Was looking forward to seeing this film - Scorsese, DiCaprio, greed - what more could you ask for in a movie? Based on the real-life story of Jordan Belfort, who got filthy rich pumping penny stocks to dumb working class people and then dumping them for huge profits. Boiler Room was also based on this story, but whereas that movie focuses on the traders, this one is all about the guy at the top. It most definitely dragged in places, and the 3 hour timeframe could easily have been condensed to 90 minutes.
Aside from that, however, Jonah Hill is absolutely hilarious, and the partying they do makes college frat houses look like book of the month clubs. Also, getting to see Margot Robbie in full frontal nakedness is worth the price of admission alone.
The Way Way Back was solid and cute. At first it was so hard to adjust to Steve Carnell in a "mean" and not all that comedic of a role. Heartwarming story about a summer in the Hamptons (I assume I didn't pay that much attention in the beginning) and mother son dynamics. Awkward teen emotions. Very entertaining. Awesome Sam Rockwell role as we'll.
A spin on the "going back to your hometown" story, featuring Bruce Dern as Woody Grant, a confused old Korean War veteran who thinks that he's won a million dollars from a sweepstakes. Will Forte plays his taciturn son who agrees to take him from Montana to Nebraska to collect his winnings. They stop off in their old hometown of Hawthorne and hijinks ensue. Everyone seemingly wants a piece of Woody's not-yet-collected fortune. June Squibb plays Woody's wife in what begins as an innocent-seeming old lady but quickly becomes a memorable character. One of my favorite people in the world, Bob Odenkirk, shows up as Will Forte's brother.
I loved this movie. Not only did it feature great acting, great black-and-white cinematography and great directing/screenwriting from Alexander Payne (Election, About Schmidt, Citizen Ruth), but I felt a personal connection to this story as I can sympathize with Will Forte's character, as my father is starting to slip into dementia. The movie has a great ending and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. (P.S. Keep an eye out for Home Alone's Buzz, playing a grown-up version of Buzz)
I suppose that the Coen Bros can be forgiven for making a movie like this every so often. It's essentially the story of a dickhead transient musician in the 60s bumbling through a week of his probably typical life. Although he's seldom an outright asshole, he never goes out of his way to stamp down his own selfishness. And though he's been touched by tragedy, he holds onto it and exists as though no one else has been affected by any tragedy themselves, be it one in particular or any in general.
It has small moments of humor and small moments of discomfort, but I never felt any real connection to the character. If it didn't have the Coen brothers behind it, I don't think much would have been made of it. It's certainly nowhere near No Country for Old Men or Fargo or The Big Lebowski. The Coens make caper films better than probably anyone ever, but there's no caper here and it shows. The music is pretty great though.
This is essentially a swan song for Robert Redford, one last shot to get him an Oscar nomination that ultimately failed. But it's funny that someone like Bruce Dern is a hot commodity now (nominated for Nebraska, tapped to possibly be in multiple Tarantino movies) when Redford is still making films.
It's striking how similar the actual plot of this movie is to Gravity. A series of shit situations happening to a person, showing how vulnerable we are when it's us against the natural elements, one on one. Redford is stuck at sea where Sandy Bullock was stuck in space, but it really is the same series of "bad luck" events that do happen to people when they are on their own in an unforgiving environment. The movies even end the exact same way, with both characters almost drowning right at the moment of their salvation. What is lacking in All is Lost is the unbelievable visual technique that is Gravity, although the visual storytelling in All is Lost still is noteworthy. Maybe if Gravity doesn't come out this year, Redford, who is pretty damn effective in this role, gets his Oscar nod. But this year, All is Lost is just a slightly less thrilling Gravity.
Never read the books, but liked all of the previous films. It's typical formula, but enjoyable. Chris Pine is a great Jack. Felt like watching Mission Impossible without as much character development of the bit players (a good thing). Predictable and far-fetched that Jack figures everything out and is the one to take care of each problem, but that's how the books are written, so I roll with it. Perfect entertainment for me without having to think too much. Good use of 9/11 to reboot the character.
4 out of 5 dead Russkies (most of you would give it a 3)
Never read the books, but liked all of the previous films. It's typical formula, but enjoyable. Chris Pine is a great Jack. Felt like watching Mission Impossible without as much character development of the bit players (a good thing). Predictable and far-fetched that Jack figures everything out and is the one to take care of each problem, but that's how the books are written, so I roll with it. Perfect entertainment for me without having to think too much. Good use of 9/11 to reboot the character.
4 out of 5 dead Russkies (most of you would give it a 3)
This is the movie about WikiLeaks, told from the perspective of one of the first members who later quit. Very informative, but not well directed. Two-hours long, and tried to be a suspense-thriller, but never really got any serious momentum.
But I didn't really know much about this real-life story at all, and did learn quite a bit -- assuming it's somewhat close to the truth.
I like the concept of an anonymous whistle-blower site, but can also see the danger it can cause if information isn't edited properly. Though given the choice between unedited exposure of true secrets and none at all, I would always choose the former.
The movie is a adaptation of the DC Reboot when the Justice League is formed to fight Darkseid. They make some changes (Aquaman is replaced by Cyborg on film.)
Plenty of Action. They used profanity which surprised me, had the typical butting of heads with any typical team up and a little too many one liners and zingers.
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