Author: TheLosAngeleno

Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, 12 years in the making, crew of 400 and 2 hrs and 44 minutes of good filmmaking!

From left the moderator of the Q&A, Director Richard Linklater, Jonathan Sehring President IFC Movies and Producer John Sloss
From left the moderator of the Q&A, and then Director Richard Linklater, Jonathan Sehring President of IFC Movies and Producer John Sloss

The LosAngeleno went to a PGA sponsored pre-opening screening of Richard Linklater’s movie ‘Boyhood’ today. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Director Richard Linklater, IFC Movies President Jonathan Sehring and Producer John Sloss. During the Q&A we learned among other things, the following:

  • Shot over a period of 12 years with 39 scheduled shooting days. Potentially the longest lasting movie shoot ever.
  • A crew of more than 400 over the 12 years.
  • Shooting budget of around $200,000.00 a year.
  • ‘Only’ 2 directors of photography on the project.
  • The script was fluid, when the anticipated rocker-dream was replaced by an interest in photography by the actor  playing the boy, the script was changed.
  • Richard Linklater chose to shoot the movie on 35mm film because he likes shooting on film, and it seemed like the most enduring media at the time shooting started.

The movie stars Patricia Arquette as the Mother,  Ellar Coltrane as the boy Mason, Ethan Hawke as the ‘weekend’ father and Lorelei Linklater as the sister. The acting is overall very good, but without taking anything away from the grown-ups, the kids are really the ones that shines here. Ellar Coltrane is just perfect for the part. He was handpicked when he was just 7 years old, Richard Linklater really nailed that choice! He may also have had a little luck in that there were no real ‘mishaps’ in the growing up of the child actors that affected the making of the movie. Richard Linklater’s daughter Lorelei who plays the sister was also a very good choice. Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke gave such a convincing performance of the parents who had children when they were too young, and all the struggles that comes with, you felt like you were really a part of their struggles on all kinds of different levels.

I think this is a movie that anyone that has ever grown up, is about to grow up or has kids that will grow up should go and see, it may give you something to think about. Or maybe you just want to be entertained for a few hours – that will work too.

I can highly recommend it, it is indeed a very moving 12 year epic!

Release Date: July 11, 2014
Rated R for language including sexual references, and for teen drug and alcohol use
Running Time: 164 minutes
Website: www.boyhoodmovie.com

 

 

French Quarter Fest got underway in New Orleans today under sunny skies

At the Chevron Cajun/Zydeco showcase Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet was performing for an enthusiastic dancing crowd
At the Chevron Cajun/Zydeco showcase Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet was performing for an enthusiastic crowd with some people breaking out dancing to the very rhythmic music…

French Quarter Fest kicked off today in New Orleans and the weather was cooperating – a couple of days back we had hail and lots of rain with not very warm temperatures – today – none of that, just sunny skies and warm winds. FQF is a smaller festival and it is free with no ‘cover charges’ apart from for example Jazz Fest which comes a little later in April. Admittedly the FQF does not have the same magnitude of well known performers as Jazz Fest does, and this to me is part of the appeal – it is also less crowded and crazy, it’s more of a whole family celebration of good music and good food . Below are some photos from the first day.

Let me see here what is next, hmmm... there seems to be something wrong with my program - it's all sideways to me...
Let me see here what is next, hmmm… there seems to be something wrong with my program – it’s all sideways to me…
I'm hungry anyway - let's see if this thing is at least tasty to eat....
I’m hungry anyway – let’s see if this useless thing at least is tasty enough to eat….
Women like wearing stylish hats in New Orleans.
Women like wearing stylish hats in New Orleans.
Michael Doucet of Beausoleil playing his little accordion
Michael Doucet of Beausoleil playing his little accordion and singing.
New Orleans has a cuisine that is different from the rest of the US, this girl is about to demonstrate that...
New Orleans has a cuisine that is different from the rest of the US, this girl is about to demonstrate that…
She eats swords....
She eats swords….

 

San Andreas may not be our main worry

After the recent 5.1 earthquake that shook Los Angeles last Friday, USGS warns that the fault system where this quake happened may be a greater reason to worry than the more widely known and feared San Andreas fault. The fault that the Friday tumbler happened on was the Puente Hills fault system, labeled as a ‘blind thrust fault’. It is a fairly shallow fault system and it is suspected of being capable of producing very powerful earthquakes. This coupled with the fact that it runs under some very heavily populated areas with older buildings, essentially from northern Orange County up through downtown LA to Hollywood, gives it the potential to be very destructive and deadly.

According to USGS a potential earthquake on the Puente Hills fault under Los Angeles could result in 3,000-18,000 fatalities, 142,000-735,000 displaced households and more than $250 Billion in total damages. This is actually not something completely new, this study was published in 2005 in “Earthquake Spectra”  the EarthQuake Engineering Research Institute’s online magazine, it was just brought to light by the Friday quake that happened on this fault system.

The Puente Hills fault was discovered in 1999 and in a 2003 study by Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) it was found to have ruptured at least 4 times in the past 11,000 years resulting in Earthquakes with magnitudes from 7.2 to 7.5 on the Richter scale. The study also points out that a rupture on this fault is a rare event thought to have the possibility of occurring once every 3,000 years or so…