Equal parts extraordinary and exhausting, Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (B+) is a cynical cautionary tale wrapped in a fetching fantasia of decadent and grotesque true-life characters. Aside from the master director stunningly realizing his vision, Leonardo DiCaprio sinks his teeth into his role with grandeur. I don’t think the actor has ever been in such command of his craft, and it may be the greatest performance he has ever given. Somewhere in the second, third, maybe fourth act, however, the storytelling teeters a bit into true-crime formula. But there are so many devilish parts to relish. The film features the most seminal sequence involving stairs since Battleship Potemkin and some of the most darkly comic moments set to film involving addiction to drugs and dollars. No detail gets missed, from an ironic playing of “Mrs. Robinson” to fake get-rich-quick commercials. There are prolonged vignettes so good they needed to remain fully intact, but there are just too many of them. Scorsese wields a three-hour sledgehammer when subtler tools could have made a bigger statement. All in all, this is Leo’s tour de force and quite possibly the ultimate indictment of corporate corruption gone amuck.
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Slightly Better
The second chapter in the Middle Earth set dwarf dynasty is slightly more interesting than its plodding prequel predecessor, upgrading Peter Jackson’s Hobbit 2 to a C+. Basically (1) an elfin forest needs better arachne-pest control, (2) a river escape in wine barrels drifts the adventurers to a lethargic lake town and (3) dwarves and an invisible Hobbit fight a very pyro-imprecise talking dragon in his treasure room. These raiders of a lost Arkenstone are especially frustrating when inside forests, castles or mountains, because there gravity and logic become that of video games rather than of cinema. You don’t fall into endless chasms in this fantasy, but rather a mysterious hook, mining cart, spider web or other device appears to save all central characters from freefall. Amazing how with all this action, it’s mostly notable for draggin’.
Tom Hanks is “Captain Phillips” and It’s Great
Director Paul Greengrass takes a real-life news story about the cargo ship captain who saves his crew from an attack by Somali pirates and makes it surprisingly fresh and intense in Captain Phillips (B+). Tom Hanks gives a grizzled, commanding performance in the titular role; and newcomer Barkhad Abdi is a revelation as the armed leader of the shipboard trespassers. Greengrass gives the proceedings a documentary-style you-are-there intensity, unexpectedly crafting one of the year’s great human adventures.
“Escape From Tomorrow” Renegade Movie Filmed in Disney Park
Quite possibly the ultimate guerrilla movie (filmed undetected inside Disney parks), Randy Moore’s Escape From Tomorrow (B-) is disturbing tragicomedy about a recently unemployed man (Roy Abramsohn) going slowly insane while accompanying his family to the happiest place on earth. Cinema scholars will marvel over how this film even exists; others will appreciate the surreal Fellini/Lynch/Wenders monochrome style dream-like quirkiness; and most will scratch their heads over what it all means. Someone was drinking from a mad teacup when they thought this up.
“Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” Doesn’t Connect
Jeff Tremaine’s hidden camera road trip comedy Bad Grandpa (C-) offers Johnny Knoxville in full makeup as a cantankerous codger and child actor Jackson Nicoll as his sidekick and prank co-conspirator in a threadbare plot about delivering the boy from jailbird mom to even worse dad for custody. Knoxville is game for the high-jinks but fails in adding any authenticity to his character, which means Nicoll carries most of the film’s minor charms on his small but mighty shoulders. The highlight is the film’s finale, an infiltration of a kid beauty pageant, and even that joke has been done before in Little Miss Sunshine. Still, as a prank and gag-filled throwaway endeavor, it’s got some occasional sweetness. The end credit bloopers make it look incredibly fun to make, even if that fun only intermittently manifests onscreen.
“Frozen” Works in Spurts
Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee’s animated Disney movie Frozen (B+) mixes up the princess formula with some unexpected twists and largely enchanting results. This Scandanavian storybook adventure is filled with fresh ice effects, compelling heroines, charming sidekicks and winning songs by Kristen and Bobby Lopez. Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel’s power ballads and a snowman’s serenade to sunny climates – by Book of Mormon‘s Josh Gad – are among the highlights.
