Dallas Buyers Club (2013) Review

Dallas Buyers Club is directed by Jean-Marc-Vallee who also directed the new Reese Witherspoon film Wild. With the Dallas Buyers Club claiming 3 Oscars, I felt I had to see if it really was that good. The film takes place in 1985 and is based on true events about a Texas cowboy named Ron Woodroof who gets diagnosed as HIV positive and has been given 30 days to live. With those 30 days he is determined to survive by any means. Dallas Buyers Club gives us an interesting take of someone getting HIV and how they deal with it, especially around those time. I liked the fact they chose the story they did because they could have gone for the story of a man that tries to fight it off and the struggles, but they went with the story of a person that only tried to fight it off but also created a club to sell what he was using to help others, which made the story more interesting.

Ron Woodroof is played by Mathew McConaughey, who give a fantastic performance, not just acting wise but physically. He looked like a sick man, a man whose lost considerable amount of weight and the weight loss made me believe that the character of Ron Woodroof was sick, sucking me further into the story.  I give credit to actors and actresses that give more to a performance by trying to physically bring the character to life because it can sometimes give more to the film than performances itself. Mathew McConaughey gives a performance that grasps you and never lets you go. He had to play two characters in the film, first the homophobic, manly man, tough guy that you didn't like. Then he had to play the guy you root for, the person that you want to succeed which he played great. Giving two performances that shine. However there was one man (or woman) that took the stage and never stepped down, and that man was Jared Leto. Jared Leto played Rayon, a man who dressed and acts like a woman who also has been diagnosed with HIV. The biggest applauds I can give to Jared Leto’s performance is he plays a woman really well. A few times I couldn't believe that I was watching Jared Leto. He never once gave the impression he was acting, always staying to the character. He gave a stellar performance and there is no doubt that he deserved his Oscar.

Now the score of the film was a mastermind because they only used it when it could heighten a scene or create a vibe. I liked that they used sounds and actual music rather than the conventional instrumental because when they had used the sound which was a high pitch tone, it placed me in the boots of Ron Woodroof (Mathew McConaughey), while the actual music placed me in the scene and in the characters vibe and atmosphere. This wasn't the only pre-production class, the editing of this film also captured and created the feel. The cuts were quick and sometimes edgy creating a fast pace feel to the film, always keeping me alert. This also calculated for the runtime being 1 hour and 50 minutes, which was a perfect runtime, with the film never feeling too quick or too long.

Dallas Buyers Club give us an interesting take that is amplified by the performances of Mathew McConaughey and Jared Leto, who may I add had great chemistry. With the fast pace and sometimes edgy feel the film will never bore or never get too slow. For that reason Dallas Buyers Club deserves a solid 8/10

Top 5 Movie Marathons

These are my top 5 movie marathons that will keep any person awake for the whole night. 
The rules are that there must be over 6 films and can be a trilogy or a franchise.




 5) Harry Potter

The Harry Potter films are fun to watch with the first two giving the humour and the others becoming more dark. This makes the film more entertaining, allowing us to see the transcendence of the films becoming more dark. The stories keep on getting better and become more complex. The characters never bore and it's a great time.



4) Marvel Phase 1

Marvel Phase 1 is great a movie marathon because watching the first integration of the Marvel universe is awesome to watch. Another fun time with theses films, with the characters being interesting and all different, from Iron Man to Thor, to Captain America to The Hulk, all adding their own personality to the films.

3) Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

Wanting an epic Middle Earth story? Then Lord of the Rings is the one to watch. Films that can take you to another world and keep you their for the duration of the marathon, just means a good time. There are multiple ways to watch the films from Lord of the Rings to The Hobbit, or the other way round. In my opinion I will end on the Lord of the Rings because then you end on the better film.

2) Batman

Batman is a character that can never get old and with the different Batman's, you will definelty be getting different films. From Tim Burton's wonderful, Gothic telling, to the bore and down right ridicules Schumacher and then to the incredible, dark, gritty and real Nolan - which is my favorite. Great watch for comic lover to Batman fans, to any film fan in general.

