Monday, February 24, 2014
Harold Ramis 1944-2014
Harold Ramis, one of the definitive comedic writers and directors of the last 40 years, died on Monday at the age of 69. The Chicago native started his career in comedy when he became a joke editor and reviewer for Playboy magazine in the early-Seventies. Like the Cambridge Footlights Review in England did to shape the career of Monty Python's Flying Circus, it was at Chicago's Second City Improv that Ramis fell into the band of comedic icons like Bill Murray, John Belushi and Gilda Radner leading him to excel his comedic talents on stage and at the typewriter when he became head writer of Canada's version of Saturday Night Live, SCTV.
In 1978, Ramis began a long and fruitful collaboration with director/producer Ivan Reitman writing the screenplays for Animal House (which Reitman produced), Meatballs, Stripes, and Ghostbusters, in which Ramis starred in the latter two films opposite Second City alum, Bill Murray. In 1980, Ramis made his directorial debut by helping one of the great comedies of the last thirty years, Caddyshack. The success of Ramis' goofball golfing film led him to direct a slew of other comedy hits like National Lampoon's Vacation, Groundhog Day and Analyze This. While not behind he camera, Ramis made cameo appearances in films such as As Good As It Gets, Knocked Up, and Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox Story. In the last few years of his life, Ramis directed several episodes of NBC's hit comedy series, The Office.
Ramis will be remembered by his collective achievements in film and television whether it be his nerdy presence as Dr. Eagon Spengler in Ghostbusters, or coming up with gag after gag on some of the most celebrated comedies of the last four decades. Ramis set a standard that many other comedic writers and directors have strived to live up to, such as Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg and Judd Apatow. I would be hard pressed to believe that no one would think of a Baby Ruth bar floating in a swimming pool or Robert De Niro confiding his fears on the couch opposite Billy Crystal and not think of Harold Ramis.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Long Live Film
It's 8:30 in the morning and I'm holding back my yawns since I've been up since 4:30. I'm wearing a jean jacket and tie-dye shirt my parents gave me for Christmas as I browse the shelves in a local bookstore once, twice, three times until...."Cut!" The director walks over to the leading actor and goes over the next line of dialogue while the cinematographer is positioning the camera in the right position and making sure the lighting is just right. As for me, I'm still browsing through the books as if the camera was still rolling until the director tells me I can take a break.
My first day as an extra; it may seem like nothing since I had no dialogue, I wasn't hobnobbing with any major actors, and I wasn't looking at the camera waiting for Mr. DeMille to give me my close up, but it was an eye-opening experience as a film critic feeling the pulse of the ever beating heart that is film. I mention my minor venture on the set of an undisclosed film because in the last few weeks, I have heard nothing but the end of film.
As broad as a statement as it has been by several members of the film industry, such as those at the Technical Awards ceremonies in the past month, which have honored the technological and scientific achievements in film, the medium is still thriving yet polarized by those who hold a high regard to celluloid versus digital film. Richard Edlund stated to the Hollywood Reporter that "this year may be the last full year that the movie labs are going to be running." Sure, it might be an end to celluloid as the definitive object for filmmaking versus the abundant use of digital cameras, but let's not think that the filmmaking process is dead. If anything, film is more alive as it has been at the ripe age of 136 since Edweared Muybridge shot "A Horse in Motion." If we're talking about film as an object, it is fading, but as a collective partnership between people with ideas and stories being recorded for all to see, then it continues to grow.
When the director told me to take a break, I pushed myself back into the corner of the store where the film was being shot and watched the monitor as the director pressed forward along with the rest of the crew as they managed to get the film done and my heart expanded as my eyes did by watching great art being made. I felt the same sense of joy and wonder as Cameron Crowe did when he went on tour with Led Zeppelin as a young reporter for Rolling Stone or Norman Mailer watching Muhammad Ali defeat George Forman by the side of the ring. It's not enough to just sit and watch a film as it is to watching the process of a film being made, which is something very special. As the wheels of technology, such as life, keep spinning, so does the process of filmmaking.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014
Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of the defining actors of his generation, was found dead today in his Greenwich Village apartment of an apparent drug overdose, according to law enforcement officials. Born in Fairpoint, New York, Hoffman had a deep infatuation with the theatrics since he was in high school and attended the Tisch School of the Arts, for which he earned a B.F.A. in Drama. His film career began with the small, but memorable roles, in Leap of Faith and Scent of a Woman. While not playing supporting roles in big budget films, he was walking the planks as an off-broadway actor.
