2014 Oscar Nominations Thoughts and Predictions

So, it's that time again! Award Season is in full effect with the Golden Globes and SAG Awards having already taken place, which can mean only one thing! The Academy Awards are right around the corner. On Sunday, March 2nd, Hollywood's elite will pack into the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California to honor the best films of 2013 (or what the Academy believes to be the best films) and the creative minds behind them. And, of course, what would the Oscars be without some good-natured complaining and predictions. So, here I am to do just that! 

BEST DIRECTOR:

Alexander Payne for Nebraska

Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity

David O. Russell for American Hustle

Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street

Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave

Usually the best director category is one of the hardest ones for me to work out. It's easily the category I'm wrong in most of the time (though last year was mainly a result of the Academy not loving Lincoln in general nearly as much as I believed they would). And while, like every year, this year is particularly strong (even with a couple of glaring omissions), I'm pretty convinced that the result will follow what we've seen so far this award. Though it's possible that Academy favorite David O. Russell could steal it away, or that Steve McQueen's unflinchingly brutal style will impress voters enough to win him his first award, I believe there's only one director that can possibly take the award this year...

Winner: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity - No other film this year was more visually spectacular than the "No one can hear you scream" space epic, Gravity. From the breathtaking digital visuals to the amazing use of sound and silence to the awe-inspiring long takes (including a 15-minute opening sequence that rivals any opening scene in the history of cinema in sheer awe), Alfonso Cuaron took what everyone thought to be impossible and turned it into an absolutely marvelous piece of art, a true cinematic achievement. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle

Julia Roberts for August: Osage County

June Squib for Nebraska

Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave

Sally Hawkins for Blue Jasmine

I wanted to go ahead and get this one out of the way. Admittedly, this is the category about which I have the least knowledge, though for which I believe I can still predict a winner. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to see August: Osage County, Nebraska or Blue (though I will have seen two of the those three come the end of the week). However, I have read a lot about each of these movies and have read a lot about this race in particular, and from all that I believe that though I've only seen two of the three films in this category, I've seen the two that matter...

Winner: Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave - This race essentially comes down to either Jennifer Lawrence who wins every award she's ever nominated for or newcomer Lupita Nyong'o for her stunning and courageous performance as Patsey in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave. At first, I was convinced the Academy would just give the award to Lawrence because that's their move. I don't believe her performance is better than Nyong'o's, I don't even believe it's that great period (though she's commanding in a few scenes, she often seems confused about who her character is and repeatedly goes in and out of her accent). However, that all changed with her recent win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Though Lawrence won at the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards are much clearer indication of the way the Academy will ultimately lean. Given that and the fact that Nyong'o delivered what I believe is the best supporting performance by an actress this year, if not the best performance by an actress period, I think she takes this handily. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: 

Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper for American Hustle

Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club

Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street

Michael Fassbender for 12 Years a Slave

I'm not going to spend much time on this category because, in my mind, it's far and away the easiest pick of the night. But while I'm here, let me just say this: TWO TIME ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE JONAH HILL. That's something we have to deal with from now on. I can't say it's not deserved. It's just really, really strange. While if anyone could upset my pick, it would be Barkhad Abdi who, as another newcomer, it's absolutely commanding as Tom Hanks' opposite in Captain Phillips. It's not easy to go toe-to-toe with a legend like Hanks, especially for someone so new to the game, but Abdi does it in a way that seems effortless. However, no one is taking this from...

Winner: Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club - Unfortunately, I haven't yet gotten to see Dallas Buyers Club. However, I have seen clips of Leto's performance, read reviews, and looked at dozens of still images and I think it's quite easy to say that his transformation for this film is one of the most drastic and brave I've ever seen. In addition, his sweep of both the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards pretty much lock things up for Leto. The singer/songwriter/actor is only rivaled in his sacrifices and physical commitment to his roles by Christian Bale. It's absolutely amazing what he has done for the art of cinema and the story he, Matthew McConaughey and director Jean-Marc Vallee is not only an important one, but one that is both necessary and courageous.

BEST ACTRESS: 

Amy Adams for American Hustle

Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine

Judi Dench for Philomena

Meryl Streep for August: Osage County

Sandra Bullock for Gravity

This is the category where things start to get a little iffy. There seems to be an obvious choice, and one that I know most people are picking (including the recent Golden Globes and SAG Awards). However, there are a couple of other choices that I could definitely see winning in upset fashion. For instance, American Hustle received nominations in all four acting categories (especially noteworthy because this isn't the first time a David O. Russell film has done this), and in my opinion the strongest of these four performances was from Amy Adams. As such, though I would be shocked if she won, I can easily see it being a possibility. Likewise, Sandra Bullock is the only person on screen in the magnificent Gravity for much of its running time, and during that time she delivers what I believe is her career-defining performance. Also, there's Meryl Streep who wins every year no matter what and even though I don't see there being a snowball's chance in hell of her winning, stranger things have happened. And yet...

Winner: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine - I still have to go with the clear favorite. I haven't see Woody Allen's latest film yet (hopefully I'll be getting it this week!), but from all I've read, it's fantastic. Even more so, I've read that Blanchett is completely brilliant in the role. This is her return to a major role in over five years and with her recent wins at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards (and her endearing, if hilarious speeches), it's really, really hard for me to pick against that hype train. For my money, this is Blanchett's year and I am only getting more and more excited to actually see this film! 

BEST ACTOR:

Bruce Dern for Nebraska

Chiwetel Ejiofer for 12 Years a Slave

Christian Bale for American Hustle

Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street

Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club

I'm really sorry, Leo. This just ain't your game. I know even my friends who don't give a rat's patootie about the Academy Awards want DiCaprio to win this award. It's been so long and still no wins! Unfortunately, the trend has been that he's his generation's Peter O'Toole - always the bridesmaid and never the bride - and this year will be no exception. Likewise, Christian Bale delivers a heartfelt and hilarious performance that also required a great amount of transformation for it to work is a way that felt honest. However, he and DiCaprio, despite great performances are the two low men on the totem pole. This award is between Dern, Ejiofer and McConaughey. Though I haven't seen Nebraska, I read and hear that it's a wonderful film and that it marks a strong comeback for the screen legend. Likewise, Ejiofer gives one of the most tortured performances of the year in what I would consider the most difficult and fearless roles in quite some time as a free man sold into the disgustingly cruel world of slavery. That being said...

