My Review: Boyhood (10/10)

"You don't want the bumpers, life doesn't give you bumpers."

Anyone who has read my reviews in the past will know that I have a soft spot for coming of age films, and Boyhood has just become one of my favorite films in this genre. I haven't seen any other film that captures life as authentically as Richard Linklater's Boyhood does as we literally see these characters grow up right before our eyes during the course of 12 years. You know how we're always saying that life goes by so fast and that it only felt like yesterday we were graduating from school? Well Boyhood is an excellent example of this, as we see the journey of this 6 year old boy as he begins school and we follow him for 12 years until he graduates from High School. Linklater filmed short scenes with the same actors during the course of 12 years and later edited them together to create this masterpiece which consists of well developed characters and a powerful narrative that is beautifully paced. You never really feel its two and a half hours because the narrative captures you from the very opening scene. It is a unique experience for the audience because we get to witness the passage of time for this family and become attached to them. It genuinely captures the moments in the life of this family as the mother struggles to raise her two children on her own while she goes through a couple of unsuccessful marriages leaving marks on her and her children, but it does so in such a way that it never hits a false note and always feels authentic and true to life. It could easily have entered into familiar territory, but it never does because the film avoids cliches and relies heavily on Richard Linklater's brilliant script (which deserves at least an Academy Award nomination). Boyhood is one of those rare unique films that inspires and reminds you to enjoy every moment of life. It's an experimental movie that will be difficult to match due to the monumental effort it took to direct a film like this for more than a decade, but it really pays off and becomes a rewarding experience. A film that captures the essence of life as well as this only comes in extremely rare occasions so this is one you won't want to miss. We will hear a lot about Boyhood during Award season. 

Richard Linklater has made another splash in film history adding to an already rich legacy after his experimental work with the romantic Before trilogy. Teaming up with Ethan Hawke once again, Linklater allows us to witness another cinematic achievement, although the true star of this film is newcomer Ellar Coltrane who grows as an actor right before our eyes and shines on screen. The soundtrack also plays a key role in this film and Linklater knows a thing or two about music. The way in which he incorporated it during each stage of life was moving and only added to the underlying message Linklater was getting across of art imitating life. We see this through Coltrane's performance as he grows up, falls in and out of love, feels joy and despair, while friends come and go in and out of his life. While we visually experience how quick times passes through the physical changes in the children, it is in a late scene where Patricia Arquette is having a conversation with her son that we truly understand the emotional impact that the passage of time takes on us and how these moments sometimes become just a blink. Linklater's dedication for this film really pays off and it is such a rewarding experience for the viewer. This is my first 5 star review for a 2014 film and it will be very hard for another film to equal this experience. Richard Linklater has directed several great films, but I think Boyhood is his best and most complete film because it reaches out and touches audiences everywhere. It is a universal film with universal themes. It is the purest example of art imitating life. It reminds us to stop for a moment and remember that life isn't just about getting to our destination, but more about enjoying the journey and living the moment. Boyhood is an exceptional and groundbreaking film, a must see, and a modern classic.

My Review: Bringing Out the Dead (5/10)

"Saving someone's life is like falling in love. The best drug in the world. God has passed through you. Why deny it, that for a moment there, God was you?"

Bringing Out the Dead presents a dark and bleak view of New York City as we get to experience it through the main character's depressive perception. Working as an ambulance paramedic, Frank Pierce has always found purpose in his life in saving others, but after not being able to save a young girl and feeling haunted by her ghost he has lost his passion and begins to question his existence. The torment he is experiencing leads him to an identity crisis that impacts the way he (and therefore we the audience) sees the city. Martin Scorsese gets all the technical aspects of the film right, teaming up with his usual collaborators: the cinematography done by Robert Richardson and the editing by Thelma Schoonmaker, but somehow the story doesn't work as well. I understand what he was trying to do, but I just couldn't care for the characters in this film and it all felt a little too surreal for my taste. This is the first film from Scorsese that I've seen that hasn't worked for me, but I do have to give him credit for delivering on the technical aspects. There are also some great moments and some supporting performances that worked really well for me, but it only made me wish the film focused on those characters instead of on Frank. The unique way in which the city was portrayed through Frank's eyes as he's dealing with his personal demons and nightmares really never engaged me because I didn't care for his character. His partners on the other hand were much more engaging and I wish we could've seen it through their eyes instead. 

