Everyday We are Hustlin': American Hustle Shows the Beauty in Survival

The con is on: Ensemble of American Hustle. Image courtesy of Columbia Pictures.

The art of survival is a story that never ends. 

These are the last words of American Hustle, and they echoed in my head long after I left the theatre. As an avowed word nerd, I was impressed that the whole plot of a film could be summed up so succinctly and with such elegance.

It should be noted that  director David Owen Russell also directed 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook, which I LOVED. I also love movies made and based in the 70s – that era of American history holds a certain draw for me, so the bar was set pretty high right from the get-go. 

What strikes me about Russell’s directing style is his knack for showing life as it is happening. He winds up the plot and lets the actors take it away. He chooses his actors carefully and gives them the creative space to make their characters come to life, to slip into their respective skins, which is the point of American Hustle – how people create images, caricatures of themselves in order to survive.  The actors are being actors of the characters they are acting. (Try saying that five times fast).

Christian Bale as head con man Irving Rosenfeld gives the performance of a lifetime. Almost unrecognizable with a paunch and a comb over, he drives the plot and owns the storyline with all the languorous reluctance of a king who doesn’t want the throne he's placed on. Amy Adams as his business partner and lover Sydney Prosser acts as his perfect foil, a hard-charging, fiery beauty masked under wide blue eyes and a sweet smile who eschews conventional society as easily as she does her bra. 

Stirring the pot is the ever-versatile Jennifer Lawrence as Irving’s unstable wife Rosalyn, and Bradley Cooper as Richie DiMaso, an unhinged FBI agent who finds an opportunity to force Irving and Sydney to use their dubious talents to uncover a crime ring in New Jersey. This also includes deceiving the mayor of New Jersey, Carmine Polito, who is played with understated panache by Jeremy Renner. What quickly escalates is a power play of wills, and the stakes become increasingly higher as the con gets underway. There's also an excellent cameo of one of my favorite actors (I won't say who, don't want to ruin the surprise) and a very welcome appearance of Jack Huston as a mobster, whom I'm well acquainted with as Richard Harrow on Boardwalk Empire.

Pounding in the background behind all of this is an excellent selection of 70s hits, including “Delilah” by Tom Jones and “Long Black Road” by Electric Light Orchestra. Throw in a score composed by Danny Elfman and you’ve got a pretty bangin’ soundtrack. However, there are times when I wished Russell had opted to turn down the booming tunes and turn up the dialogue. Watching Rosalyn with her ever-present crazy updo furiously cleaning her house while singing along to “Live and Let Die” struck me as vaguely ridiculous, and didn’t add that much to the film overall. 

It is the inspired ordinary moments amid the glitz and glamour that make the film worth a second view - love blossoming in the mundane as clothes on dry cleaning racks swirl around, the simple joy of walking down the street hand in hand. Camera angles dip and whirl to create their own statements. In one memorable moment we view Richie's frantic movements through the flashing lights of a disco club so they appear stilted and slow. This deftly shows rather than tells the paradox of heightened passion and slow motion effectively trapping Richie in his own mental anguish of wanting to move forward but never getting ahead. 

All of this leaves the audience wondering  - what does it take to survive? And is it possible to make an art out of doing so? 

If American Hustle gives any indication, than the answer is yes. 

Toby sez: Solid storytelling, acting, and execution that leaves one coming back for more. 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Length Hampers this Tale's Flight of Fancy

Bilbo and Thoren a bit concerned: pictures courtesy of New Line Cinemas.

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s own words, The Hobbit films are starting to “feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.” The latest installment, The Desolation of Smaug, has a sense of the franchise eeking itself out to feed the fan frenzy that ate up the epic majesty of the original Lord of the Rings films. The problem is obvious – LOTR is an actual trilogy, while The Hobbit is not. And it is becoming painfully clear that Peter Jackson is pulling every elfin rabbit out of his hat to make this light-hearted prequel into a similar sweeping epic. 

