Last Vegas

Last Vegas--Directed by Jon Turteltaub/ starring Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen/ written by Dan Fogelman/1hr 43min/rated PG-13

Bifocal Reviews written by Ageless1der Barbara Rich & The Other Guy

(BR) It is virtually impossible not to be entertained when four masters of their craft, Oscar winners all, appear in a film. I was just in the mood for a no-brainer and a few laughs. Last Vegas, proved to be just that, a story about childhood friends who are now seniors, getting together for a wedding in Las Vegas. The wedding is for the character played by Michael Douglas, who is planning to wed a girl more than thirty years younger. Each of the actors has their own brand of misery that comes with age. What ensues provides chuckles, as the legendary four let loose in Vegas. This comedy is not Oscar bound, but if you want to be purely entertained, then I recommend Last Vegas, especially if you are a viewer of a certain age. I award this movie 3 binoculars (on our new scale of five).

(OG)  I don’t know what took us so long to get this review “to the presses” but there is really no rush, I suppose. All the actors are legendary at their craft and if you are looking for a fun time, then this is a good bet. I won’t go on with comparisons to other Vegas films that center around the weekend before the wedding scenario. This one is worth a look for no other reason except seeing DiNiro, Douglas, Freeman, Kline, and Steenburgen in one place. If you are looking for a few giggles, nothing more, this is for you. I give it 2 ½ binoculars.

Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club—Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée/ Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Steve Zahn/ screenplay by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack/117 minutes/rated R

Bifocal Reviews by Ageless1der, Barbara Rich & The Other Guy

(BR) Matt McConaughey’s comes out blazing in Dallas Buyers Club. He is on fire as he portrays Ron Woodroof, a fearless hell-raisin’, bronco-bustin’, homophobe who lives on the edge, and then some. The protagonist (Matt’s character) gets a big surprise to his narrow-minded belief system, when he learns he has HIV and is given only 30 days to live. This explains Matt McConaughey’s emaciated appearance off the set, after losing almost 50 lbs. for this role. His character’s development is only part of a growing change for Matt as he leaves the romantic comedies and introduces us to more compelling parts as he did in Lincoln Lawyer and Mud, with more to come this year! The deck is certainly stacked in his favor for this to be his year for awards. A supporting role, portrayed by actor Jared Leto is also award worthy. Leto plays a transgender as if that’s all he has ever been. It is just brilliant. This could make for an interesting supporting actor category at the Oscars, as Matt McConaughey’s title character in Mud is being called a supporting role, as well. If I were to criticize any performance, it would be that of Jennifer Garner.  She just doesn’t react with enough emotion for my tastes. I believe she was miscast, but I’m not privy to the inner workings of production casting. This movie offers tears and many laughs on Ron’s journey as he becomes more sensitive to those suffering from the same disease For me, this was an actor’s movie and my binocular tally was easy: Five Binoculars!

(OG) I agree with Barbara. This is going to be Matt McConaughey’s year for an Oscar, but this may not be the movie that earns it for him, and it’s not because his acting wasn’t great in this film. As you may recall, I LOVED Matt in the movie Mud. In fact, his performance is raised up a notch or two by his costars. So, what does that mean? There is a possibility that one of his roles--up to four films may be under consideration for awards-- may end up in the unenviable position of having to compete with itself for awards, this year! That’s right, Matt McConoaughey might be nominated for best actor for more than one film. Mathematically, he could also be nominated against himself in more than one category! It is possible that he would be considered a supporting actor, for his work in Mud and (fill in this blank with one of the other two movies he’ll be appearing in besides Dallas Buyers Club) and then get a Best Man nomination for Dallas.  In fact, he may have to compete with his own supporting actor (Jared Leto) if he gets a supporting actor nomination for one of the other films. You see where this is going? It’s going to make for some interesting rangling come this next awards season. However, for Dallas Buyers Club I personally think Matt and Jared were a great team, character-wise and acting ability-wise. Jennifer Garner, while beautiful, did not convince me that there was any real emotional connection to her character. All in all, Dallas Buyers club still gets four binoculars from me.

All Is Lost

All Is Lost—Directed and written by J.C. Chandor/solo performance Robert Redford/105 mins/PG-13

Bifocal Reviews by Ageless1der, Barbara Rich & The Other Guy

(BR) I have to admit, I was not anxious to see this movie. I considered, one actor, practically no dialogue and a boat on the sea.  Well, I went on an exciting adventure with

Robert Redford (not the kind most women dream of). Every challenge, every mishap on this spectacular journey of survival was edge of your seat drama. Just when you thought, “Whew! He made it,” Murphy’s Law prevailed. Kudos to director, J.C. Chandor who managed to spare the viewers endless time just gazing at the ocean. It was power packed with suspense. Redford, a robust seventy-seven year old man was remarkable with his amazing physical strength and his acting performance, relying solely on his body language and facial expressions. All is Lost, for me was Nothing Lost.  Everything worked together for a great adventure film.  I am happy to give All is Lost four huge binoculars!