The screenplay was adapted by Paul Schrader from Joe Connelly's novel of the same name. This was Schrader and Scorsese's fourth and final collaboration together after having worked in Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Last Temptation of Christ. Bringing Out the Dead is perhaps most similar to Taxi Driver in tone, but it is a departure from most of his work considering its surreal and nightmarish tone. The film follows Frank Pierce (Nicolas Cage) as he drives across New York City in his ambulance during the night shifts. It's a two man ambulance team although his partners switch every night. Frank is completely burned out considering he hasn't been able to save anyone over the past few weeks and is eagerly awaiting to be fired. His partners don't seem to be experiencing the same problem as they all seem to deal with their demons in different ways. There's Larry (John Goodman) who is constantly thinking about food, Marcus (Ving Rhames) who is a religiously devoted man, and Tom (Tom Sizemore) who borderlines on psychotic behavior. They work for Mercy Hospital, which is always full of wacky characters and very crowded. Frank begins to fraternize with the daughter of one of the patients he brings in, her name is Mary (Patricia Arquette), and she seems to be the only good thing about his job now. Tormented by the ghosts of those he couldn't save, he searches for his salvation through trying to help Mary and saving both of them in the process. 

Despite not enjoying this film as much as I have other Scorsese movies, I have to admit that there were some incredibly entertaining scenes. Ving Rhames has an amazing scene along Nicolas Cage and one of the patients they are trying to save. It was hilarious. He was by far my favorite character in the film. Patricia Arquette was also pretty interesting, and Cliff Curtis also had a couple of great scenes as Cy. Those were the highlights for me in an exhilarating and fast paced film that failed to engage me with the main character played by Cage. Scorsese does manage to capture the chaos and darkness of the city in a very unique way and the technical brilliance of this film stand out above the story. It's a demented film, but it just wasn't my type of movie because the story was emotionally uninvolving. I will give it credit for the hilarious scenes, but I was let down by the lack of an engaging story.

My Review: True Romance (9/10)

"If you gave me a million years to ponder, I would never have guessed that true romance and Detroit would ever go together."

I would never have guessed that Tony Scott and Quentin Tarantino would ever go together, but what a pleasant surprise this romantic crime thriller turned out to be. Thanks to a sharp and witty script and entertaining characters True Romance was extremely cool. The best way I can describe this film is to take Patricia Arquette's character's words and sound like a broken record: all I could think of while watching this film was Quentin Tarantino you are so cool; Tony Scott you are so cool; every single actor in this film you are so cool, True Romance you are so cool. I can't believe I had to wait 21 years to get around to watching this considering how big of a Quentin Tarantino fan I am (and I'm also a huge fan of Tony Scott's work in Man on Fire). Tarantino's energetic script and Scott's stylized direction blended perfectly in this near masterpiece. The cast is absolutely brilliant here and there are so many memorable characters and scenes in this film. I think I enjoyed this film more watching it for the first time now than if I would have seen it in 1993 considering there are so many familiar faces that I probably wouldn't have recognized back then. Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, James Gandolfini, and Chris Penn all have small but memorable roles. Oldman is barely recognizable playing a pimp with dreadlocks and a glass eye, but it is a unique performance. Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette give the performance of their careers here; it's a shame Slater has been in so many terrible films in the past decade because his performance here was promising. Arquette is adorable as Alabama and I can't think of another sweeter performance than hers. There is so much energy and charm in this film that it's hard to resist. Like good wine, True Romance will probably age better over time considering I couldn't believe how much fun I was having watching an early 90's film for the first time. True Romance you are so cool!

Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) is a comic book store clerk who also happens to be a martial arts film buff. He plans to spend his birthday as he always does, at the movies, watching a triple feature of Sonny Chiba. What he doesn't expect is that he will find the love of his life there. While he is watching the film, a pretty woman walks into the theater spilling her popcorn all over him. She apologizes and introduces herself as Alabama (Patricia Arquette). The two fall in love with each other after she opens up to him about her true identity. This leads them through a series of dangerous adventures involving pimps (Gary Oldman), the Sicilian mafia (Christopher Walken, James Gandolfini), drug dealers (Samuel L. Jackson), police officials (Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore), and Hollywood producers (Saul Rubinek, Bronson Pinchot). The film is full of energy and thrills as the two lovers face several obstacles along the way. Thankfully, Clarence seems to have a mentor on his side to guide him: an apparition of his idol Elvis Presley (Val Kilmer) who is sort of his conscious.

Even if you aren't a huge fan of Tarantino you could still enjoy True Romance for all the beloved actors in this film that weren't probably big Hollywood names back then. The film moves so quickly and the script is so energetic that It makes for a very entertaining watch. There are so many memorable scenes in this film, like the face off between Gary Oldman and Christian Slater, the group mexican standoff, and the violent hotel scene involving Gandolfini and Arquette, but the real scene stealer would have to be the one in which Dennis Hopper, who plays Clarence's father, is ambushed by Christopher Walken and his gang and they have a not so friendly chat about Sicilians. It was a pure Tarantino moment and there are a lot of these great dialogues that allow for the film to have such a great pace and move along so nicely. The style and characters in this film make it such a unique experience and film lovers will enjoy the Hollywood satire as well. I am so glad I finally got to see this wild and romantic film. This is another reason why Tony Scott will be missed.