¨I don't know what I want. How could I know what I want if I say yes to everything?¨
Todd Haynes´s critically acclaimed film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith´s novel (The Price of Salt) is without a doubt very stylish. It is a love story between two women who fall for each other at first sight, although it avoids all the common cliches in the romantic genre. Mostly because the script says very little and everything is told through nonverbal expressions such as glances and touches. It is very restrained and sets the mood very early on transporting the audience to the 50´s thanks to a carefully crafted production and costume design. What´s more impressive is that it does so effortlessly. Carol is a restrained film, but one that Haynes has absolute control over setting the mood from the very first scene. I wasn´t won over by this film as most everyone else seems to be, but I can understand the praise for Hayne´s direction. What I do want to point out is how influential the score of this film is; it truly is something special and it plays a huge role in setting the mood. It is one of the best scores I´ve heard in a film this year.
The film centers on a store clerk named Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara) who doesn´t seem to know what direction she wants to take in life. Her passion seems to be photography and that is what she enjoys doing. Her life changes unexpectedly when she encounters an older woman named Carol (Cate Blanchett) who stops by the store one evening to buy a Christmas gift for her child. The two exchange glances at each other and after a few minutes Carol shows up at the register and starts a conversation with her. Carol is currently going through a divorce from Harge (Kyle Chandler), and is in a custody battle for her child. Harge begins discrediting her morality after he discovers her interest in women and uses that to his advantage, but Carol is a determined mother. Therese quickly bonds with Carol, but at the same time she realizes her love could affect her custody battle.
Carol wasn´t nominated for Best Picture as many critics were expecting, but it has received six Oscar nominations. Ironically, Cate Blanchett was nominated in the best actress in a leading role category despite having less screen time than Rooney Mara who was nominated in the supporting category. It doesn´t make much sense, but it has increased Rooney´s chances for winning considering Brie Larson is almost a lock to win for her lead performance in The Room. The other nominations for Carol include Best Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Adapted Screenplay which are all deserving. The film stands out without a doubt for its stylistic direction from Haynes and wonderful performances from Blanchett and Rooney, but above all for its mesmerizing score.
"My name is Jordan Belfort. The year I turned 26, I made 49 million dollars, which really pissed me off because it was three shy of a million a week."
How do you begin to write a review about a film that has so much things to comment on? The Wolf of Wall Street is an overblown energetic and hilarious film about these egocentric, greedy, immoral stockbrokers that we are supposed to hate, but ultimately end up rooting for because we have spent so much time laughing with them. These guys make Gordon Gekko from Wall Street look like a saint. Martin Scorsese is a genius; he can basically direct any movie he wants to and make it appealing. This is his follow up to Hugo (which was a brilliant family film) and he takes a 180 degree turn here with The Wolf of Wall Street and makes a comedy about these egocentric rich characters who have no moral boundaries, who spend their time getting high, objectifying women, and which should have been rated NC-17 because their excesses are constantly repeated over and over again on screen. Many people criticize the fact that it's so long and overblown, but I think that's exactly the point Scorsese is trying to get across by repeating their excesses and debauchery. If there is one word I'd have to use to describe this film it'd be energetic. The film is so energetic and you get it through each one of the brilliant performances in the movie. This is a filthy dark comedy, but one that will stick with you and have you question yourself for having rooted for these characters. I understand the comparisons with Scorsese's Goodfellas in that the characters wrongful behavior is what we become attracted to and makes the film so edgy. I'm not supposed to root for these guys, they are the villains, they do terrible things, we are all their victims, but then why do we want them to get away with what they're doing? These are all questions that only begin to come up long after the credits have rolled and eventually you realize that these guys deserved far worse punishment and got away too easy (but wait that is what really happened with all these Wall Street stockbrokers that almost ruined the country), and that is why Scorsese is such a brilliant director because he is so subtle in getting his message across and does so in such an energetic and funny way.