Winner: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club - I know. If you told me a few years ago that Matthew McConaughey would be one of my favorite actors and the odds-on frontrunner to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, I would have kicked you in the face. But here we are. Despite the competition (and though I haven't seen Dallas Buyers Club yet and believe that Chiwetel probably should win this award), McConaughhey has swept both the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards handily and it would be entirely silly to bet against him at this juncture. And though I believe Ejiofer might deserve the award more, it's hard to argue that McConaughey didn't put in an immense amount of work, both physical and mental, that resulted in an amazing performance. Like Leto, McConaughey dropped an ungodly amount of weight for this role, only eating a spoonful of pudding a day, putting his body through untold amounts of hell for the sake of his art. And if that's not worth rewarding, I don't know what is. Alright, alright, alright! 

BEST PICTURE:

12 Years a Slave

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska 

Philomena

The Wolf of Wall Street

Every single year this category makes me mad and this year is no exception (I'll get to that in a bit). However, here we are. The big daddy, the finale, the one you've all been waiting for. The Academy Award for Best Picture. It's interesting, it seems like every year the number of films that are nominated for this award that also appear on my favorite films of the year list gets smaller and smaller. But, that's not to say we don't have a wonderful list of films to choose from here. All in all, I will have seen all but one of these films by the time the actually show rolls around (unless the theaters around here step their games up and show Nebraska). And yet, only a few stick out as distinct possibilities to win. 12 Years a Slave seems possible because of its dubbed cultural importance along with the sheer expertise and brilliance with which it was both acted and directed. It is easily the most weighty film on the list and one that I expect most people see as the film to beat going into the final stretch of voting. Likewise, American Hustle is complete Oscar bait. Hilarious, historical(ish), fantastic performances, absolutely inspired directing, it just has that Hollywood-flavor that seems to draw voters in again and again and again. And then there's Gravity, the most technically marvelous film since Avatar. Gravity is a truly amazing cinematic achievement that pushes the medium forward into new territory while giving us a touching, genuine story about letting going and being reborn. So which one will it be? Well...

Winner: AMERICAN HUSTLE - Despite the fact that I would like to say 12 Years a Slave and despite the fact that it doesn't advance the art of cinema in the way Gravity does and despite that I would much rather see Her or Captain Phillips win, you just can't bet against American Hustle. It tied for the most nominations (10) with Gravity. It's stars are nominated in all four acting categories and its director is nominated for Best Director. It won both Best Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes and Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards. And, like I said, it's complete Oscar bait. The only thing going against it is what I mentioned above. It's not as "culturally important" as a film like 12 Years a Slave. It isn't as courageous, it doesn't involved issues that are all that important in the large scheme of things and though it too is historical, the Abscam stings are not slavery in the antebellum south. Likewise, Gravity has done more for the medium than any other film this year and any other film in quite some years. Also, Gravity, in an unprecedented showing, took the main prize at the PGA Awards - one of the consistently best predictors of Oscar votes - making it a clear 11th hour favorite. And while I would say that if it doesn't win, Gravity will be the film to dethrone it, American Hustle is still the favorite to take it all and my prediction for the Academy Award for Best Picture. 

QUICK HITS: Just as some last minute odds and ends, I wanted to quickly give my predictions for some less talked about categories. For Best Animated Feature Film, I see it being a race between Frozen and The Wind Rises. And while I believe that Miyazaki's last directorial film should take it, I think it's going to be Frozen all the way. It's hard to unseat the Mouse. Also, this year is the rare year that I've been able to see all the nominated documentaries (many are on Netflix, watch them), and as such, I can't see any film taking it away from Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing. As for the Best Writing categories, I like Philomena for Best Adapted and if not, 12 Years a Slave. And for Best Original, I really wanted Spike Jonze to win for Her, but I can't see it going to any other film but American Hustle. And though I've only seen one of the foreign films nominated (they're nearly impossible to get hold of), I'm going to go with The Great Beauty for Best Foreign Feature or The Hunt, because that's the one I've seen. 

COMPLAINTS/SNUBS: First off, I'll say that I'm a little surprised that Tom Hanks wasn't nominated for Best Actor for Captain Phillips. His performance, especially at the end of the film, completely devastated me. That whole film was fabulous and I'm glad to see Abdi get some love. And while I understand that the Best Actor category is stacked this year, not seeing such an Academy darling in Hanks be nominated is slightly shocking. And now my major rant...

WHERE THE HELL IS INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS?!?!?!?! My favorite film of 2013 and a film, which I consider both nearly perfectly and achingly beautiful, was completely and utterly snubbed this year. Okay, Delbonnel got a nomination for Best Cinematography and rightly so (I hope he wins if they decide to again not give Roger Deakins the award out of some terrible spite they have for him), BUT NOTHING ELSE!?! Oscar Isaac gave one of the finest performances of the year (and of his career) as Llewyn and he sees nothing from it? Like I said with Tom Hanks, I get that the category is loaded, but still. The amount of emotion he has to hold within himself while maintaining a cold, cynical exterior is astronomical and he executes it expertly. Likewise, it's a mindblowing omission to not have the Coen Brothers nominated in the Best Director category. I'm sure Nebraska is a lovely movie and I really enjoy Alexander Payne as a director. Likewise, I love Martin Scorsese, but The Wolf of Wall Street is neither one of his best films nor one of the best films of the year. The Coens, on the other hand, are two of the most consistently brilliant, exemplary American filmmakers today (as I said in my Best of 2013 list). To not have them even nominated for the award complete invalidates it in my opinion. Go ahead and give it to Alfonso Cuaron or David O. Russell. But at least nominate the Coen Brothers, for Christ's sake. And finally, where's the Best Picture nod? There are ten possible spots and the Academy only used nine. That means they didn't wrestle with whether or not Inside Llewyn Davis was good enough to warrant taking out of the films they put in. It means they didn't even think it worthy for a nomination period. That means they believe there are nine films that are unequivocally better than Inside Llewyn Davis including both Philomena and The Wolf of Wall Street. While I don't mean to take a dump on these film, I can just believe that this is an opinion that can be justified. To not have Inside Llewyn Davis nominated for even Best Music though T-Bone Burnette produced arguably the best best soundtrack of the year, greatly harms the validity of the Academy Awards in my opinion. I understand why smaller, indie films are not nominated, but to utterly shun two directors who have previously been personally been nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, that have won four times and that are arguably an American cinematic institution is absolutely ridiculous. 

