My Review: Interstellar (9/10)

“Do not go gentle into that good night; Old age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

Interstellar was my most anticipated film of the year so my expectations for this film were huge considering the subject matter and the fact that I am a Christopher Nolan fanboy. Despite the several flaws I found with the script, I wasn’t disappointed, but I can understand how this might not work for several audiences. First of all the scale of this film was huge even for a Nolan film. He is such a visionary director and he doesn’t settle for simple narratives. The script is so complicated at times that it does make you wonder and ask yourself questions about the logic behind the theories. I’m no expert in quantum physics, but I think Nolan does a pretty convincing job of selling it. He did his research along with his brother and they created a solid sci-fi script. Many people complained about the fact that Nolan sometimes explains his plot to the audience instead of just letting them figure it out, but I find it necessary at times because of the complex structure he elaborates for his films. He enjoys creating these puzzles, but at the same time he helps us put the pieces together. Interstellar is one of my favorite films of the year, but I wouldn’t rank it amongst Nolan’s top 5 best films. If there is someone who can make a film about physics interesting it’s Nolan and he manages to do so in this nearly three hour film. This is by far his most ambitious film, but it does fail at being the ultimate space epic film it so desperately tries to be. However there isn’t a dull moment in Interstellar and you are never bored by the world he creates. Unfortunately the final payoff of the film isn’t as rewarding as I was hoping it to be. The final 20 minutes of the film are perhaps the weakest part of the movie and it sort of tries to wrap everything neatly at the end like most Blockbuster and commercial films try to do. 

I know I have complained a bit too much about a film I really enjoyed, but I will now try to explain why this is one of my favorite films of the year. First of all the cast in this film is brilliant. There is no better time to cast Matthew McConaughey in a film than now. He had a fantastic 2013 and MUD was my favorite film of that year. He was also amazing in True Detective so I was ecstatic about him joining Nolan’s cast for this film. He is great in the lead role and provides some of the most engaging emotional moments of the film. Despite how highly ambitious the subject matter of the film is and how colossal his task, he manages to keep things small by narrowing it all down to the family dynamics (especially through his relationship with his daughter). He is not saving humanity, he is trying to save his daughter. We believe the sacrifice he is making and it is what makes the humanity aspects of this film work. He is going through an inner conflict of accomplishing his purpose by saving humanity while realizing that he has abandoned his children and is missing being a part of that. Jessica Chastain is also great in this film. She is a talented actress and is at a great moment in her career as well. The most emotional scenes of Interstellar revolve around her relationship with her father (McConaughey). There is a scene midway through the film where he receives a message from her in space that is emotionally gripping. Michael Caine and Anne Hathaway team up once again for a Nolan film and deliver despite not having such interesting characters. Casey Affleck, John Lithgow, and Topher Grace were underused, but they are all talented actors. The cast in this film is superb and they lifted this visionary tale even further. But the casting isn't the only element that Nolan gets right. The visuals in this film are fantastic! I was blown away by the scenes that took place in space. The first act of this film is solid and establishes the present world on Earth in a rather realistic way, but the second act raises the film to another level. The scenes in space and the wormhole are amazing. It also becomes suspenseful and full of tension. Unfortunately the third act didn't work as well for me and the ending was a bit too touchy feely. The score in this film by Zimmer was fantastic as usual and helps build the emotion. 

So in summary the film is incredibly well shot, it has astonishing photography, superb visual effects, an awesome cast and score, and one spectacular robot. The robot in this film has to be one of the best I've seen. He is also the funniest character and helps lighten the serious tone of the film. I loved Interstellar, but if you had issues with the explanation and exposition in Nolan's Inception, than you will have a similar experience with this film because there is a lot of exposition in space about the theories and what it all means. I have no problem whatsoever with this because it is simply part of Nolan's trademark. He wants us to understand every small detail of the plot because he has worked and studied these things before putting them on the script and he doesn't want the audience to miss out on his creative process. Interstellar doesn't get a perfect grade from me because it isn't as epic as it is trying to be, but I will give Nolan a lot of credit for his ambition and for delivering a fun action thriller with huge ideas. It also pays homage to early sci-fi films like 2001, Solaris, and Contact. The film has taken a lot of processing from me since I first saw it and that is what I look for in movies. I am sure I will be revisiting this film soon because it was a fun experience and one I am sure will generate a lot of debate amongst movie lovers. Interstellar is a carefully crafted and well executed film and Nolan continues to prove himself as one of my favorite contemporary directors. 

