If you don't want to read it all:
Score: 9/10
Verdict: An epic tale of survival, an instant classic. You cannot afford not to watch this movie
A spoiler-free look at the latest blockbuster.
Do you remember my Gravity review? In it, I said I couldn't understand all the hype that surrounded the film - it's not that it isn't any good, it's just not as good as you might expect it to be. That's not the case with Interstellar - I went to the cinema with sky high expectations and got out very satisfied! It's a well written, well performed and simply beautiful film that deals with some things that... you may want to read about first, in case you aren't familiar with them; namely physics in general, wormholes, black holes, theory of relativity and gravity itself. Did I scare you away? :)
Interstellar tells a story of survival. In the near future, Earth is turning into a desert and all the remaining resources are focused on making food for the survivors. All the resources, including humans. There are no armies, no media, education is minimal and everyone is... trying to farm. But the crops are dying as well and there's less and less of oxygen. And no plan for survival, none at all. Matthew McConaughey plays Coop, an ex-pilot, an engineer and a farmer (what else) who's doing his best to survive with his two children and a father in law. As you can imagine (and since this is not a story of farming in the desert), humans never give up and will try to survive in the universe, so... Well, no spoilers.
Although it's almost 3 hours long, I wanted more of Interstellar by the time the credits started rolling. Talk about relativity, eh? It's fun, it's dramatic, you never knew what may be coming next. I am not an expert on physics (although I am rather well educated in the field) but I couldn't see any major errors with what was presented. I am trying to say that Interstellar is not a fantasy, as I am sure some people would like to describe it as. Most of the phenomenons present in the film are theoretical at this time, but are very accurate with what we currently know about them. And that is awesome! Presenting all this "nerd stuff" to the general public in a form of a blockbuster... well done Mr. Nolan! Of course, some things have to be a bit... adjusted for the purpose of the movie, but hey - it's ok, it's allowed in the film making. Right?
The cast is perfect, with the already mentioned Matthew McConaughey in the main role. Anne Hathaway plays Brand, a female scientist and a daughter of Professor Brand, played by Michael Caine. Matt Damon is Dr. Mann, while John Lithgow plays Coop's father in law. Coop's daughter Murph is played by three different actresses.
The only problem I can think of is... well, to fully understand it, Interstellar should be seen more than once. Definitely more than once. But can you afford to watch a 3 hour long movie twice? Or three times? I'd say it depends on if it deserves to be seen and this one does.
Originally, I wanted to make this review a one-liner, but I got carried away. Still, here's that one line: GO WATCH THIS MOVIE!
If you don't want to read it all:
Score: 5/10
Verdict: Worth watching for Matthew McConaughey's talent.
After watching McConaughey's performance in True Detective I just HAD to see this movie and these are my thoughts of it. In short: it's an okay movie with a brilliant actor in the main role. The longer version follows:
Dallas Buyers Club is one of those movies that tell a story of a one-man army fighting the evil and greedy government. A couple of times I even had a feeling I was watching a light version of The People vs. Larry Flint, one of my favorite movies of all time. Now when I think about it, there is a weird coincidence since Woody Harrelson, McConaughey's partner from True Detective, is the main actor in that movie. Weird indeed!
Anyway, Dallas Buyers Club is about Ron Woodruff, a simple electrician from Dallas who learns that he has HIV and AIDS. All this is happening in 1985 when not much was known about HIV, especially among "the simple folk" who alienized anyone suffering from the disease. Ron was told he has no more than 30 days left to live, but he soon finds out about drugs that could help him, drugs that were not on the approved list by the US government. So his struggle for life and fight against the authorities begins.
Again, McConaughey is simply brilliant in this piece. He does an amazing job in portraying a dying man that refuses to give up and is ready to fight til the very end. Another pleasant surprise is Jared Leto's transsexual character Rayon - I couldn't believe HE was Jared! He lost so much weight and looked so strange... simply amazing. The next big name is Jennifer Garner but to be honest - her role was too small and almost unimportant. And that is what is wrong with this movie - it's all too much about Ron that all other characters are absolutely marginal. The story is okay, the acting is phenomenal, but there's that little something that's missing to make DBC an outstanding movie.
At the end of the movie I wasn't moved nor sad, as someone might expect to be. It just ended and I turned the channel to watch a football match, completely forgetting about it, up until this morning when I decided to review it. It's worth watching for Matthew's acting and that's about it.
And there it is - the end of first season of True Detective. And what a season it has been! Right from the very start, the captivating characters of Rust Cohle and Marty Hart lead us through eight magnificent episodes and delivered a satisfying finale. Satisfying? Yeah, I had a few ideas that would have made it even better, but I don't think the majority would agree with me. And I don't want to spoil the end, in case you are a reader that hasn't seen the last episode yet or hasn't even started watching at all. Just trying to avoid spoilers!
What happens next? HBO is working on season 2 already, but we will see a whole new story without Rust and Marty. Both Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey have confirmed that they will not be coming back and I am thrilled with that decision. It's just that this entire season is a masterpiece of its own and it should remain as it is - without unnecessary sequels that often spoil the original. Just think of the Matrix... trilogy... why did it have to be a trilogy?
That's it. The thing I both love and hate about HBO's shows is their length. Love - because it's actually perfect, not stretched out for commercial reasons, and hate - because... well, those are great shows and we get to miss them! Fortunately, it's almost time for Game of Thrones - only 27 days left to go!
Former Louisiana State CID partners Martin Hart and Rustin Cohle give separate statements to a pair of investigators about the murder of a prostitute, Dora Lange, 17 years earlier. As they look back, details of the crime, replete with occult overtones, are accompanied by insights into the detectives’ volatile partnership and personal lives.
That is really all you need to know about this show before you start watching it. And you should watch it. Period. It's a true masterpiece even though it's only been 5 episodes so far. The story, the production, dialogues, the entire cast... simply fantastic! Both McConaughey and Harrelson are incredibly convincing, completely in their own roles, I just can't find the words to describe them. Cohle is an amazing character with his unique philosophy, dark view of life, total alienation from other people. He could be a reason why some people might stay away from True Detective, he's not easily acceptable character, but I am sure he will soon (if not already) have a huge fanbase in the near future. Hart, on the other hand, is a simple southerner, with regular real-life problems and sins. A completely opposite kind of person, a cop who tries to life his life as he was told do, but also an unfaithful husband. A regular kind of guy, eh?
Mind that this show is kinda slowly paced, it might even seem too slow at times. But in the same time it will make you think about things you never even considered before, mainly due to Cohle's rather unique philosophy.
I don't want to say anything else so I don't spoil the joy of watching. I am sure you will like True Detective and if my text is not enough - think of Michelle Monaghan. Should be enough :)
