"Boyhood" Review

Filmed over the course of 12-years, Boyhood is the latest movie from Texas filmmaker Richard Linklater. The story follows a young man, Mason (Ellar Coltrane), vignette-style as he grows from 1st grade to college. I've been looking forward to this film since it premiered at Sundance Film Festival back in January. Given its unique premise and the fact that it was helmed by one of my favorite directors, my anticipation for this movie couldn't have been higher. And I'm happy to report that I wasn't let down in the slightest.

Due to the experimental nature of the film, the plot is very non-traditional. Rather than focus on an overarching conflict, the story simply follows the characters as they grow up. Some of the characters go through big changes, some stay static, but they all feel real. And at a nearly 3-hour run-time, it still feels short. I would have loved more time to watch these characters grow.

It's a good thing that Ellar Coltrane grew up to be a relatively solid actor, because he really holds the movie together. Lorelei Linklater plays Mason's older sister, Samantha. And while the character never really grows past being charismatically annoying, it's incredibly interesting to see her and Mason grow at the same time, to give perspective. Patricia Arquette gives a fantastic performance as Mason's single mother, who has the tendency to pick the wrong guy. The real scene stealer is Ethan Hawke though, as Mason's estranged Dad. No stranger to working with Richard Linklater (They worked together in the "Before" trilogy - another instance of long-term storytelling), he oozes charisma every time he's onscreen, as a man trying to connect with his kids. The rest of the ensemble is strong as well. And although we don't see the actors develop through 12 years, the roles are no less defined.

The context of having a theme about life and growing up seems to have made the film fool-proof. There are several instances where a line doesn't seem to be delivered quite right, and yet it fits just perfectly in the film. The line still feels awkward, but instead of making the film awkward, the film  deflects any responsibility and simply argues that life is awkward. Similarly, there are a couple scenes in the film that are pretty cheesy. However, by this point I had been completely won over by the film, and was able to justify to myself that these scenes were self-aware in themselves.

Boyhood has that x-factor that makes a movie an instant classic. I already know that I'm going to be revisiting this movie every year or so. It's truly one-of-a-kind, but I don't think it's just because of how it was made. The film is so tactfully developed that it becomes much more than just a gimmick. Boyhood is truly a must-see. 10/10.

"If I Stay" Review

Based off of the Gayle Forman novel of the same name, If I Stay is the Chloë Grace Moretz vehicle about a girl named Mia who falls into a coma after getting into a car crash. While having an out-of-body experience, she must decide whether she wants to live or die. As all of this is going on, we get to watch flashbacks of Mia interacting with her parents (World War Z's Mireille Enos and The Blair Witch Project's Joshua Leonard) and her boyfriend (U Want Me 2 Kill Him?'s Jamie Blackley). Unsurprisingly, this movie manages to bring crank the manipulation meter all the way to 11. This coupled with the fact that the movie has absolutely no self-awareness whatsoever manages to create a brilliant comedy.

First, the out-of-body experience is remarkable undeveloped. Mia watches as she and her family undergo hospital treatment, and she is treated as an essentially invisible person. All of the laws of physics seem to apply to her, but maybe not because the film doesn't bother to go into any of that stuff. It would have been interesting to see someone bump into out-of-body Mia or walk through her or something. She can touch things but it's questionable as to what the effect on the objects is. She grabs her friends' and relatives' hands occasionally, and they look like they can see her. And it's absolutely hysterical. I guess not outlining any rules is the film's way of trying to get you to not think about it.

If I Stay also seems to have the strange idea that you can only like one genre of music. Mia talks several times throughout the film about how she feels like a disappointment to her parents because they like rock music and she plays the cello. The film also thinks that the cello is the only classical instrument. There are no references to orchestras and with the exception of a briefly shown harp, there are no other classical instruments. Mia even references in the film about how she initially thought that a cello was a "solo instrument", but discovered that it actually works well with guitars.

The other staple of the flashbacks is Mia's insufferable relationship with her boyfriend, Adam. Adam is the cool kid but falls in love with Mia because she's special and unique and plays the cello. Of course, Mia thinks that the fact that she plays the cello and Adam plays the guitar in a mediocre Portland rock band means that he's too cool for her. Anyway, they start dating and there are tons of clichés while the filmmakers attempt to maintain that the love is unique. Then the faux drama starts. Adam gets upset that Mia is applying to Juilliard and that if she gets in they'll have to be in a long-distance relationship and he gets really whiny and they fight and kiss and fight and break up. It's pretty funny.

Although If I Stay is a complete mess, it's an entertaining mess. My theory is that this is because all of the cast members put their best foot forward and that the director had a vision. Chloë Grace Moretz seemed to give it her all, but I still don't think she's very charismatic or talented. The rest of the performances felt forced, but I feel as if that is mostly because the actors weren't given much to work with. To me, If I Stay is so bad that it's good. There's not much about the production that screams incompetence, but everything in the movie is so manipulative and over-the-top that it borders on self-parody. 3/10.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" Review

Directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy is the first film of the 2nd phase of Marvel's cinematic universe. The story is centered around Peter Quill, a man abducted from Earth when he was a child, and his quest to keep a magic science orb away from Ronan the Accuser. Along the way, he meets Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot. Together, they form an unlikely group of superheroes named the Guardians of the Galaxy. 

The humor in the script is very tight. That's probably the strongest aspect of the film. The majority of the jokes made by the film work very well. I have a decent amount of problems with the script, but I'm glad that it was punched up enough to not become a groan-fest that many other Marvel films become. 

The actors are all also very charismatic. Chris Pratt gives one of his most charming performances to date as Peter Quill. Zoe Saldana solidifies her sci-fi dominance as Gamora, Bradley Cooper does his best Joe Pesci imitation as Rocket, and Vin Diesel is lovable even while only giving a singular line as (I am) Groot. However, the real surprise is Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer. Known primarily as a WWE wrestler, he kills as the overly serious brute. Despite the fact that Lee Pace's Ronan is nothing special, the ensemble performances give the energy to make the film as fun as it is.

With a talking tree and raccoon as part of the main cast, it could have been easy to make characters who seem somewhat isolated to the rest of the group. However, the character designs were very well thought-out, and the group works very cohesively. The action in the beginning of the film is very fun and entertaining, though as the movie teeters into the 3rd act, it quickly becomes a mess of colors and explosions.

Guardians of the Galaxy is very emotionally manipulative, and not very subtle about it either. There are many detours from the fun, campy elements of the film to go to some more dramatic moments, and it's like flipping a light switch. The score is written in a way where you are essentially told to "feel sad here". While the soundtrack is enjoyable, filled with classic '70s and '80s music, the score was remarkably bland.

You can definitely feel James Gunn's Troma roots appear in the film, but the movie still feels watered down to fit a studio format. That said, I still appreciate the risks that Marvel took in making this movie. While I don't feel like Guardians of the Galaxy is anything revolutionary, it's still a fun time at the movies. And the best Marvel film I've seen thus far. 7/10.