Matty's Movies: "Boyhood"

I was born premature on March 31, 1970.

I was also premature on March 11, 2011 when I quickly rushed out of the theatre and spewed out that "Battle: L.A." would win 'Best Picture' at the Oscars.

On May 4, 2012 I was a tad bit premature when came shrieking out of the movie-house bellowing "The Avengers" would get a 'Best Pic' nod.

In 2013 I held out a little longer, not releasing my "prematurity" until November 4, when I busted out of the old cineplex moaning that "Blue is the Warmest Color" would sweep the Academy Awards.

And on July 16, 1987 I was premature with my first girlfriend... although she didn't seem to mind because neither of us knew what the hell we were doing.

Needless to say, I've been premature pretty much all my life.

But that ain't gonna stop me from being premature tonight!

You know what? Actually, tonight I'm going to be mature. I'm going to be mature in telling you all that I have found the "hands down" winner of this year's "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Film of the Year."

And the winner is:

"Boyhood."

Sure, I've been premature all my movie going life... but I got a good feeling about this one. No, I have a GREAT feeling.

"Boyhood" is a film 12 years in the making. It's written and directed by Richard Linklater and stars Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater (the director's daughter) and the face of the film, Ellar Coltrane.

The story is about a single mom (Arquette) raising her two children while the father (Hawke) finds himself.

These two parents had their children at a very young age and the story follows the struggles of the mom while she juggles two children, college, relationships, and her missing-in-action ex.

But the film is so much more than that. It also follows the growth of Ethan Hawke's character as he matures from a free spirited young man into an eventual adult and parent.

But the film is so much more than that. It follows the lives of the two siblings as they grow from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood.

But the film is so much more than that. Its story is one smoothly flowing ride over twelve years in which the audience gets to see this family grow up right before their eyes.

But the film is so much more than that. It's about life. No different from yours or mine. It's just about life.

But the film is TRULY so much more than that.

Richard Linklater developed this project and wanted it to span twelve years. And it does. You literally watch this family steadily grow up right in front of you. Every actor signed up knowing that this would be a work in progress. One week each summer they would shoot the scenes for that year. Then, the following year they would do it again... and so on, and so on.

It really is an incredible feat. To be able to get all the actors on board for a twelve year commitment is just great. And with Ellar Coltarne growing up from age 7 until he goes off to college (at almost age 19) is just magnificent. To watch this adorable young boy go through puberty, get his first kiss, hear his voice drop, date his first girlfriend, and drink his first beer may seem like life moving along, but to a child that is huge. It is life in its rawest form and it was immensely pleasurable to watch.

Let's get to the actors.

Patricia Arquette (Mom). What a beautiful actress. It takes spunk to let the world watch you age right in front of them but she did it gracefully. Her acting was above superb and to be truthful, like a fine wine, she got much prettier with age.

When Ethan Hawke (Dad) started filming this movie it was less than a year after "Training Day" came out. Well, I know all of you movie fans remember him from that dynamite flick. Do you remember how good of an actor and how gorgeous he was in that film? Well folks, nothing has changed. He is still a dynamite actor and is still gorgeous in this film. (But you do notice a few grays towards the end of the film.)

Lorelei Linklater (Samantha). I've already told you that this is the director's daughter. And if she wasn't the director's daughter it wouldn't have mattered because she was impressive. No wait, I take that back. She was extraordinary. If it wasn't for the next actor I'm going to talk about then this girl's early years of the film would've stolen the show for me.

And finally, the "boy-turned-man" of the hour. Ellar Coltrane is a no-name to any of us. And why would we know him? He hasn't been in too much. But as long as this kid wants to act he should have no problems getting jobs. As a child he had "the look." As he matured he had "the look." And when the film ended he had "the look." But looks don't make you a good actor, your acting makes you a good actor. This kid started out raw, and as the years passed you could see him honing his skills. He had to play a somewhat frustrated boy whose temper never quite exploded, but you could surely feel his angst throughout the entire film. Just a splendid job.

Ok, I'm being premature again BUT do I think that any of these four actors could garner an Oscar nod? Possibly, but my professional opinion says no. I think many of the Oscar nods will come from the "Best Picture," "Best Director," "Best Screenplay," and "Cimematography" categories. (Actually, I'm not sure on "Cinematography" because I'm not even sure what the hell it is. Hey, I'm a movie guy! I'll tell you if I like the movie or not!)
So there you have it, your Oscar for "Best Picture" will go to "Boyhood." (or "Transformers: Age of Extinction.")

I'm Matty W. Kelley, reporting. (prematurely)

Fun Fact: In the third or fourth year of filming, Lorelei Linklater grew tired of acting and asked her dad for her character to be killed off. Her pops said no, saying that it was too violent for what he was planning.

Fun Matty Fact: When I was 15 I worked for my father at Carter's Children's Clothing warehouse. All I would do is package children's underwear into boxes all day long. I too asked my father if my character could be killed off, but he said no, my underwear packing skills were just to crucial to the foundation of Carter's Children's Clothing.

So I quit and three months later that warehouse was shut down... Oops, sorry Pops.