The Wolf Of Wall Street

 

http://www.thewolfofwallstreetmovie.co.uk/ 

I think my friends were quite shocked when I said I wanted to see The Wolf Of Wall Street, knowing how anti-drugs I am. The film was clearly going to show gratuitous drug taking and yet I was intrigued by the trailer. All that chanting by Matthew McConaughey for one. And knowing that Martin Scorsese is such a renowned film maker, I had to know what it was about the movie that made him want to make it.

The film is based on a book of the same name, written by and from the perspective of former Wall Street Stockbroker Jordan Belfort. We follow Belfort on his Wall Street journey, starting out as a junior stockbroker, ambitious and naive with a hairdresser wife at home, and we see him through the black monday stock market crash, rebuilding his career, becoming addicted to almost every drug there is, losing his wife and replacing her with a younger model, and returning to success. But as the FBI start to keep a watchful eye on Belfort and his colleagues, the net soon starts to close in on them and their decadent lifestyles.

After seeing the movie, I wasn't all that much clearer on any of the things that intrigued me going in. I only found out what the chanting was all about when I saw McConaughey on Graham Norton's show the other night. And I'm still at a bit of a loss to explain why Scorsese wanted to make this film, other than maybe he felt that as he is in the midst of his twilight years, he should make a movie as gratuitous as possible?

One of the problems I had with the movie is it's length. When I saw American Hustle with one of my friends, a movie that is the average film length at 2 hours (2 and a half with ads and trailers), she told me that she felt at least 40 minutes of that film could have been cut. Personally, I don't see where. I have seen Hustle a number of times since and I don't find it overly long. The Wolf Of Wall Street on the other hand is over 2 and half hours long (3 with ads and trailers). And it felt much longer.

The other, and probably more important failure of this movie is that there is not a single decent character that you can get behind. I apologise for again using American Hustle as a comparison but, although the main characters in Hustle, Irving and Sydney, do some bad things, they do at least have a conscience about those things. And at the heart of Hustle is a character who has nothing but good intentions. The irony being that he is the only one really who suffers in the end. Whereas The Wolf Of Wall Street has maybe one likable character in the whole film, Jordan's father, played by the ever lovable Rob Reiner. The problem is that Reiner's character is only in the film for about 5 minutes. 5 minutes of over 150 minutes of movie. He's not central enough for him to be the emotional heart of the story. And without that, you just find yourself watching horrible people do horrible things for 3 hours.

Also, this is more of a nitpick, but are we really supposed to believe that at the start of the movie, DiCaprio's character is only 26? Because I'm sorry, he may be baby faced but he isn't baby faced enough to pass for 26 anymore.

I can't help but feel like Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are the new Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. And we all know how detrimental that relationship has become, to both careers. Scorsese needs to start making movies with someone other than DiCaprio. Because then maybe both men will make better decisions for their respective careers. If DiCaprio does win the Oscar for this film it will be a crying shame, as it will clearly be a pity vote on behalf of the academy for his failure to win one under his many previous nominations.

A very long, gratuitous tale about a bunch of really unlikable people who do a lot of drugs and not a lot else. 4 out of 10.

Viewing Date -19th January 2014

UK Release Date - 17th January 2014

Cast Overview:

Jordan Belfort ~ Leonardo DiCaprio

Donnie Azoff ~ Jonah Hill

Naomi Lapaglia ~ Margot Robbie

Mark Hanna ~ Matthew McConaughey

Agent Patrick Denham ~ Kyle Chandler

Max Belfort ~ Rob Reiner

Manny Riskin ~ Jon Favreau

Jean Jacques Saurel ~ Jean Dujardin

Aunt Emma ~ Joanna Lumley

Director ~ Martin Scorsese

Writer(s) ~ Terence Winter (Screenplay) and Jordan Belfort (Book)

The Great Gatsby

http://thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com/

There are some films that you know about ages before they come out. You read up on them, you might even look at set photos and eagerly anticipate their arrival. Others seemingly come out of nowhere and surprise you. Then there are films like this. Which you wonder how you didn't see coming but then when you've seen it you can kind of see why...

Having never read The Great Gatsby or having seen any of the previous adaptations, I didn't know what to expect, other than what I knew of the story; set in the 1920s and a somewhat tragic love story. And of course there was what I knew of the cast and director. The combination of all these things meant that I had what I don't believe were unrealistic expectations that this film had potential.

