Bernard Boo
667 articles written by Bernard Boo
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Men, Women & Children
For a director like Jason Reitman, who in the past has been so innately in touch with how human connection works (the nuanced Up In the Air and insightful Thank You For Smoking demonstrate his expertise), to make a movie so out of touch, out of...
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Imperial Dreams (MVFF Review)
“I got to get a job to pay child support, but to get a job I have to have a driver’s license. And to get a driver’s license, I still need to pay child support.” So says Bambi, the hero of...
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MVFF37 Day 3: Elle Fanning Receives Mill Valley Award For ‘Low Down’
At just 16 years old, Elle Fanning has become the youngest recipient of the Mill Valley award in the festival’s 37-year history. Earning her the honor was her heartbreaking performance in Low Down, the feature debut of director Jeff Preiss in which...
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MVFF37 Day 2: Clouds of Sils Maria, Mr. Turner, Dracula vs Frankenstein
Following a successful opening night at the Mill Valley Film Festival that offered red carpet glamour and a glitzy outdoor celebration, day 2 was all about the festival’s bread and butter: the movies. It started with a pair of meaty arthouse dramas harboring powerhouse performances...
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MVFF37 Day 1: The Homesman, Men, Women & Children
As far as film festivals go, The Mill Valley Film Festival is a uniquely soul-soothing affair. I’ve covered a fair amount of festivals since I started here at Way Too Indie, and they’re typically full of head-spinning commotion (especially...
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Gone Girl
On the subject of David Fincher’s disturbing, fascinating Gone Girl, there are a handful of things of which I am sure, and one thing of which I’m painfully unsure. I’m sure that the film is Fincher at his nastiest and most incisive. It’s...
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Lola Bessis and Ruben Amar On ‘Swim Little Fish Swim’ and the Price of Artistic Integrity
First-time filmmakers Lola Bessis and Ruben Amar’s Swim Little Fish Swim is a sweet, idiosyncratic indie set in New York City that follows Lilas, a young artist from France (Bessis) who temporarily moves into a couple’s tiny apartment. Lilas befriends Leeward...
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Pride
Warchus and Beresford have managed to sneak a progressive, rule-breaking film into mainstream cinemas. You'll be driven to tears, and every drop is earned.
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Stephen Beresford & Jonathan Blake: Gay People Can Take A Punch–We’re Tough
Matthew Warchus’ uplifting crowd-pleaser Pride follows the true events of the 1984-85 UK miner’s strike, which saw a group of young gay activists called Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) come to the aid of the working-class union. The...
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Genevieve Bailey On ‘I Am Eleven’ and the Magic of Naiveté
After losing her father and getting injured in a serious car accident, Genevieve Bailey was in a serious rut, and needed to do something to lift her spirits. She remembered that being eleven was the best year of her...
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This Ain’t No Mouse Music
The setting is an outdoor blues concert in Louisiana. Sitting in a chair in the middle of the audience wearing earth tones and a baseball cap is Chris Strachwitz, the 83-year-old founder of Arhoolie Records, one of the leading roots music...
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Criterion Club: December Releases, Jacques Demy
Because their self-involvement knows no end, Bernard and CJ have found another excuse to grace your computer and mobile screens with their mangy mugs to talk about the Criterion Collection in the inexplicable second installment of Criterion Club. In...
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Arhoolie Records Founder Chris Strachwitz on ‘Hardcore’ Music, the Joy of Record Hunting
“If somebody wants to sing, sing god damn it!” Chris Strachwitz, founder of Arhoolie Records and purveyor and evangelist of obscure, down home blues music, isn’t the biggest fan of modern pop music. He likes the “hardcore stuff” (whatever...
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Adam Wingard & Simon Barrett On the Challenges and Opportunities Modern Audiences Present
The team of director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett made what was one of my favorite films of last year, the stylish, playful, home-invasion thrill ride You’re Next. 2014 is another year, and another home run for the duo as their new...
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The Skeleton Twins
There’s an indelible spark that exists between actors who trust each other fully. Through 9 years of making millions pop with laughter together on Saturday Night Live, Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader have developed a rare rapport few other on-screen pairings...