Director: David O. Russell
With: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner
It's probably a bad omen that earlier last year, a friend recommended that I watch Goodfellas. And as I was watching American Hustle, I can't help but feel like O. Russell ripped off some styles from it -- from the way the history of the characters were presented, to the voice overs, to angry housewife, to Robert de Niro, to the trumpet-heavy musical background in the beginning. It screams second rate Martin Scorsese where Hustle is the cat to Goodfellas' lion. But that's probably just me hating on O. Russell lol. Despite that, I can't deny that it's engrossing. The number of wacky and fun scenes, I enjoyed. It's really just the ABSCAM plot that didn't soar.
The characters are crazy as their hairdos, and they're the best aspect of the film. This con film would have suffered if the characters are all sane and happy, but they're all fueled with different things - Irving (Christian Bale) is fueled by money and his adopted son, Sydney (Amy Adams) fueled by her ambition, FBI Agent Richie (Bradley Cooper) aims to be recognized in his profession, Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) is hungry of love and attention, she's very insecure, and Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) by his goodness and willingness to help his people. These characters made more fun than they are by the ensemble's performance. Even if I think the tandems within this group lack chemistry, their acting chops are well-displayed here. It's as if David O. Russell's purpose in creating this film was to cater these actors acting abilities.
Christian Bale is the usual very in-character Bale, Bradley Cooper is surprisingly better here than his performance in Silver Linings Playbook, Amy Adams gave one of her best performances. Jennifer Lawrence is a whirlwind here. She shares the same little amount of airtime with Jeremy Renner but she definitely made sure that she stands out in the crowd. Her non-stop award nods for her work in this is a testament to her brilliance. My favorite scene in this film involves JLaw and she's also the reason why it's my favorite. It's not the living room scene, but rather the bathroom scene with Amy Adams. It's probably one of the most authentic and sophisticated actings I've ever seen. However, I thought she's very inconsistent with her accent that ScarJo in Don Jon made her sound like an amateur. Jeremy Renner's also kind of awkward in some of his scenes. He's definitely the weakest in the bunch.
If I were to rank their performances it would be:
1. Amy Adams
2. Christian Bale
3. Bradley Cooper
4. Jennifer Lawrence
5. Jeremy Renner
Director: Steve McQueen
With: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Adepero Oduye, Paul Giamatti, Brad Pitt
Truly a masterpiece. This is from someone who tends to claim every good film a masterpiece but repeatedly restrains himself of doing so because it's such a precious word that only few things deserve to be called one.
We've been taught in our history classes how horrible slavery was, may it be in our country or anywhere but in 12 Years a Slave, Steve McQueen emphasizes the horror of American slavery during the pre-Civil War in a whole new level. He's fearless in showing brutality that ensures us to have an emotional kick and provokes our sympathy for the slavery victims. It's also refreshing to see a very calculated film with firm cinematography and poetic script in a world where shaky shots and realistic dialogues are starting to become the 'thing'. That's why I can't help but compare this to films like Shawshank Redemption or Schindler's List or Forrest Gump - it reminds me of past iconic films and it is made to be a classic.
12 Years a Slave didn't stop from its commendable technical achievements, it's also filled with powerful performances by its ensemble. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup is a quiet yet an effective lead. What I love about his performance is that he finds balance in his character's vulnerability and fighting spirit. He didn't go overboard even in his most intense scenes especially at the end. Instead, he stayed true to his reserved character. He mastered the frown and agitation drawn on his face and he's consistent from start to end. On the other hand, his co-actor, Lupita Nyong'o, is my favorite in the film. There's so much passion in this actress that glimmers even outside the film. She's absolutely my favorite part of this year's awards season. Her Patsey is so iconic to me. It is very transparent that she made more of her character than what's written, and the outcome is beautiful. Patsey's naivety, femininity, youthfulness, longingness of having a better life and enthusiasm is such a joy to watch that despite all these qualities, she yearned to end her life, adding yet another complexity to her persona. Lupita Nyong'o brought out all of these with such life. She impressed me the most in her non-speaking scenes but her line "I stink so much I make myself gag" is ironically my favorite line as well. The whipping scene felt astoundingly real and that's because of Lupita's out of this world reactions that resound from the screen to our heart strings. I'm not crazy about Michael Fassbender and Sarah Paulson's performances but their commitment with their characters made for an engaging experience even with its vicious content. Honorable mentions are Adepero Oduye and Paul Giamatti.
I wish 12 Years a Slave came out 2 years early for I would probably appreciate Steven Spielberg's Lincoln more if I saw this before the latter. 12 Years a Slave made me ache for triumph to this injustice and Lincoln would have been a great catharsis from the nightmare that is shown in this film.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
With: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner
Prior to watching this film, I'm not too thrilled with any of its themes: AIDS, homophobia, AZT drug, etc. Yet I knew that it will be inspiring and there's a huge possibility that I would like it, mainly because of its buzz. It exceeded my expectations. I actually like it very much. Basically, the film asks you to feel sympathy for a bigoted straight guy named Ron Woodroof. A guy who might have helped hundreds of AIDS victims not through charity, but to earn money and to save himself. He might have a change of heart and outlook in life somewhere in the film but I choose to think that Woodroof is an imperfect character who made heroic deeds in his unintentional ways.
I'm not too fond of the story. It's entertaining in its own ways but I consider Dallas Buyers Club a performance-driven film. Yes, it has a great story to tell but it was easily outshined by the performances of Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto. Seriously, they are AMAZING in this film. Both mastered the art of disappearing into their roles. Matthew McConaughey WAS Ron Woodroof. Jared Leto WAS Rayon. Both embodied their roles into perfection. I can't even pinpoint which one is better because both truly are stars of this film. Their chemistry is as excellent as their individual acts and their performances deserve all the awards that they got.
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