Review: American Hustle

Although I’m sure many of us were crying out for a Stateside remake of the classic BBC1 show, this is a film I’d been looking forward to seeing for a long old time. Director David O. Russell of Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter fame returns for this slow burning con drama, and brings along his old muckers Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Christian Bale for the ride.

The film starts with conman Irving Rosenfeld played by Bale, being hit by an FBI sting led by Richie DiMaso (Cooper) and forced into cooperating with the Bureau to bring down a large number of other tricksters. Along with his mistress Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), Rosenfeld has been a rather naughty boy, scamming poor souls with his neat little tricks. As the story unfolds DiMaso’s hunger starts to growl and they end up going for more and more high profile targets.

This is a slightly difficult film to talk about for me. The best way to start discussing it is by saying that it is a film that is trying to be two things: a slow burning talky film, and a heist/con/crime drama. While American Hustle goes a long way to bridging this gap I’m not quite sure that these two genres are comfortable bedfellows. As each piece of the puzzle is slotted in you sort of expect the pace to ratchet up a notch, and this doesn’t really ever happen. As a result the film doesn’t really sit in either camp.

For me this is a shame because the film is full of well-crafted characters. The leading cast of five (Bale, Cooper, Lawrence, Adams, and Jeremy Renner as the New Jersey Mayor) each has their own distinguishable, separate role in the piece, and each adds something to both the story and the feel of the movie. We’ve seen this done to good effect by Russell previously in Silver Linings and The Fighter, who is fast becoming a Hollywood hot property.

So the characters themselves are there in the script, but of course it takes good performances to bring them to the screen. Fortunately we have the cream of the current crop here. Bale immerses himself again (yes, he really did put on all that weight for the part) and as a result puts on an enormously convincing show. Adams as the doe-eyed sidekick is well-balanced and strong, Renner is solid, and Cooper puts in another outstanding performance playing characters that Di Niro would have played were he Cooper’s age today. He is a guy who will only get better as he gets older.

The standout however comes again from Hollywood’s latest darling, Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Rosenfeld’s wife Rosalyn. Admittedly she starts off pretty slow and reserved in this one, and I found myself wondering if her Best Supporting nomination for March the 2^nd’s Oscars had perhaps been a result of her off-screen fun-loving antics rather than the actual performance. I could not have been more wrong. As the piece moves along she evolves her character and comes to reveal its nuances. Calm and amusing when she needs to be, and volatile at other times, she perfectly pitches this role and really adds to the fabric of the movie. I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t pick up that little statue for the second year in a row.

I really wanted to love this movie. I liked it a lot, as a friend, but I’d probably have to say I’m seeing other movies. It’s a good attempt at what a combination of these two genres might look like, and has some outstanding performances, but just didn’t quite click for me. Anyway, I encourage you to go and watch it and make your own mind up.

Review: August: Osage County

Set in the back-end-of-the-bottom-of-that-bit-round-the-corner-of-approximately-nowhere, August: Osage County is the story of an American mid-West family that comes together following a crisis. It follows the fallout from where their lives have taken them and what they have become, both individually and as a group.

Cards on the table, it’s a pretty slow one. If you think the Transformers movies were under-awarded, then this film is not going to be for you. Full to the brim with conversations round dinner tables and glances across rooms full of reason, this is very much a dialogue heavy piece, so go along with a modicum of patience. If you do give it time though, the film is really rather good.

Through a combination of the three daughters (all well played, none better however than Julia Roberts), uncles, aunts, boyfriends and children, this is an exploration of what happens when family life fractures and a once close-knit unit is pulled apart by time, circumstance, or a combination of the two. As a 23 year old I sort of felt this film wasn’t really for me – not that I didn’t enjoy it, but I think people in their middle years will be able to strike a chord with the themes slightly more. Dealing with stubbornly ageing parents is something nearly all of us have to deal with, and the film examines these issues patiently and thoughtfully.

