5 Films To Look Forward To In February 2014

1) Dallas Buyers Club

Starring Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto this film tells the story of Ron Woodruff, a man forced to face the realities of AID's and the FDA in the 90's.

2) Robocop

It might be crap, but you never know.

3) Cuban Fury

A comedy about a man who gave up Salsa dancing after being a junior champion.

4) The Monuments Men

Tells the story of a special platoon in WWII charged with rescuing artistic masterpieces from the Nazis.

5) The Invisible Woman

A woman reminisces and recalls her relationship with Charles Dickens.

12 Years A Slave (2014)

The award season has arrived so I have decided to start this New Year with one of the hot contenders. Directed by Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave has already won Best Motion Picture - Drama at this year's Golden Globes as well as having the most nominations for any film at this ceremony and many more across the award season so far. It tells the true story of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man in 19th Century New York who is kidnapped and sold into slavery, forced to work on the cotton plantations of Louisiana. During his slavery he is confronted with both benevolent and brutal masters, loss of hope and acts of kindness that lead to is eventual return to his family and to his freedom.

To say that this film is deserving of its accolades and nominations seems to me to be a gross understatement. Often in the collection of films that are chosen to be nominated for the awards season, the majority are slow, overly arty and lacking in any real story or depth (please don't make me start talking about 'The Tree of Life'). This film however is a masterpiece. Each of the elements of this movie are combined together perfectly to create a truly stunning motion picture.

To start with, let's discuss the acting. Every single actor in this movie gives the performance of a lifetime, and with a cast like this, it is hardly surprising. To name but a few, Michael Fassbender (Edwin Epps), Lupita Nyong'o (Patsey), Sarah Paulson (Mary Epps), Benedict Cumberbatch (William Ford), Brad Pitt (Samuel Bass), Paul Giamatti (Theophilus Freeman) and Paul Dano (John Tibeats) are all stunning and make for a truly outstanding collection of supporting performances. However, none of these can even come close to the once-in-a-lifetime performance given by Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup. I have been a huge fan of his since I saw 'Kinky Boots' for the first time all those years ago, but his performance in this film is genuinely something else. Ejiofor brings a unique quality to this kidnapped and worn down man, expertly portraying the desperation of the situation whilst demonstrating the strength, kindness and pride of the character in question.

Moving on to the film in general, it is visually stunning and often quite uncomfortable to watch. The hardship and reality of slavery is in no way shied away from, portraying the true nature of the story and this man's struggle through his loss of freedom. Steve McQueen has beautifully directed this film ensuring that this story is told as truthfully and as realistically as possible. It is a stunning film to watch and deserves to win many more awards.

If I were forced to pick out a negative aspect of the film, I would say that on very rare occasions the music and the editing do not help the story along and can occasionally be distracting and take the focus away from what is being seen. However, these moments are fleeting at most and bare no influence on the overall portrayal of the story and the movie itself.

Overall, this is a great movie and one that is a must see from this years nominated crop, and I can safely say that I have no doubt many more awards are in its future.