The screenplay was adapted by Terence Winter from Jordan Belfort's autobiographical book about his rise to becoming a millionaire as a Long Island penny stockbroker. At age 22, Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio) received early training from his boss Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey) and eventually gets a stockbroker license, but the company melts down on his first day and he's left in the streets again. His wife, Teresa (Cristin Milioti), recommends him a job at Investor Center, which happens to be a very unprofessional small establishment that only deals with penny stocks, but has incredibly high commissions. Jordan is a natural and pitches sales so well that he rises to the top easily again. One day a neighbor named Donnie (Jonah Hill) comes up to him and asks him how he makes so much money, which leads him to decide to get into stocks and work for him. The two find a garage and set up their own business bringing along some of their friends: Robbie (Brian Sacca), Alden (Henry Zebrowski), Chester (Kenneth Choi), Nicky (PJ Byrne), Toby (Ethan Suplee), and Brad (Jon Bernthal). Jordan teaches them how to pith the sales and over the years the company grows at a very high rate and even gets marketing from Forbes Magazine where Jordan is nicknamed as the Wolf of Wall Street. These guys don't care about their clients and will tell them anything just to make a sale, and do a bunch of illegal things along the way which eventually gets them into trouble with the law, specifically FBI Agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler) who begins to follow their every move. Along the way in the midst of all the parties, sex, and drugs, Jordan falls for the beautiful Naomi (Margot Robbie) and eventually divorces his wife and marries her. The film continues to follow Jordan's excesses as he becomes more and more addicted to drugs, the most powerful of all being money.
Scorsese makes several great statements in this film about the world of Wall Street, similar to what he did with the gangster world in Goodfellas. He doesn't shy away from their egocentric world portraying numerous scenes where the characters are getting high, having sex, and getting rich at expense of the rest of the world. He also makes it clear that money is the most dangerous and addictive drug of all, and these men don't know where to draw the line. There are several scenes that truly stood out for me like the scene where Mark teaches Jordan what the business is really about, or when Jordan and Donnie meet for the first time, or when Jordan meets with Agent Dunham in his yacht. In the midst of all the crazy debauchery, these small conversation scenes work so well giving the characters more depth. There are also hilarious scenes like the one where Jordan and Donnie suffer from a delayed drug side effect, mixed with some very dark scenes as well like when Jordan has a huge fight with Naomi portraying him at his lowest point. The performances in this film are also incredible, Leonardo DiCaprio gives his best and funniest performance to date, the scenes where he gives his employees pep talks are mesmerizing, Jonah Hill is also at his best and has some extremely funny and insane scenes, they both truly deserve Oscar nominations for their work here. Matthew McConaughey is no longer a surprise, he has been exceptional in his latest films, but he has a very small role here, Margot Robbie gives an outstanding performance in a world where females are completely objectified, Rob Reiner is funny as Jordan's father, and finally Kyle Chandler also stood out for me as the only character who seemed to be morally incorruptible. They all bring so much energy to this film making the three hours go by fast despite being overblown and repetitive.
Director James Ponsoldt (Smashed) really set the bar high for this film giving it such a pretentious title, but in all honesty the movie accomplishes exactly that: It is spectacular. This has been a great year for coming of age movies and it is easily becoming one of my favorite genres. I thought I had had enough with MUD, The Way Way Back, and Kings of Summer, but The Spectacular Now managed to bring something new and unique to the equation. This is one of those High School films that feels authentic with three dimensional characters and a solid screenplay. The writers for 500 Days of Summer (another film I enjoyed), Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, did an incredible job adapting Tim Tharp's novel and their screenplay benefits from great performances from Woodley and Teller. Actually the entire cast is impressive in this film and it is really hard to think of another Hollywood film that has created such natural and authentic High School characters. At first glance you might think this is just another cliched romantic teen comedy where the popular kid from school falls for the nerdy and sweet girl, but this film does it in such a unique and mature way that it only uses this known premise to explore other important themes. The Spectacular Now is a balanced film that blends romantic and comic touches with some serious and dramatic moments. It reminds us all that it was not always easy to be a teen considering how specific moments touched and shaped us during our transition to adulthood.
Sutter (Miles Teller) is a charming and popular High School senior who everyone seems to like. There is no party if he isn't around. He is happy with his life and embraces the now. When his girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larson), dumps him he decides to do what he does best which is to party. The next morning Aimee (Shailene Woodley) finds hims passed out in her lawn and wakes him. Of course she recognizes him from school and introduces herself. She is nothing like him, she is sweet and shy, and has never had a boyfriend. Sutter has no idea where he has parked his car so he asks Aimee if he can ride with her while she does her mother's paper route. Despite their differences the two connect and begin to bond. Sutter is still very much in love with Cassidy, but at the same time he believes he can help Aimee become more confident. He may be a popular kid, but he realizes that he isn't going anywhere with his life and that is the main reason why Cassidy dumped him. Aimee on the other hand is either blinded by her love for him or actually does see some good in him. They're both at a turning point in their lives and despite their differences both of them think they can have a positive effect on the other.
