Dallas Buyers Club

First Hit:  A very strong, poignant and wonderful story about wanting to live.

This story highlights the fear of and struggles with HIV/AIDS in the mid-1980s. Ron Woodruff (Matthew McConaughey) lives a really hard life.

He’s an electrician, bull rider, while trying to un-protectively screw every woman he sees. He’s drunk or high much of the time and in today's terms he lives, what we would call, an extremely risky life. Ron and his friends are homophobic and take pride in being “real men”.

The opening scenes of him screwing a woman in a bull stall while peeking through the fence at a bull rider being thrown from his mount which segues into him taking bets and drinking and hitting a cop tells a specific story. Due to an accident while trying to fix an electrical connection, he ends up in the hospital.

The doctors, after doing numerous blood tests on him, tell him he’s got HIV/AIDS and has about 30 days to live. He’s denies he’s got a homo disease, but his predicament catches up and catches hold in his mind and he begins to learn about his disease. He cannot get dosages of AZT which has been shown to both help fight the virus but in doing so breaks down the immune system completely. As an alternative for himself and others, he goes to Mexico and gets drugs (protein and other antiviral concoctions) and sells them to others who are suffering. He then learns that selling unapproved drugs is illegal so he starts a Club where people pay monthly memberships and get their drugs for free (patients self-administer).

Keeping the club alive for himself and others who are suffering is rough going because the government wants him and other clubs like his, shut down. Helping him develop his club is gay crossdresser Rayon (Jared Leto) and Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner) who walks a fine line until she sees that her hospital’s philosophy is not assisting HIV/AIDS patients is not helping.

McConaughey will be nominated for his portrayal of Woodruff. He physically and mentally did what it took to climb into this role and share the story of a man who lived more than 2,200 days past the expiration date he was given of 30 days. He powerfully showed how humans will do what it takes to survive. Leto was absolutely amazing as Rayon and will probably be nominated for a supporting role. Garner was very good as a doctor attempting to toe the line of her job and also act with empathy towards her HIV/AIDS patients. Denis O’Hare was excellent as the head doctor and administrator holding the line of policy. Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack wrote an amazing script and Jean-Marc Vallee delivered Oscar worthy direction.

Overall:  A very powerful film about human perseverance.

About Time

First Hit:  It was thoughtful, funny and makes a good point – pay attention to each moment because that is where life exists.

The men in Tim’s (Domhnall Gleeson) family have the ability to go back in time and redo/retry events. They, like Tim, get told by their fathers when they are 21 years old. Tim’s dad (Bill Nighy) tells him that the best way he can use this power is for something he loved.

Tim wants to be loved and to love. He meets Mary (Rachel McAdams) in a dark dinner house (this is actually both funny and interesting) and gets her phone number. Because he re-winds the night to help is uncle with his opening night play, he doesn’t get to keep the phone number and although he has the experience of meeting she doesn’t.

The whole film is about the choices he makes, some for himself and some for others and the resulting consequences. In the end he realizes it is about paying attention to each and every little thing. The actors, especially Nighy, are lively, interesting and funny.

Gleeson is very good as the thoughtful young man who wants to and finds love. McAdams is funny and delightful as Mary. Nighy is so wonderful to watch and steals every scene he’s in. Lynda Wilson (playing Kit Kat), Lindsay Duncan (playing Mum) and Richard Cordery (playing Uncle D) were all very good. Richard Curtis wrote a fun crisp script and directed this cast in the same way.

Overall:  This is a very fun film and worth the price of admission.

Last Vegas

First Hit:  I laughed off and on throughout this film – enjoyable.

It won’t win any Oscar tributes, nor will the Oscar winning actors get nominations for their roles in this film, and my guess is that this group of fine actors had a good time making this film.

Each of the actors Kevin Kline (playing the Florida retired Sam), Morgan Freeman (playing the, I just had a stroke Archie), Robert De Niro (playing the grieving Paddy) and Michael Douglas (playing the rich and I hate getting old Billy) were perfect for their roles.

After more than 60 years of friendship, these guys are in their 70s and the changes in their bodies and lives are more obvious. Billy wants to get the old gang together because he’s decided to get married for the first time (she’s 32). Although there has been a riff between Paddy and Billy, the gang gets together in Las Vegas to rediscover their friendship and have a good time.

