Geoff's Top 10 Films of 2014

Boyhood

As I mentioned in my Top 10 Trailers of 2014 list yesterday, I didn't watch as many films this year as I normally do. It's a travesty, to say the least, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't help make my list of Top 10 Films of 2014 easier to write. Featuring independent releases, Hollywood blockbusters, sports documentaries, family-friendly CGI-animated films, foreign films, and festival favorites, I believe my list of my favorite films from 2014 runs the gamut of modern cinema... with the exception of horror films, but you all know by now they're not really my cup of tea, right?

Read on as I share my list and help explain why they deserved being remembered.


Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons in Whiplash

Geoff's Top 10 Trailers of 2014

Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons in Whiplash

2014 was one of my favorite years of moviegoing, played in no small part by attending my first Sundance. While I watched less films this year overall than I have in my four years of officially being part of the film community, I still watched more than my fair share of trailers. I know people that live for trailers; I also know people who refuse to watch them. Both groups have very valid reasons, with the former embracing the snippets of story and style to help determine their film choices amidst the world of ever-increasing ticket prices, and the latter wanting to enter the film experience full of surprise and intrigue. Listed over the next few pages are some of my personal favorite trailers of 2014. I hope you enjoy watching them as much as I did.


Boyhood

[Video] Boyhood Making-Of Featurette

Barring any last-minute, Hail Mary releases over the next three weeks, Boyhood will officially be my top film of 2014. In my four years of critiquing and reviewing films, Boyhood is the only new release I've actively had to consider giving a perfect score (I ultimately gave it a 9.75 out of 10 at this year's Sundance). Richard Linklater's always taken cinematic risks with his films and has found critical success because of his desire to push the boundaries of what film can be. Boyhood, as it stands, truly is his greatest film to date, and with its VOD release yesterday, many of those who weren't able to see it during its festival circuit run or at arthouse theaters can now see what the hype is about.

To commemorate the film's VOD release, IFC has released a behind-the-scenes featurette documenting Boyhood's process over the film's 12-year production. The 10-minute long video features interviews with Linklater and film stars Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater at the beginning of production, throughout the ensuing 12 years, and just as the project was wrapping up earlier this year. It's an informative look at 2014's best film, and one fans of Linklater and Boyhood won't want to miss.


[Review] Boyhood

[To commemorate the limited theatrical release of Boyhood, we are re-posting this review of the film from this year's Sundance Film Festival]

Boyhood
Director: Richard Linklater
Rating: N/A

Release Date: January 19, 2014 (Sundance)

Richard Linklater is known for his style of filmmaking that focuses on the mundane. Conflict and narrative don't mean much to the writer/director, his preoccupations with film revolving more around the naturalistic approach to capturing real life and humanity. He's explored and experimented with cinematic techniques throughout his career, with the rotoscoping found in Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly to the long takes found in the Before trilogy being the most indicative of his interests.

However, Linklater raised the bar with his latest film, Boyhood. Shot over a 12 year period, the film is a linear exploration of a young boy's growth into an adult from the ages of 6 to 18 and the growing relationship he has with his father. It's epic in scope and, under the guidance of another director, might have bombed out early in production. Linklater's latest cinematic experiment blurs the lines between reality and fiction, narrative and documentary, and does so in a way that is never once intimidating or loses sight of its goal.

Boyhood2

Boyhood follows the life of Mason (Ellar Coltrane) who, at the beginning of the film, is a six year old facing a sudden move with his mother (Patricia Arquette) and sister (Lorelei Linklater). Not long after arrival, the kids' estranged father (Ethan Hawke) re-enters their lives, promising to spend more time with them. The film then proceeds to track the next 12 years of Mason's life as he faces typical adolescent conflict such as girls, bullies, peer pressure, etc., to darker moments like his mother's abusive husbands. Each year is noted by little cues pinpointing which year the scene takes place in, mostly noted by audio cues of that year's popular songs.

Boyhood could be seen as a 12-year-long scripted reality show, not unlike the plethora of garbage infiltrating TV right now. However, the film is so much more than that. As Mason grows older, you can see how his younger self already had a sense of self-identity, and watching it manifest itself over the film's 164 minutes (yes, it's a long ride) is a gift. Linklater might have had an inkling of a narrative idea upon Boyhood's early beginning, but kept it flexible to adapt to Coltrane's life and how it progressed. In a way, there's a blurring of lines between when Coltrane began playing Mason and when Mason and Coltrane became one in the same.

