4 Reasons to Watch "American Hustle" and 3 Reason to Not.

4 REASONS TO WATCH:

4. BECAUSE JENNIFER LAWRENCE IS OFF THE RAILS…

But in a good way.  Sure, there are a few moments where you start to feel the twinge of your eyes rolling their way back into your head, but the character is over-the-top and Jennifer Lawrence unapologetically goes for it.

3. AMY ADAMS’ NEAR WARDROBE MALFUNCTION…

in every single scene.  The question most asked after seeing this film: “Did you see Amy Adams’ shirts?” and the response most often provided: “Yessssssss!”

2. THE BAD HAIR

If ever you need to feel good about being follically challenged, take a gander at the wig work in this film.  It’ll immediately pump your tires while reminding you that nothing good ever came out of the 70’s.

1. IT’S LIKE WATCHING THE NBA ALL STAR GAME

The movie is a collection of great talent (for the most part) performing at peak levels.  Sure the script is not that good and thus the production feels like a showcase of talent rather than one cohesive narrative, but like the NBA All Star game, there is just enough raw talent to overcome this and provide adequate entertainment value.

AND 3 REASONS TO NOT TO WATCH:

3. BECAUSE BRADLEY COOPER IS OVERRATED.

After one good turn in "Silver Linings Playbook," society as a whole has decided that Bradley Cooper is actually a great actor.  I've yet to see this point validated.

2. THE SCRIPT IS GENERIC AND INCONSISTENT.

This movie is the definition of a script written for the sake of making a movie.  Is it loosely based on real events?  Sure, but the key word is loosely.  What is fiction turns out to be pretty unimaginative and the consistency of the characters falter under the weight of this flawed plot.  And the minute you walk out of the movie, you'll immediately decide there's no need to ever see it again.

1. BECAUSE THE VIEWER IS LEFT WITH NO SKIN IN THE GAME.
Almost every good movie has a likable person to root for regardless of whether they are to come out on top or not.  Most everyone in American Hustle is drenched with the stink of deceit and corruption, making it hard for the viewer to become invested in any one character.

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7 Reasons to Watch "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"

7. IT DOUBLES AS A EULOGY...

For print journalism.  That may only resonate with those who once aspired to be a professional scribe, but it’s a phenomenon that’s impacted the masses.

6. ADAM SCOTT DOES A GOOD JOB PLAYING…

The kind of boss who has an MBA and uses terms like “synergy” and “ROI” as if Moses had chiseled them on the tablets along with the "other" 10 Commandments.

5. THE SCRIPT PULLS OFF THE IMPOSSIBLE…

By making me not hate Sean Penn for about ten minutes.   Normally I find him absolutely nauseating, but this role amazingly casts him in a different light though I think that has more to with director/actor Ben Stiller than with Penn himself.

4. BECAUSE BEN STILLER IS AT HIS BEST…

When he is playing the everyman, as opposed to the creepy quirky characters  which he has more recently gravitated towards.  It’s not a great performance but it’s one that’s easy to root for.

3. KRISTEN WIIG

Most know her for her SNL and Bridesmaids physical comedy hijinks but she does nice a good job of playing the type of woman you would want to take home to meet mom.

2. IT’S MESSAGE IS UNIVERSAL…

Stop dreaming and start living because as I wise man once said, “a dream without an actionable plan is nothing but a wish.”

1. IT’LL MAKE YOU WANT TO TRAVEL

The Ad Pub folks at Expedia could not have scripted it better.  From the peaks, the valleys, and the depths of the deep blue sea, the beauty of nature captured on screen will make you want to tear off your business casual, grab your passport, and run out the door.

ONE CAVEAT…
It’s not a groundbreaking film and it's a bit offbeat, but what may really throw viewers off is that at times the plot unfolds like a very slow burn.  Still, I suspect that this was exactly Stiller’s intention as the film is more about the  discovery of self than it is a journey across physical and geographical borders.  Thus action and pace take a back seat to fleshing out various internal machinations.

