Boyhood

Ya know those corny oval frames with 12 round openings, one for every grade's school picture? Well, that's kinda this in film form. But it's anything but corny. If you complain that "no one does anything different in film these days," you owe it to yourself to see director Richard Linklater's oldest-yet-newest endeavor, Boyhood. I have a feeling this film will hover in my mind for some time.
IMDB's synopsis: "The life of a young man, Mason, from age 5 to 18." Yep, that's all folks. Except that it was 12 years in the making, using all the same actors, so we witness the very real aging of Ethan Hawke, Susanna Arquette, and the maturation of Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater (Richard's daughter). Now THAT is something new to film.

Dialogue and performances are flawless - so natural, you'll start swearing you're watching a reality show. This film is so real! Characters are flawed, yet totally redeeming. You may be disappointed if you're expecting plot twists and high intensity.  But look closely. You are being handed LIFE on a platter, and much like the genius of Thornton Wilder's Our Town (which I could never appreciate until I was over 40), the message is there if you look hard enough.

If any of you readers out there go to see it, weigh in a comment; we'll discuss more.