What separates Boyhood from documentaries is that, despite the film's scope and approach, it's still very much a fictional narrative. The film represents a natural cinematic experience that's never once caught up by its artificial conflicts. I can't even begin to fathom the editing process Linklater and crew had to go through to boil down 12 years' worth of footage into a seamless feature; 164 minutes may sound like too much, but I personally didn't feel it one bit. What I did feel, however, was Linklater's patented focus on existential pontification is represented not only in Mason, but in the film's interesting approach; moreover, Boyhood retains a sense of nostalgia for the past decade, becoming itself a time capsule of '00s Americana.

Boyhood may not resonate with everybody, but it will certainly leave a lasting impression on every single person that watches the film. Linklater's ability to not only capture so much and have the ability to adapt every physical and emotional change within Mason/Coltrane into a cohesive fictional narrative is an achievement in and of itself. The film will be talked about for a long time, at first due to its interesting approach, but will hopefully be remembered by the sum of its parts.


Photo still from Boyhood

Alamo Drafthouse Selects Boyhood as Its Next Drafthouse Recommends Film

We're more than halfway through 2014, yet one of the first films I caught this year, Richard Linklater's Boyhood at the Sundance Film Festival, still holds as one of my favorite films of the year. Shot over a period of 12 years, the film literally covers main character Mason's growth from a young boy to young adult, covering themes like father/son dynamics, masculinity, and the typical pangs of becoming the person you'll become. Linklater's known for his narrative and cinematic quirks (especially in Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly), but Boyhood always represented his magnum opus, and it certainly delivers.

To commemorate Boyhood's release into theaters on July 18th, Alamo Drafthouse has selected the film as part of its "Drafthouse Recommends" program, complete with a special introduction by Alamo Drafthouse CEO and Founder Tim League, a special themed food and drink menu for Alamo Drafthouse theaters, and a special "Don't Talk" PSA video from director Richard Linklater himself. You can see the aforementioned special items below. I highly recommend Boyhood to anybody that loves films. If you're lucky enough to live near an Alamo Drafthouse, you can purchase tickets to Boyhood here.

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Photo still from Boyhood

[Trailer] Boyhood

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Boyhood was literally a magnum opus 12 years in the making. What writer/director Richard Linklater had attempted was something so immensely ambitious in cinema that could have easily faltered and failed. However, as I expressed in my Sundance review of the filmBoyhood was the build-up of 12 years of cinematic work that ultimately pays off and has the ability to change our perception on how fictional dramas can be made.

In case you missed my review (and really, you should see the film first before you have me come around and poison your mind over how absolutely amazing it is), Boyhood is about a young six year old boy named Mason (Ellar Coltrane) contending with an almost rapid-fire succession of life changes, first with his absent Father re-entering his life, being moved to another town, his Mother's various relationships, and the overall pangs of growing into adulthood. However, what makes Boyhood so special is that Linklater would shoot a few weeks of the film every year, tracking Coltrane's own life, adapting the narrative and certain events to tailor to Coltrane's interests. Before long, you begin to see the seeds of Mason's/Coltrane's personality begin to take shape as the years pass by. The film also stars Ethan Hawke (Before Midnight) and Patricia Arquette (Boardwalk Empire) as Mason's parents and Linklater's own daughter, Lorelei, as Mason's sister.

It truly is a remarkable film that I implore everybody to see once it hits theaters on July 11th. Seriously, if you can only watch one trailer this week, make sure it's Boyhood's.


Promotional image for SXSW Film 2014

[SXSW] 10 Films You Should See at SXSW 2014

Promotional image for SXSW Film 2014

[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]

With this year marking my third visit to the famed South by Southwest Festival, I've become a bit of a veteran when it comes to the film side of the festival. While Sundance and CIFF have their perks and vibes, but SXSW has always been consistent with their film selections. With such a large amount of films screening at SXSW this year, I figured I'd help guide you along in which films are sure to be festival favorites. While I'm only suggesting 10 films, any and all of you SXSW Film attendees should try to catch as many films as you can. Some of my best and favorite SXSW films in years past have been the ones I've caught on a whim,  which serves as a testament to the amazing programming the SXSW people have shown throughout the years. Nevertheless, read on to find out which 10 films are my most anticipated of South by Southwest 2014.