When you prepare to give birth to a baby, the first thing you think about is the excitement of finally getting to meet the little person who has been incubating for 40 weeks, give or take a few. You also grapple with, for the first time in a real, no turning back way, the legendary physical pain of getting said baby out of your body. I have likened that sensation of realizing that the birthing is inevitable, to the realization that your boat is about to go over the waterfall, and you have no paddle, or helmet. You hope the equipment and your body, along with the raging forward movement, don't all join forces to take you or your baby out. You pray. You worry. You breathe. You grit your teeth, and you do what you need to do. In the end, no one's description of their own war stories of birthing can prepare you for the pain that you endure in order to bring another life into the world. It is also true that no one can prepare you for the depth of the love that comes over you, as you enter into one of the truly miraculous wonders of the world.

If you do your job right, you begin on that very day of their birth, or for those who become parents via adoption, on that very day of homecoming, preparing your new little soul, and your own, for their eventual separation from you when you launch them out of the nest and into the world. So many moments of launchings...first step, pre-school, kindergarten, overnight camp, high school, travel abroad. But with each of those steps, they circle back to you with tales of their discoveries and adventures, and the world is right again, because they are back under your wing. For the moment. The real launch looms in the too quickly arriving ceremonious send-off to life, via their freshman year at university. No matter how many books you read, or how many stories are shared with you from parents who get a certain look in their eyes of joy and pride mixed with sadness and mourning, no matter how many of these you amass, you will not be ready. You will fret about whether you properly prepared them, equipped them with all the necessary tools, warned them of all of the possible pitfalls. You make the most of every last morsel of time with them, being sure to catalogue each moment in your mind, so that it can be savored in their absence. You pour over pictures, wondering where that little tiny person, with the feet upon which you counted each toe a thousand times over, has disappeared to, leaving this young adult behind in their place.

The movie, Boyhood, captures this journey from little people to young adult launching into the world, unlike any other film before it. Written, directed, and co-produced by Richard Linklater, it was shot for one week per year, over a 12 year period, rendering a scripted, real life time-lapse view of the family of a young boy, Mason, as they do their best to all grow up, both parents and brother and sister. As a mom of a girl who is about to fly away into her freshman year at university, it held so many bittersweet truisms for me and my lovie, that it felt as though our life together had been the subject of a supreme covert spying operation. Apparently, this daily splitting in two of my heart, in order for her to do exactly what I have raised her to do, isn't so unique, after all. As she and I sat sharing our popcorn for what felt like a fraction of the two hours and forty-five minutes that unfolded the inner-workings of life for this family, it served as a reminder that the cycle of life is a universal truth that binds us all. Just as the final episode of our summer family binge watching of the television show Lost, forced us to talk about what this life we have each been given means, collectively and as a human race,  this story on the big screen left that same debate up in the air, but with less ominous tonality attached. In Lost, we were given a choice in looking at life by seeing meaning in everything, or seeing everything as ultimately meaningless. In Boyhood, we are left with the sense that how we live makes the meaning, no matter the life. Loving, and being present in both our loving of, and being loved, leads to the connections that make it all worth it. The concepts are universal. But the manner in which the film was made, allowed for a thoughtfulness and deliberateness in the story arcs and dialogue of each character to ring true and remain so beautifully and richly focused, that it will inevitably change the landscape of future films that cover a wide swath of time. 

We left feeling good about our growing pains, this baby of mine and me. We have spent the last 10 days together, just us two, in a last hurrah of extended slumber party, all-night talks, and laughing until we are doubled over, while moments later, we are in tears over the realization that this wonderful ride we have enjoyed with one another is about to venture intothe next realm.But, no matter how much I will miss this most-treasured companion of the last 18 years, I have told her that with all honesty, and in equal measure, I am so excited to be the luckiest of spectators to her next chapter. I cannot wait for the talks about the moments of life that she gathers, everywhere she adventures, and the lessons along the way. She has worked so hard to make opportunities for herself, and she has been the kind of daughter that women hope for when your dream is, as I have said many times, to grown future best friends via the grown up versions of my babies. Boyhood captured this time, and all of the steps leading up to it so beautifully, that it can be universally experienced by anyone who has grown up human. Do yourself a favor, and take a special someone to go see it. And, after the credits roll, revel in looking at how far you've come, no matter where you started or happen to be.

(If you are lucky enough to see Boyhood at The ArcLight Cinemas, stick around afterwards for a behind-the-scenes look at the 12 years of filming, and the players thoughts on the film. If you're seeing it elsewhere, take a look here.)

