"The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Obvious Child" (two great films)
"The Wolf of Wall Street"
starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, etc.
directed by: Martin Scorsese
written by: Terence Winter (book by: Jordan Belfort)
Let me say this up front: I have always felt that Leonardo DiCaprio is an excellent actor, in almost all the films he has chosen to be a part of (especially the ones where Martin Scorsese is at the helm, because he seems to really get the performance of a lifetime out of him every single time. Sure, DiCaprio has made some significant duds in his career, but look to the other films in his catalogue for his sheer talent:
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
The Basketball Diaries
Romeo and Juliet
Gangs of New York
The Aviator
The Departed
Revolutionary Road
Shutter Island
Inception
Django Unchained
The Great Gatsby
and The Wolf of Wall Street
These are my favorites, and I think what they all have in common is the excellent director behind the camera, pushing DiCaprio to give a great performance. And he delivers, every time, with these films, at least.
Here, DiCaprio seems to perfectly portray the egomaniacal, Wall Street broker, Jordan Belfort (who wrote the novel/memoir for which the film is based upon) who rose from being a nothing to the giant, Wall Street guy that we all (in the 99%) have learned to despise (because of everything they do and seem to stand for).
Scorsese chooses to begin the film with Belfort's arrival to Wall Street, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, honest, just prior to the bottom falling out on Black Friday in 1987. It's here that he gets some sagely advice from the head of the company that bottomed-out, played by Matthew McConaughey, which really defines Belfort's character for the rest of his career. Needing to start over, Belfort decides to reinvent himself as a broker for a tiny, no-named firm that trades stocks on pink pieces of paper, but it is at this company where Belfort really made his start, with a commission of 50% on speculative penny stocks. I'm convinced that this man could have sold ice to an Eskimo, but it doesn't necessarily mean that he should, because the way he sells stock is not honest at all (except that Belfort believes in himself as the salesman, therefore everyone else should trust him, but this is exactly the type of selling on Wall Street that led to our most recent bottom-falling-out debacle in which our banking system became defined as Too Big To Fail). Belfort than goes on to create and start his own company, with the distinguished-sounding name of Stratton Oakmont, and this is where he ultimately made his multi-millions and became too big, even for himself, in his mid-20s, nonetheless. He led a life of excess at this point (even though he was married, to a seemingly beautiful woman, played by Margot Robbie, in a role defining her young career). Drugs. Women. Drugs. Alcohol. And scheming. All these things comprise a bulk of the film, for the entire near-3 hours, yet never really bores the viewer, until his inevitable takedown and downfall at the hands of a moral FBI agent (played by Kyle Chandler).
Jordan Belfort is real and that is what makes his outsizing appetite for all the excesses in life so damning and infuriating to the viewer, way more so than Gordon Gekko's greed in "Wall Street." Leonardo DiCaprio was robbed of yet another Oscar for Best Actor with his performance as Belfort because he encompasses all the highs and lows of this man, managing to be equally crazy, funny, imperious and possessed throughout the entire film. And perhaps the best sequence in the film, and should have really earned him that Oscar is the Quaalude and morphine-induced scene that goes on for an uncomfortable, yet completely entertaining length of time.
With this film, Martin Scorsese has cranked everything up to 11 for its entire length (of nearly 3 hours) and keeps a tight grip on the audience, which he proceeds to never loosen. The film is never uninteresting or has you looking at the clock wondering when it will end, instead it is unrelenting.
It's so good, perhaps because of its time-sensitive subject matter, which also makes it difficult to watch, because this real-life man showed absolutely no remorse or effect in his takedown of us, the 99%, from whom he reaped all the benefits from. Did he learn anything once he was caught? Who knows.
........................................................................................
"Obvious Child"
starring: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Paul Briganti, Gaby Hoffman, Stephen Singer, Richard Kind, Polly Draper, Gabe Liedman
written and directed by: Gillian Robespierre
I love and live for this type of indie film that pushes boundaries and common culture trends, by presenting what is a taboo subject (re: abortion) and turning it on its head for the audience, while knowing it will be an uncomfortable subject to witness as it plays out, but that the story surrounding the inevitable end can be rather funny. And who is more perfect to portray the young woman in question than the underrated, yet hilarious Jenny Slate (who was fired from Saturday Night Live after her first night because she said the word "fuck" on live television; and has seemingly made quite a sustainable living with unbelievably funny videos on Youtube titled "Marcel the Shell"-- just do yourself a favor and go watch those videos right now, I'll wait).