My Review: Dallas Buyers Club (8/10)

"Welcome to the Dallas Buyers Club!"

One of the main themes in cinema during 2013 had to do with reinventing oneself, or at least I found it a common thread in several movies (American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street being the main examples). As good as those movies were, nothing defines the term better than Matthew McConaughey who completely reinvented himself over the last couple of years and has become one of the best Hollywood actors. 2011 was a turning point for him with a great performance in The Lincoln Lawyer and then he followed his success in Bernie, Killer Joe, The Paper Boy, and Magic Mike. This year he blew me away in my favorite film of the year, MUD; he also delivered a short but memorable performance in The Wolf of Wall Street, and now he was mesmerizing in Dallas Buyers Club. He has been racking up awards this year for this great performance and is the frontrunner to win the Oscar as well. I would pretty much see him in anything he's doing right now and I actually began watching his new HBO series, True Detective, which looks promising. The reason why I dedicated so much lines talking about him more than I did about the movie is because he is what makes this film so entertaining. Dallas Buyers Club would just be an average film without him, but his performance is so powerful that it becomes the main reason why you should see it. It's not just about the physical transformation he went through, he also delivers a raw and energetic performance that makes Dallas Buyers Club such a transcendent film. 

Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is a Texas homophobic redneck working as an electrician while making some money on the side as a rodeo cowboy. He's a heavy smoker, drinker, and frequent drug user who likes to engage in casual sex. His life takes a drastic change after the doctors discover that he's HIV positive and will most likely die within 30 days. Not accepting his death sentence, he begins to do some research and discovers that there are unapproved drugs that could help him extend his life. He crosses the border into Mexico and finds that the alternative treatments are effective so he decides to smuggle them into the U.S. Dr. Sevard (Denis O'Hare), the doctor who diagnosed him, is against this treatment as he is testing his patients with a trial drug called AZT which the pharmaceutical companies are pushing to get through. He does find some sympathy in Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner), but there isn't much she can do to help him. However in the hospital he finds an unlikely ally in the transvestite Rayon (Jared Leto) who doesn't care for government regulations either and together they establish a buyers club where members can have access to these unapproved drugs for a monthly fee. This is where Ron's battle begins as he not only has to fight his disease, but the government as well while trying to smuggle more effective drugs to the country.

If you need another reason beside McConaughey to go see Dallas Buyers Club than Jared Leto might just be it. He too has been piling up awards this season for his supporting role as the transvestite Rayon. He also delivers a memorable performance that makes this film even more entertaining. These two characters are the driving force of the film. The film is powerful and engaging thanks to them because it really doesn't say anything new about the AIDS plague during the 80's or the ridiculous government and pharmaceutical regulations. The story does deal with these issues, but if you want to really become enraged about them there are many other films that do it much better, like the documentary How To Survive a Plague. What this film has going for it are the performances from Matthew and Jared, and those two should be the only awards it receives come Oscar time. Gravity may have blown you away thanks to its spectacular visuals and technical achievements, but Dallas Buyers Club will blow you away thanks to these two characters. The many flaws the film may have concerning pacing and script don't take away from the mesmerizing experience of seeing these two actors reinventing themselves the way they have in this film. They are responsible for transforming this average biopic into a compelling and engaging one. Keep living!

My Review: The Wolf of Wall Street (9/10)

"My name is Jordan Belfort. The year I turned 26, I made 49 million dollars, which really pissed me off because it was three shy of a million a week."

