Boyhood

Never before has a narrative film felt as real as Richard Linklater's latest experimental masterpiece Boyhood.

Mason Evans Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) is a six year-old boy who lives with his older sister, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) and his single mother, Olivia (Patricia Arquette). Olivia isn't earning enough to keep the family afloat, so she wants the family to move so that she can study at the University of Houston and earn a higher living. Mason is concerned that their dad, Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke) won't be able to find them in their new location. What follows is an epic 12 year tale that documents the difficulty and the beauty of growing up.

Linklater took a creative risk with this film, shooting the cast over a 12 year period, but boy, did it ever pay off. The progression between the years is marked by subtle physical changes in the characters, the evolving landscape of their lives and recognisable elements of each year implanted into the story. The plot feels very free-form, which is what makes it so authentic. It's as if Linklater just set the characters free to live their lives whilst he sat watching with a pen and paper...only not in a creepy way. One of the things that makes it such a relatable film for me, is that I was actually 6 in 2002. I recognised points throughout that felt very familiar, that really put me in the shoes of Mason, and that was a truely amazing experience. Watching this film was like a trip down sentimental lane for me. 

Every member of the cast is fantastic. Ellar Coltrane as Mason really grows on you. You don't feel as if he's an actor on the screen but rather a kid who's just trying to figure things out, following his heart and trying to craft his own life philosophies. I feel like there's probably a bit of Linklater in him. Lorelei Linklater is also great as Samantha, and Patricia Arquette is painfully moving as Olivia, as she struggles to keep up whilst her life keeps taking nose-dives. Though Ethan Hawke as Mason Sr. was in many ways the heart of the film for me, managing to be hugely charismatic and compassionate despite his failings. 

Boyhood has been beautifully shot in 35mm by Lee Daniel and Shane F. Kelly, bringing both the unique visual look of film back to the cinema and allowing all the years worth of footage to line up in perfect continuity. In many ways, it's like a moving family picture album, providing a window into the lives of these people.

This film isn't just an experiment. It isn't just a milestone in cinema history. It's one of the most beautiful, touching stories that you will ever experience hands-down, keeping you engaged from beginning to end. You simply have to see this film. If this doesn't get nominated for Best Picture, I will riot. Can an individual technically riot?

 

Robin WIlliams Tribute Month: Cadillac Man (1990)

 Well I never thought it would happen but Robin Williams achieved the impossible. He made me actually like a car salesman. On top of that achievement and despite being considered a total flop, Roger Donaldson's Cadillac Man is actually a pretty damn funny movie.

Joey O'Brien (Robin Williams) is a car salesman in a crisis. He has a needy ex-wife (Pamela Reed), multiple mistresses to balance, he's in debt to the mafia and if he doesn't sell at least 12 cars by the end of the dealership's big sale day, he will lose his job.

However, one day his prayers are answered by the most unlikely of scenarios, when maniacal Larry (Tim Robbins) enters the dealership with an AK-47 and a large quantity of plastic explosives, sparking a hostage situation that O'Brien has to stop, changing his life forever.

There's no way around it, Williams's character here, Joey, is a total a**hole, evident from the opening scene where he interrupts a funeral to try and sell some hearses to the undertakers and a new car to the grieving widow. Sounds like a typical car salesman right? Well I'm not sure if it's his keen sense of ambition, his jokey attitude, or Williams's hilarious performance, but you just can't help but love Joey. Tim Robbins is equally strong opposite Williams, if you didn't know better, you'd swear the producers had just picked him out of a mental institution.

The supporting cast are all very good too, both Joey's mistresses and his ex-wife border on the neurotic and all the other hostages, including several irritable customers who just want to buy a car, deliver their often absurd but entertaining lines perfectly.

This may not be the most original script, nor is it much more than a light comedy, but it's a lot of fun thanks to another lively performance from Robin Williams, and is a great movie to pick up on a rainy day.

Robin Williams Tribute Month: Jack (1996)

Many people consider this film a misstep in Francis Ford Coppola's career, but when you think about it, this is probably one of the most suitable movies for Robin Williams to star in. His high energy performance just makes the whole thing believable.

Jack Powell (Williams) is a ten-year-old boy who has a rare disease that makes him age at four times the rate of a normal human. His parents Karen and Brian (Diane Lane and Brian Kerwin) are extremely protective of Jack, but one day his private tutor, Professor Woodruff (Bill Cosby) suggests that Jack attend a public school.

At first, Jack is seen as an outcast and only his teacher Miss Marquez (Jennifer Lopez) is friendly with him. Soon enough the kids start to see him as a regular kid and they all become friends. It's a bit cheesy, but in the end it's all a bit of fun.

Williams' high energy is perfect for this role. There are some fantastic slapstick moments involving him being too big for the grade school chairs, his ability to beat the smaller kids at basketball and many others.

The other performances in this movie are pretty good as well. Although both being much younger than Williams at the time, Lane and Kerwin are great as Jack's parents and really help the movie along during some of the more emotionally driven scenes. Both Bill Cosby and Fran Drescher play against the characters that made them famous. Cosby is a bit more straight laced than usual and Drescher is not as nasal as the character she played on The Nanny.

Jack ultimately failed to perform at the box office due to its similarity to the Tom Hanks vehicle Big, but when viewed through the prism of time as a standalone movie, the message is quite touching. It was a movie that touched me deeply as a kid and after all these years, I enjoyed it again.