In the mid-Nineties, his friendship with a budding writer-director, Paul Thomas Anderson, blossomed into one of the most fruitful collaborations between actor and director in recent memory. Hoffman gained wide acclaim in 1997 as a gay sound engineer for porn films in the modern classic, Boogie Nights and as the caretaker to a dying Jason Robards and the ensemble drama Magnolia. In Punch-Drunk Love, he went head to head with Adam Sandler as a sleazy mattress salesman. His last collaboration with Anderson occurred in 2012 when he played the flamboyant cult leader, Lancaster Dodd, in The Master.
Hoffman was no actor to be thought of as typecast as his roles spanned the spectrum from playing a sexual deviant in Todd Solondz's Happiness to Lester Bangs in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous. In 2005, Hoffman's portrayal of Truman Capote in Capote earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor as he channelled the iconic writer and his struggle in completing his novel, In Cold Blood. Aside from his only Oscar win, Hoffman was nominated three more times for his performances in Mike Nichols' cold-war satire, Charlie Wilson's War, John Patrick Shanley's Doubt, and in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. In 2010, Hoffman made his directorial debut with the independent romantic comedy, Jack Goes Boating.
In the past year, Hoffman has made critically acclaimed performances on Broadway as Willy Lohman in Death of A Salesman and in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In a recent news announcement on IMDB.Com, he signed Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal to star in his second film as a director, Ezekiel. Sadly, his death struck a blow to the world of film and theatre. He is survived by his three children and his girlfriend, Mimi O' Donnell.
Suffice to say, it's been a tragic year in terms of losing some of the most influential actors of our time, such as Peter O' Toole and Maximilian Schell. Philip Seymour Hoffman was not only one of my favorite actors, but one of the defining actors of my generation as Brando was for his generation or Olivier was for his. Hoffman's ability to immerse himself into a role and delivering such iconic performances will not be forgotten.
In the mid-Nineties, his friendship with a budding writer-director, Paul Thomas Anderson, blossomed into one of the most fruitful collaborations between actor and director in recent memory. Hoffman gained wide acclaim in 1997 as a gay sound engineer for porn films in the modern classic, Boogie Nights and as the caretaker to a dying Jason Robards and the ensemble drama Magnolia. In Punch-Drunk Love, he went head to head with Adam Sandler as a sleazy mattress salesman. His last collaboration with Anderson occurred in 2012 when he played the flamboyant cult leader, Lancaster Dodd, in The Master.
Hoffman was no actor to be thought of as typecast as his roles spanned the spectrum from playing a sexual deviant in Todd Solondz's Happiness to Lester Bangs in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous. In 2005, Hoffman's portrayal of Truman Capote in Capote earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor as he channelled the iconic writer and his struggle in completing his novel, In Cold Blood. Aside from his only Oscar win, Hoffman was nominated three more times for his performances in Mike Nichols' cold-war satire, Charlie Wilson's War, John Patrick Shanley's Doubt, and in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. In 2010, Hoffman made his directorial debut with the independent romantic comedy, Jack Goes Boating.
In the past year, Hoffman has made critically acclaimed performances on Broadway as Willy Lohman in Death of A Salesman and in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In a recent news announcement on IMDB.Com, he signed Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal to star in his second film as a director, Ezekiel. Sadly, his death struck a blow to the world of film and theatre. He is survived by his three children and his girlfriend, Mimi O' Donnell.