And there you have it folks. My thoughts, predictions and copious/dumb complaints about what is the premiere award ceremony in the world of film. I hope you all enjoyed and I hope you'll share your own opinions in the comments or on my Facebook page. I hope you'll be tuning in on March 2nd on ABC to see how things shake out and hopefully you'll all gather back here afterward to see how terribly I did and read my thoughts on the winners, losers and the overall ceremony. Until then, happy watching and I'll see you soon! 

My Favorite Films of 2013 Part Two!

Welcome to Part Two of my Favorite Films of 2013 list! If you missed the first half (numbers 10-6), you can find that here! But I'll stop the self-promotion and get right into what (I hope) you all came here for. MY TOP FIVE FAVORITE FILMS OF 2013! Here we goooooo!!!!

5.) Upstream Color

First off, both of Shane Carruth's films, Primer and Upstream Color, are both on Netflix and you should go watch them. Like, right now. Do it. From every Kentuckian's favorite holiday destination, a Myrtle Beach native and former software developer, Shane Carruth is one of the most interesting and fresh new directors on the indie scene - a truly complete auteur package of writer, director, editor, cinematographer, composer and producer. Using his extensive math and science knowledge, he made one of the most well thought out and logically sound time travel movies in cinematic history with Primer. With Upstream Color, his long awaited followup, Carruth brings us yet another incredibly unique tale of inherent connection, of the control (or lack thereof) we have over our lives and the beings that control us, of breaking cycles, and of pigs. Lots and lots of pigs. 

Where Primer allowed and even challenged fans to spend untold hours diagramming the intricacies of the film's multiple timelines, Upstream Color is a film that is best left as a mystery. It's possible to figure out the connection between Amy Seimetz's brainwashed scam victim, Carruth's equally screwed up Jeff, and the aforementioned pigs being attended to by a mysterious figure referred to (in the credits) only as "the Sampler." But Upstream Color is less about what we know and more about how we know it, how we find ourselves and connect with each other in this hazy, confusing world. From the beautiful cinematography to the recurring visuals like an outreached hand to the expert use of sound design both by Carruth and by the characters in the film, everything in Upstream Color works as a unified whole, each element beating in time with the others. It's an amazing sophomore effort that is enrapturing both mentally and emotionally - a heavy, disorienting tale that challenges us to look at our lives and how we operate and decide whether or not we're truly in control and if we're not, that asks us if we'll take that control back. 

4.) The World's End

I really wanted to put The World's End higher. Edgar Wright is, in my opinion, one of the finest directors living today. His lightning fast quick cuts and razor sharp comic timing, the meta aspects and impeccable use of foreshadowing in his and writing partner Simon Pegg's scripts and his ability to expertly craft beautiful genre films that subvert the tradition while becoming exemplary members of it all while creating deeply personal, heartfelt characters and relationships is unmatched. The only problem is that he has an ungodly amount of trouble with his films' third acts. Put simply, he just doesn't know how to end his movies. It was there with Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (less so with Scott Pilgrim), but was more easy to forgive. Here, however, the final encounter with the main villain feels confusing and unrelated to the point of nearly leaving a bad taste in your mouth. However, despite all the problems I have with the ending, the fact remains that The World's End is easily the funniest film of the year and the film I had the most fun with in the theater.

The final film of the unofficial "Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy," The World's End stars Simon Pegg (in what I believe is the best performance of his career thus far) as Gary King who, true to his name, is a kingly screw up eager to relive his high school glory days from the early '90s. In the film, King talks his four best friends (Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan) into joining him on a trip back to their hometown to complete a 12-stop pub crawl only to discover  that (SPOILERS) their old community has been overtaken by a weird and terrifying race of robot aliens. To his eternal credit, when the shift to body-snatcher sci-fi takes place it doesn't offset the realistic, character centered comedy of the film's early moments. What is does, however, is act as a perfect metaphor for living in the past, for the loss of that small town way or life and for that unnerving feeling that comes when you return to those once familiar places that now seem strange and unwelcoming. Even with all the brilliant special effects, in jokes and beautiful, frenetic filmmaking, with a pair of simply brilliant performances by Pegg and Frost, what makes The World's End such a wonderful, effecting film is that above all it is a deeply personal film about addiction, a fantasy about dealing with reality. 

3.) Short Term 12

I already have a review up where I sing the praises of Destin Daniel Cretton's Short Term 12 (which you can read here!), but it is a film that's worth revisiting. Based Cretton's 2009 short film of the same name, tells the story of a group home (sharing equal time between residents and employees and based on Cretton's own experiences) called "Short Term 12." Most important of these are supervisor Grace (Brie Larson) and her co-worker whom she is also seeing romantically, Mason (John Gallagher Jr.). The relationship is getting more serious but Grace who, like many of her wards, has some serious problems of her own, is having trouble opening up to Mason. As the film begins, the pair and Jessica (Stephanie Beatriz) are welcoming Cretton's surrogate, Nate (Rami Malek) to the home. Mason is telling a hilarious and disgusting story about chasing after a kid while needing desperately to go to the bathroom. As he does so, a young boy in his underwear runs out of the home shrieking and the supervisors run after and try to calm him down. There is also a new girl named Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever) who is a talented artist but whose abrasive personality hides a very troubled past; and an older kid named Marcus (Keith Stanfield) who is an aspiring rapper who, while having immense skill, is deeply upset at the prospect of having to leave the home following his 18th birthday. 

While the film that follows is relatively simple, Short Term 12 depicts the lives of troubled kids and the courageous and loving individuals that dedicate their lives to them with more honesty and empathy than nearly any film I've seen. From the start, Cretton pulls you into this world and within a second you feel as if you've known them forever. While the film feels rushed at times, that is ultimately a product of Cretton's impeccable world building and the fact that we desperately want a deeper connection with these complex, fascinating individuals. All of their struggles and victories become our own. We are connected with them on an intrinsic level. And while it often seems in our lives, like the lives of Grace, Mason, Marcus and Jayden, that happiness is impossible to find, Short Term 12 argues that there are always glimmers of hope. Whether it be a new connection or the strengthening of an old, finally opening up about the pain that has been festering within us or even the promise of a better future, there are glimmers there for all of us. And in 2013, one of the brightest ones was an indie masterpiece called Short Term 12. 

