Linklater. Linklater is no visual master and only has two films in the top 500 of all-time. However, has an unbelievably (had to double-check) high 8 films that land in the top 100 of their respective decade. Linklater is incredibly prolific (12 archiveable films) and some dry spells (the period between Before Sunset and Before Midnight from 2004 to 2013 was really weak) but the body of work cannot be denied. As we look forward when the 10-year moratorium lifts on the top 500 clearly films like Before Midnight and Boyhood in back to back years will also change an auteurs trajectory. I’ve also found that his recent films themes (meditations on time, introspective/philosophical dialogue) have brought early work into a clearer, fuller bloom. I can’t call him a style-plus director like a Malick, WKW or Lynch but he’s a formidable auteur, productive, and clearly appears to be still at, or near, the height of his powers despite being one of the founding fathers of the American Indie New Wave along with Spike Lee, Tarantino, and Soderbergh.
Best film: Before Sunset. Like most of Linklater’s work it’s not flashy from a visual standpoint—but it’s an ambitious formal presentation (close to real time), a distinctive film– and most importantly– a Linklater film. The ending still haunts me years and many viewings later.
total archiveable films: 12
top 100 films: 0
top 500 films: 2 (Before Sunset, Dazed and Confused)
top 100 films of the decade: 8 (Slacker, Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, Waking Life, Before Sunset, Boyhood, Before Midnight, Everybody Wants Some!!)
most overrated: I don’t really have one- if forced to pick I think Boyhood would be my choice since it’s the #1 film of 2014 on TSPDT and I’ve got it as #3. Tough to bitch about that too much though- it’s a fabulous film.
most underrated: I’ll pick Slacker as his most underrated as it should be on the TSPDT top 1000 and it isn’t. Before Midnight has fallen to 11th from 2013 on the 21st century TSPDT, too. I’m sorry—this is a marital sparring film that looks very favorably next to Bergman’s Scenes From a Marriage and deserves to be recognized as such.
gem I want to spotlight: Waking Life. I prefer this to Scanner Darkly as it has so much of Slacker’s spirit. It’s a film that has grown on me and I find myself longing to see again much more often than supposedly superior (even in my own mind) films.
stylistic innovations/traits: Linklater is the easy-going mainstay of the American 1990’s indie movement—an era that I’ve said before is getting more and more love from cinema lovers as we get more distance from it. Most of his films spoke for Generation X (I guess Boyhood still does through Arquette and Hawke in some ways) but more so are meditations on time and adolescence. Slacker has ambitious structure, Dazed and Confused was a superior version of American Graffiti for the late 70’s, Boyhood is the perfect 100 on metacritic film that took wisdom, a bit of bravey, and foresight to achieve, and the “Before” trilogy has surely cemented it’s cinematic legacy. Again, he lacks the visual bravado of Spike or Tarantino but his films do not lack for authorship. Also, I hesitate to call him a full-fledged realist but the procedural and desaturated dramatic intentions of some of his best work (Boyhood) put him closer to the Dardenne’s than say Tarantino or Wes Anderson. His best films are all connected to each other. Slacker pairs with Waking Life, the Before trilogy—well of course, Dazed and Confused has a 2016 companion piece (very worthy) in Everybody Wants Some!! Linklater also uses the formal aspect of time in most of his works (and essentially all of his top 8). Before Sunset works in real time, Slacker is 24 hours, Dazed is the last day of high school and well—Boyhood tells the story of a boy’s life, through individual splices, over 13 years.
top 10
- Before Sunset
- Before Midnight
- Boyhood
- Dazed and Confused
- Slacker
- Before Sunrise
- Waking Life
- Everybody Wants Some!!
- A Scanner Darkly
- School of Rock
By year and grades
| 1990- Slacker | HR |
| 1993- Dazed and Confused | MS |
| 1995- Before Sunrise | HR |
| 2001- Waking Life | HR |
| 2003- School of Rock | R |
| 2004- Before Sunset | MP |
| 2006- A Scanner Darkly | R |
| 2008- Me and Orson Welles | R |
| 2011- Bernie | R |
| 2013- Before Midnight | MP |
| 2014- Boyhood | MP |
| 2016- Everybody Wants Some!! | HR |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
“those who know Linklater from School ofRock may doubt his storytelling or cinematic ambition– but his debut has plenty of both”
What??? School of rock is one of the best films ever made. It is absolutely hilarious. Probably the film I quote most and maybe my favorite.