Suffice to say, it's been a tragic year in terms of losing some of the most influential actors of our time, such as Peter O' Toole and Maximilian Schell. Philip Seymour Hoffman was not only one of my favorite actors, but one of the defining actors of my generation as Brando was for his generation or Olivier was for his. Hoffman's ability to immerse himself into a role and delivering such iconic performances will not be forgotten.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
The Wolf of Wall Street
4 out of 4 Stars
In 1987, the phrase “Greed is good” epitomized the
environment of Wall Street. In his new film, The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese stretches out Gorden
Gekko’s infamous line into a three hour tale of sex, drugs, and hedonism that
is shameless, corrupt, and brilliant. Based on his bestselling memoir of the
same name, Jordon Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) started off his career on Wall
Street at the age of 22 until Black Monday pulled the rug out of any investor
and stock broker in the country, that is until he decides to sell penny stock
at rake in fifty percent commission on his sales to any clueless investor on
the phone. Soon enough, he creates the infamous Stratton Oakmont brokerage firm
which is nothing more than a playground of excess for any horny businessman in
suspenders and two-thousand dollar suits. As Belfort’s dealings in fraud and a
laundry list of SEC violations soar, so does his addiction to living life in a
manner in which Caligula would approve of until he falls fast like Icarus
getting too close to the sun.
As with any Scorsese film, there are antiheroes, but not in Wolf Of Wall Street. Leonardo DiCaprio’s
unsympathetic portrayal of Belfort is wild and edgy from being given oral sex
in his Lamborghini to having a candle being shoved up where the sun doesn’t
shine by a hooker (and that’s just in the first hour of the film). When he’s
giving his pep talks to his fellow brokers, he channels the clenched teeth of
Kirk Douglas in Spartacus to Al
Pacino’s profanity-laced roars from Any
Given Sunday. DiCaprio is surprisingly funny when he spends a solid three
minutes trying to crawl into his car as soon as he takes high doses of Quaaludes.
Jordan Belfort, he has no moral compass and DiCaprio brings the worse out in
him leading to one of his best performances
in his long-established career of playing rebels and antiheroes in the
last four films he collaborated on with Scorsese.
Jonah Hill gives an unforgettable performance as Belfort’s
right-hand man, Donnie Azoff, a Quaalude-popping, goldfish swallowing
degenerate with a set of teeth as pure white as the mountains of cocaine
consumed in the movie. Hill goes from Superbad
to “Super-badass” giving a performance that fits in with the comedic roles he
portrayed in Judd Apatow’s films in the past with the raw intensity that only
Scorsese can capture on film. The chemistry between Hill and DiCaprio can
easily be comparable to Joe Pesci and Robert Di Niro, except Pesci and Di Niro
never smoked crack together or performed CPR during a drug trip. Australian-born
Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Jordan’s ex-model second wife is full of zest as
she goes along for the turbulent ride of being Joardan’s wife. Her femme-fetale
persona is ironic given the fact that she seems to be the only sane one in this
three-ring circus of sex, drugs, and greed.
The expansive cast includes a stellar 10 minutes of Matthew McConaughey as a Wall Street veteran giving a young Jordan Belfort
the methods leading to his madness over martinis and cocaine. Jean Dujardin,
who won the Oscar for his silent performance in The Artist two years earlier, oozes with charm and shiftiness as a
Swiss banker that comes into Jordan’s life. The Walking Dead’s Jon Bernthal is outstanding
as Brad, one of Jordan’s Long Island goons and the muscle for Stratton Oakmont.
Rounding up the cast is a series of great cameos from directors; Rob Reiner as
Jordan’s hotheaded father, Jon Favreau as Jordan’s eyes and ears on Wall Street
and the SEC, and Spike Jonze as a hapless penny stock broker working out of a
strip mall.
Scorsese’s passion for music blending into the story is irresistible,
such as the case for enlisting his old musical buddy Robbie Robertson and Wes Anderson’s
musical supervisor Randal Poster to pick and choose a wide and wild selection
of music for Scorsese’s corrupt interpretation of the mean streets of Fifth
Avenue. The excess and euphoria of the brokers at Stratton Oakmont is
complimented by the diverse sounds of Howlin’ Wolf, Cypress Hill, and Billy
Joel. In addition to the selected music is the infamous chant Matthew
McConaughey gives that becomes a musical war cry for any stock broker about to
rob anyone blind.
