Thor: The Dark World

This was an entertaining movie. It had the requisite battles to destroy and/ or save the universe; fighting against hideous creatures with dark powers. For sci-fi fans this type of apocalyptic battle is the de rigueur. What makes this movie work is the chemistry of the cast. The audience buys into them. Twirling the hammer is fun to watch, but do you like the guy at the other end of the handle?

The other guy at the end of the handle is Chris Hemsworth, a worthwhile addition to the Australian acting roster working in American cinema: Hugh Jackman, Sam Worthington, Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) and others. He plays Thor with both graveness and a human touch. Hemsworth is most appealing when he is not using his Thor voice and just doing human things like asking for directions to a train station. His relationship with Natalie Portman’s character is heating up and this will take us to the next sequel. Maybe there will be little Thor’s?

Natalie Portman is an actress with credentials (Black Swan, V for Vendetta, Garden State and other movies); it was a surprise to see her in the first Thor movie. This is light duty for her, but with the reduced voltage she is integrating herself well with the cast. She is Thor’s main squeeze and they work well together.

Antony Hopkins should pay the producers for letting him play Odin. He is having too much fun to call this work. His one eyed glare rules over Thor and Loki. Hopkins was such a ham he could be served at a Thanksgiving dinner.

I cannot say that Loki is likable, because he is despicable, but he is an indispensable part of the landscape. Thor without Loki is like a hot dog without mustard. Not to give anything away Loki is an integral part of the story and there is chemistry, even if it is corrosive.

Darcy Lewis, as played by Kat Dennings, is the film’s second banana. She has more air time in this movie than the first (thank goodness for focus groups). She serves up many funny lines. She is still an intern in this movie, but she has an intern who will likely be the third banana at some point.

There are other notable actors who make up Thor’s merry men and a merry woman. It was nice to see Renee Russo on the screen again (she plays Thor’s Mom).

The movie is the whole of its parts. Let’s hope the producers keep these Lego blocks together.

N.B.-DO NOT LEAVE UNTIL THE CREDITS ARE FINISHED!!

Dallas Buyers Club

My impression of Matthew McConaughey was of a light weight actor doing romantic comedies and at every opportunity taking off his shirt showing off his jacked body and PhotoShopped abbs. Recently his acting credentials improved with pictures like Lincoln Lawyer and Magic Mike. As Ron Woodroof, McConaughey ups his game. His acting in this role is memorable. The anger and desperation which McConaughey projects is palatable. Ron Woodroof is in a life and death struggle and McConaughey is pitch perfect portraying Woodroof’s tenacity to live. The physical challenge of the role required McConaughey to lose 50 pounds (so much for my acting career).

Woodroof is diagnosed with AIDS and in 80’s treatment of AIDS was embryonic and basically a gamble. Ron is given a short time to live by his doctors which he rejects telling them to go f__k themselves (this was before Obmacare). Ron appears to be a womanizing alcoholic cocaine drug user, which he was. But he was smart and very well organized and proceeds to get drugs from outside of the US which are not FDA approved. His battle with the FDA is one of the feel good moments of the film.

Woodroof is a homophobe, but he puts his emotions in check when he accepts that gays are lucrative clients.  A center piece of the movie is Woodroof’s relationship with Rayon, a transgender woman played by Jared Lato. The relationship goes from repulsion to acceptance to commitment. Jared Lato is outstanding in this role. Any actor can put on a dress; the trick is to make the audience see beyond the dress. Lato portrays Rayon’s hopelessness with sad eyes, an emaciated body and cheap make up. Lato’s weight he lost for the role is alarming. I think an Oscar nomination is justified here.

Another character is played by Jennifer Garner, one of Woodroof’s doctors.  She plays the role with limited emotion, but she does use the F word, once. She did a good job but this was not a transformative role for her.  Then there is Steve Zahn who plays the Ron’s cop buddy. Zahn does not have much air time and the role is pedestrian but he is sincere and he is always fun to watch.

The last scene is a very poignant metaphor for the movie. Don’t miss it.

p.s.-This is a true story.

Ender’s Game

The premise  of  Ender’s Game is children (12-15 years old) can process information quicker than adults and their gaming prowess teaches them valuable tactical skills. This makes them the ideal soldiers for future battles. The concept of children soldiers is not unique; it goes back to David and today exists in the battle fields of Africa.

The problem with Ender’s Game is Ender, he is the best. He is told in the beginning of the movie that he is the best. In every situation, be it a school test or a battle simulation, the outcome is no surprise. His ascent in military rank is without obstacle.  Ender is two dimensional. His character would be more interesting if he had to overcome failures. Redemption makes for good story telling; people relate.

Asa Butterfield (the kid in Hugo) plays Ender placidly punctuated with some lively periods of homicidal rage. His performance is functional but not memorable. The other child actors are perfunctionary. There is a transition from hostility of his fellow cadets (no one liked Ender in the beginning) to comradery which coalesced into his squadron.

The adults are Harrison Ford, Viola Davis and Sir Ben Kingsley. The megawatt star power in this movie is wasted. None of their roles was demanding or required any acting range. Even big stars need to pay the bills. Harrison Ford is the colonial in charge of the academy for the young soldiers. In this movie he is the angry Harrison Ford. He is humorless and demanding, a scowl is his mask. Viola Davis is Major Anderson, the psychiatrist. For most of the movie you only see shots of her from the waist up, this is a metaphor for wasted talent. In this movie she does not need to dig deep for emotions.

Ben Kingsley shows up towards the end of the movie as a legendary pilot. The meaning of his New Zealand Maori face tattoos eludes me. He just looks ridicules. To save money they could have hired Mike Tyson for the role and saved money on make-up.

Three quarters into the movie it gets interesting. May be it’s my age but I did not expect it (I am sure all the video brats out there are making fun of me). The ending is hokey and clearly a set up for a sequel (doubtful).

If you are into Sci-Fi go see it, if not put it on your Netflix wish list… maybe not.