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8 Reasons to Watch "Her"

8. THE MUSIC

From top to bottom, Her features stellar tracks from Arcade Fire and the Breeders, but The Moon Song written Karen O and Spike Jonze (performed by Joaquin Phoenix & Scarlett Johansson) is the gem of group.

7. AMY ADAMS

Amy Adams had quite a year with American Hustle, Man of Steel, and Her.  While Her is not the best work turned in by Adams, she is very good as a well-intentioned friend to Theodore Twombly who likewise is coping with a less than stellar love life.

6. THE VISUALS

The cinematography in this film is top notch as the camera masterfully frames a futuristic Los Angeles by blending its iconic landmarks with new state of the art architecture.

5. IT'S SURPRISINGLY FUNNY

It's billed as a clever romance set against a futuristic backdrop, but it is dripping with satire.  The result is some genuinely funny laughter-inducing moments that nicely balance the more dramatic elements of the plot.

4. THE SCRIPT

The sense of disconnect that permeates this film is pungent and ironic given society’ seamless connectivity to technology.  Jonze’s script exploits this condition to make a statement on emotional evolution.

3. SCARLETT JOHANSSON

While you never see her onscreen, Johansson feels omnipresent.  Her casting represents a stroke of genius as her unique voice helps to lend an almost palpable form to voice without a body.

2. JOAQUIN PHOENIX

Phoenix has made a living successfully portraying complex characters dealing with unusual circumstances so it should come as no surprise that he is able to bring to life a most unconventional romance.

1. SPIKE JONZE’S ANSWER TO…
Lost in Translation.  Depending on whom you ask, Lost in Translation was a semi-autobiographical look at director Sophia Coppola’s failed marriage to Spike Jonze.  And depending on whom you ask, Her is a complimentary piece to that film.  While the film is great on its own, this extra layer of subtext makes the respective films all the more intriguing.

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Ten Best Movies of 2013

Sometimes you walk out of a movie and you just know it’s going to be one of your favorites.  You go home and pre-order it on Amazon; you download the soundtrack; and you leave some strongly worded sentiments in the Comments sections for journalists who gave the film a negative review.  Then there are those movies that you initially like to a lesser extent, but come to find that over time their value appreciates in your mind.  So with the benefit of hindsight and twelve months worth of movies as a frame of reference, I’ve come up with these ten titles as my favorites of 2013.

10. WARM BODIES

Not quite the type of zombie narrative that is currently en vogue, Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer bring to screen a post-apocalyptic take on the Beauty and the Beast narrative.

9. IRON MAN 3

In what is most likely his last solo effort in the franchise, Robert Downey Jr. makes a movie that is more about the man than the machine in classic Shane Black style.

8. AMERICAN HUSTLE

Great cast, questionable hairstyles, good story.  That about sums it up.

7. STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

This was one of the few action movies from 2013 that was actually fun.  Purists may have not like J.J. Abrams’ second trek adventure but most everyone else did.

6. THIS IS THE END

This movie had no business making it onto the big screen and no business being super funny.  And yet it did and it is.  Danny McBride owns this film.

5. THE CONJURING

in a time when most horror movies feel like cheaply made cash grabs that are short on thrills, The Conjuring proves not only to be legitimately frightening, but also well acted and directed.

4. MAN OF STEEL

No movie about Superman will ever fully satisfy the masses because everyone has a different idea on how the most iconic fictional character in the world should be treated on screen.  That aside, Zack Snyder does a very good job of rebooting the man, the myth, the legend.

3. GRAVITY

It’s not the most robust plot, but there is no denying that it is an amazing visual experience.  The amount of directorial creativity that Alfonso Cuaron had to exercise in order to make this film makes it all the more impressive.

2. HER

No movie made me think more after a viewing than this one.  It’s not perfect and at times stretches my disbelief but Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant and Scarlett Johansson’s casting is spot on. 

1. THE WAY WAY BACK
This film is well written and features a great cast, but make no mistake about it.  Sam Rockwell is the straw that stirs this drink.  He isn’t going to win any awards for this performance, but I consider his work in this film to be the best of his career.  A must see.

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