The 72nd Golden Globes

Because I’m actually trying to legitimize myself as a “pop culture” critic, I attempted to multi-task and play Civilization: Beyond Earth while watching this year’s Golden Globes awards. I also felt compelled to watch as this was the last show to be hosted by the near-perfect when it comes to comedy, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Or as they put it, “The 72nd and final Golden Globes.” Obviously there were good jokes, bad jokes, and speeches that went on too long, but who won what awards is ultimately the focus on any award show. And like every year, there are there choices you agree with, disagree with, and ones you are indifferent about.

Couldn’t have picked better myself

To my surprise the HFPA and I were thinking along the same lines this year about which films, shows, actors, and creative professionals deserved to be called the best in their category. Normally I find that for the bulk of the award season, the awards go to films that I don’t think deserve them or deserved them but I didn’t quite like them as much as another film that was nominated. This year, whether it was because of the high quality of films or because I think they almost all deserve to win, the HFPA  and I actually agree on our choices for the most part.

In my end of year blog, I expressed my hopes that Boyhood would win the accolades that it deserved. It certainly did that. Winning Best Picture for Drama, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress, it won all the categories that I thought this masterpiece was worthy of. Sure it didn’t win best supporting actor or best screenplay, but considering the other nominees this year they had really tough (and good) competition.

What I also did in my end of year blog is forget that Grand Budapest Hotel existed, which is (even though I didn’t write it) one of my favourite films from last year. So when it won for Best Picture for Comedy/Musical I was absolutely thrilled. While I may not have 100% agreed with their choices for Best Actor for Drama and Best Animated Film, considering how great all the nominees were this year I can't really disagree with them either. 

Changed the Channel

While I definitely didn't miss the big awards, I got bored during a majority of the television awards. It's not that I didn't watch any of the shows nominated this year, I just didn't watch most of them. Playing Civ: BE probably didn't help, but as I talked to friends about this year's show and read tweets by fellow viewers, the Golden Globes did often lose its steam. Whether due to video games, lack of interest, or lack of laughs, I'll admit that I didn't watch the entirety of show with interest. But for what I was interested in, I definitely stopped playing and started watching.

End of an Era

As I said earlier in the post, one of the reasons to watch this year's event is for the spectacular hosts. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler once again brought the laughs to the Golden Globes. What makes this all the more special is that this will be indeed the last Globes to be hosted by incredible duo.  Funnily enough, during the Golden Globes countdown on NBC prior to the start of the award show, the hosts speculated that the Tina and Amy would hold nothing back. Well, the Bill Cosby jokes were definitely evidence of that. That said though, the jokes were great. Not only from Tina and Amy, but from the presenters as well (Ricky Gervais was surprisingly good). But the creme de la creme were definitely in the monologue. Especially the joke about George Clooney's lifetime award and the game of "Who'd you rather" as well. 

Part of my interest in any award show apart from the nominees is whoever hosts it. With Tina Fey and Amy Poehler moving on to other things, who knows who will take on the daunting task of hosting. Some have suggested Kristen Wiig and Bill Mader, which would hopefully keep the same type of humour in the show. Only time will tell. But with the 2015 Golden Globes now over and Margret Cho no longer costumed as a disgruntled North Korean, we congratulate the winners and thank Tina and Amy for a phenomenal job these past three shows. You will be missed.

Top 5 Movies of Summer 2014

Disclaimer: As always, the order and contents of this list is purely subjective and open for debate

Another summer has come and gone, once again filled with generic summer block-busters and forgettable action flicks. But there have also been several brilliant films that are among the best of the year, one them even being hailed as one of the best films of the last decade. It's easy to be overwhelmed by the mediocrity and forget what truly great movies are out there. Here are my top 5 films of this summer, all of which would have been great regardless of their release season.

5. Chef

Jon Favreau's little indie gem comes in at number five. This comedy is a nice change of pace from a season dominated by explosions, depression, and more explosions. Jon Favreau's role as a chef going through a crisis-of-faith; or rather crisis-of-occupation, isn't a ground-breaking role by any means. But the writing and story are fresh and funny enough to keep the audience entertained for the length of the film. For some reason I can't help but draw parallels to Jon Favreau's earlier work "Swingers" (a favourite of mine), but thats not a bad comparison by any means. Definitely worth checking out.

4. Snowpiercer

A Korean film with an international cast that didn't get the attention that it deserved, this film is worth seeing for both the story and the performances. Its post apocalyptic world is interesting and engaging to the viewer, while every character is full of life and wonderful to watch. The best part is that nothing is as it seems, and part of the fun is figuring out the story bit by bit. Chances are you're already able to see this film outside of theatres due to its limited north-american release. So if you like post-apocalyptic sci-fi, this is the movie for you.

3. How To Train Your Dragon 2

The sequel to DreamWorks Animation's most successful animated feature, HTTYD2 risks suffering sequelitis that so many films suffer from. But it takes the characters from the first film and expands them and allows them to evolve, keeping the story fresh and allowing for the world to mature rather than stick to the same old formula. While in some ways it isn't as good as it's big brother, it's still an amazing movie. You can read my original review here for more details.

2. Guardians Of The Galaxy

When Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man himself; says that Guardians of The Galaxy is best movie that Marvel has released, you know that the film has to be special. It's already broken the record for most successful film of 2014 and is still drawing people to the theatres. There's so many fantastic things about this movie, from its story and characters, to the amazing performances and soundtrack. You can read my original review here for more details. While part of me wanted to give Guardians the number one spot, there's another movie that deserves that much more.

1. Boyhood

If you've been reading my blog, then you know that Boyhood is a masterpiece. Really that's all I want to or can say about it. You can read my review for more details. But, if you can go out and see this film you should stop reading and go and see it now.

Summer 2014 had some truly amazing movies. If you haven't seen all of the movies on this list, then you know what you need to go and see next.

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