For those like me who don't know, the film is narrated by Nick (Tobey Maguire), who is recounting the time he spent with his cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Tom (Joel Edgerton), on Long Island and in New York City in the summer of 1922. He moves into a modest home across the bay from Daisy, his house dwarfed by the massive estate next door owned by a man named Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). A man who throws lavish parties every weekend but whom nobody has ever met. Nick gets invited to one of Gatsby's parties and eventually meets the ellusive man and gets to know him. Once Gatsby trusts Nick he lets him in on a secret; he is Daisy's long lost love, returned from the war with the intention of winning her back. Of course Daisy is now married, a fact Gatsby is well aware of, but his love for Daisy is so consuming he is willing to do anything to get her back. Consequently, a lot of people, some intentionally, and some caught in the cross-fire, get hurt. But will it all be worth it in the end?

The problem with the story, and I don't know if this is with the story in general or just this telling of it, is that you don't really care enough about any of the characters to feel invested in what happens to them. The film is also really long, which doesn't help the cause as you put all of this time in and don't really feel any reward for your efforts.

Tobey Maguire is a good actor but his character is boring. Making him the narrator just slows the proceedings down even more. And I don't really think the film would have lost a great deal by just letting events unfold without a narrator. His character is so dull, I had to look up his name as I genuinely couldn't remember it. That's how little an impact he had on me.

DiCaprio is charasmatic as Gatsby but he looks too young to be believable as a survivor of the war who then went on to have adventures at sea, make a fortune and get a reputation for himself as an extravagant millionaire. He only really gets to shine when cracks start to appear in Gatsby's facade. Mulligan and Edgerton are both good but are both woefully underused. Mulligan's contribution to the film being to look pretty in her 20s clothes and appear torn between two lovers, while Edgerton is merely supposed to look like the baddie of the hour (complete with moustache) so that the audience wants Daisy to end up with Gatsby. I for one always find that decision can be more heartbreaking when both men are decent and honorable, rather than having to choose between a cheat and a madman.

The film was too long for my liking and the characters not likable enough to warrant me sitting there for that length of time. A very dull and disappointing 5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 29th May 2013

UK Release Date - 16th May 2013

Cast Overview:

Leonardo DiCaprio ~ Jay Gatsby

Tobey Maguire ~ Nick Carraway

Carey Mulligan ~ Daisy Buchanan

Joel Edgerton ~ Tom Buchanan

Isla Fisher ~ Myrtle Wilson

Jason Clarke ~ George Wilson

Adelaide Clemens ~ Catherine

Elizabeth Debicki ~ Jordan Baker

Director ~ Baz Luhrmann

Writer(s) ~ Baz Luhrmann (Screenplay), Craig Pearce (Screenplay) 

and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Novel)

Titanic 3D

http://www.titanicmovie.com/

When Titanic was first released in 1997 I was 16. I'm sure my readers will appreciate that as a 16 year old girl I loved Titanic, and Kate and Leo, and even the Celine Dion song. It's also one of the things that brought about my friendship with two of my best friends, as we were initially pen friends who met through a Heavenly Creatures fanzine. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Titanic not only had an impact on me as a cinema-goer (I think it was the first film I saw multiple times at the cinema with a grand total of 4 viewings prior to this one), but it also brought two of the most important people into my life. So I owe it a debt of gratitude.


So whilst some people may snigger at the 3D re-release or complain about how cheesy the film is, I was quite looking forward to going back to Titanic.

For those who have been living under a rock for the last 100 years, Titanic is a film about the famous 'unsinkable' ship of the same name. The story is told through the eyes of Rose (Kate Winslet), a 17 year old girl who is travelling on Titanic with her fiance Cal (Billy Zane), on their way to New York for their wedding. Rose feels trapped by the life that she is being forced into by her money grabbing mother, and on the first night of the voyage she flees to the back of the ship with the intention of throwing herself into the icy waters beneath. She is saved from this decision, and by an accidental fall into the ocean, by Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio). Jack and Rose soon become friends as Jack shows Rose that there is more to life than being a rich man's wife. However, disaster soon strikes the vessell as the ship hits the infamous iceberg.


