Movie Review: American Hustle

David O. Russell, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook and now, American Hustle. This cinematic hat-trick of his is mind boggling. How this man keeps cranking these amazing films out in such rapid succession is awe inspiring. American Hustle continues Russell's awesome streak and reunites the casts from his last two films, throws Jeremy Renner and a wicked pompadour into the mix and lets the kinetic sparks fly.

While watching American Hustle, I couldn't help but compare it to another madcap shiester film set in the 1970's, Martin Scorsese's 1990 masterpiece, Goodfellas. Normally, comparing another film to Goodfellas would be a death sentence, but American Hustle is so dazzling, it often feels like a kindred spirit to Scorsese's mobster classic.

Christian Bale plays Irving Rosenfield, a soft spoken con-artist who, along with his gorgeously manipulative partner in crime Sydney (Amy Adams), gleefully dupes people out of their money during the grimey landscape that was the post-Vietnam/Watergate America of the late 1970's. They run afoul of a zealous FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) who plans to use the smooth talking duo to entrap politicians and other high profile figures to further his own career. That's the film in a nutshell. The con-men get conned by the feds, who force them to con other scam artists in a massive corruption ring, but they have to outwit the FBI in order to stay alive or the people who they are trying to con will...exhausted yet? This film's plot is like a carousel on ecstasy. The story is constantly spinning, with gorgeous lights, or in this case, amazing performances and Russell's brilliant direction, blinding you at every turn.

There's also some biting social commentary going on in American Hustle, highlighting the corruption within our nation's political and financial institutions and how the perversion of the American dream has created a perplexing role reversal between traditional heroes and villains. The message is there, blanketed by Bale's amazingly tactful performance, Adam's uber seductive screen presence, and the most glorious soundtrack of the year. David O. Russell strikes again, what else is there to say?

Happy Birthday Christian Bale

This tattoo warrants an 8:30 res at Dorsia

Today Is Christian Bale's 39th birthday. Bale is easily one of the best actors of his generation and one of the few figures in Hollywood who I'll support regardless. I'll watch anything he's associated with because I know his performance will be nothing short of awesome, and because he usually chooses roles that don't insult my intelligence.

The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Fighter, Public Enemies, 3:10 To Yuma, The Prestige, The New World, Rescue Dawn, Harsh Times and The Machinist...Bale delivers amazing performances in those films. Despite his world wide fame as Batman, or his Academy Award victory and critical acclaim he's received over the years, in my eyes he will always be the yuppie/serial killer extraordinaire, Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. That movie warped my fragile little mind teenage mind when I saw it on the big screen back in 2000. I swear the film gets funnier and more entertaining every time I watch it and it all stems from Bale's over the top performance. Christian might be the man in Hollywood these days, but his Bateman persona, is a god. Enjoy this awesome American Psycho montage and remember...don't touch the watch.

Batman & child w/ cancer @ Disneyland

Remember that amazing story from the summer where Ron Perlman appeared as Hellboy for a sick child from the Make-A-Wish foundation? Well, we got another one folks.

"a real hero and a real human beeeeing"

four-year old leukemia patient named Jayden wanted to meet Batman. Friends and family got involved and started raising a ruckus online and somehow word got back to Christian Bale (aka Patrick Bateman aka, The Dark Knight himself/Bruce Wayne). What does Bale do? He flies the young boy and his family out from Ohio to spend the day at Disneyland with the caped crusader.

How rad is that? I mean yeah he didn't dress up in the costume and I'm sure he didn't speak in the gargling nails-Batman voice all day (which would probably have been frowned upon since Disney owns Marvel and Batman is Warner/DC...) but he took the kid's entire family out to the Magic Kingdom and still managed to fulfill that little boy's wish at the same time.

That photo was taken inside Disney's uber exclusive Club 33, which has like a 14 year waiting list for new membership. Christian Bale FTW.

Read more about this uplifting story HERE.