How do you begin to write a review about a film that has so much things to comment on? The Wolf of Wall Street is an overblown energetic and hilarious film about these egocentric, greedy, immoral stockbrokers that we are supposed to hate, but ultimately end up rooting for because we have spent so much time laughing with them. These guys make Gordon Gekko from Wall Street look like a saint. Martin Scorsese is a genius; he can basically direct any movie he wants to and make it appealing. This is his follow up to Hugo (which was a brilliant family film) and he takes a 180 degree turn here with The Wolf of Wall Street and makes a comedy about these egocentric rich characters who have no moral boundaries, who spend their time getting high, objectifying women, and which should have been rated NC-17 because their excesses are constantly repeated over and over again on screen.  Many people criticize the fact that it's so long and overblown, but I think that's exactly the point Scorsese is trying to get across by repeating their excesses and debauchery. If there is one word I'd have to use to describe this film it'd be energetic. The film is so energetic and you get it through each one of the brilliant performances in the movie. This is a filthy dark comedy, but one that will stick with you and have you question yourself for having rooted for these characters. I understand the comparisons with Scorsese's Goodfellas in that the characters wrongful behavior is what we become attracted to and makes the film so edgy. I'm not supposed to root for these guys, they are the villains, they do terrible things, we are all their victims, but then why do we want them to get away with what they're doing? These are all questions that only begin to come up long after the credits have rolled and eventually you realize that these guys deserved far worse punishment and got away too easy (but wait that is what really happened with all these Wall Street stockbrokers that almost ruined the country), and that is why Scorsese is such a brilliant director because he is so subtle in getting his message across and does so in such an energetic and funny way.

The screenplay was adapted by Terence Winter from Jordan Belfort's autobiographical book about his rise to becoming a millionaire as a Long Island penny stockbroker. At age 22, Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio) received early training from his boss Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey) and eventually gets a stockbroker license, but the company melts down on his first day and he's left in the streets again. His wife, Teresa (Cristin Milioti), recommends him a job at Investor Center, which happens to be a very unprofessional small establishment that only deals with penny stocks, but has incredibly high commissions. Jordan is a natural and pitches sales so well that he rises to the top easily again. One day a neighbor named Donnie (Jonah Hill) comes up to him and asks him how he makes so much money, which leads him to decide to get into stocks and work for him. The two find a garage and set up their own business bringing along some of their friends: Robbie (Brian Sacca), Alden (Henry Zebrowski), Chester (Kenneth Choi), Nicky (PJ Byrne), Toby (Ethan Suplee), and Brad (Jon Bernthal). Jordan teaches them how to pith the sales and over the years the company grows at a very high rate and even gets marketing from Forbes Magazine where Jordan is nicknamed as the Wolf of Wall Street. These guys don't care about their clients and will tell them anything just to make a sale, and do a bunch of illegal things along the way which eventually gets them into trouble with the law, specifically FBI Agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler) who begins to follow their every move. Along the way in the midst of all the parties, sex, and drugs, Jordan falls for the beautiful Naomi (Margot Robbie) and eventually divorces his wife and marries her. The film continues to follow Jordan's excesses as he becomes more and more addicted to drugs, the most powerful of all being money.

Scorsese makes several great statements in this film about the world of Wall Street, similar to what he did with the gangster world in Goodfellas. He doesn't shy away from their egocentric world portraying numerous scenes where the characters are getting high, having sex, and getting rich at expense of the rest of the world. He also makes it clear that money is the most dangerous and addictive drug of all, and these men don't know where to draw the line. There are several scenes that truly stood out for me like the scene where Mark teaches Jordan what the business is really about, or when Jordan and Donnie meet for the first time, or when Jordan meets with Agent Dunham in his yacht. In the midst of all the crazy debauchery, these small conversation scenes work so well giving the characters more depth. There are also hilarious scenes like the one where Jordan and Donnie suffer from a delayed drug side effect, mixed with some very dark scenes as well like when Jordan has a huge fight with Naomi portraying him at his lowest point. The performances in this film are also incredible, Leonardo DiCaprio gives his best and funniest performance to date, the scenes where he gives his employees pep talks are mesmerizing, Jonah Hill is also at his best and has some extremely funny and insane scenes, they both truly deserve Oscar nominations for their work here. Matthew McConaughey is no longer a surprise, he has been exceptional in his latest films, but he has a very small role here, Margot Robbie gives an outstanding performance in a world where females are completely objectified, Rob Reiner is funny as Jordan's father, and finally Kyle Chandler also stood out for me as the only character who seemed to be morally incorruptible. They all bring so much energy to this film making the three hours go by fast despite being overblown and repetitive.