The standout performance, as in pretty much every film she appears in, comes from Meryl Streep. I will struggle to find a new way to talk about her (the word I tend to go for is ‘powerhouse’ if you must know) but she is simply faultless in this role. As a drug-addicted cancer patient, she manages to bring every single aspect of the character to light and keep them perfectly balanced. Unlike ‘good’ actors, great actors know the power in the smallest movements and words, and Streep is an embodiment of complete acting. Of course when volume and drama are required she can draw from the well, but she understands that a character is sometimes remarkable in what they don’t do.

In terms of Oscar nominations Streep is up for Best Actress against the remarkable performance of Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine, a film I thoroughly enjoyed, so she will have tough competition for the little statue this year. Roberts is also nominated in the Supporting category, and may struggle against the unstoppable force that is Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle). I would have rated the script as higher than that of American Hustle, which is nominated for the Original Screenplay gong, but hey, I didn’t like Argo so what do I know!

Not the easiest film to watch I would say, but well worth seeing for the experience, and Streep is worth the admission price twice over. Go out and see this film, and hey, your local cinema might be showing it.

Review: The Wolf of Wall Street

Marty Marty Marty. You old scoundrel, you’ve done it again. With his latest offering the seemingly immortal Mr Scorsese has given viewers a film that smacks you round the face, brings you round with smelling salts, then smacks you round the face again.

This three-hour walkthrough of the Wall Street career of one Jordan Belfort is narrated and presented by Leonardo DiCaprio, and if what we are led to believe is true, this crazy nonstop ride is a mere drop in the ocean as to what actually happened. That beggars belief if true, as the film is one of the most chaotic and brutally raw pieces of cinema in recent memory. For a stylistic note (WARNING: PRETENTIOUSNESS IMMINENT) think Francis Ford Coppolla combined with Baz Luhrmann.

An unlikely combination indeed, and on that note let’s talk about the onscreen BFFs that are DiCaprio and Jonah Hill (Donnie Azof). In their public appearances before and since Wolf came out the two have demonstrated a clear friendship and respect for each other, and this chemistry comes across in the movie as they laugh, cry, fight, and snort their way through.

When you consider that Superbad only came out six and a half years ago you have to admire the career so far of the now double Oscar nominee Hill, and wonder how far he will go when he begins to take on the leading dramatic roles he is surely destined for. It of course almost goes without saying these days that DiCaprio is superb in this role, demonstrating his uncanny ability to play that guy you just love to hate (think Gatsby on speed, coke, and every other drug you can think of). Will it be his year? (For what it’s worth, I’m personally not sure he cares).

The supporting cast is incredibly strong and doesn’t put a foot wrong, with particular praise having to go to the weird and wonderful character portrayal by Matthew McConaughey. Rarely can you see a top class actor like DiCaprio blown off the screen, but McConaughey’s cameo (unfortunately too short in the film but too long in the trailer) is a highly amusing one, and a great way to get the movie going and the audience comfortable.

You won’t be comfortable for long though, as once those smelling salts having taken hold you are whisked away into a world of villainy, debauchery, and outrageous consumption. Wolf pulls off that difficult trick of keeping the pace high while not exhausting the viewer, and for a three-hour film that is no mean feat. Sure it’s not for the faint hearted, but don’t go and see a Scorsese film if you fall into that category.

A lot of people are musing that this might be Scorsese’s best yet. Difficult to tell for me – what it lacks against the intelligence of The Departed, the brutality of Goodfellas, and the psychological thrills of Shutter Island, it makes up for with a circus ride of colour and an exploration of every possible human emotion.

Anyway, don’t listen to me guffing on. See for yourself. Well worth the ticket price.

Review: Anchorman 2

It is not often in this day and age that we have to wait nine years for the sequel to a hit film to be released, but we kept wondering and waiting for this one. First it was on, then it was off, then it was definitely off forever, then it was in the pipeline, and finally they made the thing. And I’m glad they did.

