Tag: Boyhood

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Everybody Wants Some!!

by MCDave

Richard Linklater is a bit of a chameleon director. His filmography boasts an assortment of movies which, on the surface, appear to have no link whatsoever. Yet, when you dig deeper into the content of films such as Boyhood, Dazed and Confused and the Before Sunrise trilogy, they all share a common theme of self discovery. And the same can be said for Linklater’s latest comedic endeavor, Everybody Wants Some!!.

Set throughout a Texas college in 1980, the film follows a new class of freshman baseball recruits who arrive to campus and meet their rowdy elder teammates a few days before classes begin. Pitching prospect, Jake (Blake Jenner), and his meat-head catcher, Plummer (Temple Baker), blindly follow the wisdom of their upperclassman teammate, Finn (Glen Powell), as they come face to face with newfound freedoms and adult responsibilities.

some1

One of Richard Linklater’s finest qualities as a filmmaker is his ability to capture moments. Much liked his influential cult classic, Dazed and Confused, this 80s centric comedy beautifully ushers its characters from uninhibited youthful independence to the early seeds of adulthood. Everybody Wants Some!! succeeds on the shoulders of subtly insightful scenes that are peppered with outrageous laughs and tender moments. Lead actor, Blake Jenner, delivers an endearing role that in no way steals the show. Instead, Linklater relies on a spanning cast of animated characters that each contribute key elements to the greater good. Supporting stars Temple Baker, who shines in a debut performance, and Glen Powell each handle their prominent roles with natural ease. An exceptional cast, solid soundtrack and energetic pace help make Everybody Wants Some!! a memorable experience.

some2

While Richard Linklater’s newest entry will understandably be compared against his beloved title, Dazed and Confused, it’s important to recognize that Everybody Wants Some!! is mildly derivative of the previous work. 22 Jump Street‘s Wyatt Russell serves as a stand-in of sorts for Matthew McConaughey’s classic Wooderson character. The similarities extend far beyond their physical resemblances, mainly Willoughby’s prophetic preaching to ignore society’s rules and to embrace your inner goofball. In addition to the comparable aspects of Linklater’s two films, Everybody Wants Some!! suffers from an aimless story. It’s a bit of a catch 22, but the director’s passion for capturing key moments, in lieu of telling a cohesive story, ultimately weakens the film from a larger scope.

Despite the film’s shortcomings, its appealing vibe and infectious energy are enough to sway the audience. I’m not envisioning a generational classic, but Everybody Wants Some!! is an affable winner in its own right. Considering it’s only April, Linklater’s latest is one of the better options worth enjoying early in 2016.

GRADE: 3.5/5

Check out other reviews and movie lists from MCDAVE at his host site

Here Are The 87th Annual Academy Award Winners!

by Derek Kraneveldt

The Oscars are over for one more year, and after an amazing event hosted by man-crush Neil Patrick Harris, I’m still reeling over the wonders of this year’s show. I still can’t believe that Boyhood didn’t take it home, but it was still an amazing few hours (that John Legend and Common performance, right), and I can’t wait to hear what everyone thought.

Now, who won!? Take a look at the full list of winners below, and be sure to let us know who you’re glad took home the gold, who you’re disappointed didn’t, and anything else about this year’s Oscars that you may want to share!

Best Picture: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne – “The Theory of Everything”
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons – “Whiplash”
Best Actress: Julianne Moore – “Still Alice”
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette – “Boyhood”
Best Director: “Birdman” – Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Best Animated Feature Film: “Big Hero 6” – Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli
Best Animated Short Film: “Feast” – by Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
Best Original Song: “Glory” from Selma – Music and Lyric by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn
Best Original Score: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Alexandre Desplat
Best Production Design: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)
Best Editing: “Whiplash” – Tom Cross
Best Cinematography: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Emmanuel Lubezki
Best Sound Editing: “American Sniper” – Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Best Sound Mixing: “Whiplash” – Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley
Best Documentary Feature: “CitizenFour” – Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
Best Documentary Short: “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1” – Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry
Best Live Action Short Film: “The Phone Call” by Mat Kirkby and James Lucas
Best Visual Effects: “Interstellar” – Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
Best Foreign Language Film: “Ida” – Poland; Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier
Best Costume Design: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Milena Canonero
Best Original Screenplay: “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” – Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo
Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Imitation Game” – Written by Graham Moore

There you go! Again, be sure to let us know what you thought of the ceremony in the comments below.

Birdman

Watch ‘Sirens,’ the Failed TV Pilot Starring the Green Ranger and Fergie

by Eric Francisco

What you’re about to see is nothing short of the greatest thing you will see all day, courtesy from our friends at Dan’s (Toku) Rants.