2.) Frances Ha

Before watching Frances Ha, I didn't know a lot about Noah Baumbach, but what I did know made me love him. I knew he directed 2005's The Squid and the Whale starring Jeff Daniels and Jesse Eisenberg and 2010's Greenberg starring Ben Stiller, both of which I absolutely adore. He also happened to co-write two of my favorite Wes Anderson movies (they're all my favorite), The Aquatic Life of Steve Zissou (2004) and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). So, obviously when I heard about his newest film, Frances Ha, I was excited. And when I saw that it was on Netflix (it still is, go watch it), I was even more pumped! In what I might describe (though it might be disrespectful) as a slightly more demur, goofier yet more engaging version of Lena Dunham's hit TV show Girls, Frances Ha stars Greta Gerwig (indie darling of LOL and Nights and Weekends fame, also co-writer) as a 27-year-old ballet dancer who lives with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Summer) in Brooklyn. Early on in the film, however, Sophie decides to move to better apartment in Tribeca, leaving Frances behind to figure out how to live her life. From there, we follow Frances as she drifts through New York to Sacramento to Paris to Poughkeepsie and finally back to New York as she tries to find a home, visits her family, goes on an uneventful getaway and goes back to work at her old college, lamenting her lack of money, poor dancing prospects and strained relationships along the way. 

Frances Ha is a film about contradictions. Frances is an unfocused twentysomething, dubbed "undateable" with a bad streak of self-destructive behavior. She is a bumbling klutz, but she's a dancer. He life and her living arrangements are a mess, yet she wants desperately to be a choreographer. And while she is completely capable of achieving her goals, she severely needs to get her shit together. But, her bad decisions are not earth-shattering ones. She is broke and all her prospects (both professionally and romantically) have gone down the drain. But we know she'll be okay. What is most amazing about the film, though, is that despite the triviality of her problems, Baumbach and Gerwig's script avoids condescension. Unlike with a show like Girls where the audience spends much of its time rolling its eyes at these rich, beautiful people who complain about petty nonsense while seemingly being unaware of the immense privilege they have grown up and continue to live in, we root for Frances. We want her to figure her life out, to turn things around, to get on track. What truly makes Frances Ha such a wonderful film, though, is how effortlessly funny it is. Granted, it doesn't hurt that the film is populated with actors who specialize in creating and delivering witty quips on top of (both intentionally and unintentionally) hilarious jokes, but regardless of whose saying the words, the comedy in Baumbach and Gerwig's co-authored script is dynamic and unrelenting (and the visual/aural/stylistic references are off the chain). 

What makes Frances Ha one of my favorite films of the year, however, is how it slowly reveals itself as it reveals its characters. While the film is ostensibly about Frances, its really as much about her best friend Sophie and the pair's changing and evolving relationship. But, what's so refreshing about the film is how it's able to steer away from the "Is she ever going to find a man?" trope. Yes, sexuality and romantic relationships are a part of the experience, but its not what forms these characters' identity. In fact, it isn't even near the top of the list. Likewise, its not exactly clear what Frances wants out of life or even what the film is supposed to be about until things are actually happening. And when this is finally revealed (along with the meaning behind the film's title), it's one of the most surprising "Aha!" moments of clarity I've seen in quite some time. 

Though many have argued that the film is not accessible to the large demographics outside of those at or around Frances' age, I disagree. Because, really, Frances Ha isn't about the singular struggles of the post-college generation, stuck between their academic years and venturing into the real world. It's a film about self discovery and all the little details that go along with it. No, there aren't many big plot developments, no shoot outs or car chases or deaths. Friendships come and go, dinner parties are had, rather than being fired people are suggested to pursue other opportunities. But, while these instances seem negligible or trivial in the larger scope of things, it's these small details that inform who we are from day to day until we figure out what we really want to do with ourselves. This is not something that's generational. It's something that is understood and experienced by all walks of life and by all generations. And the way Baumbach and Gerwig are able to fuel this uncertainty and occasional melancholy with propulsive energy and express it with brilliant dialogue that is both witty and engaging creates a truly unique and remarkable film.  

1.) Inside Llewyn Davis

Besides Her, the Coen Brothers' latest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, was the last major film of 2013 that I saw before making this list. It's a shame that such an amazing film is literally showing on only (to my knowledge) one screen in Lexington (the wonderful Kentucky Theatre) and on a whopping total of zero screens in Eastern Kentucky and the Huntington, WV area. This has nothing to do with my review, I'm just putting this area on blast. Step your game up, son. 

As for the film itself, Inside Llewyn Davis is one of the most stunning and understated movies about depression, the grieving process and breaking the cyclicality of mediocrity I've ever seen. Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is a Greenwich folk singer by trade, but if his life were an album its genre would be the blues. Currently in the throes of personal and professional tragedy, Llewyn finds himself homeless in the dead of winter, bumming from couch to couch when he isn't stuck freezing to death in the middle of a brutal, New York winter without a heavy coat or the money to buy one. Scraping by one gig at a time and haunted by the loss of his partner and best friend, Llewyn is as lost as the tabby he accidentally lets out of the Gorfein's home (two liberal professors and fans played by Ethan Phillips and Robin Bartlett who act as Llewyn's fallback sanctuary). Repeated attempts to break out and make a successful solo act of himself fail and so he sets out for Chicago to impress star-maker Bud Grossman (F. Murray Abraham) and finally make something of his life. 

