BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
This movie looks really interesting. I’m a casual fan of Matthew McConaughy. By that I mean I think he’s a fine actor and adds to anything he’s in, but he’s not necessarily an actor that’ll make me rush out to my local theatre. This movie still sounds like something that borders on “performance of a lifetime” and “Oscar bait”. For the movie, McConaughy plays a normal Texas man. The man finds himself in a horrible situation, he’s tested as HIV Positive. So with being told he has 30 days to life, he starts experimenting with legal and illegal drugs. This leads to him hanging on and putting his foot down against the ridiculous laws. This movie has really good timing. People are being destroyed by medical bills while others avoid health care all together because they know it’s not in the cards for them. I read that McConaughy lost TONS of weight for this role, which is always interesting for an actor to do. Jennifer Garner and Jared Leto are in this movie too, so that’s one plus and one meh to the movie’s credit. I have a hard time believing this movie won ‘t be around come award season.
(THREE) NEBRASKA
Alexander Payne makes really good movies. He makes interesting movies that might not always get the attention, but he stays true to his story. He takes you on a journey and presents movies of genuine substance. This time out he’s directing Bob Nelson’s script about a grumpy old guy who thinks he won a million dollars from one of those scam sweepstakes things. He decides to go on a road trip to get his money and is joined by his reluctant son. The old guy is played by the awesome Bruce Dern and the son is played by SNL alumni Will Forte. That’s a really interesting combination to say the least. We also get the likes of Stacy Keach and the scene-stealing pro Bob Odenkirk. This could fall under the radar or it could gain tons of attention and praise. Knowing Payne’s track record this movie could make the career of Will Forte and add another revitalized moment to the awesome run that Bruce Dern has had so far. If it’s loved or ignored, I just know I want to see it.
(TWO) KILL YOUR DARLINGS
This movie just seems like it’s being made for me to enjoy. It’s from the cool era of literature and youthful exploration where Ginberg, Burroughs, and Kerouac were running amuck. This movie tells the “untold story” of these three meeting at Columbia in 1944 and getting involved with a murder. It sounds like a lot of fun. It’s about time the beat era gets a real focus instead of an outsider’s look of “awe”. Basically, instead of giving us peaks of it in Mad Men, we’re right there in the middle of the revolution. The cast is what really sold me on this movie. Off the bat I see that Michael C. Hall and Ben Foster are in this movie. It’s a “Six Feet Under” reunion… sorta. On top of that, Kyra Sedgwick, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Elizabeth Olsen. The lead roles go Daniel Radcliffe as Ginberg, Jack Huston as Kerouac, and Ben Foster as Burroughs. That’s got to be bad ass. Ben Foster doesn’t do anything that’s not. The casting, the support, and the subject is really interesting. If the movie lives up to the potential it has then I’m sure this will be a great film. A much needed one.
(ONE) AMERICAN HUSTLE
David O. Russell is making a new movie. That’s enough to get my attention. Once it was gotten, I learned that this movie has the potential to be amazing. Just based off the cast alone you’d have no choice but to imagine a great movie. Christian Bale stars as a con man who with his partner in crime and life, Amy Adams, that is forced to work with a crazy FBI agent played by Bradley Cooper. Things get all sorts of screwed up, but it looks and sounds like a lot of fun. I like movies that make you feel something. Movies like that don’t leave you once the credits roll. It’s just there and it lingers. This seems to have more “energy”, but I think the tone will clearly be of substance. The cast will be awesome vessels for O. Russell and Eric Singer’s script. Basically, it’s a hybrid cast of “The Fighter” and “Silver Linings Playbook” with Louis C.K. making it even better. I’m perfectly fine with that. This means we get Bale, Adams, and Cooper but also Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jeremy Renner, Michael Pena, and Jack Huston to name a few. And did I mention Louis C.K.? Yeah, he’s in this movie too!
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