Boyhood Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Boyhood Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 1, 2016

Winner of Oscar Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" (2015) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary featuring director Richard Linklater, producer Cathleen Sutherland, editor Sandra Adair, coproducer and first assistant director Vince Palmo Jr., production designer Rodney Becker, costume designer Kari Perkins, casting director Beth Sepko-Lindsey, and actors Marco perella, Libby Villari, and Andrew Villarreal; new documentaries with new and archival cast and crew interviews; new visual essay written by critic Michael Koresky and narrated by actor Ellar Coltrane; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring Jonathan Lethem's essay "The Moment Seizes You" and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The early years

In the United States, Richard Linklater's Boyhood was first released on Blu-ray by Paramount Pictures in 2015. For a complete analysis of the film, please see Marty Liebman's review of the first release here.

Boyhood Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Richard Linklater's Boyhood arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a DFT Scanity film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was was remastered from the original digital audio master files using Pro Tools HD.

Scanning: Cinelicious, Los Angeles.
Transfer supervisor: Richard Linklater.
Colorist: Parke Gregg/Stuck On On, Austin, TX."

The film was shot over a 12-year period and it is actually not that difficult to tell that some of the footage comes from a different period. However, this isn't to imply that there are some drastic fluctuations in terms of depth and clarity, rather that the film was in fact one big and constantly evolving project. The technical presentation is excellent. Depth and especially fluidity are very pleasing, and a lot of the outdoor footage in particular looks outstanding in high-definition (see the footage from the final fifteen or so minutes during the road trip). Colors are very healthy, stable, and wonderfully saturated. Image stability is excellent. Also, there are no purely transfer-specific anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Boyhood Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film has an unambitious organic soundtrack that basically lumps together a variety of natural sounds and noises. In other words, there isn't any material that is likely to test the muscles of your audio system. The dialog is always very clean, crisp, stable, and easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report.

Boyhood Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Commentary - this audio commentary features director Richard Linklater, producer Cathleen Sutherland, editor Sandra Adair, coproducer and first assistant director Vince Palmo Jr., production designer Rodney Becker, costume designer Kari Perkins, casting director Beth Sepko-Lindsey, and actors Marco perella, Libby Villari, and Andrew Villarreal. The bulk of the comments address the unusual production history of the film, how and where various parts of the film were shot (with some interesting comments about the film stock that was used), some political trends and events that are documented in the film, the main relationships in the film, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2015.

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Twelve Years - this documentary film chronicles the long and unusual production history of Boyhood. In it dierctor Richard Linklater and various cast and crew members discuss their contributions to the film, some interesting dilemmas they faced, how their lives changed during the years, etc. Plenty of raw footage from the shooting sessions is included as well. The documentary was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (50 min, 1080i).

• Memories of the Present - in this filmed conversation, moderated by producer John Pierson, director Richard Linklater and actors Patricia Arquette and Ellar Coltrane discuss the shooting of Boyhood, their desire to capture on a film a long but genuine human experience, the evolution of the relationships in the film, how the film (as well as the story) matured during the years, how the critics and casual viewers reacted to the film, etc. The conversation was recorded in Austin, Texas in December 2015. In English, not subtitled. (58 min, 1080p).

• Always Now - in this filmed conversation, actors Ethan Hawke and Ellar Coltrane explain why Boyhood was an extremely challenging and risky project, the original 'story' evolved and in the process also effected their real lives, why everyone was willing to go only as far as Ellar Coltrane was able to take the story, how Richard Linklater envisioned the complete film and ultimately shot it, etc. The conversation was filmed in New York in December 2015. In English, not subtitled. (31 min, 1080p).

• Time of Your Life - presented here is a brand new visual essay written by critic Michael Koresky and narrated by actor Ellar Coltrane. Included in the essay are archival stills, footage from other Richard Linklater films, and original stills and footage from Boyhood. The essay was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080p).

• Through the Years - presented in this video program are on-set photographs that were taken by photographer/writer Matt Lankes during the shooting of Boyhood. The photographs and a collection of writings by Matt Lankes, director Richard Linklater, producer Cathleen Sutherland, and actors Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, and Ellar Coltrane were later on used in the book "Boyhood": Twelve Years of Film. Audio excerpts from these writings, read by cast and crew members, are also used in the program. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring Jonathan Lethem's essay "The Moment Seizes You" and technical credits.

Boyhood Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Boyhood is undoubtedly director Richard Linklater's most ambitious film. It is clear that it was also his riskiest project because the excellent supplemental features included on this two-disc set prove that there was literally an endless number of very good reasons that could have collapsed it during the twelve-year period it took to complete it. This is a very easy release to recommend, and especially to fans of Boyhood who have been patiently waiting for it ever since it was confirmed in 2015. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.