The film has stirred controversy for Scorsese’s hedonistic
portrayal of life on Wall Street, however almost all of his films hit a nerve
at holding a mirror up to society and the rise and fall of opportunists, even
with a dark comedy such as The Wolf of
Wall Street. For example, one secretary shaves her head for ten thousand
dollars while Jordan and his wife have sex on a pile of money. The satirical elements
of Wall Street are as comedic as the heads of state fighting in the War Room in
Dr. Strangelove. If anything, The Wolf of Wall Street is a Fellini-esque
look at modern day America and the pursuit for the most addicting drug known to
man: Money.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
2014 Oscar Picks, Pisses and Moans
This morning, the nominations for the 86th Annual Academy Awards were announced and, as usual, no nomination reading goes without the occasional slap across the face. I wasn't surprised to see Gravity get 10 nominations, but American Hustle getting 10 as well? Then again, this is from the same group of people who gave Bad Grandpa an Oscar nomination, so I'm not that surprised. As usual, I'll give you the list of nominees in the categories of acting, directing, and best picture and my predictions of who will win and who SHOULD win.
Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years A Slave
Jonah Hill - Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club
Who Will Win: Jared Leto has the odds in his favor with his stellar performance as Rayon, a cross-dressing AIDS patient who works at selling non-FDA approved medicine with Matthew McConaughey. If Leto win the SAG awards on January 18th, then the lead singer of 30 Seconds to Mars could be walking away with the big one.
Who Should Win: As much as I enjoyed Leto's heartfelt performance, Michael Fassbender's role as the sadistic Edwin Epps had me biting my nails and cowering in my chair with fear and excitement. For me, Fassbender should get the Oscar; he was snubbed from being nominated for his harrowing performance in Shame two years ago and he's managed to raise the bar as the vicious slaveowner in 12 Years A Slave.
Best Supporting Actress
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years A Slave
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
June Squibb - Nebraska
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine
Who Will Win - I would be surprised if Jennifer Lawrence won the Oscar for the second time in a row; then again, it did happen to Tom Hanks and Spencer Tracy. Given all the praise she has been getting for her performance as Patsy, the long-suffering captive in 12 Years A Slave, Lupita Nyong'o will probably win.
Who Should Win: June Squibb added the laughter and energy to Alexander Payne's bleak comedy, Nebraska, as Bruce Dern's spry and caring wife and it shouldn't go unnoticed. Also, even though she wasn't nominated, Amy Adams should have gotten recognition for her brilliantly nuanced performance in Her or Scarlett Johansson should have gotten a nomination just for her voice as Samantha.
Best Actress
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Who Will/Should Win: Its a showdown between Cate Blanchett for her performance as a modern Blanche Dubois in Woody Allen's San Francisco love story, Blue Jasmine, and Amy Adams for her portrayal as a sexy con artist amidst the Abscam Scandal in American Hustle. Either way, I would be pleased to see either one win. However, I think Amy Adams should have been nominated for Her instead of American Hustle.
Best Actor
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Who Will Win: In this category, its anybody's game. Leonardo DiCaprio and Mathew McConaughey both got Best Actors awards at the Golden Globes last week, Chiwetel Ejiofor has recieved across the board raves for 12 Years A Slave and Bruce Dern received the Best Actor award at Cannes. For the first time in this category, I'm stumped on who I think has the chances of winning since this was a great year in acting.
Who Should Win: Personally, in my heart of hearts, I would love to see Bruce Dern win for his performance as Woody Grant in Nebraska. Not since Coming Home has Bruce Dern given such a profound performance, yet the irony is that his work on Nebraska is most subtle rather than intense as was his work over the last 50 years.
Best Director
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
Who Will/Should Win: It is a neck-to-neck battle between Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity and Steve McQueen for 12 Years A Slave, but my money is on McQueen. McQueen's epic and harrowing vision of slavery before the Civil War is both beautiful and hard to watch. Gravity might be a technological feat for the eyes, but its the storytelling and imagery from McQueen's eyes that makes 12 Years A Slave, if not one of the best films of the year, but one of the best films of the last five years.
Best Picture:
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street
Which Film Will Win: 12 Years A Slave. Need I say more?
Which Film Should Win: 12 Years A Slave
What's Wrong With This Picture? Besides the ridiculous 2011 rule that the Academy has of having 9 nominations instead of 10 in the Best Picture Category, The Coen Brothers were royally snubbed for their darkly funny and moving look at the New York folk scene in Inside Llewyn Davis. In addition to being snubbed for Best Directing and Best Original Screenplay, Oscar Issac and John Goodman were tossed aside in the Best Actor and Supporting Actor categories! Then, as I said before, the Academy is the same group of people that had Bad Grandpa get an Oscar nomination, or Ben Affleck get snubbed last year in the Best Director category.