Despite the familiar premise this film has a lot of depth and goes places others in the same genre never do. It also does it in such a way that it never feels heavy handed or manipulative. Yes there may be some rushed moments, but the story is so well crafted that it has an authentic and raw vibe to it. Woodley and Teller are so natural that you forget they are acting. The film just strikes all the right notes making it impossible to be emotionally detached to it. You really care for these characters and fear they will hurt one another. It is just such an honest depiction of teenage life where not only friends influence their lives, but the entire surroundings (parents, teachers, employers) shape them. The center of the film really is Sutter as his world (the spectacular now) begins to shake and alcohol doesn't seem like the easiest way out anymore. It may not be until halfway through the film that you realize that the main theme isn't the relationship between him and Aimee, but the way they each have to deal with the transitions and changes in their lives. Two scenes stood out for me, the first being Sutter's encounter with his father and the second near the end where he embraces his mother. The supporting performances in this film were also very rich. Kudos to Brie Larsen, Kyle Chandler (Sutter's father), and Jennifer Jason Leigh (his mother). They were all simply spectacular. This is a film that stays with you because it never feels false and remains fresh.
"There are some wars you fight and some wars you walk away from. This isn't the fighting kind."
I guess Allen Hughes's brother, Albert (with whom he has always worked with in the past directing such films as The Book of Eli and From Hell), decided this was a movie he was going to walk away from. Albert was the smarter brother here because Broken City really missed the mark with a rather predictable plot involving corrupt government officials, silly twists, and irrelevant character motivations. I felt the story was rather ambiguous and some characters were presented only to introduce a certain plot element and then were completely forgotten (as with Natalie and Cathleen). In this day and age where you can find great TV series why would someone want to go see a political thriller so formulaic as this? Hughes has to offer something much more groundbreaking if he wants to attract audiences. It's not enough just to have big stars and a predictable script. It's a shame that the film is actually more broken than the city, and one of the main issues I had was with the weak script written by Brian Tucker which leaves way too many loose ends. Broken City isn't a terrible movie, but it isn't any good either.
Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) is a New York detective on trial for having killed an alleged rapist and murderer. The court finds Billy innocent despite the fact that Police Commissioner Fairbanks (Jeffrey Wright) presented some evidence to the city's Mayor, Hostetler (Russell Crowe), which he decided to withhold. The Mayor congratulates Billy for doing the right thing but he is asked to resign. The film jumps seven years forward where we see Billy working as a private detective (mostly hired for adultery cases). He is married to Natalie (Natalie Martinez), an aspiring actress who happened to be the sister of the murderer's victim. Mayor Hostetler hires Billy to follow his wife, Cathleen (Catherine Zeta Jones), whom he suspects is cheating on him. He wants him to do it quietly because he's a few weeks away from reelection and the opposing candidate, Jack Valliant (Barry Pepper) is closing in on the race. Billy is surprised to discover that the person Cathleen has been meeting with is actually Paul Andrews (Kyle Chandler), Valliant's lead campaign coordinator. A few days after he makes this discovery, Paul is found murdered in the streets and Billy realizes that there is much more going on here than a simple adultery case.
There is no doubt that the strongest thing about Broken City is its cast. Mark Wahlberg is comfortable here playing the tough guy and I thought he gave a strong performance. I did expect more from Russell Crowe who didn't really add much to the movie. The few scenes with Barry Pepper were probably the strongest ones. Catherine Zeta Jones was underused here and her character is simply in this film to move the plot along. The same can be said for Natalie Martinez. So many of these characters were simply part of this film to introduce certain plot elements but then were completely forgotten. There is no character development and pretty much everyone plays stereotypical roles here. If you've seen political thrillers in the past than you'd be very familiar with these one dimensional characters. Despite trying to pay close attention to the plot I still had a hard time understanding how certain elements were connected with one another. Everything felt contrived and the story was too ambitious. By the end I thought the story was just too unbelievable for a film that tried to appear real and authentic.