While this installment has enjoyable moments,there are sequences that seem long and stilted, most particularly the final battle with the dragon, Smaug. While Benedict Cumberbatch is effectively menacing as the voice of Smaug, the scene overall takes an eternity. Apparently basic laws of physics do not apply to dwarfs, as evidenced by dwarf King Thorin taking a ride down a river of molten hot metal on an iron shield, and surviving without even a burn mark on his hands. In the same category of bad logic, the dwarves surmise the dragon’s firey breath would be hot enough to stoke the furnaces of the old smithy and melt the iron in the vats, so if they just piss off Smaug enough, he’ll light the fires for them. Then they can pour the molten metal on top of him.The dwarves and Bilbo proceed to hide behind iron pillars while the fiery blast goes right past them. Nary a singed beard amongst them – forget the fact they’ve just established that Smaug’s breath is hot enough to MELT the very pillars they are hiding behind. Then there's the trip down the river in barrels while being chased by orcs, which is worthy of its own ride at Universal Studios. Fun, but again - far too lengthy.  

Legolas' pop Theranduil looking appropriately bishounen.

All is not lost, however. Ian McKellen, whom we see far too briefly, does his usual incredible turn as Gandalf the Grey, and Martin Freeman is perfectly cast as Bilbo, who is the bravest and the most logical of all the characters that he surrounds himself with. The first glimpse of Sauron is impressive, as his silhouette forms from the iris of the great, pulsating eye, and Orlando Bloom gives a welcome return as Legolas, although his bright blue eyes look too fake to be effective. One added character not from the book is an elven warrioress, Tauriel, played by the evocatively named Evangeline Lilly, who forms a charming bond with Kili, one of the Thoren’s dwarf company. Her storyline was one of the more brilliant departures from Tolkien’s original storyline, setting up a foreshadowing of an alliance between elves and dwarfs that will come to solidify itself in the relationship between Gimli and Legolas in The Fellowship of the Ring.I was also delighted to see a cameo by the talented British actor Stephen Fry as the pompous and overstuffed Master of Laketown, who with great panache poo-poos the naysayers in regards to the danger of Smaug and embraces Thorin’s plan to reclaim the dwarve’s long-lost riches with barely restrained moustache-twirling opportunism. 

But all the brilliant performances and casting a great film does not make, and while I try to view each film I see with a fresh eye, The Desolation of Smaug falls far short of even its predecessor, and even its more poignant moments lose their sheen when held up against the original Academy Award-winning trilogy.

 Toby sez: A fun ride, but too long by half. 

 

Parting shot: Dwarves in barrels! 

Critic's Pick for Valentine's Day Weekend: Lars and the Real Girl

Lars and Bianca: Image courtesy of MGM Studios

Back in 2007, an unassuming little indie movie came out about a sweet but painfully shy man who, to the utter surprise of family and friends, decides to take his romantic fate into his own hands by buying an atomically correct, life-size doll - not for sex, but for companionship.

I will be the first to admit that many dolls scare me. Something about their lifeless eyes and wan, sometimes forced cheerful faces, have always been the stuff of nightmares for me. So the concept of a man falling in love with a large doll sounded creepy, and looked even creepier in the trailers.

Perhaps I was not alone in my feelings on this, since the movie flew significantly under the radar of the general public, despite having heartthrob Ryan Gosling in the starring role and being nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing and Original Screenplay as well as winning several other awards. But at the urging of a good friend of mine, Chris, (who could win a look-alike Ryan Gosling contest), I took a deep breath, decided to get over my phobias, and Netflixed this baby.

What an odd little treasure it turned out to be. When Lars introduces "Bianca," a girl he explains he met on the Internet who is of Brazilian and Danish descent to his brother Gus and his sister-in-law Karin during a rather awkward dinner, they, of course, worry about Lars' sanity. Gosling does an incredible performance treating Bianca as a real person, a sort of gentle puppy love affection towards her, despite the fact that she comes dressed as a hooker when she arrives fresh out of her box.

The emotions in this movie are real and not overdone - the audience is not manipulated into tears or made to pity Lars. Despite all the stresses and concerns of the imminent arrival of their first child, Karin and Gus gamely set Bianca up in the guest room, give her some regular, less provocative clothing, and the whole town suddenly gets wrapped up in the project of Bianca, seeing that she is helping Lars get out of the painfully, quiet little world that he has been living in. As the plot gently unfolds like a spring blossom emerging from the snows of winter, we, the audience, realize that Bianca has become a therapy tool for Lars to begin loving what is most important - himself.