                                                     Official Trailer for Boyhood

The Extra Man--worth checking out (Except for the Katie Holmes character--more on that later--this was a lot of fun to watch)

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Posted: Wed., Jan. 27, 2010, 3:37pm PT

The Extra Man

A Wild Bunch presentation of a Likely Story/3 Arts production. (International sales: Wild Bunch, Paris.) Produced by Anthony Bregman, Stephanie Davis. Executive producers, Jonathan Ames, Stefanie Azpiazu, Agnes Mentre, Vincent Maraval, Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman. Co-producer, Rebecca Rivo. Directed by Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman. Screenplay, Pulcini, Jonathan Ames, Berman, based on the novel by Ames.

Henry Harrison - Kevin Kline
Louis Ives - Paul Dano
Gershon - John C. Reilly
Mary - Katie Holmes
Vivian - Marian Seldes
Lagerfeld - Celia Weston
Katherine - Patti D'Arbanville
Aresh - Dan Hedaya
Lois - Lynn Cohen
George - John Pankow

By TODD MCCARTHY

An imperious older New York eccentric mentors a promising young one in "The Extra Man," a highly entertaining character comedy exemplified by the same virtues the titular leading man ascribes to himself -- wit, intelligence and joie de vivre. Kevin Kline soars in one of his best screen roles, that of an impoverished self-styled aristocrat who contrives to live the high life as an escort to wealthy old ladies. Although too devoted to matters literary, theatrical, operatic and sexually outre to make it with general audiences, this adaptation of Jonathan Ames' novel exudes the sort of smarts and sophisticated charm specialized audiences seek.

Bouncing back to form impressively from "The Nanny Diaries," "American Splendor" writer-directors Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman have made a sort of timeless New York story, one centered on a relative innocent who comes to the big city and ends up being tutored in ways he could never have expected by an idiosyncratic gentleman of high style who expresses cracked opinions with such eloquence and authority that they brook no argument. There have been many such tales, but this one brings to mind "My Favorite Year," primarily for the theatrical flamboyance of the older characters and for the brilliance of the actors playing them, then Peter O'Toole and now Kline.

One key difference is that the young man here is not a total blank sheet waiting to be written upon, but a genuine oddball with his own extreme eccentricities. Louis Ives (Paul Dano) is a gangly, polite, formal, dough-faced prep school English teacher whose twin obsessions -- old literature and cross-dressing -- are expressed in a dream he has of "The Great Gatsby" in which he appears in drag.

Let go from his job, Louis arrives in New York to explore new horizons and, answering an ad for cheap accommodations, is confronted not only with a shabby apartment and very Spartan quarters, but with its occupant, Henry Harrison, who's offering the extra room. A college literature teacher himself and allegedly a playwright, Henry is a throwback in style as well as perspective; he speaks in the British-tinged stentorian tones of early 20th century actors, has a wardrobe almost that old, and polishes his gray hair with black tint when he goes out on the town. Admitting to views about sex and women that are "to the right of the Pope," he believes that American education started declining when females were admitted to colleges and will not allow Louis to bring visitors to the apartment. "No fornication!" he bellows.

Not that there's much imminent danger of that. Other than his discreet visits to a tranny bar and to a couple of women who assist him with his cross-dressing wardrobe, Louis seems almost unformed sexually; his "bipolar fantasies," as he puts it, are to become a young gentleman and to see a girl when he looks in the mirror. While he tries to work that one out, he begins accompanying Henry on his social rounds -- at dinners where the acerbic older man tries not to insult his hosts so he'll be invited back to Palm Beach for the winter season; and to the opera, where Henry teaches his protege his technique for getting in for free.

In due course, Louis gets a job at a small environmental magazine, where he sort of befriends co-worker Mary (Katie Holmes), whom he may see as a "Gatsby" Daisy -- and whose lingerie he covets. There's also a subplot concerning Gershon (John C. Reilly), a building weirdo with giant hair and beard who, despite his frightening appearance, speaks in a very odd falsetto, as well as one involving Henry's former boarder, whose arrival on the scene precipitates the somewhat arbitrary and indifferent wrap-up.

But the core of the film remains the interactions between teacher and student. Henry and Louis have major differences -- there's no one who could possibly agree with all of the curmudgeon's outrageous views -- but Henry likes Louis because they speak the same language. For all the aggravation, Louis knows he has a lot to learn from his unique host, who has such a commanding presence that it's hard not to come under his sway, even when looking askance at the substance of his remarks.

The same holds true for the viewer, given the mesmerizing allure of Kline's outsized but impeccably calibrated performance. Perhaps no contemporary American actor can carry off the sort of classical stage enunciation he can, and here he applies it to a character who uses it both for the effect he knows it creates but, even moreso, out of personal affinity. Henry has a tremendous sense of style, only it's a style of 80 years ago, which is what makes him so funny, an effect compounded by Kline's exceptional sense of timing.

