Oh I'm sorry, Did I Break Your Conversation........Well Allow Me A Movie Thread by S&T

[johnnyredstorm]

Bruh that opening scene was a great way to begin a movie and Leo high on that first flight to Switzerland might be my favorite collabo from Marty n Leo

 

[youngdoc]

This scene though

Wanted to bust out a Jonah Hill in the theater

 

[johnnyredstorm]

That threw me back to that Halle Berry scene in Monster's Ball

 

[Kimchi Papi]

Agree completely. I also find it somewhat annoying that every year, at the end of the year, he'll show up in a prototypical Oscar-bait film, like Saving Mr. Banks, Unbelievably Loud and Incredibly Close (or whatever it was called), etc. Yet, most of those movies lately have been average to bad.

I'd honestly rather see him do Splash 2 than see him in another movie like the one's he's been making lately.

Same goes for you...did you not see Captain Phillips?!?!?!

Capt Phil is typical of the white washing of historical facts that Hollywood typically does. This movie is one of the big reasons why I lost a little respect for Hanks. If you ever want to check it out, look up how the Somali pirates came to exist. If the Oscar community nominates anything related to this movie, I would be hugely disappointed.

In short, those Somali pirates exist because Euro & Asian companies spilled vast amounts of toxic waste killing the fishing livelihood of the Somali people. They started to fight back against these ships but they couldn't get anywhere with meager arms so they sought out Somali warlords for weapons. These warlords started taking robbing these ships & then taking hostages using these fisherman. It's a lot more complicated than what I'm explaining but this is the jist of it.

 

[duba169]

Agree 100% and on a lesser degree I wanted to vomit when I heard he was playing Walt Disney in a Disney movie.

 

[Kimchi Papi]

^ Forgot to mention to the mass illegal fishing by the Euro & Asian companies off the coast of Somalia also but I digress. I said my piece.

I watched Fast 6 today. Good popcorn flick...

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

...the action was a little unbelievable like Toretto catching Letty. Also bothered me that O'Conner & Toretto left Mia unprotected knowing they were going after someone Hobbs couldn't catch (even though Elena stayed behind) but I kept in mind it was a movie.

Caught the feels seeing Walker on screen. So sad. Did Gisele really die? Are they absolutely sure Shaw is dead?

 

[x Buddha Bless x]

Yo for the longest time I was thinking Paul Walker and Josh Dummael was the same person. I seen paparazzi talk to Fergie and I was wondering why they aint ask her about her husband and the accident. Had me lost on why they didn't ask her or why no words from her at all.

@ me. When white ppl look alike goes too far.

 

[Kimchi Papi]

This looks interesting...

 

[crazy ebw]

I finally watched Man of Steel, and really enjoyed it. It wasn't without flaws and things that felt too forced but overall my favorite Superman movie honestly.

 

[Hahahaha]

Just came back from Wolf of Wall Street. Easily the best movie of the year. Something about this film that's so damn special. Even Jonah Hill's worthless *** brought something to this film. My man Leo brought his best. What a ******g job he did. Movie was phenomenal. Casting, cars, scenery, dialogue. Never a dull moment for three hours. ****


After watching this you realize what true piece of **** American Hustle was. Wish I could get a refund for that movie.

 

[CP1708]

Finally got Black Friday and Christmas items filed away and updated my collection.

Lookin forward to a lot of the upcoming films that will join these in the next two years or so.

Note, 1 last Bond to pick up, Moonraker. Gotta find it.

 

[venom lyrix]

Review: American Hustle

How often can you say you're watching a classic film, about a half-hour into watching it? That's the exact feeling I had as David O. Russell's American Hustle was kicking into gear. Bringing back familiar faces he's worked with recently, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) Christian Bale and Amy Adams (The Fighter) the set up for greatness was there.

But we've seen the "right" cast fail many times before. Russell had the task of taking immense talent, personalities and a tricky story and turn it into a masterpiece.

And he did just that!

The art of the con is not a new premise, but the art of the con on a grand scheme along with the cons we play on each other in our everyday lives, put under a magnifying glass is what takes place in American Hustle. _Everyone is playing a role they are not comfortable with, everything is just a bit off, but in the grand scheme of things when the puzzle pieces come together, and everything is spot on.