Of course number 1 is...




1) Star Wars

We all knew this was coming. Star Wars is a fantastic telling of good vs bad, a sci-fi film that anyone can enjoy. With the ground breaking special effects from the original to the unmissable fighting scenes of the prequels. This is just an amazing film, especially when you do a movie marathon. Some ( I mean a lot) of people say the first two of the prequels are bad but I enjoyed the second one especially watching it straight after the first one (which I did find boring) and I think many of you will. There are many ways to watch these films, you can go original then prequels, or the other way round, or even mix them up. Any way you watch them, you are guaranteed a good time.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) Review

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is directed by Chris Columbus and is based on the first Harry Potter book written by JK Rowling. The film is about a young wizard called Harry Potter, who was spared his life by the one who shall not be named and is sent to the wizard school Hogwarts. From there he learns more about himself and wizardry.

Before watching this film I had previously thought the first Harry Potter film was boring, maybe because I had not seen for a long time, but I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, it was a funny and mystical world that I was instantly sucked into. I had never realised how funny the film was, every joke hit and made me laugh, which just gave the film a great quality to it, because if the jokes had missed (and with a film like this, it can be easy to make the joke miss) the film would have become slow, and boring but the funny moments made the film better and adding to the child friendly film. Which this film was. The film was aimed at the younger audience, rarely is there any scary or dark scenes, which can mean more of the adult audiences won’t enjoy the film as much but this is a film that is for the family, everyone can enjoy it because of the humour which engages the audience. The film can be watched by children to grandparents because of the light hearted feel to the film.

The casting of the film was perfect, I cannot think of anyone else who can replace the actors, they all fit the role they were given, maybe because they are embedded with me, even the tiny roles I cannot think of a replacement. Daniel Radcliff as Harry Potter did a good job for his age, of course his performance was not going to be perfect with some occasions his acting wasn't the greatest and I can let that go because of the magical, mysterious world being created took me away from the bad moments and only in the good moments. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, who instantly makes you laugh because of his appearance, he brings most of the comedy in the film, and sometimes by the way he just looks. He’s a character that everyone simply enjoys watching. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger was another great choice, another actress that captured the character so well. All of the casting was perfect and made the film more entertaining.

The story was simple, with Harry needing the stone, with a bit in the middle to beef up the film. I was okay with that because they had to first bring these character’s to life and they did, meaning all the character’s that I was supposed to like, I liked, which allowed the only plot point not bore me as i was rooting for them. However I can see why this film can bore people because of the simplistic story telling.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone is a fun, family, and magical film, which started the Harry Potter franchise in a light hearted way. The film gave me a good time and has that re watchable factor that some films in the fantasy genre lack. I was entertained throughout, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone achieves 7/10

The King of Comedy (1982) Review

The King of Comedy is directed by Martin Scorsese, and is about a young stand-up comedian wanting to enter the game by trying to star on Jerry Langford’s show. It stars Robert De Niro as Rupert Pupkin (the young stand-up comedian) and Jerry Lewis as Jerry Langdord.

Robert De Niro is excellent in the film, this is a true testament to his ability. He plays the character so well that I believed that he could be a stand-up comedian, not De Niro playing a character. He never looked like he was trying, he always looked effortless playing this role. Because of that he gets your attention, especially mine straight away, never giving me the opportunity to make me stop staring. It shows that Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese were a perfect match and can complement each other so well. He was also very funny in the film when he had to. There are other actors and actresses that also grab the eye, notably Jerry Lewis, who gave a solid performance as a talk show host that does not want interactions with his fans. Sandra Bernhard, an actress I don’t really know did a good performance, she played a convincing women who stalks and obsesses herself with Jerry Langford. But there is no doubt that Robert De Niro was the star man, it was truly a stellar performance.