At the beginning of the film, we meet Donna (Slate) as she delivers a bit on vaginal discharge, which is crude humor usually shied away from, because really who among us wants to really hear the truth about the female anatomy, yes, we know it, but saying it out loud makes it even truer. The way Donna (Slate) delivers this diatribe is crude, yet calculated to perfection. Donna is a struggling Brooklyn stand-up comedienne, but it's this monologue that leaves us wondering why she is unsuccessful. The best comics are self-deprecating. Right?
The plot simply goes as follows:
Donna gets dumped. She gets sad, and thus sloppy-drunk after her set. She sleeps with a stranger. She gets pregnant. She decides to get an abortion (with almost absolutely no thought about it at all, it's almost like she knew her decision before she even knew she was pregnant, because her decision comes out so matter-of-factly). Rather simple, but it's all the in-between points and how Donna goes about her daily life, leading up to this Planned Parenthood appointment that makes the film a hidden gem and indie film gold.
It is clear that Donna is at a bit of a crossroads in her life, being a twentysomething in New York City where her career in comedy should take off but has not and how long is she going to put up with the grind of it all, especially with the contradictory support from her parents (dad is supportive, while mom wants her daughter to pursue other options and face reality). Donna is emotionally tough, troubled, and damaged; but she is also constitutionally strong in that she stands up for what she believes in and doesn't cave to societal norms and continues to be socially awkward. Gaby Hoffman is nearly perfect (as she usually is, given her small, supportive roles like this) as her best friend and roommate. And then, there is Donna's sort-of love interest (Jake Lacy), who is the young khaki-wearing man whom she had the one-night stand with, that turns into more than that, as they get to know each other better, and Donna eventually reveals to him that she is pregnant but getting an abortion. The film really portrays the decision of getting an abortion for a young woman as a difficult one to deal with, but in such an endearing way that you feel for her and it makes you question what exactly would you do given the same circumstance (both from the female and male perspective).
This was a truly awesome film and needs to be seen by more people than I think have actually seen it. Do yourself a favor.
................................................................................
"Bernie"
starring: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Brady Coleman, Richard Robichaux, Rick Dial, Brandon Smith
written and directed by: Richard Linklater
Jack Black is the star of this film as he seems to have embodied and portrayed the real-life character Bernie Tiede. This is clearly one of his best films and one he can truly be proud of, because he comes off as a well-studied characterization of this real man, who seems to be more complex and a bit more of an enigma, especially after watching the film.
The film is based on an article that appeared in the Texas Monthly magazine, which recounted the equal parts tragic and comic tale of Carthage's assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede's life as a devote Methodist and even more devote mortician's assistant.
Jack Black plays Bernie so perfectly that he comes off very chipper, and benevolent, that when he manages to somehow befriend, for all intents and purposes, a widowed, very bitchy old woman, known throughout the community as a bitter, old widow, we do not really know why and/or how their friendship came to exist, other than extreme polar opposites seem to attract. Marjorie Nugent (MacLaine) is the old woman in question, loveless, bitter, loathed-by-all (which is an interesting contrast, because Bernie is a pillar of the community and loved by all), who happens to also be the richest in town. At first their friendship is simple, then they turn into travel companions, and we are led to believe something more (perhaps lovers, even though Bernie comes off a bit queer, for lack of a better term here).
For those that do not know the real-life story behind this film, I shall ruin and spoil things here, because this May-December "romance" hits a snag in the road when Marjorie becomes very controlling of Bernie, to the point that he just cannot take it anymore and he shoots her in the back four times after being pushed and pushed by her, mentally and emotionally, which really makes someone think, do we all have a breaking point where we could/would commit murder, and if so, what is that breaking point within us. Are we all capable of such a heinous act?
The film kind of plays out like an updated, real version of "Sunset Blvd." (a play with a similar plot) in a bit of a documentary style, too. An interesting way of presenting the story to us, but then again, it's written and directed by Richard Linklater, a truly visionary filmmaker of this generation- Just watch "Waking Life" or his most recent film "Boyhood" for evidence of his talent and abilities.
The kicker to this whole thing is that the real life Bernie Tiede was released from jail under the condition that he would live in an apartment above Richard Linklater's garage. Interesting twist.
...............................................................................
"First Winter"
starring: Samantha Jacober, Jennifer Kim, Lindsay Burdge, Haruka Hashimoto, Monika Heideman, Fonlin Nyeu, Luke Simon, Jeff Thrope, Matthew Chastain
written and directed by: Benjamin Dickinson
I want to believe I'm a smart film-watcher, but there was just something about this film that I didn't get, in that I'm sure the filmmakers were trying to say/tell us something. The narrative in the film is not necessarily as important as the visual textures and camera-work applied towards the making of the film and its presentation. The narrative does not really lend to the tension, instead, it is found in how the filmmakers choose to present the characters, choices, and the ensuing tension that works. The point of view is tight and almost directly on the shoulders of the actors, which makes for an overly intimate, perhaps even claustrophobic sense for everyone involved; but that also helps co-exist within the ethos of the free-love and general hippy culture that these characters live with in their world, which they've seemingly created for themselves.