By contrast, Dano soft-pedals his characterization to excellent effect; Louis seems like a rather calculated sort of misfit on paper, but Dano's underplaying and innate physical oddness make him not only palatable but oddly sympathetic. The actresses playing the women in the men's social orbit, including Marian Seldes, Celia Weston, Patti D'Arbanville and Lynn Cohen, are all delights.

Terry Stacey's lensing is vibrant, production designer Judy Becker has poured considerable detail in Henry's worn apartment, Suttirat Larlarb's costume designs show real wit and Klaus Badelt's score is a vigorous asset.

Camera (Deluxe color), Terry Stacey; editor, Pulcini; music, Klaus Badelt; music supervisor, Linda Cohen; production designer, Judy Becker; art director, Charles Kulsziski; costume designer, Suttirat Larlarb; sound (Dolby Digital), Damian Canelos; supervising sound editors, Julia Shirav, Kent Spalding; re-recording mixer, Lora Hirshberg; assistant director, Mariela Comitini. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Premieres), Jan. 25, 2010. Running time: 108 MIN.

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Sundance 2010

Got in on Monday afternoon to Park City, where 5 feet of snow had fallen over the weekend. The energy and the buzz is always amazing. I love the mix of folks who are diehard film buffs, industry folks, young filmmakers, and those who never see a movie while they are here but do not miss a party.

Crazy altitude headache lasted an entire 24 hours, along with the huffing and puffing that goes with mountain air until your body adjusts. You instantly feel for your asthmatic grandmother.

The shuttles are the smartest thing going. You can basically get anywhere you need to go. Overheard the other day, these women were doing a play-by-play of a film a lot of us were on our way to see. I wanted to choke them. Everyone around them was shooting daggers of hate. "Do not f*c# up my moviegoing with your loose lips," was the translation of the hatestares. There was also a first time filmmaker who was talking extra loud about needing to "GET TO MY SCREENING. OF MY FILM. THAT'S SCREENING HERE. MY FILM. AT A THEATER HERE. SCREENING. HERE. MY FILM." Yeah, we all got it.

Got a last-minute invite to Chefdance. Great food and people watching. It was set up in the basement of Harry O's niteclub/live music venue. Mya performed upstairs after dinner to a jam-packed house of people. Even the club here is getting in on the movie business. There was a roving pack of cameras mostly focused on whichever female patron was most likely to have a wardrobe malfunction while dancing. Naturi Naughton, of Notorious and Fame performed, as well. She is crazy talented, definitely one to watch. I talked to her later about possibly working together to shoot a classy and beautiful video to spotlight her talent and beauty. Went to another party or two. It's all blending together. Blame it on the al-al-al-al-al-al-titude.

Saw a graffiti art piece by British artist Banksy. There is a film here on his work:

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Banksy's 'Exit' to premiere at Sundance Film, narrated by Brit Rhys Ifans, is fest's Spotlight Surprise By Gregg Goldstein Jan 20, 2010, 09:41 PM ET The infamous (and anonymous) graffiti artist Banksy is pulling what may be his biggest prank ever at Sundance -- with the help of fellow Brit Rhys Ifans. The guerrilla pseudo-documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop," billed as "A Banksy Film" and narrated by Ifans, will have its world premiere Sunday night at the Library Center Theater as the fest's Spotlight Surprise. Cinetic Media is repping sales for the stealth project. Hopes are that an adventurous distributor will pony up as many millions for the film as Banksy earns for the "street art" he secretly leaves in urban spaces. Several of his works have appeared on Park City walls this week. Insiders say "Exit" takes audiences on hairpin twists and turns as it chronicles renegade urban artists and pranksters from around the world. The film is billed as an exploration of street art. According to a description, "Los-Angeles based filmmaker Terry Guetta set out to record this secret world in all it's thrilling detail. For more than eight years, he traveled with the pack, roaming the streets of America and Europe, the stealthy witness to the world's most infamous vandals. But after meeting the British stencil artist known only as 'Banksy,' things took a bizarre turn." Jaimie D'Cruz of U.K.-based Keo Films produced the project. Holly Cushing and James Gay-Rees exec produced. But whether the artist known as Banksy helmed the film himself is still a mystery. "Sundance has shown films by unknown artists, but never an anonymous one," said fest director John Cooper. He described the film as "part personal journey and part expose on the art world, with its mind-altering mix of hot air and hype." Adding to questions surrounding the film, U.K. crop circle hoaxter John Lundberg was said to be enlisted by Banksy for stealth promotion. However, a spokesperson for the film said Lundberg had no involvement with it. "Exit" is a separate project from "docuBANKSY," an in-the-works documentary about the artist discovered last year on the Internet. Much like Banksy's work, more about the film can be easily found now in Park City, hidden in plain sight.

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