Frailty review

 Number 963 on the top 1000 films of all time is Bill Paxton's 2001 psychological thriller 'Frailty.'

An adult Adam Meiks (Matthew McConaughey) wanders into an FBI office and confesses to agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) that his brother Fenton is the mysterious "God's Hand" killer. Afterwards, he recounts how as children, he and Fenton were subjected to their father's (played by Bill Paxton) twisted delusion about how he was on a mission from God to kill demons disguised as normal people.

Spoilers to follow

Frailty marked Bill Paxton's directorial debut. It was certainly creepy and thrilling with a great performance from Matthew  McConaughey, but it was all predicated on a rather flimsy premise. Bill Paxton's character says that he was randomly visited by an angel sending him on a mission to rid the world of its demons.

I found this less than convincing. Yes, he is a single father and widower, but I saw little to suggest that he would just snap like this. His character was missing some much--needed backstory as to why he would become a deluded serial killer. It might have made more sense if he was under a lot of stress, but we can see that he has a happy and healthy relationship with his two sons. Furthermore, there isn't any distinct catalyst that pushes him over the edge. While fixing a car at work, an angel randomly appears in a vision telling him to kill demons and he's all like "yeah, sure thing."

Things remain unconvincing as the story heads toward a conclusion that seemed like it was being too clever for its own good. In my summary, I identified Matthew McCongaughey's character as Adam, but this is only revealed at the film's ending. Hitherto, we were led to believe that he is actually Fenton who is reporting on his brother's murders. As children, their father's madness drives a wedge between the two brothers with Adam becoming his father's disciple and Fenton his opponent.

This culminates in Fenton ultimately killing his father rather than continuing to participate in the murders. We assume that his dad uses his dying breath to tell Adam to continue his legacy, which he does to some extent, but it is later revealed that the God's Hand murders are completely unrelated. This made little sense. Why have two different sets of murders? Surely, it was more logical for Adam to only be investigated for the demon killings.

Sure this film was entertaining, if rather joyless, but it was certainly not without its flaws.

Mud review

 Number 814 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2012 coming-of-age drama 'Mud.'

Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are two teenage boys living in rural Arkansas. Upon finding a seemingly abandoned boat, they then meet its owner Mud (Matthew Mcconaughey) a fugitive hiding there after killing a man. The two boys agree to help Mud escape, as well as reunite him with his lost love Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks and Ray Mckinnon all co-star.

This was an impressive film. It was probably one of the best depictions of a lost innocence that I have seen since Stand by Me. Ellis and Neckbone are instantly likeable. Sure, they are innocent and naive like many teenagers, but it's obvious that they are still good kids. Ellis is always ready to stand up for what's right even if that backfires on him.

I also think Mud avoided the pitfalls of many other coming-of-age dramas. Its protagonists aren't cocky little jerks like the Breakfast Club or annoying chipmunk-voiced pre-teens *cough cough* like the Goonies, but it also avoided the cliche of its teenage protagonists having neglectful parents. Ellis' father played by Ray Mckinnon and Neckbone's Uncle Galen (Michael Shannon) are by no means perfect, but they're not down-and-out and baddies either. This is what made them human.

The real baddie was Carver (Paul Sparks) the brother of the man that Mud killed. Sparks was great in a villainous role - in many ways, he was the opposite of the caring Mud.

Mud's characters, in many ways, heralded a transition for Mcconaughey - away from the romcoms he was best known for and into the more dramatic roles that he is best-known for now. It was in 2013 that he won his best-acting Oscar for the Dallas Buyers Club. He's just as good there as he is in Mud.

The cinematography was also spectacular. It conveyed the isolation and remoteness of the small world that our characters live in. In many ways, it is like its own eco-system where Ellis and Neckbone can enjoy their adolescences. Sheridan and Lofland were great in the lead roles displaying a maturity and a great chemistry with one another.

If I were to criticise the film for anything, it would be the inclusion of Reese Witherspoon. It seemed like the only direction she received was to stand around and look pretty. She's won an Oscar. She could have done something more than that. Otherwise, this was an excellent coming-of-age drama that I enjoyed immensely. 

