MOVIE REVIEW

Director:  Jean-Marc Vallée
Writers:  Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto
Runtime: 117 min
Strength: Story, script, acting and direction
Weakness: Pace of the movie is a bit slow
Showbiz Rating: 4/5
Plot: In 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is himself diagnosed with the disease.
Review: Dallas Buyers Club is Matthew McConaughey's best performance. He carries the movie, and his dedication to the role (which he lost 38 pounds for) is impossible to miss. He is in just about every scene. He plays the homophobic electrician and rodeo rider Ron Woodroof is a smoker and cocaine and alcohol user that frequently has sex with hookers and promiscuous women. When he faints in his trailer, he is sent to the hospital where Dr. Sevard and Dr. Eve tell him that he is HIV+ and will die within thirty days. Ron also meets transgender Rayon, who is drug addicted that also has the disease. Ron does not accept the diagnosis but a couple of days later he realizes that it may be accurate. He researches about the disease and learns that AZT might be lethal for infected people. Further, he discovers that in Mexico there is a doctor with revoked license named Vass that uses alternative drugs in the treatment of AIDS. Ron improves his healthy and decides to sell the drugs in Dallas. He makes a partnership with Rayon and soon he creates the Dallas Buyers Club, where the memberships pay four hundred dollars per month to have the necessary drugs. But the FDA does not accept his research and he is oppressed by the authorities. The movie has a strong script, excellent acting, compelling themes and terrific cinematography. The movie deals with several themes - AIDS, terminal illness, government regulations, response to crisis, change of life issues, homosexuality, promiscuity, personal responsibility, and capitalism. All these themes are treated forthrightly. It is a must watch, but must be seen in a patient mindset with adequate time in hand (its almost 2 hours long). It's definitely not for kicking back on a busy weekday night, but should be saved for the weekend.

Reviewed By: Zahidul Haq

***

Bicycle Thief (1948)

Director: Vittorio De Sica
Writers: Luigi Bartolini (novel), Cesare Zavattini
Stars: Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell
Runtime: 93 min
Strength: Simplicity
Weakness: None
Showbiz Rating: 4.5/5
Plot: A man and his son search for a stolen bicycle vital for his job.
Review: A simple story with whole lot of heartfelt scenes makes Bicycle Thieves the unquestioned masterpiece of cinema history. Definitely the best neorealism cinema, the storyline is simple yet powerful; it is about a man who loses his bicycle which is vital for his job and the rest of the story is about the man's pursuit of his stolen bicycle with his young son. It is so simple that it is often told that anyone could've played the lead role. Yes! The story is really that simple but the execution is done in such a way that any viewer would feel they too are in search of the bicycle. There is not much intensity in the movie – it moves in slow pace, but manages to engage us beyond ordinary cinematic depths. The story takes place during post-war period when jobs were hard to get by and Italy was paralyzed by poverty. Although, on the surface the storyline is simple, the director crafts a film that explores and questions society, law, family and metal anguishes. The movie was given an honorary Oscar in 1949 and routinely voted one of the greatest films of all time. It is still a production that strikes deep even today. It is a “must watch” film for any movie enthusiast.

Reviewed By: Zia Nazmul Islam

***

2 STATES

Director:  Abhishek Varman
Writers: Chetan Bhagat, Abhishek Varman
Stars: Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amrita Singh
Runtime: 149 min
Strength: Story, acting, production values
Weakness: Runtime, not all the songs are great
Showbiz Rating: 3.5/5
Plot: A story about a romantic journey of a culturally opposite couple - Krish Malhotra and Ananya Swaminathan. They meet at the IIM-Ahmedabad College and during the program they fall in love. Complications arise after the program comes to an end and they decide to get married. Krish and Ananya belong to two different states of India. Krish, a North Indian Punjabi boy from Delhi, and Ananya, a Tamilian Brahmin from Chennai.
Review: Based on the book of Chetan Bhagat where he touches the details of cross cultural marriage in a humorous way, 2 States remains faithful to the idea and as a movie experience also it does not disappoint. Arjun and Alia showcase easy chemistry, but the charming Alia does better than Arjun in emotional scenes. As their parents, Amrita Singh, Ronit Roy, Revathy and Shivkumar do quite well. The first half of the movie breezes through while the second half drags a bit, although the quirky dialogues help the melodramatic scenes to move along. Abhishek Varman as writer of adapted screenplay and director impresses in his first outing. The supporting cast is consistently first-rate. Ronit Roy sparkles in a difficult-to-portray character. Amrita Singh is terrific as the dominating mother. Revathy leaves a stamp every time she appears on screen. Shiv Subramanyam hits the right note as Alia's father. On the whole, 2 States is one of the finest pieces of cinematic entertainment to come out of the Hindi film industry this year. Strongly recommended for those who are fond of love stories!

Reviewed By: Broti Rahman