There is so much hype around Boyhood that I couldn’t wait to see it. Now that I’ve seen it, I honestly don’t know what all hype is about. Boyhood is a nostalgic look at Richard Linklater’s childhood between the ages of 5 and 18. Richard is also the writer, director and producer of Boyhood. Personally, I found it a little slow and a little boring. Boyhood’s claim to fame is that it was filmed over a period of 12 years. This means the characters, no matter what age, are the same actors/actresses the movie started out with. Basically, I don’t feel Boyhood offers anything earth shattering that would make me happy about spending 12+ bucks to see it. I also think the movie is too long (2 hours, 44 minutes) for this type of flat, coming of age story. The film begins in 2002, Texas and is about Samantha and Mason, played by Lorelei Linklater and Ellar Coltrane, respectively growing up with their mom, Olivia (Patricia Arquette) in a single family environment.`Ethan Hawke, who plays their dad eventually makes himself available to his children with weekend activities and holiday events. Samantha and Mason experience some bumps and grinds growing up but nothing too dramatic. Olivia remarried, returned to school and earned a BA, found a job teaching then divorced again. The family moved multiple times to accommodate the current status of the family. NOTE: Lorelei Linklater is the actual daughter of Richard Linklater. IMDB shows Boyhood rated 8.3, which means the audience really likes this movie. This critique reflects my opinion only. I’m glad it’s out on DVD for those who want to see Boyhood.
[BOYHOOD is nominated for Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay (Writing), Film Editing]
After seeing the trailer and reading the abstract on The November Man, I thought it was going to be the run of the mill, same old plot with a has been still trying to prove he has what it takes to compete on the big screen. It was kind of that but it was so well done and so well acted, all negativity went out the window. A retired CIA agent named Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) is asked to resume his position as an operative by extracting Natalia Ulanova, a deep cover CIA operative from Russia, played by Mediha Musilovic, to the US. On the way, Peter learns the Russian president elect is guilty of war crimes that include starting a war between Russia and the Chechens. He ends up looking for a women played by the Olga Kurylenko, who could blow the whole thing open and cause the new president elect, Arkady Federov played by Lazar Ristovski, his position and maybe his life. During this task Peter is deceived, hunted, pitted against his former student (Mason) who is played by Luke Bracey and betrayed on many levels. The excitement is thrilling and the action, non-stop. Overall, the story is very personal for Devereaux who has to make some profound choices. There’s not much out there that’s worth seeing this week, so I recommend checking out The November Man. It’s probably the best movie to see until next week.
CAROL's WORLDS 