I liked the concept of the film with Robert De Niro’s character not giving up, even when the odds were against him, he does some crazy things to get what he wants but when he does, he never lets it go and makes it count. I found the way Martin Scorsese represents showbiz as true with some stars that will say anything to get the fans but then not repay them back (but not true to all of course). Or that the business will take on anyone with a bit of fame, shown by the actions Rupert Pupkins commits but still getting a reward.

I did have an issue, the film felt a bit repetitive, with Rupert Pupkins always trying to get the attention of Jerry Langord. Of course the film does not hold over other Scorsese films which a far better but it is a great gem to watch.

Overall The King of Comedy is great, funny, and sometimes repetitive, that has a good story, with fantastic acting by Robert De Niro. It is a shame that it is a forgotten Scorsese classic and The King of Comedy shall get 8/10

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) Review

Exodus: Gods and Kings is directed by Ridley Scott, stars Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, Aaron Paul, and is a bible bore.

Christian Bale stars as Moses, a man who wants to free the slaves of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses, played by Joel Edgerton but has some difficulties on the way. The trailer of this film had sold it as being an action film, with Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton going against each other but sadly this is not what you get. Going into the film I already knew that the trailers falsified what the film was going to be like but that does not stop me from feeling cheated because a bit of me still believed that we would get a great ending battle sequence for all the waiting however I, like many audiences was left disappointed when walking out. I have heard about the Moses story and not read it, so I knew that in the bible there was no epic battle sequence but when a trailer sells a movie as a tense action (and when I say action I mean a few battle sequences) and the film does not deliver, it is disappointing. Ridley Scott directed Gladiator a beautiful crafted film with great fight scenes and with the first 20 to 25 minutes, I thought this was the direction they were going because the film felt like Gladiator, with Moses being favoured by Ramses father and wanting Moses to take over the reign, but that feeling died quickly. This was not the only problem.

I did not care for the characters, the reason for this was the characters did not get their time for development. It was all skipped for the more important scenes. Moses should have been a person to root for as he’s the underdog going against the mean pharaoh nevertheless I couldn't care if he failed or not as he did not get time for me to give a damn. When films skip character development what normally happens is the other important scenes do not become important because there is no one to support. How can I support Moses if I don’t know him? What happened in the film was all the important scenes was shown and when looking back at the film it does feel as if Ridley Scott was forced to cut out the character development so that more of the exciting things can be shown but without the development the exciting scenes where not exciting. Ridley Scott had even said that the film was originally 4 hours long which is a problem with stories from the bible being adapted to the big screen, there’s too much going on.

Christian Bale’s acting was fine, there was nothing special, I probably will forget about the performance very soon. There were some moments where his accent changes, this happened in some scenes. Joel Edgerton did well, had some good moments, but again a performance that will be forgotten soon. Aaron Paul was in the film because of Breaking Bad – do not get me wrong he was outstanding in Breaking Bad but in this film he was there and that’s it. Ben Kingsley was misused, he should have had a bigger role, he’s an actor that can lift a scene but he really didn’t do much. Sigourney Weaver another actress that if replaced would make no difference to the film. Overall the acting was all forgettable.

Exodus: Gods and Kings is a film that will be forgotten as it is a bore and does not excite. I also watched it in 3D on a standard cinema, which did not do anything for the film. The acting was average and characters were under developed. Exodus: Gods and Kings deserves a 6/10

The Hobbit the Battle of the Five Armies (2014) Review

The Hobbit the Battle of the Five Armies is once again and for the final time directed by Peter Jackson, with everyone reprising their roles. We are now left on Middle Earth for the last time and it’s time for a huge battle.

The film concludes with a giant battle between the five armies, all wanting their share of the gold Smaug was protecting, but Thorin played once again by Richard Armitage is corrupted by the gold, he believes he’s the only one entitled to it, meaning he goes back on his word to distribute the gold to Luke Evans’ character (Bard). Resulting in the battle, which was satisfying to watch due to the previous films lacking in that area.