@M appreciate the comment as always. I have “School of Rock” graded out as the #3879th best film of all-time
Wow. 3879! How many movies hace you graded!
Why is The Last Flag Flying(2017) not in the archives?It was better than Whered you go Bernaddte(2019) which is in the archives.
@Hashan- any reason why Last Flag Flying should be in the archives? I’ve only seen it once- which is never enough for a filmmaker like Linklater– but just saying it is better than something with no reason isn’t exactly helpful or convincing. Thanks
I think the 3 characters in Last Flag Flying were built out very well.All delivered great performances.Has great sense of humour and very good writing.Instantly more memorable than Cate Blanchett delivering a poor version of her Blue Jasmine character in Whered You Go Bernadtte.Makes a great companion to the Last Detail.That’s why it should be in the archives.
@Hashan- great- thanks for sharing
You should also watch Cinderella Liberty(1973) which is also based on a book written by the same writer of these two.James Caan is great in the lead.A little unknown but worth a look I think.You should add it to your queue.
I’ve seen Boyhood twice and though its form is on point, I can’t get over Linklater’s visual blandness. A three hour film with so many stylistically quiet sections wears me down. That probably says more about me than it does about the film – there is still so much else to appreciate. Maybe I will embrace it as a masterpiece one day, I owe it at least a few more watches.
@Declan- I don’t disagree with much of this– I view Boyhood as an extension of the rich history of cinematic realism— Linklater had the forethought to spend a dozen years getting it right. That is a big part of it
@Declan – just watched viewing #3 and while I don’t think you’re wrong, this seems like the type of film that is going for a documentary style. Long extended shots uncut with mundane conversations rather than more typical movie dialogue and no score although there is a great soundtrack.
Here is a great article, a bit long but interesting about Linklater, really he’s one of the more unlikely Aeuteurs in my opinion.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/richard-linklater-film-texas-coronavirus/amp/
Hi, I just want to ask (and possibly this serves also as a recommendation) why aren’t Suburbia (1996) and Tape (2001) here. I don’t know if you selected your Top 10 or if you just watched those ten movies by him.
Suburbia is actually my #2 in my Linklater ranking and Tape is somewhere between 3rd and 6th, so that’s why I’m asking!
@Gabriel Paes- I have seen Tape once, and have not yet caught Suburbia
What are your thoughts on Tape? I really like the way the camera moves and the whole contrast between Ethan Hawke’s energetic performance and Robert Sean Leonard’s “disturbed and let down” by his best friend and his past. These things really help to keep a nice pace – altough everything happens in one single hotel room. And Uma Thurman just brings so much class when she jumps into the movie.
The only “complain” I have – which really serves just as a comparision with Linklater’s other ones – is that the subject is not as exciting as some of his other movies. “Before” is about meeting someone, having a connection, exchanging ideas and going through hard times with this certain someone. Boyhood is literally about a boy’s childhood-adolescence. Slacker and Waking Life are about people and their lives/ideas – and so on… Whereas Tape is just two friends (eventually three) talking about their past – of which we are not shown anything.
However, I still believes it’s one of his best works. It would be nice if you caught Suburbia though.
@Gabriel Paes- Sorry, without notes I don’t have much as my viewing of Tape must have been nearly 20 years ago. I do plan on seeing both again.
“the realism and authenticity of the marital struggle of Sunset”
You seem to be referring to Before Midnight in this phrase, not Before Sunset as it says.
@Graham- yes of course- thank you for the help
Slacker —
Dazed and Confused MS
Before Sunrise HR
Waking Life HR
School of Rock R
Before Sunset HR
A Scanner Darkly R
Me and Orson Welles —
Bernie —
Before Midnight R
Boyhood MS
Everybody Wants Some!! R