Let’s go crazy and start with the punch line. It is not as good as the first film. That is a fact. But I think we would all agree that that was never going to happen – it was never going to have the same originality and ‘shock value’ (I hate that phrase, sorry) as the first film, because it had to follow Anchorman.

What Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues does however is straddle a very thin line between pandering to the whims of the die-hards whilst being its own film. It manages to raise contemporary issues (something of note for a film set in the 1980s) and by doing this it stays fresh and keeps the audience interested. It seems almost heretic to say that there may be people who see this film who have not seen the original, but these (ridiculous) individuals will enjoy it I’m sure.

Part of the charm is the fact that the whole gang is back for the film, including Baxter (who must be getting on a bit these days surely?). The Newsteam doesn’t put a foot wrong, and the supporting cast is brilliant as in the original. While there were a couple of gags that perhaps went on a bit far for me (the dinner scene for one), there are dozens of laugh out loud moments.

The general message is one of relief from me – as a huge fan of the original, I hoped and prayed that The Legend Continues would at very least not embarrass its older brother. It far exceeded these expectations, and like the original I believe it will get funnier the more you see it.

Did you miss me?

No? Me neither... I was just... checking. See, I told you it wouldn't be awkward...

A two month absence, because of that Christmas thing and those exam wotsits, means I have a number of reviews to throw in your general face direction in the near future. At least one today, maybe a couple tomorrow, we'll just have to see won't we.

Best time of year to go to the cinema by the way, so keep it up and keep it local.

Review: Gravity

Danny Leigh, the critic who appears on Film 2013 every week, made an interesting observation about blockbusters when he talked about Gravity last week. He made the point that a lot of the time when you hear a huge amount of hype surrounding a film you usually become cautious, as you sense a PR wave crashing down around you. What he said however, and what I wholeheartedly agree with, is that with Gravity you really do have to believe the hype.

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, Gravity is an audiovisual treat that keeps the viewer entranced from start to finish. It is rare that a film has such a compelling story while at the same time tempting the tastebuds with a CGI all you can eat buffet, but Cuaron achieves this feat. And then some.

We join Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) and her astronaut companion Matt Kowalski (Clooney) as they float in the space around their shuttle, fiddling with space-screws and space-hammers (the keen readers amongst you will spot the deficiency in my scientific knowledge here). All of a sudden a freak accident befalls the crew, and their seemingly tranquil floaty lives and plunged into nerve-jangling peril.

The story has many twists and turns and I won’t ruin any of them for you here, but what I will say is that Cuaron exhibits a refreshing willingness to play with his characters and twist them around – one moment there is one clear leader, then next another takes the helm. He perhaps could also be said to have somewhat of a sadistic streak in his behaviours towards his characters – one senses his childhood Action Men were thrown around the living room and garden with reckless abandon as he re-enacted epic battles and horrific catastrophes, both domestic and interstellar.

The actors themselves: well Clooney is fine as usual, he plays the cheeky chappy veteran to a T but then he is a cheeky chappy veteran now. I really would like to see him stretch himself a little in his films, but hey, what do I know. It is Sandra Bullock who steals the show here. From reading around on the web (details too long to include here) it is apparent that she really was uncomfortable when making this film – strapped into spacesuits for long periods of time, with cameras hurtling around her face at 30mph, and this really shines through. She really does give the impression of a helpless young woman trying desperately to save the day, and her range here is impressive. An Academy nomination surely beckons.

I will say that the film is not for kids and not for the fainthearted, but if you are a fan of rollercoasters and tense psychological thrillers then really do not give this film a miss. I personally have not been as glued to my seat during a film for a long time, and the poor mangled claw that my girlfriend used to call a hand can testify to the literally gripping tension that Cuaron paints across the screen. Find this film in 3D and watch it as soon as humanly possible.

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STAR WARS EPISODE VII DECEMBER 18 2015 SDKJSBJHFBAKJBFJHSDBFKJABD