Tag Archives: Jennifer Lawrence

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American Hustle – Review

american hustle poster

How do you look at American Hustle? Is it Mystique, Hawkeye, Batman and Lois Lane teaming up? The cast of The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook getting together for the movie equivalent of a super group ala The Travelling Wilburies? Watching American Hustle, I couldn’t help but wonder if David O. Russell asked himself if he could do a Martin Scorsese movie, specifically Goodfellas.

American Hustle opens with Irving (Christian Bale) and Sydney (Amy Adams) talking in voiceover about how they met. Their speeches had definite shades of Goodfellas’ opening line, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”

The characters costumes seemed right out of Goodfellas as well. During American Hustle, I couldn’t help but think that toupee wearing dry-cleaner turned con man Irving’s story was actually what was going on with Morrie in Goodfellas when he wasn’t being choked by Jimmy Conway.

Then Robert De Niro showed up and I had no idea if I was watching Goodfellas or American Hustle. My confusion mounted when they cut to a flashback scene of Robert De Niro’s character as a young mobster that I think might have been a deleted scene from Goodfellas. American Hustle’s title should have been Goodfellas 2: Camden Nights.

I enjoyed the twist at the end of American Hustle. It was very Ocean’s 11-esque. However, the 20 minutes before the twist seemed to slog. I felt myself fidgeting in my seat, wondering where this movie was going.

Should you see American Hustle? Take this quiz to find out.

1. Are you a fan of Amy Adams side boob?

amy adams side boob

 

2. Same question, but this time Jennifer Lawrence.

jennifer lawrence boobs

3. Are you a dude who curls your own hair?

bradley cooper curlers

 

4. Is Fat Batman you thing?

fat batman

 

5. Do you want to see Jimmy Conway in action one more time?

robert de niro goodfellas

If you answered Yes to any of these, you should see American Hustle! If you answered No to all of these, I recommend watching The Fighter again instead.

the righter poster

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Oscars 2013 Predictions

The Oscars are only about an hour away. Need some help winning your party’s pool? Here are my predictions.If you win, feel free to treat me to a movie! 

Best Picture – Argo. I’m going with my head this year instead of my heart for my picks, but I’m glad they match up here. I think the Academy feels like they made a mistake for not bothering to nominate Ben Affleck for Best Director and will give Argo the best picture as retribution.
Leading Actor – Daniel Day Lewis. If you pick anyone else, don’t even both reading the rest of this post. You’re losing your pool.
Supporting Actor – Christoph Waltz. Waltz and Tommy Lee Jones are in a dead heat according to the Vegas odds. I’d like to think Waltz’s performance in Django can beat out Tommy Lee Jones playing Tommy Lee Jones in a wig.
Leading Actress – Jennifer Lawrence. But Jessica Chastain deserves it.
Supporting Actress – Anne Hathaway
Animated Feature – Wreck-It-Ralph
Cinematography – Life of Pi
Costume Design – Anna Karenina
Directing – Stephen Speilberg – Lincoln
Documentary Feature – Searching for Sugarman
Documentary Short – Open Heart
Film Editing – Zero Dark Thirty
Foreign Language Film – Amour
Makeup and Hairstyling – Les Miserables
Original Score – Life of Pi (Toss up between this and Lincoln)
Original Song – Skyfall
Production Design – Les Miserables
Animated Short Film – Paperman
Liver Action Short Film – Curfew
Sound Editing – Life of Pi
Sound Mixing – Skyfall
Visual Effects – Life of Pi
Adapted Screenplay – Argo
Original Screenplay – Argo
Good luck! 
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Silver Linings Playbook – Review

4/5 – The movie where you realize Bradley Cooper is a serious actor.

It has to stink having the movie where you show the world that you’re a really good dramatic actor comes out the same year that Daniel Day Lewis has a new movie. That’s exactly what happened to Bradley Cooper with Silver Linings Playbook. If Daniel Day Lewis wasn’t in Lincoln this year, I think Bradley Cooper would walk home with the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role.

I like Bradley Cooper a lot, but if you had told me this time last year that I thought he would be the runner up for the Best Lead Actor Oscar, I would have called you nutty. Before Silver Linings Playbook, Cooper has been known mostly for his very good comedic skills (Wedding Crashers, The Hangover) and movies that banked on his good looks (The A-Team, Valentine’s Day). 
Silver Linings Playbook is the movie that tells the world Bradley Cooper is one damn good actor. In the movie, he plays Pat, a guy who had to do a stint in a mental institution after having the worst day of his life. In Pat’s defense, I think everything he did to that teacher in his bathroom was justifiable.
Weird Tie-In Merchandise: Silver Linings Trash Bag Vests, exclusively at Target

Pat has issues: rage, insecurity, an obsession with his separated wife, and Cooper plays these issues brilliantly. His parents have issues in the movie too, and you can see how they’ve influenced Pat in how well Cooper plays him to be both a little like his mother and a little like his father. 
Speaking of Pat’s father, Robert De Niro turns in a great performance as Pat Sr. Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook is the antithesis of Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln. In Lincoln, Tommy Lee Jones’s Thaddeus Stevens is Tommy Lee Jones in a wig. But Pat Sr. is not just Robert De Niro in an Eagles sweater. There were points in the movie where I found myself completely lost in the family dynamic of Pat’s family. I wasn’t seeing Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro on the screen. I was seeing Pat and Pat Sr.
I can relate to Frank Sr’s superstitions. My dad and I once banned my mother from 
the living room when we thought she was jinxing the Yankees during the World Series.

Jennifer Lawrence reminds you that she’s the same actress who excelled in Winter’s Bone, not just the face of Hunger Games. She has a scene-stealing scene confronting Pat and his family. This scene is definitely what has garnered her so many awards nominations. It’s definitely the second-best scene in the movie.
What’s the best scene? Without a doubt it’s a scene I don’t want to spoil, but one that comes near the very end of the film. I laughed hysterically, and then did so again a few moments later, and that’s all I’ll say on that.

David O. Russell once again created an excellent movie. His last movie, The Fighter, was my favorite movie of 2010. While Silver Linings Playbook is not my favorite movie of 2012, I definitely give it a very high recommendation. 

I fully expect their dance to be incorporated into many weddings.