My Review: MUD (10/10)

"I just can't spend the rest of my life running away with him."

Jeff Nichols surprised everyone a few years ago with his excellent film, Take Shelter, and now he delivers another great movie with MUD. Despite being more mainstream than Take Shelter and less artistic, I enjoyed this film more because of the way the story was narrated and the characters were developed. I was blown away with this story and in my opinion it is the best film of the year and my first five star review of the year as well. The screenplay, written by Jeff Nichols, seemed to be taken straight from an unpublished Mark Twain novel. It felt like I was watching a contemporary adventure of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. MUD was fantastic, I felt like it took some of the best elements of some other films like Stand By Me and Sling Blade and improved them. Nichols knows about small southern towns and the location becomes an important character in this superb and suspenseful film. In my opinion MUD is a masterpiece and I could watch it many more times thanks to the way in which Nichols drew me into the story and got me emotionally involved with the characters. It is a very rewarding film if you remain patient and let the story slowly build into what it becomes. It is a character driven film with some powerful performances and some great visuals.

Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are two young teenagers living on the banks of the Mississippi River in Arkansas. These good friends decide to sneak out of their houses one morning to a small island where Neckbone has spotted a boat on top of a tree. Apparently the boat ended up there after a flood that took place sometime in the past and these kids recently discovered it. Wanting to claim it as their own they climb the tree and to their surprise they discover that someone has been living there. That is when they meet Mud (Matthew McConaughey) a fugitive who has been hiding out from the police and some bounty hunters after committing a crime for the love of his life, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). Ellis, who has an idealistic view about love decides to help Mud convinced that their love story is pure. Shaped by Mud's story and love for Juniper, Ellis begins to have feelings of his own for a girl named May Pearl (Bonnie Sturdivant). He really feels the need for Mud and Juniper to be able to escape safely together after seeing how the marriage of his parents, Senior (Ray McKinnon) and Mary Lee (Sarah Paulson), begins to crumble at home.

Matthew McConaughey is superb in this film and in my opinion gives one of the best performances of his career. He has been on quite a role lately with some very interesting roles. I hope he gets nominated for his work here. As much as I enjoyed his performance, I don't know if the movie would have worked without the strong lead performance from the two young kids, especially from Sheridan who is the lead character and through whose eyes we see everything. Sheridan blew me away and I really cared for his character. There is so much depth to his character and we see the range of emotions that he goes through. He is tough but at the same time sweet, he has strong convictions about love but at the same time these convictions are being put to a test. Sheridan nails the role and delivers this film. There are also some strong secondary performances from Sam Shepard and Michael Shannon who plays a very different role here. Shannon's character, Neckbone's uncle, has the funniest scenes and brings some lightness to the story. This is by far the best film I've seen this year. I loved the story, the characters, and the suspense. The attention to southern detail that Nichols makes only improves this film and makes it more emotionally involving than it already is. 

My Review: The Paperboy (3/10)

¨He never did get over his first true love.¨

The Paperboy is an early contender for worse film of the year. This pulpy film noir thriller is so messy that it´s hard to make sense of everything that is going on. The story is just horrible with characters that are too hard to identify with. I couldn’t care less for what was going to happen to them because they were all dislikeable characters, and I really couldn’t figure out why they wanted to help each other out or why they were even together in the first place. The Paperboy tries too hard to mix everything together: a pulpy film noir, with some racial drama, a detective story (that never even solves anything), several anti-romances, and some unfunny comedy. This is just one of those trashy films that succeed in making you feel dirty, but you don’t get anything of real value out of it. I also hated the way that the film was narrated in some scenes trying to explain everything to the viewer like if we were stupid and needed everything pointed out at us (yes, we can all understand that Efron´s character was in love with Nicole Kidman because of his abandonment issues with his mother, there was no need to tell us that through voice over). The other problem I had was that the film tried too hard to shock us through several unpleasant scenes, like the close up of the gator being gutted, and these gross out scenes didn’t really connect with the movie. That is the reason why I felt this film wasn´t cohesive and was too messy. It is a shame because I loved Lee Daniels´s previous film Precious, but this is a huge step backwards from that movie.

