Dallas Buyers Club

The film that transformed Matthew McConaughey into an Academy Award winner.

Set during the 1980's, Ron Woodruff (Matthew McConaughey) lives a wild lifestyle of having unprotected sex with prostitutes and being a rodeo enthusiast. After an accident at work, Ron discovers that he has AIDS and is only given 30 days to live. He initially approaches Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner) about getting an FDA approved drug called AZT. Her boss Dr. Sevard (Denis O'Hare) leads the group for clinical trials of AZT.

Once on the drug, Ron discovers that his body is worsening quicker than usual. Finding out that AZT appears to do more harm than good, Ron goes to Mexico and meets with Dr. Vass (Griffin Dunne) who informs Ron that AZT kills the cells in one's body. Dr. Vass instead gives Ron alternative drugs that are not FDA approved. The unauthorized drugs appear to work and Ron begins to transport the drugs over the Mexico border for his use and to sell to others who also are infected by HIV. One of those infected, a transgender woman named Rayon, (Jared Leto) butts heads with Ron.

Eventually, the two form an uneasy alliance to sell the non-FDA approved drugs under the moniker of the Dallas Buyers Club for $400 a month. Dr. Saks eventually sees the negative side effects to AZT while also seeing that the non-FDA approved drugs do appear to be helping those suffering from HIV. Dr. Sevard does not see eye-to-eye with Dr. Saks or Ron and tries to shut down the Dallas Buyers Club.

This is a film that is really all about the performances. The script really didn't do much for me, and am surprised the script got an Oscar nomination. Enough can't be said, though, for the performances of Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey. Leto disappears into the role of the wise Rayon, who knows that she is on borrowed time, yet is trying to do what she can. McConaughey puts his own spin on the stereotypical anti-gay man who must bond with those he does not get along with, role. Both roles were deserving of their nominations and awards.

As stated, the story is nothing you haven't seen before, but anchored by two solid performances, this is a film that should be seen to see how Matthew McConaughey is becoming one of this generation's better actors.

7.3/10

The Wolf of Wall Street

Back from my long sabbatical, and what better way to bring the reviews back than with a Martin Scorcese film?

In the late 1980's, greed-obsessed stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) sets up a boiler room to sell penny stocks to unsuspecting investors. After being motivated to pursue his dream of greed by his first boss, Mark Hanna, (Matthew McConaughey) Jordan recruits Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) to set up his own firm: Stratton Oakmont. Through the ridiculous commissions he makes off each penny stock sold through his own firm, Belfort's wealth increases as exponentially as does his raging drug habit throughout the 1980's and into the 1990's.

A lot has been made about the film and its controversial subject matter including the unlimited usage of drugs and rampant sexuality. While this film does provide heavy doses of both, it also is a solidly funny dark comedy in what can best be described as, labeled online: "Scarface for douchebags".

At three hours, including credits, does the film feel longer than it needs to be? Yes. Martin Scorcese is a master storyteller, which this film continues to prove, but also, after a while, the film does become repetitive in it's showcasing of Jordan's excess. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker does edit the film to keep the pacing well maintained, but a story like this really doesn't need to have the running time that it does.

Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor who gets better as his career progresses. Though I am not sure this is his best role, my personal preference being The Departed, this is a powerful performance that only few actors could have pulled off as well as Leonardo DiCaprio does. Jonah Hill is solid, though his character seems to come and go only when the plot needs to, likewise FBI Agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler) who begins snooping into Jordan's firm and the legality of it.

Lastly, Matthew McConaughey's Mark Hanna shows up early and only for a brief time. Mark takes Jordan under his wing and gives him all the information required to be a millionaire: namely a reliance on cocaine. The small role is fun and a very enjoyable cameo brought forth by Matthew McConaughey, who continues to showcase himself as an actor who is continuously getting better. See Killer Joe or look at all the accolades he is receiving for his work in Dallas Buyer's Club to understand what I mean.

Is this Martin Scorcese's best film ever? Honestly, no. There are some problems with the film: length and a somewhat unfocused story being the main culprits. Is it the best film of the year? Again, no. There are films released in 2013 that I felt were better overall. Is this Martin Scorcese still near the top of his game? Absolutely. The Wolf of Wall Street may not be the best film of the year, but it is still a very good film and should be seen by all to watch Martin Scorcese and Leonardo DiCaprio fire on all cylinders.

