THE BUTLER (2013)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 2:07
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz
Director: Lee Daniels

LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER is too ambitious for its own good. It tries too hard to tell a tale of the Civil Rights movement in America (60s - 80s) from the perspective of Cecil Gaines, a White House butler who served under eight presidents. The movie is based on the real-life events within the White House during the tenure of Eugene Allen, THE actual butler. The irony is that the White House scenes are among the least effective as viewers will be distracted by famous big name actors playing the different presidents. It just doesn't work. The movie shines when it focuses on the relationship (or the lack of) between Cecil and his eldest son Louis where both have a divergent perspective on the "rights" of a black man in America. One believes the way to advance in life is to be hard-working, non-confrontational and quietly blends in while the other prefers to take a stand, be heard and be seen. Forest Whitaker as Cecil is effective and his portrayal of the butler's later years is the most convincing. For non-Americans (and the uninitiated like myself), this movie will provide a good introduction to the struggles of a black American living in the 60s to 80s where viewers will be given a fast track history lesson on who's who and what's what such as Martin Luther King Jr, Freedom Ride, KKK, Malcolm X, Black Panther party etc.

Rating 6/10

ALL IS LOST (2013)

Genre: Adventure
Running Length: 1:46
Cast: Robert Redford
Director: J.C. Chandor

Watching ALL IS LOST is like watching one of those one-man contemporary stage performance. The premise is simple enough: an elderly man (played by the 77 year old Robert Redford) sailing on his yacht met with a bizarre accident which wiped out all working radio equipment and thus, left floating alone in the middle of the ocean. The entire movie is about our protagonist struggling to survive vs. giving in to hopelessness and die. What is compelling about this motion picture is the director's approach to the subject matter. Director J.C. Chandor (writer/director of the underrated Margin Call) is indeed an actors' director. Redford's character has no name and no backstory. There is hardly any dialogue and thus, the weight of the entire movie falls upon Redford's facial expressions and body language. His approach to survival in the beginning is business like; calm and methodological. There is no Wilson or Richard Parker to keep him company. But overtime, despair starts to seep in and you can see our lone mariner trying very hard not to give up. I thought the ending was a bit of a let down and I would have preferred it otherwise - to give the viewers an emotional punch in the gut.

Rating 6/10

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013)

 

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 1:58
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner
Director: Jean-Marc Vallee

In many ways, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB is all about Matthew McConaughey's eye-opening performance. I will reserve my opinion on whether or not he deserved the Best Actor nod for this film but what I would like to highlight is his transformation from former leading romantic lead to a dramatic actor. After taking a hiatus from film-making three years ago, McConaughey made an important decision to rebrand himself by breaking away from romantic comedies in favour of dramatic roles in several independent films. He was relentless in this pursuit (including his Christian Bale/The Machinist-style physical transformation in this movie) and as a result, earned himself a well deserved Oscar. There's a lesson here, folks. One of the most compelling aspect of Dallas Buyers Club comes from watching McConaughey's character develops from a macho redneck into someone who shows respect for gay men and women, and from a bum into a person who takes charge of his life. McConaughey is supported by Jared Leto, whose portrayal of a transvestite is effective. Another thing the movie successfully accomplishes is to recreate the AIDS-related paranoia climate of the mid-to-late 1980s. A secondary plot of the film revolves around the allegation of the US government "collaborating" with Big Evil Pharmaceutical Companies on which drugs to approve for the treatment of AIDS. The movie does what it sets out to do by providing a story of the journey of a broken character and offering a history lesson about AIDS sufferers during the dark ages of the 1980s.

Rating: 6.5/10

RUSH (2013)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 2:03
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara
Director: Ron Howard

Ron Howard'a RUSH is a very different kind of sports movie. The ones I have been exposed to are usually about the underdog going against all odds to beat the giants and wins the championship in the end. The "good guy" and "bad guy" are clearly defined. I love those movies so I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed this movie - a true story which presents a balanced view of the rivalry between two race car drivers in Formula One racing, an inherently non-cinematic sport. The movie's strength lies in the character study of the two drivers (James Hunt vs Niki Lauda), the forces that motivate them and the mutual love/hate for each other. Oh, it's not all serious drama as it balances out with plenty of tension in the racing sequences especially the rainy finale in Japan (probably fuelled by Hans Zimmer's booming score). Ron Howard's filming approach is very different from his previous movies; it's actually "refreshing" although the film is set in the 1970s. The details given to that period is impeccable especially the recreation of the 1976 Formula One season. It also educates the viewers of the dangers of F1 racing circa 70s/early 80s. There are many personal leadership lessons one can learn from the two characters but the biggest lesson I walked away from this film - although we know that the majority of the time the race of life is against ourselves, sometimes we need a challenger to push one another to the glorious finishing line.

Rating: 8.5/10

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (2014)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Masaharu Fukuyama, Machicko Ono, Yoko Maki, Riri Furanki, Jon Fubuki, Shogen Hwang
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

I find the premise of most Japanese art films rather weird but once in a while, they will produce an unforgettable motion picture so forceful it will tear you into pieces from the inside out. Departures (2008) did that to me and now - LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON. It's a simple plot about two 6 year old boys who were accidentally swapped at birth - now their parents faced with the heartbreaking prospect of having to exchange them after they found out about the incident. The highlight of the movie is not the resolution but where it really shines is the character study on each of the parties involved and their relationships (between husband and wife, between the two parents and of course, between the parents and their child). A crisis indeed will reveal the true nature of a man; either to deny and march-on or allow oneself to be broken and pick up the pieces to rebuild his life. There are several scenes in the movie which were too heart wrenching to watch (at least for me) because it reveals who we really are and when faced with the same circumstances, we would probably approach it the same way too. Everything about this picture - tone, pacing, acting, editing, cinematography, score - is nearly perfect.  Few movies moved me to tears but this was an exception.

Rating: 9/10

ARCHIVE

Go to Kausern's Top 10 Movies of 2013


Go to Kausern's 2012 Movie Reviews 


Go to Kausern's 2011 Movie Reviews