I Love That Film: the wolf of wall street

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Sunday, 4 January 2015

Top 10 Music Performances of 2014

Sunday, 28 December 2014

How do we define a blockbuster? Is it just the size of the budget or is it about how much the film makes at the box office? If it's about budget, then how many dollars poured in to the production makes it a blockbuster? Is anything over $100 million in this day and age a blockbuster? I have no idea.

Does a blockbuster have to be simplistic? Good vs evil, bombastic special effects, product placement and completely sold on special effects... that kind of thing. Or can a blockbuster be intelligent? Personally, I think blockbusters can be dumb as fuck or smart as science and stuff. I don't mind them being dim witted, as long as they dazzle me with something I haven't seen before or make me care about their simplistic characters! But neither do I mind if they make my mind do some mental somersaults.

Anyway, enough with the questions and half-hearted answers. I'm counting any film with a budget of over $100 million as a blockbuster for this list. As far as I can tell, I saw 17 films released this year with that kind of meg-budget behind them. With a top 10 list like this, there always has to be losers, so the ones that missed out on a place in the final 10 were: Transformers: Age of Extinction, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hercules, Pompeii, RoboCop, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and (whisper it) Guardians of the Galaxy (sorry everybody in the world ever!)

So without further ado, here are my top 10 blockbusters of 2014:

10. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Epic end to what shouldn't have actually been a very epic story. The best compliment I can pay this film (and Peter Jackson) is that ever since I saw it, I have been desperate to have an LOTR binge session.

9. How to Train Your Dragon 2

Wish I'd seen this in a cinema on the biggest screen possible.

8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Again, wish I'd seen this on a sensible sized screen, rather than on a crappy little screen on a plane to Cuba.

7. Edge of Tomorrow

Just for the joy of seeing Tom Cruise playing a coward and getting killed over and over again.

6. Godzilla

Got to go to the premiere of this for Filmoria and chat to Bryan Cranston on the red carpet. Shame he didn't have a bigger role in the actual film though.

5. X-Men: Days of Future Past

Not a huge superhero movie fan but this was an epic cast and had the added bonus of time travel. That Quicksilver scene was jaw dropping.

4. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The Apes of Wrath return in a sequel that was at least as good as its predecessor. I just love the way these films are so tragic. We all know where it is all leading but it has been a hell of a ride getting there so far.

3. The Wolf of Wall Street

Not sure if this is really a blockbuster but it has the budget to back it up and a huge cast going balls out. Jordan Belfort is a disgusting man who I really hope gets nothing from this movie but what a movie it was. Also contains the funniest scene of the entire year.

2. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Aided immeasurably by Lawrence’s powerful performance, Katniss is still the current queen of science fiction cinema and if Mockingjay is anything to go by, this franchise is building to an explosive and no doubt incredibly emotional conclusion.

1. Interstellar

Emotion + Intelligence + Spectacle = A near perfect blockbuster

What were your favourite blockbusters of 2014?

More 2014 lists at I Love That Film:

Best Books I Read in 2014

TV in 2014

Top 10 Music Performances of 2014

Tuesday, 4 March 2014

Top 10 of 2014 so far (Jan/Feb)

Bit early to be doing this but seeing as I've watched 22 films released in 2014 during January and February, I thought I'd make a note of my top 10 films of the year so far. Click the titles for my full reviews:

10. The Railway Man
9. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
8. Out of the Furnace
7. Inside Llewyn Davis
6. Dallas Buyers Club
5. Only Lovers Left Alive
4. The Wolf of Wall Street
3. Lone Survivor
2. Her
1. 12 Years A Slave

The films that have missed out on being in the top 10 are: Last Vegas, The Book Thief, The Stag, Grudge Match, Magic Magic, That Awkward Moment, Muirhouse, Endless Love, RoboCop, I Declare War, Ride Along and 300: Rise of an Empire.

Has anyone else out there got a top 10 of 2014 so far?

2014 Oscar Best Picture Nominees Rated and Reviewed

With award season coming to a predictable but fun end, I thought it a good time to round up my reviews of the Best Picture nominees in 2014. It seems Ellen did a great job of hosting and though I didn't watch the ceremony, there has been so much coverage of pizza eating, record breaking selfies and J-Law falling over some more, that I don't think I need to watch them. Check out the coverage at Cinematic Corner for more on the ceremony itself and some brilliant gifs.

