Simply Perfect

Purely Joyful Movie!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Firstly, I want to talk about the haters. I read most of your reviews and I conclude that none of you have the intelligence to understand a film with this subject matter. One reviewer even went so far to say that Jim Parsons can't give a good performance in a drama because he can't show emotion. I think you need to not compare other roles he acts to Sheldon Cooper.The only reason I found this film is because I wanted to see Jim in a role other than Sheldon. I looked up his filmography and picked this one. I thought Jim was very good. He plays a character that clearly doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve because too many of his friends die. If he did, it would drive him crazy. His scene at the end though, blatantly shows that he's full of emotion and sentiment. I found his role quite touching.As for the film in general, great performances from many of the cast, excellent script and an emotional true to life story make this film a must see.Fantastic for a TV movie 9/10.Peace & Love xxx

HIV/AIDS these days is almost unheard of, depending on your social circles that is, we all know people who know people who have known people from the 80's/90's that passed away due to the nasty disease and no doubt we have all seen movies or read books that explore the terrible illness as well. It has touched my life personally as well, as I had a few friends diagnosed in the 90's and it is something that has always put fear in my heart. With the education and knowledge surrounding the disease now though we are a lot further advanced when it comes to how to handle those who have caught or are living with the dreaded disease. One thing we have never seen before though is the brutality that came with it, especially when it was first discovered. The Normal Heart is a work of fiction bought to life as a TV movie by the same writer who penned the stage version in 1985 Larry Kramer, add to the mix TV director Ryan Murphy of Glee and American Horror Story fame and the two bring forth a film version of the play.Summer of 1981, Ned Weeks is a loud opinionated outspoken New York writer who arrives at Fire Island to celebrate the birthday of his long-time friend Mike's partner Craig. Ned is an openly gay guy which is almost unheard of amongst his social groups, most of his friends are closeted for family or work reason, the party is filled with guys he has known throughout the years. Ned's friend Micky who is dating Craig decide to go for a walk along the beach suddenly Craig feels dizzy and collapses. Later in the afternoon Craig is ready to blow out his birthday candles and suddenly begins to cough uncontrollably. Back in New York City Ned after reading an article about the new disease that seems to be killing off gay men meets up with Dr Emma Brookner who is doing her best to raise awareness about this new disease that only appears to be affecting the gay men of New York. Ned organises a gathering at his home and invites every gay man he can to help educate them and spread the word. From the meeting, Ned and a few friends form a Community Group calling themselves Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) where they help other men who are suffering or know of others suffering with a call centre and general advice…The performances from this TV movie are outstanding, Ned Weeks is a man you loathe due to his arrogance and loud mouth but he is played brilliantly by Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind) Matt Bomer's (White Collar, In Time) transformation has to be seen to be believed as his body slowly deteriorates within the three years the film takes place over. With one of her finest performances to date in my opinion Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman, Eat Pray Love) excels as Dr Emma Brookner. Also starring Jim Parsons, Alfred Molina, Taylor Kitsch and a whole heap of others. I felt the performances by everyone were amazing, a rare opportunity to say the cast was chosen perfectly. Ryan Murphy has done a great job with the film, nothing too fancy more letting the actors star and deliver their lines the way it should be.It's a very heavy film; some scenes are very distressing and no doubt most will need the tissues handy. A great film that tells how things were in the beginning of the AIDS crisis that struck the world without ever apologising for its brutality and heavy delivery. I feel like there is a lot more more I should say about the film but in doing so will give away too much. Well worth watching even though it is a little longer than I feel it needs to be.