In my eyes, Inside Llewyn Davis is nearly perfect. Yes, like many of the Coen Brothers' films it is a cold movie - the mix of snow, ice and freezing wind mixing beautifully with Bruno Delbonnel's wintry cinematography. But, for my money, that's the point. Llewyn's life, along with the lives of everyone in his "scene," has been devastated by the loss of his partner Mike Timlin. As we find out later in the film (and in most of the trailers which is why I didn't spoiler tag it), Timlin committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge and his specter looms over every scene of the film. From what I can piece together from only seeing the film once, it seems like Mike was the glue that held Llewyn and Jim and Jean and their whole scene together; someone that everyone liked but that no one really knew. Now, in death, he acts as another palpable reminder - like the orange cat that disappears and reappears or (SPOILERS) Jean's unborn baby which she plans to abort for fear that it is Llewyn's and not Jim's - of Llewyn's inability to form bonds with other creatures. After a rather intense argument on a Central Park bench, Jean says to Llewyn, "I miss Mike." In another, after performing for Grossman, Llewyn tells him that he used to have a partner, "Yeah, that makes sense," Gross replies. Mike was, in a matter of speaking, Llewyn's winter coat. He was the one who shielded him from the harshness of the outside world that Llewyn now faces alone. 

In what is the most emotionally powerful scene in the film (and my favorite scene of 2013), Grossman asks Llewyn to "Play me something from Inside Llewyn Davis." Without the italics, its a comment that packs an immense weight. And so Llewyn does, performing an incredibly moving rendition of "The Death of Queen Jane" about a queen who dies giving birth to her king's son. It's a slow and dismal ballad that Grossman ultimately decides there's no money in, but it's also a song packed with meaning. Llewyn is the titular Queen Jane. He finds himself with something inside of him - all of his sorrow and loneliness and anger - that he can't express. He is stuck in a unending loop (shown in the film's circular structure) of pain and misery, forced to play the same songs at the same gigs in the same hole-in-the-wall clubs forever. That is, until he dies a symbolic death of sorts, giving up caring about all the things he cannot control and starting over again. And as the film circles back around at its conclusion, we get a small glimmer of hope. Llewyn again plays "Fare Thee Well" (the song in all the trailers), but instead of playing the Timlin & Davis version, he plays the Llewyn Davis version. There is no backing instrumentation, the time signature shifts from 4/4 to a 3/4 waltz time, the line about the man "who moved his body like a cannonball" is change to a woman, the rain becomes a drizzle, and he omits two lines - one about the "unborn child" and the one that says "life ain't worth living without the one you love." He opts instead to repeat the first verse, "If I had wings like Noah's dove, I'd fly up the river to the one I love." Though Llewyn isn't quite ready to fly, he seems to at least have a sturdier base for takeoff. And if the Coens' cheeky faux-cameo at the end is any indication, his flight might be just around the corner. 

It's not often that I predict anything correctly when it comes to the cinematic world (and here is where I unabashedly pat myself on the back). But from the second I heard about Inside Llewyn Davis, it was easily my most anticipated film of the year and a film that I was convinced would be one of the best of 2013. It's not that I'm particularly smart when it comes to film stuff (I'm not). Nor is it because I am biased towards the Coens (though I do adore most of their films). It was because the Coen Brothers have become one of the most consistently brilliant, exemplary American filmmakers. And with an all-star cast full of amazing performances (Oscar Isaac is absolutely brilliant and I didn't even mention John Goodman as a pedantic, drug-addled jazzman who is fabulous as always), gorgeous cinematography, what is easily the finest soundtrack of the year (produced by the consistently en pointe T-Bone Burnette and including one of the most entertainingly performed original songs of the year in "Please Mr. Kennedy"), and of course impeccable directing, the Coens have once again produced a modern day masterpiece. That's why Inside Llewyn Davis is my favorite film of 2013. 

And here are some odds & ends:

Close Calls (Or Films I Really, Really Enjoyed): 12 Years a Slave, The Act of Killing, American Hustle, Blackfish, Drinking Buddies, Gimme the Loot, Gravity, Monsters University, Only God Forgives, Pacific Rim, Room 237, Side Effects, The Spectacular Now, This is the End, You're Next

Films I Regrettably Didn't Get to See (But am Really, Really Looking Forward to Seeing): All is Lost, Blue is the Warmest Color, Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, No, The Stories We Tell, Wadjda, The Wind Rises

Films That Should Be Ashamed of Themselves: The Canyons, The Hobbit: The Desolation of SMOWWWWWWG, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Man of Steel, Now You See Me, R.I.P.D., Star Trek Into Darkness, AND GROWN UPS 2 ON PRINCIPLE

Thanks for tuning in as always, readers. I hope you enjoyed and, as always, if you haven't seen some of these films, I hope you have been sufficiently intrigued enough to go hunt them down. 2013 was a fantastic year for movies and I look forward to seeing what 2014 has in store. Until we meet again! 

My Favorite Films of 2013 Part One!

So, I know this is late. But here's the deal! Of the past few years, 2013 was easily one of the most difficult years in which to find the movies you wanted to see. Many theaters didn't even play some of the films that people were touting as best of the year candidates. Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to see some of the films I wanted desperately to see (they'll be mentioned at the end of this post). That being said, I can't wait any longer to make the list. If you don't get your "best of" list done before February then it's pretty much moot, right? And because I don't really believe anyone, especially myself, is an expert on movie quality, here is a list of the movies that were my favorite and that I thought (from 10 to 1) were some of the best films of the year! Enjoyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!  

10.) Computer Chess

The "Godfather of Mumblecore," Andrew Bujalski originally burst on the scene with Funny Ha Ha about a recent college graduated trying to lock down a job and win the heart of a college friend who just might be an alcoholic. Ever since, he has been known for his rough around the edges, realistic films (a la Cassavetes) which feel decidedly lo-fi and are populated with amateur actors and a style of dialogue that includes the false starts and "um"s and "uh"s that hit way too close to home. His latest film, Computer Chess, is no different... but with a tweak that makes it absolutely brilliant. 

Shot in black and white on a 40-year-old camera Bujalski bought on Ebay, the film tells the story of a group of socially-inept computer nerds who all gather in a no-tell motel to test the computer chess programs they have developed in a tournament hosted by Chessmaster Pat Henderson (film critic Gerald Peary). There are independent programmers, a group from CalTech, and one from MIT among others. It's a scenario that could have easily and successfully (and safely) resulted in a period-comedy playing on the burgeoning products that would one day dominate our culture as well as the antisocial computer programmers clashing with the too-open cultists/swingers that are sharing the weekend venue with the tournament. What results however, is a surprisingly philosophical, poignant comment on artificial intelligent and what it is to be human that remains oddly hilarious while verging into a Cronenbergian level of science fiction. Computer Chess is a near-perfect reproduction of classic, home-video footage while acting as an irreverent rebuke of the vast array of slick options available to indie filmmakers today. It is a film that manages the almost impossible balance of being a substantial film full of insight while never losing its feeling of fun and whimsy. It's also the rare film that deserves that all too coveted description of unique.