As usual, I did some gambling and put £20 down over the whole awards season. After the Globes, I was down by a pound(ish), then after the BAFTAs I'd broken even again and then with the Oscars being as predictable as they were, I finally came out £4 up. William Hill invited me on to talk Oscar odds on their weekly podcast which you can hear here if you interested in my predictions.

I'm glad to see American Hustle didn't win much, sad to see McQueen not get Best Director but very pleased 12 Years a Slave got Best Picture and Lupita Nyong'o got Best Supporting Actress. Films I still need to see from Oscar season are Blue Jasmine, Frozen and 20 Feet From Stardom. I actually managed to review all but one of the Best Picture nominees this year which must be a first. I saw Gravity later than everybody else so by that time, I think every word possible had been written about it. I was also left a bit disappointed by it after all the reviews I had read. Technically brilliant and pretty damn gripping but I just felt the characters were a bit cliched and kept it from being a five star movie in my opinion.

Chris from Movies and songs 365 asked how I would rank the Best Picture nominees so here goes. By the way this is incredibly difficult and liable to change in time. I don't envy all those who have to vote for the Oscar winners. Click the titles for my full reviews of each:

9. American Hustle
'Overall it's a clever con, funny at times and crammed with wonderful performances. It might not have the zip and the pizazz of a Goodfellas or a Boogie Nights, but what it does have is Batman, Lois Lane, Rocket Racoon, Mystique and Hawkeye all in one film and all playing characters that are far more interesting than their comic book counterparts.'

8. Nebraska
'With a melancholy score from Mark Orton, stark cinematography from Phedon Papamichael and some heartbreaking performances, Nebraska is a winner; even if Woody isn’t.'

7. Gravity
Technically astonishing but a bit lacking in the character department.

6. Dallas Buyers Club 'See it for two staggering transformations and a touching true tale that desrves to be told. While Woodroof is the flawed star of the film, Leto's equally damaged Rayon threatens to steal it away from him. It may not tell the full story, choosing to focus on one frequently unpleasant man instead of many other heroes in the fight against AIDS, but Dallas Buyers Club avoids cliche to become powerful, credible and profoundly affecting.'

5. Her
'Falling in love may be, as one character says, a form of socially acceptable insanity but it’s ultimately impossible not to love every bit of Her.'

4. The Wolf of Wall Street
'The Wolf of Wall Street is Scorsese's best since Goodfellas. BUT it is also a disgrace. It makes you forget just what a complete shit Belfort really is. It is not angry enough. Belfort gets off easily. He turns on everyone around him, gets away with a tiny prison sentence in a white collar prison and is still not paying nearly enough back to his victims. To have Belfort appear in the film is just another slap in the face for the forgotten victims of the story. Scorsese has made a fun film about a man who deserves nothing but disdain. There is little caution in this 'cautionary' tale. We need to stop paying to listen to Belfort but with a film like this, Scorsese makes that very difficult.'

3. Captain Phillips
'The young actors give life and breath to the tragically young men that tangled with the far superior American forces. Captain Phillips is an underdog story of epic proportions where the underdogs never stand a chance.'

2. Philomena
'Philomena is a brilliantly written script with an unforgettable character who has an incredible story to be told. While it takes potshots at journalism and the church, it is ultimately an inspiring story of forgiveness. Dench and Coogan make a hilarious double act with Coogan unexpectedly playing the straight man but it is the tragedy of Philomena's treatment at the hands of the nuns that will linger longest in the memory.'

1. 12 Years A Slave
'12 Years A Slave brings a terrible historical truth to life. It may only be the story of one man but it feels definitive; every frame is a painting that transports you to another time. Through it's cinematography, production and costume design, but most of all the performances of a completely committed cast, 12 Years A Slave depicts the ugliness of slavery with unforgettable imagery.'

What were your favourites of this awards season?

More awards coverage at I Love That Film:

Screen Actors Guild Award Winners 2014

Who will win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards 2014?

Critics' Choice Winners 2014
Oscar nominations 2014
Who will win at the Critics' Choice Awards 2014?
Golden Globes winners and losers
BAFTA 2014 Nominations

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

The Wolf of Wall Street Review

Mr Scorsese, why are you making me laugh at this? The Wolf of Wall Street is a not very cautionary tale of disgusting greed, loathsome behaviour and the many perks of being a white collar criminal. It is excess all areas; vast quantities of drugs are consumed, prostitutes are used and abused and cash flows quickly into the pockets of our real-life anti-hero Jordan Belfort. It should be repugnant. It is repugnant. But against my better judgement, it is also hysterically funny; a pitch black comedy that you might not want to laugh at but you probably will.

