Suicide Squad (The Extended Cut)

Wow, where to start. I held out on seeing this until I could see this extended cut that restored several minutes of the cut Joker footage. However, I was still massively disappointed. I don't think there ever was a good movie here. I say that because the very words that came out of everyone's mouths were trite. The plot was barely existent, and the over stylization did nothing to serve the story. Most of the acting was average at best. I got really annoyed at Margot Robbie pretty quickly for her in-and-out bad Snooki impression of a Jersey accent. The only thing I found interesting was Leto's Joker, and even that was a mixed blessing. I've never seen the Joker done quite like this. It's far more faithful to what I just saw in the animated "Killing Joke" than anything I've seen in live action yet. There was no trace of Leto on screen - he wholly became the role, and it was thrilling. That is, when you could tell he was improving and not being forced to deliver banal lines that didn't make sense with the character. Add in that many of the restored scenes show his utter brutality and contradicted the added "love story" with Harley, and it became a mess. I long to see what Leto will do when given a meaty script - I think that will be something amazing to see. As is, this movie is sad to me. It could have been so much more. 2.5/5

Suicide Squad on Netflix

Dallas Buyers Club

I've been waiting to see this film for a very long time. To be on-the-table from the start - I'm a HUGE fan of anything Jared Leto does and I'm very much a fan of Matthew McConaughey as well. I walked into this hoping both would be as amazing as all the awards would suggest. However, I also walked into this expecting things I wouldn't like, or things I thought could have been better, or anything that would justify the trans communities backlash against Leto. I found none of those things. I always knew Leto had this performance in him - anyone who has followed his career closely would have known it. I think that most people think of Leto as Jordan Catalano and not much more, so the sweetness and subtlety of this truly transformative performance simply shocked many. On the other hand, Matthew McConaughey has been knocking it out of the park in every film he's been in for the last three years, so how utterly outstanding he was should have been no surprise. This film is borne by it's two stars - without them it would have fallen apart. The plot is not rich, the direction nothing special, but the acting? Well, that's worth everything, and it is truly outstanding from beginning to end. I loved this. 4/5

Dallas Buyers Club on Netflix

Mr. Nobody

Jared Leto is outstanding in this majestic, gorgeously shot non-linear film about the nature of time & choices. 4/5

Mr. Nobody

Can you both love and dislike a movie? A beautiful film in search of a point, and someone to make it. 3-ish stars. Cinematography on Mr. Nobody is unbelievable, by the way. The depth of field was perfectly used. Visual perfection. See it in High Def if you can.

Followup: Okay, 3.5 stars. 3.75 maybe. My problem with this movie probably stems from the massive re-editing that went on. Without giving anything away, there is a thread in the film that basically doesn't exist anymore. It is given severely short shrift and that fact is obvious. It may as well have been completely removed altogether. Not only would that have cleaned up the errant, dangling remnants but it would have allowed a more cohesive movie. Which is a weird thing to say for such a non-linear film.

Jared Leto is unbelievably great though, and people should watch it just for his performance(s). It brings up huge numbers of questions about reality, the multi-verse, identity and more, and it's worth watching.

Mr. Nobody at Netflix