9.) Captain Phillips

Easily the most mainstream and probably the most well known of my choices, Captain Phillips, the latest film from Paul Greengrass (the good Bourne movies), tells the real life story of merchant-marine captain Richard Phillips who was held hostage by Somali pirates after his ship, the Maersk Alabama, was hijacked. However, though the title is seemingly simple and straightforward, the film itself is actually about two captains. The first, the titular Phillips (Tom Hanks) is a New England family man and committed professional. The second, the string-bean Somali Muse (newcomer Barkhad Abdi), is young but the veteran of many successful ship raids, someone who has caught the eye of the warlords who run his region of Somalia and has garnered a level of authority. Despite their differences - one is stickler for the rules while the other is wild improviser, one commands a gargantuan shipping vessel while the other rides a small skiff - from the early scenes, parallel on top of parallel begin being drawn about the two. When the two finally meet, they both notice it but keep quiet. It would only work to interrupt the game of wills in which they find themselves wrapped. 

Captain Phillips is probably the most intense, heart-stoppingly dramatic film of the year. I saw it only a few days after seeing (the admittedly fantastic) Gravity and was blown away by the fact that it was this film that had me perched precariously close to my seat's edge. Both leads are phenomenal. Once (SPOILERS) Phillips is kidnapped, the way Greengrass, without making it too obvious, is able to repeatedly show how both captains are desperately caught trying to keep the impossible situation in which they find themselves from slipping even further out of their control is magnificent. And it is this drama, and the flawlessly composed and executed action sequences, that is what makes the film work so well.  Both men at the forefront play out the much larger clashes happening around them on an intimate scale, and while they come out of it understanding one another better, there is no hint that there will ever be a true understanding between these two worlds. Phillips discovers the limited choices that Muse has been given and how the ones he chose ended him up here. Muse realizes that America is so ubiquitous in part because of its massive military power. Though this single skirmish ends, it will not be the last time these worlds collide. Greengrass and company could have easily made an excellent movie simply by showing us what happened. By showing us the why, they made Captain Phillips extraordinary. 

8.) Her

I adore Spike Jonze. I love Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. With Her, Jonze leaves Charlie Kaufman to strike out into the writing world on his own. And though Kaufman's name cannot be found in the film's credits, he can surely be felt in the film's protagonist. Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is reticent and obviously wounded as a impending divorce from his wife (Rooney Mara is a very effective cameo), damaged nearly to the point of no return. When he laughs, it feels like he's indulging in some kind of intrinsic vice rather than actually enjoying himself. Then he falls in love with the advanced operating system on his new phone (played by Scarlett Johansson who, even though appearing in voice alone, gives one of the most poignant and sexy performances of the year) and all of that changes. 

Her is a love story for our generation. No other film to date has so perfectly captured the mood of the times in which we all live while discovering new ways into the euphoria and heartbreak that have existed since the first person said, "I love you." Like Being John Malkovich, the film expertly takes a ridiculously whimsy concept and infuses it with deep reservoirs of emotion, desire and hurt. Yes, when Theodore asks Samantha (the OS) how it's going, expecting and receiving a complex, thoughtful response, it's inherently absurd. But the answer feels important because she is as real to us as she is to him. It's an incredibly beautiful film about moving on from a relationship that you once thought would last forever. Most importantly, Her reminds us that love is about the connection of two people's psyches, how the memories this connection produces can shape who we are and how these memories can lose resolution once the relationship is over. It remains a mystery whether or not love can transcend the physical body. But, the sublime final shot seems to suggest an answer. 

7.) Spring Breakers

I really wanted to put Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers at number 1 just to screw with everybody. But all the screwing aside (along with all the irony), I truly believe this weird ass movie with Disney sweethearts and King Freak himself, James Franco, is one of the best films of the year. Essentially, Spring Breakers is about four college-aged girls on their spring break. Unable to afford the costs of making it Florida, the four get really high on cocaine, don ski-masks, rob a local diner with hammers and realistic squirt guns, flee in a stolen car that they eventually burn to a crisp and eventually make their way to St. Petersberg. And from there on is when shit really gets real. 

Spring Breakers is perhaps one of the most layered movies I've seen in a long, long time. There's the primary layer that most people saw and absolutely hated. Bad acting, repetitive action, exploitative and (some have argued) sexist material full of booze, bongs, bling, and a delirious swirl of jocks, skanky girls, wiggers and bronies all abound. Then there's the layer of irony, of satire. Arguably, Spring Breakers is a searing indictment of the nihilistic, hedonistic youth with a Korine script that is loaded with sharp, acerbic dialogue exposing the rotten moral cores of his outwardly beautiful apples. "Look at my shit!" Franco's Alien exclaims as he excites the girls' with his extreme consumption in a wonderfully dreamy monologue performed through sparkling grill. And on a final, most important layer, Spring Breakers is one of the most self-aware films I've ever seen. Franco practically cracks up in a few scenes (a la an SNL performance), the repetitive dialogue and visuals make it seem as if Korine is almost challenging critics to criticize his lack of planning and execution. Gucci Mane plays a drug kingpin. Is the acting bad or is it intentionally bad? The fact that you can't tell even after long deliberation is indicative of the film's genius. So, is Spring Breakers a good film or a bad one? The fact is, it's both. And that's what makes it amazing. Disagree? I have a five words for you: SPRANG BREAK! SPRANG BREAK FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRR!