A failed TV pilot pitch, Sirens was to be a modern sci-fi/fantasy show similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer but way more bizarre and awesome in the most ridiculous of ways. The premise? A trio of pop singers that are secretly mermaids THAT KNOW KARATE must stop an aquatic alien invasion. Have your eyeballs exploded from reading that sentence? Did you go into shock at “karate mermaids”? Just wait, because the pilot stars Brad Hawkins (VR Troopers, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood), Jason David Frank (“Tommy” from Power Rangers), and Fergie.

Yes, THAT Fergie.

You need to see this right now.

How this wasn’t picked up is beyond my comprehension.

Long before Fergie sang about her lovely lady humps, she was Stacy Ferguson in the R&B/pop group Wild Orchids. They were moderately successful: they released four studio albums, toured with *NSYNC and were named by US Weekly as the #18 Best Girl Group of all time in 2013. But at some point during the group’s lifespan, they almost went into television and Sirens was to be their ship. A little ironic, no?

The project was helmed by Power Rangers producers Doug Sloan and Ann Austen, which explains Frank and Hawkins’ involvement. For a particular brand of geek, seeing these two share a screen is downright fascinating: it’s the leader of the VR Troopers fighting the leader of the Power Rangers! And the Power Ranger is a bad guy! Seriously, if Sirens was picked up, everyone’s childhood hero could have had a run at being the ruthless, cocky muscle for a villain several notches below Lord Zedd. This is the real loss of Sirens. “Get the hell off my car!” could be the next meme in the Power Rangers fandom if this goes viral.

Also involved was renowned effects director Steve Wang. His work is on display with those creature designs. Wang is renowned in certain circles, and you’ve seen his work: He created the Predator. Elsewhere, Wang directed the cult classic Guyver 2: Dark Hero and the Emmy-winning series Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. You might think I’m kidding with that Emmy, but I’m not. He also directed one of the most popular and unique Power Rangers episodes of all time, “The Rescue Mission,” from the Lost Galaxy series.

The creation of Sirens is bizarre purely because of the talent involved. It was put together like any other show normally is, but the cross section of boys’ action TV and pre-teen/teen pop is unlike anything seen before and since. Imagine if the Marvel movies had a project involving Iggy Azalea. Who is it for? But hey, that was just Billy Clinton’s carefree ’90s.

Full disclosure: I have seen this before. In 2012, I went to No Pink Spandex Live! in New York City which was an intimate meet-and-greet with Jason David Frank. It was really cool being just inches to JDF, who at the time was just getting into the convention scene. At NPS Live, Frank provided a screening of this very pilot pitch, and for the life of me I wish I remembered more of what he said about it. There was nothing scandalous or controversial in the creation of this pilot, as I recall it was very run of the mill. It’s just noteworthy because of who’s in it. (Although I do recall Frank discussing a strained relationship after Sirens with Sloan and Austen, his Power Rangers producers.)

Sirens isn’t a secret, it’s just obscure of the highest order. Brad Hawkins, the male lead of this awesomely woman-dominated show, has talked about it in an episode of the Dan’s (Toku) Rants podcast:

“Yeah, Fergie. I was actually really excited about that. She was in a band called Wild Orchid … I just knew there were three hot chicks in this series and me and Jason get to fight a little bit and that’s kinda fun. But it was awesomely terrible, it really is. It’s terrible. But the girls did good. I mean we used the same stunt team from Power Rangers so it was a lot of spinning and kicking, martial arts and stuff. But it just didn’t get the green light and you know Fergie was so depressed she got in a band called the Black Eyed Peas and they just kinda made a zillion dollars and became super stars. So you know, it all worked out.”

The road less traveled will always be the road that fascinates me the most. I hold no delusions: even if Sirens was picked up, its strange premise would have cornered it and it could have been just as quickly forgotten and as obscure as VR Troopers is now. That’s not a knock on Brad or anybody from that show, because even Brad knows how little that show is remembered.

But Sirens remains a delightful anomaly. At the time Sirens was being produced, the audience for Power Rangers were growing up into their teens. At that age, all kids look for something darker, edgier and sexier, so Sirens could have had a real audience. It had all the action those kids were used to, but turned up a notch by virtue of just not being Power Rangers. It had beautiful women, so the puberty kickstarted by Pink and Yellow Rangers (and Kaitlin Hall, because come on, VR Troopers!) just goes into overdrive.

Probably most important, these were ass-kicking MERMAIDS. This was an action-heavy show starring girls whose target audience were probably girls right from the start! It’s honestly hard to tell that from the pilot, but akin to Buffy, Sirens had a magic formula that could have made it appealing across the youth demographic quadrants.