  

The film was based on Peter Dexter´s novel of the same name and it takes place in South Florida during the late 60´s. The story centers around the life of a reporter named Ward (Matthew McConaughey) who decides to return to his hometown to investigate a case about an inmate on death row. Ward is trying to catch a big break on this story involving the murder of a local police officer and the conviction of the supposed murderer, Hilary Van Wetter (John Cusack). Apparently there were some irregularities in the trial and Ward has decided to investigate the case with his partner, Yardley (David Oyelowo). They heard about the story through Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman) who happens to be sort of a death row groupie, who corresponds with these men through letters. She falls in love with Hilary and believes he is innocent, so she contacts Ward and Yardley and convinces them to chase this career making story. Together they work on the case in Ward´s father´s home where his younger brother, Jack (Zac Efron), still lives. Jack becomes the driver for the group taking them to the different locations they are investigating and immediately falls in love with Charlotte despite knowing she´s attracted to the psychotic Hilary. The story is narrated by the house maid, Anita (Macy Gray).

The film does succeed in bringing the hot and steamy Florida weather on the screen and only watching the characters move make us feel hot and sweaty as well. This trashy film reminds us of some early 70´s film noir movies with Nicole Kidman playing this sort of modern femme fatale character. Her gritty performance stands in deep contrast to Efron´s sweet innocence. I had no problem with the cast. I thought they all gave strong performances, especially Nicole Kidman and John Cusack as these two sort of psychotic characters. I had never seen these actors in a role like this before. My major problem with the film was the messy story which ended up wandering all over the place and getting lost in the mix of everything. It is no wonder this film ended up getting booed at Cannes because it does fail to connect the major plot points. It was just a little too pulpy and steamy for my taste and it didn’t work at all because I really disliked all these characters.  

     

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My Review: Killer Joe (5/10)

¨You ever hear of Joe Copper? He's a cop. A detective actually. He's got a little business on the side.¨

Director William Friedkin is mostly recognized for his work in the 70`s in The Exorcist and The French Connection. He hasn’t had another critically acclaimed movie since then although some of his movies have received a small fan base. Killer Joe is a neo-noir film with some excellent performances from the cast that critics have enjoyed and therefore put Friedkin on the map again. His film was adapted from Tracy Letts play of the same name. Letts worked with Friedkin in 2006 in the film Bug which didn’t receive too much attention. Killer Joe has made the top ten list of many critics favorite film of 2012 and I can see why. It is a very dark film, with some sadistic violence and dark humor as well. Several scenes, especially the ending, will leave you shocked and disgusted. Most critics found this film to be well crafted, but it hasn’t received as much love from audiences. As much as I wanted to like this movie, I was really disappointed with it. It was just too dark and sadistic for my taste. I don’t have a problem with violent films, I am a huge Tarantino fan, but this film is just an example of how difficult it really is to mix dark humor with violence, and although Tarantino makes it look really easy, it isn’t because Killer Joe is proof of that. I can see why many critics liked this movie, but I can`t say that I agree with them. It just wasn’t my taste. What I can agree on is the performance from the cast which is truly great, but I will get to that later.

