Can somebody make sure that Suicide Squad gets rated 18 please?
I haven't got anything against kids, but I'd just like to make sure the bad guys are reeeeally bad in this. No redemption. No corny Will Smith jokes. More Jared Leto hurting people really badly please.
He's got a tough job ahead, trying to get us all to forget about Heath Ledger as the Joker. If anyone can do it, I have faith that Leto might be our guy.
This trailer shows that Batman gets mixed up in the affairs of the Suicide Squad, which is a good sign, both for DC's world building and for the action stakes.
Most of all, I worry that Will Smith might be the key to wrecking this. The character looks cool, but I want to see less world saving, and more villains doing what they do best.
Has anyone who has read the comics got any inside information for me on this? Do all the bad guys turn good? I bloody hope not.
Showing posts with label jared leto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jared leto. Show all posts
Monday, 13 July 2015
Friday, 17 January 2014
Dallas Buyers Club Review
Matthew McConaughey, in case you hadn't noticed, is on the biggest roll of his career. He has risen from the pits of endless bland rom-coms to become a real leading man constantly showing off his very real skill in front of the camera. Dallas Buyers Club is likely to be the pinnacle of his career unless he continues to choose his roles very wisely and keep chasing awards worthy films in future. Shedding so much weight that he is half the man he once was, McConaughey's face and body is a haunting sight in Dallas Buyers Club, a sight befitting the true story of AIDS victim Ron Woodroof.
Woodroof contracts HIV in the mid-80s, is swiftly given 30 days to live by the doctors who tell him to get his affairs in order and then goes on to become a supplier of medicine to other victims of AIDS. The fact he is a hard drinking, rodeo loving hick who hates 'faggots' and loves nothing more than hanging out with prostitutes and snorting cocaine means he is in for a seriously Oscar baiting arc as he is forced to deal with more and more homosexuals who come to him for help and medicines that have not been approved in America by the FDA. He meets transexual Rayon (Jared Leto) who helps him approach his new customers and his business of importing the unapproved and potentially dangerous meds into the country booms. The FDA and doctors want him shut down but Woodroof is determined to survive and to keep others like him alive by supplying the medicine by not selling it, but offering membership to what becomes the Dallas Buyers Club.
Ron Woodroof is a bit of a bastard. He is selfish, greedy, racist and homophobic. How true to life this representation is of the man is is debatable but in the movie Matthew McConaughey and the scriptwriters do not hold back from showing Woodroof's nastier side. It is only after he contracts AIDS, loses his redneck bigot friends and meets the tragic Rayon that another side predictably emerges. However Woodroof's arc is not sugar coated. He doesn't transform over night and the film takes plenty of pleasure in drawing comedy from the odd couple relationship of Ron and Rayon.
It is here where the Dallas Buyers Club flies. Rayon is instantly loveable with a career best performance from Jared Leto. He is barely recognisable, all skin and bones and beautifully made up as the tragic transexual. Whether covering Ron's walls with pictures of made up men or teasing the miserable Ron, he is a caring and beguiling figure. Leto is completely convincing as the man who should have been born a woman; as comfortable and stunning in his women's clothes as he is uncomfortable dressed as a man. It is a shame the character of Rayon gets less screen time than the less likeable and arguably less interesting Ron.
On the other hand, Matthew McConaughey desrves all the awards he will get (Golden Globes, Critics Choice) as his Ron has the biggest arc and emotional range. Scenes of the rough and ready redneck breaking down alone in a car or sticking up for his new friend in a supermarket will likey leave audiences in tears and McConaughey is barely off screen throughout. It is as much of a transformative turn as Leto's and the pair both give incredibly committed central performances that carry the film, making it completely credible. Jennifer Garner gets in on a bit of the action as a doctor trying to treat AIDS patients and Steve Zahn registers as a decent cop but neither get a chance to step out of the shadow of McConaughey and Leto's towering performances.