(OG) Although there are some great stories where someone spends a lot of time alone in a boat (Life of Pi and Old Man and the Sea to name two), this is only story in my memory where the entire story takes place at sea. Robert Redford doesn’t have any tigers to talk to, and there is no set-up or rescue sub-plot to catch the viewer’s interest. He only speaks four lines of dialogue—though to be totally honest, he does repeat one of the lines several times. All Is Lost owes its strength to the savvy acting chops of Robert Redford some great direction, and even more brilliant editing. The story is all about one man, in a sinking sailboat, then a life raft. That’s it. The suspense, if you will, turns away from, “When will he be saved and how?” to “What new calamity will befall him next and how will he overcome it?” What are his best weapons in his struggle to survive? Knowledge and a strong will to live. This is one of those stories that could answer the age old question, “What do you need when you are in the wrong place at the wrong time?” Robert Redford brings to life J.C. Candor’s engaging tale with the answer, “You have to know what to do, when you get there.” I know this is getting monotonous, but this movie is top-notch and it deserves four binoculars and at least one monocle.

You can now see ALL of your reviews on L&L Magazine, and hear about our travel adventures on our upcoming weekly show airing on local cable, Channel 6. 

Bifocals forAgeless1der

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12 Years A Slave

12 Years A Slave—Directed by Steve McQueen/Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael K. Williams, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt/screenplay written by John Ridley from a first hand account written by freeman, Solomon Northrup/rated R/134 minutes

Bifocal Reviews written by Ageless1der, Barbara Rich & The Other Guy

(BR) Let me start out by saying this is not a feel-good film. It is however, a powerful story. If you abhor cruelty and torture, go well armed to this movie. You will need courage just to watch the abominations throughout this film. Performances played by

Lupita Nyong’o, the female slave and Chivetel Ejiofor, the male lead, were riveting.

The supporting roles deserve a nod, as they were well performed. I particularly liked Michael Fassbender in the role of the tormented plantation master. He struggled with good and evil in a most perverse way. I must add, I was also very impressed with the director, Steve McQueen. It was difficult for me to take in all the other fine contributing factors, such as, cinematography, sound and set direction, because the story was so strong, but in hindsight, I recall it was remarkable. The title of this movie and the names of its cast will be heard many times on Oscar night. I must give this film four, resounding binoculars. In fact, because of this film and many recent great productions, I am instituting a binocular change. The range of binoculars will now be set on a scale of one to five. That makes this film a five.

(OG) There are so many good reasons to see this film, I hardly know where to begin…or end. It is never easy to summarize the effects of a creative piece of work, in any medium, but a film can affect us on so many levels, which simply is not possible in almost any other form of expression. That said, I also want to emphasize that sometimes the seemingly simple special effects are the ones that make a film horrifyingly believable. It should come as no surprise to anyone that this film depicts an agonizingly shameful period in our nation’s history, when slavery was accepted by ignorant and selfish U.S. citizens, as lawful and even expected behavior. Slaves were routinely beaten, tortured and treated as animals. When characters in this film are whipped mercilessly, you can actually see the faint cloud of fibers left behind by the lash on human skin. I don’t know how they did that. It was just too real. I could go on about the editing, the directing, the acting, the music, the cinematography, etc., but I will leave it at this: 12 Years A Slave is a story that is unique to filmmaking so far. It is based on the story of a freeman who is kidnapped to the south and forced to live as a slave. If we believe that this is somehow more unfair for Solomon Northrup, because he was kidnapped, then I think we are missing the point of the film and the original book. This is a five more me as well.

Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips--Directed by Paul Greengrass/ starring Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed/screenplay by Billy Ray, based upon the book A Captain’s Duty: A Captain’s Duty:Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS and Dangerous Days at Sea by Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty/133 mins/ PG-13

Bifocal Reviews written by Ageless1der Barbara Rich & The Other Guy

(BR): Wow, I loved it.  As accomplished an actor as Tom Hanks is, I found his role as Captain Phillips dazzling. I think it is his best work so far. There is such a fine line between giving a stunning performance, while not overshadowing your co-stars, but Hanks nails it. Everything about this film is well tooled and professionally crafted. Paul Greengrass was brilliant in directing this movie, a true compelling story about Somali pirates commandeering a U.S. cargo ship and blundering their way into a standoff with the U.S. government. The new faces on the screen gave excellent performances. Another plus for this movie is that the whole family can see it. Watch Captain Phillips, and you tell me if this isn’t Tom Hanks’ best!  I give this one my top rating. Score: 4 binoculars.

(OG): Let me start off by saying, “This is a four.” Captain Phillips is the kind of movie that meets all my personal qualifications for a top score. All the acting was realistic. No one tried to jump out of the story and make themselves the center of attention, even within a scene, even Tom Hanks (who we know could steal a scene if he wanted). There was only one repeated phrase, an unnecessary clue for the viewer of how the main conflict was going to be resolved, but it was a trifle. Perfectly acted by all, recognizable characters, newcomers and stars. Perfectly directed, edited and filmed with just enough handheld camera action to give it the feel of realism without making you seasick, as with some Oscar winners in recent years). The story is compelling and gives many life lessons that are not shoved down the viewers’ throats, not the least of which is, “It is futile to take on the U.S. military.” For me, this is another four for the year.