KJones77: #38 Behind the Candelabra (2013), #39 Whiplash (2014), #40 Sexy Beast (2001), #41 American Sniper (2014)

Behind the Candelabra - 6/10

Behind the Candelabra is quite good, but is not as good as it could be. Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Rob Lowe, and Dan Aykroyd, are all great in this riveting portrayal of Liberace during his later years and during his tumultuous relationship with Scott Thorson. At times, a solid romantic film, this one also manages to be quite dramatic, while staying true to its status as a biographical film. Steven Soderbergh's direction of this one is good as always. The production design, costume design, and makeup/hairstyling on this one are all great and worthy of praise. In addition, the writing is very strong and the story is told quite well. My main problem here is that it sometimes pours it on a little thick with the gay sex at times. We have come a long way, but we are not to the point where anybody really wants to watch Matt Damon have sex with Michael Douglas. Now, of course, I do not like sex scenes in general, but this one was a little awkward with those, but that's just me. Overall, Behind the Candelabra is an interesting portrayal of Liberace and Scott Thorson, which shows their time together with brutal honesty and paints, in my mind, a largely negative picture of Liberace.

Whiplash - 8/10

Damn is this one intense. Throughout, this one makes you feel as though you are the one being screamed at and belittled. Wow. Stellar direction from Damien Chazelle, insane to think that this is his directorial debut. The sky is the limit for this wonderful talent. The writing is strong and wherever it stalls or the story stalls, the direction is strong enough to make up for it. Though, what really makes this film is the acting. Miles Teller and JK Simmons are MARVELOUS. I really wish the studio was able to campaign for both of them, because Teller deserved recognition for this role as well, though I am glad that Simmons rightfully received numerous accolades. Teller has a bright future ahead of him if this and The Spectacular Now are any indication, as he was brilliant. I never expected a film about orchestra to be as harrowing and intense as this, but man oh man does Whiplash ever keep you on the edge of your seat. The interactions between Teller and Simmons rival that of Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs, that is how intense and well done they are, as that is my favorite film of all-time.

What prevents me from giving this one a higher rating, however, is that you can tell this was a short film stretched out to feature length. While stuff added certainly adds to the overall film, the odd romantic element served little-to-no purpose and any development could have been achieved elsewhere. In addition, even his relationship with his father felt like filler to add to the run time. This film is about a kid who plays drums who wants to be great and his overly intense teacher. If the film had stayed a bit more focused in that regard, I would have given it a higher rating. As it stands though, Whiplash is a terrific film that displays the talents of both Miles Teller and JK Simmons, while also establishing Damien Chazelle as a director to keep an eye on.

Sexy Beast - 6/10

Despite the lack of thrills, Sexy Beast still manages to be compelling due to the fact that it is completely unlike every other "gangster" film you have ever seen. While there is some violence, the emphasis is certainly not on it, rather it is on the characters here. Featuring great performances from Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley, this one is quite subtle, but does think it is smarter than it really is at times. In director Jonathan Glazer's latest film, Under the Skin, I had the same complaint I do here in that he tries to make it seem deeper than it really is. His debut feature is far more enjoyable for me, but still features that same problem. Plus, some scenes were a little overdone and could have just been done normally. Glazer tries to outdo himself at times and it winds up hurting the overall product. In spite of that, Winstone and Kingsley were amazing and their chemistry is what made this film. As a whole, Sexy Beast is a good gangster flick that does try too hard at times, but when it stays focused, it is quite compelling.

American Sniper - 6/10

American Sniper is a solid film that has many, many faults, but has strengths that help it to overcome those faults. On the plus side, Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller are really good and work very well together. They make for a very believable couple. In terms of Cooper alone, he certainly embodies Chris Kyle and just kills the part. He is fantastic. I really dug the fighting scenes as well. I thought they were all very well done and well shot. Dramatic, entertaining, and saddening, they all made a lasting impact that makes any scenes with PTSD very believable. The supporting cast was also relatively well done. You did feel that sense of brotherhood amongst the Navy Seals that made you understand the passion they felt for defending their fellow soldiers.

On the negative, I can see why many would call this pro-war and pro-America. A couple times for sure, this one portrayed the Americans as superheroes of sort who are indestructible, while casually overlooking the fact that they were all as blood thirsty as their enemy. They demonize an enemy sniper when Chris Kyle is literally the same guy, but he's an American so it's all cool. It is kind of weird, but is to be expected from a book written by Kyle himself. The pro-war aspect is undoubtedly entirely a Kyle contribution, due to how psychotic he was and how much he loved killing. While it does add in some guys struggling with PTSD and of course people who die or who are seriously wounded, the sheer joy Kyle gets from war is obvious. I would categorize this one all the same as anti-war, however, because of those aforementioned supporting characters who seem far more human and far more willing to show how war effects them. In Kyle's relationship with his wife, you can also see a lot of the anti-war element.

Overall, American Sniper is a solid war film that comes nowhere close to being as good as war films such as The Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket, and Saving Private Ryan, that deal with similar topics (obviously) and do so much, much better. However, it is acceptable and a good modern day war film, as the genre has been slacking of late.