The battle was great to watch but there were problems, first the CGI. It was not good, at some points I was shocked that a film which relies on CGI had bad scenes with it. Straight away I knew CGI. What the CGI should have done was take the non-real and make it real, I wanted to believe that Legolas could skip on stones while mid-air but I couldn't because it didn't feel real. There were other scenes where the CGI let the film down. Some viewers may like the score, but for me it didn't help the battles. A great score, especially for battles should be epic and grand, it should make me want to join the battle, however the score was tame lacking ferocity. I was hoping for a score that heightens the viewing but on some occasions you don’t realise it’s there.

The romance between Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) and Kili (Aiden Turner) was pointless, it never grasped me, and I honestly did not care. The problem was it never grew from the Desolation of Smaug, leaving it wasted. I think they should have just had Tauriel being badass and doing her own thing rather tie her down with another character.

The Hobbit the Battle of the Five Armies does give a heads up to the Lord of the Rings movies which was fine to see… for five minutes. They pushed a few Lord of the Rings character for one scene and that was that. Still cool to watch.

There were good moments in the film. The fighting was great viewing, especially the one on one scenes. They were the most gripping. Also the cinematography was beautiful, which brought Middle Earth to life.

Even though a few things bothered me, I enjoyed watching the film, and I never got bored. This is a Hobbit movie that can be watched again even for those who are not fans of the first two. If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, a Hobbit fan, fan of both or dislike all you’ll still enjoy watching The Hobbit the Battle of the Five armies, which gets a 7/10

Birdman or ( The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) 2015 Review

Birdman is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and is also written by him. The film stars many great names but the main star is Michael Keaton who plays Riggan Thomson, an actor who once played a superhero named Birdman, and Riggan hasn't shaken that role off, so he tries to reinvents his career by writing, directing and starring in a theatre play.

That is just one story of many in this brilliantly directed, edited and acted film. Birdman is about acting, and what it means, Is it about Blockbusters? Or is it about recognition? The film also talks about critics and who they really are, why they do their jobs, and Birdman deals with relationships. Which was all great to watch because I learnt what it feels to be an actor, the hard work they go through and sometimes because of that hard work, the loss they go through to become the best, not a one trick pony.

This is why Michael Keaton was the perfect cast, he is a man known as Batman, a title he hasn't shaken off until now. His performance was a master class, he looked like a man who knew this role from personal experience. I personally know him as the guy who played Batman but now I’m going to remember as the guy who played Birdman, which is quite ironic because in the film his character is obsessed to take away that title but now in real life Michael Keaton will be known as Birdman, which is the biggest praise for his performance. Another actor I have to give great credit to, is Edward Norton, he took the limelight away from Michael Keaton, because he was an interesting character. Edward Norton played Mike Shiner, another actor but what was different with Edward Norton was that his character feels like he has to fake his personality in real life, but when acting, that’s when the real him appears. This made him unpredictable and fun to watch. He stole every scene he was in and he deserves an Oscar nod for that performance. Every performance was superb, there was no weak character or bad acting.

The film is edited in a way that it feels like one long shot which enhances the film, because there’s no cut your eyes can never leave the screen in fear of missing anything. Normally when watching a film and the film cuts to another scene you would normally look away to sip your drink while the scene builds up again, in this film you cannot afford to do that because there is not an opportunity to take that 5 second sip. The editing keeps the eyes glued to the screen.

A great film needs a great score and this film had a genius score, why? It was basically drums playing, which for me represented heart beats because whenever something big was going to happen that will make your heart beat faster or whenever your heart will normally beat faster and more furiously, the drums played creating the vibe of film and the vibe of the characters.

Birdman will make you want to watch the film again, to learn more about it. I was engrossed, never took my eyes off the screen and with the editing that made it possible, the score puts you in the film feeling what the character feels. Great film and Birdman earns 9/10