American Hustle (2013) Review

AMERICAN HUSTLE (2013)
Director: David O. Russell

Writers: Eric Singer and David O. Russell

Producers: Bradley Cooper, Eric Singer, George Parra, and Matthew Budman

Editors: Alan Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy, and Crispin Struthers

Cinematography: Linus Sandgren

Music: Danny Elfman

Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence

Runtime: 2 hours 18 minutes

Rating: R (language, sexual content, brief violence)

Genre: Crime, Drama

Release Date: December 20, 2013

Intro: It's Oscar season, one of the best seasons of the year behind baseball season. It's great because during this season, there are always movies premiering that will most likely receive Oscar nominations, which means there is often a plethora of good movies out to see. American Hustle is one of this year's batch, and after it got rave reviews, I got interested. American Hustle is a fun and enjoyable crime movie on the outside, but it's the supreme acting, subtle but great directing, the engaging script, and the interesting incorporation of the soundtrack on the inside that elevate the movie to an Oscar-worthy level.

Plot: Conman Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) and his British partner-in-crime and mistress Sydney Prosser (Adams) are forced to work with an FBI Agent (Cooper) to pull off a sting operation by using good guy New Jersey politician Carmine Polito (Renner). It's based off the Abscam scandal in the 70s.

Things People May Find Objectionable: There's a lot of swearing in the form of f-bombs and a LOT of cleavage shots, especially with Amy Adams, which they push quite a bit. I'll let you decide whether this is a good or a bad thing. I'm just letting you know it's there. Also, there's really only one violent scene, and it it's over quickly and isn't that gory.

What was Good:

     -Acting: This is perhaps the best part of the movie and what makes it work so well. It features fantastic performances from whole cast, as everybody disappears into their roles. Often times, subtlety makes the performance, especially for Amy Adams, as she excels in her role, but does it less obviously than some of her cast members. Christian Bale gives the best performance in my opinion. He is absolutely dead-on with his role, as he portrays his character perfectly. Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are also great. I really can't talk enough about the acting here. It was superb. Without a doubt in my mind, at least one of the cast members is going to win an Oscar for their role in this movie.

     -Directing/Cinematography: Fantastic. It's not as grandiose, obvious, or flashy as some other directing, but it's very subtle and does a great job of showing the emotions and tension behind the characters. Showing the feelings of the characters and highlighting the acting is where it succeeds the most, in my opinion. It makes me want to see more of David O. Russell's movies.

     -Music/Score: Mostly 70s music was used for the soundtrack, and it really fit the movie well. They use some great stuff including Steely Dan, Elton John, Chicago, and Paul McCartney. Not only did the music give a sense of the era, but the soundtrack was incorporated into the action. The best instance of this is during a tense scene where the fates of the characters are uncertain. "Live and Let Die" plays and the action on screen is edited based off the lyrics and rhythm of the song. It's really cool to see a soundtrack incorporated so well into a movie, and it perfectly elevates the tension. 

Christian Bale's character was based off real life conman
Mel Weinberg who worked with the FBI

     -Script: The script was good. I thought it was very well-written. The dialogue definitely keeps the movie going. The voiceovers were really interesting, as they shift to different characters at points. It's kind of reminiscent of the same technique used in Goodfellas, where Henry's wife is characterized through her voiceover, as it tells how she felt about Henry and why she was attracted to him. I think this is a great way to establish characters and their relationships with one another.

     -Humor: The movie is very funny at times. There are some good comedic moments. You will laugh. Jennifer Lawrence and Christian Bale are especially funny, as they both absolutely nail their slightly insane characters. The movie almost floats into the comedy genre, though I'd hesitate to call it a conventional one.

     -Characters/Emotional Involvement: Pretty good. While you may not feel emotionally connected to every character in every situation, you do end up caring for them at the end. The characters are definitely not flat either. For most of the movie, the main characters are fleshed out and you understand their motives and positions, and sometimes you understand just how stuck the characters are in their situation and sympathize with them because of it.

Worth Noting:
     -Story: The story gets a little confusing at times and you can get a little lost, but in the end it all makes sense. Just go along with it, and you'll be able to understand everything at the end, even if it isn't immediately clear. Otherwise, the story is good and definitely interesting. It keeps you hooked, that's for sure. To be honest, I hadn't heard of Abscam before watching the movie, but now I understand how interesting the source material is. I'm glad somebody made a movie based off that story.

     -Intelligence: This is definitely a smart movie that requires you to think somewhat. Morality here is ambiguous and left up to interpretation. The movie also sticks with you, to be sure. It's not one you can go see and then forget about a couple hours later.

