
Boyhood movie review: time in a cinematic bottle
An audacious coming-of-age tale unique in the history of cinema; deeply moving and beautifully authentic.
film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
An audacious coming-of-age tale unique in the history of cinema; deeply moving and beautifully authentic.
Marvelous. It’s impossible to shake the feeling that we are merely eavesdropping on reality. Witty, wise, and—most important of all—truly romantic in ways that movies usually aren’t. (new DVD/VOD US/Can/UK)
I hope Richard Linklater revists Jesse and Celine every nine years…
The best ever love letter/horror story about the seductions and anxieties of life in the theater is the Canadian television show *Slings & Arrows.* This enchantingly bittersweet little film might be the second best.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN (encompassing production design, costumes, and makeup) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou I usually favor invented worlds when picking the year’s best production work… and maybe I’ve done that here, too. Steve Zissou’s universe feels like it’s a baby step off skew with our own — the colors just a tad flat, … more…
BEST DIRECTOR Lars von Trier, Dogville Ever a risktaker, Lars von Trier took one of the biggest risks onscreen in 2004 with a determinedly uncinematic film that was also unabashedly political — a breathtaking and refreshingly daring combination in an era of play-it-safe “entertainment.” Setting his cast and his scene on a bare, black-box stage, … more…