Comedian Joan Rivers dies at 81

Shock comedian Joan Rivers has passed away at the age of 81. Earlier in the week, she was rushed to hospital after she stopped breathing during surgery on her vocal chords.She was kept on life support as her condition worsened.

Rivers was known for her coarse humour. Her appearances on "The Tonight Show" and "The Ed Sullivan Show" made her famous in her early career, but she is best known for her numerous appearances on the red carpet.

She has been parodied may times, with a lot of the jokes aimed at her large number of plastic surgeries over the years. She had a long and full career and I'm sure she will be missed by many people.

Predestination

Don't let this movie deceive you into thinking that it is American, because it's not. Written and directed by the Spierig brothers (Daybreakers), shot in Melbourne and funded by Australian film corporations, the only American things about it are the setting and the fact that Ethan Hawke stars.

To tell the plot of this movie would be to ruin it for anyone who wishes to see it, but the film focuses on time travel and the paradoxical nature of the concept. That's all I can say without going into too much depth although I did find after thinking about this paradox for a long time it can seem to fall apart.

The performances in this movie are phenomenal. Ethan Hawke (who worked with the Spierigs on their last film) is very adept and natural in the film. Newcomer Sarah Snook is possibly better than him in this film. I wouldn't say that she carries the film where it's lacking, but her performance elevates the film to another level of amazing. Fellow Aussie Noah Taylor floats through the background with slight menace, but we are never quite sure of his intentions.

The Spierig brothers are fantastic at constructing sci-fi worlds where you forget about the science element and focus on what's going on with the characters or the deeper meaning behind the film. They also have a superb ability to make a beautiful film.

Verdict: This movie blew me away and I thought it was fantastic. Great performances from a well written script.

Felony

It's good to see a movie that isn't just cops against crooks for once. Matthew Saville's latest film pitches cop against cop in this fantastic drama that questions what the right thing to do is.

Mal (Joel Edgerton) is a drug cop who becomes a hero after taking a bullet on a raid on a Sydney warehouse. After a big night celebrating, Mal is driving home and clips a young boy riding his bike. He is questioned by two detectives, Carl (Tom Wilkinson) and Jim (Jai Courtney), where he lies about what happens. This lie eventually snowballs and drags in Mal's wife, Julie (Melissa George).

Felony is by no means a fast paced movie. It is slow and brooding and sometimes takes time away from the main plot to watch the characters take part in actual police work. This is a welcome change from movies that get too caught up in their own plot. Edgerton also wrote the script and accurately portrays the minute details of Australian policing. However, there is a subplot where Jim has a slight romance with the victims mother, played by Sarah Roberts, which seemed to go a tad too far.

On the whole, the performances were solid, which is what you'd expect of a cast like this. Wilkinson manages an Australian accent without fault (although it is relatively easy for British actors). Jai Courtney has also become one of my favourite new actors to watch. From playing in big American action movies like Die Hard 5 or Jack Reacher to smaller Aussie dramas like this demonstrates fantastic range. I felt as though Edgerton was slipping at times, but still delivers a great performance.

Verdict: A great slow-paced drama that is full of intrigue and has a gripping plot, although I am a bit confused by calling the film after a level of crime that technically doesn't exist in Australia.

Robin Williams Tribute Month: World's Greatest Dad (2009)

 Bobcat Goldthwait's mind is certainly a dark and mysterious one. His comedy World's Greatest Dad, is one of the most difficult Williams movie to watch in the wake of his death, considering it's suicidal themes. But the truth is, this is probably the best black-humour movie I've seen in a long time.

Single father, high-school teacher and amateur writer, Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) consistently has his novels rejected from publishers. He's involved with a much younger, more attractive teacher, Claire (Alexie Gilmore) whom he is paranoid might be cheating on him, and on top of that he has a difficult to deal with, "douchebag" of a son, Kyle (Daryl Sabara) that is an underachiever, constantly getting into fights and has a fetish for erotic asphyxiation.

Lance seems to be surrounded by irritating teachers, such as Mike (Henry Simmons), another English teacher whose much more popular English elective, better physique and publishing success is only made worse by his excruciating (and quite probably false) modesty, and Principal Anderson (Geoff Pierson), who is so deadpan serious that even Bale's Batman would be more of a laugh. In fact, the only remotely likable adult around Lance is his elderly neighbour, Bonnie (Mitzi McCall) who is quite willing to chat with lance over a cup of tea and some hash brownies.

Compared to most of his other comedies, this is one of Robin Williams's more subdued performances, though just because it's missing some of his energy is not to say that it's not both funny and really quite touching. This style really does suit the character, who seems so hopelessly repressed despite all the sh*t that's unfolding around him that it really is difficult not to see elements of Williams's inner demons come out through Lance.

This is a great script. It knows exactly where the line is, and steps over it with finesse. It never really devolves into gross-out comedy but rather takes a "we'll you've got to laugh or you'd cry" stance towards the bleak situations that play out over the course of the film. One of my favourite quotes from Lance, when he's talking about his struggles as a writer is “Ernest Hemingway once said all he wanted to do was write one true sentence. He also tried to scratch an itch in the back of his head with a shotgun.” That sentence for me, perfectly sums up the tone of the film

This is one of the best of Robin's last films, and whilst it deals with difficult subject matter, Goldthwait handles it perfectly, backed up by a unique performance from Williams. Also, it's got a great final scene, with the Queen-Bowie song "Under Pressure" playing in the background. Make sure you watch through to that part.