Dallas Buyers Club

Sometimes it just takes one role of a lifetime to kick an actor out of his complacency in settling for unchallenging, static roles.

In other words:  I take back everything I ever thought about Matthew McConaughey.  The dude can ACT!  Who knew?

Dallas Buyers Club is a film not to miss.

DBC chronicles the true story of Ron Woodruff, a promiscuous, bull-riding, Texas good-ol-boy who contracts AIDS back when we all feared a true plague in America, almost as much as most people feared homosexuals.

Fighting to prolong his life and others', he begins the ultimate start-up company out of the trunk of his car, distributing as yet FDA-unapproved drugs.

Equally compelling and riveting in his performance is Jared Leto, who, playing a transsexual, actually steals scenes from the captivating Woodruff character.

McConaughey (as well as Leto)  dramatically altered his appearance by dropping a tremendous amount of weight for this role.  It is mesmerizing.  I truly forgot who it was.

This was a tough film for me to watch for personal reasons.  David knows.  But I didn't even cry; it's not sappy at all.

Hope I've gotten your attention.  This is a truly powerful film that will stay in your consciousness for days to come.  Go see a quality film!

The Book Thief

This period piece takes us into a small village in Germany during the war, where food is scarce, bombs fall, Nazi propaganda is everywhere, and traumatized folks seek solace in the comfort of their homes.  From 1938 to the end of the war, we view the conflicts of normal folks as they strive to figure out how to survive, both physically and mentally, in the midst of madness.

No spoiler, of course.  But the setting is fascinating:  An older couple, played brilliantly by Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson, adopt a young girl because they need "credits" from the government for more food.

The waif, played perfectly by the up and coming French star Sophie Nelisse, has to adjust to the quirks of the older couple.   They too have to adjust to her.  Everyone grows in the process.

Well, it turns out the girl, Liesl, loves books.  How does she get them?  Check out the title!  Don't worry, she's not a serious thief.  But she is crazy about reading.  The film offers contrasting themes: while she lives to read books, the Nazis live to burn them.

Now add to that enticing plot the fact that this couple is "righteous," bravely hiding out a young Jewish man and risking their lives in doing so.  Simple in their ways, the elderly pair come to grow on you as the film shows you small details of life during a horrendous period in history.

Is this a masterpiece?  Not quite.  Something is lacking.  Can't really say what it is without getting into details that I can't divulge.

Suffice it to say that the acting is extraordinary, the story gripping, and the setting educational.  The film has a dour tone, but it avoids the true horrors of the Nazi era.

Grade of A-  The film keeps you thinking long after you've left the theatre.

Breaking Bad (TV)

For more than five years, many TV fanatics like me have heard a lot of buzz about Breaking Bad.  I've said, sure, I'll get around to it.  Then the series started winning numerous awards, and folks over dinner asked me if I'd seen it.  Being a movie/TV reviewer, it was high time to get educated!

Well, more than 50 episodes later, I'm almost done with the series!  Yeah, I went back to the start where  I was supposed to begin, and sat there and watched the series like a real TV crazy....and what a delightful ride it has been.

At the risk of overusing superlatives, I'd have to say that Breaking Bad is the most original, thought-provoking, brilliant show I've ever seen on TV.  Bar none.  Yep, it's true.

So what's it about?  No spoiler ever from this reviewer, but here's the gist of it:  A high school Chemistry teacher suddenly faces a life crisis, when he turns up with a serious disease and has to find a way to pay his medical bills and care for his family.  He knows that on a teacher's salary he will never be able to leave his family well set, should he pass.

The solution:  Become a meth chef!

OK, that's basically it: The teacher turns to producing meth, and he works with a former student who is a drug dealer.  As the show progresses, we begin to like this guy, who is trying to do the best he can to take care of his family.

FACT:  We begin to get confused about our own values.  After all, we're all opposed to drugs.  But what if someone gets involved for a good cause?  Hmmmm....

As you watch the series, you begin to wonder where you really stand.  When is bad good?  When is good bad?  As you see the protagonists do things quite unimaginable, you begin to wonder what you would do in their situation.

The tension:  Well, in this "bad" world, there are "bad" dudes.  Yes, readers, how does a high school Chemistry teacher take on gangsters?  How does he take on the infamous cartel?  What does he do to survive?  Whom does he harm along the way?

Walt White, the Chemist, grows on you.  He loves his wife, son, daughter, and inlaws.  He becomes a father figure to the student who works with him.  He cares about people.  He has high standards.  He is a GOOD man.  But wait... Isn't he BAD?

Prepare to view the best acting ever.  Prepare to marvel at the best scripting ever.  Prepare to be dazzled.

A+++ plus plus.  My highest endorsement.  NOT to be missed by any viewer who considers himself/herself "good"....or is that "bad"?