Anyway, at least there's some comfort in that Ellen DeGeneres is hosing this year rather than Seth MacFarlane, who made last year's ceremony into a 3 hour plus crap fest. Am I on the money with this year's choices, or am I way off the mark? Let me know your predictions and tune in on March 2nd to see who garners the gold.
Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years A Slave
Jonah Hill - Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club
Who Will Win: Jared Leto has the odds in his favor with his stellar performance as Rayon, a cross-dressing AIDS patient who works at selling non-FDA approved medicine with Matthew McConaughey. If Leto win the SAG awards on January 18th, then the lead singer of 30 Seconds to Mars could be walking away with the big one.
Who Should Win: As much as I enjoyed Leto's heartfelt performance, Michael Fassbender's role as the sadistic Edwin Epps had me biting my nails and cowering in my chair with fear and excitement. For me, Fassbender should get the Oscar; he was snubbed from being nominated for his harrowing performance in Shame two years ago and he's managed to raise the bar as the vicious slaveowner in 12 Years A Slave.
Best Supporting Actress
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years A Slave
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
June Squibb - Nebraska
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine
Who Will Win - I would be surprised if Jennifer Lawrence won the Oscar for the second time in a row; then again, it did happen to Tom Hanks and Spencer Tracy. Given all the praise she has been getting for her performance as Patsy, the long-suffering captive in 12 Years A Slave, Lupita Nyong'o will probably win.
Who Should Win: June Squibb added the laughter and energy to Alexander Payne's bleak comedy, Nebraska, as Bruce Dern's spry and caring wife and it shouldn't go unnoticed. Also, even though she wasn't nominated, Amy Adams should have gotten recognition for her brilliantly nuanced performance in Her or Scarlett Johansson should have gotten a nomination just for her voice as Samantha.
Best Actress
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Who Will/Should Win: Its a showdown between Cate Blanchett for her performance as a modern Blanche Dubois in Woody Allen's San Francisco love story, Blue Jasmine, and Amy Adams for her portrayal as a sexy con artist amidst the Abscam Scandal in American Hustle. Either way, I would be pleased to see either one win. However, I think Amy Adams should have been nominated for Her instead of American Hustle.
Best Actor
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Who Will Win: In this category, its anybody's game. Leonardo DiCaprio and Mathew McConaughey both got Best Actors awards at the Golden Globes last week, Chiwetel Ejiofor has recieved across the board raves for 12 Years A Slave and Bruce Dern received the Best Actor award at Cannes. For the first time in this category, I'm stumped on who I think has the chances of winning since this was a great year in acting.
Who Should Win: Personally, in my heart of hearts, I would love to see Bruce Dern win for his performance as Woody Grant in Nebraska. Not since Coming Home has Bruce Dern given such a profound performance, yet the irony is that his work on Nebraska is most subtle rather than intense as was his work over the last 50 years.
Best Director
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
Who Will/Should Win: It is a neck-to-neck battle between Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity and Steve McQueen for 12 Years A Slave, but my money is on McQueen. McQueen's epic and harrowing vision of slavery before the Civil War is both beautiful and hard to watch. Gravity might be a technological feat for the eyes, but its the storytelling and imagery from McQueen's eyes that makes 12 Years A Slave, if not one of the best films of the year, but one of the best films of the last five years.
Best Picture:
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street
Which Film Will Win: 12 Years A Slave. Need I say more?
Which Film Should Win: 12 Years A Slave
What's Wrong With This Picture? Besides the ridiculous 2011 rule that the Academy has of having 9 nominations instead of 10 in the Best Picture Category, The Coen Brothers were royally snubbed for their darkly funny and moving look at the New York folk scene in Inside Llewyn Davis. In addition to being snubbed for Best Directing and Best Original Screenplay, Oscar Issac and John Goodman were tossed aside in the Best Actor and Supporting Actor categories! Then, as I said before, the Academy is the same group of people that had Bad Grandpa get an Oscar nomination, or Ben Affleck get snubbed last year in the Best Director category.
