NEWS: The Fault in Our Stars Trailer Released

After months of waiting, the first official trailer for The Fault in Our Stars has been released!  It was originally to be released on Valentine's Day, but was released today because someone had leaked the trailer earlier this week.  The trailer has been posted below.

Personally, I love the trailer.  I think that this is shaping up to be an amazing movie, and book purists will leave the theater feeling very satisfied.  After all, the dialogue in the trailer is lifted almost exactly from John Green's novel and the details seem to be perfect.  After viewing the trailer, I am even more excited.  But how about you?  What did you think of the trailer and will The Fault in Our Stars be a well-adapted movie?  Comment below!

REVIEW: The Wolf of Wall Street

I haven't been this excited to see a movie and write a review this year since The Great Gatsby.  But then again, I'm always eager to see another DiCaprio movie!  There is certainly a lot of hype and controversy surrounding this film.  But the fact is, Martin Scorsese's latest work, The Wolf of Wall Street, is nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece.

The Wolf of Wall Street, based on the book of the same title, tells the story of the eager stockbroker, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio).  Ever since he was a child, all he wanted to do was become filthy rich.  Where better to go than Wall Street?  Along with his trusty sidekick, Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), they start selling stocks to the top 1% of Americans.  They make millions of dollars, but their greed gets out of hand.  Eventually, they start making even more money, but in order to do so, they need to start breaking some laws.  Jordan refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case conducted by the FBI, leading to the epic rise and fall of 'The Wolf of Wall Street.'

This is a film that's all about excess.  The Wolf of Wall Street is essentially the X-Rated version of The Great Gatsby.  If you are able to get past the excessive use of swear words, nudity, sex, and drugs, then you will enjoy this movie.  It features a fantastic script, brilliant editing, and easily one of the best performances of the year.

If there's a bad script, then no matter how good everything else is, the movie will be weak.  Fortunately, screenwriter Terence Winter was a genius with the script.  It is downright hilarious, and he has created some excellent one liners that will never be forgotten.  The film features a lot of speeches that are delivered by DiCaprio, and had they been written poorly, it would have been boring to listen.  But the speeches are so well-written and delivered with dynamic force that you as an audience member even get pumped up and motivated.

Martin Scorsese may be old, but that doesn't mean he can't keep up with the times.  The movie feels so fresh.  The editing that was done makes the movie feel so fast paced, like you are actually on the crazy journey with Belfort.  The Wolf of Wall Street is a three-hour long epic story, but it doesn't feel that long.  The first two hours of the film literally fly by.  However, the last hour does drag a little bit.  By this point in the film, things start to get a bit repetitive.  Unfortunately, that's how it was in the book, so that's how it was done in the movie.  But, this slight pacing issue towards the end doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the movie.

Regardless of your thoughts on the film overall, few will question the acting ability of Leonardo DiCaprio after watching this movie.  Make no mistake, while there may be a strong supporting cast, this is undoubtedly DiCaprio's movie.  He is in nearly ever scene from start to finish, and he delivers his best performance to date.  I have seen every Leonardo DiCaprio movie, and he has had to tackle some difficult roles, like Howard Hughes in The Aviator, Jim Carroll in The Basketball Diaries, Arnie Grape in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, and Calvin Candie in Django Unchained.  But nothing compares to this role as Jordan Belfort.  DiCaprio is pushed to the limit with this character, and he succeeds on every level.  While some may not expect it, he is actually a comedic genius in this movie, and he will have audiences roaring with laughter in the Country Club scene.  He is dynamic and funny, and he almost make you root for Jordan even though the character is despicable.  In sum, I have literally nothing to criticize for his performance in this movie.

Even though DiCaprio steals the film, there is still a strong supporting cast worth mentioning.  Jonah Hill is also hilarious in this movie, and he and DiCaprio actually make a great duo.  Margot Robbie, who plays Jordan's wife in the movie, delivers a breakthrough performance.  She is a surprising good actress and I look forward to more of her work.  Matthew McConaughey also has a small role in the film.  Even though he only gets about 10 minutes of screen time, he gives a memorable performance as Belfort's mentor.  The rest of the cast also does a fine job, and there is no single person that falls short of giving it their all.

The Wolf of Wall Street will undoubtedly be the most crazy three hours you'll ever spend watching a movie, and you'll either love it or hate it.  It pushes the R-rating to the limit, and had Scorsese not been the director, this movie would have easily gotten an NC-17 rating for all of the sex and nudity every 15 minutes.  It's extravagant, over-the-top, vulgar, and despite it's repetitive nature towards the end, a lot of fun to watch.  If the first four collaborations between Scorsese and DiCaprio didn't show it clear it enough, this film will definitely showcase that the two make a perfect cinematic duo.  The Wolf of Wall Street is easily one of the best films of 2013 and should be seen at least once.

RATING: 4.8 / 5

This film is rated R (sequences of strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language throughout, and for some violence)

* As a bonus, not only does DiCaprio act incredibly well in this movie, he also can dance!

NEWS: Oscar Nominees Announced

Earlier this morning, the nominees for the 2014 Academy Awards were announced.  Both Gravity and American Hustle lead the race with 10 nominations each.  The major nominations can be seen below.

