An interesting director, difficult to pin down or restrict to a single niche. That makes it pretty fun to explore his oeuvre, though for me it has brought more misses than hits. If you like contemporary drama though, Linklater comes well recommended.
Movies
A worthy sequel. Where the first film had a youthful and vibrant energy Before Sunset feels a bit more sedate and mature. The characters have grown up, they're already regretting some of their past choices and they're dealing with the consequences. Still, romance hasn't completely left them yet. The conversations are pleasant, but a little forced at times. And the walk through Paris is nice, but also a little cheesy (it's an American and romanticized view for sure). Other than that, this is a lovely little film. There's no fat to trim, the characters are given a new dimension and the ending is once again perfect.Read all
A pleasant revisit, though this time around it lacked that little spark that made it into a personal favorite. I guess it was the characters themselves, who felt a bit too stereotypical American and French. The culture clash between Europe and the US feels a bit easy and flimsy, but other than that the romance is very sweet indeed. Delpy and Hawke are both very good, the setting is romantic and the conversations between the two are amusing, though a little forced sometimes. There's not that much happening, still, the pacing is fine and the runtime is just perfect. As is the ending. It's a fine film, just not quite as special as I remembered it to be.Read all
Linklater loves a bit of nostalgia. Apollo 10½ sees him returning to his childhood, recounting all the little details that made the world such a different place. I, on the other hand, care very little for nostalgia. The reason why I didn't think this was a complete disaster, was because the film is also very much about looking to the future. A 90-minute voice-over blasts through trivia about the past, executed in Linklater's beloved animation style. I'm not really sure what the concept was, but because there is a light and breezy vibe it's somewhat entertaining to follow. Not that there was a lot to connect with for me, the time and place is very particular and nothing like my own childhood. At least it was relatively short.Read all
A plain road movie that hinges on somewhat uninspired dialogues between three war veterans. All the classic themes about pride, fighting for your country and being fucked over by the government are present, sadly Linklater fails to add anything new or interesting to it. A pointless film that offers little more than two hours of tepid drama.
Technically a remake, but who cares. Disgruntled old man has to coach a team of loser kids, things start off terrible, get progressively better, enter a short drama dip and as for the ending .. well, I'm not going to spoil it for you. Linklater has little to add to the film, lucky Thornton is there to keep is somewhat interesting.