American Hustle tells the story of con man Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) and his sultry British partner Sydney Prosser (Adams) who get busted by the FBI and are forced to work with agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper) in order to be absolved of their crimes. DiMaso uses their deceptive tendencies to rope them into the world of New Jersey's politicians, brokers and mafia members. As they play their roles, they develop relationships with Camden's Mayor and other string pullers like Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) and the web they weave gets more tangled by the word as many of the states big-wigs get caught between the con-artists and the FBI.

Accompanied by one of the best soundtracks of the year, Russell quickly sets the fun tone for the film with beautiful camera movements and illuminating the con work from Bale's Rosenfeld and Adam's "Lady Edith Greensly." From extravagant 1970's hair do's; Lawrence's grand up-do's, Adams' afro curls, Cooper's perm, Bale's horrendously hilarious comb over to costumes that will make your parents blush, you feel the rush to relive the Studio 54 days yourself.

Russell has become a master of characters and creating chemistry. Many of his recent films have been hits because of the combination of the two. He's at it again with distinct, comical and memorable characters in this film. Even smaller roles like that of Louis C.K. who plays DiMaso's uptight boss become memorable. From ice fishing stories to getting beaten senseless with a rotary phone, it's all part of Russell's vision. He even adds a well-hidden (not anymore) cameo from Robert De Niro as Miami casino mobster Victor Tellegio that adds more subtle brilliance to the big con going on.

The sultry performance by Adams and the chemistry between her and Bale in their early conning days is a joy to watch, and as it fizzles away and she moves on to DiMaso her character continues to morph and adapt to the con and all the pieces that are moving about. Adams gives the best performance of her career as she balances her British and American side, being sexy and seductive, embracing and divulging a side of her personality we have never seen in any prior role. Credit that to her range and the ability for Russell creating such a character and allowing Adams to thrive. I certainly see an Oscar nomination for her as Best Actress in a Leading Role and she may be strong competition for Sandra Bullock for her performance in Gravity.

Bale gives one of the best efforts of the year, putting on 40 lbs for the film; his antics, hand motions and overall gravitas in the role are to be laughed at and admired. I was absolutely in love with his presence on screen. Not to be out done, Cooper follows up his greatest career performance in Silver Linings Playbook _with his second best here. No coincidence, Russell is in the picture again! His desperation and desire to catch crooked politicians, give orders for the con, and be as bombastic as ever really allow him to show more of his range as an actor.

Then we get to the ever so flawless, yet under utilized Jennifer Lawrence who plays Irving's wife, the sassy Rosalyn. Her portrayal of the disgruntled housewife is about as hilarious and iconic of a character as her Katniss or Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook _when it comes to her career. From temper tantrums and rants about nail polish and microwaves, to the way she smokes her cigarette, it's the little nuances she adds make her the perfect, most-lovable neurotic Long Island housewife.

The film is full of iconic moments, DiMaso yelling for a jet, Michael Pena as the Sheik thinking the name of the operation is racist because he thinks ABSCAM stands for Arab Scam but the best of the best is the showdown between Edith and Rosalyn in a bathroom. Death stares are shared, bad words are thrown around and a kiss is planted. Then we get Rosalyn belting out Paul McCartney and Wings' "Live and Let Die" wearing yellow rubber gloves and cleaning the house, that is one of the best images of 2013 cinema.

It's a fun film, with a great, grand story that rests on the shoulders of it's director as much it does it's four central characters, I count anywhere from 9 to 15 possible Oscar nominations, depending on how generous the Academy wants to be. The only flaw I could nitpick at was the run time; it could have been 10-15 minutes shorter, but not harm no foul.

While many will draw infinite comparisons, calling this film a rip off or a copy cat, David O. Russell's latest work will easily stand on it's own two feet. Sure it borrows some familiar tropes from a Martin Scorsese picture here and there but it's the character, story and dialogue driven masquerade that makes the film so enjoyable.

Simply put, American Hustle is and will be a instant modern classic, one that will warrant the stop-whatever-you-are-doing-and-watch when it comes on television a la Goodfellas, The Godfather and countless others.

Rating: A

 

[omgitswes]

Just saw Wolf of Wall Street, cool movie, long movie. I feel like I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it wasn't so over the top. I know it's a true story but none of the characters were believable.
I was expecting another Wall Street

 

[macbk]

Damn venom giving American Hustle an A and loving Captain Phillips, seems like a stretch based off of fellow critic/word of mouth reviews.