Toby sez: Refreshing as a spring thaw, quirky and original. Sure to melt the snowiest of hearts.  

 

Critic's Movie Pick for 2013: Star Trek Into Darkness, AKA: My Ship Works Better When I Kick It

Interrogating Khan - image courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

2013 was unique in the sense that it was the year not one, but two pop culture film sequels actually surpassed the original in quality and plot. The first was Star Trek Into Darkness, the second being Thor: The Dark World (which you can read my review of here.)

This might seem an odd choice considering it isn't even up for Best Picture this year, and it may not be considered the “best” film of the year, but it is the one I had the best time watching. I often like to gauge the quality of films on the rewatchability factor - would I own this movie? Would I watch it more than once? More important - did I have a good time watching it?

Yes, yes, and yes - after seeing it twice in theatres, my Christmas wish (happily fulfilled) was the Special Edition DVD with steelbook packaging along with a figurine of the villain ship, the USS Vengeance. Considering it got generally good reviews and is currently rated 87 percent fresh on RottenTomatoes.com, I was saddened to read in The Guardian that at the annual Star Trek convention in Las Vegas held last August, it was voted the worst film in the entire canon by Trekkies. 

Really? Because I fell asleep during Nemesis despite Picard being my favorite captain (yay Patrick Stewart!). According to the article, the best film is Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (the irony of Khan being in both the best and worst is not lost here). Look, I loved this film too, but it was nice to see Khan not look like an 80s David Bowie ripoff with a fake chest (I know it hasn't been confirmed as truly fake, but it looks pretty suspect in certain scenes – particularly if you are watching on Blu-ray).

Yes, Into Darkness has its flaws. For one, they could've come up with a better title. Two, there are inconsistencies - why does Bones make a big deal about Kirk having health issues in the beginning and then drop it? Why does the top secret new military ship have its own model in Admiral Marcus’s Starfleet office in plain sight? And why does it take so fracking long for the ship’s energy weapons to load up?

J.J. Abrams on the set. Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Here’s the thing. I can forgive these flaws because I like J.J. Abrams. You can tell by the solid writing and intricate camera work that Abrams invests a great deal of time and energy into his actors. (Read my review of another one of my Abrams favorites, Super 8, here.) He’s not out to make the a good Star Trek movie – he’s just out to make a good movie, period. I particularly enjoy a less brooding and guilt-ridden Kirk and overall, a better balance between action, character interaction, and drama. In the first installment, I felt like I was being constantly bombarded with big explosions and blockbuster movie sequences. Growing up watching Next Generation I appreciated the plot-driven episodes (which often had little or no action in them at times). Give me solid dialogue over another CGI ship exploding any day.

 I also appreciated Star Trek characters acting like Star Trek characters. Zachary Quinto as Spock is spot-on, and Chris Pine has embraced the character of Kirk wholeheartedly, continuing with William Shatner’s cocksure interpretation of the character while adding a layer of personal ethics that goes beyond the hero’s duty to “do what’s right.” It is gratifying to see the continued development of friendship and loyalty between Spock and Kirk, the ultimate odd couple. Even the supporting characters get moments in the sun – particularly when Sulu (John Cho reprising the role from the first film) gets a chance to take control of the Enterprise for a brief moment.

And Khan. I could write a book about Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan. That deliciously malicious voice combined unwavering intensity and swagger make his embodiment of the classic villain drool-worthy.  Cumberbatch’s naturally unique facial structure, enhanced by a severe haircut, plays up his otherworldly nature. I had to chuckle during one climactic scene when he stops mid-getaway to put on a trench coat just because it makes him look cool. It is a throwaway moment that many filmmakers would’ve left on the cutting room floor, and yet is endlessly amusing.

Great character development and interaction, fun plot, great pacing and balance combined with a kickass film score and a DVD chock full of special features allows me to forgive aforementioned inconsistencies. It is not the best film ever made, it is far, far from the worst.

Toby sez:  Sorry Guardian article - Star Trek Into Darkness is a solid addition to this DVD library.

Critic's Picks of 2013: Steelheart, ComiCONN, and PSB

2013 was iffy for a lot of people, but it brought great things to the pop culture front! Before we get too far into 2014, I wanted to touch on a few things that really made this past year shine.

