Dallas Buyers Club

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790636/

Dallas Buyers Club is not a great movie. It’s a picture of what happens when some good actors get a script they can really sink their teeth into. The acting is the main thing on display here and nearly every part is perfectly played.

Leading the way is Matthew McConaughey perfectly cast as an anti-hero for whom you don’t have much sympathy. He’s a womanizing drunkard with the extra baggage of egotism, bigotry and chauvinism. One might be tempted to experience Karmic glee when he receives his diagnosis of HIV. Then his character’s soul undergoes a metamorphosis that is subtle and realistic, meaning it never wallows in the sentimental.

McConaughey’s character, Ron Woodroof, was a real person. Receiving his diagnosis in the 80’s at a time when the victims of HIV were received with fear and loathing, Woodroof becomes frustrated with a medicine’s inability to treat his condition and looks for alternatives. This search puts him at odds with a system ideally designed to protect the public but ostensibly serving the financial interests of Big Pharma, the folks making huge profits on drugs of questionable safety and utility.

Rayon (Jared Leto) and Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) forge a business alliance and eventually a friendship in Dallas Buyers Club

These are desperate times and Woodroof meets a number of desperate people, the most dazzling (and fabulous) of whom is Rayon. She’s a flashy, in-your-face transgendered person portrayed by Jared Leto. Although the pair gets off to a shaky start, before they know it they’ve become partners in an enterprise that mainly provides hope for those without hope.

Both actors underwent their own metamorphosis to prepare for the roles. They both shed startling amounts of body mass to look the part of wasting patients. I’m sure such changes can’t be healthy so it’s difficult to applaud them for their sacrifice, but the results are dramatic.

Once Ron Woodroof establishes his network of purchasers of non-traditional treatments, many of which require trips across the border, he runs afoul of the FDA, DEA, AMA and assorted other authorities, otherwise known as The Man. The Man comes down hard on Woodroof and the film becomes a predictable series of legal thrusts and parries and, well, you know how that always turns out.

While many of these clubs existed then and may still be around now. The people involved in these clubs, I’m certain, had more wistful and heroic reasons for challenging the system and helping people in great need. However, Woodroof’s story is the one producers selected to set the times in the amber of our motion picture consciousness. They don’t pull any of their punches. The characters are raw and not too sympathetic. 

Their extracurricular activities are not honorable and many people will be disgusted by some of the situations. If you aren’t bothered by that, then you’ll enjoy some groundbreaking performances by actors in their best roles to date and that’s saying something for someone like McConaughey who seems to have two or three pictures out each year.

Dallas Buyer’s Club is a good history lesson and allows us to experience one of the darker times of recent history and for that, it gets three Wilders out of four.

  

 This week’s Overlooked Film of Significance: David Fincher’s masterpiece Fight Club could hardly be considered obscure, but next time you watch please note the minor role played by Jared Leto. Bleached blond with a never-say-die attitude, Leto’s character is almost euphoric as his pretty boy looks are pummeled into a freakish mush.

Blue Jasmine

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334873/

Blue Jasmine is an unpleasant piece of film making. The characters are lightly drawn, the photography uninspired and if were it not for a fine jazz/blues soundtrack there would be nothing about which to recommend it. If we step outside Woody Allen’s film, to take a good look at the elephant in the room, it’s a tacky exposé of a troubled woman dealing with the most stressful moments in her life. Sound familiar?

Cate Blanchett does a great job with her role and I’m pretty sure she’s gold for the golden statue next month. The rest of the cast is great, there’s just not much for them to do. Allen has the plot, the jokes and everything else on auto-drive. I like Bobby Cannavale, Alec Baldwin and Louis CK but there’s just not much for them to sink their teeth into. Andrew Dice Clay’s name surprised me in the opening credits. Sadly, he’s really not up to the task so we’re probably spared an Act II in his career.

Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) can't shake the blues - nor can viewers - in Blue Jasmine.

Now for that elephant… Before seeing this film I had no intention of discussing the story we all know – the betrayal, the accusations, the courts.  A good reviewer is supposed to keep his remarks to what is inside the frame.  Little did I know that what Allen has presented here forces me not only to discuss the issue but also to take sides.  I guess, in a way, that’s some strong film making.

All through the film I just couldn't figure out what Allen was getting at.  Jasmine, Blanchett’s character, is extremely disturbed. From the first scene we can tell she’s off her rocker and she doesn't improve in the course of the film. Is Allen poking fun at mental illness? Has he decided to trade intelligent social commentary for cheap shots at an unwell person? In the end I couldn't ignore the impression that he’s telling us his version of Mia Farrow’s side of the whole Woody-Mia-Dylan-Sun-Yi saga.

