DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Matthew McConaughey: rodeo bull rider Ron Woodroof

Jennifer Garner: Dr. Eve Saks

Jared Leto: Rayon, a transgender woman

Steve Zahn: Ron’s brother Tucker

Griffin Dunne: Dr. Vass, expatriate American doctor

REVIEW

Based on the true story of Ron Woodroof’s fight against the system, it has its gritty side that may shock some people despite its R classification warning.

However the acting is the strong point: the performances by McConaughey and Leto are worth the price of admission alone. Perhaps a tad long at just under two hours, it moves along at a pretty good clip so it does not overstay its welcome.

CLASSIFICATION

 for pervasive language, some strong sexual content, nudity and drug use.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

• In July 1985 two viruses were suspected of infecting AIDS patients, HTLV-III and LAV. Doctors did not use the term HIV until a year later when these two viruses were found to be the same thing.
• When Ron returns from Mexico the border agent asks for his passport which he gives him. In fact it was not until years later in 2004 that all travelers were required to present any document that denotes their identify and citizenship when entering the United States.
• Ron fires a shotgun blast that opens a hole the size of a dinner plate but well above the lockset so the door would still be locked and would not have opened when he pushed on it.

 P.S.

$400 in 1985 had the same buying power as $873 in 2013.

THE BOOK THIEF

 Wartime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Sophie Nélisse: 11-year-old Liesel Meminger

Geoffrey Rush: her adoptive father Hans Hubermann

Emily Watson: his wife Rosa

Nico Liersch: 11-year-old Rudy Steiner

Rainer Bock: Buergermeister Hermann

Barbara Auer: his wife Ilsa

Ben Schnetzer: Jewish refugee Max

REVIEW

This story of a young girl who learns to love books begins before the onset of World War II. However this is a sanitized version of the real thing and does not ring true: the flags are all bright and pristine, not faded and frayed; the cars are all clean and polished not dusty and dirty; the uniforms are all pressed and immaculate, not tattered and torn; these Nazis rough up citizens and burn books, not people.

Several other shortcomings are much in evidence: with a run time in excess of two hours it is a tad too long and the narration by the Grim Reaper serves only as an unwelcome intrusion and people speaking English with a funny accent and using a smattering of German words.

On the other hand the performances are all top-notch although that of Sophie Nélisse is the best, possibly garnering a nomination for an award of some sort?

CLASSIFICATION

for some violence and intense depiction of thematic material.

FROZEN

Animated action\ adventure

 PRINCIPAL VOICE CAST

Idina Menzel: Elsa, the princess of Arendelle

Kristen Bell: her younger sister Anna

Santino Fontana: Prince Hans of the Southern Isles

Josh Gad: Olaf, a snowman

Jonathan Groff: ice seller Kristoff

Chris Williams: owner of Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post

REVIEW

The story of a fearless princess wanting to find her sister, the one with magical power, is replete with musical numbers. In fact, the first half hour or so plays like a Broadway musical with the story being told in lyrical form. From that point the spoken word dominates and we get to see the loving relationship between sisters.

In classic Disney fashion, the sidekick provides a lot of the laughs. In this case it is Sven, Kristoff’s big-hearted reindeer. The silly snowman Olaf steals the show every scene he is in, including the movie poster.

Technically the film is state of the art with exquisite rendering of clothes and hair, beautiful wide screen images but the pedestrian musical numbers are what holds me back to awarding this a five star rating.

Finally one movie-goer had this to say: “I loved the message, about love and devotion, while the kids around me were laughing their heads off at the animals and screeching whenever the snow monster appeared.” That pretty well sums it up.

CLASSIFICATION

 for some action, mild rude humour (really mild).

12 YEARS A SLAVE

Historical Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Chiwetel Ejiofor: Solomon Northup

Paul Giamatti: slave trader Theophilus Freeman

Benedict Cumberbatch: Baptist preacher and slave owner William Ford

Paul Dano: overseer John Tibeats

Michaael Fassbender: Edwin Epps, cruel plantation owner

Lupita Nyong’o: Patsey, one of the slaves at his plantation

Sarah Paulson: Edwin’s wife Mary

Brad Pitt: Bass, a Canadian carpenter and abolitionist

REVIEW

You might be able to avert your eyes from the horrific scenes of cruelty but you will not be able to block out the sounds of agony. It is agonizing to watch as the camera lingers for what seems forever and all you want is for it to end. We all know that slaves were subjected to harsh working conditions and poor housing and they had to put up with psychological abuse as well. But this movie is the most disturbing one I’ve ever seen about the subject of slavery.

Based on a true story with strong performances from all the cast, Ejiofor in particular, it is riveting albeit it a tad too long at 2 hours and 13 minutes.

At the end as we shuffled out I overheard one woman ask her husband “Why is everyone so quiet?” to which he replied “Probably like me, they are in a state of shock”.

CLASSIFICATION

 for violence, cruelty, some nudity and brief sexuality.

BRIGHT DAYS AHEAD

 Drama

In French with English subtitles.

Original title: Les Beaux Jours

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Fanny Ardant: 60-year-old dentist Caroline

Laurent Lafitte: 30-something instructor Julien

Patrick Chesnais: Caroline’s husband

REVIEW

Not your usual romantic comedy it does have a certain ring of truth to it but I found the acting to be less than stellar particularly by the two principals. Although the husband comes across in much better light the overall impression is underwhelming and the plot for the most part is fairly predictable.

As with a lot of films produced in France, adultery is a key factor but it seems so contrived. Maybe because it is? 

CLASSIFICATION

 for sexual situations, brief frontal nudity.

ALL IS LOST

Adventure 

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Robert Redford: a solo sailor in the Indian Ocean

REVIEW

Fans of Robert Redford who cannot get enough of him will just love this one: there is no one else to watch. This rather unusual film has just one star, no dialogue and apart from the initial voiceover, very few spoken words.

As with all survival movies there is a certain amount of tension as events unfold leading up to the big question “Will he/she make it out alive?” Along the way Redford has a daunting task: to convey the entire range of emotions only through his facial expressions and body language. He cannot verbalize his interior feelings because he is all alone. It is quite some task but Redford proves he is up to it.

 CLASSIFICATION

 for brief language (point of clarification: one word!)

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

DramaPartially in Somali with English subtitles

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Tom Hanks: merchant mariner Captain Richard Phillips

Michael Chernus: Shane Murphy, First Officer of MV Maersk Alabama

David Warshofsky: Mike Perry, Chief Engineer

Corey Johnson: Ken Quinn, helmsman

Barkhad Abdi: Abduwali Muse, leader of the highjackers

Yul Vazquez: U.S. Navy Captain Frank Castellano, Commanding Officer of the USS Bainbridge

REVIEW

Based on actual events that took place in 2009, the film is riveting albeit a tad too long at two hours and 15 minutes. The tension begins to build almost from the get-go and never really subsides until the end.

The acting is top notch, even from the highjackers who had never done this before. Credit has to go to the casting director for his/her excellent choices.

CLASSIFICATION

for sustained intense sequences of menace, some evidence of bloody images and for substance use.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

Driving from his home in Underhill, VT to the Burlington International airport Captain Phillips would get off I-89 at Exit 14E not Exit 30E.

F.Y.I.

The hijackers chew on khat, a flowering plant native to the Arabian Peninsula. This is a social custom going back thousands of years in part because it is an amphetamine-like stimulant.