The Year of Corrupt Superheroes: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson 

UK cover, courtesy of BrandonSanderson.com

What if all superheroes turned out to be supervillains? This was, hands down, my favorite book of the year. Immediately compelling and engaging, it follows the journey of a young man named David, who is looking for revenge against the death of his father by the hands of a man named Steelheart, who is the most powerful of the Epics - humans that for unknown reasons have been gifted with powers beyond those of mere mortals, which they wield for personal gain. Steelheart is a kind of dark superman, almost completely invincible who has taken the city of Chicago and turned it into Newcago - his own personal empire. David joins the ranks of the Reckoners, a small group of rebels fighting to take back humanity by taking down the regime - one Epic at a time. 

The message of fighting against fear and freeing oneself from its terrifying grip is something that struck a deep chord within me. I had no idea what twists and turns this story was going to take next, and what starts out as a tale of vengeance develops into a tale far deeper and profound. 

The audiobook, narrated by Macleod Andrews, delivers all the suspense of this gripping young adult novel with a voice that transitions from the young, optimistic tones of David to the deeper, grittier vocals of Prof, head of The Reckoners. Andrews also engages listeners with convincing French and Southern accents as well as realistic and diverse feminine voices, fully realizing the unique personalities within the Reckoners. The result is the perfect marriage of masterful writing and versatile narration.

Click here to listen to a sample of the audiobook.

Toby sez: Great read and a great listen. Doesn't get much better than this.

 

The Year of the One-Day Wonder: ComiCONN 

ComiCONN was an absolute blast for this first-time attendee. Held in the Hotel Marriot in Trumbull, Conn. on August 24, 2013, it was the perfect wrap-up to the convention summer season and had an amazing number of awesome cosplayers. Take a look for yourself in the slideshow below - everything from old school Adam West Batman to Thor and Tony Stark. 

The Critic, Luke Foster style

 In fact, it was such a hit that the show goes on for its fifth year with an expanded venue at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn and will be extended two more days - from August 15-17. What I enjoyed about it was it stuck to the roots of its fandom - comic books - while also making room for independent artists and authors as well. For instance, I ran into artist Luke Foster, whose 2013 project Drawn Away chronicled his 2013 tour across America in a cartoon/memoir format. He is also the creator, illustrator and writer of The Gang From the Store: True Tales from the Comic Book Shop, which ran from November 2009 to June 2010; and Moon Freight 3, which ran from August 2008 to November 2012. He was also kind enough to draw a fun picture of The Critic herself!

The Critic slightly starstruck with Lion-O voice actor Larry Kenney

Right around the corner from Luke Foster's booth was, lo and behold, Larry Kenney! An incredibly versatile voice actor and radio personality, Mr. Kenney is best known for voicing Lion-O in the original 1985 Thundercats series, and he also contributed his talents as Claudus  in the Thundercats 2011 reboot. He is also the voice of Count Chocula and Sonny in the Cocoa Puffs cereal commercials. He was an incredibly fun guy to talk to, signed my Lion-O print with a very kind note, and was truly an unexpected treat to meet! He can also be heard in Grand Theft Auto IV as The Beat 102.7 announcer.

What truly made this con fun was the accessibility of all the artists and guests - no long lines, no massive crowds to fight through - it was well-organized and gave everyone from Batman to Dr. Who fans something fun to enjoy. No wonder they decided to expand it for 2014! Plans are underway for a Dark Nite Club V.I.P. Party starring "The Bat Pack" - looking forward to see what that's all about.

Toby sez: Good things come in small packages. Looking forward to this year's expansion pack.

 

The Year we Got Electric, Great Britain-Style 

Electric album cover; courtesy of PetShopBoys.co.uk

On July 15, 2013 the classic British pop-synth duo Pet Shop Boys dropped their newest album Electric and gave electronica a fierce wake-up call. This marks their twelfth studio album.

