FILM REVIEWS: American Hustle

Thank God for movies like American Hustle, because if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t bother seeing movies in theaters anymore. Despite being somewhat overrated, this is a well-oiled machine of a movie that pushes along at a strong pace, building and becoming more interesting as characters and subplots are piled on. I think that in a way, this film is a toned-down version of Pulp Fiction-- Although it’s certainly not as good, it boasts all the aspects of a gangster/drama/comedy classic. It’s funny when it wants to be, ironic whenever it feels like it, but it also sets aside time for jaw-droppingly great performances and extremely dramatic moments. Also, it boasts an all-star cast that left me blown away. This is one of the best films of the year.

American Hustle is directed by David O. Russell, who in the past has given us the criminally underrated film Three Kings and the criminally overrated film Silver Linings Playbook. Say what you will about him, but he is one of the few directors who can actually make visuals in a drama amazing. Most people consider visuals in movies nowadays to be things like CGI and explosions, but action and sci-fi landscapes aren’t necessary to create memorable visuals. Russell focuses mostly on camera angles and set design, and puts an incredible amount of effort into re-creating the era. The costumes are expertly crafted, and the scene in which Christian Bale pieces together his hair is absolutely perfect.

Unlike other movies (fuck you, The Butler), American Hustle doesn’t pretend to be even remotely accurate about its story, prefacing the movie with the title card “SOME OF THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED.” It’s a work of genius that sets the tone for a vibrantly surreal movie that only gets more enjoyable the further it travels down the rabbit hole. Bale stars as an expert con artist, who with the assistance of Amy Adams cons hundreds of not-so-well-off guys who need loans. Bale’s operation is sniffed out by Bradley Cooper, a hothead federal agent who seems to always take things too far. Originally, these two roles were going to be reversed, with Cooper as the con artist and Bale as the fed. But that would never have worked-- Cooper’s youthful exuberance completely makes his character, and Bale delivers one of his best performances ever as the withdrawn con man. These are two of the year’s best performances, and practically carry the movie entirely just by the levity of their actions.

In order to avoid jail time, Bale and Adams agree to help Cooper out in a massive bust of corrupt politicians. One of these politicians is Mayor Carmine Polito, who is played by Jeremy Renner, one of the most underrated actors of our generation. He brings his innate likability to the character, and creates a sympathetic person who clearly wants nothing more than to do what is best for his constituents. But the real draw in this film is Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Bale’s wife. She is both magnetic and repulsive at once-- her character is probably the most intense I’ve seen this year. Although on the surface she is nothing more than a manipulative harpy, she soon reveals deep-seated emotional problems, a fear of change, and seriously latent stupidity. This is what makes her so dangerous: She is an unstable, attractive idiot. I don’t know whether to be entertained by her or fear her with every fiber of my being.

All of these performances are spectacular, but the film is lacking somewhat when it comes to heart. It flips through several great and memorable characters, from Michael Pena as a fake Arab sheik to Robert De Niro in a cameo as the ultimate tough-guy mobster, but it never seems to make us feel attached to the characters. Some backstory is given to Bale and Adams, but I never really bought their relationship, and this story is thrown in at the beginning, where the audience is yelling “JUST GET TO THE HUSTLE ALREADY!” It certainly gets better as it moves along, but I never shook the feeling that I was watching Pulp Fiction Lite. It’s another movie about gangsters and colorful characters, but none of them have the authenticity and likability of the characters in other gangster classics. There weren’t many quotable quotes, the dialogue lacked passion, and there was a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo about the money transfers and suchlike. Not a moment of small talk goes by, and that purveys the thought that these characters aren’t really characters-- They’re just people filling roles.

Final Score for American Hustle: 7/10 stars. A very well-done film that stumbles occasionally, this movie is extremely watchable but not always enjoyable. It’s at its best when it tries to be funny, because when it’s funny it’s HILARIOUS. Louie CK makes a welcome appearance as Bradley Cooper’s oft-abused boss, and he brings his funniest stuff to the table. The sheer ludicrousness of this movie is laughable, and I mean that in a good way. It’s a lot of fun, so who cares if there are moments that don’t ring as true as others?

Wait, there’s a scene where Jennifer Lawrence kisses Amy Adams.

On the lips.

Fuck it, 8/10.

FILM REVIEWS: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The biggest surprise of the year is that a sequel to a mediocre movie has actually improved on the original. Catching Fire, the second in a quadrilogy of films based off of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games series of books, is a vast improvement upon 2012’s The Hunger Games in terms of plot, dialogue, camerawork, characterization-- Really, everything. However, this is only possible because the original Hunger Games movie failed on all of those fronts, so really this isn’t saying much. But this installment is fast-paced, witty, and (most importantly) is capable of entertaining both the fangirls and their boyfriends who were dragged to see it. Which I would call a win.