I've tended to defend Allen over the years even though there has been a cloud over his work for near 20 years. Recent films like To Rome With Love and Midnight in Paris have been inspired pieces of work, even if their chief appeal is a sophist's view of art, music and literature.

After sitting through Blue Jasmine, I don’t think I’ll defend Allen anymore. While I've often found Mia to be the kind of person who craves drama and the resulting attention she gets, this film is just too low a blow. No one deserves to be portrayed the way Allen portrays Mia in this film… Blue Mia…  When you see the conversation between Jasmine and her husband as their marriage comes to an end, you’ll get an idea of why I’m so bothered by this film. Of course, for my theory to hold up Allen must be admitting that there was something in his actions that justified Mia's charges. If this is the case, Allen errs by being too clever by half and having a good laugh on us, his loyal fans.

During the viewing, I wondered if certain aspects of the story were intended to indicate Allen’s true intentions. Is Mia’s favorite flower jasmine? Does the song Blue Moon mean something to her and not simply a colorful allusion made by a capable auteur? For me, Allen just made that cloud over his work that much darker. I may even choose to skip his work in the future. I realize I could be wrong. I’m no clairvoyant. There are many facts supporting both positions and just as much misinformation about what actually took place. Many people still think Allen was married to Mia or that Sun-Yi was his adopted daughter, neither of which is true.

I can’t say for sure whether Woody Allen is guilty of the things of which he’s been accused. We’ll probably never know. Were Our Patron to have made a film lampooning someone he felt had wronged him - and let's face it he probably did - not only would the result have been more subtle, there'd have been some laughs along the way. Sorry Woody, no Wilder for you.

This week’s Obscure Movie of Significance: If you haven’t seen The Station Agent with Peter Dinklage and Bobby Cannavale, then you need to get to the library or Amazon Prime and see it – a very nice movie all around.

12 Years a Slave

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/

Watching a film about the evil that was slavery is very difficult. Writing about such a film is no better. 12 Years a Slave is a very good movie. All aspects of the film – acting, direction, script, editing, music, sets, costumes and sound are superlative. In a less dynamic year, not packed with a half dozen really fine films, this is the kind of film that could sweep all the awards. As it is, producers of this film will still have plenty to celebrate when award season is over.

The film is based on a true story about a free black man living a pleasant life with a house, wife and children, running into some swindlers who drug him and then turn him over to slave traders in Washington DC years before the Civil War. Thus viewers are treated to a view of slavery from the point of view of someone dropped into a nightmarish world of endless toil and torture.

The difficulty in experiencing all this comes from the knowledge that this is our legacy – an ugly scar on the history of our people whose founding documents promised equality for all. This was driven home in my consciousness as recently as 2009 when President Obama’s arrival in the White House prompted many to point out the irony that the president’s new home, along with the  other buildings in our capital, had been built with slave labor.

Participation in Christian observances was considered an moral requirement of slave holders -- the prevailing thought was that enslaving heathens was sinful.

I am comforted somewhat by the fact that there were many people of that time, black and white, who lead the way in abolishing this sin. From that we can take great pride, although the promise of equality would not begin to be realized until my lifetime. It’s a fight each generation much wage.

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Adepero Oduye are really good as the slaves. They painfully convey torture and what they endure is surely some of the most violent acts I’ve ever seen on film. Michael Fassbender gets special attention as a sadistic, deranged slave owner. His character is sure to end up on top of lists of great movie villains going forward.

Troubling as 12 Years a Slave is, it’s a film everyone should see at some point and for that I’m giving it four Wilders.

   

Our Obscure Film of Significance for the Week: Not sure if I’ve mentioned this one before, but Chiwetel Ejiofor has a part in Children of Men, which is not only one of the all-time great scifi films, it’s unusual in that it’s a British scifi film – a country not known for great scifi nor great wines.

The Legend of Hercules

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1043726/

Fantasy has been big business for filmmakers for some time. Masterpieces like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings are few and far between, producers have been reaching into the deep well of global folklore for ideas. Some work, some don’t. This one doesn't.

The Legend of Hercules continues the bizarre custom of making Greek things look Roman and vice-versa and otherwise mangling everything archaeologists know about the classical world. If you want an exotic villain, put him in an Egyptian outfit with a Sumerian sword and let him sail a Phoenician boat right up to the shore of… Athens? Sometimes this confusing mix even makes it into current events.