The first instrumental track "Axis"makes the listener feel like they are taking a ride on a light cycle in Tron. It demonstrates the complete metamorphosis the duo has made into the sleeker butterfly of electronica while still keeping the best of their distinctly 80s roots. Unlike their more reflective album Elysium, which dropped without much fanfare on September of 2012, Electric brings the dance beats down hard, particularly with "Shouting in the Evening" and the feel-good dance hit "Thursday" (which even incorporates little bells!). But it's far from fluff. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe stay true to their characteristic trademarks of thoughtful lyrics and strong - sometimes harsh - stances towards humanity, particularly during their haunting cover of Bruce Springsteen's "The Last to Die."

Tennant and Lowe have always had a knack for creating thematic moods for each of their albums, and while I wouldn't call this my favorite album of all time, it shows a definitive step in a new direction for their sound as they explore the outer limits of their synth/pop signature sound.

               Pet Shop Boys performing their 2003 hit "Miracles" during their 2013 Electric Tour at House of Blues in Boston.

Toby sez: Solid addition to the PSB catalog; great beats for long car trips. Recommend "Axis", "Thursday", "The Last to Die."

Stay tuned for the Critic's movie pick of 2013!

The Critic hits Pinterest!

 Hey there readers! New Year, new page! In addition to the usual crop of reviews here, the Critic is going to be posting blog updates on current interests and trends to my brand new Pinterest board that you can access right HERE! Below is a small picture preview. Hope to see you on there!

Current Reels: Catching Fire grabs the heart of The Hunger Games

Image courtesy of Lionsgate Entertainment

Catching Fire made me feel like I'd been run over by a truck - but in a good way, if that's possible.

Let's just say I knew I was in trouble when I felt the tears pricking the corners of my eyes when Effie (played brilliantly by the effervescent Elizabeth Banks) was giving "her team" of District 12 a pep talk before they have to embark on another hellish round of the despicable games. Catching Fire is The Hunger Games all grown up, where the stakes are higher and the layer of emotional tension is thick enough to cut with a knife.

Which makes sense. Gary Ross, who directed the first installment, is a veteran of the film industry, making such feel-good classics as Big, Seabiscuit, and Pleasantville. Entertainment Weekly reported on the fatherly relationship star Jennifer Lawrence, playing the feisty Katniss Everdeen with great panache, and Ross had with one another, and the result from film #1 is the sense that a proud director papa Ross is watching his little darling go out and fight in the big leagues - a hardened young woman taking a stand against a force so much bigger than her, and Ross can rejoice in creating an effective underdog story that he so loves.

Director Francis Lawrence, who took over the helm of this great galleon of a film franchise, dispenses with such fatherly notions. It's almost as if he is saying to the viewers, get a grip people, this is real drama and the shit is seriously hitting the fan now. This is wholly appropriate. While readers could glory in the shocking stand that Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) take in book 1, now the characters have the face the consequences of their actions - which prove to be incredibly dire.

We see a lot of familiar faces, find out what makes Gale tick, and Stanley Tucci continues to portray the slick character of TV host Caesar Flickerman as a kind of Jimmy Carson on acid. (Fun fact: Gale is played by Liam Hemsworth, is the younger brother of Chris Hemsworth, known to most of us as Thor).  There's also some new players, with Philip Seymour Hoffman doing his turn as the urbane new game master, Plutarch Heavensbee, and Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin), a former survivor of the Hunger Games forced to duke it out once again, who still finds time to flash Katniss a cherubic smile in between throwing punches.

There's a lot left by the wayside in transition from book to movie, namely the quiet moments of introspection where Katniss questions her actions, and the character development of Haymitch (Woody Harrelson, who I'm sad to report was given an extremely bad wig in this film). Haymitch's influence is felt far less on screen, but it his love towards both Peeta and Katniss is palpable in the fleeting moments he has to make himself known.

Visually stunning, the film burns like tiny papercuts, events moving in such a blur towards - what? Death? Survival? Even when you know what's going to happen next, you can't look away, even in the most heartbreaking moments. Francis Lawrence has cut out the beating heart of The Hunger Games and shown it to us, in all of its raw, bloody glory, and in turn we are repulsed, saddened, and yet fascinated. Gone is the cosy sense of the underdog finally getting her day. In it's place is something darker, a sense of a people rising up for vengeance - a machine whose wheels Katniss has set in motion, a machine far bigger than she could have ever imagined, fueled by the passions of a people that can even make the brilliant white of Caesar's smile lose some of its sheen. 

Toby sez: Intense and gripping. I want more!