Picking up where The Hunger Games left off, Catching Fire tells the story of the post-Hunger Games Catpiss Everdeen. Having been traumatized by the atrocities committed in the games and the fact that she was forced to make out with an albino midget for the cameras, she is a hollow shell of her former self. Jennifer Lawrence actually bothers to act in this installment, and the difference is quite palpable. Also, very little attention was paid to the fact that her relationship with the aforementioned albino midget (PETA) was fake in the original film, and that was expanded upon a lot more in this sequel. Altogether, the character of Catpiss is given far more motivation and backstory, making her character a lot more relatable.

After seeing her act of defiance at the end of the first film, the twelve districts in the dystopian nation called Panem have rallied together to form a resistance movement against the evil Capitol. I also enjoyed this aspect of the movie a lot, as it shows that some people will end up becoming symbols or heroes, whether they like it or not. Unlike the first movie, there’s actually some social commentary, and the political edge of the first half of the movie is its greatest asset. However... this social commentary seems a little weird at some points. For instance, in the cotton-picking district where every single citizen is black. These black cotton-pickers are then assaulted by “Peace Officers” who wield batons and are dressed all in white. Really? You know, while you’re at it, why not have them use fire hoses? You might as well if you’re going to be that on-the-nose about it.

However, after she becomes a symbol of hope for the plebeians, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) decides that this shit can’t go on. So he declares that the 75th Hunger Games will be made up of former winners from the previous games, in order to get rid of Catpiss and PETA, as well as the other winners, whom he now views as a threat. This is where the film starts going downhill; it started out as a great political allegory, and then it devolved into a movie about Jennifer Lawrence battling raging baboons and being attacked by a gas that causes zits. And no, that is not a joke. It can’t seem to find a consistent tone, as it juggles its political commentary side, its action side, and...

THE BULLSHIT LOVE TRIANGLE. I swear to God, is it just written into law now that every single Young Adult novel has to have a love triangle for the main character? The character of Gale (also known as Thor’s brother) is clearly wedged into the movie just to give the whole “Catpiss doesn’t actually love PETA” aspect some credibility. The film tries to give both of them enough screen time for character development, and as a result doesn’t give EITHER of them enough, making them come off as boring, one-dimensional, and incredibly obnoxious. They both only show up when the plot demands it, and when they do, they are utterly interchangeable.

However, the film does have some great supporting characters. Sutherland’s turn as the vindictive, ice-cold President Snow is one for the ages (even if the movie isn’t). Woody Harrelson reprises his role from the first film as the drunken comic relief and mentor to Catpiss and PETA. And it also has the welcome addition of Philip Seymour Hoffman as the new game-master... after the previous one had an unfortunate “accident.” Of course, the movie also features Elizabeth Banks as Nicki Minaj and Stan Tucci as the biggest flamer of all time, but I can overlook them, as they’re SUPPOSED to be over-the-top flamboyant. Still... that doesn’t make me cringe any less when they show up onscreen.

My complaint with this series is not that it spends too much time on the romance, or that it skimps on the action, or any of the bullshit reasons that people give for disliking these movies. It’s that they can’t figure out what they want to be. One minute they’re an excitingly deep political allegory about an utterly corrupt government gone mad with power... and the next minute, we’re seeing the aforementioned Loki fucker pushing Jennifer Lawrence’s hair behind her ears and calling her “Catnip.” Ten minutes later, people are getting flogged in the streets. Given that, it’s pretty surprising that this movie has actually found a good target audience, because it’s really all over the map when it comes to theme. But this was altogether a startlingly good movie and a vast improvement over the original, which was a piece of shit.

Final Score for The Hunger Lames: Catching Flame: 6/10 stars. Good (but not as good as it could have been), this second installment raises the stakes from the first movie while simultaneously delivering a fun and invigorating story about a dystopian society. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling in the theater that I had seen everything in this movie before. If you want to talk carbon-copy sequels (like Die Hard 2), well... look no further than this. But it also didn’t feel like it was just bridging the gap between the first and final installments (like The Two Towers), so I have to give it points for that. This isn’t a movie where I can tell you to turn off your brain and have a good time, but at the same time, if you overthink it you won’t enjoy it. Just pay rapt attention for the first half... and then have fun for the second. Three words: Dat water scene.