For each guy there is something to resolve and this film finds a wonderful way for them to gain peace with themselves, their family, and/or their friends. The best part of this film is the way the actors were themselves (and their characters) with such ease.

Douglas is on target with beginning to process how time flies. De Niro is perfect as the guy who learns to let go, just a little. Kline is great as the guy who learns how to bring life and romance back into his life. Freeman is superb as the guy who wants to live his life on his terms, despite the warning sign of a recent stroke. Mary Steenburgen (as Diana) is sublime as the night club singing woman who helps Paddy and Billy resolve their disagreement. Dan Fogelman did an excellent job of combining today’s world and language with yesterday’s way of viewing life. Jon Turteltaub was very smart in letting these professionals enjoy their roles.

Overall:  Although its subject is light, this was a very enjoyable and entertaining film.

Ender's Game

First Hit:  I liked where the film ended because it gave me hope for compassionate thinking.

The film reflected the attitude of a fear based society, let’s be aggressors and attack to extinguish another race without knowing their current intention.

True, this planetary race attacked our planet and in the battle we beat them along with destroying an outpost planet they had. However, does this past action note their current intent? How does this mirror our current conservative government officials? These are the questions I reflected on throughout the film.

With this theme there is also the theme that children are more adaptable, think faster and can process large complex problems and data better than adults. The theory of the films leaders is to attack and fully eradicate this other race so that there is no chance they can attack earth again. Although they have no proof that this is what these aliens are planning, it is the belief and therefore they are combing all youths to find the one who can willfully attack and annihilate the aliens.

The storyline follows Ender Wiggin’s (Asa Butterfield) attempt to be that person. He is being guided by Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley). His sister Valentine (Abigail Breslin) is his conscious and closest family counsel. When he learns he’s tricked into actually extinguishing the perceived enemy, he’s angry and looks to make amends.

Butterflied is very good. He carries the strong willfulness this character needed to succeed and make believable. Ford is perfect as the gruff military man with one goal. Kingsley is also strong as the hero of the first battle with the aliens. Gavin Hood wrote a good script and he got good performances from his cast, while his direction and use of computer generated graphics and visuals were with clear intent.

Overall:  This was a very entertaining film and characters were very well defined.

12 Years a Slave

First Hit:  A very powerful film about a man’s abduction into slavery.

Despite serving active time in a war, it is hard for me to believe man’s inhumanity to man, as expressed in this film.

In this film, we are witness to a true story of how Solomon Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), a “free black man”, was abducted in Washington DC, shipped to Louisiana and sold to a southern slave owner. Northup is intelligent, talented and strong in spirit, and to stifle himself while submitting to slavery so that he doesn’t get beat to death is difficult. The story follows Northrup as he is transferred from owner to owner while being beat, ostracized by fellow slaves and then admired by his fellow slaves because of his ingenuity. All the while he keeps wondering how he can escape and get back to his family in upstate New York.

The acting of slave owner Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) and his wife (Sarah Paulson) is outstanding. Tibeats (Paul Dano) and Freeman (Paul Giamatti) are also impactful in their roles as managers and traders of slaves.  Then there is transcendent acting in the roles of Patsy (Lupita Nyong’o) and Ejiofor. That is not to say anything less of the acting by the rest of the crew – it was brilliant.

Letting the story settle within me over the last 18 hours, I realize how profound the story reflects how far we’ve come as a country and how much farther we must go.

The taglines of the film stating that the people who abducted and held him illegally escaped punishment were profoundly disappointing.

Ejiofor embodied the character so fully and completely that when he finally comes home his tears were his and all of ours for the injustice we do to each other. Fassbender, in an unenviable role, was amazing at being the selfish, arrogant, and self-centered slave owner. Paulson as Fassbender’s wife carried her frustration and meanness towards her husband’s fondness to Patsy perfectly. Dano in a brief but important role was perfect. Giamatti was amazingly cruel as the seller of slaves. Nyong’o was sublime as Epps’ slave love interest. All the acting in this film was amazing. John Ridley wrote a profoundly detailed script from the real Solomon Northup’s book. Steve McQueen expertly directed this film. My only criticism of the film was its length but I couldn’t name a scene that I’d remove.

Overall:  This is an Oscar caliber film and it will be honored so at the Academy Awards.