6.) Before Midnight

Richard Linklater's (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock) Before Trilogy are three of the most beautiful, entrancing films I have ever seen. They represent the rare instance of films that beg for more sequels and that subsequently deliver again and again and again. For those who don't know, the trilogy tells the story of Jesse and Celine (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy respectively). In Before Sunrise, the pair meet on a train heading to Vienna from Budapest. They strike up a conversation and end up spending Jesse's last day in Vienna walking and talking. They connect on a deep level and fall in love. Eventually, however, they part but vow to meet in Vienna in six months. Nine years later in Before Sunset, Jesse is in Paris doing a book tour for This Time, a book he wrote about the couples brief encounter. As the event closes, out of the corner of his eye he spies Celine and is shocked. The pair meet up again, walk and talk again before Jesse is scheduled to fly out of the country. They talk about their lives, how Celine wanted to meet six months later but her grandmother died and she had to attend the funeral. How Jesse did go to Vienna and was heartbroken when Celine did not meet him there. They talk about love and the past, how Jesse is in an unhappy marriage and how he has a young son. And inevitably, the pair fall in love again. As the film fades to black, Celine tells Jesse he's going to miss his plane, "I know," he says with a smile. Cue nine years later and Before Midnight. Jesse is in Greece and is putting his now teenage son on a plane back to the U.S. After a particularly hard goodbye, Jesse walks outside to a waiting Celine and their two young twin girls asleep in the backseat of an SUV. What follows is another chapter in this couple's lives where they spend the last hours of their vacation trying to figure things out and rekindle the fire that once burned between them. 

The romance between Jesse and Celine is, for my money, one of the greatest in cinematic history. No other characters feel more fully realized, more three dimensional than this pair. Before Midnight manages the impossibly difficult test of preserving the integrity of the first two films while breaking new ground between the two leads. It is an exquisite film that is equally melancholic and hopeful, dour and hilarious, and foremost extremely cathartic. Joys and frustrations of long-term parenthood and commitment, sex, death, it's all covered insightfully, intensely and intimately. Together, Linklater, Hawke and Delpy have created one of the most realistic and personal series of films in modern cinema. Hawke and Delpy have melded so completely with their roles that nothing they say comes off as false. From their kids habits to the despair brought on by death, every word feels honest and natural. And when things finally explode between the two in a hotel room at the end of the film, the range of emotion that is displayed and that is caused in the audience is incomparable to any film this year. No one makes films like these anymore. And Before Midnight is one of the most stunningly beautiful and emotionally draining films of the year. 

Okay! That's it for this first half. I hope you enjoyed and if you haven't seen some of these films, I hope I sparked your interest! I hope to have the final five films (my favoritest of the favorite!) done this weekend. Thanks for tuning in!

Double Feature: Martin Scorsese's THE WOLF OF WALL STREET and David O. Russell's AMERICAN HUSTLE

Just as a heads up, these reviews will probably be a lot shorter (or that's what I'm shooting at) than my normal ones. I'm trying to run through all of the movies I've seen or am trying to see before awards season and if I'm possibly going to get them all done (still doubtful), I need to cut back what I say. Either way, hopefully these will still be slightly entertaining and I will do my best to get back to my normal, eye-destroying length as soon as I can. As always, thanks for reading! 

Unless I am just tired or completely fed up with a movie or the prospect of doing anymore research than I have to (it's been known to happen), I will actually take some time to look for a picture that either sums up what I like most about the film or one that suggests the main focus, idea or themes of the film. In this case, Jordan Belfort's (Leo DiCaprio) face pretty much perfectly sums up how I felt about Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. I was entertained and left the movie feeling like it was a well crafted piece of cinema, but the feeling wasn't overwhelming. It was more of a, "Hmmm, alright," and slight head nod of recognition. Because, for a movie with such insane action, balls-to-the-wall performances, and utter debauchery, The Wolf of Wall Street just isn't that engaging or enjoyable. 

Based on the real-life Jordan Belfort's memoir of the same name, The Wolf of Wall Street is about a New York stockbroker who, after passing his Series 7 Exam and earning his stockbroker's license, immediately loses his job when his Wall Street firm goes under after the "Black Monday" stock market crash of '87. Out of work, he finds a job selling penny stocks out of a Long Island boiler room and eventually, through some not exactly legal tactics, forms his own firm which he dubs Stratton Oakmont. From there we see Jordan and his ragtag group of friends-turned-associates as they float through the early '90s, engaging in various illicit acts (to put it mildly) while getting filthy rich through securities fraud and other sorts of corruption. 

Now, I knew all of this going into TWoWS and was excited at the prospect of seeing Scorsese delve back into the seedy underworld of crime that he so expertly depicted in films like Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995). And while TWoWS has the same beautiful camera work, funny and (mostly) insightful voice over, perfect needle drops and brilliant performances as those previous films, it is lacking the key component that made Goodfellas and Casino so compelling and made Goodfellas arguably the greatest mob film ever made: The Wolf of Wall Street has no moral center. 

Unlike Henry Hill or Sam Rothstein, neither Jordan Belfort nor Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) nor any of their friends, family or acquaintances have any semblance of a conscience whatsoever. Not even Kyle Chandler who plays an FBI agent whose job it is to investigate and ultimately take down Belfort's organization has a twisted sense of self, fluctuating between taking perverse joy in destroying the lives of these uber-rich sons of bitches and seemingly regretting his own life choices while wondering what life could have been like if he had stuck to his own Wall Street dreams. While I'm sure some will argue this is the point of the movie and that we're not supposed to connect with anyone in this film because they are completely evil human beings ruled by greed that have completely corrupted the American Dream, I would argue this is nonsense. Yes, all of that maybe true, but if your film has no moral center for the audience to latch onto, not only can they not connect and invest in anything that is happening in the film, the stakes are rendered totally moot and everything in the film is sapped of all resonance and significance. 

I don't care about anything that happens in The Wolf of Wall Street because I don't care about anyone in The Wolf of Wall Street. I don't care about the misadventures of Jordan and his Band of Merry Pranksters. I just don't care! You care about what happens to Henry Hill and you care about what happens to Sam Rothstein because they are relatable. You want them to get out, you want them to stop doing all this horrible stuff they're doing and most of all you want them to survive. Jordan Belfort and everyone in The Wolf of Wall Street are horrible people. They're horrible to each other and to themselves and to humanity. And the most that can happen to them is that they go to jail for a few years in a cushy, low-security prison. I get that this is supposed to be the point. But without a little nuance in character development and storytelling, all you're left with is a three hour film where we see the same shady dealings and drug- and sex-fueled benders over and over and over again. For a film that is so filthy (barely escaping an NC-17 and taking the record for most f-words in a narrative film), The Wolf of Wall Street just doesn't have any bite. 