¨I’m going to
smoke everyone involved in the op and then I’m going to kill Osama bin Laden.¨
The passion,
determination, and single-minded pursuit of a female CIA operative to hunt down
and kill Osama bin Laden was the film that the Academy Award winning writer and
director decided to pursue after their success in The Hurt Locker. Zero Dark
Thirty is so intense and suspenseful that you just want Kathryn Bigelow and Mark
Boal to continue working together forever. They make other modern war films
look really bad when held up to the standards of their recent work together.
Bigelow has developed such a craft and expertise as a filmmaker that during
some moments of the film (especially the final 25 minute raid) you feel like
you are watching a documentary of actual footage of the manhunt instead of a
fictional film. She is as passionate about her work as her lead character is
obsessed with hunting down this man. We can’t argue that Bigelow benefits from
Boal’s extraordinary script, which manages to reduce a decade long hunt into 150
minutes of detailed procedural work without taking political sides or focusing
on revenge nonsense. It just takes such a realist approach that you never feel
manipulated by Bigelow which would have been easy to do considering the subject
matter. This is in my opinion the best film dealing with pos 9-11 events thanks
to Bigelow’s ability to remain emotionally detached and focus on her craft. Under
the weight of the heavy subject matter, she somehow manages to make this film
more about a character study than an actual manhunt. There is really one main
character in this film as the rest of characters come and go, and without
delving into her past and focusing on the decade long pursuit of bin Laden the
story centers around her, and it is a very interesting psychological study of
what motivates her. Jessica Chastain is just so fascinating in this film, that
she single handedly carries this movie and gives the best performance of her
career.
The film opens
in black with several voiceovers of calls from the World Trade center during
the 9-11 attacks. It is a very emotional opening scene as we later are
introduced to the main character, Maya (Jessica Chastain), who has been sent to
Pakistan by the CIA to hunt down bin Laden. The first place we see her is in an
interrogation room where her partner Dan (Jason Clarke) is torturing a
terrorist prisoner in order to find information of the whereabouts of bin
Laden. Maya isn’t amused by the torture that is going on and doesn’t participate,
but she is willing to accept any means necessary in order to unlock the truth
and hunt down the man she’s obsessed with finding. Of all the prisoners they
have interrogated there seems to be one man that is mentioned by everyone: Abu
Ahmed. Maya is convinced that this man
is bin Laden’s personal courier and that if she can locate him then she will
locate his leader. Her boss, Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler) isn’t convinced
about this theory, but Maya is determined to pursue this lead. The entire film is
a very detailed procedural drama of how Maya follows one lead after another (with
several false and disappointing leads along the way) until she is able to
locate the whereabouts of bin Laden. Her next mission is to convince the
authorities that bin Laden is actually hidden in that complex without having
definite proof, but her certainty ends up convincing the leaders to send the US
Navy SEALS team led by Patrick (Joel Edgerton) to attack the compound and kill
bin Laden.
There were a
great amount of talented actors cast in this film such as James Gandolfini,
Mark Strong, Edgar Ramirez, Mark Duplass, Frank Grillo, and Chris Platt, but
they had very few scenes and the entire film centered on Jessica Chastain. She
deserves an Oscar for her performance here, and Mark Boal deserves one for Best
Screenplay. The entire film is a character study on Maya as her entire life
revolves around catching this man. We see it in her eyes from the very opening
scene to the very end where instead of experiencing joy for the success she
had, all we can see is a sigh of relief. What comes next for Maya? She doesn’t even
know as she was so focused and determined on one thing only. I love Bigelow’s
style and how she downsizes the entire war and centers everything on one
central character. Just like she did in The Hurt Locker where the focus is on
Renner’s character and how the adrenaline of war has become an addiction for
him; now the focus is on Chastain who is very driven and obsessed with
accomplishing her goal. There is not anything else on her mind; it’s as if she
lives for one specific purpose. In the end you don’t know if you should cheer
for her or feel sorry that her work is done. In a way I felt Bigelow’s approach
to the events that led to bin Laden’s death to be very powerful; and it has
raised a lot of discussions about torture, but that is exactly what a great
film should do: bring up conversations and make us question things at times.
After a decade long manhunt, was it really a triumph to kill bin Laden? Was it
worth a celebration? Does the end justify the means? Without taking sides Bigelow
makes us think about these issues and that is what good movies do for the
viewers.