What we have, without any real explanation of a background, is a group of hippy-loving Brooklynites who have dismissed their lives in the rush of big-city living and have transplanted themselves in upstate New York, in a farmhouse, to what is generally understood to be a commune, where sharing lovers and household duties is an unwritten rule. The fact that there is very little dialogue and/or narrative really gives the sense that this community is almost a little Charles Manson-esque, and you are left wondering when the shoe will drop. But it never really does.
What we know is that among these people there is a leader, named Paul (Paul Manza) who looks like Jesus with his long hair and the over-accentuated beard complete with a larger-than-necessary mustache. He teaches everyone yoga and how to live a whole-grain existence, including meditation. Paul sleeps with all the young, nubile hippy chicks, usually in a menage a trois, which naturally breeds jealousy, especially when one of his old flames shows back up at the commune. Fellow hippy Matt is his only antagonist as they have a heated discussion about Paul's sole reasoning for bringing everyone here is to only have sex with these young women, but it turns out Matt is a recovering heroin addict. Clearly, each person in the commune has reasons for being there, and instead of exploring those reasons and becoming more about the characters learning to live with themselves and each other, the filmmakers present to us and the characters that the real trouble lies outside the commune when a couple of the guys witness a large, black plume of smoke off in the distance. Could this be the end of days? And then, we really come to see that they are all facing their "first winter" (hence the title) alone at this commune, and perhaps they do not necessary know how exactly to survive, like they thought they did. Over-estimating their knowledge, much like I've discovered many recently-graduated-from-college, well-to-do young, twentsomethings tend to think.
The film then turns into a highly ritualized way of how these people deal with their impending mortality, teaching them all the lesson of: "It is harder to reinvent yourself than it may seem.
The film wasn't very captivating, because of the pace and the true lack of a narrative pushing it along. It almost feels like an invasion of their privacy or lack-there-of. It was disappointing, for me.
starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, etc.
directed by: Martin Scorsese
written by: Terence Winter (book by: Jordan Belfort)
Let me say this up front: I have always felt that Leonardo DiCaprio is an excellent actor, in almost all the films he has chosen to be a part of (especially the ones where Martin Scorsese is at the helm, because he seems to really get the performance of a lifetime out of him every single time. Sure, DiCaprio has made some significant duds in his career, but look to the other films in his catalogue for his sheer talent:
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
The Basketball Diaries
Romeo and Juliet
Gangs of New York
The Aviator
The Departed
Revolutionary Road
Shutter Island
Inception
Django Unchained
The Great Gatsby
and The Wolf of Wall Street
These are my favorites, and I think what they all have in common is the excellent director behind the camera, pushing DiCaprio to give a great performance. And he delivers, every time, with these films, at least.
Here, DiCaprio seems to perfectly portray the egomaniacal, Wall Street broker, Jordan Belfort (who wrote the novel/memoir for which the film is based upon) who rose from being a nothing to the giant, Wall Street guy that we all (in the 99%) have learned to despise (because of everything they do and seem to stand for).
Scorsese chooses to begin the film with Belfort's arrival to Wall Street, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, honest, just prior to the bottom falling out on Black Friday in 1987. It's here that he gets some sagely advice from the head of the company that bottomed-out, played by Matthew McConaughey, which really defines Belfort's character for the rest of his career. Needing to start over, Belfort decides to reinvent himself as a broker for a tiny, no-named firm that trades stocks on pink pieces of paper, but it is at this company where Belfort really made his start, with a commission of 50% on speculative penny stocks. I'm convinced that this man could have sold ice to an Eskimo, but it doesn't necessarily mean that he should, because the way he sells stock is not honest at all (except that Belfort believes in himself as the salesman, therefore everyone else should trust him, but this is exactly the type of selling on Wall Street that led to our most recent bottom-falling-out debacle in which our banking system became defined as Too Big To Fail). Belfort than goes on to create and start his own company, with the distinguished-sounding name of Stratton Oakmont, and this is where he ultimately made his multi-millions and became too big, even for himself, in his mid-20s, nonetheless. He led a life of excess at this point (even though he was married, to a seemingly beautiful woman, played by Margot Robbie, in a role defining her young career). Drugs. Women. Drugs. Alcohol. And scheming. All these things comprise a bulk of the film, for the entire near-3 hours, yet never really bores the viewer, until his inevitable takedown and downfall at the hands of a moral FBI agent (played by Kyle Chandler).