Layer cake review

 Number 919 on the top 1000 films of all time is Matthew Vaughn's directorial debut - crime-drama Layer cake.

Daniel Craig plays the unnamed protagonist who is only known as XXXX. Thanks to his enforcer Morty (George Harris) and his liaison to the criminal underworld Gene (Colm Meaney,) he is a very successful drug dealer. Professional, sophisticated, with a strong moral code, and a healthy amount of money, he decides it's time to retire. However, his supplier - crime lord Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham) throws a spanner in the works by engaging him in one last job. Things only become more complicated when Jimmy's partner, Eddie Temple  (Michael Gambon) becomes involved.

This was a slick, funny and entertaining crime caper. Daniel Craig plays XXXX - the suave yet hypocritical dug-dealer who quickly becomes out of his depth - to a tee. This was a few years before he achieved international recognition as James Bond. And it was this performance that convinced producers, he would be a good successor for Pierce Brosnan. And I can understand why, he had all the style and charm that you would expect from the international man of mystery.

Layercake really seemed like it should have been directed by Guy Ritchie. It reminded me of his great British crime capers like Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels but without Jason Statham. It had the same dark humour, the same cartoonish violence, as well as a huge cast including some acting giants like Michael Gambon and Colm Meaney. I've seen him in a few different roles and he's always good. It also included a lot of up-and-coming actors who have gone on to big Hollywood careers like Burn Gorman, Ben Wishaw and Sienna Miller. Ben Wishaw was particularly good as the frenetic and hyper-active Sydney - nephew of Duke (Jamie Foreman) leader of a low-level gang.

Granted, the ending all became rather deep, profound and borderline pretentious which could have killed the whimsical tone of the film, but the final twist, which I won't spoil here, saved things. I did not see that coming.

Layercake was a very enjoyable crime caper. If you want to see Daniel Craig, before he became an international superstar, this is the film to watch.

Glory review

 Number 353 on the top 1000 films of all time is Edward Zwick's 1989 US civil-war drama 'Glory.'

Glory tells the true story of 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment - one of the earliest African-American regiments within the Union army. It is commanded by the white officers Colonel Robert Shaw (Matthew Broderick) and Major Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes.) Some of its troops include the hot-headed Silas Trip (Denzel Washington,) the older and wiser John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and the well-educated Thomas Sears (Andre Braugher.)

I certainly cannot attest to the historical aspect of Glory, but it was a thrilling warm film that gave a well-rounded review that the 54th infantry faced. Its black soldiers suffered racism from their white counterparts and weren't paid as much as them either, while their white officers were constantly left lacking vital supplies needed by their men. It also highlights the interpersonal differences between the black soldiers - notably between Sears and Trip. The two initially clash on their radically different upbringings and perspectives. Trip resents how Sears acts and talks like a white man, while Sears rails against Trip's accusations of him not being truly black.

Both actors were great, but Washington especially so. He won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and I think his win was more deserving than his one in Training Day. Silas Trip was a far more nuanced character than Alonzo Harris. And Washington played him with a lot of vulnerability. Morgan Freeman was also good as the wise and calming John Rawlins. And I particularly liked Andre Braugher. He and Washington were great together.

The black actors were superior to their white counterparts. I do think Matthew Broderick was miscast. He was just too young for such a role. This was only three years after he starred in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and it was difficult seeing him as anything other than the high-school slacker. He just looked scared all the time; whenever he spoke it was like he was trying to convince both himself and the audience that he was mature enough for such a role. I understand this is partly the character. Shaw is supposed to be young, inexperienced and unsure of himself, but Broderick did little to persuade me that he was the right man for the job.

Honestly, I think his co-star Cary Elwes would have made a better lead. Elwes had already proved himself a capable leading man in the Princess Bride. Although he wasn't great here either. He had a strange accent that varied between American and his native English accent.