When 300 was released in 2006, many conservative editorial attempted to prop up the disastrous situation in Iraq by drawing parallels between the brave Spartans taking a lonely stand against a pagan horde bent on world destruction. The trouble is that history just wasn't with them. It was the Spartans themselves who failed to rally behind King Leonidas and his effort was backed up by several thousand Athenians at Thermopylae. In reality, the Spartans would have gladly risked losing their country than cooperate with the libertine Athenians. Hardly the parallel conservatives would want to admit to nowadays…

    Two men go in -- one demigod comes out in The Legend of Hercules.

And with The Legend of Hercules, bad history once again repeats itself. Don’t look for this Hercules (the Greeks called him Heracles) to battle bulls, boars and multi-headed beasts. Other than a tussle with a stuffed lion procured from FAO Schwartz, this drama is strictly a family affair as the son of Zeus battles for supremacy over his mother’s war-mongering husband. How does this would-be prince of peace accomplish this? Let’s just say Gandhi is not in his repertoire. The climactic scene takes us back to Samson and the Old Testament so you can expect some styrofoam blocks falling.

The plot sticks closely to the Ben-Hur/Gladiator mold. There’s the fall from upper-class status, the galley slave bit and the triumphant return via the arena. This well-traveled road doesn't lead to Rome, Greece or anywhere else. Mercifully the film is just a little over an hour and a half long.

I sought out the 3D exhibition for the eye candy and, plush lion aside, was impressed with all the arrows, fireballs and constant be-petalled flotsam floating around most scenes comin’ at ya. Otherwise, this is strictly entertainment for children. There is no more sex and violence than you might see in the average Victor Mature film. The most violent acts are done old-Hollywood style, off camera with a squishing sound, although a gladiator joke from the classic Airplane film may cross your mind during some wrestling scenes. 

It’s the perfect place to drop the kids off for a couple hours while you enjoy a cup of coffee at Barnes & Noble and for that I’ll order an espresso and give this film one Wilder.

Our Overlooked Film of Significance for the Week: As far as sword and sandal epics go, I always liked The Long Ships, 1964, with Richard Widmark and Sydney Poitier. Although set in the Viking era, they search parts of the Classical world for a legendary golden bell that once belonged to Hercules… or was it Heracles?

American Hustle

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1800241/

Back in the 90’s when The Crying Game was a popular movie, David Spade said on Saturday Night Live: “I’m about to reveal the big secret about The Crying Game… (whispering) it’s overrated…”

That joke came to mind when I was watching American Hustle, at least during the first lazy hour. With all the high praise the film has been getting, I guess I just expected more.

You wouldn't want to know any of these people in real life, or trust them with anything important.  There’s a popular American literary tradition to change con men and misfits into working-class heroes. The trouble with American Hustle is that you don’t have much to work with on either side of the law.

The lead characters – played deftly by (in order) Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper – do grow on you near the end of the improbable and fictional ending. But it’s a bumpy ride. The two best characters are the mafia don from Miami and Cooper’s boss at the FBI who is the true working-class hero of the story. They’re played with aplomb in their brief scenes and I’ll keep that actors a secret because they’re about the best things in this movie.

David O. Russell directs and, as with his previous film Silver Linings Playbook, gets the most out of his actors and weak story. American Hustle is based upon an obscure, late-70’s scandal known by the racist moniker Arab Scam which was shortened to Abscam.  It netted some local politicians, a couple of US congressmen and a Senator. While the convictions were upheld, the methods employed by some ambitious FBI agents helped rewrite the laws when it came to such investigations, making it much harder to nab the 'real' bad guys.

How does Christian Bale complete his character's awful combover? 

A shaved belly visible in other scenes may provide a clue.

What is done extremely well is recreating the kitsch of that era with all its butterfly-collared, gold chain glory. One of the best scenes takes place in a disco straight from Saturday Night Fever and, man, can Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper dance. I've never seen a sexier rendition of the Bust Stop.

But all that glitter doesn't make up for the fact that this movie takes forever to get off the ground and when it does, the flight is short and they run out of cheesey goldfish. A little research showed that the ending is just complete fantasy.

This is definitely a movie to rent a few weeks from now. While it may garner some awards for acting, sets and costumes, it gets nothing more than two Wilders from me.

 

Our Overlooked Film of Significance for the Week: I really like Amy Adams and there is any number of her films worth watching that you've probably missed. I would recommend Enchanted because it is so improbably good. A fairy tale character (Adams) gets sucked into contemporary New York City having to deal with all the drudgery of daily life with which the rest of us must contend.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1170358/

I haven’t read The Hobbit, yet I sense the parts of this film that don’t work are those expanded or invented to turn one book into three long, big-budget films. Some scenes are way too long to hold interest. This film suffers from a terrible case of middle-trilogy-itis that didn’t affect LOTR: The Two Towers.

