First Reformed (2017)

Ethan Hawke stars as a reverend of a very old church for tourists who begins to question his faith. The philosophical musings of the reverend in his journal are fascinating. Here's the gist: two of his few congregants are about to have a baby, and the father is questioning the morality of bringing a child into a world destined for environmental destruction. Aren't we destroying God's creation? This is a movie for our time. Ethan Hawke is superb. And I love the cinematography; the frames-within-frames are Wong Kar Wai-esque. The movie does get weird. The first hint is the creepy eye-of-god lamp in the living room. Well, actually, I guess the first hint is the constricting aspect ratio. Then there is the magical mystery tour with the jarring digital images of environmental destruction. First off, what the hell is that magical mystery tour? And then I was very unsatisfied by the ending. If they had just cut ten seconds earlier, it would've been fine. She could theoretically save him without the awkwardly long kiss.

Boyhood (2014)

Epic.  This sprawling tale about growing up in America is epic in scope.  Over a span of twelve years, Richard Linklater slowly put together his masterpiece.  At the outset of this project, he had major plot points in mind, but the script was not fully written; in fact, it was updated every year, partially based on how the actors developed.  A beautifully intimate character study, the movie follows two siblings and their divorced parents.  The audience watches these characters (and the actors) grow up.  It is fascinating to watch Mason Jr. and the actor Ellar Coltrane mature. It is heart wrenching to watch the parent-child relationships evolve and to watch life progress uninhibited.

The film has been described as a coming-of-age story of a young boy, which it is, but it is so much more.  While the focus is Mason Jr., we watch life go by for all of the characters.  The experiences the characters go through paint a detailed picture of American life in the twenty-first century.  Having the joy of watching their lives unfold is emotionally touching for the viewer.  Linklater's narrative lets the viewer empathize, relate, and reminisce.. and this experience is epic.

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Robin Williams delivered one of his most memorable roles in his Oscar nominated performance in Dead Poets Society.  Though a brilliant comedian, Williams was excellent in dramatic roles as well.  Full of quotable lines, creative lesson plans and inspirational life lessons, Williams's Mr. Keating is the English teacher everyone wishes they had.  Much of this can be attributed to good acting by Williams as well as a well written Oscar winning screenplay.  The film takes place in an elite boarding school, running the risk of alienating the general audience that cannot relate to the wealthy and privileged.  But this is not the case.  The students are for the most part down-to-earth. They have the same problems associated with growing up that everyone can relate to: academic pressure, family pressure, relationship issues.