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

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 

A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) Review

A Million Ways to Die in the West is directed, written and stars Seth MacFarlane, and he plays a character that is fed up with living in the west. People die by outrages incidents and his character doesn't like it. Then Seth MacFarlane’s character who is called Albert meets this girl played by Charlize Theron, who plays Anna, and these two have chemistry but the problem is Seth’s character is still in love with his old girlfriend played by Amanda Seyfried and Charlize’s character is married to the evil villain whom barely gets screen time Liam Neeson. Oh let’s not forget Amanda Seyfried character is going out with Neil Patrick Harris who mocks Seth Macfarlane’s character. There are also Giovanni Ribisi and Sarah Silverman in the film. Now as you can tell there’s too much going on.

I am a big Seth MacFarlane fan, I love Family Guy and Ted, I even like American Dad. So going into this film I thought I was getting many ways people die in the West with the Seth MacFarlane humour, and this was intensified by the trailers that I had watched. But this film was not like that, it had too much going on. I was watching it and thinking “what?!” Instead of getting funny ways people die, I was getting bloated love story that had nothing to do with anything. It was a struggle to understand what Seth Macfarlane wanted to achieve, did he want to make a romance film, did he want to make a comedy in the west, or did he want a great western comedy, the answer is I don’t know. There was so much story I think he wanted that he thought lets cram it in a film that was 1 hour and 40 minutes, not even 2 hours would have saved this mess. The film had started to drag because of the story, on certain occasions I checked how long was left, and that is not a good sign of an entertaining movie. If Seth Macfarlane had concentrated on the funny ways people die in the West, then we would have had a funny story, but because of the four other plots involved, the film was boring.

We all know Seth MacFarlane is a funny man so when I only laughed about twice in the movie then we know it was not good. There were some funny parts of the film, mainly because they were unexpected but the rest just flew by me. It wasn't even the case of it was funny but not laughing funny (If you get what I mean), it was just not funny. A bit of me does blame the trailers because they did spoil probably the best jokes in the film which frustrates me because a trailer should not do that, a trailer should tease the audience of what the film is going to be about. But Seth had an off day as well when writing those jokes which is a shame because that would have at least made the film entertaining.

Now what was good about A Million Ways to Die in the West was the opening credits because the song they played reminded me of the Family Guy specials they do with Stewie and Brian and that got me more excited for the film as I was expecting Family Guy jokes and gags (but sadly I was disappointed). There were also two cameos in the film which was unexpected and that was great to watch.

Overall the film tried too much and had no real direction on what it was trying to be. It was a shame as I am a big fan of Seth MacFarlane but hopefully Ted 2 can redeem himself. Let’s be honest Seth MacFarlane probably won’t take it too hard because he will probably mock himself in Family Guy soon. But I have to give A Million Ways to Die in the West a 6/10

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) Review

Edge of Tomorrow is directed by Doug Liman and stars Tom Cruise as Major William Cage and Emily Blunt as Rita Vrataski. Tom Cruises character plays a major that goes around news stations telling the public about this war that is going on. The war is with an alien species that wants to essentially wipe out humanity to have the earth for themselves. But Major William Cage has been drafted to now enter the war and a freak death means that he has to live the same day over and over again, however with the help of Rita Vrataski, William Cage will learn how to be a warrior.

Edge of Tomorrow is a really impressive and well-made film. Doug Liman knew how to encapsulate time in the film, as with a film that has to repeat itself over and over again it can become boring and repetitive. However we got to see the characters progress, from Tom Cruises especially, as we got to see him from a wimpy Major, that over the time (which is one day) become a warrior to take down the aliens. I was also fond of Emily Blunts characters development, because we got to know more about her every time Tom Cruises character dies and starts the day again. Her character as the badass was great to watch because she just captures the role, she’s intimidating when needed and commanding when needed. I enjoyed how we weren’t told how many times William Cage’s character died, they could have gone down the easy road of putting dialogue where a character would say “I died 100 times already”, what you get is clever ways such as William Cage and Rita Vrataski planning their way across the beach (This is where the battle takes place), and it is not a simple plan of “let’s go straight, then turn right”, it’s a plan where they have to know how many steps, what degrees to turn, and what will pop out of nowhere, and those scenes give the audience the idea of how many time William Cage has died. Marvellous to watch.

Doug Liman knows how to direct an action scene, because there were a few and they were all flawless. There was no shaky cam that just made you dizzy, there was no shots that hide most of the action. You get to see it all, especially for one scene that makes all other action scenes look pants (from films like the fifth Die Hard), with Tom Cruise running around a platoon and shooting these aliens, and Emily Blunt doing awesome flips and shooting aliens, in addition the music makes it feel like a futuristic battle and adds to the film. What I also loved was this beach scene was right after we get to see Tom Cruise train and in both of those scenes we knew that Tom Cruise had died a lot of times and was becoming this beast of a warrior. A special mention to the team that created the aliens because they look amazing and they look like they can do harm. When I first saw them my mouth was open because this wasn't what I had expected, it was just great to watch them move about a rip humans in half with their eight tentacle looking arms.

The only problem was in the third act of the film, the realism went out the window, as in the film we get to see Tom Cruises character break a leg from being wacked across a room, but in the last third we see him fall along way down on to concrete and he comes out with a limp. I can let this go because the film was too good to hold any minor grudges.

The film out did itself, because I didn't hear about this film that often and when I watched it, I was surprised that it was really good, and I think this actually helped the film because there was no expectations. For me Edge of Tomorrow thoroughly deserves a 9/10