Anyway, at least there's some comfort in that Ellen DeGeneres is hosing this year rather than Seth MacFarlane, who made last year's ceremony into a 3 hour plus crap fest. Am I on the money with this year's choices, or am I way off the mark? Let me know your predictions and tune in on March 2nd to see who garners the gold.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Dallas Buyers Club
3 out of 4 stars
There are some films that have a predictable storyline, but it's the performances that bowl you over and The Dallas Buyers Club is one of those films. Set in the mid-1980s as the AIDS epidemic hit a worldwide nerve, Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), a fast-living electrician and rodeo cowboy, parties one too many times with a harum of Dallas hookers and ends up in a hospital bed being told that he has HIV. Ron, a hard drinking homophobe, thinks that only gay people are afflicted with the virus until he remembers the strung out hookers and countless one night stands. He tries to obtain AZT, before it was approved by the FDA, through anyone that doesn't have a prescription pad or medical license.
After being chastised by his buddies and being looked down upon by the community, Ron heads down to Mexico, through his AZT contact, and is given the whole truth behind the fallacies of AZT and how alternative, non FDA approved medicine, can help him and others with HIV/AIDS. Helping Ron sell the medicine is Rayon (Jared Leto), a drag queen who looks like Marc Bolan, as they from a dysfunctional friendship and partnership by forming the Dallas Buyers Club, an exclusive membership where HIV/AIDS patients can obtain medicine under the nose of the FDA. As the Buyers Club expands it's clientele, Dr. Sevard (Denis O' Hare) of Dallas Mercy Hospital and a no-nonsense FDA agent (Michel O'Neill) try to pull the plug on Ron's operation.
A David and Goliath story of the truest sense of the word regarding the flaws of the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA, Matthew McConaughey gives an unforgettable performance as Ron Woodroof. His lust for life and fight for it makes the film stand out from other films that have dealt with homophobia during the AIDS scare, from Philadelphia to And The Band Played On. Jared Leto, in his first film role in over 7 years, delivers a touching and mesmerizing performance as Rayon that moves you from when he first encounters Ron in a neighboring hospital bed to being alone in his room with T. Rex blaring on the stereo. Along with McConaughey and Leto's performances, Jennifer Garner's performance as a doctor standing on the tightrope of bureaucracy and her hypocritical oath is stunning as is Griffin Dunne as a disbarred doctor trying to spread the word to Ron about the dangers of having high doses of AZT.
Dark, funny and moving, The Dallas Buyers Club is a movie that will leave you jeering and cheering for Ron Woodroof, an antihero trying to hold on to life by any means necessary
There are some films that have a predictable storyline, but it's the performances that bowl you over and The Dallas Buyers Club is one of those films. Set in the mid-1980s as the AIDS epidemic hit a worldwide nerve, Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), a fast-living electrician and rodeo cowboy, parties one too many times with a harum of Dallas hookers and ends up in a hospital bed being told that he has HIV. Ron, a hard drinking homophobe, thinks that only gay people are afflicted with the virus until he remembers the strung out hookers and countless one night stands. He tries to obtain AZT, before it was approved by the FDA, through anyone that doesn't have a prescription pad or medical license.
After being chastised by his buddies and being looked down upon by the community, Ron heads down to Mexico, through his AZT contact, and is given the whole truth behind the fallacies of AZT and how alternative, non FDA approved medicine, can help him and others with HIV/AIDS. Helping Ron sell the medicine is Rayon (Jared Leto), a drag queen who looks like Marc Bolan, as they from a dysfunctional friendship and partnership by forming the Dallas Buyers Club, an exclusive membership where HIV/AIDS patients can obtain medicine under the nose of the FDA. As the Buyers Club expands it's clientele, Dr. Sevard (Denis O' Hare) of Dallas Mercy Hospital and a no-nonsense FDA agent (Michel O'Neill) try to pull the plug on Ron's operation.
A David and Goliath story of the truest sense of the word regarding the flaws of the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA, Matthew McConaughey gives an unforgettable performance as Ron Woodroof. His lust for life and fight for it makes the film stand out from other films that have dealt with homophobia during the AIDS scare, from Philadelphia to And The Band Played On. Jared Leto, in his first film role in over 7 years, delivers a touching and mesmerizing performance as Rayon that moves you from when he first encounters Ron in a neighboring hospital bed to being alone in his room with T. Rex blaring on the stereo. Along with McConaughey and Leto's performances, Jennifer Garner's performance as a doctor standing on the tightrope of bureaucracy and her hypocritical oath is stunning as is Griffin Dunne as a disbarred doctor trying to spread the word to Ron about the dangers of having high doses of AZT.
