Critical Analysis: Richard Linklater Movie

been a while since even one of these threads were made, and even then that one referenced how long it's been since the previous one(s) before that

anyway, today is texas rick's 60th birthday, so i thought i'd give him a thread to talk about him, gush about our favorites of his, delve into his strengths and such, maybe even guide some newcomers into potentially becoming fans of his as well. shit, we can rank his films if that's what you want idc

 

most notable films:

The Before Trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight)
Dazed & Confused
School of Rock (the first of his i've seen!)
Boyhood
Waking Life
Everybody Wants Some!!
Slacker

following linklater films are on these streaming services:

netflix: bad news bears
hulu: where'd you go bernadette
prime: bernie (imdb tv, so there's ads), last flag flying
hbo: school of rock, before sunrise/sunset
youtube: slacker has it's own vid in its entirety for free

i'll make a point to update this as they come and go

 

one of my absolute faves tbh

 

i've said this several times, but the before movies are the only trilogy where i can genuinely say each entry ranks among the best films i've ever seen

 

truly

 

He is probably the best director at capturing the general aloof aimlessness of 90's young adults, even as they have gotten older in the Before films. You have a generation of people born after the age of the draft but in an economy that had become more and more stratified due to Reaganomics and beyond. Slacker says it in the title, but even in his period films he portrays that feeling when you are supposed to be getting your act together but you still don't know who you are.

Of course, it should be noted that he has also been responsible for a lot of garbage. Maybe it helps him make a living and make the good movies, like a great actor doing a superhero movie, but the urge to complete a directors' filmography has led to a lot of sleep-inducing, bland studio work.

 

I still haven’t seen the before trilogy somehow.

 

my dude, you are in for some perfection. like, i'm not even worried about overhyping or shoving em down your throat, they're just that good. truly envy any and all future first-timers

 

what the hell, i put this together

Richard Linklater Ranked

 

To anyone looking for advice on where to start with Linklater: watch the Before Trilogy IMMEDIATELY

 

sunrise and sunset on hbo

 

All of the Before films are great, but Before Sunset is on another level. It is directly questioning the romanticism and youthfulness of Before Sunrise.

 

D&C is probably the most important film in my life. All timer, just a perfect film

 

I watched Before Sunrise for the first time two years ago, when I was 21, and was affected by it so much I decided to wait nine years to watch the second one.

Before Sunrise, School of Rock and Dazed and Confused are all 10/10s. Boyhood is up there. I’d have to revisit Everybody Wants Some and Bad News Bears to make up my mind on those. Meaning to get to Slacker, Tape, A Scanner Darkly and Waking Life next.

 

really loved Boyhood, and School of Rock was fun. don’t really remember A Scanner Darkly or Waking Life much. I think that’s all I’ve seen of his, but the Before Trilogy has been on my watch list for too long. glad it’s (mostly)coming to Max so I can fix that.

 

When he's on, Linklater is one of my favorite directors. He's a poet of everyday life.

Dazed & Confused is my favorite film of all time. I just find it endlessly re-watchable no matter the mood I'm in. I ADORE Everybody Wants Some!! as well and hope that eventually gains momentum as a cult classic, as it might be one of the best films about the college experience ever made.

Boyhood felt life-changing when I first saw it. I still love it and consider it a masterpiece, but that initial viewing was something else.

I'll do my best to rank what I've seen of his:

1. Dazed and Confused
2. Before Sunset
3. Boyhood
4. Before Sunrise
5. Everybody Wants Some!!
6. Before Midnight
7. Waking Life
8. School of Rock
9. Slacker

None of the movies I've seen of his are bad.

 

Also, more of these threads please! I love this stuff

 

The part in Boyhood when his mother breaks down as he begins to move out is remarkable. As much as was made about the experiment of taking such a young boy and following his childhood, the real meat of the film is how the parents struggle while trying their best to raise their children. We focus so much on growing up but we are always changing and morphing into different people throughout our lives.

The scene where Mason drives off and the song from the trailer comes on had me crying. I was not being filmed from childhood and I never had the eye for poetry that Linklater does, but it felt like a moment of truth that so many people can see themselves in.

Some people tried to use the specificity of the middle class white suburban lifestyle as a criticism, but it was the life Linklater knew. If he had tried to make a film about someone from a very different background, it becomes very difficult to achieve that authenticity.

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062908502/?tag=absolutepunk-20

seems like a must-read. oral history on D&C

 

One of my five favorite directors of all time. Boyhood is my favorite movie. All of the Before trilogy is terrific, Everybody Wants Some is awesome, Waking Life is fascinating, and School of Rock is a huge charmer despite how formulaic it is. Dazed & Confused and Slacker both never spoke to me like some of his others but I definitely want to go back to the former sometime. The Bad News Bears is a miss, but it’s not the worst movie ever made by any means. I still would like to see Bernie and Tape eventually.

Also I named my cat after him!

 

Dazed and Confused, Boyhood, and the Before trilogy makes for one hell of a resume and some of my favorite films ever. The rest of his catalogue varies for me between I enjoyed it but I’m not sure it still holds up now that I’m in my mid-30s to just not very good.

 

watched sunrise last night and finished this about an hour ago. i think midnight still free on demand on my end