6.5 out of 10

I thought these two films would make an appropriate double feature because, to my mind, they are noticeably similar. Critics have already been calling David O. Russell's latest film, American Hustle, "the best Scorsese film that Scorsese never made" and it's not hard to see why. Both are based on real-life events, both feature breathtaking camera work, pervasive voice over and brilliant performances, and both are concerned, in one form or another, with the corruption of the American Dream. However, when you put American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street side by side, it quickly becomes clear which is the better film. Despite its flaws, American Hustle is everything that The Wolf of Wall Street wants to be. It's big, it's brash and it's uproariously funny. But at its core, it is a terrific character study, an exploration on the dissatisfaction a person feels for his or her life and the lengths to which he or she will go in search of a better one.

Like TWoWS, American Hustle is loosely based (even cheekily declaring "Some of this actually happened" at the beginning of the film) on the FBI ABSCAM operation of the late '70s and early '80s. During the film, two con artists (Irving Rosenfeld, played by Christian Bale, and Sydney Prosser, played by Amy Adams) are caught and forced by an FBI Agent (Richie DiMaso, played by Bradley Cooper) to set up an elaborate sting operation on corrupt politicians, including Carmine Polito, the mayor of Camden, New Jersey (played by Jeremy Renner). 

However, though there are many unlikable or flat out menacing people in American Hustle, including the curly haired, prestige-hungry, oftentimes manic Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro in a role as a Floridian mobster/casino operator named Victor Tellegio that somehow manages to make him scary again, Bale's Irving Rosenfeld acts as the moral center that TWoWS  is severely lacking. Like Jordan Belfort, Rosenfeld was the son of two lower-middle class parents in New York City. Belfort's parents were accountants, Rosenfeld's dad owned a glass business. Both of them saw how society beat down the poor while the rich got richer and both worked their asses off to make something more of themselves. Where Jordan Belfort took to the stock market, eventually engaging in securities fraud, Irving Rosenfeld set his sights on legitimate dry-cleaning chains and a slightly less legitimate business selling forged paintings. But as Belfort unapologetically devolved into a world of cocaine, Quaaludes and hookers, Rosenfeld is forced into helping nail down political bigwigs in order to save himself and the love of his life, Sydney (under the disguise of Lady Edith Greensly), from going to jail. While Belfort takes pleasure, one might even say glee, in screwing over his middle to lower class clientele, Rosenfeld recognizes that his chosen marks, primarily Renner's Carmine Polito, actually want the best for their state. Yes, they are engaging in some illegal activities, but the benefit that could arise from those activities greatly outweigh the small technicality of the methods being illegal. Plus, unlike Belfort and his cronies, Polito is doing this out of his genuine love for his city and state rather than as an act of self indulgent hedonism. 

This all adds up to characters that feel like actual human beings. They're screwed up individuals who do stupid shit, but who also have feelings and consciences, who realize there are consequences for their actions and who just want to build a better life for themselves. It makes for some incredible performances and highly compelling relationships - paramount of these being the one between Irving and Sydney. Irving may be overweight, he was have an "elaborate" comb-over, but there's no denying his charisma. And he loves Sydney. He offers her the respect she has never received but continuously needed throughout her life. Are they "good" people? No. Irving is married (to Jennifer Lawrence who plays her character's clear mental instability well, but who does often struggle to decide what she wants to do and goes in and out of her accent at will.) and Sydney plays her British counterpart more than she's actually herself and they both constantly lie and cheat desperate people at the end of their ropes. But you feel their choices and the weight of their situations and it makes you wonder what you would do. That's the nuance. That's what makes a movie, and characters, engaging. And you fall in love with Irving and Sydney. You want them to be together, you want to see what they get into and how they get each other out of it. 

The problem is, you invest so much into their relationship (really all the relationships in the film) that you don't really care about anything else. The ABSCAM stings, which one would assume are a key point to the story, are sidelined more and more as the movie progresses. The scenes of explaining the situations and planning ultimately devolve into a montage of Irving, Sydney and Richie Dimaso repeating the same act with each of the targeted politicians that is over as quick as it begins. For what it's worth, David O. Russell makes it pretty clear early on that the ABSCAM stuff is simply background to what he really cares about - that being the relationships between the characters. However, as the film reaches its third act, O. Russell confusingly put most of the weight on the resolution on how what ultimately happens to ABSCAM and to Irving, Sydney and Richie. And for the most part it feels like a complete anticlimax. Yet, while that initially feels upsetting, when you look back at the movie O. Russell sets up, it makes perfect sense. 

Throughout the film, there is a hilarious running joke involving Bradley Cooper as DiMaso and his boss played by the perpetually befuddled (and increasingly wonderful) Louis C.K. where the latter continuously attempts to tell the former a story about when Louis C.K.'s character and his brother went fishing as children. Cooper repeatedly interrupts, believing he knows the ending and trying to beat C.K. to the moral punch. But he's always wrong. The big moral lesson he expects from his boss never turns out to be what he expects. In the end, we never get to hear the ending and its left in way that hints that it might just be a completely banal tale - one of those "you had to be there" instances that we all have and can't wait to share with everyone we know for no particular reason other than to share. It's an intriguing story initially, but one that eventually gives way to the much more interesting and hilarious interactions outside of it. Just like American Hustle the film. The ABSCAM story is a largely unknown story (I had never heard of it until I read about the film) but is undeniably interesting. However, when David O. Russell begins to tell it, it quickly gives way to what is truly interesting and entertaining - that being the characters' interactions around and outside of the ABSCAM operation itself. And though the ending might feel like an anticlimax, it's actually the realization of what the film has done all along. 

Granted, it's not perfect (for all the wonderful things in American Hustle, it is still arguably overstuffed and has some really odd choices throughout). But, adding to their already long list of similarities, neither of these incredibly strange films are. In a sense, both films are about the business of selling something that isn't really what it appears to be - whether it's stocks or a completely different personality. And if the number one rule of  business is "Always leave them wanting more," American Hustle could teach The Wolf of Wall Street a few tricks. 

8.5 out of 10