Technically, “Gravity” is Great
A technical tour de force and a wonder to behold, Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity (B) is nonetheless weighed down by an oppressive storyline, stock characters and a script marred with a touch of self-importance. Both Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are bit characters eclipsed by incredible outer space floating effects. It’s highly recommended as a showcase for 3D and efficient as a thriller with some nail-biting moments, but it’s also far-fetched and ultimately orbits a black hole of melodrama. Clooney basically plays Buzz Lightyear. Bullock’s CGI face and tears seem like they’re emoting pretty well, but in space, no one can see you act. Gravity barely gave its characters the acumen to operate an Easy Bake Oven, while a simultaneous release Captain Phillips depicted complete technical mastery amidst the maritime brinkmanship.
“Catching Fire” a Letdown in “Hunger Games” Saga
The second of the Hunger Games films is called Catching Fire (C-). It rarely does. Director Francis Lawrence’s unremarkable style can best be described as a cloud of smoke that poisons most of the charm and intrigue right out of the dome. When this sequel bothers to do more than simply retread the formula of the vastly more entertaining first film, it presents second rate drama, middling adventure and a love triangle most tepid. With major character traits a side pony and archery ability, Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss breathlessly bemoans her status in her dystopian future. She’s hardly got her heroine hat on. Josh Hutcherson’s unleavened performance as Peeta is basically little more than a damsel in distress role. And the plot and screenplay? Pure jabberjay!
Note: This movie was filmed in Georgia. Thanks to friend Jay Croft and StoryCroft blog for the mention of our site.
“12 Years a Slave” a Harrowing Masterpiece
Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave (A-) is a harrowing true story told masterfully. Journeyman actor Chiwetel Ejiofor creates the role of a lifetime as a free man kidnapped in 1841 into a life as a Southern slave. Gorgeously art directed and unflinching in its brutality, the film earns its emotions and is gripping throughout. You’ll be challenged constantly about the dehumanizing system that plagued much of our country’s history and ultimately inspired by a courageous character. After Fruitvale Station and The Butler, this is another provocative and deservingly acclaimed work about race relations that demands to be seen.
“Prisoners” (2013) a Gripping Action Drama
An absorbing dramatic thriller about the lengths people will go to in the wake of child abduction, Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners (A) is this year’s master class of acting. Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman go to extremes as central protagonists obsessed with solving a twisted mystery. It’s a labyrinth of moral ambiguity and cinematic delights.
“We’re The Millers” Only Occasionally Funny
We’re the Millers (C+), a comedy directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, hearkens back to the spirit of National Lampoon’s Vacation, although this time around it’s a fake family on a road trip to smuggle drugs across the Mexican border and get them back to Denver, Smokey and the Bandit style (except in an RV) for a crime boss. Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston are workmanlike as the leads, neither over the top nor pouring on too much wit or charm into the roles. Individual episodes and lines sporadically land, but there’s too much reliance on throwaway pop culture references for the film to amount to much on its own terms. Still, it’s a funny enough vehicle for its ensemble and an occasionally witty satire about the suburban mystique. More bawdy than brainy but often worth the journey for a handful of laughs.
“Spectacular Now” is Affecting Drama
James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now (B+) reminded me of the ’80s fave Lucas with a similar melancholy I found so affecting in Perks of Being a Wallflower, and lead actor Miles Teller as the effortless charmer harboring an alcohol addiction channels a sort of Say Anything era John Cusack, if he were on an endless bender while winning love with jambox held aloft. The theme is about intoxication, to alcohol and to first love: Shailene Woodley is devastating as the naive good girl heroine, filling her first boyfriend’s flask for him as he drunkenly drives her to a date he’s just dreamed up. It’s eerie how much this could have just been called the Lea Michele/Corey Monteith story. The take-away, that life and relationships are more enduring than the episodes between blackouts, rises above the potential afterschool special pitfalls.