Sunday 19 January 2014

The Wolf of Wall Street

"My name is Jordan Belfort. The year I turned 26, I made $49 million, which really pissed me off because it was three shy of a million a week." As far as opening lines go, you’re not likely to come across a better one in 2014 – it grabs your attention, raises a chuckle and makes for an economic introduction to the film’s insatiable protagonist. It also functions as a forewarning that we’re in for three hours of wild excess and moral decadence beautifully orchestrated by Martin Scorsese. When taken on those terms, The Wolf of Wall Street truly is a fascinating beast.

When we first meet Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), he is a wide-eyed wannabe yuppie eager to get rich the quick way via the wonders of stock brokerage. All it takes is one meal with a Wall Street hot shot for Jordan to realise the prospects this new world offers – “The name of the game: move the money from your client’s pocket into your pocket” crows Matthew McConaughey’s smarmy Mark Hanna, before adding that the secret to doing this job is hookers and cocaine. And just like that, Belfort’s fate is sealed.

What follows is a movie chronicling one man’s meteoric rise to power, as we witness Jordan go into business, build an empire of ruthless stockbrokers, manipulate the finance market to his every need and blow the money on a lifestyle almost too depraved to describe. Not even 30 minutes into the film, we’re already treated to office orgies, chimps on skates, midget throwing contests, breast implant auctions, naked marching bands and a relentless consumption of class A drugs, all of which were allegedly common occurrences at Belfort’s brokerage house, Stratton Oakmont.

Herein lays the biggest issue with TWOWS. For a film about stock brokers getting rich off the losses of their unsuspecting clients, no light is shed on the misery of the latter and far too much time is instead dedicated to the pleasure-seeking lifestyles of the former. By all means, viewers shouldn’t be lectured to and not every movie needs to come bow-wrapped in a moral, but considering we’re still dealing with the impact that the 2008 financial crisis has had on the global economy, a little more discretion on Scorsese’s behalf wouldn’t have been out of place.

Not that the director lets his characters completely off the hook, mind. If there’s one thing TWOWS does very well is reveal how an overabundance of riches and power will bring out the worst in us. Predictably, Jordan’s combined addiction to sex and drugs takes a gradual turn for the ugly, and while his colleagues come from humble origins, the moment the dosh comes piling in their laps (sometimes literally), they turn into insufferable fraudsters with giant egos. An early scene sees an office worker allowing her hair to be shaved in public and agreeing to undergo plastic surgery – all for a few thousand cash. The look on her face as her locks are clumsily removed is one of regret and humiliation barely concealed by weak laughter. It’s a quietly powerful moment in an otherwise OTT scene.

Yet despite the subtext about corruption, there’s no getting away from the fact that TWOWS is the funniest film Marty’s ever made (not to mention his raunchiest – he’s definitely never dedicated so much attention to pubic landscaping). Freeze frames and slow-motion are employed to brilliant comedic effect, while some characters reveal a Scrubsian inner monologue that adds hilarity to scenes already funny in their own right. As for the star of the show, Leonardo DiCaprio is something of a revelation. For someone who excels in dramatic roles and often comes across as a bit of a bore in the media, it’s a joy to see him this unhinged. His chemistry with regular funnyman Jonah Hill is evident, their banter rapidfire and instantly quotable (“I will NOT die sober!”), while the scene in which Jordan tries to drive his sports car under the effect of Qualuudes will have you in stitches. Who’d have thought Jack Dawson would turn out to be such a talented physical comedian?

Finally, the overlong running time does occasionally stretch patience and you’ll probably feel guilty for enjoying these characters’ company so much, but don’t let that get in the way of a damn good movie. Three hours of sex, laughs and hardcore drugs all wrapped up in a thick wad of cash, delivered by one of Hollywood’s most esteemed directors. How’s that for a recommendation?

4/5
  


Monday 13 January 2014

American Hustle


Quiffs, combovers, jheri curls… there’s a lot of wild hairstyles going on in American Hustle, a David O. Russell ‘70s crime dramedy that’s big on style, if a little scant on substance. Nevertheless, it’s a film teeming with some of the most exciting actors working in Hollywood today: Jennifer Lawrence is reliably brilliant as a ditzy blonde, Amy Adams seesaws between accents and is just a breeze away from a wardrobe malfunction, while Jeremy Renner proves there’s more to him than just starring in forgettable action man roles. Top of the bunch is Christian Bale, going full method as a balding, overweight conman constantly trying to outsmart Bradley Cooper’s bonkers FBI agent.


4/5

Sunday 5 January 2014

My Top 10 Films of 2013



10) Monsters University

Those who claim that prequels are nothing more than soulless cash-ins (and let’s be honest, there have been plenty of reasons to support this theory) should look up Pixar’s latest offering. Wittily scripted and flawlessly animated – try counting Sulley’s hairs! – it was the touching bromance between the two main characters that made Monsters University such a joy to sit through.




9) Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
It was a particularly strong year for comedy, but while This Is The End and The World’s End felt a little too similar both in theme and title and Anchorman 2 inevitably didn’t live up to its predecessor’s legendary status, Alan Partridge’s feature length debut ended up nabbing the best laughs. Mundane, small scale and all the better for it, it plays out like Die Hard meets Dog Day Afternoon in Norwich for afternoon tea. As it turns out, Steve Coogan’s graceless DJ works just as well on the big screen as he does on the small one. Enjoy him, everyone else is.