7.7/10

Killer Joe

Oh, no! The dreaded cut to black strikes again!

Matthew McConaughey's strong 2012 continues with his dark, comic turn as the title character. Killer Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is a Dallas police detective who occasionally is hired to murder people on the side. How he is not found out yet by his police brotherhood is a mystery to myself and the rest of the audience. But, I digress.

When white-trash hillbilly Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) is $10,000 in debt to local loan shark Digger Soames, (Marc Macaulay) Chris and his even more white-trash father Ansel (Thomas Haden Church) decide to hire Killer Joe to murder Ansel's ex-wife and Chris' mother Adele. Chris has been informed that Adele's life insurance policy is worth $50,000. After Killer Joe's fee is taken, Chris and Ansel decide they can use the rest of the money.

Problems arise when Killer Joe goes over his details to Chris and Ansel. Killer Joe states that his fee is to be paid up front. Realizing that Chris and Ansel do not have that amount of money, Killer Joe decides to provide them with a different offer: Chris' sister Dottie (Juno Temple) will be held as a "retainer" until the life insurance is paid out and Killer Joe is paid for his services.

As typical with this type of story, the plan for Chris does not go off as expected. Chris begins to doubt whether killing Adele is a good plan while Killer Joe and Dottie begin a relationship, much to the chagrin of Chris. Soon, the walls for Chris begin to close in and danger lurks for Dottie along with Ansel and his current wife Sharla (Gina Gershon).

This is a hard movie to like, but also a hard one not to ignore. Director William Friedkin re-teams with writer Tracy Letts to tell a darkly comic and very violent tale that satirizes the white-trash culture. As with their previous pairing, Bug, this film gives the feeling of a play. Not as restricted as Bug, this film opens the landscape and spends a good amount of time in the daylight. Being in the daylight, though, makes this film no less dark.

Some of the acting in this film, especially from Emile Hirsch and Thomas Haden Church came off very wooden to me. I was especially disappointed with Thomas Haden Church's performance as Ansel. Ansel is played for laughs by being your typical, dumb hillbilly. Most of Thomas Haden Church's scenes come off as wooden and stiff. Emile Hirsch comes off worse, as he is basically the main character and we have to sit through his stiff acting. Neither one is absolutely terrible, but they are overshadowed by two really well-done performances.

Gina Gershon's Sharla is a very unlikable character. She is cheating on Ansel and really seems to have no care for anyone in the film. Gina Gershon plays this character as nasty as she is written, yet when the ending comes, her performance really shines. Which brings us to Matthew McConaughey. This might be Matthew McConaughey's finest performance yet. Killer Joe is a very cool customer, and throughout the whole film has the entire Smith family in the palm of his hand. Yet, you are able to see cracks in his foundation when his frustrations boil over.

The writing of the film is solid, yet maybe makes too much fun of the white-trash culture. The Smith family appears like they literally walked off the Jerry Springer show. This is shown by guzzling nothing but Budweiser, watching monster trucks on television and living in a trailer with a large dog outside. This is obviously taking all the cliches of white-trash and throwing them into one movie.

One final thing, the last act of this film is some of the finest work of 2012. Once all the issues are brought up and its time to resolve the plot, we are restricted to one location for the remainder of the film. We watch as Killer Joe and his frustrations with the Smith family finally reach a boiling point. All the remaining characters meet in one location and the entire plot attempts to resolve. Unfortunately, we cut to black! Ah, I know it's a stylistic choice, but the last 30 seconds of the film didn't make sense to me and then the film ended. Not the worst ending ever, just leaves more to be desired.

A solid film with two great performances by Matthew McConaughey and Gina Gershon anchor this dark and violent film.

7.3/10

Bernie

Richard Linklater re-teams with Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey to bring a black comedy based on a true story.

The true story involves local assistant funeral director, Bernie Tiede, (Jack Black) a resident of Carthage, Texas, who is loved within the community. Bernie sings, sells caskets and comforts widows after their loved one has died. One such widow, Marjorie Nugent, (Shirley MacLaine) is hated amongst the locals of Carthage. Marjorie inherited her husband's wealth and is miserable to everyone she meets. Undeterred, Bernie feels the need to try and be a friend to Marjorie, eventually winning her over.