The last film I watch in 2014 is Ryan Murphy's much hyped HBO TV movie, a sob-fest chronicles the life of a gay activist Ned Weeks (Ruffalo) during the inception of HIV epidemic in the 80s. Kick-starting in a flamboyant beach shindig in Fire Island to celebrate Ned's ex-boyfriend Craig (Groff)'s B-day, the film cunningly put Ned's wallflower awkwardness in the foreground among all the alluring parade of the gay sub-culture, right after the sexual revolution. But the gleeful hedonism doesn't stick, Craig's faint spell suggests a new kind of hazard will prey on the minority group and as we know it - it has haunting the world ever since. Ned, as a screen proxy of the writer Larry Kramer, is an out-and-out advocate of complete coming-out and an adamant fighter, all for a well-intended cause, but his attitude of absolutisation reveals the biggest flaw in his personality, which puts him in sheer contrast with Bruce Niles (Kitsch), Craig's boyfriend and the president of GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis) organization, a gorgeous blond hasn't outed yet. Murphy and Kramer launches a friend-or-foe tug-of-war between Ned and Bruce, keeps the undercurrent running tepidly without choosing sides. Ned's radical remarks on TV and his uncompromising modus operandi is thrilling for showboating, but it is a far cry from a mature political strategy to get things on their right tracks; meanwhile, the film doesn't give enough lucid information of the decisions made from Bruce's side since the whole story is narrated from Ned's POV, which makes the plot twist of Ned's dismissal a bit arbitrary although one cannot argue he should have seen it coming. Prominently, the film is inundated with poignant speeches and melodramatic moments, each of the main cast dominates their spotlight in staunch virtuosity, starting from supporting actors, Bomer as Felix Turner, a Times journalist and Ned's boyfriend, a too- good-to-be-true prince charming for Kramer in real life (he takes the initiative while Ned is clearly oblivious of him after a hookup in the darkness, oh gosh, how can anyone forget someone as yummy as Bomer, even in the pitch black, it is pure baloney!), is utterly heartbreaking to watch in his startling physical transformation as a HIV patient in his last days, likened to Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013, 7/10), the weight-loss trick works again, moreover, Bomer hits the perfect note when facing Ruffalo in their intimate time, up to their final wedding scenes, it can easily strikes one's soft spot. Joe Mantello, a famous Broadway director, plays Micky Marcus, Ned's friend and college in GMHC, not a familiar face in front of the camera, but he totally nails his imploding monologue with multiple layers of emotions, a bona-fide showstopper with sharp empathy and arouse heartfelt admiration. Jim Parsons, is another surprise, conveys his role Tommy Boatwright, the executive director of GMHC, with subdued nuances, his eulogy to a deceased friend is another highlight in the movie, really he has liberated himself from the persistent screen-image as Sheldon Cooper (he is also the only cast member from the original play to reprise his role). Also worth mentioning is Alfred Molina, plays Ben, Ned's loving brother, brings a different standpoint from a straight man, not the usual apathy or aversion, instead he is quite open to Ned's sexuality and supports him unconditionally, but one barrier is always there to keep him from accepting him as an equal, which points out as an astute reality check. Julia Roberts, deglamorises herself as the wheelchair-bound doctor Emma Brookner, who represents the righteous core of the line of work, fights against the bureaucratic inhumanity and social bias, Roberts gives a galvanising performance especially in her showdown time with the evil side of her peer. Also connects her polio situation with the rampant AIDS aggression - it is just a virus and no one has polio now. Finally, our hero Ned, Mark Ruffalo acts against his usual amiability, and imbues a whiff of waywardness attached to a very assertive approach, often he is upstaged by his more plot-driven co-stars, nevertheless, it is undeniable that he superlatively makes Ned a real human out of the exhausting bereavement overload.Frankly speaking, the film feels too much reckoning on the fine-tuned character study from its sterling thespians, while the focal point of gay politics is basically being overshadowed or over-simplified, as it is always easier to re-enact past stories since viewers have already grasped the gist beforehand, the film serves only to cherry-pick certain affecting episodes to impress and preach. But still this is an urgent issue needs to be disseminated and reach as many people as possible, to edify and impress, to extol unbiased love, on these grounds, one must give Murphy and his team a big thumb up.

I really enjoyed this movie, it as good story line, lots of historical facts, great performances and a good rhythm. It tells you the story of the gay community in New York city, in the beginning of the 80's, when AIDS started to appear and nobody know how the transmission of the virus was possible, how to prevent and at the same time deal with the terrible anti-gay atmosphere in every street and place of the city. Mark Rufalo makes a wonderful job, great performance, the audience can actually feel the anger, the anxiety and despair of a man fighting for his partner who caught AIDS. I think its one of those films everyone should watch, besides every creed or religion, to remind us all that prejudice and ignorance are the main keys for a detached and sick society.8/10