8) Iron Man 3
It was always going to be a tough gig, following up The Avengers. Luckily for Marvel, putting Lethal Weapon scribe Shane Black in the director’s chair proved to be a smart decision, for IM3 is an impressive threequel that manages to be funny, action-packed and surprisingly cerebral on a psychological level – if you think about it, this is a film about a man who tries to overcome his insecurities by creating better mechanical versions of himself. Yes, Iron Patriot is pretty useless and fans were outraged about the Mandarin twist, but you’d be hard-pressed to find another superhero flick in 2013 that was as bold and ballsy as this. Who needs the Avengers? 




7) Pacific Rim
Giant robots versus giant monsters – it’s the sort of concept most people would dismiss as “juvenile”, the sort of activity you’d engage in the playground during your childhood but that you’ve now outgrown supposedly because you’ve “matured”. Fuck most people. In the hands of visionary director Guillermo Del Toro, Pacific Rim is a stylishly shot film that pays loving homage to the monster movies of the past, without forgetting to focus on the more human elements of the story, as each towering robot necessitates two pilots with a personal connection in order for them to function. The best blockbuster of the summer, hands and claws down.




6) Captain Phillips
It’s tricky picking between Zero Dark Thirty and Captain Phillips. Both are remarkable examples of guerrilla, documentary style filmmaking, but while the former chronicles a CIA operative’s hunt for Osama Bin Laden, the latter is the tale of an ordinary man’s fraught negotiation with a gang of Somali pirates and feels more relatable in comparison. What’s most impressive however is director Paul Greengrass’ resolve to avoid triumphalism and make us feel for the pirates too, as the odds are gradually stacked against them to the point of desperation. As for the titular captain’s nervous breakdown at the end of the film, it’s a heartbreaking scene and a powerful reminder that Tom Hanks is still one of Hollywood’s finest actors.




5) Filth
Some films are meant to be one-man shows and Filth is beyond doubt James McAvoy’s baby and his finest performance to date. As corrupt DS Bruce Robertson, he is a conniving little shit of a man with no morals to speak of, but somehow manages to keep us hooked in with his blend of ruthless ambition and seductive charisma. It’s the kind of role that in an ideal world would be up for an Oscar, but if the Academy was too afraid to nominate Michael Fassbender and his penis for last year’s Shame, there’s no chance in hell McAvoy will be picking up a golden baldie anytime soon. It doesn’t matter, for Filth remains regardless an excellent adaptation of Irivine Welsh’s book of the same name, and the closest fans will get to a Trainspotting follow-up. 




4) Rush  
If only there were more biopics like Rush. Instead of going through the overfamiliar rise and fall trajectory of other films of the genre, Peter Morgan’s script is more interested in the rivalry between playboy pilot James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth, reliably charming) and methodical driver Nicki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl, surprisingly profound) both of whom were at the centre of the F1 craze throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. There’s no need to be a motor-head to appreciate what’s on show here, all you need to do is take in the strong performances and before you know it you’ll find yourself lapping up this riveting sports drama. It’s 2013’s Senna.  




3) Nebraska
Nebraska is one of those films that on the surface seems to be about nothing. This is mainly due to its minimal dialogue and static shots, while Alexander Payne’s decision to film in black and white is sure to put off mainstream viewers. Which is a pity, because it means they missed out on the most bittersweet movie of the year. Payne’s latest offering is a delicate portrayal of a family on its way to losing its paterfamilias to Alzheimer’s, with results ranging from amusing to tear-jerking. It’s easy to commend veteran actor Bruce Dern for his touching lead performance, but the truth is June Squibb, Will Forte and Breaking Bad’s Bob Odenkirk all deserve equal praise for pulling off the rarest of things in Hollywood: portraying a family that feels genuinely real, with all their subtle quirks and imperfections. 




2) Before Midnight
Iron Man 3 may have scooped up all the bucks at the box office, but back in the early summer days there was a small contingent of cinemagoers that was eagerly anticipating a different threequel. Picking up 9 years after we last saw them playfully flirt about in a Parisian apartment, this time we caught up with Jesse and Celine in Greece, who in the meantime have moved on from intellectualizing romance and chance encounters to debating adulthood and responsibilities they never thought they’d have to contend with when they first met in Vienna way back in the ‘90s. With nostalgic musings and one particularly nasty fight dominating most of the film, for some fans Before Midnight may be quite a departure from the previous rose-tinted installments but, in an industry that is constantly rebooting and remaking all of its star properties, this is clearly an indie franchise that is not afraid to mature with its characters. And for that reason, we should all be looking forward to seeing Jesse and Celine again in 2022.




1) Gravity
What contemporary Hollywood seems to be lacking the most is blockbusters with original high concepts. Far too often these days we see our multiplexes showing almost exclusively comic book movies, teen novel adaptations, reboots and sequels to movies that happened over 10 years ago that no one really wants to see. Gravity harks back to a time when audiences went to see a film purely because they were hooked on its gripping premise, and while there’s a chance that Alfonso CurarĂ²n’s flick would have made its budget back on curiosity factor alone, it helps that he’s actually delivered a perfectly executed film that is both thrilling and stunning to look at. Majestic vistas of Earth, deadly shrapnel silently tearing up shuttles and a distressingly believable performance by Sandra Bullock all contribute towards a movie that begs to be seen on the big-screen or at the very least on a 55 inch HD TV. It’s that good.