Dark, funny and moving, The Dallas Buyers Club is a movie that will leave you jeering and cheering for Ron Woodroof, an antihero trying to hold on to life by any means necessary
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Her
4 out of 4 Stars
In 1968, Stanley Kubrick took cinema to a new level with his philosophical and mind-blowing exploration between man’s relationship with technology in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Now, Spike Jonze has raised the bar with the romantic connection between man and machine with his new film, Her. Set in a futuristic, almost Gilliam-esque Los Angeles, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is a newly divorced writer for a letter writing company spending his days of solitude playing interactive video games that would make the Wii feel obsolete and having phone sex with women who have feline fetishes. His lonely days end when he begins to have a romantic relationship with an operating system named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).
Aside from Samantha, Theodore finds comfort through his neighbor Amy (Amy Adams), a video game programmer and amateur documentary filmmaker stuck in an anally retentive marriage. As months pass, Theodore and Samantha’s relationship progresses until reality hits Theodore through a heated conversation with his ex-wife (Rooney Mara) when she confronts him with the fact that he is in love with a computer and not a human being. As the film moves into its third act, Theodore questions the validity of his relationship with Samantha and questions what love is; a union between two people or one person and something artificial.
Joaquin Phoenix is amazing as Theodore; his range from being melancholic to warm-hearted and philosophical about romance is a pleasure to see. Although not on screen, Scarlett Johansson’s voice as Samantha is fresh and organic as she tries to give life to an inanimate object. Amy Adams chemistry with Joaquin Phoenix is heartfelt, funny, and poignant adding to the beauty of the film. Plus, Spike Jonze’s cameo as a profanity-fueled video game character is hilarious.
Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography brilliantly captures the beauty of the Californian landscape and the confined setting of Los Angeles. Owen Pallet’s score, along with the music of Arcade Fire, adds another layer to Jonze’s protagonists and their individual quests for love. His first film in over four years, Spike Jonze adds another notch to his belt of stellar and surreal masterpieces with Her. Darkly funny, visually mesmerizing, and deeply touching, Jonze’s romantic satire holds up a mirror to one’s obsession with technology and its effects on human emotions.
In 1968, Stanley Kubrick took cinema to a new level with his philosophical and mind-blowing exploration between man’s relationship with technology in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Now, Spike Jonze has raised the bar with the romantic connection between man and machine with his new film, Her. Set in a futuristic, almost Gilliam-esque Los Angeles, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is a newly divorced writer for a letter writing company spending his days of solitude playing interactive video games that would make the Wii feel obsolete and having phone sex with women who have feline fetishes. His lonely days end when he begins to have a romantic relationship with an operating system named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).
Aside from Samantha, Theodore finds comfort through his neighbor Amy (Amy Adams), a video game programmer and amateur documentary filmmaker stuck in an anally retentive marriage. As months pass, Theodore and Samantha’s relationship progresses until reality hits Theodore through a heated conversation with his ex-wife (Rooney Mara) when she confronts him with the fact that he is in love with a computer and not a human being. As the film moves into its third act, Theodore questions the validity of his relationship with Samantha and questions what love is; a union between two people or one person and something artificial.
Joaquin Phoenix is amazing as Theodore; his range from being melancholic to warm-hearted and philosophical about romance is a pleasure to see. Although not on screen, Scarlett Johansson’s voice as Samantha is fresh and organic as she tries to give life to an inanimate object. Amy Adams chemistry with Joaquin Phoenix is heartfelt, funny, and poignant adding to the beauty of the film. Plus, Spike Jonze’s cameo as a profanity-fueled video game character is hilarious.
Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography brilliantly captures the beauty of the Californian landscape and the confined setting of Los Angeles. Owen Pallet’s score, along with the music of Arcade Fire, adds another layer to Jonze’s protagonists and their individual quests for love. His first film in over four years, Spike Jonze adds another notch to his belt of stellar and surreal masterpieces with Her. Darkly funny, visually mesmerizing, and deeply touching, Jonze’s romantic satire holds up a mirror to one’s obsession with technology and its effects on human emotions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)