Also at the height of this era were pop bands, those boy and girl groups of yesteryear that dominated the charts. Clearly this show had no shortage of that. It’s so weird and goofy, but if it had the chance maybe Sirens really could have been big.

Who knows what other projects featuring similarly polarizing figures in pop culture have fallen by the wayside?

Go Behind the Scenes in This Boyhood Featurette

by jake108

Anyone who was lucky enough to catch Boyhood in a theater near them isn’t surprised to hear the film come up in Oscar buzz. Linklater was able to craft a film in a truly unorthodox fashion and, whether you liked the film or not, the process of building this world is something to behold.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/722926

Boyhood is available now in theaters and for digital download.

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Boyhood

by MCDave

By now most people have heard the rumblings about Richard Linklater’s spectacular new film, Boyhood. There’s very little I can add to the warranted praises that have flooded radio airwaves and internet websites. Truth be told, Boyhood is a magnificent cinematic feat that required vision and collective patience from its director, cast and crew. And I’m sure almost everyone involved would agree on one simple fact, it was certainly worth the wait.

Boyhood follows its lead character, Mason (played by an evolving Ellar Coltrane), from the ages of 5 to 18 where life experiences uniquely shape his world views. Mason travels around with his mother and older sister from town to town as the matriarch struggles to provide the quintessential family environment for her children. Filmed masterfully in bits and pieces over the course of 12 lingering years, the movie gives a once-in-a-lifetime perspective into a boy’s transition through adolescence.

BOYHOOD

It’s difficult to put into words the culminating experience of witnessing a masterpiece such as Boyhood. An unbreakable bond is established immediately as we watch Ellar Coltrane grow before our very eyes. The ride is both a mirror of our own personal ventures into adulthood as well as a reminder that all of us must set an individual path. Be assured that Mason has his own story, filled with complexities and obstacles that continually mold him into the spirited young man we see just before the credits start to roll. Even after a long-winded and nearly three hour endeavor, it’s painful to accept a finale. It almost feels as though any ending would be unjust because, like with our own lives, the story presses on.

boy

Despite the brilliance and handling of Linklater’s undeniable instant classic, there were a few small hiccups existing throughout. For starters, Boyhood isn’t compromised of many lasting moments like other coming-of-age gems such as Stand By Me and The Sandlot. Instead, the feature serves as a premier example of an instance where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, an overlooked facet that echoes the greatness of Linklater’s achievement. But still, a couple more iconic scenes would have been preferred. Also, throughout a relatively well-paced 164 minute marathon to the finish line, Boyhood unravels with the occasional lull. However, a truly engaging and transformative journey eases the audience past all of the brief uninspiring moments.

Trust me, until you do, you’ve never seen anything like Richard Linklater’s Boyhood. Perhaps more monumental in scope and execution than in substance and flavor, the result is still the same, an impressive feature that breeds innovation and personal connection. Boyhood is one of the year’s finest films and something everyone deserves to witness.

GRADE: 4.5/5

You can find other work from MCDAVE at his HOST SITE

‘Boyhood’ Chronicles Life Over 12 Years, Watch The Touching Trailer!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: I’d barely heard of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood before today. Then, our fearless leader Jonathan said this:

 

Need I say more? The film looks touching and awe-inspiring, and based solely on the fact that it follows one child from ages 5-18, and the same group of actors for that entire time ,is like nothing that’s ever existed before.

Boyhood hits theatres on July 11th. Take a look at the trailer below, and be sure to let us know what you think.

Richard Linklater’s BOYHOOD — a fictional drama made with the same group of actors over a 12-year period from 2002-2013 — takes a one-of-a-kind trip, at once epic and intimate, through the exhilaration of childhood, the seismic shifts of a modern family and the very passage of time.

 

The film tracks 6 year-old Mason (Ellar Coltrane) over life’s most radically fluctuating decade, through a familiar whirl of family moves, family controversies, faltering marriages, re-marriages, new schools, first loves, lost loves, good times, scary times and a constantly unfolding mix of heartbreak and wonder. But the results are unpredictable, as one moment braids into the next, entwining into a deeply personal experience of the incidents that shape us as we grow up and the ever-changing nature of our lives.

 

As the story begins, dreamy-eyed grade-schooler Mason faces upheaval: his devoted, struggling single mom Olivia (Patricia Arquette) has decided to move him and older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) to Houston — just as their long-absent father Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke) returns from Alaska to re-enter their world. Thus begins life’s non-stop flux. Yet through a tide of parents and stepparents, girls, teachers and bosses, dangers, yearnings and creative passions, Mason emerges to head down his own road.