Jordan Belfort is the Wolf of Wall Street. As a newly married young man, he moves to New York to work on stocks and make his fortune. After losing his job in the big crash of 1987, Belfort starts his own firm, trading in penny stocks and convincing people dumber than him to invest in shares that he knows will never go anywhere. He soon works his way up, partnering with Donnie Azoff and taking on the big boys of Wall Street with his illegal, immoral and irresponsible firm Stratton Oakmont. As he 'earns' ridiculous amounts of money by ripping people off, he also develops an unquenchable thirst for every drug under the sun and using prostitutes becomes another favourite pastime. It is the rise and fall of a white collar gangster; perhaps not as violent as Henry Hill but equally if not more destructive, decadent and disgusting. He may not murder people, but Belfort ruins plenty of lives.

It's hard to focus on the victims of Belfort's story as we never get the chance to see them. We never meet those who lose their money and we never see the consequences of his actions for the people involved. Belfort, as played by Leonardo DiCaprio is, takes us along for his ride. We see events as he sees them and nothing is going to kill his buzz except maybe the intrusion of the FBI. From the vile language of his first experience on Wall Street through to the head shaving of women for cold hard cash, throwing of little people on to office targets and the stag party to end all stag parties, Belfort is surrounded by decadence and moral decay. DiCaprio talks us through it all with a voice over and direct to camera address; sweeping you along for the ride with a smile and wink and rarely giving you a moment to think about those less fortunate than Belfort in all of this.

Scorsese does not hold back from showing any of the debauchery; the language, the sex, the occasional violence and most of all the drugs. The Wolf of Wall Street has the most swear words in one feature film in history. It has enough cocaine to make Scarface blush. And when Belfort and Azoff get hold of some super powerful Lemmon Quaaludes, it has one of the funniest drug taking scenes in cinema history as Belfort loses all control of his body. This scene pretty much sums up the film. It is absolutely hysterical. Belfort's excess leads to DiCaprio delivering a comedy masterclass as he crawls his way to his car under the influence. It is only when he gets to the car and begins driving that you realise what a selfish, dangerous, immoral guy you are watching. The consequences of his actions could have been fatal but still you laugh until tears come out.

The Wolf of Wall Street wallows in the behaviour of utter scumbags. Scorsese enjoys their company and makes us enjoy it too. It may be a rise and fall story but there is no real fall here. Belfort gets off far too easily and Scorsese reminds us in a striking final shot that we are all still watching Belfort; giving him our money gladly and lapping up his every word. The Wolf of Wall Street will leave you in a moral vacuum. I heard people leaving the cinema saying they wanted Belfort's life. Scorsese shows it how it was. Despite everything, it looks like fun and he pretty much got away with it. Belfort is undoubtedly a scumbag but with Scorsese and DiCaprio at his back, he is an eminently watchable scumbag.

Though the film is a little long, occasionally allowing some scenes (particularly some moments of improvisation) to slow the pace, it also gives plenty of chance for the stars to shine. Matthew McConaughey, Jonah Hill, Joanna Lumley and Jean Dujardin all get to show off their comic chops with Hill being particularly committed to bringing Donnie Azoff to hideous life. Backed by Terence Winter's snappy screenplay and Scorsese's smart direction, the larger than life characters all leave an impact, no matter how small their role in the three hour, event packed film.

The Wolf of Wall Street is Scorsese's best since Goodfellas. BUT it is also a disgrace. It makes you forget just what a complete shit Belfort really is. It is not angry enough. Belfort gets off easily. He turns on everyone around him, gets away with a tiny prison sentence in a white collar prison and is still not paying nearly enough back to his victims. To have Belfort appear in the film is just another slap in the face for the forgotten victims of the story. Scorsese has made a fun film about a man who deserves nothing but disdain. There is little caution in this 'cautionary' tale. We need to stop paying to listen to Belfort but with a film like this, Scorsese makes that very difficult.

More reviews at I Love That Film:

Out of the Furnace

Philomena

Dallas Buyers Club

12 Years A Slave

American Hustle

All is Lost

The Railway Man

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Captain Phillips

Saving Mr. Banks

Monday, 13 January 2014

Golden Globes winners and losers

The Golden Globes threw up a bunch of surprises last night and having bet £10 on various outcomes, it seems I have ended up losing about £1.40. The main reason for that is that I put £3 on the favourite for Best Actor in a Drama, Chiwetel Ejifor. I was sure Ejiofor was a guaranteed win after seeing 12 Years A Slave
on Friday night. Having now seen Dallas Buyers Club, I can see why the competition was so severe.

