by Robbie Jones
Jared Leto is one awesome guy. He’s the front man of 30 Seconds to Mars, an Oscar winning actor, and a supporter of charities alike. Add that to his luscious hair and amazing voice and you’ve almost got perfection. Dallas Buyer’s Club has hit DVD shelves, and you know what that means? It’s time to take a look at his best films!
Of course, there are several I’ve yet to see, the likes of Lord of War and Requiem for a Dream, both of which have received nothing but acclaim. So, what’s on our list?
Jared Leto is one awesome guy. He’s the front man of 30 Seconds to Mars, an Oscar winning actor, and a supporter of charities alike. Add that to his luscious hair and amazing voice and you’ve almost got perfection. Dallas Buyer’s Club has hit DVD shelves, and you know what that means? It’s time to take a look at his best films!
Of course, there are several I’ve yet to see, the likes of Lord of War and Requiem for a Dream, both of which have received nothing but acclaim. So, what’s on our list?
Panic Room
David Fincher’s home invasion film is a rather underrated gem in the Thriller genre. Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart. No, she couldn’t smile in her youth either) move into their new home, an apartment with a built-in panic room. When three burglars (Forest Whittaker, Dwight Yoakam and Jared Leto) break in searching for something that had been left in the apartment, the girls find themselves trapped in the panic room. It’s far from Fincher’s best, but that doesn’t stop it from being a stellar watch. With great performances all around, including Leto, who gives off a very Colin Farrell vibe in his part as the uptown rich kid of the group, and genuinely scary moments, Panic Room makes for perfect thriller viewing. Speaking of Fincher.....
David Fincher’s home invasion film is a rather underrated gem in the Thriller genre. Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart. No, she couldn’t smile in her youth either) move into their new home, an apartment with a built-in panic room. When three burglars (Forest Whittaker, Dwight Yoakam and Jared Leto) break in searching for something that had been left in the apartment, the girls find themselves trapped in the panic room. It’s far from Fincher’s best, but that doesn’t stop it from being a stellar watch. With great performances all around, including Leto, who gives off a very Colin Farrell vibe in his part as the uptown rich kid of the group, and genuinely scary moments, Panic Room makes for perfect thriller viewing. Speaking of Fincher.....
Fight Club
From far from his best to his very best, it’s Fight Club. I don’t need to explain Fight Club. In fact, the rules state I shouldn’t be talking about it. But Fight Club is indeed a masterpiece. It’s brutal, it’s funny, it’s absolutely fucking mental to be honest, but it’s brilliant. Jared only plays a small part as a bleached-haired member of the club who gets pounded by Edward Norton. Yeah, not so pretty after that. It’s a small performance but it’s a good one, as are the ones by leads Norton and Brad Pitt.
From far from his best to his very best, it’s Fight Club. I don’t need to explain Fight Club. In fact, the rules state I shouldn’t be talking about it. But Fight Club is indeed a masterpiece. It’s brutal, it’s funny, it’s absolutely fucking mental to be honest, but it’s brilliant. Jared only plays a small part as a bleached-haired member of the club who gets pounded by Edward Norton. Yeah, not so pretty after that. It’s a small performance but it’s a good one, as are the ones by leads Norton and Brad Pitt.
American Psycho
Jared Leto is not in American Psycho for very long. However, he is quite important, for it is actually him who gets the ball rolling. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a wealthy investment banker in 1980s Manhattan. He has a love for eating at trendy restaurants, and keeping up appearances for his fiancé (Reese Witherspoon), though spends a lot of time with his shallow associates, all of whom he dislikes. He also has a secret life as serial killer. Bateman finds himself jealous of co-worker Paul Allen’s (Jared Leto) new business card, leading to Bateman killing him. What follows is downward spiral of insanity in Christian Bale’s best performance to date.
Jared Leto is not in American Psycho for very long. However, he is quite important, for it is actually him who gets the ball rolling. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a wealthy investment banker in 1980s Manhattan. He has a love for eating at trendy restaurants, and keeping up appearances for his fiancé (Reese Witherspoon), though spends a lot of time with his shallow associates, all of whom he dislikes. He also has a secret life as serial killer. Bateman finds himself jealous of co-worker Paul Allen’s (Jared Leto) new business card, leading to Bateman killing him. What follows is downward spiral of insanity in Christian Bale’s best performance to date.
