The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street is two hours and 59 minutes of 1980s sex, drugs, foul language, greed, blind ambition, loose morals, blurred lines, corruption and just plain bad behavior—all this without the usual Martin Scorsese mobsters, murder, guns, blood and violence. Instead, we get a taste of the full-on unscrupulous life of a Wall Street stockbroker, supposedly based on the life of a real person, Jordan Belfort, but surely exaggerated and glorified. The movie depicts a different kind of "white collar mobster" with classic New York accents and single-minded drive to be the King Pin of the financial world.
It's a rollicking story and a fun movie for adults, but only if you're willing to suspend your own morals for a while and just enjoy the ride. It is an engaging story, yet, three hours of debauchery did get a bit tiresome—after the main characters' third near-fatal overdose on Quaaludes and cocaine, I began to think enough already. There could've been a little bit of film dedicated to the actual details of how the stockbrokers really worked, how they made the millions, how they duped their customers, and how the government and most of Wall Street looked the other way. Scorsese did throw in some tidbits here and there, but mostly this was a story about the wild and crazy, up and down life of Belfort.
Leonardo DiCaprio played the main character, and Jonah Hill played his partner. They both did a great job. They both deserved their Academy Award nominations. Some of the dialogue was superbly written and executed. DiCaprio as the ultimate salesman was riveting—some of the speeches and monologues that he delivered were fantastic. I was completely sold on his character and believed that he could sell anything to anyone. Matthew McConaughey gives a short cameo at the beginning, which is pure genius. Jonah Hill had some of the funniest lines and scenes. The supporting cast was believable and the direction/editing pure Scorsese. The movie was able to shock me and make me laugh at the same time. I recommend it.

Gravity

Gravity grabbed me from the very beginning and held tight until the very end. I'm actually glad that I didn't see this film at the theater in IMAX or 3-D. I'm sure I would have been overwhelmed sitting there in my wheelchair, trying to breathe with my portable ventilator. Even in the comfort of my bed, on the small screen TV, the movie was still captivating and there were a few times when I had to hold my breath. However, perhaps because the special effects were not so "in my face" I paid more attention to the story. Don't get me wrong, if you have the opportunity to see this movie on the big screen, I recommend it, if not, however, it is still worth a rental.

The numerous Academy awards that the film won for, directing, special effects, editing, and other technical aspects were very much deserved. I want to mention two special effects (attention to detail) that I especially appreciated—first was the complete silence of space—this was used very effectively. Second, was the weightlessness of space—a tear floating off the cheek of Sandra Bullock into space was riveting. Another thing that I really liked about this movie was that there were no flash-forwards or flashbacks. The movie started in Earth orbit and stayed there. The writer, director, did not spend a lot of unnecessary time trying to develop characters or give background information. The story moved along at a quick, intelligent pace. It was a little less than 90 min. long, which is quite a rarity these days with movies. It was refreshing that a good story could be told under two hours. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney did a great job, though, Mr. Clooney could have been played by anyone, and his dialogue and robot-like "bravado" was cliché, old-hat, and tiresome. I was glad Sandra Bullock had most of the screen time.
A great movie!

RUSH

RUSH is a 2013 film directed and produced by Ron Howard. I've always respected the work of Ron Howard (Splash, Cocoon, A Beautiful Mind, Backdraft, Apollo 13, the da Vinci Code movies, etc.). Even though he doesn't routinely create huge blockbusters or multi-Academy award winning films – he has the gift of telling a great story. This movie did not disappoint me. The story was well-rounded, nicely paced and engaging. The acting was good, and the photography was excellent. Many folks may shy away from this movie because it centers around the world of Formula One racing in the 1970s – but, even if you're not a fan of racing, the movie still has a lot to offer. It is at its core a story about the rivalry between two driven characters – not racing. The similarities and contrasts between the two men, the serious Austrian misfit and the British playboy, make the story interesting. The relationship that they build, and the ultimate respect that they pay to each other, give the story meaning. The fact that it's a real story, makes the movie even more enjoyable. If you like racing, you will definitely find this film to your satisfaction. If you're just interested in watching a good story unfold, this is also a good choice for a rental. I recommend it.

House of Cards, Season Two

I just finished binge watching House of Cards, Season Two. Thirteen episodes in five nights! It was worth every minute. It's great to be able to watch an entire season in a short period of time, especially a series that is as well made and entertaining as this. Everything about it is superb. The plot is complex, but not confusing – though there are more twists and turns in Season Two, than the first season. The characters are believable, intelligent, ambitious, realistically flawed and conflicted. The dialogue is exceptional, fast-paced and at times almost beautiful in the language that is used. There were a couple of times when I wanted to rewind and listen to the dialogue again, not out of confusion, but because it was so deep and revealing. The acting is fabulous. Kevin Spacey, as Francis Underwood, the main character, is just amazing. I love how he speaks directly to the camera, bringing the audience in closer. The rest of the actors are also excellent and very well cast. Netflix deserves a huge "Bravo!" for this production.

The story moved seamlessly from season one to Season Two. Everything seemed to be going along as expected – good political drama – when suddenly, "Wham" at the end of the first episode, Francis does something totally unexpected and completely dark and evil. OMG! was my honest reaction. I rarely have this strong of a reaction to any television show or movie. I'm not going to give it away, you got to watch it to believe it. From the very first episode, I was hooked.

The next twelve episodes were not as shocking, but they were just as intense. In fact, if I have any criticism at all, it's that this second season seems to have almost too much going on. There is political intrigue, corruption, scandal, bribery, adultery, blind ambition, manipulation and backstabbing, as well as numerous subplots pulled from current headlines – China trade, money laundering, political action committees, lobbyists run amok, terrorism, sexual assault in the military, abortion and the driving need for our politicians to be re-elected above everything else.

It's all great stuff! Don't blink or you'll miss something. Definitely rent it, or join Netflix – at eight dollars a month it's one of the best deals around.

Lee Daniels' The Butler

I finally got around to watching Lee Daniels' The Butler. I wanted to see it before the Oscars, even though it wasn't nominated – there are so many good movies made these days, sometimes the ones that are not nominated for Oscars get lost in the shuffle. I was glad I took the time to watch this one. I really enjoyed it, but also, because of its depth and breadth, I felt that there were times that it was disjointed—montage-like. The central story, the Butler working in the White House, played by Forest Whitaker was dramatic, tragic, meaningful and emotionally moving. It's amazing that this is really a true story, based on a real person's life. It's difficult to imagine the conflict he must've felt during his lifetime. The contrast between this man's life and the world of the White House is portrayed expertly. There are several scenes where the director/writer flashes between the Butler doing his job in the cloistered atmosphere of the White House, and real events happening in the outside world. The scenes are riveting and revealing – they must've been very difficult to write and create. Mr. Whitaker definitely deserved a Best Actor nod.

The sub story of the civil rights movement and the progression of black people through America's turbulent and sad history, is less dramatic but still informative and educational. This is where I believe the director, writers and producers were too ambitious. They tried to put too many incidents, events and issues into the film. It must've been very difficult to decide what to include and what to leave out. The film is epic in scope, covering the Butler's life from the early 1940s to the present day. At times, I felt as if the filmmakers were trying to educate me, rather than really tell the story of the Butler and his family. That's okay, I was a willing audience, especially knowing that this was based on a true story.

The dialogue was excellent and engaging. The acting was superb. Watching Oprah Winfrey smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol to excess, dance and party, was worth the price of the rental by itself. Don't let this fine film get lost in the very crowded shelf of options – it's well worth watching.