"It's STILL a classic!" declared the man sitting next to me to his buddy at the end. And whilst I was shocked that this declaration came from a man, I concur. It is still a classic. And while the IMAX screen did show up some of the more ropey effects, it also allowed me to see things I had previously missed. It was a truly wonderful way to see the film and I would highly recommend the IMAX experience to anyone wanting to see a really big spectacle of a movie. The ship looks magnificent on the huge IMAX screen and Leo and Kate look gorgeous, but I must say, as a 30 year old looking at them now I couldn't believe how young they both looked. 


Watching the film as a woman, rather than the girl I was at the time of the original release, I can honestly say that the tragic number of deaths really shocks you. As a girl I found it sad but I don't think you really realise how many people perished when you're younger, but it really hits home as an adult. Therefore, whether you believe in the love story or not, the ending is still as tragic. And the film still had an emotional impact on me even though I am now 30 and have seen the film several times. 


If you have never seen it or are a fan like I am, even if you're a fan who doesn't like to admit it or who hasn't seen it in a number of years, I would recommend refreshing your memory and certainly recommend the IMAX experience. Yes it has flaws but it's a story that was close to writer/director James Cameron's heart, and if you admit it to yourself it's close to yours too. 9 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 6th April 2012

UK Release Date - 6th April 2012

Cast Overview:

Leonardo DiCaprio ~ Jack Dawson

Kate Winslet ~ Rose DeWitt Bukater

Billy Zane ~ Caledon 'Cal' Hockley

Kathy Bates ~ Molly Brown

Frances Fisher ~ Ruth DeWitt Bukater

Gloria Stuart ~ Old Rose

Bill Paxton ~ Brock Lovett

Bernard Hill ~ Captain Edward James Smith

David Warner ~ Spicer Lovejoy

Victor Garber ~ Thomas Andrews

Jonathan Hyde ~ Bruce Ismay

Suzy Amis ~ Lizzy Calvert

Director/Writer ~ James Cameron

J. Edgar

Mini Review

http://jedgarmovie.warnerbros.com

J. Edgar is the story of the life of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. The film is set at the start of his career with the FBI and focuses largely on his triumphs in the US justice system. The film also shines the spotlight on his personal life which until now has been overshadowed by the well known story of his success as one of America's most famous law enforcers. 

Let me start by saying that J. Edgar is not in any way the film I thought it was going to be. For your reference I have included the trailer to the film below. Watch it, then tell me if you get any inkling from this that the film is going to be a Brokeback Mountain for the US justice system. No? Me neither! Now don't get me wrong as I love Brokeback as much as the next person, actually I probably love it more due to my love of Jakey, but the trailer does not imply that this is the type of film you are going to see. So a bit of a hint might have been nice.

Having said all that I actually found that this was my favourite thing about the film. The more political and overly judicious elements were a tad boring so being able to see this other side to Hoover was nice. And it definitely made him seem more human. But all of the scenes depicting Hoover's relationship with Clyde Tolson, his protege and the man he makes assistant director of the FBI, are, as Wikipedia puts it "an examination of his private life as an alleged closeted (and chaste) homosexual." So in other words, they're a part of this 'true' story that might not be true. But the filmmakers have included them anyway just to spice things up.

In some ways it's worked as the story would be dull as dishwater without these scenes, but in other ways I do feel a bit deceived. Partly by the trailer and partly by the declaration that this is 'based on a true story'. That gripe aside I did think that it was a good showcase of the talent involved and was a surprising film for someone like Clint Eastwood to make. The only real let down was the awful prosthetic make up which literally made the actors look like they were wearing fat suits and dodgy rubber masks. Make up can be better than this people, see the below award if you don't believe me.

A definite must see for those with an interest in recent American history (although it might not be all that historically accurate), gay love stories or fans of the people involved. 7 out of 10.

NB - for fans of Gossip Girl you might be interested to see Chuck Bass himself - Ed Westwick - as Hoover's first biographer.

Viewing Date - 25th January 2012

UK Release Date - 20th January 2012

Cast Overview: 

Leonardo DiCaprio ~ J. Edgar Hoover

Armie Hammer ~ Clyde Tolson

Naomi Watts ~ Helen Gandy

Josh Lucas ~ Charles Lindbergh

Judi Dench ~ Anna Marie Hoover (Hoover's mother)

Jeffrey Donovan ~ Robert F Kennedy

Ed Westwick ~ Agent Smith - Hoover's biographer

Lea Thompson ~ Lela Rogers

Dermot Mulroney ~ Colonel Schwarzkopf

Director ~ Clint Eastwood

Writer ~ Dustin Lance Black