Glory strayed into melodrama at times. I could have done without the grandiose, instrumental score and characters dying in slow motion. Where it shone was its quieter moments; particularly when the black soldiers are singing a gospel song on the eve of their first big fight. This was a brilliant scene that highlighted the camaraderie and close relationship between these men.

Glory is certainly a good film. Yes, it is cheesy at times and Matthew Broderick was dreadfully miscast, but it was still a noble attempt to bring the efforts of the 54th infantry to the big screen.

A Time to Kill review

 Number 969 on the top 1000 films of all time is Joel Schumacher's 1996 legal drama 'A Time to Kill.'

Based on John Grisham's book of the same name, A Time to Kill focusses on the relationship between white Mississippi attorney Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) and his black client Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson.) After Carl Lee's ten-year-old daughter Tonya (Rae'ven Larrymore Kelly) is brutally raped and almost murdered by two racist rednecks Billy Ray Cobb (Nicky Katt) and James Willard (Doug Hutchinson.) Carl Lee takes the law into his own hands and shoots them dead. Brigance decides to defend him. He is aided by his old mentor, the alcoholic Lucien Wilbanks (Donald Sutherland) and law student Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock.) But Brigance is up against stiff competition as district attorney Rufus Buckley (Kevin Spacey) takes up the case for the Cobb family. Billy Ray's brother - Freddie Lee (Kiefer Sutherland) also resurrects the Mississippi KKK chapter to exact his revenge on Carl Lee.

Joel Schumacher is so well-known for almost killing the Batman movie franchise with the abysmal Batman and Robin, it is easy to forget that he has made other films. A Time to Kill is one of these films. It's just as cheesy as Batman and Robin, but it is a million times better. That is a low bar and it's certainly not perfect, but it's watchable enough.

A lot of that is down to the star-studded cast. To be honest, I don't think McConaughey was anything special. Brigance is your classic, intelligent, handsome clear-cut hero - there's not much more to him than that. But I thought Samuel L. Jackson was great. He's so well known for either action roles or over-the-top, eccentric oddball, it was refreshing to see him in a more human role. He played it well conveying a brilliant vulnerability. Carl Lee is an obviously sympathetic character. His daughter is raped and left for dead. She is attacked because she is black. He only did what any father would do. Is that so wrong? 

According to Spacey, it is. Men must not be allowed to take the law into their own hands. Spacey shone, as he always does, playing a slimy lawyer, who only takes the case to build his own public profile. And he does that Southern drawl so damn well. I couldn't help but be reminded of one of Spacey's most famous roles: President Frank Underwood on House of Cards. Kiether Sutherland was also enjoyable as the villainous Freddie Lee Cobb. Hell-bent on revenge, he starts up the local KKK chapter and terrorises everybody involved in the trial. Granted all the roles I've seen Sutherland in are villains/morally dubious, but he does them well.

The only character I was unsure about was Ellen Roark. An ACLU activist and law student, she helps Brigance pro bono, so to speak. Yet she was such a poorly written character. It seemed like Sandra Bullock was only cast because she was hot and not because of her great acting ability. As she doesn't really have a chance to do much except to riffle through cabinets and have sexual tension between her and Brigance. Perhaps her character is there to tempt Brigance into an extra-marital affair and put a strain between Brigance and his wife. But these ideas never came to fruition. An affair between the two is teased, but Brigance always stops himself before things go too far. But this is never something that makes it home to his family. In fact, rather than Roark, it is the KKK leaving burning crosses outside of Brigance's home that drives a wedge between him and his wife. She and her daughter soon leave for their own safety. And so does any potential for narrative tension.

If the intention was to force some sexual tension then it failed dramatically. And if it wasn't then what was the point of the character? Why would you squander Sandra Bullock's acting ability - she is a best actress Oscar winner? Why would you put two young hot people like Mconaughey and Bullock together if they're not going to get it on? Sure, he might need a paralegal, but why does that have to be somebody like Bullock. He character seemed so contrived. Also Bullock was in her thirties while filming - too old to be playing a law student.

