February Film of the Month

In a blink of an eye this month has flown by! And to end the month of February, it is inevitably time for the second Film of the Month.

I haven't seen as many films as January - three in total. So let me know if you have seen any other movies this month - whether they were awful or awesome.

As always, here is the all important rating system:

* = Poor. Why did I even bother?!

** = OK. Could have done better.

*** = Good. Recommended though don’t feel bad you don’t get to see this one.

**** = Excellent. Not quite perfect but highly recommended.

***** = Masterpiece. You’d be a fool not to see this film.

That Awkward Moment

That awkward moment where the outtakes are funnier than the entire movie (and even then it's not great). This was one of those silly 'edgy' rom-coms or guy-rom-coms. Zac Efron put in a fairly comedic performance however Miles Teller as Daniel steals the show. I maybe laughed out loud once where Efron's character turns up in some rather obscene attire for a sophisticated birthday party. The rest of the film? Meh. Don't bother.
Rating: *

Dallas Buyers Club

The performances in the movie are phenomenal. Firstly, Matthew McConaughey is brilliant. As widely reported, McConaughey transformed himself for the role losing over 40lbs but he should be commended for a terrific performance - well he is nominated for an Oscar this weekend so I guess that is praise indeed! And so is Jared Leto for that matter who is up for a Supporting Actor Oscar. The story was engaging though I wasn't completely swept off my feet. Would I have still liked it if there was a different cast? I'm not too sure. The performances carry this film and I'm sure it will do well at the awards this weekend. Definitely recommended, not quite a four star film for me though.

Rating: ***

Her

I loved the cinematography of this film. The colour palette and futuristic look of Los Angeles is visually stunning. I liked the setting of the film too - a not too distant future where technology has developed even further to the point where we can have personal relationships with our devices. It triggered questions on what it means to be human and our relationship to technology right now. I'd have been interested to listen to Samantha Morton's performance, who was originally cast as Samantha in the film. She was replaced by Scarlett Johansson in post production who puts in a pretty good vocal performance. I thoroughly enjoyed the film though I don't know if I felt so emotionally connected or invested in Theodore and Samantha's relationship - but I guess that's kind of the point? It's a computer device, not a human being, so is it ok not to feel as emotionally invested with the central couple? I'll leave that open to debate. Joaquin Phoenix puts in a heartfelt performance which I adore and I think the movie overall is very original. Again, this is a good recommendation. It was close to four stars but not quite.
Rating: ***

This month has been hard to pick as you can see with two films getting the same three star rating, but my personal February Film of the Month goes to...

Dallas Buyers Club

Do you agree? Or do you disagree?

What films have you seen this February?

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(All images from IMDB.com)