What is less committed and brave than these performances is the films' handling of homosexuality and the instrumental role many homosexuals had in starting up similar buyers clubs. Dallas Buyers Club is far more comfortable in wallowing in Ron's homophobia (and exploiting its comedic potential) than it is in really exploring homosexuality. Leto's relationship with another AIDS sufferer is incredibly chaste and the only hint of homosexuality in the film is a dance in a gay club. The film sidelines its gay characters, neglecting to tell the full story in favour if its focus on the straight man. It's a real shame as the recent documentary How to Survive a Plague covered the FDA and the government's dangerous neglect of finding solutions to the AIDS epidemic in far more detail and put homosexuals at the forefront of the fight back.
Nevertheless, Dallas Buyers Club is a very effective emotional story. See it for two staggering transformations and a touching true tale that desrves to be told. While Woodroof is the flawed star of the film, Leto's equally damaged Rayon threatens to steal it away from him. It may not tell the full story, choosing to focus on one frequently unpleasant man instead of many other heroes in the fight against AIDS, but Dallas Buyers Club avoids cliche to become powerful, credible and profoundly affecting. Join the club.
Woodroof contracts HIV in the mid-80s, is swiftly given 30 days to live by the doctors who tell him to get his affairs in order and then goes on to become a supplier of medicine to other victims of AIDS. The fact he is a hard drinking, rodeo loving hick who hates 'faggots' and loves nothing more than hanging out with prostitutes and snorting cocaine means he is in for a seriously Oscar baiting arc as he is forced to deal with more and more homosexuals who come to him for help and medicines that have not been approved in America by the FDA. He meets transexual Rayon (Jared Leto) who helps him approach his new customers and his business of importing the unapproved and potentially dangerous meds into the country booms. The FDA and doctors want him shut down but Woodroof is determined to survive and to keep others like him alive by supplying the medicine by not selling it, but offering membership to what becomes the Dallas Buyers Club.
Ron Woodroof is a bit of a bastard. He is selfish, greedy, racist and homophobic. How true to life this representation is of the man is is debatable but in the movie Matthew McConaughey and the scriptwriters do not hold back from showing Woodroof's nastier side. It is only after he contracts AIDS, loses his redneck bigot friends and meets the tragic Rayon that another side predictably emerges. However Woodroof's arc is not sugar coated. He doesn't transform over night and the film takes plenty of pleasure in drawing comedy from the odd couple relationship of Ron and Rayon.
It is here where the Dallas Buyers Club flies. Rayon is instantly loveable with a career best performance from Jared Leto. He is barely recognisable, all skin and bones and beautifully made up as the tragic transexual. Whether covering Ron's walls with pictures of made up men or teasing the miserable Ron, he is a caring and beguiling figure. Leto is completely convincing as the man who should have been born a woman; as comfortable and stunning in his women's clothes as he is uncomfortable dressed as a man. It is a shame the character of Rayon gets less screen time than the less likeable and arguably less interesting Ron.
On the other hand, Matthew McConaughey desrves all the awards he will get (Golden Globes, Critics Choice) as his Ron has the biggest arc and emotional range. Scenes of the rough and ready redneck breaking down alone in a car or sticking up for his new friend in a supermarket will likey leave audiences in tears and McConaughey is barely off screen throughout. It is as much of a transformative turn as Leto's and the pair both give incredibly committed central performances that carry the film, making it completely credible. Jennifer Garner gets in on a bit of the action as a doctor trying to treat AIDS patients and Steve Zahn registers as a decent cop but neither get a chance to step out of the shadow of McConaughey and Leto's towering performances.
What is less committed and brave than these performances is the films' handling of homosexuality and the instrumental role many homosexuals had in starting up similar buyers clubs. Dallas Buyers Club is far more comfortable in wallowing in Ron's homophobia (and exploiting its comedic potential) than it is in really exploring homosexuality. Leto's relationship with another AIDS sufferer is incredibly chaste and the only hint of homosexuality in the film is a dance in a gay club. The film sidelines its gay characters, neglecting to tell the full story in favour if its focus on the straight man. It's a real shame as the recent documentary How to Survive a Plague covered the FDA and the government's dangerous neglect of finding solutions to the AIDS epidemic in far more detail and put homosexuals at the forefront of the fight back.
Nevertheless, Dallas Buyers Club is a very effective emotional story. See it for two staggering transformations and a touching true tale that desrves to be told. While Woodroof is the flawed star of the film, Leto's equally damaged Rayon threatens to steal it away from him. It may not tell the full story, choosing to focus on one frequently unpleasant man instead of many other heroes in the fight against AIDS, but Dallas Buyers Club avoids cliche to become powerful, credible and profoundly affecting. Join the club.