Remember The Dark Knight

off to see The Dark Knight Rises midnight showing. Wish me luck. It's gonna be nuts. Here's an awesome little retrospective of the entire series:

Problems with The Dark Knight

As many of you observant bloggers already know, I've been sick all week. So that mean lots playing (and losing) a lot more Call of Duty and watching a lot movies. Last night I watched The Dark Knight again. There's something strange that happens with me and Christoper Nolan's last two films, because the more times I see Inception and TDK, the less I like them. Wait. Put down the pitchforks and let me explain. Inception and The Dark Knight are both great films. There's no denying that (well, unless you're a h8er). It's just that after repeated viewings, the faults in each film become more and more visible. Since I saw TDK last, that shall be the focus of this rant. And here, we....GO.

oh Hai Scarecrow.

My first gripe revolves around The Scarecrow. Remember him? Cillian Murphy as Dr. Crane/The Scarecrow in Batman Begins, he was awesome. But then all of a sudden he's yesterday's news in The Dark Knight and Batman captures/punks him in all of 5 minutes. Really? He was badass enough to be the villian of the first film, but now he's like, last season's Dragon Ball Z bad guy and a total chump in part 2? What gives? At first I liked the link between the two and continuity of the whole Nolan/Batman universe, but now it's just kind of insulting and IMO, diminishes the weight of the first film.

Next, the dialogue. Nolan and his brother are a dynamic writing duo if there ever was one (hehe) but dear lawd I cringed at some of the wooden lines these A+ actors were forcibly spitting out. Sometimes, their epic choice of word play works well. Joker preaching about a "better class of criminal" was awesome. Gordon waxing philosophical with his 10 year old son/concluding the film for the audience via voice over, well. It's the ending we need, but not the ending me we deserve. Catch my drift?

Perhaps my biggest problem with movie rests with my home boy Christian Bale. Dude is easily my favorite actor yet his performance in The Dark Knight royally pisses me off. Well actually, it's THAT VOICE! Bale channeling Patrick Bateman is an awesome Bruce Wayne and when he dons the bat suit, he's the sickest Batman ever. Unfortunately, his Batman voice in TDK is beyond over the top (think Rocky Balboa gargling nails dipped in acid) and butchers some of his already stiff dialogue.

"You'll be in a padded cell forever."=/

I didn't let this stuff bother me the first dozen times I watched this film but now it stares me right in the face. Still a great movie though. Amazing visuals, action scenes and stellar performances from Araon Eckhart, Heath Ledger and Gary Oldman. Bale is the new De Niro in my book and became a huge megastar thanks to this flick, I just hope he lays off on the tough guy voice a tad in the next one. As for Nolan, dude has yet to make a bad film, but words of advice, you don't always have to go...deeper

Movie Review: The Fighter

 I knew I was going to love this movie the second I first heard about it. David O. Russell, the director of Three Kings (one of my favorite films from the 90's) working with Christian Bale (Patrick Bateman/American Psycho)and Mark Wahlberg (Dirk Diggler/Boogie Nights) = awesomeness.  I had no idea just how awesome the final result would be.

The Fighter is based on real life story of boxing brothers Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund. Dicky was once the pride of Lowell, Massachusetts, an amazing boxer who has withered away due to years of drug abuse but he and his family are convinced they can help his younger brother Micky achieve the successful boxing career that passed him by. The conflicts Micky faces on every corner, between his junkie brother, his overbearing family, his new girlfriend trying to help him turn his life around, all this strife motivates Micky to kick some ass in the ring and he finally earn a shot at the championship he's yearned for his whole life.

The film's plot is gripping, and the fact that it's based on real life people/events makes it even more riveting, while O. Russell's direction feels more akin to the fly on the wall HBO Sports documentary that takes place within the film than a traditional Hollywood movie. The thing that pushes The Fighter from good movie to great, are the performances. Virtually every actor on screen is amazing in this film, including the seven actresses portraying Micky's boisterous sisters, but no performance stands out as much as Christian Bale's stellar transformation into the strung out Dicky Eklund. Bale has been one of my favorite actors for years, although he'll always be Patrick Bateman in my eyes, his performances in The Machinist, The New World, Rescue Dawn, 3:10 To Yuma and The Prestige were all amazing...I honestly think his work as Dicky in The Fighter tops them all. Amy Adams is pretty amazing as Micky's girlfriend Charlene, I'm almost certain both her and Bale will be nominated for Best Supporting Actor/Actress this year. I'm hoping they win.