Film: American Hustle

GENRE: Crime Drama
RATING: 14A for language, some sexual content & brief violence
RUNTIME: 2 hour and 18 minutes
STARRING: Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, The Fighter)
Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Amy Adams (Enchanted)
DIRECTOR: David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fighter)
WRITERS: Eric Singer (The International)  & Russell (Three Kings)
PLOT: A con man and his partner are forced to work with an impatient FBI agent who is trying to bring down congressmen in New Jersey.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 The acting in this film is incredible. What a stellar cast. Louis CK was unexpected but great fun to watch. Bale is getting close to Daniel Day Lewis style acting. I was mesmerized by Bale’s shoulders throughout the film. The way he contorted his body to play this con man, Irving, was amazing.
2 Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games) could do no wrong in this film. Everything this woman did was nothing short of fantastic. By far, my favourite actress right now.
3 Great crisp dialogue. There was a great flow and speed to the words. I am also dying to find out the end to the ice fishing story.
4 The style of this film is outstanding. It better get nominated for costume and art direction. The hair is awful (especially Bale’s comb-over) but you can’t turn away. The sets are so gaudy in their 70’s-ness, they draw you in. And those costumes. Amy Adams cleavage dresses are practically their own character.
5 As much as I loved the acting and dialogue in the film, it was way too long. Almost two and half hours. Make it 90 minutes and it would have been one of my top films of the year. I really wish the crispness was applied to the plot. Too bad.  

RECOMMENDATION: Theatre for Oscar preview, DVD otherwise
UPCOMING REVIEWS: The Wolf of Wall Street

Film: Anchorman 2

GENRE: Comedy 

RATING: PG for sexual content, drug use, comic violence 

RUNTIME: 1 hour and 59 minutes 

STARRING: Will Ferrell (Elf, The Other Guys, Step Brothers) 

Steve Carell (40 Year Old Virgin), Paul Rudd (This is 40) 

DIRECTOR: Adam McKay (Anchorman, The Other Guys) 

WRITERS: Will Ferrell & Adam McKay (Talladega Nights) 

PLOT: Ron Burgundy moves on to take on the first 24 hour news station.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 It was sure fun to see the gang back together. The four leads play so incredibly well off each other. It’s hard to believe that it’s been nine years.
2 The story is okay but the third act is pretty clunky. It starts to drag once the shark nursing at the lighthouse begins. Yes, you heard me right.
3 I don’t know why, but I really don’t want to watch Ron Burgundy in love. It just doesn’t work for me. Brick being in love with the equally mentally challenged Chani (Krisent Wiig) however, is fantastic and delightfully awkward.
4 I wasn’t sure if they were trying to reference Mayor Rob Ford but the mentions of smoking crack was pretty darn funny.
5 If you thought the battle royale in the first Anchorman was epic, you should see the cameos and mayhem that ensues this time. Good times.

RECOMMENDATION: Wait for DVD unless you’re a superfan
UPCOMING REVIEWS: American Hustle

Film: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

GENRE: Adventure, Fantasy
RATING: PG for violence and frightening images
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 41 minutes
STARRING: Martin Freeman (Sherlock, Love Actually, The Office [UK])
Ian McKellen (X-Men, Gods & Mosnters), Richard Armitage (Captain America)
DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson (I Am Legend, Constantine)
WRITERS: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson (LOTR)
Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, Pacific Rim)
PLOT: Bilbo and the dwarves try to reach the lair of Smaug but must go through spiders, elves, orcs and more.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 What an exciting film! Even though middle films in a trilogy often end in cliffhangers, they are usually filled with non-stop action and intensity. This is no exception. Great stuff all around. Jackson is the master.
2 The barrel scene alone is worth the admission; a perfect blend of action and humour. By far my favourite sequence. (I see an amusement park ride in the future.)
3 I could listen to Benedict Cumberbatch all day. What a great voice for Smaug. And of course it’s extra fun for all the Sherlock fans out there.
4 If you get easily freaked out by spiders, you are definitely not going to like one of the first action scenes in the movie.
5 Some people know that I am not a fan of Evangeline Lilly (Lost), but she was actually pretty good as the she-elf Tauriel. I partly credit the fun storyline though.

RECOMMENDATION: Gotta see it in a theatre
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Anchorman 2