the monuments men

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, "The Monuments Men" is an action-thriller focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys -- seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 -- possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements. 

Though this film has an interesting and remarkable premise (you hardly hear about art being pilfered by Hitler during the war), the movie was a slight let down. I can't quite place my finger on what is wrong here - perhaps it was that the climax of the movie was not much of a climax at all, and that we didn't really know what the characters were doing. Moral dilemmas raised throughout the movie were not addressed in a way that made the audience feel that all this saving art was worth it (culture is such an overarching concept that vague doesn't even begin to describe it), and we do not know exactly why these group of people were chosen to do what they did. Clooney could have done leaps better if he dared to take some risks and gave a more defined reason for choosing to save art during war, when lives would have meant so much more.

dallas buyers club

Ron Woodroof is an electrician and rodeo cowboy with a devil-may-care lifestyle who is blindsided with an H.I.V.-positive diagnosis and given 30 days to live. He quickly finds a lack of approved medications in the U.S. and crosses the border into Mexico where he learns about alternative treatments and begins smuggling them into the U.S. Ron finds an unlikely ally in fellow AIDS patient Rayon, a transsexual who shares Ron's lust for life and entrepreneurial spirit. They establish a "buyers club," where H.I.V.-positive people pay monthly dues for access to the newly acquired supplies. Deep in the heart of Texas, Ron's pioneering underground collective beats loud and strong as he fights for dignity, education, and acceptance.

I went into this movie anticipating Matthew McConaughey's performance because his looks disturbed me immensely a la Christian Bale in The Machinist—I feel like if you practically destroyed your body for a film, I have to see it to judge whether all that unhealthy dieting was worth it. And boy oh boy, it definitely did pay off for Matthew.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not the greatest fan of his work (Magic Mike comes to mind) but this movie changed my impression. From the denial to acceptance stage of his disease, his world view changes and that gives me hope because even the most unlikely of people can change. His acting was aided by the script; good development for his character Ron as we see him change from being a homophobe to being somewhat accepting of this minority, and that unrelenting urge to live is basically what being human and being alive is about.

However, we need to talk about the issue of Rayon, the transgender woman portrayed by Jared Leto. Props to his performance, but why can't an actual transgender woman actually play this role instead? There are no shortage of them. And somehow, Rayon felt... out of place, like she didn't add all that much to the story, except for her (questionable, perhaps) friendship with Ron. She definitely does help him change from a misogynist and homophobe to someone more accepting and tolerable, but perhaps this is due to the fact that they are both dying.

With all that said, I am absolutely ready for the 'McConaissance'. Currently marathoning True Dectective!!!

her

Set in the Los Angeles of the slight future, the story follows Theodore Twombly, a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet "Samantha," a bright, female voice, who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other.

This film has been oddly touching to me. I will be the first to admit that the premise scared me shitless (Really now, a man falls in love with an operating system? That's just bypassing the line of the uncanny valley and heading straight into uncharted territory..) because of the fact that it's so real. Siri exists. Google Glass exists. Maybe I'm thinking, we shouldn't be playing God. Human interaction and communication should be limited to just that—human.

Theodore is afraid of being seen as strange when he realizes that he is falling in love with Samantha, and rightly so, because who falls in love with a computer? The fact that this is set in the future doesn't change much in humans, we are still flesh and blood. Joaquin's performance in this is simply quite stunning; his nuanced emotions are perfect for portraying his confusion, and his sadness for having lost the love of his life. Not to mention he was basically acting solo for the best parts of the film, and that is no easy feat. I really enjoyed Spike's vision of the future as well, there was not so much wham-bam, in your face TECHNOLOGY!!! screaming at you and objects flying around, but a future I could imagine five to ten years from now. It is realistic and that struck a chord within me.

As the film progressed, something began to resonate within me; this whole film started making sense. Isn't every human being looking for companionship in some form or other? This is the reason why some people choose to have pets, or indulge themselves in hobbies. The desire to interact with something, anything, is inherent in every one of us. And that is something worth remembering. Let's not forget this gem of a quote, 'I think anybody who falls in love is a freak. It's a crazy thing to do. It's kind of like a form of socially acceptable insanity.' And nobody should ever forget this, you love who you love.