember that life isn't perfectly written, framed or acted. This is less of a drama and more a window into everyday life of regular people. Not characters or actors, but real, complicated people in authentic settings in real-time.

I can relate to a handful of the moments in Mason's younger years and since I had somewhat of a unique childhood, I might hold some of those moments more dearly than others who had them as a given. But Mason's teen-to-later-years I could relate to even more. He was in a such dark place then. And I knew exactly how he was feeling at that time. They didn't dig that deep into it, but they do touch on it via an exchange with his girlfriend where she makes note of his gloom and doom attitude towards life then. "Fuck anyone else, I care what I think of me. Which isn't very much right much right now." he says... that right there was me for a long time. At one point I was so engulfed in sadness and self-pity that it felt like that's all I'd ever feel and all I ever wanted to feel. It was like I was in love with despair. It wasn't easy and I didn't do it alone, but I eventually climbed my way out of that trench. I still have my dark moments from time to time, but thankfully, I'm in a much better place now. And I'm a lot more optimistic about my future.

Before watching this for the first time, I had just found out Robin Williams had taken his own life. After witnessing a staple in mine & many others' childhoods pass away in that fashion and experiencing this film, my self-awareness became eerily high. I'm scared and excited for the future. At 21-years-old still I don't know exactly where my life is headed, but like this film's ending, there is promise shown. Film lover or not, this truly is a cinematic feat to be cherished and never forgotten by our generation. Thank you, Richard Linklater for giving us for this work of art that is not only moving, but has moved with us in a significant way. The moment does indeed seize us.

And in honor of Linklater's masterpiece I've compiled a list of other amazing coming-of-age tales

1. The 400 Blows(1959) dir. Francois Truffaut

2. Los Olvidados(1950) dir. Luis Bunuel

3. Fanny & Alexander(1982) dir. Ingmar Bergman

4. The Last Picture Show(1971) dir. Peter Bogdanovich

5. Tree of Life(2011) dir. Terrence Malick

6. Y Tu Mama Tambien(2001) dir. Alfonso Cuaron

7. Crooklyn(1994) dir. Spike Lee

8. Stand By Me(1984) dir. Rob Reiner

9. The Graduate(1967) dir. Mike Nichols

10. Paper Moon(1973) dir. Peter Bogdanovich

11. Pixote(1981) dir. Hector Babenco

12. City of God(2002) dir. Fernando Meirelles, Katia Lund

13. Almost Famous(2000) dir. Cameron Crowe

14. Dazed and Confused(1993) dir. Richard Linklater

15. The Sandlot(1993) dir. David M. Evans

Extended List Here

Movie Review: It Follows

It Follows(2014)

Writer/Director: David Robert Mitchell

Starring: Maika Monroe(The Guest), Keir Gilchrist(It's Kind of A Funny Story), Lilli Sepe, Olivia Luccardi, Jake Weary

"I wasn't trying to hurt you, okay? Someone did this to me too."

Remember the scene in Scream where Randy explains the rules of horror movies? Specifically the bit where he says "You can never have sex!" This film is the concept of that horror convention brought to life. It's no coincidence that that conversation takes place in the middle of them watching John Carpenter's 1978 classic 'Halloween' which 'It Follows' has a ton of nods to, and has drawn of comparisons to Carpenter's work in general. Fun fact: the special make-up effects producer for this is Robert Kurtzman of the legendary KNB EFX Group, who actually worked on a few Carpenter films.

Like any good ol' fashion slasher, which this really isn't, 'It Follows' begins with the first victim. It opens on a frantic young girl in the suburbs running out of her house into the middle of the street wearing something like pajamas with a pair of high-heeled shoes on. I guess this is supposed imply that she's promiscuous or something? I mean I know it's a common trope for a horror, just looks odd here. This is the only part I felt that was unneeded. Not the opening all together, but just those heels. Outside of that one detail, the film really isn't too judgmental. Anyways... after the girl runs out into the street and stares back at her front yard for a beat, she doubles back across the street back into the house and comes back outside to get in her car then drives off. She ends up sitting on the beach crying and apologizing on the phone to her parents, telling them she loves them. In the middle of her apparent goodbye we're suddenly seeing from the girl's POV and same as she did back in her neighborhood, she's stares off in the distance as if someone or "something" is there. It cuts to a shot of the girl's tattered corpse in an odd pose. This is an eerie, graphic opening that sets the tone for the rest of the film. One thing I noticed early, and loved about the film, is that there's no specific time period for which all this takes place in. In the beginning of the film, we see one or two newer cars, but after that there's nothing but cars from the 60s, 70s & 80s. There are TV's, but they're always playing 50s black-and-white horrors. There's no cellphones, but one of the characters has an kindle-like device that looks like a little clamshell. It gives the film a sense of timelessness that it will definitely benefit from in the future.