The ending also seemed too contrived and cheesy. Brigance *spoiler alert* convinces the jury of Carl Ray's innocence, but his method is what troubled me. He effectively tugs at heart strings rather than using the law. He asks the jury to close their eyes and to imagine the rape and attempted murder of Tonya. He ends by saying "imagine if she was white." Obviously race is a presiding issue and Tonya suffered a horrific hate crime, but as, Spacey spends much of the trial protesting, it isn't Tonya's rape that is at issue, but Carl Lee's murder of her rapists. During Brigance's impassioned speech, Spacey doesn't object once, nor does Judge tell the jury to strike it from the record. This was all too difficult to believe.

I also found it troubling that Freddie Lee and the other KKK don't face any proper consequences for their actions. Sure, we see them being quietly confronted by the cops, but nothing more. Freddie Lee left a burning cross outside of Brigance's house, he beats his secretary husband's to death, he tries to shoot Brigance and he kidnaps Roark, takes her to the woods, strips her and leaves her tied to a tree. Yet his actions are effectively brushed under the rug. All I needed was the coppers clasping him in irons and reading him his Miranda rights.

Also there was a mysterious man operating through the film. He warns Brigance's family of the burning cross through a shadowy phone call. But was the person's identity ever revealed? Was it the same man who rescued Roark or was that just a stranger?

So yes, this film is cheesy, unrealistic and relegates Bullock to playing little more than a sex object, but I do think it is well worth a watch. Look past the cheese and you'll find an entertaining and gripping thriller. Just a shame that Schumacher followed this up with Batman and Robin.

The Descendants review

 Number 939 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2011 comedy-drama 'The Descendants.'

Matt King (George Clooney) is an Hawaii-based attorney. While he is the sole trustee of his family's massive fortune, he has a strained relationship with his wife and children. When his wife is terminally injured in a boating accident, he has to reconnect with his estranged daughters: the older Alex (Shailene Woodley) and the younger Scottie (Amara Miller.) Both girls have troubled pasts.

The Descendants was penned by Nat Faxon, Jim Rash and director Alexander Payne. The former two also wrote and directed the great coming-of-age drama The Way, Way Back. Faxon and Rash produced another entertaining and enjoyable film. Although it had the potential to be morose and whiny, it was light-hearted, but poignant throughout. A lot of that has to do with the film's tone. The film is full of great jokes while also addressing serious topics. Family is the most important theme whether that is Matt's relationship with his estranged children or his relationship with his cousins who have all squandered their inheritance and are desperate for them to sell their land to make them a tidy profit. 

But despite these pressures, he is never a self-suffering protagonist. He always tries to do the right thing and, while, he has every right to be mad at the driver of the boat who injured his wife, he always chooses to take the high road. He is also an honest character - constantly despairing about how to connect with his children. Even when Alex reveals that Matt's wife was having an affair with an estate agent called Brian (Matthew Lilliard), explaining some of the resentment between the two, Matt just wants to give Brian a chance to say goodbye.

George Clooney was great as Matt King. He made the attorney sympathetic without making him pathetic. In fact, it's his hope and optimism that makes him such an endearing character to watch. He also had a great chemistry with Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller who played his daughters. It was lovely watching these three characters become a family again. Woodley and Miller were great as well. Granted both of them start as spoiled brats, but they both develop into strong, young women especially Alex. Woodley gave the character a wonderful vulnerability and she held her own against Clooney. She would have been only twenty in this role and she's since gone onto have a great career.

Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne and Jim Rash won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for this film, and it's easy to see why. Within the Descendants, they crafted an enjoyable, funny, and, at times, tragic story, that is never self-pitying or morose.

A Single man review

 Number 725 on the top 1000 films of all time is the period romantic drama 'A Single Man.'

Colin Firth stars as George Falconer, a gay, English academic in 1960's Los Angeles. He is left suicidally depressed after his lover Jim (Matthew Goode) is killed in a car accident. But through his interactions with his best friend - fellow English expat Charley (Julianne Moore) and student Kenny Potter (Nicholas Hoult) he begins to re-evaluate his attitude to life.

