Why Homeschool: Carnival of Homeschooling - Change

The 9th anniversary edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Why Home School.  Congratulations and keep the change!

Why Homeschool: Carnival of Homeschooling - Change: A wise man said " That one of the few constants in life is change ."  Homeschoolers know this.  From the moment they decside to hom...

6 word Saturday:Polar Bear Follies

I can't believe it's been 6 year since Amy and the kids did this at the zoo.  It hasn't been quite 6 years at since I shared a post for 6 word Saturday.  My 6 words are.  "Do it again, do it again!"  Which Wolfina shouts very loud at the end of this video.





For more 6 word Saturday go to Showmyfacedotcom

Home School Dad: Boyhood: A 12 in 12 Review

Yesterday, I started ny review of Boyhood like this.

Home School Dad: Boyhood: A 12 in 12 Review: Boyhood is a movie 12 years in the making.  Written and Directed by Richard Linklater, Boyhood was filmed over a 12 year period with the sa...

I was only kidding about coming back next year.  I will finish off the review today.  In preparing for this view I found this quote from film director and writer Richard Linklater on his IMDBpage ...

 "These days we can be sued for disparaging an industry. It's like it's a felony to say something bad. I think they should make it a felony to criticize a film product. Particularly my film product. It's anti-American. I'd like to see people get sued if they wrote a bad review of my movie. If you can't say something nice you shouldn't say anything at all."


I can say something nice about Mr. Linklater's movie and will. But I guess I might be subject to litigation because my main question while watching this film was "If your going to take 12 years to make a movie, why can't it be better?"


I give Linklater an A+ for effort, To film a movie over the course of a dozen years is a mammoth undertaking. The length of the project was so long that the actors could not be signed to a contract. My wife and I were entrigued by the concept and gladly spent parts of 2 nights watching it. I did not enjoy the movie as well as I hoped to for 3 reasons.


1. The movie seemed to lack continuity and cohesiveness. Sure the family moved a lot and Mason and his sister split their time between Mom and Dad. However, I did not see threads weaving through the movie as a tapestry of 12 years. True, we watched over 2 nights, but it was still very segmented. I guess that's a risk you take when you film in segments, but if this was the epic character study it was intended to be, I would have liked to see more cohesiveness.


2. The movie lacked a sense of humor. It started with one, with the comic relief of a precocious older sister. Now of course the movie dealt with difficult issues, but it is possible to deal with family dysfunction and still have humor intertwined throughout. Robert Redford's Ordinary People is a prime example.






3. For the most part, Boyhood depicts life as hopeless and circular. Now, some people may view life that way. But I don't. It's not necessarily a fault of the film or filmmaker if he feels that way. But since I don't, I can't embrace such despair. It may not be that the film is meant to be hopeless, it could just be my interpretation. At the end of the film,Mason goes off to college meets some new friends takes some drugs and go on a hike in a scenic area. Some people may view this as poignant or hopeful, I do not.



Watch again likelihood 75 to 80 %



This may seem high for a movie that I am panning, my expectations were high for this film, and the concept is novel enough to give it a second look. My wife and I may also be watching the before films soon, as the concept of following the same characters over an extended length of time continues to intrigue us.

Boyhood: A 12 in 12 Review

Boyhood is a movie 12 years in the making.  Written and Directed by Richard Linklater, Boyhood was filmed over a 12 year period with the same actors and actress telling a slice of life coming of age story of Mason from K-12. Each year he revisited the characters and moved along the plot.

Linklater is no stranger to revisiting characters.  As he  made 3 films with Boyhood star Ethan Hawke Before Sunrise 1995, Before Sunset 2004,  and Before Midnight 2013 revisiting the same couple at 9-year intervals.

I am about 1/12th of the way done with my review.  I will be back this time next year with my next installment.

Monday Morning Memories: Remembering Millard

I like to look at my blog stats for old posts that are recirculating.  This post I wrote shortly after the passing of Millard Posthuma in 2009 frequently appears on my top 10 list.  I believe people Google Millard and this post pops up.

Since I wrote this post, Millard's wife Trudy has joined Millard in heaven.  The Posthumas posthumous influence on my life remains strong.  Here is what I said then ...

Home School Dad: Remembering Millard: Millard Posthuma 1916 -2009 Heaven centered living provides own eulogy. I have recently discovered that there is a new blog c...