Stick around! Please enjoy some more reviews from I Love That Film:
12 Years A Slave
American Hustle
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
All is Lost
The Railway Man
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Captain Phillips
Saving Mr. Banks
Monday, 13 January 2014
Golden Globes winners and losers
The Golden Globes threw up a bunch of surprises last night and having bet £10 on various outcomes, it seems I have ended up losing about £1.40. The main reason for that is that I put £3 on the favourite for Best Actor in a Drama, Chiwetel Ejifor. I was sure Ejiofor was a guaranteed win after seeing 12
Years A Slave
on Friday night. Having now seen Dallas Buyers Club, I can see why the competition was so severe.
I also lost a pound by betting on The Wolf of Wall Street to win Best Picture Comedy/Musical over the favourite American Hustle. Again, I haven't seen TWOWS but I suspected that American Hustle would not be winning much except maybe in the acting categories. Oops!
Luckily I did believe in Amy Adams to win the Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical and I had put £2 on her. She was the favourite so I didn't win much but still, it's better than a kick in the pants and made up for losing money on Ejiofor and The Wolf of Wall Street.
I also won a bit on Leo DiCaprio for winning Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical for TWOWS and also for Jared Leto for winning Best Supporting Actor for Dallas Buyers Club. Again, I think both of these were the favourites and I only put a very small amount on each so no big champagne popping wins for me!
I also lost money by betting on Lupita Nyong'o over Jennifer Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress. These were the biggest surprises of the night for me; Ejiofor and Nyong'o losing out to Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lawrence. As much as I love Lawrence, I'm gobsmacked she beat Nyong'o. Thank goodness 12 Years A Slave won Best Picture or I may have had a small screaming fit.
Anyway enough about me and my silly movie awards gambling addiction, here is the list of winners (almost all of them anyway) taken from The Telegraph:
What did you think of the winners this year?
on Friday night. Having now seen Dallas Buyers Club, I can see why the competition was so severe.
I also lost a pound by betting on The Wolf of Wall Street to win Best Picture Comedy/Musical over the favourite American Hustle. Again, I haven't seen TWOWS but I suspected that American Hustle would not be winning much except maybe in the acting categories. Oops!
Luckily I did believe in Amy Adams to win the Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical and I had put £2 on her. She was the favourite so I didn't win much but still, it's better than a kick in the pants and made up for losing money on Ejiofor and The Wolf of Wall Street.
I also won a bit on Leo DiCaprio for winning Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical for TWOWS and also for Jared Leto for winning Best Supporting Actor for Dallas Buyers Club. Again, I think both of these were the favourites and I only put a very small amount on each so no big champagne popping wins for me!
I also lost money by betting on Lupita Nyong'o over Jennifer Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress. These were the biggest surprises of the night for me; Ejiofor and Nyong'o losing out to Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lawrence. As much as I love Lawrence, I'm gobsmacked she beat Nyong'o. Thank goodness 12 Years A Slave won Best Picture or I may have had a small screaming fit.
Anyway enough about me and my silly movie awards gambling addiction, here is the list of winners (almost all of them anyway) taken from The Telegraph:
Best motion picture (drama)
12
Years A Slave
Best TV series (drama)
Breaking Bad
Best Actor in a motion picture (drama)
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress in a motion picture (drama)
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Best Director – motion picture
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Best motion picture (musical or comedy)
American Hustle
Best Actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Best Actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Leonardo Dicaprio, Wolf of Wall Street
Best Animated Feature film
Frozen
Best Foreign Language Film
The Great Beauty (Italy)
Best Actor in a TV series, drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Best TV series (drama)
Breaking Bad
Best Actor in a motion picture (drama)
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress in a motion picture (drama)
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Best Director – motion picture
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Best motion picture (musical or comedy)
American Hustle
Best Actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Best Actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Leonardo Dicaprio, Wolf of Wall Street
Best Animated Feature film
Frozen
Best Foreign Language Film
The Great Beauty (Italy)
Best Actor in a TV series, drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
What did you think of the winners this year?
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