Most of the characters from the first film are back with the exception of the one who is the most interesting in these as well as the LOTR films. I’m sure you can guess. Since I haven’t read the book I don’t know if this character will show up at the end of the story, but I do hope so.

There are some new characters, including one who has been fully invented from thin air to give the story an unnecessary love interest. This, too, helps slow the action with tedious (and somewhat unbelievable) romance.

The makers of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug have us over a barrel when it comes to forking over ticket money.

Still, Peter Jackson sure knows what to do with CGI effects as well as that gorgeous New Zealand landscape. It’s long been said that these movies are the best advertisement for the kiwi tourist industry and you won’t be disappointed here. BTW, here's another film where the use of 3D illusion is a help in enjoying the technology. (Sorry, Mr. Ebert, wherever you are.)

Martin Freeman plays Bilbo Baggins perfectly just as he perfectly plays Dr. Watson in the new BBC Sherlock series which is one of my current favorites, so I’m very used to him. Ian McKellen is always good, but no one seems to notice that he looks 20 years older in this story than he did in the initial trilogy set 30 years in the future from this story’s timeline.

The best part of the picture, from which they derive the title, is very good, but still goes on way too long. And then… well there’s no real ending, just a plea to plop down another $9.50 next Christmas to see how it all turns out. That will give me ample time to try to read the book again.

If you like to have the TV on for white noise while you do something else – balance the checkbook or write a blog – this would be a good choice. This year I wrote Christmas cards with LOTR: The Return of the King tracking on telly. And for that, I’ll give The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug two and one-half Wilders.

   

Our Overlooked Film of Significance for the Week: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  Many purists hated this movie and there was a collective “Huh?” when Martin Freeman was cast in the lead, but his Arthur Dent has an appropriate subduedness to the blinding aggravation of dealing with a universe of misdirected beings.

The Wolf of Wall Street

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993846/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

For years I wondered how tall Leonardo DiCaprio is. He seems really short in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Titanic. Imagine my surprise when I found out he’s a full six feet tall… and boyish. In fact his boyishness became a problem for me as he moved into mature roles.  In The Aviator and J. Edgar, I felt like I was watching a high school production of something like Valley of the Dolls.  In The Wolf of Wall Street, DiCaprio is not only the perfect age for the part; he also looks like someone who has burnt the candle at both ends and giving himself over to every hedonistic whim.  This is not your tweener’s My-Heart-Will-Go-On Leo.

The film benefits from the authority of Martin Scorsese, likely our greatest living American film director. Not only can this guy make great films, he makes great films for people who love movies – count himself among them with his encyclopedic knowledge of film. These characters, with their shallow personalities and vulgar situations, beg you to hate them, just as in other Scorsese films like Raging Bull and Good Fellas.

 Leonardo DiCaprio is up to his (eye) balls in earthly pleasures in The Wolf of Wall Street.

My bourgeois moral code didn’t want to like these characters as much as Scorsese wanted me to like them. In the end, though, I think I was wrong. Scorsese doesn’t want me to approve of these people. I think he simply wants me to understand what their motivations are and think about whether I could resist temptation as well. I also enjoyed seeing a master of the art stretch his formidable, story-telling wings.

The movie is about depraved people so you’re going to see a lot of filth. I rushed out of the theater as the lights were going up so I wouldn’t have to experience the glare of other audience members because I’d brought my 14 year old nephew. Twenty years ago this film would have gotten an NC17 rating and thirty years ago, an “X.”  Now I’ve warned you. But if you don’t care about that, you’ll have little to complain about this film. 

Scorsese is on top of every detail and his visual story telling keeps things from ever getting dull in the two and a half plus hours he takes to tell the story. By the way, did I mention it’s about shady stock brokers?

This is the kind of movie you purchase the DVD Special Edition and watch once or twice a year for the rest of your life, if you’re a true movie fan. And for that, the Maestro demands that I give it four out of four Wilders. This is certainly the kind of movie he would make were he with us today.

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This week’s Overlooked Film of Significance: Catch Me If You Can sealed the deal for me as far as considering DiCaprio’s acting talent. It’s also Spielberg’s third or fourth best film and that’s saying something. If you can take two hours of Tom Hanks’s horrible New England accent, you’ll enjoy every minute.  Especially fantastic are all of Christopher Walken’s scenes and the prayer scene with Martin Sheen.