All that hard work to win Marjorie over, though, is for not as her angry attitude continues a she berates Bernie. For years, Bernie continues to be a friend to Marjorie, while she takes advantage of him and never gives an ounce of respect back. All of Marjorie's negativity takes a toll on Bernie and he eventually shoots and kills Marjorie.

As the residents of Carthage do not like Marjorie, no one really suspects or cares that Marjorie has not been around. District Attorney Danny Buck Davidson (Matthew McConaughey) is on the case and begins an investigation into what happened to Marjorie and trying to prosecute Bernie.

Richard Linklater's film is based on the true story that happened in 1996. Linklater infuses the film with interview segments from the actual residents of Carthage who speak about their love of Bernie and their hatred for Marjorie. Almost half of the film is filled with these interview snippets. Some of the residents and their descriptions are hilarious and some are thought-provoking due to their feelings about the situation.

These interview segments and the way the story is framed were the biggest detractors for the film, in my opinion. Just as the story with the actors gains momentum, we then cut back to the local residents offering their thoughts. This comes off as jarring, even though some of the comments are entertaining. It feels like Richard Linklater wanted to do a film based on this true story, but also wanted to make a documentary on the story by including the locals. Instead of doing one or the other, he felt the need to combine what he wanted and the film did not gel as it should have.

This is not to say the film is a total loss. The performances by Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine are very well done. Jack Black in particular deserves praise for his performance as Bernie Tiede. Yes, a lot of Bernie's performance requires singing, which Black can do, he also provides a sensitive (and effeminate) and caring performance.

On the other end of the spectrum, Matthew McConaughey's performance as the local district attorney does not seem to fit within the film. Whereas Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine blended into their performances, Matthew McConaughey's performance felt more like a caricature than a realized performance of a real person. As no footage of the real Danny Buck Davidson is shown within the film, I have to go off what I felt about Matthew McConaughey's performance.

Overall, this is a very uneven film, but anchored by 2 really good performances.

5.2/10

The List: 5 Films That Earned Their Twist Ending

It is time to delve back into another list concocted by myself. As usual, these are my opinions and if you feel different, please go ahead and list them below.

With that out of the way, let's begin this list. This is a list of 5 films that I feel earned their twist ending the most. This is not my personal Top 5 films that earned their twist ending, but more of 5 films that really did a good job of providing a film with a twist ending that you do not feel cheated with. So without further adieu, I present my list of 5 films that I feel earned their twist ending.

Obviously, while talking endings to films, spoilers will be had. You've been warned.


5. The Usual Suspects, 1995

Bryan Singer's 1995 crime drama about 5 criminals brought together to do a job for a shadowy figure named Keyser Soze. Written by Christopher McQuarrie, (who won the Oscar for this film) the film is told in flashback by a survivor, Verbal Kint, (Kevin Spacey, who won an Oscar for his role) of a massacre on a boat. As the story unfolds, Customs Agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) begins to question the validity of Verbal's story and believes that something more is going on.

I know most people list this as either one of the best twists ever or one of the worst twists ever. I can see both sides to this argument, but I feel the twist is earned. The audience views the story through Kujan's eyes as he is told the story by Verbal. So even though Kujan doubts certain aspects of the story, he still sees the picture that Verbal is painting for him.

When the twist does happen, Verbal actually is Keyser Soze, it is realized by Kujan after he has had time to assess the story by Verbal. Unfortunately for Kujan, his realization happens too late and Verbal/Soze is able to elude capture and return to being a spook story criminals tell their kids. This twist is earned as Verbal toys with Kujan by giving him clues throughout the story, but Kujan is too blinded by his determination to capture Keaton, (Gabriel Byrne) that he does not realize the truth until it is too late.


FRAILTY, 2002

Fenton Mieks (Matthew McConaughey) walks into the FBI office in Dallas, Texas and speaks with FBI Agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) about his brother being a serial killer known as the God's Hands Killer. Agent Doyle is at first skeptical about Fenton's accusations, until he tells the story of his childhood with his brother Adam and their Dad (Bill Paxton).