A Single Man was directed by fashion designer and perfume-maker Tom Ford in his directorial debut. And it definitely felt like it was directed by a fashion designer. At times it seemed like an extended perfume advert. You do get some perfume adverts that look stunning like K by Dolce & Gabbana or Chanel no. 5. Other perfume adverts are ridiculous and over-the-top. But whatever camp they fall into, perfume adverts are generally style-over-substance. I would argue the same here.

The art direction consisted of sepia and monochrome filters, gratuitous slow-motion, multiple sequences set to grandiose classical scores and strange shots of men swimming in water tanks. At times it worked - I loved the shot of George crying in Charley's arms after learning of Jim's death - the sequence was set to music, so you heard none of Firth's crying. But mostly, the art direction was self-indulgent, pretentious and it bloated up the film. A Single Man is a relatively short film clocking in at roughly 100 minutes, but it seemed like much longer.

As well as a perfume advert, A Single man reminded me of one of the old, dusty books that I studied in university. Some type of academic, overly-intellectualised text where nothing happens except for in the character's heads. This did lead to a dull and boring film. Obviously you don't need gun fights and explosions, but you need some type of drama or tension.

Charley and George do have one fight which did provide an edge that the film was dearly missing. Otherwise, everything was so monotone. The mood never changed. Throughout it was downbeat, slow and introspective.

I also hated the ending. The whole film is about George overcoming his suicidal thoughts and coming to terms with his grief. Just when it looks like he has done so he *spoiler alert* suffers a heart attack and dies. At best this is a copout and at worst this is lazy writing. I guess it's easier to kill a character rather than have them trying to process and live with this guilt and sorrow.

This was all a shame as the narrative itself wasn't inherently bad. Sure it's simplistic, but it had the potential to be a really interesting character study. Instead, this was all lost in overly-flashy visuals.

Ferris Bueller's Day off review

 Number 425 on the top 1000 films of all time is John Hughes's teen comedy drama 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off.'

Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is a high-school slacker. He fakes illness to skip school for the day joined by his best friend, the neurotic Cameron (Alan Ruck) and Ferris' girlfriend (Mia Sara.) In the meanwhile, he is relentlessly pursued by his high school dean Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) who is determined to prove that he is up to trouble. He is also separately pursued by his sister Jeannie (Jennifer Grey) who similarly believes that Ferris is faking his illness.

To say that Ferris Bueller has had a massive cultural impact would be an understatement. It's constantly parodied and referenced in popular culture. Deadpool parodying the famous end scene is just one of the million examples. Part of its cultural legacy comes from the film's intertextual humour. Ferris constantly breaks the fourth wall by directly addressing the audience and explaining his inner thoughts. This was a great insight into the character and it provided a lot of the film's humour.

But Matthew Broderick was also great at physical comedy. The famous scene of Ferris  lip-syncing and dancing in the parade was so much fun to watch. It was made even better by virtue of how that was filmed in public and contains unscripted dancing of genuine members of the public. Another great scene is when Ferris is rushing home so as not to be caught out by his returning parents.

But I think another reason it was so popular was how relatable it was. I feel at that age we all have dreams of skiving off school and getting into trouble. We all have fantasies of what we could do if we had the chance. Granted it probably wouldn't be as anything as fantastical as what we see here. I certainly would not be lip-synching on a parade float, but at least I would be out there enjoying life as a teenager rather than being condescended to by a passionless teacher. It depicts a very romanticised view of a more innocent time and it provides a nostalgic lens for modern audiences to look back on.

I just wish that we could have focussed a little more on Cameron. He was the foil to Ferris' carefree ways. Against Cameron's wishes, they drive to downtown Chicago in his dad's vintage Ferrari before leaving it with a parking attendant. Ferris promises that they'll return it undamaged before Cameron's dad even notices. We get glimpses that Cameron's dad is this hard-arse, over-bearing father who projects fear. Cameron is very wary about upsetting him. Yet we never see any of this first-hand. I think something like this could have really helped to flesh out his character, but perhaps it would have been too dark for a comedy.