Both Leo and Jonah deserve nominations. Fassbender (12 Years a Slave) should win over Hill, but Leo... man he deserves it, but we all know it's not gonna happen. Maybe he will at the Golden Globes since the category is for an Actor in a Comedy.

Seriously though, Wolf to me was a flawless film. It sucks Scorsese doesn't release directors cuts. Imagine an additional hour, NC-17 cut of footage .

 

[DeadsetAce]

CP

 

[youngdoc]

Just saw Wolf of Wall Street, cool movie, long movie. I feel like I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it wasn't so over the top. I know it's a true story but none of the characters were believable.
I was expecting another Wall Street

I know they were ridiculous but due to the era, the business they were in and the fact most were not classic wall street guys it all seemed believable.

I never thought "this can't be true", always thought "man these dudes are nuts".

 

[japanair21]

Nice collection there CP.

I’d post my collection, but my movie room is in a bit of disarray, since it’s the same room that I used for Christmas gift-wrapping, and that still isn’t done…

Santa stocked me up on some pretty good classics though (Most of which I haven’t seen ).

The Town Extended Edition
Mad Max Collection
The World’s End
The Untouchables
Singin’ in the Rain
Nosferatu
Chinatown
42
Passion
Ed Wood
American Graffiti.

CP I can’t help but notice, you don’t seem to have very many slipcovers. Don’t tell me you throw them out. Surprised I don’t see many Steelbooks or Digibooks either.

Is that married life? Using the top shelf of your movie collection to house family pictures? All that storage space you aren’t utilizing…

And bruh, your wedding picture from like the 60s?

Spoiler

Just teasing, .

Also, Merry Belated Christmas to the Film Thread fam.

 

[CP1708]

that ain't a wedding pic bro, that was our prom.

And yes, I take all slip covers out. I don't toss them, just throw them in a box.

Steel cases I don't buy. I like just the clean, clean look. Hell, the Alien and Star Wars collections drive me nuts.

But I still need more space. Those are just "my" movies. My wife and daughter have another couple hundred upstairs. All the Disney-Animateds, horror collection (wife) and some random comedies that don't interest me.

If I put them all together, I'd need built in wall shelves.

 

[japanair21]

I got one wall-mounted media shelf, they're pretty damn sturdy, and provide a lot of space, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you had a pretty big room.

Man, I take every chance I get to get the film with the slipcover. When I first started collecting DVDs, I hated them, but when I started collecting Blu-rays, I just had much more of an affinity for them. There are so many box sets, steel books, and digibooks that I own that I just don’t even really care for uniformity. Your collection LOOKS much cleaner than mine, that’s for dang sure.

I’ll try to get a picture up before New Year’s.

 

[danger style]

I think it'll be hard for Amy Adams to even get an Oscar nomination this year. The top two contenders are obviously gonna be Bullock and Blanchett and then you have the old timers like Streep, Dench, and Emma Thompson. Maybe mediocre buzz from those movies means Amy sneaks her way in but I doubt it.

If anything, look for Jennifer Lawrence in best supporting actress her scenery chewing is ****** epic and she steals every scene she is in. I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up winning,

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Just saw Wolf of Wall Street, cool movie, long movie. I feel like I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it wasn't so over the top. I know it's a true story but none of the characters were believable.
I was expecting another Wall Street

I know they were ridiculous but due to the era, the business they were in and the fact most were not classic wall street guys it all seemed believable.

I never thought "this can't be true", always thought "man these dudes are nuts".

Jordan Belfort's life was that ridiculous. I don't have any gripes with anything that some may feel were absurd. That was the era of drugs and fast living.

I keep seeing American Hustle spoken favorably but idk. I haven't watched but haven't seen anything that stands out as amazing from the trailers.

 

[crazy ebw]

I hate I sold most of my collection a few years back. Over 200 gone. :x

 

[Hahahaha]

HAHAHAHA, giving American Hustle an A. Movie was a C at best. Bale and Cooper did a great job but the movie was a piece of ****. Like I said before, after watching this and Wolf of Wall Street, you laugh at American Hustle. AH feels like a college project and Wolf feels like a Picasso art painting.


CP, great collection.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Wolf is a grown man's movie. Marty went in.

 

[macbk]

I keep seeing American Hustle spoken favorably but idk. I haven't watched but haven't seen anything that stands out as amazing from the trailers.

I haven't seen it either, but I even get that Gangter Squad-vibe from it. How it sounded/looked promising and was a total flop.