The Verdict: American Hustle is one of those movies that is as entertaining as it is well-made. The acting is phenomenal, the directing is subtle, but fantastic, and the script is entertaining and well-written. I would imagine the movie will be up for numerous Oscars this year, and I'm pretty sure it will win at least a couple. I'd highly recommend seeing this one. You get two for the price of one: an entertaining movie and a well-made piece of cinema. If you want a quality movie to see this Oscar season, I highly suggest checking out American Hustle.

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Man of Steel (2013) Review

MAN OF STEEL (2013) REVIEW
Director: Zack Snyder

Writers: David S. Goyer (screenplay and story) and Christopher Nolan (story only)

Producers: Christopher Nolan, Jon Peters, Lloyd Phillips, and Thomas Tull

Editor: David Brenner

Cinematography: Amir Mokri

Music: Hans Zimmer

Starring: Henry Calvill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, and Russell Crowe

Best Credit: Malcolm Scott as "Tractor Repair Shop Owner"

Runtime: 2 hours 23 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (sci-fi violence, some language)

Genre: Superhero, Action, Sci-Fi

Release Date: June 14, 2013

Intro: This is a movie I was intrigued to see, if nothing else because Christopher Nolan had a hand in it, and I thought he'd bring an interesting side to Superman into the franchise. Well, I was half-right. Man of Steel is a very inconsistent movie. The effects, music, and character development are very good, while other qualities lack. The biggest problem it has is keeping what's good and original going throughout the whole movie, as the story and action are both fresh and original, and formulaic.

Plot: During the final days of the planet Krypton, General Zod (Shannon) led a coup on the leaders and caused a civil war. In a society where people are born like test tube babies and born for specific tasks, Jor-El (Crowe) and his wife have had the first natural-born child on Krypton in years. Jor-El sends his newborn son to Earth to escape Zod and the end of Krypton, and Zod and his team are imprisoned. On Earth, Clark Kent (Calvill) has to adjust to being different from the other humans and try to control his extraordinary powers so the people of earth don't freak out. Soon, old enemies of his parents return and it is up to Clark, along with Lois Lane (Adams) to save the human race.

Things people may find “objectionable”: The main thing, as with any superhero and/or action movie, is violence, and there is a lot of it. Otherwise, there's nothing much.

What was Good:

     -Music/Score: This was probably my favorite thing about the movie. The score was really interesting and powerful and added a lot to the movie. Composer Hans Zimmer is one of my favorite movie composers, and this score is as good as you'd expect from him.

     -Special Effects: Very, very good. The effects were really great and were probably the strongest part of the movie. This was obviously emphasized by the filmmakers. Then again, it's hard to have a good superhero movie without good special effects.

     -Characters: This is kind of funny because the filmmakers do a really good job with the characters  but they shy away from it big time in favor of action. It seemed to me that there just wasn't enough character development, especially since this is one thing the screenwriters really had going for them. At times, I almost wanted to see some character development instead of action. It was well done, there just wasn't enough of it.

     -Acting: The cast all did a pretty good job. The filmmakers definitely did a good job at casting. Henry Calivill was, I thought, a great choice to play Superman. This, I felt, was a strength of the movie.

Superman-related and funny. I recommend
checking out the tumblr blog it's from too.
There's some funny stuff on there.

Good and Not so Good at the Same Time:

     -Originality: It was original for a while, but got trapped in the superhero formula once the bad guys showed up. The first part of the movie, where Clark grows up and hides his identity and so forth is a new take that was kind of refreshing and interesting, but unfortunately they were not able to keep it up and they eventually resorted to formula.

     -Story: The story was interesting, but it definitely had some holes. A lot of stuff seemed to happen just because the filmmakers needed it to and a lot of stuff about how something comes to be is just kind of glossed over without any real explanation. Still, the story was interesting and engaging, despite its holes.

     -Action/Suspense: It's a superhero movie, so this is kind of a necessary element. The action is all pretty good and exciting, though you know it's almost impossible to kill Superman, so you're not incredibly worried for his safety, which decreases some of the suspense. The action was inconsistent though. There were some very exciting moments and some action sequences that seemed new and fresh, and there were others where it felt like I'd seen something similar before. Also, some of the action moved so fast, it was a bit hard to figure out what was going on. Overall, it was exciting though.

     -Script: Inconsistent. There were some good lines but there were also some cheesier ones. Not bad though. Everything worked, so I guess it succeeded in that regard.

What Could Have Been Better:

     -Directing/Cinematography: I wouldn't say it was bad, but the directing could've been better. I am no fan of the shaky cam (unless it's a found footage film) and I like to know what is going on for the most part in the action sequences. Director Zack Snider is guilty of both. Not all the time, but for several scenes there seemed to be shaky cam or movements that caused confusion where it was really unnecessary. Also, as I mentioned before, sometimes the camera moved so much it made it hard to figure out what was going on in some of the action sequences.