Jordan Belfort is real and that is what makes his outsizing appetite for all the excesses in life so damning and infuriating to the viewer, way more so than Gordon Gekko's greed in "Wall Street." Leonardo DiCaprio was robbed of yet another Oscar for Best Actor with his performance as Belfort because he encompasses all the highs and lows of this man, managing to be equally crazy, funny, imperious and possessed throughout the entire film. And perhaps the best sequence in the film, and should have really earned him that Oscar is the Quaalude and morphine-induced scene that goes on for an uncomfortable, yet completely entertaining length of time.
With this film, Martin Scorsese has cranked everything up to 11 for its entire length (of nearly 3 hours) and keeps a tight grip on the audience, which he proceeds to never loosen. The film is never uninteresting or has you looking at the clock wondering when it will end, instead it is unrelenting.
It's so good, perhaps because of its time-sensitive subject matter, which also makes it difficult to watch, because this real-life man showed absolutely no remorse or effect in his takedown of us, the 99%, from whom he reaped all the benefits from. Did he learn anything once he was caught? Who knows.
........................................................................................
"Obvious Child"
starring: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Paul Briganti, Gaby Hoffman, Stephen Singer, Richard Kind, Polly Draper, Gabe Liedman
written and directed by: Gillian Robespierre
I love and live for this type of indie film that pushes boundaries and common culture trends, by presenting what is a taboo subject (re: abortion) and turning it on its head for the audience, while knowing it will be an uncomfortable subject to witness as it plays out, but that the story surrounding the inevitable end can be rather funny. And who is more perfect to portray the young woman in question than the underrated, yet hilarious Jenny Slate (who was fired from Saturday Night Live after her first night because she said the word "fuck" on live television; and has seemingly made quite a sustainable living with unbelievably funny videos on Youtube titled "Marcel the Shell"-- just do yourself a favor and go watch those videos right now, I'll wait).
At the beginning of the film, we meet Donna (Slate) as she delivers a bit on vaginal discharge, which is crude humor usually shied away from, because really who among us wants to really hear the truth about the female anatomy, yes, we know it, but saying it out loud makes it even truer. The way Donna (Slate) delivers this diatribe is crude, yet calculated to perfection. Donna is a struggling Brooklyn stand-up comedienne, but it's this monologue that leaves us wondering why she is unsuccessful. The best comics are self-deprecating. Right?
The plot simply goes as follows:
Donna gets dumped. She gets sad, and thus sloppy-drunk after her set. She sleeps with a stranger. She gets pregnant. She decides to get an abortion (with almost absolutely no thought about it at all, it's almost like she knew her decision before she even knew she was pregnant, because her decision comes out so matter-of-factly). Rather simple, but it's all the in-between points and how Donna goes about her daily life, leading up to this Planned Parenthood appointment that makes the film a hidden gem and indie film gold.
It is clear that Donna is at a bit of a crossroads in her life, being a twentysomething in New York City where her career in comedy should take off but has not and how long is she going to put up with the grind of it all, especially with the contradictory support from her parents (dad is supportive, while mom wants her daughter to pursue other options and face reality). Donna is emotionally tough, troubled, and damaged; but she is also constitutionally strong in that she stands up for what she believes in and doesn't cave to societal norms and continues to be socially awkward. Gaby Hoffman is nearly perfect (as she usually is, given her small, supportive roles like this) as her best friend and roommate. And then, there is Donna's sort-of love interest (Jake Lacy), who is the young khaki-wearing man whom she had the one-night stand with, that turns into more than that, as they get to know each other better, and Donna eventually reveals to him that she is pregnant but getting an abortion. The film really portrays the decision of getting an abortion for a young woman as a difficult one to deal with, but in such an endearing way that you feel for her and it makes you question what exactly would you do given the same circumstance (both from the female and male perspective).
This was a truly awesome film and needs to be seen by more people than I think have actually seen it. Do yourself a favor.
................................................................................
"Bernie"
starring: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Brady Coleman, Richard Robichaux, Rick Dial, Brandon Smith
written and directed by: Richard Linklater
Jack Black is the star of this film as he seems to have embodied and portrayed the real-life character Bernie Tiede. This is clearly one of his best films and one he can truly be proud of, because he comes off as a well-studied characterization of this real man, who seems to be more complex and a bit more of an enigma, especially after watching the film.