BEST PICTURE
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale
Bruce Dern
Leonardo DiCaprio
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Matthew McConaughey

BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams
Cate Blanchett
Sandra Bullock
Judi Dench
Meryl Streep

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Barkhad Abdi
Bradley Cooper
Michael Fassbender
Jonah Hill
Jared Leto

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins
Jennifer Lawrence
Lupita Nyong'o
Julia Roberts
June Squibb

BEST DIRECTOR
David O. Russell
Alfonso Cuaron
Alexander Payne
Steve McQueen
Martin Scorsese

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Before Midnight
Captain Phillips
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Dallas Buyers Club
Her
Nebraska

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Ernest & Celestine
Frozen
The Wind Rises

A complete list can be found on the Oscars homepage: http://oscar.go.com/nominees

What do you think of the list?  There certainly are some surprises to be found.  Both Tom Hanks and Robert Redford were snubbed, and Saving Mr. Banks was only nominated for it's soundtrack, meaning that Emma Thompson got no nominations.  Another snubbed film is Inside Llewyn Davis, which got barely any recognition, and Monsters University was also snubbed for Best Animated Feature Film.  Also, despite his highly controversial film, Martin Scorsese garnered a nomination for Best Director.  And out of nowhere, Jonah Hill got a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, a nomination a lot of people didn't see coming.  Were you surprised by some of the nominations.  Comment below and let us know!

REVIEW: American Hustle

"Everyone hustles to survive."

This quote pretty much sums up the meaning of David O. Russell's latest film, American Hustle.  Everyone has their own plan, and together they all deceive each other.  Paying tribute to movies like Goodfellas, this movie hits almost all the right notes, thus making a fantastic film.

This film tells the story of the mastermind con artist, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), and his partner in crime, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams).  Together they make conning people a career, and eventually make quite a nice sum of money doing so.  However, in a careless act, they are caught and forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DeMaso (Bradley Cooper).  DiMaso pushes the group into a world of Jersey power-brokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting.  He plans to catch the caring and passionate New Jersey mayor, Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), as well as other politicians, in the act of accepting brides and tying them back to the mafia.  Everything is planned almost perfectly, but Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire plan crashing down.  With politicians, con artists, and the mafia, no one can be trusted, and anything could happen.

This movie has all the look and feel of a classic Martin Scorsese film, despite the fact that it's directed by David O. Russell.  American Hustle features a dynamic story with a strong script as well as an incredibly talented cast.

The story has essentially everything that you'd ever want in an organized crime movie.  It has con artists, politicians, the mafia, twists and turns, and suspense.  And this is one movie where absolutely nobody can be trusted, because everyone is working to fulfill their own personal desires.  What drew me into the movie instantly was the first title card: "Some of this actually happened."  Yes, the movie is based on a true story.  The movie is based on Abscam, which featured the FBI and con artists trying to bust politicians.  But, the movie adds a lot to the story to make it more engaging and real.  Like many of O. Russell's films, the subject matter is serious, and therefore there is a dramatic tone.  However, there are enough laughs to add in a comedic tone as well.  Within the first five minutes, most of the people in my theater were already laughing out loud.  It's the mix of drama and comedy, fact and fiction that make the story engaging.

That being said, the film does suffer from some pacing problems.  With a runtime of over 2 hours, I found myself checking my watch more times than I expected.  That's not to say that the film is boring, it simply dragged in a few areas.  Also, pay careful attention to what's going on at all times.  If you miss some of the dialogue within the first hour, you will be totally lost.  The hustle that the individuals are trying to accomplish is rather complex, and if you don't pay absolute attention, you won't understand.  I personally found that they could have laid out their plan in a slightly easier way for audiences to understand.  But if you're engaged in the movie, you won't be lost.

Any minor problems that the film suffers from is made up for by the talent of the cast.  The big five stars of this movie, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence, all give top-notch performances.  First, props to Bale for putting on all the weight for this role.  You can clearly tell he took his job seriously and he nails the character.  Bradley Cooper captures the wide array of emotions of the character and the pressure he feels to get the job right.  Jeremy Renner, who is not getting a lot of attention by many critics, does a phenomenal job, and definitely deserves more praise.  But it's the females of the film that steal the show.  Both Adams and Lawrence are pure perfection.  Adams is deceitful and you never know when she can be trusted.  Plus, she does a good British accent.  As for Jennifer Lawrence, she steals every scene she is in.  She is not in the movie a lot, but chances are you'll remember her performance a long time after the movie is over.  As she cranks out more and more fantastic performances, she is easily making her way into A-list status.  I would even go so far as to say that she will be this generation's Meryl Streep.  That being said, the entire cast does great, and we'll definitely see some Oscar nominations for their performances.

American Hustle is by no means a perfect film.  I also don't think it's O. Russell's greatest work.  (I think Silver Linings Playbook was his best.)  But American Hustle still boasts a lot of great stuff that easily make it worth a watch and will garner it a lot of awards over the course of this Awards Season.

RATING: 4.5 / 5

This film is rated R (pervasive language, some sexual content, and brief violence)

*A review of the highly controversial The Wolf of Wall Street will be posted in the coming days.  Be sure to check it out!

**Also, the ice story in the film is never finished! To anyone who has seen the movie, comment below and let us know how you think the story ended.