The film takes place in a small Texas town where we meet a redneck family living in a trailer. Chris (Emile Hirsch), a drug dealer, has got in a fight with his mother after she stole his stash and now he is in a huge debt with some thugs. In order to pay off the debt he comes up with a plan that involves killing his mother and collecting her insurance money. Someone has told him that the insurance money would go to her younger sister, Dottie (Juno Temple) who lives with his father and step mother. Chris shows up at his father`s house one night and shares the plan with him. Ansel (Thomas Haden Church) who`s very naïve agrees to listen to the plan. Chris tells him about the insurance money and that he has heard of a contract killer named Joe (Matthew McConaughey) who he is planning on contacting. Together, Chris and Ansel meet up with Joe who happens to be a police detective during the day and a killer at night. He agrees to kill the mother as long as they pay him 25,000 thousand dollars up front. Since Chris doesn’t have the money and can`t pay him in advance, Joe decides to take innocent Dottie as his retainer. Chris and Ansel agree as well as Ansel`s wife, Sharla (Gina Gershon). The family is completely dysfunctional and they make it really easy for you to believe they would accept and do such a thing. Well of course something goes wrong in the transaction and all hell breaks loose in this pulpy dark film.

As good as Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon, Emile Hirsch, and Juno Temple are in this movie they are outshined by Matthew McConaughey`s performance as this sadistic but charming detective. He is that kind of guy who on one side seems really nice and charming but on the other you know he`s dangerous and won`t want to mess with him. This is perhaps one of his strongest performances although I really preferred his work in Magic Mike. There is no doubt this has been a great year for him as he has received a lot of recognition for his work in these films. It was good to see Gina Gershon back in a strong role as well as it had been a long time since she could prove her artistic talents. Emile Hirsh and Thomas Haden Church are always great and have found them pretty much dependable in everything. Juno Temple perhaps gets her best role here as well. The performances were my favorite part of this movie, but I really can`t say I enjoyed the story. I was shocked by several scenes and really found some difficult to watch. This isn’t one of those movies I would like to watch again and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It will not be among my favorite films of the year, and I hope to forget all about it by tomorrow.

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My Review: Magic Mike (8/10)

¨The law says you cannot touch, but I see a lot of lawbreakers up in this house.¨

To be honest I was feeling pretty uncomfortable watching this film during the first half hour, but once I got immersed in this world and watched where the story was heading I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. The film is directed by Steven Soderbergh, who probably made his best films over a decade ago (Out of Sight, Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and Ocean`s Eleven) although I did enjoy last year`s film: Contagion. Magic Mike is perhaps one of his best movies in the past ten years and thanks mostly to a great leading performance from Channing Tatum and an impressive supporting role from Matthew McConaughey. The script written by Reid Carolin was also quite entertaining, with some very funny moments. The story is loosely based on Tatum`s experience as a male stripper before he became a movie celebrity. He was one of the producers of the film and I think the movie does a good job at exploring this unknown world for the majority of us. He is excellent in this film and really delivers despite not being an actor who receives too much recognition for his work. McConaughey seemed to have a lot of fun with his role here and he could receive a nomination for his supporting performance. Alex Pettyfer also delivers a strong performance as the new kid. The rest of the cast is mostly known for their roles in different television series. I ended up having a fun time with this film and despite the very predictable ending I still recommend it. My only complaint is that I felt the ending was a little rushed and abrupt.

Mike (Channing Tatum) is a male stripper at night, and a construction worker during the day. He`s been in the business for several years and has been saving money to become an entrepreneur although his bad credit history has prevented him from getting loans from the bank. He seems to be living the good life working for Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) at the strip club along with Richie (Joe Manganiello), Ken (Matt Bomer), Tito (Alex Rodriguez), and Tarzan (Kevin Nash). They seem to be doing really good together and business looks good for all. Mike meets a nineteen year old kid named Adam (Alex Pettyfer) at a construction site and decides to invite him to the club. He introduces Adam to the boss and he instantly becomes a hit with the ladies. The Kid (as they call Adam) and Mike get along really well and when Adam`s sister, Brooke (Cody Horn), finds about her little brother stripping she begins to worry. Mike calms her down and guarantees he will look after her brother. The three share a pretty nice relationship, but soon the Kid begins to get into drug problems. Mike`s lifestyle begins to take a toll on him, but Mike really looks after him despite all the partying and girls. Dallas wants to expand the Tampa based show and relocate it in Miami Beach, but the real question is whether or not the boys could adapt and survive in that environment.

