ADVERTISEMENT

    Linklater Brings Boyhood to Wex Retrospective

    Since 1991’s Slacker, writer/director Richard Linklater’s loose, collaborative style  has yielded some of American independent cinema’s most authentic, memorable work. He’s experimented with animation, improvisation, and non-fiction; he’s crossed genres and blurred lines and shown more stylistic versatility than perhaps any other auteur working today.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    This winding road has led to his latest effort, Boyhood, a film being hailed as his masterpiece.

    Linklater returns to Columbus Monday, July 21 for a sold out 7pm introduction to the new film as part of the Wexner Center for the Arts retrospective of his work. It’s their second such examination of Linklater’s canon, and is a centerpiece of their 25th anniversary celebration.

    “When we decided to start doing these visiting filmmaker retrospectives and go after more well-known directors, he was at the very top of my personal list,” says Wex Film/Video Director Dave Filipi. “When we started thinking about filmmakers to invite for 25th anniversary-related events, he again was at the top of the list.”

    The revisit makes sense considering the fact that more than half of Linklater’s work has come since his 2000 stopover, which Filipi remembers fondly.

    “The thing I remember from his visit was how enthusiastic he is about filmmaking, film history,” he says. “He actually was here for two nights – one to talk about his career in general, and the other to introduce a double-feature of Before Sunrise and (the 1958 Sinatra film) Some Came Running.”

    Unsurprisingly, Linklater has also proven an inspiration for other artists.

    “With all of the independent-minded filmmakers that have come through over the years, it’s pretty amazing how many cite him as an inspiration,” says Filipi. “David Gordon Green comes to mind as a recent example.”

    And while the Wex was ready for another retrospective, the timing worked out pretty beautifully.

    “We were working with him to do a retrospective in October, but we moved it to the summer when a visit timed to the opening of Boyhood became possible,” says Filipi. “And the accolades for the film have only grown since then.”

    Filipi understands the hubbub. “The simplest thing to say about the film is that there is nothing else like it,” he says. “I get chills just thinking about how good it is. Many of his films have experimented with narrative structure, and used various approaches to time as an organizing principle, and this is his most mature and ambitious reflection of that. It’s epic, but in the most intimate and personal sense of the word.”

    Check out the Linklater retrospective:

    • Boyhood, with introduction by Linklater and post-screening Q&A: Monday, July 21, 7pm
    • Bad News Bears, Saturday, July 26, 4pm
    • Before Sunrise, Tuesday, July 29, 7pm
    • Before Sunset & Double Play: James Benning and Richard Linklater, Tuesday, August 5, 7pm
    • Me and Orson Welles & Bernie, Thursday, August 7, 7pm
    • Before Midnight, Tuesday, August 12, 7pm
    • School of Rock, Thursday, August 14, 7pm
    • A Scanner Darkly & Waking Life, Saturday, August 16, 7pm
    • Tape & Fast Food Nation, Tuesday, August 19, 7pm

    Tickets, pricing and additional information available at wexarts.org.

    A full slate of movie reviews is available on my website www.maddwolf.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @maddwolf and like me on Facebook at facebook.com/MaddWolfColumbus .

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    Beat Bazaar Creates New Space for Columbus Producers

    On February 23, The Kutt Record shop filled with...

    Good Looking Batch of New Movies

    You will find an excellent crop of new movies...

    So Much Kung Fu! Plus Oscar Nominees and More

    It's Oscar weekend! Do you need to brush up?...

    New Pickleball & Entertainment Venue Headed for Westerville

    The pickleball craze isn't quite done with Central Ohio....

    Fearless Oscar Picks, 2024

    by Hope Madden and George WolfThis year’s group of...
    Hope Madden
    Hope Maddenhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Hope Madden is a freelance contributor on Columbus Underground who covers the independent film scene, writes film reviews and previews film events.
    ADVERTISEMENT