We're first introduced to our lead girl, Jay(Monro), via voyeuristic far shot of her cleaning her pool then onto a brief introduction to her family and friends, we then see her at the movies on a date with this guy named Hugh(Weaver). The date seems to be going well until the guy gets the spooks and says they have to leave. The second date goes smoother and they end up laying out by a lake. This film doesn't have flashy or particularly amazing cinematography, but here I noticed that most of the exterior shots are right out of a classic horror. I mean duh, when I see Jay and her sister walking through the neighborhood I think Halloween, Michael Myers is just around the corner, but this isn't just David Robert Mitchell employing Carptenter's audiovisual aesthetic. Almost every other shot is framed in a way where it feels like something bad could happen. Yes, I know that's typical of a horror film to have a heavily ominous tone, but when I say I feel like ANYTHING bad could happen I mean that when I see Jay waiting in line at the movies with Hugh, I think Demons(underrated zombie flick right there). When I see Yara(Luccardi) swimming in the water at the beach, I think Jaws. When I see Jay & Hugh sitting by the lake, I think Friday The 13th, any moment Jason could just jump out and drag them away. A better way to say it is that the atmosphere of the film is similar to the likes Scream or The Cabin In The Woods, but it's not as blatantly meta as those films. There's such a nonchalantness to the characters about the ever-present dangers looming around them that leads me to believe they are aware of this world, a reality that's drenched in the conventions of horror films and just don't care. That could just be my imagination being overactive, but if it's intentional it's brilliant.

Things go awry during Jay & Hugh's second date after they have sex... Hugh chloroforms her and ties her to a wheelchair. When she wakes up he explains that when they had sex he passed "something" onto her and that "It" will follow and kill her then come back and kill him unless she "gets rid of it" by passing it along someone else the same way someone else did to him. "I'm doing this to help you... just so you know it's real" he says as they sit and wait for it to come. Yeah... this guy's a dick. The rules are: It can be anywhere or anyone. Don't go into places without more than one exit and never let it get close enough to touch you. The monster, creature, whatever It is, is hard to explain outside of how terrifying it is. All that can be said is that it's some kind of entity(possibly supernatural, I really dunno) that exist on our physical plain with only select people being able to see it. It's really slow, but it's relentless and if it gets ahold of you it's a wrap.

After Hugh drops Jay off in front of her house half-naked and peels off, the rest of the movie is what can be described as a long, terrifying steady-paced chase scene. Jay, her sister & their friends are going from place to place avoiding It and just when you think you've got this film all figured out the characters end up enacting one of the dumbest/boldest confrontations I've seen in a horror movie recently. It seems a lot of people have been confused by the themes of the film. It isn't hard to pin down if you try not to think too hard about it, but I what I did find a bit confusing is how Hugh explains to Jay how he got "It" and what it does. Like, how could you know all of that and still be alive? And even if someone else told him, how'd they find out? Best not to labor over details like that when it comes to horror, though. Hugh explaining the mechanics of "It" does reinforce my belief that this is cautionary tale about the dangers of unprotected sex despite write/director David Robert Mitchell saying using contraception won't stop It from being passed onto you. And we never did seen anyone use protection, plus he also says that he intentionally left the subtext vague so there's all of that that. I spoke a little on the semi-vintage feel of the film and how it maintains the atmosphere and some conventions of classic horrors. It does do all of that, but it also subverts those conventions and makes it's own rules. It's unique and a lot more cerebral than most horrors coming out todau. Not only does it offer something new to be afraid of for a whole new generation of horror fans, it also makes you reflect on what you're afraid of and why you're afraid of it. While I have expressed my own opinion as to what this film is about, I can completely see how it can defer from someone else's interpretation. Fear takes on many shapes depending on the person. It's a scary prospect, but also an intriguing thing to think "what/who would follow me?" Whether you're interested in that question or not, I highly recommend this film.