Watch: Boyhood

On a flight over the holidays, I finally had the chance to see Boyhood. Even with all its fantastic reviews and awards, I was worried a film made over 12 years would be boring. Not so - at all! I loved it. In some unexpected ways, it reminded me of one of my favorite films, Dazed and Confused: school days in Texas, well-meaning but out of touch parents and memorable characters.

I saw an onstage interview with the film's director and writer Richard Linklater at last year's San Francisco Film Festival. It feels like time for a refresh on his films: Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and the film he was promoting then, Before Midnight, starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. 

Watch: The Interview

I glanced at the email headlines from Variety magazine: Sony Pictures had been hacked, employee social security numbers and salaries had been released on the internet. Then the news kept coming. Seth Rogen and James Franco's pay for their latest comedy The Interview was released, and North Korean hackers were suspected of the breach. I laughed out loud - the chain of events sounded like a movie, but apparently it is not a hoax. 

I saw The Interview on November 18 at a screening sponsored by the San Francisco Film Society at the historic Castro Theater. Rogen and his longtime co-writer Evan Goldberg were interviewed before the film was shown. A little plug for membership - the SF Film Society gives its members opportunities to see great screenings fairly frequently. 




The Interview is a very funny movie with a current events-related plot, and the news junkie in me always loves that type of mashup. Typically likeable performances from Rogen and Franco are complemented by the actress Lizzy Kaplan, known for her role as Virginia Johnson on Showtime's Masters of Sex, who brings a strong and funny female role the cast. 

The latest news says the hackers are demanding the film be pulled from distribution. In the interest of protecting free speech, go see The Interview when it opens in theaters on December 25!