As the story unfolds, Dad believes to have been visited by an angel and tasked with destroying demons on a list given to him. Dad wholeheartedly believes the story and begins to murder people who he thinks are demons with the help of his sons. Adam believes Dad, but Fenton believes Dad to be crazy for what he is doing. As the story progresses, Fenton becomes at odds with Adam and Dad until Fenton is forced to kill Dad in an effort to stop what he believes is madness.

Back in the present day, "Fenton" reveals himself to be Adam and has lured Agent Doyle out to the local rose garden. "Fenton" touches Agent Doyle who is revealed to have killed his own mother. "Fenton" destroys the demon and continues the angel's work.

There are multiple twists in this film. First, "Fenton" has to pretend to be the other brother to lure Agent Doyle out to the rose garden to be destroyed. Alongside that, after that twist is revealed, what I feel is the major twist kicks in. "Fenton" and Dad really were visited by an angel and can actually see who are good men and who are demons. This, like The Usual Suspects, relies on an unreliable narrator and flashbacks to conceal the twists the films have in store. This is exactly like the The Usual Suspects twist as we are in Doyle's shoes as the story is told to us. Unfortunately this film seems to have fallen by the wayside, but is truly a well made film and worth a look.


3. 12 Monkeys, 1995

Terry Gilliam's 1995 sci-fi thriller is one of the best time travel films of all time. Bruce Willis plays James Cole, a volunteer from the future who is sent to the present (1996) to gather information regarding a global virus that has been released. During his time in the "present" he tries to obtain help from Doctor Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) and mental patient Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt).

Probably a more subtle twist than a lot of films out there, the climax of the film takes place in an airport. James and Kathryn locate the person suspected of releasing the virus. As they attempt to stop the suspect, James is shot and killed while the suspect boards the plane to begin the release of the virus. As the suspect sits down for the flight, though, an astrophysicist from James' present sits next to him, claiming to be in insurance. The sad twist for James is that he is stuck in a loop where he dies while trying to stop the viral outbreak, but he did succeed in his mission for his present to identify the origins of the virus to help find a cure and make the Earth inhabitable once again in James' present.


2. The Shawshank Redemption, 1994

Forget about the twist ending, this is just an amazing film on its own merit. As this article is about twist endings, though, lets get to that. Frank Darabont adapted Stephen King's story into an Oscar nominated film about two prisoners: Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman) who bond and become close friends over almost two decades in prison together.

The twist of this film comes from the point of view. Us, the audience, observe the film through Morgan Freeman's eyes. He is already in prison when Andy is brought in for the murder of his wife and her lover. The two bond as the years pass, but near the end of their time together, Red becomes worried about Andy's mental stability; until one day it is revealed that Andy escaped Shawshank Prison. Once Andy escaped, we are shown that almost from Day One, Andy had been plotting an escape and are shown details of how he escaped. Even though it is somewhat of a cheat by not being with Andy at all, you are so emotionally wrapped up in the story that even when it is revealed that Andy has escaped, you are just happy to see that Andy was able to free himself and you, along with Red feel the joy that Andy felt.


1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1978

Philip Kaufman provides what I feel to be one of the most earned twist endings in film. This version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a remake of the '56 'Invasion' and follows a small group of residents from San Francisco led by Donald Sutherland's Matthew Bennell who uncover that aliens are replacing humans who identical pod people, sans emotion. They try to stop the pod people, even as the number of humans is dwindling down fast.

Matthew and the remaining survivors make their way to the facility where the pods are being grown in an attempt to destroy the pods. Matthew is successful as the pod people begin to descend on Matthew's location. We then cut to daytime where Matthew appears to be blending in with the remaining pod people by showing a lack of emotion. In the street, he spots Nancy, (Veronica Cartwright) who had been separated while trying to flee the pod people. She is happy to see Matthew, but Matthew points his finger and emits a screeching sound to alert the pod people Nancy's location and reveals that Matthew has been taken over.

This is one of my favorite twist endings of all time. You are on this journey with Matthew to stop the pod people invasion and it is a bleak and sad ending to see that our heroes lose. This feels like a true ending though as the pod people had been, and still continue to take over the humans. It is an iconic and what I feel is a well-deserved ending.

Again, these aren't the best twist endings ever, some that I just feel are well deserved and justified. I know there are plenty of others including: The Sixth Sense, Citizen Kane, Primal Fear, Fight Club, Saw, etc. If you got anymore, please feel free to list them.