Enjoy!

Gravity

Hi readers...and welcome to high altitude fun!  I'm never the spoiler, so I have to report obliquely on this film.  I don't want to give anything away!

Imagine, however, that you're floating in space like that figure in the picture above.  You are tethered safely to your craft, and in zero-gravity, you're doing some nice work on your space station.  How peaceful and other-worldly!

Then ka-boooooom!  Something goes majorly wrong!  Uh-oh!

OK, now consider that with the fanciest effects perhaps ever coming out of Hollywood, you are somehow that person out there in space in the middle of a terrible emergency.  No need to imagine, dear readers.  Somehow, the special effects guys put you in that spacesuit!

YIKES!

Hahahaha.  Yes, this film is a wonder of special effects.  Shot in 3-D beyond your wildest imagination, the flick puts you in space!  Woweeeee!

And just which actress is in the spacesuit with you?  None other than the ultra-talented Sandra Bullock.  Sandra got me at Speed.  Remember her with Officer Keanu Reeves trying to keep that bus above 50?

Well, Sandra got us again!  She's fantastic in this sci-fi thriller.

Problem is, it's not really sci-fi.  What happens out there is well within the realm of reality.

Piqued your interest?  RUN out and see this whopper!  It's an incredible ride.

A+    Not to be missed!  And a must-see on the largest screen available, which is IMAX.  It's loud, real, and wonderful!

29 Palms

Back in 2002, an absolutely brilliant film came out about a chase in the desert between a corrupt cop, a hit-man, an undercover FBI agent, a scheming young lady, and several other notable members of the underbelly of society.

The movie is currently playing on the movie channels and I had a chance to catch it.  So glad I did.  Wow!

See Chris O'Donnell in the picture above?  Well, he's the hit-man, and he's got his weapons pointed at two different guys.  Why?  Because he's not sure which one to shoot!  Got your attention?  Yeah, it's that kind of movie.  Quite tongue in cheek.  Cynically whimsical and yet so serious that you can't turn away from the screen.

Point is, all the folks in the desert are after a bag of money, and what a bag it is!  With wads of hundreds stacked thick, everyone wants the path to the big easy.  Funny thing is that the bag just goes from one greedy fool to the next, as each strives to figure out how to keep it.

With big name stars like Bill Pullman and Rachel Leigh Cook, the movie abounds in fine acting.  But the guy who steals the show is Jeremy Davies.  Lest you forgot who he is, he's the one who played the translator peacenik in Saving Private Ryan.  Remember him running between soldiers to supply the ammo?  Remember how conflicted he was about killing the German who fired on his buddies?  Davies plays the FBI agent on the run here, and he is fantastic!

What else is worth noting?  The amazing effects.  Recall the original, dazzling effects in Natural Born Killers?  If you think those effects were cool, wait until you watch this film.

Overall, it's a real gem.  A diamond in the rough.  Or, I should say, a diamond in the desert.

Grade:  A+

Blue Jasmine

I have not seen a Woody Allen movie in a long time (I don't count Midnight in Paris.  He may have done it, but it wasn't a Woody Allen film, as I categorize them.  I think he just wanted to get paid to be in Paris.  But I digress...).  I usually give a film my litmus test of waiting 2-3 days to see if I'm still thinking about this, but I saw this film a few hours ago and just have to post on it.

THIS is Woody Allen!  At age 77, he's still got it.

Excellent movie.  Great casting.  Had Woody's elements of a real story with authentic characters and dialogue, comic wit mixed with drama, urban jazz scoring (probably by Woody's own New York quartet, he on clarinet).  Lots of layers to this.

This film is more drama than comedy, with Cate Blanchett in a TOUR DE FORCE performance.  My god - is she good!

Strong supporting cast including Alec Baldwin, Andrew Dice Clay (yes!), Louis C.K., Peter Sarsgaard and Sally Hawkins.

I want to talk more about this film, especially the ending, but you should see it first.  Let me know when you have!

Lee Daniels' The Butler

See this movie.  See it because it tells a compelling story.  See it for some dang good performances.  See it because it will give you a unique perspective on a turbulent era in American history (then again, isn't every era?).  

The Butler (I'm not into indulging directors' egos) is based on a magazine article (can you believe it?) about an actual African-American butler who served through about 6 presidents' administrations, starting with Eisenhower.  As the civil rights era gets hammered out the hard way, and the butler's own son takes the activist route toward equality, Cecil Gaines goes about changing the consciousness of America in his own quiet, humble, dignified way.  

I'm adhering to my vow to keep posts short, but you'll get a kick out of the fascinating casting here.  One of my favorites was Jane Fonda as Nancy Regan!  And a remarkably unglamorous Mariah Carey is powerful without uttering a word.

Very clever release date on this film, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech.  Let us never forget.