But overall I really did enjoy this film. It was a funny watch and in lieu of any profound concluding remarks, I'll quote the film's key lesson "life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you'll miss it."

Dallas Buyers Club review

Number 312 on the top 1000 films of all time is Jean-Marc Valle's biopic drama Dallas Buyers Club.

Based on the true story, Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is a Texan electrician who is diagnosed with AIDS in 1980's America when AIDS was poorly understood. He initially takes the standard treatment of AZT but after this makes him worse, he begins smuggling in alternative treatments and selling them to other aids sufferers under the guise of the Dallas Buyers Club with the help of transgender prostitute Rayon (Jared Leto.)

After the last two years of Covid and lockdown, it's weird to think of AIDS as a pandemic but it was and very much still is. As of 2020, over 36 million people have died, marking it the 4th worst pandemic in history. This pandemic began in the 80s when the disease was stigmatised and under-researched - due to the homophobic attitudes of the time, not to mention, the bureaucratic red tape surrounding the development of new treatments. Woodroof quickly loses his friends who suspect that he is secretly gay. I often wondered whether he was a closeted homosexual and his own self-loathing is the reason for his own intense homophobia.

AZT - the only viable treatment for AIDs is highly experimental and hasn't been approved by the FDA yet. Woodroof bribes a hospital worker for the treatment, but after it makes him worse, he goes to Mexico where a doctor prescribes him with a cocktail of Ddc and peptide T. Knowing there are others suffering, Woodroof exploits this new miracle cure by setting up a club where members can get free medication. However, they have to pay membership fees at a monthly rate of $400. 

To be honest, this is the perfect microcosm of the American healthcare system. You're dying from a lethal disease? You can't afford to pay for your treatment? Guess you better start making funeral plans. It also showcases Woodroof as being less than a great man - exploiting dying people for the last of their money. He isn't the nicest of men to begin with - a homophobic, loudmouthed drunk, but that's what makes his character arc so interesting to watch. He goes from calling Rayon homophobic slurs to defending her against his homophobic friends who don't want to shake her hand to even hugging her when she sells her life insurance policy to keep the club going. When Rayon is taken to hospital and dies after being given AZT, Woodroof is furious. 

And while he begins the club for solely exploitative reasons, he truly begins to care about the people he is helping. The FDA threatens to arrest Woodroof and makes his imported drugs illegal. He promises to fight this, not because he cares about the money, but because he wants to genuinely keep helping people. Matthew McConaughey won the Best Acting Oscar for his role as Woodroof and it was well deserved. He took an unlikable, annoying jackass and turned him into a sympathetic, interesting hero. McConaughey reportedly lost 22 kilos to play the role and this dedication to the role showed through.

But McConaughey cannot take all the credit. Some of that has to be reserved for Jared Leto's standout performance as Rayon. Leto won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this role and it was clear why. He utterly disappeared into the role of the transgender prostitute. It would have been so easy to turn Rayon into nothing more than a hurtful stereotype/caricature but she was so sympathetic. Leto played her as an inspiring, but tragic character. Despite how much shit she must have taken throughout her life, she doesn't devolve into pity and self-loathing like Woodroof does, but always keeps her spirits high. One of the film's most heart-breaking scenes is when Rayon confronts her abusive, transphobic father. Her dad says "God, help me," Rayon replies, "he is helping you; I have aids." Similarly, to McConaughey, Leto also dedicated himself to the role, shaving his eyebrows, waxing his whole body and losing 13kg. Reportedly, he refused to break character and went to the supermarket dressed as Rayon, earning him many stares.

Granted, Jean-Marc Vallee reportedly played a little fast and loose with history. In real life, Woodroof was bisexual and wasn't anywhere near as homophobic as he was portrayed here. The negative effects of AZT were largely overstated as were Woodroof's alternative treatments. But that doesn't change the fact that Vallee still produced a great film with a great performance from McConaughey but an even greater performance from Jared Leto.