Its old news now, but since this board is pretty much just haters repeating the same talking points over and over again,
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Boyhood
Madhaxman — 9 years ago(November 12, 2016 02:02 AM)
Its old news now, but since this board is pretty much just haters repeating the same talking points over and over again,I thought I would post something for the fans.
Anyway, earlier this year the BBC polled 177 film critics on their favourite films of the 21st century (well,the 21st century plus the year 2000), as a bit of a follow up to a poll they hosted about the best American films of all time. Boyhood came in at number 5, making it higher than any other of the decade (beating Tree of Life at number 7 and Inside Llewyn Davis at 11) and the third highest American film (Behind Mulholland Drive which came in at number 1 and There Will Be Blood at number 3).
I kind of find it interesting that the top two films from this decade are both films about childhood in Texas. Actually I think that despite all the comparisons that are made between Tree of Life and Melancholia, I think Tree of Life is a really great comparison to Boyhood. Both take the a similar vague theme, in this case, childhood in Texas, but approach it in two completely different ways. ToL is childhood viewed by middle age man looking back at his life while having a mid life crisis. Its forgoes realism for heightened sentimentality, and places the main characters childhood almost out side of time. Its a static, distinct part of his life that he often revisits in his memories, where there is no fear aging or growing up.
Boyhood is of course the exact opposite. It forgoes a lot of the overt sentimentality that most films that deal with childhood generally focus on and instead focus's on the stage of life as it is - as the characters experience it while they are living it as opposed to how they experience it looking back on it, And where ToL has a distinct end to the characters childhood - when the family leave the house - In Boyhood its not so clear cut. Yeah, it kind of happens when he leaves home, but that's just really one of several transitions that happens throughout this film.
Sorry I got a bit distracted there. I just figured this board could use some more substance.
Oh, and in before "Lol this list is st0pid. [insert Marvel super hero film here] isn't on here"