The film is based on an article that appeared in the Texas Monthly magazine, which recounted the equal parts tragic and comic tale of Carthage's assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede's life as a devote Methodist and even more devote mortician's assistant.
Jack Black plays Bernie so perfectly that he comes off very chipper, and benevolent, that when he manages to somehow befriend, for all intents and purposes, a widowed, very bitchy old woman, known throughout the community as a bitter, old widow, we do not really know why and/or how their friendship came to exist, other than extreme polar opposites seem to attract. Marjorie Nugent (MacLaine) is the old woman in question, loveless, bitter, loathed-by-all (which is an interesting contrast, because Bernie is a pillar of the community and loved by all), who happens to also be the richest in town. At first their friendship is simple, then they turn into travel companions, and we are led to believe something more (perhaps lovers, even though Bernie comes off a bit queer, for lack of a better term here).
For those that do not know the real-life story behind this film, I shall ruin and spoil things here, because this May-December "romance" hits a snag in the road when Marjorie becomes very controlling of Bernie, to the point that he just cannot take it anymore and he shoots her in the back four times after being pushed and pushed by her, mentally and emotionally, which really makes someone think, do we all have a breaking point where we could/would commit murder, and if so, what is that breaking point within us. Are we all capable of such a heinous act?
The film kind of plays out like an updated, real version of "Sunset Blvd." (a play with a similar plot) in a bit of a documentary style, too. An interesting way of presenting the story to us, but then again, it's written and directed by Richard Linklater, a truly visionary filmmaker of this generation- Just watch "Waking Life" or his most recent film "Boyhood" for evidence of his talent and abilities.
The kicker to this whole thing is that the real life Bernie Tiede was released from jail under the condition that he would live in an apartment above Richard Linklater's garage. Interesting twist.
...............................................................................
"First Winter"
starring: Samantha Jacober, Jennifer Kim, Lindsay Burdge, Haruka Hashimoto, Monika Heideman, Fonlin Nyeu, Luke Simon, Jeff Thrope, Matthew Chastain
written and directed by: Benjamin Dickinson
I want to believe I'm a smart film-watcher, but there was just something about this film that I didn't get, in that I'm sure the filmmakers were trying to say/tell us something. The narrative in the film is not necessarily as important as the visual textures and camera-work applied towards the making of the film and its presentation. The narrative does not really lend to the tension, instead, it is found in how the filmmakers choose to present the characters, choices, and the ensuing tension that works. The point of view is tight and almost directly on the shoulders of the actors, which makes for an overly intimate, perhaps even claustrophobic sense for everyone involved; but that also helps co-exist within the ethos of the free-love and general hippy culture that these characters live with in their world, which they've seemingly created for themselves.
What we have, without any real explanation of a background, is a group of hippy-loving Brooklynites who have dismissed their lives in the rush of big-city living and have transplanted themselves in upstate New York, in a farmhouse, to what is generally understood to be a commune, where sharing lovers and household duties is an unwritten rule. The fact that there is very little dialogue and/or narrative really gives the sense that this community is almost a little Charles Manson-esque, and you are left wondering when the shoe will drop. But it never really does.
What we know is that among these people there is a leader, named Paul (Paul Manza) who looks like Jesus with his long hair and the over-accentuated beard complete with a larger-than-necessary mustache. He teaches everyone yoga and how to live a whole-grain existence, including meditation. Paul sleeps with all the young, nubile hippy chicks, usually in a menage a trois, which naturally breeds jealousy, especially when one of his old flames shows back up at the commune. Fellow hippy Matt is his only antagonist as they have a heated discussion about Paul's sole reasoning for bringing everyone here is to only have sex with these young women, but it turns out Matt is a recovering heroin addict. Clearly, each person in the commune has reasons for being there, and instead of exploring those reasons and becoming more about the characters learning to live with themselves and each other, the filmmakers present to us and the characters that the real trouble lies outside the commune when a couple of the guys witness a large, black plume of smoke off in the distance. Could this be the end of days? And then, we really come to see that they are all facing their "first winter" (hence the title) alone at this commune, and perhaps they do not necessary know how exactly to survive, like they thought they did. Over-estimating their knowledge, much like I've discovered many recently-graduated-from-college, well-to-do young, twentsomethings tend to think.
The film then turns into a highly ritualized way of how these people deal with their impending mortality, teaching them all the lesson of: "It is harder to reinvent yourself than it may seem.
The film wasn't very captivating, because of the pace and the true lack of a narrative pushing it along. It almost feels like an invasion of their privacy or lack-there-of. It was disappointing, for me.
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