I also lost a pound by betting on The Wolf of Wall Street to win Best Picture Comedy/Musical over the favourite American Hustle. Again, I haven't seen TWOWS but I suspected that American Hustle would not be winning much except maybe in the acting categories. Oops!

Luckily I did believe in Amy Adams to win the Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical and I had put £2 on her. She was the favourite so I didn't win much but still, it's better than a kick in the pants and made up for losing money on Ejiofor and The Wolf of Wall Street.

I also won a bit on Leo DiCaprio for winning Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical for TWOWS and also for Jared Leto for winning Best Supporting Actor for Dallas Buyers Club. Again, I think both of these were the favourites and I only put a very small amount on each so no big champagne popping wins for me!

I also lost money by betting on Lupita Nyong'o over Jennifer Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress. These were the biggest surprises of the night for me; Ejiofor and Nyong'o losing out to Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lawrence. As much as I love Lawrence, I'm gobsmacked she beat Nyong'o. Thank goodness 12 Years A Slave won Best Picture or I may have had a small screaming fit.

Anyway enough about me and my silly movie awards gambling addiction, here is the list of winners (almost all of them anyway) taken from The Telegraph:

Best motion picture (drama)

12 Years A Slave
Best TV series (drama)
Breaking Bad

Best Actor in a motion picture (drama)
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress in a motion picture (drama)
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Best Director – motion picture
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity

Best motion picture (musical or comedy)
American Hustle

Best Actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Amy Adams, American Hustle

Best Actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Leonardo Dicaprio, Wolf of Wall Street

Best Animated Feature film
Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film
The Great Beauty (Italy)

Best Actor in a TV series, drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

What did you think of the winners this year?

Wednesday, 8 January 2014

BAFTA 2014 Nominations

BAFTA 2014 nominations are in with Gravity leading the way followed closely by 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle. I've already placed my bets with William Hill for who I think will win even though I have not seen the films I picked. I'm taking the safe option and going with the clear favourites.

I've highlighted those I've seen already and made a note of those I need to see before the ceremony on Feb 16th. The ones I think will win are helpfully written in red. If the film title is underlined, then click it to check out my review. Without further ado, here are the nominees:

BEST FILM
12 Years A Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
Gravity
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Philomena
Rush
Saving Mr. Banks
The Selfish Giant

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
Colin Carberry (Writer), Glenn Patterson (Writer) Good Vibrations
Kelly Marcel (Writer) Saving Mr. Banks
Kieran Evans (Director/Writer) Kelly + Victor
Paul Wright (Director/Writer), Polly Stokes (Producer) For Those in Peril
Scott Graham (Director/Writer) Shell

DIRECTOR
Steve McQueen - 12 Years A Slave
David O. Russell - American Hustle
Paul Greengrass - Captain Phillips
Alfonso Cuarón - Gravity
Martin Scorsese - The Wolf Of Wall Street

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell - American Hustle
Woody Allen - Blue Jasmine
Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón - Gravity
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen - Inside Llewyn Davis
Bob Nelson - Nebraska

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
John Ridley - 12 Years A Slave
Richard LaGravenese - Behind The Candelabra
Billy Ray - Captain Phillips
Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope - Philomena
Terence Winter - The Wolf Of Wall Street

LEADING ACTOR
Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Christian Bale - American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street
Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips

LEADING ACTRESS
Amy Adams - American Hustle
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks
Judi Dench - Philomena
Sandra Bullock - Gravity

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper - American Hustle
Daniel Bruhl - Rush
Matt Damon - Behind the Candelabra
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
Oprah Winfrey - The Butler
Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The Act Of Killing
Blue Is The Warmest Colour
The Great Beauty
Metro Manila
Wadjda

DOCUMENTARY
The Act Of Killing
The Armstrong Lie
Blackfish
Tim's Vermeer
We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks

ANIMATED FILM
Despicable Me 2
Frozen
Monsters University

ORIGINAL MUSIC
12 Years A Slave - Hans Zimmer
The Book Thief - John Williams
Captain Phillips - Henry Jackman
Gravity - Steven Price
Saving Mr. Banks - Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
12 Years A Slave - Sean Bobbitt
Captain Phillips - Barry Ackroyd
Gravity - Emmanuel Lubezki
Inside Llewyn Davis - Bruno Delbonnel
Nebraska - Phedon Papamichael

