Grow Up Mason: A Review of Boyhood

Growing up is something we can all relate to. Regardless of socio-economic backgrounds, interests, and friends, most of us experience the same core events that we all go through. Even as adults when we listen to children about their lives, we through memory, experience, and nostalgia can place ourselves in their shoes and remember what it was like when we were that age. But, we often don't notice how much we change year after year. When we look back on our own lives we're shocked at how much we've changed, but don't always notice it as we're growing. This very transition of childhood to adulthood is the core of Boyhood's premise, but it's the "realtime" maturation of the cast on top of a classic story that makes this one of, if not the best film of the year so far. In fact, it might be one of the greatest films ever made.

The film follows Mason as he grows from a little boy at the age of 6 to a young adult at 18. We see all the key formative life experiences and relationships of his life, but rather than have different actors play him at different stage in his life, it's the same child actor playing him literally for 12 years.

Probably the the biggest draw of the film is the fact that shooting took place over 12 years, from 2002 to 2013. Now while this technique has been done before on other projects, it has never been on this scale. The use of the same cast over the 12 year period makes the coming-of-age story that much more powerful. Everyone ages, not just the kids but the adults too. In fact while watching the film when you seriously think about the time difference between certain scenes it's mind-blowing. For example (and being vague for the sake of not giving any spoilers), there's a scene where a minor character shows up near the end of the movie last seen about three years prior. Generally, a movie would have merely shot this scene later... possibly with a subtitle saying "3 years later" to indicate the time difference. But because Boyhood isn't like any other movie, when it actually sinks in that a scene was literally shot 3 years ago and you just saw three years within the span of 30 mins, it's an amazing experience that is in many ways indescribable. We see a life that is both sped up and yet feels completely natural. You always know where the characters are in time by the subtleties in the characters and dialogue.

Mason (Coltrane) and Samantha (Linklater)

This perfect flow is a testament to possibly the best editing I've ever seen. Now there are plenty of movies that can be praised of their editing and technical direction. But considering the scope of this project and how seamless it seems, everyone involved in this movie deserves a standing ovation. But not only that,  the cast is perfect. Part of the reason why this story works so well is that everyone involved gives 110% and is believable. Props go to the children, Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater; for giving fantastic performances and pretty much letting us watch them age on screen. 

Another aspect of what makes this film so relatable apart from it's classic premise is its cultural timing. During the span of 2002 to 2013, we have the advent of social media, the surge of the digital age, and the 2008 presidential election which makes for a fantastic scene part way through the movie. When you once again realize that these scenes were shot at the year that these events were happening, it somehow makes Richard Linklater seem even more of a visionary. This magic is what will make the movie appealing for everyone but will definitely resonate with individuals of my generation, or rather those who were around the same age that Mason was during each year.

I've always wondered what it would be like to see film history on screen as it happens, such as seeing Casablanca back in 1942 or Godfather in 1972. While there have been many fantastic films in the last 14 years, there hasn't been anything that I think can be elevated to that level of cinematic landmark. However, I believe that I have experienced, along with everyone else who has seen this movie; another milestone in film. Boyhood is an incredible film and I hope a classic for years to come.

Verdict 10/10

A Weird Week in Tomodachi Life: A Review

Back in April when Tomodachi Life was announced to world back in April, I reacted the same way most people did, what the hell is this game. What feels like Animal Crossing thrown in a blender with Warioware and Mii Maker, Tomodachi Life is simulation and social game tinged with the surreal. In fact, it's so random and strange that how I just described is the only way to condense it in a sentence. In fact while I managed to go through most of the games features, I'm still finding surprises that make roll on the floor with laughter. That reason along with several other factor make Tomodachi an essential in anyone's 3DS library.

I'm hungry

At face value it's pretty easy to understand Tomodachi Life. You can either create Mii's from scratch or Import Mii's from your own 3DS. But beyond the traditional mii Maker features, you give these mii's a vocaloid voice and personality based on 5 criteria. These small touches allow your multiple miis to run amok on your own island. Unlike the Sims and more like it's furry cousin animal crossing, the game plays in real time and miss are self-sufficient, they'll ask you solve they're problems (mostly boils down to you buying them stuff). It's a stress-free game and unlike Animal Crossing where time is a factor for certain tasks, the goals of this game are self-defined. This makes for a nice relaxing experience. Now the voices aren't perfect, in fact they're absolutely terrible. But that terrible quality actually makes the charms and oddities of Tomodachi Life that much more fun to play, like enjoying a hilariously bad movie.

By the power of Tiramisu

No, this review doesn't have a food theme. This is a reference to a 'dream', yes your miis dream now; that one of my Mii's had, where he turned into a superhero using tiramisu (in a transformation sequence as well :P). Tomodachi's quirky and random sense of humour vaguely reminds me of Invader Zim and the Gaia days. Being random for the sake of being random if you will. We're all mad here, and trying to find all the jokes is part of the fun. And I'm still being surprised, that's just how much there is.

Same old, Same old

But despite that random moments that keep things interesting, everything else can get routine very quickly. You get the same problems to solve every day, almost always easy to solve. It's not a game-killer, but it certainly takes away from the fun. The again, it can be compared to a certain similarly named simulation from the 90s that really didn't have much to do... and that one was significantly more stressful.

Conclusion

I'll definitely playing this game for another month, perhaps even on and off again all year. Is it 3DS game of the year? Not by any stretch of the imagination, but it's definitely a must buy for any 3DS owner.

Verdict 8.5/10