I was surprised to find out that Tatum and Pettyfer didn’t get along on set because in the film it felt as if they really shared some chemistry. I also liked the scenes between Tatum and Cody Horn. Their conversations were probably the funniest scenes in the movie and they did have a lot of chemistry together. The rest of the crew didn’t have much screen time other than the choreographed dancing numbers that I found really funny, but I guess most girls enjoyed. The guys in this film really make us feel bad about our bodies because they are totally ripped. The ending is your typical Hollywood ending, but I still enjoyed the film for all the other issues it tried to explore. I really respect Tatum. I thought he was hilarious in 21 Jump Street and proved he can star in more than chick flicks. We all know what McConaughey is capable of and he proves it once again here in Magic Mike shinning in every scene he was in. He was excellent in his role in this year`s Bernie as well. Magic Mike may not have an original ending, but it is a good film that will entertain you and leave a smile on your face.

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My Review: Bernie (9/10)

¨A story so unbelievable it must be true.¨

Bernie is among the top 5 films I`ve seen this year, and as the tagline suggests this is one of those few movies that you feel assured is actually true because it`s just too unbelievable to be made up. We all know that most films based on true stories are almost completely fictional except for a few details, but here we have a really interesting story that even used some of the real people involved in an interview format that gave the movie a documentary like feeling. I really loved this film directed by the great Richard Linklater (Slackers, Dazed and Confused, Before Sunset) who made independent movies popular in the early 90`s. Once more the story takes place in his beloved Texas, with people who he`s very familiar with, and so the film turns out to be a great character study while at the same time combining dark comedy, drama, and suspense. All these elements mixed together combined with a great performance from Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, and Shirley MacLaine make for a near perfect movie. Bernie really took me by surprise, just like Jack Black did with what I think is his best performance ever; I had a great time watching this. The small rural town of Carthage in Texas is also a main character in this film as we meet its people who all seem to adore Bernie as much as I did this movie.

The film is narrated in a semi documentary style as we have the story taking place and it being interrupted by several interviews of the Carthage townspeople who share their opinion about Bernie (Jack Black). The interview serves to continue the flow of the movie as at first they explain how Bernie arrived at their small town. Bernie, an expert mortician, is hired by a funeral director to assist him and from the very beginning he has everyone`s admiration for being such a hardworking loveable and caring guy. He makes friends easily and very soon has the admiration of the entire town. He not only assists the funeral director, but is always willing to go the extra mile offering special funeral services like singing for them or offering special words. He also helps out in several theater plays in the community and serves as the music minister for the local church. Everyone in Carthage likes him and has only but good things to say about him. After Marjorie Nugent`s (Shirley MacLaine) husband passes away, the wealthy widow befriends Bernie. Everyone in town hates Marjorie because she is really mean spirited, even her family has stopped communicating with her for years and even has filed lawsuits against her, but somehow Bernie found a way to get to her. The unlikely duo turn into good friends and travel the world together, but after some time Marjorie turns completely dependent on Bernie and he begins to feel like he`s in a prison with her. This leads Bernie to do something he will regret for the rest of his life.

Bernie is a film based on character study, and a very good one at that because you have a very interesting lead character. He is a very friendly, caring, and giving man that everyone likes. At the same time he seems to be concerned about what others think of him and is always looking for their approval and acceptance. He isn’t concerned about the money as he is with receiving acceptance and that is why he is always giving things to others and helping them. For this reason he can´t find a way to leave Marjorie because he knows he will break her heart and he doesn’t want anyone not to like him. This is not only Jack Black`s best performance to date, but in my opinion it is the best male lead performance of the year and he should receive recognition for his portrayal of Bernie. He is excellent in this film and Jack Black fans should see this movie. This is the second time he has teamed up with director Richard Linklater after School of Rock, but this is a much mature performance and greater movie. Shirley MacLaine is also great in her role as the mean and demanding Marjorie, but we`ve all seen her deliver these performances in the past. Matthew McConaughey also gives a great performance as the town`s District Attorney and he does a good job without going over the top with his character. Bernie really caught me by surprise and I really enjoyed the movie.

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