EDITING
12 Years A Slave - Joe Walker
Captain Phillips - Christopher Rouse
Gravity - Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger
Rush - Dan Hanley, Mike Hill
The Wolf Of Wall Street - Thelma Schoonmaker

PRODUCTION DESIGN
12 Years A Slave - Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker
American Hustle - Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler
Behind The Candelabra - Howard Cummings
Gravity - Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woodlard
The Great Gatsby - Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn

COSTUME DESIGN
American Hustle - Michael Wilkinson
Behind The Candelabra - Ellen Mirojnick
The Great Gatsby - Catherine Martin
The Invisible Woman - Michael O’Connor
Saving Mr. Banks - Daniel Orlandi

MAKE UP & HAIR
American Hustle - Evelyne Noraz, Lori McCoy-Bell
Behind The Candelabra - Kate Biscoe, Marie Larkin
The Butler - Debra Denson, Beverly Jo Pryor, Candace Neal
The Great Gatsby - Maurizio Silvi, Kerry Warn
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater

SOUND
All Is Lost - Richard Hymns, Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor, Micah Bloomberg, Gillian Arthur
Captain Phillips - Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro, Oliver Tarney
Gravity - Glenn Freemantle, Skip Lievsay, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, Chris Munro
Inside Llewyn Davis - Peter F. Kurland, Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff
Rush - Danny Hambrook, Martin Steyer, Stefan Korte, Markus Stemler, Frank Kruse

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
Gravity - Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould, Nikki Penny The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds
Iron Man 3 - Bryan Grill, Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick
Pacific Rim - Hal Hickel, John Knoll, Lindy De Quattro, Nigel Sumner
Star Trek Into Darkness - Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton, Patrick Tubach, Roger Guyett

Rising Star nominee Will Poulter and I

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
Dane DeHaan
George McKay
Lupita Nyong'o
Will Poulter
Lea Seydoux

What do you think of this year's nominees?

Friday, 3 January 2014

Top 25 Films to see in 2014

2015 might be the year of the really big mega-franchises but that means 2014 is packed with plenty more originals before we get stuck in to the Star Wars, Avengers, Jurassic World and Terminators of 2015. There's also the usual bunch of sequels, reboots and even a sequel to a prequel to a film that already had 4 sequels (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes).

2014 will no doubt be filled with surprises but at this early stage, these are the films that I've heard of and am most looking forward to. Begin the countdown:

25. Noah

Biggest draw for me is Darren Aronofsky but to be honest, this looks a million miles away from Requiem for a Dream and probably a million miles away from the bible story it is based on. Should be big though.

24. Need for Speed

Reason to see is quite simply post-Breaking Bad Aaron Paul. Also the car action looks like it might be more fast and furious than a certain other franchise.

23. Human Centipede 3

I could give you a hundred reasons not to see this and I'm personally not looking forward to the experience but I bet this one gets people talking when it arrives with its 500 person centipede.

22. Her

Joaquin Phoenix and Spike Jonze together at last?

21. Maggie

Arnie is a father who must over see his daughter's slow transformation into a zombie along with his wife Joely Richardson.

20. The Hobbit: There and Back Again

Excited for it all to finally come to end to be honest. It's been a long and drawn out wait.

19. RoboCop

Early trailers have received mixed opinions but the politics of this prescient remake might just pull it through.

18. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I grew up on these guys. I can't help but get excited for their return.

17. Transcendence

Cinematographer Wally Pfister finally has a go at directing. Johnny Depp takes over the world!

16. 22 Jump Street

The first one was unexpectedly hilarious. Hope this one can pull it off again.

15. The Green Inferno

Not a massive fan of Eli Roth but hoping this one is as extreme as Cannibal Holocaust without any of the actual animal cruelty that went into that abomination!

14. Birdman

Alejandro González Iñárritu finally cheers up a bit. Great cast and premise too.

13. Jupiter Ascending

The Wachowski siblings return after Cloud Atlas with another sci-fi epic. Not sure about Channing Tatum's make up though.

12. Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto may just give the performance of their careers in this true life story of coping with AIDS.

11. REC 4: Apocalypse

Jaume Balagueró returns to the franchise, continuing the story of the first two films and confining the zombie infested action to an off shore oil tanker.