The Wolf of Wall Street- It’s nice when a movie doesn’t flaunt that it’s grounded in truth. As if that inherently means the final product is of greater quality than a work of fiction. Scorsese's over-indulgent three hour telling of stockbroker-gone-wrong, Jordan Belfort’s, whirlwind life is about as good as 2013 cinema got.
TWoWS is a damn long movie and you feel it. It’s rarely a slog though, as most scenes create this surrealistic world of average-joe fantasies. The everyday folks like you and I are meant to look upon Belfort and his entourage in a mixture of disgust and amazement. Their manipulation of the stock market and life of extreme excess is something we both desire and feel wronged by. TWoWS captures this wonderfully, especially in its surprising comedy. Half the time your laughing it’s the sort of situation where you say “ no way they do this. Oh, shit they’re actually doing it, those rich fucking bastards.”
Another clever touch is how Belfort’s scheme is never actually explained. As both the protagonist and occasional narrator, he’ll get partway through the finer details and then say “fuck it! They aren’t important. The point is the stock market is the the puppet of those in charge, and we’re getting rich off it.”
That right there is a message folks.
As expected, DiCaprio sinks into his anti-hero role as Belfort beautifully, as does the rest of the cast. The big surprise though is Jonah Hill as Belfort’s best friend, Donnie Azoff. Now Moneyball had him showing off his acting chops but this time around he’s a true co-star.
The Wolf on Wall Street is unsurprisingly one of the better films of 2013. Most scenes are worthwhile, even when predictable. If you plan on going to the theater anytime soon your choice should be clear. Just make sure you’ve gone to the bathroom first.
Mushi-Shi (OVA)- When I finished the original series early this year only to find there was no word of any continuation after an inconclusive ending, I was rather disappointed.Now is a time for Mushi-shi fans to rejoice. Not only is there this extra-long OVA, but season 2 is airing this April.
Despite taking over six years off, Mushi-shi hasn’t missed a step. It’s still one of the most unique anime out there. The trademark serene and mysterious atmosphere captured so well is back, but this time it’s supported by some of the most gorgeous animation I’ve ever seen. Visuals were a strong point in the past, but every little detail comes to life in the OVA.
While a forty-five minute episode is all we’re getting for now, not a single portion failed to captivate me. Mushi-shi never overplays it hand. It’s got a lot to say but never shouts. The viewer is simply invited to see down, have some tea, and listen in child-like wonderment. Alongside Space Dandy, the return of Mushi-shi is easily my most anticipated anime of 2014.
Meet America’s Nazis- The ipecac of documentaries. Seeing two little girls Sieg Heiling and singing hatefilled music at skinhead rallies is infuriating. Everyone Louis Theroux meets is admittedly interesting, but for all the wrong reasons. The main focus is infamous Tom Metzger, leader of the White Aryan Resistance. Surprisingly, he comes off as a half-assed racist and even hypocritical for reasons I’ll let you find out for yourself. The person I find most intriguing though is his agent, John, who clearly has some sordid past with drug-trafficking and only follows Metzger because he’s the one person who would hire him.
Really, if you’d like to watch a British man look incredibly uncomfortable around a bunch of grotesque racists, watch this. Or if you’d like to educate yourself about America’s troubles with racism, it’s got you covered there too.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- Early within the first Hunger Games it’s clear the book surpass the film in numerous regards.
Catching Fire is a different case.
If the original film was Katniss’ origin story, than CF is her first moment of great internal conflict. It’s not just about surviving. There’s a struggle between the part of her that wants a normal life, and the other half which feels duty-bound to be the icon of the resistance. There’s also the whole love triangle mess, but thankfully it’s pushed to the side more often than not. What would have been more ideal is stronger portrayal of the sham of a relationship between Katniss and Peeta. Even so, this is a story of resistance, and an enjoyable one, despite the twist being somewhat telegraphed.
Rather than play the same cards twice- which I suspected would happen- CF does a better job of world-building and character development. Yes, a second Hunger Games is held, but it’s not the focus. We get what we need out of it -and the non-essential bow and arrow fodder- and then move on. The supporting cast is far better too. Peeta is fleshed out and even rivals Katniss in importance. Effie shows she’s more than a stuck-up Capitalist. Gale...well, Gale is still incredibly worthless and annoying, but he’s more of an tertiary anomaly. Even the new faces throw a few wrinkles into the mix.
I admit, I wasn’t a big fan of the first and I’ve never read the books, but Catching Fire has me interested in seeing how things play out.
Lone Survivor- Hey, remember when I mentioned it’s cool when movies don’t flaunt their factual foundations as a cheap gimmick? Yeah, well…
Okay, so maybe the purpose of said flaunting is to educate the audience on what the men and women of our military have really been up to for the past decade, but Lone Survivor feels more like bad military recruitment than what it seemingly aims to be. The four-man Navy SEAL team is painted as these All-American heroes, even slinging out cheesy one-liners such as “ I’m not dying for my country, but you can die for yours.” When the bullets are flying every which way, its increasingly obvious. I am well aware how skilled Navy SEALs are, but when they're outgunned 100+ to four, and are pulling off head-shots left and right while suffering from numerous gunshots, shrapnel wounds, and other severe injuries, it becomes near comical.
Most egregious are the extended scenes where they’re falling down a cliff in ragdoll fashion; hitting rocks and trees along the way. It reminds me of the insurance fraud missions in Grand Theft Auto, where your character seems almost magnetically-and hilariously- attracted to every deadly object.
We get it, SEALs are tough mother fuckers, they’re “American Heroes,” and you want the audience to fawn over them. You want us to aspire to be them. No need to drag out the rather lackluster gunfight or create some mediocre war-porn though.
You know exactly where the story is going the entire time thanks to the title and early scene revealing the “Lone Survivor.” That’s all well and good. It’s a proven mechanic, but the journey isn’t all the exciting. The best sequence is when a village defends Mark Wahlberg’s character against the Taliban, but even that’s not all too good.
I know I’m being harsh and you might suspect I think Lone Survivor is an awful film, but it’s not. It does a few things wrong, and what it doesn’t do wrong, is does averagely. I appreciate the effort to try and tell the story of a Navy SEAL mission gone tragically awry. It’s important the public knows the truth, but the execution failed to meet its mark. Multiple Americans died in vain and trying to turn that into an inspiring story / recruitment movie is misguided.