     -Intelligence: Not really a thinking person's movie, but this doesn't detract much from it. Don't expect to see this and have to think too hard.

Final Score: Man of Steel, where it's good is very good, but it has a hard time staying consistent. Still, for superhero fans, this is definitely one to see. It's far from a perfect movie, but nonetheless it's still pretty entertaining as long as you don't go see it expecting another Dark Knight or Avengers. I recommend seeing it if you're into superhero movies or just want to watch a fun summer blockbuster.

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Source Code (2011) Review

SOURCE CODE (2011)
Director: Duncan Jones

Writer: Ben Ripley

Producers: Jeb Brody, Fabrice Gianfermi, and Howard Koch

Editor: Paul Hirsch

Music: Chris Bacon

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, and Michael Arden

Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (some violence, disturbing images, language)

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Romance

Release Date: April 1, 2011

Before Watching the Movie: This is a movie that is best to start watching with little to no prior knowledge. There's not a whole lot you really need to know in advance, since the movie explains it all. Since the movie's told from the perspective of Jake Gyllenhaal's character, you never really know more than he does. Because of this, it's best to no nothing going in. I'll include the plot section below, but if you want the "full experience," I suggest skipping that and the intro section.

Things people may find “objectionable”: Probably the worst moments the movie has to offer are during the explosions when it's clear the people are dying and Stevens has to watch this. There is also one use of the f-word and some violence as well. A couple people are shot, and Stevens gets into a couple fist fights throughout the course of the movie.

Intro: I really didn't know much at all about this movie when I saw it. All I knew was the very basic plot premise and that it had gotten really good reviews when it was out in theaters. It turns out that my lack of knowledge was a good thing, especially for this movie. Source Code is a movie that could have daily been terrible, but it's also one that is pulled off well very due especially to the writing, directing, and storytelling, as it's full of fun and mind-bending plot twits and is also exciting and engaging.

Plot: I'll keep this section brief so I don't ruin any of the plot twists. Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal), a US Army captain who had been serving in Afghanistan, suddenly wakes up on a train in Chicago inside the body of a man named Shawn Fentress, sitting across from a young woman named Christina (Monaghan). After trying to get accumulated to his new surroundings, the train blows up from a terrorist bomb. Stevens then wakes up in a military capsule where he finds out he's being sent into the past via a system called Source Code and his mission is to find the bomber on the train before he or she wreaks more havoc on the city of Chicago. In the meantime, he becomes attached to the train's passengers and wonders if tries to wrestle with the fact that he's connecting with them yet they're all dead in real life.

Ratings:

     -Directing/Cinematography: 9/10. Very well directed. Jones picks interesting angles and shots and also paces the film really well and does a great job at telling the story.

     -Acting: 8/10. Decent acting by the entire cast. Everyone gives a pretty solid performance in their respective roles.

     -Writing: 9.5/10.

          -Story: 10/10. The story was definitely really cool and I loved all the twists and turns it took throughout the movie. The story was easily the strongest part of the movie and it's also what made Source Code a good movie instead of a mediocre one.

          -Script: 9/10. Very good and solid script to go along with the great story. Like I mentioned before, the writing is what makes Source Code so good.

If this is what you thought Source Code was going to
be about, you're probably a programmer.

     -Special Effects: 8/10. You could tell that the special effects were not the most up-to-date, but they still work well with the movie and it's easy to find them believable.

     -Music/Score: 10/10. The movie had a very good score that fit it quite well. It was really perfect for most of the scenarios, and it reminded me of the kind of score you would get along with a 40s or 50s mystery/suspense movie. In short, I really liked the score.

     -Power/Emotion: 8/10. All the characters were pretty likable and it's easy to feel for them, especially Stevens' character, who is caught in the middle of an unsolvable problem from his point of view, since he wants to save the people so badly, but know he can't with Source Code's 8 minute limit.

     -Adrenaline: 8/10. The movie is if nothing elementally engaging from start to finish. There are also quite a few exciting scenes, as this is an
                                                                                       action movie.

     -Mind-Bendingness: 10/10. The movie was basically one mind-bending plot twist after another w. This is definitely a movie that makes you think and always keeps you surprised, and I think this is part of why I liked it so much. I definitely like movies that make you think.

     -Humor: 2/10. There were a couple funny moments, but they were few and far between. This was definitely not the point of the movie. 

     -Best Credit: James A. Woods as "Aviator Glasses Guy."

     -Final Score: Source Code is that wonderful type of movie (according to me) that blends mentally engaging sci-fi plot twists with an exciting and fast-paced action story. Its directing and especially its writing make Source Code intelligent, engaging, and highly-watchable. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes intellectual and/or mind-bending movies movies or those who love fast-paced mystery and suspense movies.

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