Mr. Nobody
We all have those films we can’t quite wrap our head around. For me, it’s Mr. Nobody. In the year 2092, Nemo Nobody is the oldest man on Earth at 118 years old, and he’s also the last living mortal. When interviewed by a reporter, he talks about the three loves of his life, and 3 important periods of his life, at the ages of 9, 15 and 34. I warn you, it can be a bit of a mind-bender but when you really think about, it’s not all that complex, even though it still feels like it, and it’s an utterly fantastic piece of cinema. Leto portrays Nemo at both 34 and 118 years old, and does brilliantly playing both, as do the young actors playing Nemo at other stages.
We all have those films we can’t quite wrap our head around. For me, it’s Mr. Nobody. In the year 2092, Nemo Nobody is the oldest man on Earth at 118 years old, and he’s also the last living mortal. When interviewed by a reporter, he talks about the three loves of his life, and 3 important periods of his life, at the ages of 9, 15 and 34. I warn you, it can be a bit of a mind-bender but when you really think about, it’s not all that complex, even though it still feels like it, and it’s an utterly fantastic piece of cinema. Leto portrays Nemo at both 34 and 118 years old, and does brilliantly playing both, as do the young actors playing Nemo at other stages.
Dallas Buyers Club
After playing a 118 year old man, Jared continues his chameleon-like acting, seen in both Mr. Nobody and Chapter 27 (in which he gained 67 pounds and was totally unrecognisable), in the film we’re celebrating today, Dallas Buyers Club. Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is a homophobic gambler who is diagnosed with HIV. After finding out that the drugs being used to treat it are effectively killing patients, he teams up with Rayon (Jared Leto), a transvestite who also suffers from the disease and is frowned upon in society, to import working drugs from other countries which aren’t FDA approved and working his way through loop holes by selling club memberships rather than the drugs. It’s an absolutely fascinating story (as well as very fabricated from the real life story, such as Woodroof actually being bisexual in real life, and Rayon being entirely fictional), and is written so well, very much deserving of its Oscar nomination. In fact, it was worthy of all its nominations. I honestly would’ve given it Best Picture (despite how brilliant 12 Years a Slave is). But of course, McConaughey and Leto took him Best Actor (Sorry, Leo) and Best Supporting Actor, and rightfully so. McConaughey was amazing, but Leto blew everyone out of the water in perhaps the best acting performance of 2013. He lost a shed ton of weight, and was once again unrecognisable as Rayon. But more than that, he presented to us this broken woman whose emotional turmoil is only softened by her drug addiction. The scenes in which she speaks to her father, dropping the drag and being the person she doesn’t want to be for her father’s approval, and the scenes where she becomes close with Ron are absolutely mesmerising, and you will never, EVER, look at Jared Leto the same way ever again.
Dallas Buyer’s Club is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital Download now.
After playing a 118 year old man, Jared continues his chameleon-like acting, seen in both Mr. Nobody and Chapter 27 (in which he gained 67 pounds and was totally unrecognisable), in the film we’re celebrating today, Dallas Buyers Club. Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is a homophobic gambler who is diagnosed with HIV. After finding out that the drugs being used to treat it are effectively killing patients, he teams up with Rayon (Jared Leto), a transvestite who also suffers from the disease and is frowned upon in society, to import working drugs from other countries which aren’t FDA approved and working his way through loop holes by selling club memberships rather than the drugs. It’s an absolutely fascinating story (as well as very fabricated from the real life story, such as Woodroof actually being bisexual in real life, and Rayon being entirely fictional), and is written so well, very much deserving of its Oscar nomination. In fact, it was worthy of all its nominations. I honestly would’ve given it Best Picture (despite how brilliant 12 Years a Slave is). But of course, McConaughey and Leto took him Best Actor (Sorry, Leo) and Best Supporting Actor, and rightfully so. McConaughey was amazing, but Leto blew everyone out of the water in perhaps the best acting performance of 2013. He lost a shed ton of weight, and was once again unrecognisable as Rayon. But more than that, he presented to us this broken woman whose emotional turmoil is only softened by her drug addiction. The scenes in which she speaks to her father, dropping the drag and being the person she doesn’t want to be for her father’s approval, and the scenes where she becomes close with Ron are absolutely mesmerising, and you will never, EVER, look at Jared Leto the same way ever again.
Dallas Buyer’s Club is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital Download now.
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